Breaking News--Poseidon Changes Shells!

[This post composed by T]

Our new crab Poseidon changed shells! He moved into this pretty green one you see in the picture. Notice it's a little big. Some crabs like big shells. In fact, it gives him a good hiding place.

Maybe this shell gives him more room to carry more shell water. Shell water is water that crabs carry in their shells. They carry shell water in case they need to wet their body, or maybe get a drink, too.

I think Poseidon's new shell is appropriate for him because the shell is the color of the sea, and Poseidon is the Greek God of the sea. I'm glad he changed shells.

See you later,
T and The Crabs

T's Crabs

[Note: this post composed entirely by T]

I have crabs. Hermit crabs, to be precise. There are three of them. Sadly, one of them died. Just yesterday we got a new one. It's name is Poseidon. What I think is funny is that Poseidon is the name of a water god and my smallest crab is named Hermes, and the middle sized one is named Shelly. So Shelly is a mere mortal! Hermit crabs make nice and playful pets. They're fun to play with. If you've ever went to a crab website that says to put them on shiny, smooth rocks that you keep damp, that is wrong! You should keep them in a mixture of sand and coconut husk. Hermit crabs like to dig, and they cannot dig in rocks. Hermit crabs have an exoskeleton. They need to shed this exoskeleton a couple of times a year. They usually do it underneath the soil. When they shed their exoskeleton, it's called "molting."

We got our crabs at Petsmart. When we bought the first three crabs, Petsmart's habitat really needed improvement. But when we bought Posiedon yesterday, the habit was really looking good! The crabs were piled up in the corner, some were walking around, some were climbing up the fake palm trees....Petsmart sells hermit crabs with painted shells. Hermit crabs are not happy in painted shells.

Our habitat has spider plants in it. It also has lots of pretty shells. We ordered our shells from a store called "The Crabbage Patch." I think that's a funny name for a store! The Crabbage Patch has a great website. On the front page there is a picture of a monster hermit crab--I don't mean like humoungous hermit crabs, but crabs as big as crabs get. In cabbages!

Here is a link to the Crabbage Patch website.

Thank you for reading T's Crabs news article. Please leave a comment!

Christmas

Christmas was huge and wonderful and fulfilling and overwhelming...I don't really know how else to describe it.

While it's been lovely, I think we're ready for the season of celebration to come to a close. Consistency of routine is sometimes a good thing. We're starting to miss our friends, our structure, and maybe even our math books (C says "actually, Not. At. All.")

When the Children Read Fantasy

C is a huge fan of Terry Pratchett. She read Wee Free Men from the Disc World series recently. She cackled and chortled through the whole thing. I haven't read it (I wish I could devote as much time as she does to fiction!) but she has good taste and she considers it an excellent book.

A few days before Christmas we watched Hogfather. The girls loved it, but I found it hard to follow in a British sort of way. It didn't help that it's 3+ hours long and R was on a monkey man tear. From the Amazon review:
In the fantasy world of Discworld, their winter festival is called Hogswatch, which is ruled over by the Hogfather... a fat jolly man with tusks who doles out gifts to nice little children. An Assassin is hired to "take care of" the Hogfather, and he goes about it by invading the lair of the Toothfairy. To try to keep the world in order, Death puts on the Hogfather Costume and tries to sub in for the evening... meanwhile, Death's grandaughter, Susan is off to figure out what happened to the Hogfather.

Having read a good deal of fantasy/sci fi myself, I don't worrry so much about C's preference for it. I grok.

I know other parents who struggle with the steady diet of SF/fantasy. In fact, the librarian who facilitates C's book club actively tries to steer the kids toward anything that isn't SF/Fantasy. Her disapproval of their choices is blatant. Today I Stumbled Upon this article by Terry Pratchett. I like his point--that children know about dragons--that fantasy lets them know that dragons can be killed. I probably won't recommend it to the librarian, but I will think of it the next time she asks the kids for book suggestions "other than fantasy."

T Has One Thing On Her Mind

More Watercolor

She is really having fun with the technique!

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You

Today was the last day of our gym and art program at the neighborhood rec center. They have a second semester program, but we've decided to pursue other interests. It's a good program. I like everything about it, but the kids would rather do other things.

Celeste made this thank you card for the art instructor. She is a former art teacher turned homeschooling mom. She volunteers her time to teach the kids basic drawing. Both girls have really enjoyed her class.

So, we'll miss our time at the rec center. Many of the families there are of the Conservative Christian segment of homeschoolers. It was nice to share activities with people who are outside our immediate circle of friends. Diversity is a good thing. We'll be replacing the rec center program with basketball (for C) and gymnastics (for T) at the YMCA--another opportunity to share activities with kids from a background different from our own. We'll also take a handbuilding with clay class at an art center across the river. I expect that group to be fairly homogenous--non-secular homeschoolers like ourselves.

First Snow of the Winter

We had our first snowfall on Saturday. R's comment when he looked out the window and noticed snow covering everything: Uh-OH!

