The Boys Screen Printing Vroom Shirts

There are some things about screen printing that I don't like doing. The whole emulsion, burning of the screen, and overall setup aspect of it is not something I feel comfortable doing. But, there IS something about pressing that ink onto the screen, lifting up that screen to see that fresh ink shinning on the paper that just simply feels GOOD!

Last weekend we went over to Hobo Press to get some new Vroom tees printed for Tembo®. After Adam – the professional – printed all the shirts for the shop, the boys got to do some screen printing themselves. I had packed some blank shirts from their closet, so that they would have a choice. Little did I know, Owen was going to end up printing everyone of them with 'Vroom' "Can I just do one more?" He was hooked on the feeling of screen printing.
I should've known.

Ohno Vroom Birthday Party

My little guy turned 3 the other day. When I asked him what kind of birhtday he wanted he said "race cars" Hmmm... I had just finished designing the Ohno Vroom line, so I figured it'd be perfect. And it was. Him and his friends loved it!

I took some of the elements from the Ohno Vroom line and designed a custom birthday invite to look like a car race ticket. The wheel illustrations I had done for one of the Ohno Vroom prints turned out perfect for cake toppers. I just printed them on round stickers and stock them onto long toothpicks. (lolipop sticks work even better)

I had T-shirts printed with "Vroom" on them and packaged them in paint cans with Vroom Motor Oil labels. The cans looked great as party decor on the table and made awesome take away gifts. A couple of oil cans were perfect to hold markers and little wooden cars. I placed them on a table for kids to color their own little vroom vroom race cars.

Overall it was a really easy party and everyone had lots of fun. Afterall, all with the exception of one were boys. And, what little boy dosn't love vroom vrooms? 

Lego Master Builder. Age 5.

I have a little guy in the house that's a lot obsessed with Legos. I gave him access to a few "little" Legos (not Duplos) when he was 3, and quickly regretted my decision. He was instantly obsessed, yet he didn't yet have the motor skills to execute what he wanted. Frustration didn't stop him though. He wanted more.

Every chance to get a reward, every birthday, every Christmas, he's asked for the same thing: Legos. He has been persistent, and we all know that's one of the secrets to success. This last Christmas, at age 5, he asked Santa for the Lego R2D2. A Lego set for age 16+. Santa honored his request. 

For about 4 days, on an off, he sat on the floor building. He'd come out every so often "I'm on bag number 4!" and show us his progress. He needed help opening the next bag, but not actually building.

The inside structure of the figure is extremely elaborate, and he did make one mistake. Dad fixed the problem and allowed him to continue. Other than that one thing, this 5 year old boy built the entire R2D2, meant for 16 year olds, on his own. So yes, I'm a proud mom, and I like his Lego obsession — most of the time.

The shelf where he puts his creations gets a bit out of control sometimes. I offered to take pictures of these pieces and catalog them so we could move them and get the shelf cleaned up. He loved that. 

The following images are creations Owen though had a purpose and shouldn't be destroyed. Because he let me clean the shelf I will honor my child by posting these photos. Thank you Owen.

The Hunt for Desserts. Part 1.

I have been so busy with work (again) that I haven't posted anything in a while. So, here's to trying to catch up...

Let's talk desserts. It's pretty usual for us to be riding in the car on the weekend and for me to go "I need desserts" And my family, that doesn't lack a sweet tooth, is immediately up for the hunt. A few weeks ago we ended up at the Blue Bird Bake Shop. This small shop has a very cool space, and is full of beautiful and delicious cupcakes. Definitely worth the visit. 

 We have also discovered a few other nice dessert spots in the last few months. I'll post about those in the coming weeks.

Dumb Ways to Die

Metro Trains "Dumb Ways to Die" Video from H.K. McCANN on Vimeo.

Bathtime Beards

Heard some comotion coming from the kid's bathroom today and I walked in to find a 5 year old with a giant beard and a one year old, well, eating his beard. Yes, dad might have had something to do with this... 

Mickey and Friends Shorts

Has everyone seen these Mickey Mouse and friends shorts? I think Mickey Mouse - Croissant de Triomphe is my favorite one. You can watch all the shorts from the Mickey Video app free on the iPad.

I really love the illustration style this set of shorts.

My little Karate Kid

Even though it's actually Taekwondo, not Karate... Nevertheless, it's something Owen's been doing for a bit now and that he absolutely loves. And so do I. He doesn't only get some exercise, but he has become a lot more confident. He learns the tenets of Taekwondo – courtesy, integrity, perseverance, etc. It's so cute to watch this group of 5 year olds say their tenets, and what each of them mean. Not to mention, do their complicated patterns, and that jump kick! Mr. Perry, his instructor, and his son (also Mr. Perry) keep the class fun too, so I have to admit, it's pretty entertaining for us parents (and little 1 year old siblings) to watch.

I saw these coupons at class the other day, so I thought I would share. It's a really good deal if you want to give this class a shot. Oh, and Mr. Perry will also allow new students to come in and try out the class for free one time. That way you can make sure your kid is into it before signing him/her up.

More info on Todd Perry Taekwondo Academy here 

Labor Day Weekend at Longboat Key

This was our first time at Longboat Key. We stayed right on this amazing beach with a group of friends. I didn't have my camera out during the day much, but got it out after we all got baths and had dinner. I learned after the first night, giving the kids a bath before we were absolutely ready for bed, was simply not worth it. But I love seing my usually very cautios kid getting in the ocean at the end of the day with all his clothes on. So much fun!

Oh, and it ony takes a bit over 2 hours to get there from Orlando.

OREO Wonderfilled Anthem

So good!

Kindergarten Inspiration

Just providing some inspiration for the local architects...

I don't think I could drop of my children in that treehouse school though. I would want to stay there with them.

Images via "The 10 most beautiful Kindergartens in the world" by Timbuktu. 

Blueberries

We had so much fun picking blueberries last weekend I thought I would share. I don't normally like blueberries but there's something about picking them yourself straight out of the tree that just makes them taste better –the boys agree.

Here's the info if you're interested:

Tom West Blueberries
324 E. Orlando Ave.
Ocoee, FL 34761 

Open April 20th - End of May
Saturdays and Sundays 9-5

www.tomwestblueberries.com

It's very family friendly, they provide buckets for picking, prices are great, and the best part – they're pesticide free.