Well, I had an entry yesterday but it never showed up!  Bummer; it must be living in never-neverland.  Anyway, fair starts tomorrow.  The kids are very excited to see if they won any ribbons on their Open Class items.  They both did well with their 4-H crafts yesterday.  (But I now can't remember exactly what they got for the items; that's why I blogged yesterday. )

We turned rabbits in today; all four seemed fine when we left.  PinkOne is concerned that Princess will be missing her though and need a cuddle.  So we must head for the fair in the morning! lol  We'll also stop by and see how our friends are doing with their horse showing.  But they start at 8am tomorrow and that's just too early for us!  Wednesday and Thursday will both be extremely long days so we are sleepin' in a bit tomorrow.

Stripes didn't make it.  He just didn't have it in him to morph.  Just before a cat turns into a pupa (in a chrysalis) it puts out a small square/dot of silk that it hangs from.  Stripes never did that.  He did hang upside down and "J", but ended up letting go and falling.  That was a bummer.  Tiny, however, is no longer tiny.  He's eating like crazy and hopefully will have better luck.  At the Nature Zoo today we learned that 1 in 100 catepillars actually make it to butterfly; that made me feel a little better.

The robins are growing like crazy too.  Any day now Mama Robin will kick them out of the nest.  There are three little guys in there and it's getting crowded. LOL

We had a problem with Princess the bunny and went to the vet.  She seems to be doing better as well; apparently she had fur mites.  She lost a chunk of fur at her scruff area.  And Max the bunny--who'd lost a bit of his hair--seems to be growing it back.  Yes, we dosed all the bunnies with meds.  (It really is feeling like a zoo here!)

Kids are growing like weeds too--I need to find black jeans for Scout for rabbit showing at the fair.  I'm having a hard time tracking them down; none to be had at Walmart or Meijer.  Guess I better have PinkOne re-try her black jeans on just to be sure they still fit.

And the newest addition--but this one lives at Grandpa's farm--a Jersey calf born on July 4th.  Pops is calling her Firecracker.

Yep; while we were gone yesterday--ALL DAY!--the butterfly was born.  (You know what I mean.  )  By the time we got home in the evening his wings were dry and he was ready to fly.  And yes, it really was a HIM.  PinkOne got that right when she named the cat MR. Catepillar.  PinkOne took some pictures for her storyboard, then the kids and I let Mr. Cat go.  It was an awesome sight to see him fly way.  They are so beautiful. 

Stripes is huge and I think he should be turning into a pupa soon; 2 inches long is the magic number.  He seems fine although I was afraid I'd killed him earlier by dropping him on the kitchen floor while I was cleaning his cage.  sheesh.  Tiny is also still growing.  DH asked today who was going to take care of the catepillars/butterflies when we go on vacation.  I better check the calendar and make sure we will be done raising them by then. 

We have our trip to the local Nature Zoo on Thursday to share what we learned about our catepillars; can't wait.

I figured out how to add photos--YEA ME!  So here's the one I tried to add before...

Not exactly like I planned it.    But that's okay.  We all need the break (including the Mommy).  We will start with the last few items when we get back from our vacation in August.  Regular school spends the first month or so reviewing anyway, right?

For now we are raising Monarch butterflies, swimming in the pool, working on stuff around the house, painting the Children's wing at church, and getting ready for our local 4-H Fair.

Yep, plural on the butterflies.  Seems we brought a couple eggs home on the Milkweed we gathered to feed Mr. Cat.  (He's still "hangin' out"  Probably one more week and we'll have a butterfly.)  So we now have two more catepillars we are feeding--Stripes and Tiny.  (I know, very original on the names. LOL)

I'm finishing the curtains and bedskirt in PinkOne's room.  We picked up three colors of ribbon and a package of felt applique flowers.  I'm edging the curtains and bedskirt with the ribbon and stitching on the flowers randomly.  It's really cute!  Next up:  paint the front door.

Kids are working with their bunnies, creating their displays for the fair and finishing up Open Class entries.  Yes, I could count some of their projects as schoolwork but then I 'd have to tell them and I don't want to ruin their fun. LOL

I just need to have a Proud Mommy Moment. 

Scout came home from Summer Camp with 4 badges completed.  But what I'm most proud of him for is that he did all the prereqs himself.  I helped print out the requirements--he couldn't get the pages to print from the website--and then he managed his time and got everything done.  DH and I just asked about his progress and whether he needed any additional supplies, etc.  (Nope, he was good.)  Scout got to camp and was able to complete his badges within the class times.  He ended up with Friday off to do whatever he wanted.

