I don't know what this says about my cooking or our dinner menu lately, but Jake just came up to me and asked what we were having for dinner. When I told him we were having pizza he jumped happily out of the room yelling, "Yea! Pizza! I can finally eat!! I can finally eat!"
You can now imagine how well the clam chowder in a bread bowl and steak with potatoes went over - I had been starving him, serving those as dinners earlier in the week!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
A day at the zoo
This past Saturday, I took the kids to the Athens zoo. Actually I think it is called a zoological wildlife trail, or something. There is only a handful of animals, literally, of local wildlife. But, the kids loved it. It was a beautiful 70 degree day and it was in a park that had a lake. After looking at the animals, including a bald eagle and deer that came right up to the fence (I told the kids the deer in our woods would never get that close to them), we walked around the lake. There are geese, swan, other ducks, fish and turtles. They wanted to stay longer - I told them we would plan a longer day another time.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Science Fair Project
We survived our first Science Fair Project. Alyssa was very excited to enter the Science Fair. Whether she entered the fair or not, all 4th and 5th graders had to do a science project and present it to the class for that quarter's science grade. Seeing as Robert has an "in" with a wide variety of wood, Alyssa decided to time how fast wood burned and if there was a difference from one type of wood to the next.
Results: there are a couple of types of wood that burn really fast and a couple that burn really slow, but the rest are pretty much the same. She got 100% for her class grade and honorable mention at the fair.
Other results: I was not a real scientist - the investigational kind. Put me in front of class, I love to lecture. Put me in front of a lab bench and I can follow a chem lab experiment and get the proper results, but that's where it ends. Chemistry classes (unless you are doing new research, which means you've gone on to an advanced degree) follow a recipe and need to get the correct - already known - answers. According to Robert that is not "real" science: no new thought, "true" experimentation, "real" analysis of a new hypothesis and going through the scientific process. Oh, well. I still loved what I did and there are some who DO go on to upper degrees and are "real" chemists. :) It takes creativity and I find myself more on the analytical side.
Results: there are a couple of types of wood that burn really fast and a couple that burn really slow, but the rest are pretty much the same. She got 100% for her class grade and honorable mention at the fair.
Other results: I was not a real scientist - the investigational kind. Put me in front of class, I love to lecture. Put me in front of a lab bench and I can follow a chem lab experiment and get the proper results, but that's where it ends. Chemistry classes (unless you are doing new research, which means you've gone on to an advanced degree) follow a recipe and need to get the correct - already known - answers. According to Robert that is not "real" science: no new thought, "true" experimentation, "real" analysis of a new hypothesis and going through the scientific process. Oh, well. I still loved what I did and there are some who DO go on to upper degrees and are "real" chemists. :) It takes creativity and I find myself more on the analytical side.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Tree Roach Season Already!
Robert came home, last night, not felling well. He went to bed early and the kids and I watched a movie. Later that night, as I was getting ready for bed, this is what I saw in the shower . . .
I held back the scream I felt rising inside me. I have had tree roach experiences before (see below), but I thought of my sick husband sleeping just beyond the door and withheld the icky horror I felt from expressing itself verbally. This was the BIGGEST tree roach I had ever seen! That is a Sam's Club bottle of conditioner, not just the regular size!
I started breathing deeply, looked around the bathroom and started making plans to be rid of the roach! There was nothing! I kept visibly shaking off the icky feeling and thought it best to get a sturdy shoe and start crushing . . . another shudder!
I quietly opened the door and by the light of the bathroom started looking for a shoe. Robert stirred and said, "what's up?" "There is the biggest tree roach I ever saw in the shower! I'm looking for a shoe to crush it!" I whispered.
Robert started laughing, "it's just a rubber bug. You're so funny. You were going to use a shoe?"
I still was NOT going to touch it and Robert went to get it and show me. I did not yet find the humor in the incident and it took me a good ten minutes to get over it, Robert chuckling until he fell back asleep. And here I didn't want to scream or bother him because he was sick!
I came to find out that Robert had gotten some rubber bugs at his conference in Atlanta (which was a while ago) and was waiting for the best time to place it. I'm sure he was really hoping for a morning discovery when I didn't have my contacts in. And, even this morning - without my contacts in - I got a little icky feeling every time I saw it on the counter, even knowing it was fake.
