Harrison Farm

A couple of months ago, I started the “Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons” book with Doodle.  I used the same book with Carman & Sudoku when they were young.  This being the third time, I’m very familiar with the book and am more relaxed and having more fun with it than I did the first couple of times.  Doodle is catching on quickly, and it is fun to see his slow but steady progress.

Despite the book’s title, the lessons are not all easy.  I try to limit each session to 15 minutes and only go beyond that if Doodle wants to.  With Carman & Sudoku, I believe it took a little over a year to complete the book.

This book teaches phonics and uses a different syntax (rather than spelling rules) to help kids learn about silent letters and long and short vowel sounds.  (The spelling rules are introduced later.)  The syntax can be a turn off to some people at first (eat is spelled with a tiny “a” to show that it is silent), but I know many parents who have used this book to teach their children to read after first trying expensive, high tech reading programs with no success.  As one mother of 5 said, (more…)

We were having chili for lunch.  Doodle took a sniff and said, “This isn’t chili.  It’s hot!”

Rosebud recently started watching some Baby Signing Time videos we borrowed from my brother’s family.  [I will be returning them at Thanksgiving!  Thank you for letting us borrow them for so long!]  Rosebud LOVES them.  She seldom initiates signs, but if I suggest something with a sign, she’ll usually respond with one.  This has been helpful with her, because, unlike our other children, at 18 months old, she is still not speaking (except for “ma-ma” and “da-da.”)

I recently read about how Baby Signing Time was born.  Rachel Coleman, the singer & song-writer who appears in the videos, has a profoundly deaf daughter.  Rachel & her sister produced Baby Signing Time, in part, to help make sign language more ubiquitous. (more…)

Once a semester, Sudoku’s dance class has a visitor’s day.  We got to watch her class a couple of weeks ago.  Let me to you, childhood ballet classes are not what they used to be!  (more…)

We appear to have succeeded in helping Doodle stop his long-time habit of sucking 2 of his fingers.  He had developed a pronounced overbite from four years of sucking, and we knew that the habit needed to be kicked before any permanent teeth began to erupt.

Instead of trying to coax him to stop sucking (as I had tried with Sudoku when she was little), we tried something a bit more devious. (more…)

Doodle recently learned to ride a 2 wheeler. He’s the 3rd child Marathon has taught to ride, and his method has changed and improved since teaching Carman & Sudoku years ago.

Marathon used training wheels to help teach the older 2 kids, and they developed the bad habit of not leaning into turns. Instead they would actually lean in the opposite direction in an effort to keep the training wheels grounded.

So this time Marathon was determined to not use training wheels at all. (more…)

We’ve had a good week for swimming. The afternoon thunderstorms have stayed away, and we’ve had so much fun in the water! Doodle is experimenting and getting a little stronger every few days. It has been fun to see the older kids getting excited about his progress.

On Monday, Doodle was swimming with one pad in his vest. I was planning to take it out soon, so when Sudoku asked if she could try to secretly remove it, I told her to go for it. (more…)

We only swam a couple of times this week due to afternoon thunderstorms.  But Doodle was able to swim comfortably with just 2 pads in his vest yesterday.  At one point, he was humming as he drifted along in the deep end.  He’s figured out how to float vertically by leaning his head backwards.

Since Rosebud is my only spring baby, this is my first summer to experience swimming with a 13-17 month old.  (more…)

We’ve been enjoying the neighbor’s pool again this summer. Doodle has been wearing his little swimmer vest with 4 of the styrofoam pads in it. Then we accidently left the vest at my parents’ house a few weekends ago.

When we went swimming, I wanted him to try to swim without the vest. (more…)

I’m reading Booker T. Washington’s autobiography Up From Slavery and took note of an interesting section where Washington contrasts 2 different schools.  He notes (more…)

We make weekly trips to our local library for books and DVDs. After Rosebud was born, I started letting Carman and Sudoku carry our returns into our small library branch while I stayed in the car with the 2 younger children. They would return books, check out whatever items we’d placed on hold, and then we would leave. It’s a pretty quick errand when we don’t all go in and start combing through the books.

