The only good thing about Tim and the girls being gone for a few days last week (aside from two glorious nights of uninterrupted sleep) was the fact that I had free range on the TV for the first time in a long time. I was flipping through movies on Netflix when Clueless popped up. I immediately knew what I was watching.

And let me tell you: it’s still as good as it was in the 90s–which can’t be said for a lot of the movies I loved back then (I’m talking to you, Empire Records). I love this movie and Paul Rudd, who I totally forgot was in it. The more I watched it, the more I loved on Paul Rudd and started thinking about all of the other movies he’s in.

That’s when I decided I had to put together a list of my favorite Paul Rudd movies. Because I love lists. And I love Paul Rudd. And I love movies. And combining all of them sounded like a pretty freakin fantastic idea at the time. But it was no easy task. Here goes…

So today is the first official day of summer vacation in our house (the weekend doesn’t really count, does it?) and, uh, let’s just say we’re adjusting to our new schedule.

While we’re getting used to a little freedom (which actually sounds easier than it is with kids–especially if you have one who needs constant stimulation [cough, Samantha]), I thought I’d sit Sam down and make a list of some of the things we want to make sure we do this summer.

Alright, alright. I know I’m more than a little late to the game with this. I meant to post a teacher gift DIY weeks ago, but life happened to get in the way. I didn’t figure out our gift idea until this week (thank you Pinterest and Camp Slop) and we didn’t get to making it until yesterday.

So, yeah. I’m late. A lot of kids have been on summer vacation for weeks now. But take this idea and put it in your pocket (or, you know, your Pinterest gift ideas board) until next year. And it doesn’t just have to be an idea for teachers! You can adapt this for going away gifts or retirement presents, or just about anything really.

Last week I wrote a post for Simply Designing about a fun summer paint party with my little ladies. I basically put the girls in (old) bathing suits, threw down a sheet, put out a bunch of paint supplies and let them go crazy. I made sure to stress that it was a “party” so that they wouldn’t think this little fun fest was going to turn into an every day thing. And let me tell you, they had a blast.

I’ve mentioned more than a few times that I’m a big, fat Kate Spade fan. I love how all of her pieces manage to be both whimsical and classic. I’m also a big I Spy DIY fan and when Jenni did a post a few months ago on DIY quote totes that were inspired by Kate Spade’s cheeky totes, I knew I’d have to make my own version.