Alyssa was in cleaning the bathroom later this morning when I hear, "MOM! MOM!" I thought for sure Logan had fallen into my toilet the call was so urgent! No, just another girl screaming about a bug! I called Robert at work and told him he got a two for one. He had another good laugh.
Post Script for those who want to hear my tree roach background:
My first experiences with tree roaches were Houston. All of which I screamed loudly and had someone else take care of the bug - and I'm perfectly OK with that response, so you can laugh at me and think I'm silly or you can feel my horror as you sympathize because you would do the same thing!
1st - half way through my shower, without contacts in. Let's just say that Robert bolted out of bed because he thought I had critically injured myself. He told me later he did not like being woken up to a blood curdling cry when it was only a roach!
2nd - opening up a cupboard in my classroom. I scared the student in class and had a brave boy take it outside (he laughed, but I didn't take off points his grade for that - or maybe they just negated the points I would have given him for taking care of the roach for me).
3rd - I woke up in the middle of the night and brushed something out of my hair. A large brown blob landed on the sheets beside me. I realized what it was, screamed and brushed it hard across the room, hearing it hit the closet door. Robert again jumped out of bed, over me (since that is were the scream came from) and wasn't pleased about being woken up like that again. But, since he was up I had him get rid of it. Hey, it was in my HAIR!
We had a reprieve living in Utah, but have them occasionally now that we are in Georgia and have trees close to the house. I have calmed a bit since Houston. I rarely scream and will take care of them myself - when Robert isn't around.
I held back the scream I felt rising inside me. I have had tree roach experiences before (see below), but I thought of my sick husband sleeping just beyond the door and withheld the icky horror I felt from expressing itself verbally. This was the BIGGEST tree roach I had ever seen! That is a Sam's Club bottle of conditioner, not just the regular size!
I started breathing deeply, looked around the bathroom and started making plans to be rid of the roach! There was nothing! I kept visibly shaking off the icky feeling and thought it best to get a sturdy shoe and start crushing . . . another shudder!
I quietly opened the door and by the light of the bathroom started looking for a shoe. Robert stirred and said, "what's up?" "There is the biggest tree roach I ever saw in the shower! I'm looking for a shoe to crush it!" I whispered.
Robert started laughing, "it's just a rubber bug. You're so funny. You were going to use a shoe?"
I still was NOT going to touch it and Robert went to get it and show me. I did not yet find the humor in the incident and it took me a good ten minutes to get over it, Robert chuckling until he fell back asleep. And here I didn't want to scream or bother him because he was sick!
I came to find out that Robert had gotten some rubber bugs at his conference in Atlanta (which was a while ago) and was waiting for the best time to place it. I'm sure he was really hoping for a morning discovery when I didn't have my contacts in. And, even this morning - without my contacts in - I got a little icky feeling every time I saw it on the counter, even knowing it was fake.
Alyssa was in cleaning the bathroom later this morning when I hear, "MOM! MOM!" I thought for sure Logan had fallen into my toilet the call was so urgent! No, just another girl screaming about a bug! I called Robert at work and told him he got a two for one. He had another good laugh.
Post Script for those who want to hear my tree roach background:
My first experiences with tree roaches were Houston. All of which I screamed loudly and had someone else take care of the bug - and I'm perfectly OK with that response, so you can laugh at me and think I'm silly or you can feel my horror as you sympathize because you would do the same thing!
1st - half way through my shower, without contacts in. Let's just say that Robert bolted out of bed because he thought I had critically injured myself. He told me later he did not like being woken up to a blood curdling cry when it was only a roach!
2nd - opening up a cupboard in my classroom. I scared the student in class and had a brave boy take it outside (he laughed, but I didn't take off points his grade for that - or maybe they just negated the points I would have given him for taking care of the roach for me).
3rd - I woke up in the middle of the night and brushed something out of my hair. A large brown blob landed on the sheets beside me. I realized what it was, screamed and brushed it hard across the room, hearing it hit the closet door. Robert again jumped out of bed, over me (since that is were the scream came from) and wasn't pleased about being woken up like that again. But, since he was up I had him get rid of it. Hey, it was in my HAIR!