Scout earned Camping, Rifle, Scupture and Leatherworks.  Rifle was the biggest challenge for him, but DH says he stuck to it and finally completed it.  We've seen lots of growth and maturity in Scout this year.  Boy Scouts is a huge part of that process and we are very thankful.

Summer Camp is such a great motivator.  Scout is now geeked to push forward through the "Big Three" as they call it--Personal Fitness, Family LIfe and Personal Management.  He is currently working on Hiking and Model Building.  Scout figured out last night that with the completion of these badges and an Eagle Project he will make his Eagle and a Palm.  He is excited! 

Scout also became a candidate for Order of the Arrow at camp.  I don't understand all of that, but I do know it's an honor not given to everyone. 

This is such a cool project!

We attend a monthly class at a local Nature Center and the kids have a blast.  For June and July we are learning about Monarch butterflies.  At our June class we went out and searched for Monarch eggs and milkweed.  We found milkweed, but no eggs.  That was okay though because Miss Victoria--always so well prepared--had tiny catepillars for us to take home. 

We created a cage for Mr. Cat (PinkOne named it) and have been feeding it for the last couple weeks.  He got HUGE!  Then Sunday night we noticed a white patch of fluff--a tiny silk knob called a button--and Mr. Cat wasn't on the milkweed plant anymore, but the top side of the cage.  PinkOne started yelling, "He's in the J!"  Yep, Mr. Cat was starting his last molt.  We actually got to see the change from catepillar to pupa.  (That's when the catepillar gets encased  in its chrysalis.)  It happens so fast and was very cool.

So now we wait for the butterfly to emerge from its chrysalis.  We can hardly wait!

As I put the closet back together in PinkOne's room--after painting it--I noticed her clothes were laying on the top of the shelf.  (We had put in two shelves at the bottom of the closet for her to store stuff at long time ago.)  That made the shelf basically useless.  Her closet also has an upper shelf and then the clothes rod.  I decided to move the shelf and clothes rod up.  No big deal, right?  Well, I talked to DH and he started stressing about me putting lots of holes in the plaster.  (Yep, not drywall in this house.  I'm not afraid of drywall, but plaster does scare me.)  I talked myself in and out of doing the project for the next couple days.  Finally on Friday I decided "what the heck!".  I knew if I couldn't get the stuff attached to the wall correctly I could patch and repaint the damage.  (And DH would finish the project when he got home.)

I not only installed the shelf and clothes rod higher in the closet, but I also hung the curtain rods for two windows.  YEA, ME!  I used the drill and installed the plaster wall anchors to hold the screws in place like I'm supposed to.  Once I got going it wasn't too bad.  PinkOne was so excited to show Daddy and Scout when they got home.  (I was pretty excited too.)

Only two holes to patch and paint.  You can hardly see them.   

PinkOne and I are "re-doing" her bedroom while our guys are at Boy Scout Camp.  Mostly we are de-cluttering and getting rid of stuff she has outgrown or doesn't play with any more.  Some of it is sad to see go, but I'm so excited to get her room spiffed up and more usable. 

She is keeping her American Girl dolls.  We have eliminated her "desk"--(Really it is a small kitchen table and stool.)--and now she has room for her doll's bed and playpen.  Dolls are sleeping in their own beds tonight.  PinkOne will probably play with her dolls even more now that they have their own little space.

Today I painted her closet--it's never been done and it was all emptied out.  She picked Fairy Princess Pink--of course.  Yes, I know it's just a closet, but I'm hoping that since she loves it so much she will use it and keep it clean so she can see the beautful walls. 

Tomorrow I am putting the shelf and the clothes rod higher--clothes are so much bigger these days--and we will start putting her stuff away.  Then we will shop for a hanging canopy-type thing (I may make it) for over her bed and a pretty little rug (since we can now see the floor!!).

And I am going to order one of these-- 

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5799556 

Living in an older bungalow-style home, we don't have large rooms.  Much of today's furniture doesn't fit in our spaces.  PinkOne would love a double bed or a trundle bed, but it just won't fit in her room.  She mainly wants space for sleepovers and I think this will work nicely.  I think it will also be a great "reading spot" smushed into the corner. 

We are off to visit the guys at camp on Thursday.

WOW!  I didn't realize it's been so long since I blogged.  We've just been running along from one thing to the next.  We are starting to slow down to the summertime speed; if you can call it slow.   We've gotten a few of our week nights back from activities and that feels great. 