Of course it has all melted and we're back to just cold and muddy....

The Tempest

C has spent the past 7 Saturday afternoons preparing and practicing to play Miranda in a kid-sized rendition of Shakespeare's The Tempest.

She did a great job; she remembered her lines, she projected her voice, she subtly prompted Ferdinand....

Ms. B, the teacher who led this class, is a rare human being. She's one of those teachers the kids love--she's passionate about the topics she covers, she relates to the kids sensitively and with honesty, she redirects with such a deft hand that actual discipline is unnecessary...C just loves her.

Next term the Shakespeare class is only open to older students (it alternates,) so C is going to skip the Saturday enrichment program all together. It works out nicely that the YMCA basketball program fills the Sat am time slot.

Our Current Reads

What we are reading:

Roller Coasters: Or, I Had So Much Fun I Almost Puked

C has a Saturday afternoon physics event with the UC Society of Women Engineers coming up next week. This is a great program. She missed the last one (Take Apart a Toaster Day--reverse engineering) due to her Super Saturday class. This evening she spent quite a bit of time looking at pictures and schematics of the roller coasters at our local amusement park. She has elaborate plans for the visit I have promised when the park opens in the spring.

Johnny Tremain

This is C's book club selection for December. She was hesitant to start it as it meant she'd have to set aside the Artemis Fowl series she's engrossed in, but she came to a stopping point and picked up Johnny Tremain. It turns out she loves it. I'm relieved. She reads so much fantasy and sci-fi (not that there's anything wrong with that!) --I'm glad to see her branch out into other genres.

How Underwear Got Under There: A Brief History

The other day C was at a parks program & T and I had some time to kill, so we went arranged to meet a friend to swim at the YMCA. Afterward, she asked to stop at the library on the way to pick up C. We didn't have much time (and R was ready for his nap,) but considering that she's a rather reticent reader, I agreed. It turned out she had an agenda. She wanted books about fashion. We picked up a history of girls' clothing in America, a book on costumes, and my favorite, How Underwear Got Under There.

When Things Fall Apart

Someone recommended this book to me a year or so ago when I was having a hard time around the birth and death of a baby I loved. Everything was just too raw and too much at the time--I didn't have any kind of perspective for reading a book. Now I do, and I love this book. I've read Zen shorts--those little metaphoric stories--and I've really enjoyed them, but I've never gotten very far with Buddhist philosophy. This is different. This book speaks to me.

Star Wars: Heir to the Empire

This is D's book. We have just finished watching the Star Wars movies with the kids (which they loved, of course.) D was on a mission to find the first book that continued the story beyond Return of the Jedi...he bought it two days ago and he hasn't put it down. I am so grateful that I am married to a reader!

and last but not least...

My Little Counting Book

R loves this book. In fact, he loves it so much that even though it's a board book, I've had to repair it with clear packing tape. There are pictures of strawberries (his favorite,) kittens (a close second,) ducks, trucks, balls and kids. What's not to love!?! I read this book several times a day.

More, More, More Said the Baby

R loves this book, too. I love the rhythm and the ritual of the text. "Little Guy's daddy runs like anything just to catch that baby up...and then he gives that little guy's belly a kiss right in the midle of the belly button. 'More,' laughs Little Guy. 'More. More. More.'" Some books I don't mind reading over and over (and over and over.)

Dubious Milestone

Well, R set his first thing on fire today. He threw his toy cellphone at the stove and it slid under the lit burner. I had my back turned, buttering the toast.

His "Uh-OH!" had a quality of urgency about it, so I turned and looked and to my surprise, there was a six inch orange flame coming out from under the omelet pan. Uh-oh. It was easy to turn off the burner and toss the flaming phone into the sink--crisis averted.

I present the evidence:

...and the accused:

Feral Cats

I asked myself, "with this amazingly full and gratifying life we share, what could possibly make it more complete?" I'm sure you'll find the answer as shocking as I did.

A feral cat and her four kittens.

Yep. They're in a (very large) dog crate in our basement.

How did I come upon a feral cat and her four kittens? Well, like all of my cat stories, it was an accident.

She had her first litter in my mom's lawn mower bag. My mom didn't get a handle on the situation soon enough, and she had her second litter on a shelf in my mom's garage. Mom generally does a good job keeping the cat population in check, but this summer she blinked and suddenly there were several fertile cats living in her garage.

The four babies are the only ones with any hope of adoption, so I brought them (and their wild mama) home so that we could handle and tame them. When they're weaned, Mama will be spayed and returned to my mom's garage. Hopefully the babies will move directly into their forever homes, but if that's not meant to be, I have no compunctions about giving them a ride down to the SPCA. They're adorable and imminently adoptable.

Anyone want a cat?

(pictures to follow)

Jumping

D, C and I all jumped off the "Cliff of Courage." C ran right off the edge, time after time. She may have done a cannonball. I only went once. It took me quite a while to screw up my courage, but I finally did it. I decided I didn't have the courage to live with their taunting if I chickened out!