Whenever we would all go inside, the librarian would comment to me how confident Carman and Sudoku seemed. (more…)

While we were in North Carolina, Rosebud took her first steps (that Marathon and I were able to verify. Sudoku tells us she had taken a few at home a week earlier!) She’s been our earliest walker, starting right around 11 months. She’s been slowly ramping it up ever since.

Walking is her preferred mode of self-transportation. Here she is, showing her stuff.  This isn’t a great shot, but I like that it’s got her moving and smiling.

Rosebud also cut her 5th tooth about a month ago. Then a couple days ago, I noticed 2 more teeth on her left side, and one on the right is about to break through.

Doodle approached me slowly, with big eyes, whispering, “I hear a bomb! Listen, Mama.”

We were at my parents’ house in the living room. “You hear a what?”

“A bomb. Listen.” We listened quietly.  And he moved his finger to the time of…the grandfather clock’s pendulum.

Carman has been on a snake kick for a couple of months and is beginning to move on to motorcycles, so I thought we’d better capture what he’s learned about snakes here.

What to do if you see a snake: do not touch or approach it unless you know what it is. If you are bitten, do not panic. If it sees you moving quickly, it will think you are trying to strike it again (you really are not.)

If one threatens you, (more…)

Rosebud’s birthday was a couple of weeks ago, and we went bowling - not because it was her birthday, but because a local bowling alley was having a homeschool bowling day. Rosebud, of course, didn’t get much out of that little outing (more…)

We’ve had this rope swing up in the yard for a couple of years now. Recently Marathon challenged Carman and Sudoku to climb up to the stump in the picture. They’ve both done it. Here’s Sudoku in the tree. She’ll often climb the rope multiple times a day.

The weather has been wonderful lately - occasional soaking rains and lots of sun.  As an old college friend used to say, “Spring is busting out all over!”  Along with the new foliage growth, we’ve seen new kittens, fat caterpillars, baby birds, and lots of earthworms and grubs in the garden.  Here’s Doodle with his “friend” the fuzzy caterpillar. (more…)

Carman and Sudoku have been learning and experimenting with SketchUp, Google’s free 3-D modeling software. Carman has caught onto the concepts and maneuvers pretty quickly. Here’s a model he made of a lamp in our home. If you could spin the model around, as you can with the 3-D software, you could see underneath the lamp shade where there are metal spokes. He did a great job with this project.

While we were in NC, Rosebud’s favorite thing was to climb up the steps.  We would take turns being her “guardian angel,” walking along right behind her as she climbed.  So, whenever she started heading for the stairs (when we didn’t have the baby gate in place), Marathon or I would announce, “Guardian angel!” to let the kids know we needed help watching her.  As the week progressed, the kids somehow turned “guardian angel” into “guard a angel.”  Rosebud had become our little angel who needed guarding.

Doodle came into my bedroom this morning and announced, “Mama, I’m big now.  I’m 4.”

Me: “You’re not 4 yet.  You’re 3 1/2.”  He raised his arms in victory with a big smile on his face.

“Mama, how old are you?”

Me: “34.”

Looking very serious, Doodle said, “Mama, that is very far away.”

Rosebud had her first bites about a month ago.  In the photo Marathon is offering her mashed banana for the first time.  She didn’t take to it right away, but she likes bananas now.  Her favorite seems to be fried egg yolk from free range hens.  She also likes cooked carrots and sweet potato, and she’ll tolerate applesauce and yoghurt.  We also tried cooked green peas, but she doesn’t have enough teeth to deal with the skins yet.

Sudoku asked, “If an English speaking person and a Spanish speaking person were humming the same tune, would they sound alike?”

I’ve heard several different endings for the ABC song.  “Now I know my ABCs,….” followed by “next time won’t you sing with me” or “aren’t you very proud of me” or “won’t you come and play with me.”

Yesterday Doodle came up with his own version.  After reciting the ABCs (and omitting the letter N), he sang, “Now I’ve said my ABCs, yes sir, yes sir, three bags full.”

In an effort to help the kids (and ourselves) learn Spanish, we’re trying to use sign language to help us learn and retain vocabulary.  Learning signs has been easy with the help of Baby Signing Time, a DVD series my sis-in-law loaned to me.   Once we know the sign, we learn the corresponding Spanish word and use them simultaneously.  That’s the goal anyway.

