The girls love spending their weekend and days off playing school or shop or, most recently, arcade. One weekend not long ago they put together an elaborate Chuck E. Cheese-type space, complete with outdoor games, tokens (to play), tickets (when people win) and a prize area where people can spend their tickets. They called it the A-Z Arcade.

-M

Last Friday the girls’ school held its first-ever track and field day at a nearby park. Parents were invited, but by the time I got there, the second-graders were done with their various activities (relay races, tug o’ war, basketball drills, etc.) and were fooling around on the playground. (Zoe’s class, meanwhile, was just finishing up.) Watching the dozen or so 7- and 8-year-old schoolmates was highly entertaining!

-M

After camping last weekend we took our time going up the coast, stopping at an educational farm and a you-pick berry field. I’ve always wanted to go berry picking with the girls, so watching them walk through the fields and gather the fruit was a real treat. And even sweeter: the strawberry pie (with homemade crust!) that Q and the girls made after we got home (while I napped).

-M

For the third year in a row, we joined Avery’s class for a weekend camping trip. The campground is on the coast about 45 minutes south of San Francisco – but it feels a world away. And since the only things on our agenda were to hang out with friends, soak in the scenery and eat, it was a perfectly relaxing get-away.

-M

A recent LOL moment with Avery (and, believe me, there are many these days): Out of the blue one night, she asked if a “mouth kiss” is how married people kiss. When I said yes, her eyes got big and she told me, “I’m not ready for that!” And, then, after a pause: “In college, do you practice kissing for marriage?”

-M

Each year, Brandeis’ chorus and fourth grade class visit AT&T Park to sing the national anthem before a Giants game. Zoe performed last spring and again last week; here are some pics of the recent performance (and of her and her friends).

-M

Our big Mother’s Day weekend event was going to see the musical “Hamilton,” which we did last Saturday. So some background: Like most everyone else, I had watched as the musical took the country by storm the year before last, and I asked Q to get us tickets when it arrived in San Francisco this spring. We’ve all been listening to the songs for months, so by the time the show came around the girls knew the whole story and could watch out for their favorites (including “Washington on your side”, “You’ll be back” and, of course, “Alexander Hamilton”). We all loved the show (no surprise there!), and we’ve had the songs on non-stop ever since. (Some new faves include “What’d I miss”, “Cabinet Battle #1 and “The Schuyler Sisters” – the latter which Avery and I like to sing together. “Angelica!” I sing, to which she calls out “Eliza!”)

The show is one that really sticks with you (there’s a reason it won all those Tonys and that so many people are obsessed with it) and isn’t something we’ll soon forget. And I love that someday the girls can tell their kids, “I remember when my parents took us to see Hamilton…”

-M

It makes sense to schedule an event that’s all about girl power on Mother’s Day – and so the semi-annual Girls on the Run race was held last Sunday. Before spending the day driving down Highway 1 and exploring Half Moon Bay, we joined about 5,000 other people at a nearby park and watched as Zoe and some schoolmates ran another 5K. (And look, Dad, at what’s behind her!)

-M

And a few photos from the other day…

-M

Avery’s class had an end-of-year performance at school the other day; below is her little blurb and a few of the kids’ songs. Avery said a few words about a morning prayer and commented that it’s a reminder that we shouldn’t take things in life for granted… Amen to that!

-M

More now from Zoe’s recent overnight. As described in the school’s newsletter:

Fourth graders spent last Wednesday to Friday in a three-day simulation of the gold rush in “1855 Hangtown” (conveniently transplanted to Camp Tawonga), where they engaged in the everyday experiences of miners, merchants, teachers, and children of the 1850s.

In their mining teams, students panned for gold in the river, built fires, cooked their own miners’ meals, learned about the local flora and fauna of the area, and square danced. They even took part in an old-fashioned spelling bee in the makeshift one-room schoolhouse.

The activities in Hangtown helped the fourth graders better understand how difficult life was in 1855 and were a great way to build on their yearlong study of California’s history. Some came home with gold, others lost it all in the Hangtown Saloon on their last day—but all brought home nuggets of knowledge about a legendary era that shaped California’s future.

“It was so exciting to see the students panning for gold in the cold river, hiking and learning about the wild plants in the area, and cooperating and problem-solving by making their own Miner’s Meals,” says teacher Valerie Welsh. “One student exclaimed after his group had finally eaten, ‘This is the best meal I have ever had! It really makes me appreciate all that goes into making a meal.’”

And, some photos…

-M

With Zoe out of town and Q at a movie, it was just me and Avery one night last week. We wound up having a girls night (dinner and ice cream) with some good friends – and Avery, who had previously been sad that her sister was gone – was one happy camper.

-M

Avery to her sister the other day: “Can we play a game where I’m famous?” (Then she proceeded to grab a guitar and pretend she was a famous musician. That’s quintessential Avery.)

-M

Zoe came home last Friday afternoon very tired, very smelly, and very happy. She said the camping trip was “way better” than she had expected, with the highlights being the food (apparently the barbecue chicken and grits were quite good) and the campfire stories. The school is sending us more photos soon; for now here she is with a few friends, moments after stepping off the bus.

-M

As you may have seen on Facebook, Wed. was a big day for Zoe: She took off for her first school overnight as part of so-called outdoor ed. She and her classmates headed to the popular and picturesque Camp Tawonga in Yosemite, where they’re going back in time to 1855 and looking for gold in “Hang Town.” We had a lot to prepare for (the packing list was long!), and Zoe had a lot of questions about what the trip would be like, what she should wear, etc. – but she was all smiles as the bus arrived.

-M