Bridging from Brownies to Juniors

C has completed her final year of Brownies. Being the fearless Brownie leader, this is as much of an accomplishment for me as it is for her.

As one of the requirements for the Bridging patch (a rainbow for her Juniors sash,) the girls had to complete a service project. They settled on a supplies drive for the SPCA. As we were short on time (see "Drinking from a Fire Hose,") we designated a mason jar as our fund collector and asked our friends and loved ones to donate their spare change. To my enormous surprise, we raked in nearly $70!!

The girls and I went shopping with our wad of cash, met up with the other two Bridging Brownies and headed over to the SPCA with a van load of cat food, treats, toys, cleaning supplies, office supplies and various and sundry other donations.

To complete the Bridging project, we held a ceremony. With the help of our other fearless leader, my good friend Alice, the girls planned an executed a lovely ceremony involving songs, artwork, and an actual bridge. After the ceremony, we refreshed ourselves with Brownies, Junior Mints and Lime-ade.

Drinking from a Fire Hose

Wow, the past three months have been a wild whirlwind.

We started July with the county fair. That was a milestone of relief for me, as I had led the Cloverbud group for my aunt's club this year. It was fun, we did some great experiments, I loved working with the kids, but wow, it was a lot. I was so relieved when the time for the fair finally came and we could wrap it up.

T had a great time showing off her Cloverbud project. C's Science of Flight project was selected to represent the county at the state level. It was an honor, to be sure. C revamped her display and boned up on the physics of flight in order to be prepared for her judging.

Then we headed out to visit the grandparents and the kids' great-grandpa in Texas. That was an awesome time. In addition to the spoiling we always get at their house, we also visited The Schlitterbahn, the nation's largest waterpark. It was crazy fun. One day was definitely not enough to take it all in.

We came home for about two weeks, and then we were off to Mammoth Cave for the annual "Not Back to School" camping trip. The girls had a blast camping with about 15 of our homeschooling friends. Thankfully D was there to help me ride herd on He-Who-Will-Not-Be-Contained.

We returned home for another two weeks or so, only to pack up and head out to Puerto Morales, Mexico. I cannot begin to do justice to the Mexico trip. It was phenomenal. We saw the ruins of Tulum. We visited Xel-Ha. We celebrated Mexican Independence Day with a traditional Mexican feast. We drank margaritas on the beach, napped in hammocks, jumped from cliffs, snorkeled with tropical fish, took a ride on a catamaran, swam in pristine waters and made new friends. And through it all, we had a fabulous time with the folks.

Each of these things was so enormous. I want to do justice to the chronicles (or at least share some pictures!) But this will have to pass. For now.

Shocking

Today T and I cleaned our playroom in preparation for a week of babysitting our 4yo friend.

We've got the playroom cleaning routine down, but with Baby Entropy "helping," it was more of an ordeal than usual.

As we were finishing up, T turned to me and said "Mom, this may come as a shock to you, but I don't really care if the playroom is messy."

What I find (mildly) shocking is that my six year old, little Miss Literal, can use sarcasm so adeptly.

Walk in the Woods

We had to get out of the house this afternoon, so after debating between the bookstore and the park, we settled on the park. I love how the girls can walk miles at a time without complaint. I love that though each of my kids have been to this park and walked on this trail several times per month since they were born, they still find things to marvel over. Today it was a teeny snail leaving a shimmering trail across a broad leaf.

I love the conversations we have. C had a question about what occupies the space between subatomic particles (I stumbled a bit.) C changed the subject, and declared that the reason people can't remember things that happen when they're babies is that they don't have language, and since memories are stored as words, babies don't have a matrix for memories. I suggested that the brain is extremely complex and largely unmapped, and that I think it's possible that we can store memories with sensory and emotional markers. The trick is retrieving them. She chewed on that for a while.

T wanted to hear stories from when she was a baby.

State Fair

We attended the State Fair this week. C's 4-H project (Science of Flight) won first place at the county fair, and was also selected for competition at the State Fair. The age category was 8-13 (as of Jan 1.) She was one of the youngest kids in the class. She didn't place. She was disappointed, but not overly much. She was pleased that the judge rated her presentation as "very good."

It was blisteringly hot, and I wasn't about to spring for the wristband for the death-trap rides, so we mainly kept to the barns and agricultural displays. Both girls milked a cow. They chatted with the state Weavers Guild ladies and tried their hands at spinning and weaving. That was a huge hit with T (D and I refer to her as our yarn spider--her enthusiasm for yarn crafting is something to behold.)

My aunt was there with 17 of her sheep. At one point she had two in the show ring at once and not enough hands, so I jumped in to help. It's been quite a while since I've showed a sheep--and honestly, I've never showed a ram lamb fresh from the field, but it turns out it's a lot like riding a bike.

We packed a cooler, but D didn't let that stop him from enjoying the full range of fried offerings.

We left exhausted and sunburned, and feeling like we'd had a complete Fair experience.