the Comics

What happens when you don't put the laundry away right away...

(no, i did not encourage this)

Crayon Project

I decided that I'd had enough of the junk crayons: the pieces of broken crayons, the crayons that the kids brought home from various restaurants, the box of crayons that were so worn down that ther were not enjoyable to use anymore (b/c we all know how exciting a new box of crayons really is), etc. And instead of just throwing them away, I looked for a way to recycle them. There are many possible options that I read about online from using a double boiler and candy molds to muffin tins in the oven to dixie cups in the microwave. I tried a candy mold in the oven on a very low temperature but that didn't work so I decided on this method. The kids and I peeled all the paper off the crayons and broke them in to smaller bits and then somewhat artfully arranged them in the pan and into the oven they went.


At first I was a little dissappointed to see that the colors were running together to make a mostly brownish mess but we continued with the process, removing them from the oven to let them cool and harden up a little bit. Then we used cookie cutters to cut out fun shapes from the pan.


I placed them in the freezer to completely harden them and then the shapes popped out easily from the surrounding crayon. I was very pleased to see that the colors settled separately on the bottom of the pan and the colors were bright and cheerful. We broke the scraps up into little chunks, which are great multi-colored crayons and the shapes can be used either as crayons or ornaments or whatever other ideas you might come up with.


These will be a great present for the kids to share with their friends at Christmas as well...

Fall Fun

We finally made it to an apple orchard !

A view through the trees

Getting lost in the corn maze

This is my sister

Isn't she cool?

She is 3 years older than me and when I was in middle school I decided that I was going to copy everything she did. At first, this kinda made her mad and so we didn't get a long very well. But after a while she became inured to the idea and decided to befriend me instead. So, by the time I was a freshman and she a senior in high school we were pretty close and she let me hang out with her and all her cool friends, willingly shared her cool clothes with me and helped me to not be such a big dork. It was my favorite year of highschool.

I still wish I was as cool as she is.

You can see more of these pictures from her family's recent trip out to California, here.

Finally!

Noah has had a loose tooth for so long now that the permanent tooth started coming in behind it and was pushing the old one forward. I took him to the dentist to have it checked out but he wouldn't pull it and it just kept protruding farther and farther out--it just would not fall out! So yesterday his Grammy offered him a reward if he would pull it out himself. He hemmed-and-hawed over it for quite some time but the bribe finally won out. We got a piece of string tied around the offending tooth and he started yanking on it: gingerly at first testing his pain tolerance I suppose and finally it just popped right out. Hooray!

Sorry if this grosses you out...

My proud and brave toothless wonder!
(at least he won't be for long since that new tooth is already showing itself)

Wool Dyeing Project

Several weeks ago we went to Old Sturbridge Village, an historical colonial New England village, for a field trip. One of the things that was most interesting to the kids was the wool dyeing. Noah asked all sorts of questions about the different materials used to make the dyes and the colors that they produced and I got to thinking that this might make an interesting handicraft for us to do at home. So, I searched around on-line and found some instructions for using food stuffs to dye yarn. I decided to try coffee and blueberries since we had both on hand (I still had some blueberries in the freezer from our picking expedition).

Preparing the wool in a warm water and vinegar bath

Placing the yarn into the hot coffee

Washing the dyed wool

the finished product

Preparing the blueberry dye

I figured that because blueberries stain clothes so easily they would make a great dye so I was very surprised that the wool took up so little of the color. When it was done, I decided that we should try re-dyeing it with the left over coffee. It definitely took up more color but is not nearly as dark as the first skein of wool.
It was a long process that took most of the afternoon. There was a lot of waiting around so the kids listened to a book on CD and played outside in-between steps. All in all it was an interesting experience and since I still have one skein left, I think we will try it again soon using a different dye agent such as turmeric or curry, which should make a more vibrant color.

I plan on using this yarn for a knitting project for the kids. I'm not sure if Noah is quite ready for it yet but I think I will at least attempt to teach him a basic knit stitch using the wool that he dyed himself to make something simple like a pot holder or maybe even a blanket for one of his stuffed animals. We shall see how ambitious I get.

New Englad in the Fall

The kids and I headed back to the land preserve for another nature hike. It was a gorgeous day and the colors of fall were out in full force. While I was a tad dissappointed at the vista when we arrived since many of the trees in the area had already lost their leaves, up close there were still some spots of great color and the pictures turned out better than I expected. So here is a sample of our famous New England foliage.

Pictures from the 'Burgh

And check out my sister's blog for more fun pics!

Pittsburgh 2008

We have just returned from our annual trek to Pittsburgh to visit with my family. This year was especially nice because, not only were all three of my sisters and I together for the first time in 3 years, but 60+ members of my mother's extended family were together for a reunion in celebration of my grandmother, Nadzieja's, 90th birthday. So I got to meet my newest nephew, 2 year old Logan, and catch up with cousins some of whom I hadn't seen since I was 3 years old. There were people from Canada, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, Colorado, Louisiana, Tennesee, Arkansas, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. It was pretty amazing.

