Husband, Dad, Mechanical Engineer, Bass
Player ...
Obsessed with all things Engineering.
AMY
Wife, Homeschool Mom, Webmaster ...
Obsessed with all things Political.
RACHAEL
Daughter, Sister, Sophomore ...
Obsessed with all things Geological.
NICHOLAS
Son, Brother, 8 year old ...
Obsessed with all things Historical.
(especially Egyptian!)
Favorite Books/Curriculum
The Well-Trained Mind Singapore Math Greenleaf Guides Apologia Science AIG Science curriculum Story of the World
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Visitors
Children's Museum - Egypt Exhibit
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
After leaving the hotel, we took advantage of our Children's Museum membership by visiting for a little while. The kids & I have been there numerous times, but Jeff hasn't been there in years. Of course, we'll be heading back later this week for the King Tut tour, so I didn't want to get him too sick of it before next week!
The kids enjoyed swimming in the hotel pool the next day. As irritated as I get with my kids bickering, it's always nice to see how sweet they are to each other when they need to depend on one another. Rachael was incredibly patient with Nick while swimming. He is somewhat afraid of the water, and with his CP, his fear is often displayed as total muscle rigidity - his entire body becomes as stiff as a board - not an easy condition to try to work with in the water! It all worked out, though. She was able to coax him into relaxing, and they had a great time.
Rachael opened Nick's bedroom window and built a snowman on the roof below. She was able to convince Nick that Frosty the Snowman flew up there to say, "Hi!" ;-D
In co-op, we studied Massachusetts in US Geography and the Electoral College in the Election class. After co-op, we brought Thomas & Gracie home with us to go trick or treating and spend the night. Since we live two hours away from their homes, I wasn't sure how it would go. So far, so good!
We also met up with Heather and family at the local nursing home, so that was pretty cool! After filling our candy bags, we picked up a frozen pizza & a pomegranate at Wal-Mart and headed home. (yes, I realize that's a strange combination, but knowing how much candy they would be consuming, I didn't want to turn down a request for healthy food!) While the pizza was baking, the kids got down to the important business of sorting and trading candy. It looked like a pinata had exploded in the middle of my living room floor!
During our recent trip to Indianapolis, we decided to hang out at the canal for a little while after everyone else left. It was a beautiful day and we weren't looking forward to another 3 hr. drive...
Today we headed to the zoo with friends Heather, Sophia, & Mary. We hadn't been to this particular zoo in years. They've really done wonders to improve their facilities. It was hotter than we had anticipated, but we still had a good time. The giraffe and otters were the highlights of our trip. After the zoo, we had dinner at a local Mexican-American restaurant. There were no clowns this time (http://summerz1.blogspot.com/2008/06/day-180-pandas-clowns.html), but the food was just as delicious! I'll post some animal pictures tomorrow...
We didn't go to church today because the services were held at a local campground...a detail that we had forgotten until it was too late! We did meet my in-laws for lunch at Pizza Hut, and then I took the kids to Wal-Mart while Jeff worked from home...
We took the kids to see Kung-Fu Panda this morning followed by lunch at a local Mexican-American restaurant. When we arrived at the restaurant, I was busying myself trying to get Nick out of his carseat, when Jeff whispered, "Hurry up before we get stuck behind these clowns." I couldn't believe he'd say such a thing! Just as I was opening my mouth to voice my disbelief, I looked up and saw them...2 CLOWNS! Nick made a bee-line to the door to make his presence known, while Rachael kept her distance. Not quite as intense as her fear of dolls, clowns are a close 2nd! The male clown talked to Nick while we were waiting for a table. Once we were seated, we watched as more and more clowns started filing in. Of course, Jeff and Rachael were pondering exactly HOW many clowns they could fit around the small table when Jeff exclaims, "Man, this place is a circus." From that point on, the puns never stopped. (Except when Jeff & Rachael were debating on what exactly you would call a group of clowns... a herd? a gaggle?) After a little while, one of the clowns came to our table to make Nick a balloon puppy. Nick was enthralled and elated. I think he may have found his new career. I could see his old dreams of being a doctor fade before my very eyes... ;-D
Today is Father's Day. After attending church with Jeff's dad, we took him out to eat at Fazoli's. Following lunch, we went to the Children's Museum of Evansville (cMoe). Truth be told, we were not expecting much. We have been to soooo many "hands-on" museums in several different states. After awhile, they all start looking the same! cMoe was a total surprise! The building itself is the old library. In revamping the facility, they chose to keep the "old world charm" of the building. It has a decidedly "artsy" feel. It is absolutely beautiful. The exhibits are unique, as well. With a nearly 8 year span between my two children, there was enough to keep them both happily occupied for several hours. Among the activities, there was a laser harp, a water room, a human body center, and Nick's favorite - a stage complete with sound effects, costumes, and narrated stories!
For as much as my kids fight and scream at each other, the picture above is usually at least a daily occurrence. They love each other...even if they won't admit it half the time!
Rachael & Nick decided to put on a show for Jeff & me. They charged $.25 each (those scoundrels!) For our money, we got a choreographed dance to the Newsboys song, "In the Belly of the Whale" - one of Rachael's favorite songs. It was hysterical!
Today was a BEAUTIFUL day! It was in the 60's. Since co-op is off for the week (our church closes it's classroom/gym facilities for cleaning during Spring Break week), we decided to go to the park instead. We were going to do schoolwork through Spring Break week, but today was just too pretty!
Several years ago I found some DVDs on eBay of "The Letter People." If you didn't grow up in the 1970's or early 80's around St. Louis, you may never have heard of them. They were really cheesy puppets that taught kids about phonics. Each puppet was assigned a letter and had a goofy name. (eg: Mr. D was Delicious Donghnuts, Mr. F was Funny Feet, etc.) The vowels were girls and the consonants were boys. They also had fun songs that went along with each person. I LOVED the Letter People! They taught me how to read at the age of 3. Unfortunately, since then, they've become "politically correct." There were more boys than girls (and that was unfair!), and Mr. H had Horrible Hair, (and that just wasn't nice!). Mr. C was Cotton Candy, (and that was teaching our poor children unhealthy eating habits!) Anyway, they're no longer on tv, but they still sell the "politically correct" version of them online in the form of books, inflatable characters, worksheets, etc. Fortunately, I'm not the only one who is "politically INcorrect" and still loved the "old" Letter People. You can find the orginal tv shows on DVD on eBay. They're hilarious! They're still the same old 1970 songs with the bad production. Nick absolutely LOVES them, and I get to relive my childhood! After all, phonics haven't changed!
Name: Amy Home: Indiana, United States About Me: I am a Homeschool Mom of 2 awesome children. This is my attempt at Project 365 - to chronicle our world through daily photos... See my complete profile
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