That has been my focus this week.  It is difficult to get into the habit of speaking the Spanish words that I know.  But I find the more I do it, the easier it gets.  It is getting into the Spanish (or signing) mode that is difficult.

At 3 1/4 years old, Doodle still needs a nap most days. When he gets still in the afternoons, he falls asleep so quickly. Sometimes (but not always) he even says to me, “Mama, I need my nap; I love my nap.”

He’s currently into having lots of animals nap with him, as you can see. I just need to make sure he doesn’t sleep too long this afternoon. It’s beautiful outside now after the stormy weather we had this morning. - milkmaid

Carman, like all of the children, is growing. But his growth was particularly notable today when we compared foot sizes. Those feet in the picture are from different people. Hard to tell though, isn’t it? Mine is on the right; his on the left. - milkmaid

The older 2 kids started handling the after dinner kitchen clean up when I was pregnant last, and they’re still at it. I sometimes help out, but since we have a small kitchen, more than 2 in there gets to be a crowd. So generally, Carman & Sudoku handle the clean up, and later I scrub the pots & pans and do some kitchen prep for the next day.

So, here’s our nightly kitchen routine. (more…)

Absolutely! It’s easy to have success when your goal is simply to gain experience.

Carman & Sudoku participated in their first spelling bee yesterday. Neither came away with any prizes. Potential prizes were the following: one of the top 5 overall spellers, the top speller for their particular grades, best spelling notebook, best handwriting for their grades (it was a written bee.)

Both are glad they participated.

She didn’t get them in time for Christmas, but this week Rosebud sprouted her 2 top front teeth. Today she learned to make a new sound with her mouth: teeth grinding.

After falling down, Doodle said, “Mama, I tripped on my balance.”

Rosebud’s eyes have been slowly changing over the last few months. At one time I thought they would be blue like those of her namesake. But they’ve changed…and maybe they’re still changing. There is a little brown in them now around the pupil. The rest of the iris is greenish-gray.

Uncle D took this fun shot while Rosebud was clinging to a kitchen chair after having pulled up on it. See her finger tips turning white?

Last week, Carman & Sudoku had a little Christmas pageant with some fellow homeschoolers.  The pageant is organized by a busy mom of 8, and she always does a great job.  The kids learn the songs and practice their scripture verses on their own at home.  On the day of the performance, (more…)

At 7 months, Rosebud’s 2 bottom teeth sprouted within 3 days of each other.

Now, at 7 1/2 months, she has started pulling up. Today she pulled up to a standing position.  Just a few days ago, she pulled up to a kneeling position.  That’s when we finally moved her from the Arm’s Reach Co-Sleeper to the Pack-N-Play. (I loved using the Co-Sleeper, but it is no place for a babe who’s pulling up.) (more…)

During our visit with family over the Thanksgiving holiday, Doodle had this cute exchange with his cousin Bright Eyes, who speaks exceptionally well for his age.

D, pointing to a picture in a book: That’s a kunk.

B: That’s not a kunk. It’s a skunk!

D: Yeah. A kunk.

B: No. It’s a skunk.

It was very funny to see a 2 1/2 year old correct a 3 year old.

Several days later when we were settled in back home, Doodle and I were reading books together. Again, he pointed to a picture in a book. (more…)

This is a clip from our homeschool group’s fall recital. (more…)

Doodle and I were spending some time together yesterday afternoon, getting ready to read some books together.  “How did you get so handsome?”  I asked him.

“Well, it’s because Mimi combed my hair,” he replied matter-of-factly.

This cracked me up because 1) he hasn’t seen Mimi in almost a month; 2) it has been several months since she combed his hair; and 3), because I think his hair looks great almost all the time (he doesn’t get the morning spikes like Carman), I seldom comb his hair at all.  He must think that the effects of the hair combing from Mimi has lasted a really long time.  Thanks, Mimi! - milkmaid

It has been so fun to see Carman develop and pursue his interest in cars (hence the screen-name, Carman.) On his own, he’s doing real research and developing his own conclusions.

His interest began when he was a wee tyke with matchbox cars. As he grew and learned to read, he’d notice what types of cars passed us on the roads. Before long, he could call makes and models long before any letters were in sight.