School is winding down as well, but we are doing Spelling and Math all summer.  Pink One wants to finish out all her 4th grade workbooks before September so she'll be "totally 5th grade!".  Scout isn't thrilled, but he is willing to continue plodding along and playing catch-up.  Dance recitals are complete--this past weekend--and summer class hasn't started yet.  PinkOne is waiting--not so patiently--for her invitation to special summer class for kids they are grooming to compete.  Scout is getting all his pre-reqs done for Boy Scout Summer Camp.  Both kids are working with their rabbits for the fair in August.  PinkOne got a beautiful new little lady.  She is a French Angora and named Princess (of course).  She is a real sweetheart.  I'll try to post a picture tomorrow.  (But don't hold your breath; pictures, the blog and I don't get along so well.  But I'll try.)   I also want to update what the kids completed this spring; I'll tackle that tomorrow as well.  I'm too tired to try that now.  So good night (if there's even anyone still around! lol).

It's bitter cold here in the Great Lakes; colder than I remember in a long time.  Last night we came home from bible study and found our house dark.  Then we noticed our neighbors around us were dark as well. 

What?!  Yep, no power.

Apparently a wire went down around 6:30pm.  Fire trucks came and everything.  (Scout was kinda bummed we missed that part.)  Nine houses were out of power.  We got out our flashlights, threw a log on the fireplace and each cuddled up with a book.  Shortly after that the Electrical Truck showed up.  YEAH!!  (Honestly, it was much faster than I'd feared.)  By 10pm we had our power restored.  We were so thankful.  (Scout was worried about his fish getting too cold, Pink One didn't want to go to sleep, and DH & I were a bit concerned about our water pipes.) 

Our low last night/this morning was -2° F!!!  Tonight is expected to reach 8 (much better?!)

Yep, we saw this today.  It was pretty cool!  It took a minute or two to figure out what happened, and then we had to look it up--of course.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thundersnow

Lots of snow coming down--big, fat flakes.

It's been like a hospital around here!  Scout had strep throat, the Mommy had bronchitis, DH had an awful cold.  It looked like the Pink Princess was going to escape with just a cough and runny nose. 

HA! 

This morning--as I tried to get everyone ready and out the door--I had my yearly physical, Paczki pickup*, library run--the Pink One spiked a fever and looked pathetic.  I gave her some Motrin and was wondering about dragging them out or just canceling my appointment.  (That was a huge dilemna because I usually wait four to eight weeks for an appointment!) 

Scout said, "Mom, leave us home.  I've got my First Aid badge and I know what to do for Pink One.  I'll be her medic."

I quizzed him--and he answered correctly.  I made sure they had two neighbors' phone numbers on the board and I left.

I checked in on her fever once I got to the doctor's office.  It was up to 103.5.  Scout had a cup of water--with a lid & straw--for her and a cool washcloth on her head.  Said she'd gotten sick, but he got her to the bathroom in time.

Really, Scout did awesome today.  He called to have me stop and get Vernors (ginger ale), more Tylenol--because we can piggy-back that with the Motrin--and Wonton soup for Pink One.  He was the perfect "medic".

*Paczki is a huge donut-like pastry filled with fruit or custard.  They are available in our area--which has a high population of Polish people and/or people of Polish descent--on Fat Tuesday.  Each year we go and pick out our favorite.  Scout likes the custard, Pink One likes the lemon, I usually get a fruit.  I did pick them up and bring them home.  Scout had his for dessert tonight.  Hopefully Pink Princess will feel like eating her Paczki tomorrow.

The guys may have been victorious over the elements this past weekend, but sickness has crept into this house and is kicking all our butts.  Except for DH, somehow he is skating by.  Must be because he isn't in the house much and he isn't cleaning up the germs.  That would be the Mommy's job.   Scout has been coughing up a lung for the last three days.  I took him to the doctor's office today and got a scrip for cough syrup with codene.  The first dose seemed to help some, but the coughing continues.  And he threw up again this afternoon; I really hope it isn't a reaction to the medicine.  Sheesh.

I'm praying that he is able to sleep tonight.  If he sleeps, I just might get some sleep as well.  I'm also praying that my cough and the Pink One's cough doesn't get any worse.  There will be no schooling this week; carry on.

When I chose to do a unit on Alaska, sled/snow dogs, etc. I didn't realize how appropriate it would be!

Scout and DH survived a VERY cold weekend camping.  Sunday morning when they woke up, Scout said his scarf--which the boys had put over their faces to keep the air warm(er) as they were breathing--had ice on it.  The plan had been to make hot chocolate/coffee and have donuts & muffins for breakfast.  (It's the easiest when breaking camp.)  But since the donuts and muffins were frozen like bricks, they all loaded up and headed down the road a bit to buy hot chocolate/coffee at a gas station.  Then, at a rest stop not too much further they stopped to eat their donuts & muffins that had thawed a bit.  The camp director said the official tempurature that morning was -10.  The Troop Master's car read -1 when they headed to bed Saturday night.  DH told Troop Master not to tell him how cold it was as they went to bed; he didn't want to know.  He said once they made it through the night he'd want to know.

