The Heart of the TARDIS is…
made of yellow cake, marble cake, and buttercream frosting. Who knew?
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| Time And Relative Dimension In Space |
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| Michael uses a square fondant cutter to make the windows of the police box. |
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| He places the window panes of white fondant into the blue walls. |
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| Rachel observes her dad's handiwork. |
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I printed the Police Box signs on my computer. |
I suppose we could have done a cake to look like fishsticks and custard, but we nixed that idea in favor of the big blue box.
Happy 13th Birthday, Rachel!...and many more!!!
ExterminEIGHT!
Yep! I, purposely, misspelled exterminate.
Eve requested Chinese food for dinner, so we went to Hunan's on Chamblee Tucker. The owner is such a cut up. He brought Eve some fried pineapple for dessert and led us in singing in a birthday song. Eve, especially, loved the spring rolls and moo goo gai pan. She kept hunting for more water chestnuts.
::::::::::::::Morning Silliness::::::::
This morning Rachel and Noah had a lip-sync contest when Word Girl came on PBS. They were hilarious. Rachel declared victory, but Noah did not acquiesce.
:::::::::Cool Kid Podcasts::::::
Aaron's World
I love that Aaron and his helpful computer do the talking in this informative podcast about dinosaurs. The episodes are just over 5 minutes and Aaron's approach to learning and teaching others is engaging.
:::::::::::::::Bee Cake Pops::::::
Well I am off to make cake pops with the Beehives at church. Check www.Bakerella.com to see what I mean.
Later, gators.
What’s Up?
:::::::Zoo Trip from Last Week:::::
:::Book Reviews::::
Some bizarre and interesting facts mixed with some conjecture about creatures we live with on Earth. Some amazing adaptations and some that are rather freaky make me think that being human is not to shabby.
A sad, but necessary cautionary tale of human intervention in Florida has to do with people putting an abundance of bird seed out to encourage birds to visit their gardens, but it causes the birds to produce young too early. The adults can eat the seeds, but the hatchlings need grubs and larvae, so they often die of malnutrition.
One of my favorite stories was about the male lyrebird from Australia. The lyrebird's ability to mimic sound has me in awe!
Another great story is about sheep not being all that dumb. There are sheep in Yorkshire, England who would run and then tuck and roll to get over the cattle grates to raid the farmers gardens.
Another interesting fact that no eels have been witnessing reproducing in captivity. Eels...who would have thought they would be the masters of restraint?
A quick and enjoyable read.
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Paul Yeager injects a lot of personality along with his informative book about weather. He dispels many weather inspired myths and clears up many queries on why the weather does what it does. He explains that though we Southerners perceive humid air as heavy it is actually lighter than dry air. He states, "It just feels heavier because we feel warm, clammy, and disgusting." (He speaks the truth about that perception, indeed). He also dispels the myth about "heat lightning"...(hint: there is no such thing). A great gardening tip from p. 198, "water the garden after it rains". This promotes deep root growth and conserves water. Yeager states that if you are certain on a light rain will fall you can water while it is still raining, "Ont only will it have the same effect on the garden, but it will give the neighbors something to talk about." A wonderful book for understanding our world.
:::::::::Piano Lessons:::
Eve is enjoying her piano lessons. She is experiencing some frustration with reading the notes consistently. The pattern is the same as we see with her with reading books. I have taken to sitting with her during her practices and trying some different strategies. I have her tell me what note she sees. I have her tell me what notes to play. Then she plays the piece. She goes through it about 3 times to play it consistently. Part of her reading problem has her recognizing the note immediately, then forgetting the same note a few measures over. I think it is part confidence part developmental delay. She gets claps, hugs and kisses with each success. I am having to remember the lessons I had as a kid. I could never get my left hand to play staccato correctly with my right, so I gave up lessons. Michael is our fallback since he reads music.
Eve also picks up Aaron's guitar... (it is a lonely guitar and likes the gentle stroking). Michael and I plan to trade it in and get a 3/4th size guitar for Eve as a Christmas present.
:::::::::::Dr. Who::::::::
Just wanted to give a shout out to Matt Smith for being, yet another, enjoyable Dr. Who. His take on the Dr. is pretty cool. Our entire family like his portrayal. We also like his companion, Amy Pond. Their was a collective sigh of sadness when Rory was absorbed into the crack in space.
Later, gators!
Being Rachel
That is a common description around our house and it is defined as: Someone who goes directly to their room, grabs a book and precedes to read for hours. The only time one stops reading is for a quick bathroom break and to force food down one's gullet, then run back up stairs to complete the book.
This phrase came about a couple of months ago and like Webster's Dictionary it became so commonplace that everyone new the definition and could apply it to others in the family not just Rachel. Rachel is very pleased that she has her own definition in the family annals. So, if you get bored today and need something to do why don't you try "Being Rachel".
(This lap desk is a gift from Laura and Marcus):
Rachel is in complete disagreement on this bit o'Flair. She thinks Time Lords and vampires coexist on an equal plane. The kids have enjoyed watching Dr. Who Season Four
and The Sarah Jane Adventures
. Eve was so excited to get her own K9
My mother feeds the childrens' science fiction fetishes.
::::::::::::My Own Time Lord in Miniature...
asked his almost daily query: "Mom, why does space exist? Why does time exist and why do we exist?"
He was asking me this while promising not to blow up the his electronics learning lab that Michael bought him for Christmas. Those photos are still on the camera. I'll try to pull these photos on to show you. Did I mention I need an external hard drive?
*Take care...I'm going to try and take a walk and hope the kids don't kill each other while I'm gone.
*post edited to say the walk was successful and the children are ALIVE! (I also added the pics of Rachel).