Not long ago, he got the Consumer Reports Used Car Buying Guide. (more…)

At 6 and 1/2 months, Rosebud can now sit for about 2 minutes before toppling over. She can also do the army crawl. She can get up on all fours and rock on her knees but then flattens out on her belly.

Vacuuming is becoming more of a priority around here. Thread, bits of dried leaves, fuzz…all of these things entice Rosebud to practice her pincher skills, and, of course, anything she pinches goes straight to her mouth. (more…)

Carman made these fall sandals with magnolia leaves and rubber bands. Sudoku is a tough customer, though, and declares them uncomfortable and unreliable. Maybe so, but the price can’t be beat! (more…)

Doodle and I shared some special time together this week. Marathon was able to keep the other kids while Doodle and I went to see a play about Rosemary Wells’ bunny siblings, Max and Ruby. A whole hour of Max and Ruby! (more…)

Not long ago, Sudoku had her first fainting experience. (See Sudoku falls out in church.) After that experience, we talked about the warning signs of passing out and some of the reasons people faint. She listened and took it all in. Yesterday this happened. (more…)

I was running on the street with Carman and Sudoku a couple of mornings ago. Actually, they weren’t with me but ahead of me. They like to try to beat me - and they do. Anyway, I’m running down the street, watching my 2 older children run along ahead of me, chatting with each other. They seem so mature, so capable.

Then the thought hit me. If something were to happen, and I died right now, they would be okay. (more…)

In spite of the weather being gray and rainy, my birthday was such a happy one for me. Carman & Sudoku were sneakily doing a lot of writing in the day or 2 before my birthday. When the day arrived, I was flooded with some homemade cards and about 60 coupons from the kids.

What kind of coupons? They are mostly for chores the kids will do around the house for me. Things like ( in their own spelling):

vacume the house

Read 10 books to Doodle

trim front bushs

clean all cobwebs

work in garden for 10 minits

fold laundry

dust base boards

give mama 8 kises

I will be quiit for 20 m.

I will make skrambld eags

What could be a better gift for a busy mother? I feel so loved that they took so much time to think of and write these things down. They are eager for me to cash in these coupons but have graciously given them an expiration date of one year from my birthday.

At nearly six months, Rosebud’s discovering her voice, scooting across the floor, rolling over (front to back, back to front, right or left), but isn’t sitting up yet. She loves to laugh, enjoys being tickled, and likes to suck on chins.

It has been more than a month since Doodle and I were in the pool. It just got too cold for us by the end of September.

We didn’t meet our Doodle-safe-in-the-water goal, but we did make good progress and should be able to get off to a good start when the swimming season starts up again in late spring.

The Little Swimmer Vest, although cumbersome, did help Doodle get stronger quickly. I’ll be interested to see how quickly he’ll be able to shed the foam pads next summer.

I have an October birthday, and this month I’ve decided to treat myself and Rosebud to a deluxe baby carrier. My sis-in-law introduced me to the ERGO baby carriers when Doodle was 15 months old. I liked it a lot, but didn’t feel I could justify spending the money since he was already walking and would be wanting to walk more and more rather than being carried. (more…)

Yesterday the soccer league had a season finale - a round robin of sorts. It was a refreshingly cool morning, so Sudoku and Doodle huddled under a blanket during Carman’s first game. Both kids made one final goal as they bid the season farewell.

We left the fields satisfied that we had put a lot into the season and got a lot in return.

Thanks, Marathon dear, for instigating the practice drills, going to practices, being the coach/encourager the kids needed, and for making the evening family soccer games happen. Good, good memories were made. - milkmaid

We’ve been spoiled by Mimi lately.  She’s been making frequent trips for kids’ birthdays and to see how Rosebud is growing.  For this most recent visit, she brought Granny with her so that she could (finally) meet her namesake.  We had a relaxed day of visiting, and Sudoku and I snapped a lot of pictures.

This morning Doodle came out rubbing one eye.  “I have something in my eye,” he said.  Then loudly, “Call a lawyer!!”

Whew.  He keeps us in stiches.