We stayed with my sister, Jen, but headed over every day to hang out at my parents' house. This summer my dad realized a boy-hood dream of his and built an incredible tree house "for the grandkids" who of course were very appreciative. When they weren't playing in that, they were ensconced in the garage building boats and airplanes with the scrap wood under the direction of the two oldest cousins, Evan(12) and Matthew(10). I don't think I've ever seen so little of my children when we were under the same roof! They had a blast (and nobody got hurt even though there were ladders and saws involved in all their play)!

All 10 Grandkids:
Oren, Logan, Evan, Lily, Matthew, James, Noah, Ana, Sophie, and Sebastien

Growing Things

Early in the spring I planted a small garden with the children. I envisioned a spring and summer full of wonder as we watched the little seeds sprout and grow into beautiful plants and then being able to enjoy the fruits, or in this case veggies, of our labor. This was not to be however. Almost none of the seeds sprouted save for a few peas, which quickly died. Our little project instead turned into a lesson on disappointed hopes.

It was not all for naught however, our tomato plant fared well and we have harvested a few ripe tomatoes from its vine. There are more plump green tomatoes hanging there as well though with all the cool nights, they are not ripening (I will have to attempt to fry some). And, after hearing of our woes, a neighbor shared some of her pole bean seeds with us. Having learned from our previous planting mistakes, we placed our little seeds of hope in the garden, watered them daily, and waited. Sure enough, after a few days we saw the little heads of our bean sprouts and in the following weeks watched as the plants climbed higher and higher up their trellis and then start flowering. Jus a few days ago we picked some nice large beans off our plants. I prepared them and it was just enough for the kids and I to eat them with our dinner (Luke was working late that night so was unable to enjoy them with us). They were delicious and I at least felt a sense of accomplishment as we dined.


As a way to further the kids experience with growing things I picked a project that would be more likely to have good results. We made grass caterpillars using the legs off an old pair of Lily's stockings. We filled them with dirt and grass seeds, tied the ends, and glued some old buttons on for a face. The kids had to water them every day and, of course, wait. After a couple of days, they were yelling excitedly that they could see the grass sprouting through the stockings. And over the next several days we watched as the caterpillars grew their fuzz.




It was like making our own little Chia Pets. It may not be very useful and we won't be able to eat this one, but it sure was fun!

A good beginning

These are shots from a nature hike we took recently through a wetlands preserve. It's an area we drive by on an almost weekly basis but had never stopped so I decided to just go the other day and see what it was like. It's too bad that the day turned out to be cloudy and on the verge of rain but we took a chance and the rain held off til just after we left. Now that we've done it we'll go back on a prettier day--maybe when the foliage is at the height of it's autumn change.

We thought this Queen Anne's Lace looked like a bird's nest when closed

2 of the 4 Praying Mantises we saw: one of them flew away from us, which was rather startling

This was towards the end of the hike when Noah said, "I think we should go back now, this is sorta creepin' me out". Hopefully on a crisp, sunny fall day he won't feel that way.

This nature walk marked the end of the first two weeks of our second go round with homeschooling. It's been an easy-going, enjoyable time too. The kids were ready for it I think--at least they haven't put up much of a fuss even if they aren't as enthused as I'd hoped they'd be. We are using a whole new curriculum this year and I like it a lot. It's literature based, which means we do a lot of reading together and that enables Lily to participate in the learning experience rather than feel left out as I think she did much of the time last year. Noah is reading like a champ these days and instead of just looking at the pictures or asking me to read something to him, I will find him reading to himself in his free time. He also loves to listen to books on CD and will often listen to the same one over and over again.

Today, after a morning of schoolwork, was spent at the park with a large group of friends, some old some new, who we will start meeting with regularly next week when Monday Homeschool Classes start up again. Noah will be playing soccer again and Lily will just be playing. There weren't any classes offered this session that were a good fit for either of the kids but it is really great for them to just get out and play with a really eclectic group of kids and I love to have the time with all the mothers. It's a great place to share ideas and stories and supporting one another in our common goal of educating our children. We all use different curriculums and are from all different walks of life but we at least have that one thing in common.

After seeing the way the kids played together at the park today, I am so excited for it to start again. Together, boys and girls, ages 3-8 built a log cabin out of dead tree branches and sticks in the woods at the edge of the playground. They had a fireplace inside, reinforced the walls with rocks, and built a fort near-by complete with sling shots and other 'weapons' to protect the cabin. It was really rather impressive!

So, yes, it's been a good beginning and, though I have already spent some time wondering if I have really chosen the best curriculum for our family or if I'm doing it right, or doing enough, I know that this road that we've chosen is right and good and will be a blessing to all of us.