Colin turns 11

We have done the big horah rah with the kid's birthdays and well it's stressful so in more recent yrs and as our kids got older we toned it down a bit. We now let our kids invite a friend or two to spend the night. Our child gets to choose what to have for dinner and breakfast( if they want). Finally we do whatever the child wants, within reason. Since I'm not paying for that huge party I can take that money I would have spent on it and put it towards whatever the child wants to do.

Colin wanted German Brat's for dinner. So we went all the way to the springs to the German Store and bought the brats, the curry ketchup, the spicey mustard and of course some odds and ends. It's his Birthday so of course I got him the Kinder Uberashung- Kinder eggs. My boys looooovve these, I honestly can't emphasize that enough. In case you don't know they are little chocolate egg , I will have to take a picture for you next time, it's hollow with a small container in the inside. There is a prize inside, varies all the time. So you get to eat your chocolate and then put together this tiny toy. We got some other goodies, in my opinion german gummies of any kind put American gummies to shame. Of course I did grow up on them so , sorry.

Colin also got the day off school. He said he didn't mind doing some work, but as it turned out our german store "field trip" (geography???) took most of the day. Well not really but since I was up that way I met a friend to catch up. Colin chose to have his friends spend the following weekend so I am going to try and surprise him with some more brat's. YUmm.

He got to unwrap his presents and was thrilled with it all. It was a fairly quiet birthday. He still hasn't made up his mind on what to do with his buddies when they come to spend the night. We also went fishing , Colin has taken a liking to it. He did pretty well and caught one, his dad caught some too, he looked like a big kid too. Here are the kids with their catch, dirty. Don't you love Colin's hat,cuuute.

Vanessa

Some fun sites to look at over the summer

Summer Fun Websites!

Science Themed
1. www.nationalzoo.si.edu/education/conservationcentral (Panda fun awaits with Panda habitat games!)
2. www.paleobiology.si.edu/dinosaurs/interactives/dig/main.html (A virtual dino dig!)
3. www.headbone.com (Alot of Science + a few other games!)
4. www.kidsplanet.org/games (LOTS of animal games!)
5. www.spaceplace.nasa.gov/en/kids/games.shtml (Space activities!)
6. www.allaboutfrogs.org/funstuff/java/index.html (FROGS!!!!)
7. www.worldbook.com/wb/worldbook/cybercamp/html/index.html (Science and adventure!)8. www.gocybercamp.org/login.php (Another virtual outdoors camp!)
9. www.childrensmuseum.org/geomysteries/mysteries.html (Rocks and minerals mysteries!)

Reading/Literature Themed
10. www.roalddahl.com (Under "treats" find fun games based on his books!)
11. www.unitedmedia.com/comics/peanuts/fun_and_games/game_gallery.html (Comics, games and more from this beloved writer!)
12. www.harperchildrens.com/catalog/narnia_books_game.asp?.mc_id=NEWS_NARNIA_NL2_032708 (Narnia Games/Prince Caspian)

Social Studies Themed
13. www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/games/ (Lots of geography types) games and more!
14. www.childrensmuseum.org/geomysteries/index3.html (Geography mysteries!)
15. www.fffbi.com (Animal Mysteries!)
16. www.designdoodles.com/missingmasterpiece/index.htm (More mysterious stuff!)
17. www.fbi.gov/kids/k5th/kidsk5th.htm (Real detectives only! :)
18. www.cyberbee.com/whodunnit/crime.html (More crimes to solve!)

Art
19. www.wildlifeart.org/ArtTales/index.html (Be a museum curator!)

Enrichment/Brainteasers
20. www.slylockfox.com/arcade/index.html (Cool puzzles!!)
21. www.athropolis.com/games.htm ("Chilly" brainteasers!)
22. www.tvokids.com/framesets/gamePicker.html (Some games based on tv programs, but it is varied with challenging games and puzzles in many subjects!)
23. www.superthinkers.com/enlightenme/st/ (Lots to do!)
24. www.ottoclub.org/ (AAA sponsored fun!)
25. www.powertolearn.com/games/index.shtml (LOTS here!)
26. www.sunnykidsplay.com/gamesmain.php (Varied fun!)

Sports
27. www.usoc.org/kids/Athens/site/ (Summer Olympics!)
28. www.mlb.mlb.com/mlb/kids/games.jsp?c_id=mlb (Baseball!)

Music
29. www.creatingmusic.com (Making music is fun!)
30. www.nyphilkids.org/games/main.phtml (NY philharmonic!!!)

Health Themed
31. www.colgate.com/app/Kids-World/US/HomePage.cvsp (Healthy teeth and fun games!)32. www.smokeybear.com/kids/default.asp (Safety!)

Messing with my template

I was getting a bit tired of my template and thought hey I'll change it.It worked and I like the new template but now my blogroll, on our coffee table and other stuff has disappeared. Ugh.
I didn't want to do that.
Even if I go back to the other way it will have already deleted the information and it will take time to do that. Now I need to figure out if I can keep my template and have the widgets (thingys) still.
Anyone willing to pipe in here and give me some advice would have my utmost gratitude.
Vanessa

You won't believe what was in his foot

My little monkey boy/ daredevil jumped over the fence and landed on a stick. It went through his shoe and into his foot. He didn't cry, or complain. It looked like we got it all out but it was bleeding a bit so mabey we didn't see it all the way.