Here’s Rosebud in the jumper.  This is where we usually put her during meal time.  At other times, though, she generally prefers to be on her belly scooting around on the floor.  And, boy, can she scoot now!  She’s not really crawling yet, but she can get across a room surprisingly quickly.  She’s been experimenting with her voice lately too, which has made church rather exciting for the last few weeks.

From the first game of the season, we were surprised and impressed by the ball-handling skills some of the boys in this community soccer league. This was serious ball - no standing around chewing the fat on the field in this age group. Carman worked hard, and by the end of the season, was really enjoying playing on the team, initiating soccer time with the family, doing drills in the backyard….but it wasn’t always that way. He didn’t really mind playing before, but it was hot, hard work, and he knew he had a lot to learn. He did learn - and quick.

But some of the boys had been playing for years. A few of them played year-round. So, we didn’t know that Carman would ever get to a point (i.e. score, give an assist, etc.) where he could know that he was a factor on the field.

But that moment did come. Here’s how I heard about it. (more…)

very enthusiastically after falling off the couch, “Mama, did you see my cool stunt!?” - milkmaid

In our decade of parenting, we’ve sometimes struggled with the role of sports in our children’s lives. They require time and money commitments, and while they certainly have value, it is easy for their importance to get blown out of proportion - for parents and children alike. So, while we play a lot as a family (badminton, backyard baseball, Frisbee, soccer), we were a bit hesitant to enter them in competitive team sports.

This fall Carman & Sudoku played soccer for the first time. Because of when their birthdays fall, they were among the oldest in their age groups.

Sudoku’s league was pretty congenial. There were a few good players, but it was mostly girls having a good time. Sometimes two girls would start talking on the field and the ball would roll right past them in the middle of a game. It was that sort of climate early in the season. (more…)

I just got these pictures from Punny, my friend who was recently married in Nashville. We’re so glad Doodle got to dance.

When a child repeatedly witnesses everyday tasks, they become old hat. Certainly nothing to fear. But trivial things can be extremely frightening to a kid if this trivial thing is new to him - especially if it is something being done to him. That, I think is the case with blowing a toddler’s (or even an infant’s) nose.  Someone taking an object, albeit a soft one, and pressing it to your face is rather a scary prospect indeed. (more…)

3 of our 4 children have birthdays that fall within a 5 week period that straddles summer and autumn. We’re in that period now with Carman & Sudoku’s birthdays days behind us and just Doodle’s left to go.

Both Carman and Sudoku expressed disappointment after their birthdays. The big day just didn’t meet expectations. Not enough gifts, not enough excitement, not enough surprise.

We have some regular birthday traditions: a few gifts, cake and ice cream, candles, birthday spankings, the story of their birth. And each year has had it’s own surprises. Usually family or friends join us to celebrate, but the company varies from year to year. This year was no different, really.

This year, though, didn’t pass muster for either of the older kids. (more…)

The following was one of Carman’s math problems yesterday:

Rose had 86 pencils more than pens. After she gave away 17 pencils, she had four times as many pencils as pens. How many pencils and pens did she have left?

While he occasionally has need to use algebra to solve tricky word problems, Marathon or I usually walk through it with him. This one he set up and completed entirely on his on. Here’s a copy of his work. (more…)

Maybe Sudoku won’t be much of a photographer (or maybe she will!) one day, but she’s sure having a lot of fun. And she’s at least learning some basic photography skills.

(more…)

Doodle is getting stronger in the water each time we swim.  We’re closing in on the swimming season, so I’m trying to get in the water every day we can between now and when the weather gets too cool.

At this point, I’ve removed 4 of the thin foam pads in his Little Swimmer vest, and he’s able to keep his head out of the water just fine.  So, today he swam with 5 pads in the vest.  Tomorrow, we’ll try 4.

With Doodle being small, the Little Swimmer vest looked disappointing at first.  I really thought it would be too big to help him.  But after working with it, and helping him get used to it, it appears to be doing what it was designed to do.

He’s still enjoying jumping in the water and going under.  A couple of days ago, he borrowed Sudoku’s goggles, and had a ball playing underwater peek-a-boo games with Marathon.  - milkmaid

We swam with the kids yesterday, and it was really exciting to see Doodle making such quick progress. He jumped off the diving board for the first time. He’s on the steep part of the learning curve at this point.  (He was wearing the little swimmer vest.) Marathon was in the water, ready to catch him if Doodle needed or wanted him to. He didn’t need help & was so happy with his accomplishment. “I want to do it again” and again, and again, and again….