I'm proud of the way Scout stuck it out.  DH said Scout didn't complain and just did what had to be done.  He and the other guys even worked hard to cheer up a scout who'd had enough. 

Since the lapbook thing is going so well, I've decided to do a new one every few weeks.  For the next couple weeks we will be looking at the following:

• Alaska--map, info sheet, cook a recipe, etc.
• Inuit & Eskimo people--who are they, where do they live, how do they live, etc.
• Sled Dogs & the Iditarod--watching (and writing movie reviews) for Eight Below (I know it isn't Alaska--it's Antarctica--but it is sled dogs)  and Snow Dogs.
• Book requirement is Julie and the Wolves by Jean Craighead George.

Our favorite local librarian had a good time pulling a pile of books and videos for us when I told her what I was planning.  I could have used a cart on wheels to haul them all home by the time she was done. 

Scout is headed to winter camp this weekend with Boy Scouts.  They will be sleeping in snow shelters and cooking outside.  They've been learning about winter survival and first-aid.  The camp will be having a sled dog race and different activities as well.  I hope he will add some of that info to his lapbook as well.  Dare I hope for a picture or two?  If it wasn't so darn far away, DD and I would ask to come see the races.  But they are head Up North about 4 hours away and I refuse to sleep in a tent in the winter!

Requirements:

• Definitions
• Pick experiment from book (Hands-On Science Electricity and Magnets by Kingfisher), conduct and write up.
• Pick Two Inventors & their invention PLUS Ben Franklin: Thomas Edison, Lewis Howard Latimer, Michael Faraday, Samuel F.B. Morse or Alexander Graham Bell.
• Draw Circuit Diagram & explain.

Beyond that I got Morse Code all written out, a Resistor Color Code chart, and a kid-created experiment.  Seems one child needed a Trip Wire contraption in his room to keep uninvited guests out.

We jumped back into school last week with a new science class.  For the next few months the kids will meet twice a month to learn Electronics.  (This is the same teacher they had last fall for Electricity.)  They love the teacher, the kids and the class.  The teacher says at the end they all should be able to wire a house if they need/want to do so.

Surprisingly, the Pink One is doing VERY well with this.  She really seems to understand--and get excited--about circuits, amps, etc.  Cool!  She has been helping DH build a "Family Feud" buzzer stand for a skit at church.  Daddy even let her do some soldering.  (She still wants to be a dancer and then a dance studio owner/teacher though. LOL)

I had both kids do a lapbook on Electricity to highlight some things they learned.  Lapbooks are a beautiful thing for us.  It showcases their knowledge of a subject in their own individual ways.  DD's lapbooks are brightly colored and layed out "just so".  Scout has surprised me with the amount of writing he is doing in his.  The info on Ben Franklin was two hand-written pages!  I was shocked; pleasantly so.

This week I threw History back into the schedule and got cheers.  We are starting Story of the World II and they are all excited.  That will probably take us through the year, although I'd love to finish by fall.  We always get side-tracked in history though (and that's not a bad thing.)

We also are starting the Real Science 4 Kids--Chemistry this week.  It is really cool!  I hope they enjoy it as much as I think I will.   I expect to be done with Chemistry by May 1 and then move on to Biology just in time for spring.  Then next fall we can do Physics.  (Remind me I've already planned it that way come fall, okay?)

Yep, I made a few this year.  (I don't make them every year though.)   Here's my list, with what I've done to get going.

• Get household tasks under control.
  I printed out an organizer.  It lists tasks to do each day of the year.  Even if I get half the items done each day we will be better off.  I love FlyLady in theory; in pracitice I need to be able to check things off a piece of paper.  I'm hoping this will fill that need.
• Read the Bible in a year.
  A bonus available with my organizer--mapped out day-to-day what to read to go all the way through the Bible in one year.  The kids are doing this with me too.
• Get clutter under control and house organized.
  These tasks are included in my new organizer.  We are also tackling a room a month (see next item).
• It's the Year of the House.
  DH shares a desire to make our house a nicer place to be.  We are planning to stay here for a long time.  We are diligently paying down our mortgage (about 7 years to go!).  By focusing on a room/area a month we can--Hopefully--do the clutter-cleanup and some improvements at the same time.
• Focus on my health.
  Yep again.  I've already been going to the gym for the last couple weeks.  It's only twice a week right now, but I'm adding back into my day a walk around the neighborhood on the days I don't go to the gym.  As a family we are eliminating all the On-the-Run food purchases as well.  (This means I need to do better planning.)