We called the doctor and took him in. She put him on antibiotics and told me to soak his foot in water and if I wanted Epson salt. She also said if on friday it was still hurting then to come Four days pass and his foot looks infected. Dh and I talked and we decided that he did indeed need to be taken back for the inevitable shot and lancing of his foot because whatever was in there wasn't coming out.

Colin would hear none of it. He said no. We poked and prodded a bit and it oozed out alot of "puss" (yuck). We got most of that out and cleaned it again. Dh could see something but it was really in there.

Dh: Colin you are going to have to go to the doctor's I cant get it out.

Colin: Nooooo, I hate shots, I don't want to. Just get it out.

At this point Dh asks me to poke in there to get it. I am so squimish that after the tweezers looked like they were in my poor baby's foot , I gagged and dropped them and fled. I am not good in these situations. Dh and the kids laughed at my expense. Ha ha ha.

Dh: We can't get it out. The only thing that will hurt is the shot for just a bit. You will have to go to the Dr's

Colin at this grabs the "dropped tweezers" and digs around for himself. I tried to look I really did but after feeling like I was going to puke I took leave of the room and let the "MEN" handle it. A few minutes later I was summoned and they had got it out. I never heard a peep out of colin the entire time.

Here's what was in my poor baby's foot.

Look at that. Its huge. We saved it to put in his scrapbook, how gross is that?


It's about the size of one of his fingernails. He must have been so uncomfortable walking around on it. Never complained once.


The hole left. I hope it heels up well.

Also would this be considered health class??

Making Butter

We borrowed a book from the library on science experiments. We have done a few really neat ones, while my camera was on hiatus. First we made our own disappearing ink with lemon juice. Then we played around with different jars to see which piece of steel would rust first. And then we made butter and buttermilk.

We had some whipping cream. Put it in a jar and shake shake shake, shake shake shake, shake your booty times later we had butter and the by product buttermilk. No one has been brave enough to try it yet though, not even me.

So I was able to take pictures of this and thought I'd share. Please excuse my perpetually messy house.

Fishing Derby

Fishing Derby

Photobucket Album

Disney on Ice- Finding Nemo

Gardening and 4-H

We have had some fun with our jiffy pots and our little seedlings are rapidly growing out of them. Dh made one of those low to the ground covers to give my seedlings that extra care till we are sure the last frost has come. Believe me when I say Colorado weather is well interesting so this was definitely needed so I could give our plants a head start.
We planted all sorts of veges. Lets see

Potato
Tomato
cucumber( English and pickling)
lettuce (two types)
squash
watermelon
pumpkin
broccoli
Parsley
Spearmint
Basil
among others, this is what I remember off the top of my head. I wish I could take pictures but alas my camera had an accident and the lens looks like it will need replacing or fixing(whatever I can get cheaper). Real bummer too, brand new camera-Rebel XT digital SLR.
Anyway I hope to get our babies into the ground before the week is up but the weather looks like it will be turning for the worse so I'm not sure. Maybe it would be prudent to wait a few more days and put them out in nice weather. They will already be in shock in the change so I want to give them the best possible start.

For 4-H we finally attended our first meeting. It was interesting. As the club is small and just getting started I'm sure it was run differently then a club that has alot of member and been around for a while. I like the club and the kids seem to as well even if they were shy. We also attended an Meat assurance quality clinic. This was boring to tears although the 3 videos they showed were good and they got the point across. Then the speaker reiterated the same thing for the next 30 or so minutes but believe me we felt like it was an hour. All the kids in there were practically sleeping and laying down by the end of it. We got the necessary stuff and I learned alot even if my kids didn't so I can answer questions along the way.

There is another meeting this coming Sunday. The poultry clinic, my dh is taking the boys this time-fine by me (quiet time, hmm what to do)

I wish I could take pics of the chickens and ducks they have grown so much and the chickens practically have all their feathers. The ducks are as big if not bigger then the chickens but are just now getting feathers. They seem friendlier, I know that sounds crazy but I swear it. They are positively the messiest animals I have encountered. We change them twice a day. It is time consuming.

We are building a chicken coop and it should be ready soon. Then it will be on to the ducks. I've been told that you can house them together. I'm not sure I'm still reading up on it.
Hopefully I can get my camera fixed and share the pics with you.

Vanessa

Museum of Nature and Science- take 2

I accidentally hit something and poof it just posted like that. With nothing on it.

Monday we went to the Museum of Nature and Science. I know it is 2 hrs away and gas is horrible but I've been there enough this yr to think about getting a membership. It is always educational and the kids like the exhibits and the Imax movies.


This time we went for the "Gold Exhibit", a "Behind the scenes" look with zoologist of invertabrates and the Imax film "the alps". What a day. Again we were gone for 12 hrs. It seems always to be this way but that's okay.