(more…)

This picture is of the big kids (Carman & Sudoku) in the pool. But the post is about Doodle’s progress.

Somewhere along the way, Doodle has gained some independence. For most of the swimming season, he’s been pretty clingy with me. I think my venturing in the water with Rosebud was when Doodle started playing more without me. With water wings on (he’s not wild about the Little Swimmer right now — it doesn’t hold him up very well), he’s been puttering around the pool.

Then yesterday - out of nowhere - he jumped (he said “dove”) off the top rung of the ladder. Thinking it was an accident, I asked him to do it again. (more…)

No, this wasn’t a “slain in the Spirit” experience. It was a case of low blood sugar, standing with locked knees (throughout a praise song, a responsive reading and then a 6-verse hymn), and standing in sunlight. We were on the 6th (and final) verse of the hymn, when, without warning, Sudoku fell down. (more…)

Rosebud rolled from front to back accidentally when she was 7 weeks old. When she lifted that heavy head, if it tipped too far to one side, the rest of her body would follow her head and over she’d go. But now, just shy of 4 months, she can purposefully roll from back to front and front to back.

She is a delight. Each baby I’ve had has been easier than the previous one. Probably the difference is me - not the babies. But Rosebud quickly and easily falls asleep by herself. And when she’s awake, she’s happy, with coos and giggles. If pregnancy were as delightful…  - milkmaid

We found a clever spot of store Doodle’s water wings up off the floor in the garage. They had been living there when not in use for a few weeks. Somehow we missed noticing a nail poking out of the sheathing in our unfinished garage right where we were putting the wings.

Well, the wings noticed. (more…)

The Little Swimr vest arrived a few days ago, and we’ve only been able to swim once briefly since then. It is supposed to fit 2-3 year olds, but it is too roomy for Doodle. Still, he was able to swim with it on. (more…)

Click the title above to go to the video. (more…)

I have a clever and creative husband. Here is one of his latest creations — a tree swing for our wee one. When we all head outside in the evenings, Rosebud comes along in her carseat which gets suspended by a rope in our backyard tree. She loves swinging while the rest of us are running around or playing games. She often falls asleep. - milkmaid

Here is a topo map of Sudoku’s bike ride. She rode from Ruby Falls at 1,100 feet to Craven’s House at 1,450 feet for a toal climb of 350 feet over 2 miles of trails. The acomplishment brings a big smile to her face.

Today, without water wings, Doodle held on to the ladder, lunged for my outstretched hands and kicked and wiggled, suspended in the water for a foot or two while getting his face wet. He had a great time. And we’re making progress.

After reading Willa’s comment on my last post on this topic, I purchased a Little Swimr vest that has removable floatation pads. Now, I later learned that this was not the “bubble” that she was refering to. Still, it has good reviews, and I am anxious to give it a try. It should be arriving here within a week. - milkmaid

Click title above to see the video

(more…)

Today Doodle was so cute in the water. We hadn’t been in the pool together for several days, so I just wanted to emphasize to him how much fun the water can be.

We played and laughed and played some more. We played peek-a-boo. (Yes, my toddler still loves it!) I zoomed him through the water. I swam with him on my back. He jumped in the water while holding my hands. (more…)

A conversation with Carman:

M: “How many of those Hardy Boys books have you read so far?”

C: “Two. I’m just starting on the third one.”

M: “What? That can’t be right. You just got those books yesterday afternoon!”

C: “I know.”

M: “A person ought to be put in jail for reading so many books.”

C: “That doesn’t sound right.”

M: “Oh, wait. I guess if they put you in jail, you’d probably just pass the time reading.”

C: “What? You get to READ BOOKS IN JAIL??”

M: “That’s right. They even have libraries in prisons.”

C: “So wait, let me get this straight. If I got put in jail for stealing a book, they might actually have that book in the library at the jail?”

In the spring, summer, and fall, our kids wear shoes only when we leave home. When one neighbor saw my children barefooted in March, she politely informed me that her mother’s rule was that the children had to wear shoes until they saw the first butterfly of the season. My kids just moaned when I made that proposal.