We had a reprieve living in Utah, but have them occasionally now that we are in Georgia and have trees close to the house. I have calmed a bit since Houston. I rarely scream and will take care of them myself - when Robert isn't around.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Mardi Gras Chicken Beads
These are the Mardi Gras chicken beads the girls wore to school today. (See next entry for more details on WHY they wore Mardi Gras chicken beads to school.)
A couple of new things
I can't believe it has been so long since I've blogged! Sorry to those who check regularly - and thank you for checking regularly :)
Logan use to not even look twice at Jake's construction vehicles, until Jake wanted to watch his "Road Construction Ahead" DVD (to anyone with boys, this is a great DVD). Logan sat still on the floor, sitting on a couch pillow, not moving or speaking for the duration of the movie!! And let's just say that now it usually goes in during afternoon melt down time (his melt down, not mine!) and I can get dinner made and focus on homework with the girls. If you say, "do you want to watch the construction movie?" he knows just what you are talking about. When it is over he finds the closest person and pulls them to the TV so they can play it again for him. He found the container of construction vehicles and will line them up on the bottom step, or on a bench, or in his wagon and sit for and hour quietly playing with them. He is such a great last child! Definitely going for favorite - no points for afternoon melt downs, though.
We have had some beautiful days this past week and I've been out working in the yard - the seemingly never ending clearing of trees in the back. But I only have three more piles to move out to the burn pile. If Mother Nature works in our favor, we will have a burn day next Saturday when Robert has some time. Along with working hard in lab, Robert has started on a coffee table for the living room, and continues to work on hand mirrors as well.
The girls get this coming Tuesday off . . . just one day . . . on Mardi Gras. I thought it was great growing up and getting the Jewish holidays off in September (I always thought we should get all of Hanukkah off as well, along with Christmas) but to get Mardi Gras off, well, that's cool! Today they are having some Mardi Gras activities. Robert, when he was in Atlanta at a chicken conference for work, got some Mardi Gras beads with chickens on them (I'll have to put in a picture later) - the girls wore them to school today :)
Logan use to not even look twice at Jake's construction vehicles, until Jake wanted to watch his "Road Construction Ahead" DVD (to anyone with boys, this is a great DVD). Logan sat still on the floor, sitting on a couch pillow, not moving or speaking for the duration of the movie!! And let's just say that now it usually goes in during afternoon melt down time (his melt down, not mine!) and I can get dinner made and focus on homework with the girls. If you say, "do you want to watch the construction movie?" he knows just what you are talking about. When it is over he finds the closest person and pulls them to the TV so they can play it again for him. He found the container of construction vehicles and will line them up on the bottom step, or on a bench, or in his wagon and sit for and hour quietly playing with them. He is such a great last child! Definitely going for favorite - no points for afternoon melt downs, though.
We have had some beautiful days this past week and I've been out working in the yard - the seemingly never ending clearing of trees in the back. But I only have three more piles to move out to the burn pile. If Mother Nature works in our favor, we will have a burn day next Saturday when Robert has some time. Along with working hard in lab, Robert has started on a coffee table for the living room, and continues to work on hand mirrors as well.The girls get this coming Tuesday off . . . just one day . . . on Mardi Gras. I thought it was great growing up and getting the Jewish holidays off in September (I always thought we should get all of Hanukkah off as well, along with Christmas) but to get Mardi Gras off, well, that's cool! Today they are having some Mardi Gras activities. Robert, when he was in Atlanta at a chicken conference for work, got some Mardi Gras beads with chickens on them (I'll have to put in a picture later) - the girls wore them to school today :)
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Physics 101
Physics 101 - Frames of Reference:
I may not be teaching Physics anymore, but Jake caught on to frames of reference without any instruction. We were driving to the pediatrician's office and Jake said, "mom, look out the window. It's like you put on the brake and just the road is moving fast below us and the grass is moving fast on the side of us and we are not moving." That's my boy!
I may not be teaching Physics anymore, but Jake caught on to frames of reference without any instruction. We were driving to the pediatrician's office and Jake said, "mom, look out the window. It's like you put on the brake and just the road is moving fast below us and the grass is moving fast on the side of us and we are not moving." That's my boy!
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