The first thing we did was just wandering around the museum. Did you know that the guy who painted all the mureals hid pictures among them. They are everywhere and mostly elves, although there is Star Wars hidden in the Imax waiting area. It was fun trying to find the elves some of which you could only see their heads. One was the only ceramic figure in the entire Museum. We didn't find them all because we ran out of time, we had to head over to the "Behind the scenes talk with the zoologist of Invertabrates".

They had displays of all sorts of spiders, mostly specimens but there were a couple of live ones. Austin was the only one brave enough to hold the trantula, at which point he asked if he can have one. One guess as to my answer. Then it was on to the auditorium. We didn't acutally get to go into the lab but they set up cameras there and we sat in the auditorium listening to the research they do. It was an interesting talk and we learned alot. At the end of the talk we were allowed to ask questions. Austin and Colin went up. Austin gave up about 10 min. in. Colin stuck it through and asked- "Are crabs spiders?" No they are not, contrary to what my sister said. they are in the same group somewhere in those orders we learned about in biology. YOu know spieces, phylum, class ect.. But the crabs are then seperated into another group from spiders all together, the things they share are outer skeletens .Then he asked something my mom told me once and has since creeped me out. -"Do you eat spiders at night?" The good doctor said this is a myth. Spiders have no reason to crawl into your mouth at night. Therefore you can not be tickled by them and inadvertantly eat them. Gross. I breathe a sigh of relief, I feel much better now. The doctor should know since she studied them and got her PHD in arachnids. Wait till I tell my mom.

Then we went on to the Imax film- The Alps. It was great. It's about this man whose father died trying to climb one of the mountains in the Alps. He was about 9-12 yrs old. He is now married and has a daughter the same age and guess what wants to climb the same said mountain. Hmmm. So its the story following him and the hike to the music of Queen(chris was impressed). It was interesting and the veiw of the Alps is amazing. I actually want to buy the video.

It was now lunch and we went to the Denver Mint to get some more coins. We got the new state quarter, New Mexico it had come out just that day. I got Chris his presidental dollars. Then it was back to the museum and lunch.

After all this we went to the Gold exhibit. There was alot of gold in the exhibit and it took us about 2 hrs to get through it. They had the original gold coins used thousands of yrs ago and history of the first monies used. We had just studied money so it was neat to see some of the pieces up close. There was a gold room. It was the equivalent of a penny made in gold spread around a room. It covered all the walls and I think it was 3oz. worth of gold. It showed just how pliable gold is and how thin you can get it. There was the gold rush and short videos on the life of a miner, not good or long(miner's lives). Gold is used in every civilization and has been for thousands of yrs. Today the biggest miner of Gold is South Africa, I believe it was something like they produce 70% of the worlds gold. The conditions for these miners is said to be about the same as the early miners of the USA. It 's heartbraking.

After all this we of course hit both gift shops. There is always one set up at the exhibit surounding the theme and the main one. Then we headed to the car. I had been wearing a pedometer all day and after getting on the highway I looked down and it said I had walked a whopping 150 steps. Wait that can't be right I was at the musuem all day. I also remember looking down at one point and it being in the thousands range. This particular pedometer has a big reset button, so when I hug my children who are just the right size to accidently hit the reset button I loose my steps. Luckily conner had worn one too and I just looked at his steps- 13000 or so.

We hit rush hour and it took longer to get home so we stopped off at Panda Express in the springs, otherwise my poor babies wouldn't eat till 8:00 at night. We got home about that time too and I hit the bed, I was exhausted. It was a good day.

Dnever Museum of Nature and

A great day

I must admit since moving here last summer it has been hard on me and the kids. There isnt a park near they can walk to to play. They havent made enormous friends. And we just haven't learned what fun thing there are to do.

Today though we met with some homeschoolers from our local group. I must admit I was scared senseless. The first time meeting someone jitters and as you guys know conner has had a year of bad behavior to others that is starting to stretch on longer than I care for it to. So with much talking about behavior towards others, manners and the unfortunate long list of "things not to say" that unfortunatly didn't cover everything we went to meet up. (Kids say the darndest things don't they, I just wish mine would say less of them or just at better times.)

Boy am I glad I did. The kids hit it off. I watched Conner's movements for any behavior that was unneccasary and it didnt happen. I was so happy. I remember not so long ago, he made another child cry . This is another story that I havent shared , yet. I felt horrible about his behavior and so upset for the kids he treated so unkindly.

The boys were timid at first, then found some common ground and started chatting .They walked on in front of us. The other mom and I had alot in common too, again very nice. It was such a nice time I was sad and startled to see 2 hrs had passed-time to go. The boys aparently enjoyed it too. I asked them their opinion on the outing and the company and it was a green light. I know not everyone will get along in life or sometimes you meet someone and you just click, but I am giving one big sigh of relief.

I went home feeling elated that my boys did well and liked the other children. I hope this is the start of us finally settling in. I told the boys I was proud of their behavior. I emphasized this to Conner. I hope this is a breakthrough for him so he sees that how he should behave towards others and how that can turn out quite nice.