Marathon and I moaned this morning when we were talking about the influx of felines we’ve seen in the neighborhood lately. They seem to be everywhere, often in our yard. Thankfully cats generally bury their droppings (although we’ve seen some break that stereotype around here), but dogs are happy to leave it behind completely exposed to my children’s bare feet. Should we be concerned about the possibility of them catching a disease or parasite if they come in contact with feces on the ground? (more…)

It’s a long, long way to the sun. 93 million miles. If you wanted to go there by our current means of space travel, how long would it take?

The manned-spacecraft speed record stands at about 11,000 meters per second, which is 6.83 miles per second, which is about 25,000 miles per hour.

So that means that you could travel the distance to the sun in 155 days. But what if you had to go to the sun and then an equal distance beyond it? Then we’re looking at 310 days or about 10 months.

You’re wondering: why would we care about the “equal distance beyond it” part?

Why? Because that’s where Christmas is.

Whut? (more…)

At this point, Doodle is not wanting to wear his water wings at all. On day 4 he had some chaffing and discomfort from them and wanted them off. He’s only had them on a few times since then. (more…)

We are fortunate to live next door to a very generous person who welcomes us to use her pool. We do so frequently. Carman and Sudoku learned to swim in that pool, and I hope to teach Doodle (at 2 1/2) to become water safe this summer. (more…)

Infants and toddlers getting cold in the water is a real obstacle to teaching them to be water safe — an obstacle that indoor pools eliminate. Little ones can’t tolerate the cold like older children and adults, and, in my experience, if the water is too cold, they just are not happy or teachable.

The first several times that Carman and Sudoku swam this season, Doodle was interested, but once he felt the water, he backed away and didin’t get in. Now that we’ve had several days with temperatures in the upper 80’s, he has wanted to get right in and has tolerated the cool water fairly well. Today I noticed goose bumps on his legs after about 30 minutes in the water, though.

If we didn’t have such convenient access to a pool, I’d be tempted to swim at our local recreation center that has an indoor pool. But after seeing the following article, I have yet another reason to be grateful to our neighbor. (more…)

Last year at about this time, we had the privilege of watching caterpillars grow, spin cocoons, and then hatch into butterflies, thanks to a wonderful gift Sudoku received from my brother and his wife. The gift included a butterfly cage (which is great for holding all sorts of bugs after the butterflies leave), caterpillars, and instructions on how to care for and feed them.

The most exciting part for Sudoku was when she released the 5 butterflies a few days after they had hatched. The first 4 either flew out on their own or flew away when lifted out of the cage. The 5th, though, linger for the longest time - several minutes - on Sudoku’s hand, as if it was saying a long good-bye. It made her day! (more…)

I never would have thought that I would camp with a 3-week old baby, but I did, and things went quite smoothly.

Since we wanted to camp with the older kids while the weather was still nice, and since the wee one has been pretty easy so far, we decided to go for it. We’re so glad we did. I slept on my back on a foam pad with Rosebud on my chest. She always sleeps well that way, and I wanted to make sure she would be warm enough since we were expecting temperatures in the mid 40’s for the night. It didn’t get that cold, though, and I had her overdressed. By morning she was sweating! But we both slept well, and that’s what mattered.

We had a wonderful time together as a family. The older kids just can’t get enough of camping! Marathon took Carman, Sudoku, and Doodle biking and playing by the Ocoee River. He and the older 2 pitched the tent. The kids handled gathering firewood and kindling, and we all pitched in with meal preparation and clean up. I sat in a chair most of the time with a baby in my lap and sometimes a book in my hand. It was a wonderful change of pace for all of us.

The Charger Challenge is a track meet for elementary students hosted by Chattanooga Christian School each spring. Our kids watched the meet 2 years ago and were looking forward to participating in the races this spring. For over a year they have been training - running 3 times a week on our street in the mornings. As the event approached, they went to CCS’s track to do a time trial and get experience being on the track.

I don’t know many children who are motivated enough to actually train at a sport, so we (and they) thought they would perform pretty well at this meet.

They didn’t perform well…or so it seemed at first. (more…)