Author: Angela

I write so my family will always have letters from home.

ABBA Gold

1977 carrot

I listened to our new ABBA Greatest Hits CD all morning as I cleaned the house. When I was little, aside from having natural highlights in my hair (see above picture), I loved to dance to our ABBA  8-track in our front room on the gold shag carpet. I’d land on the floor and look up at the light fixture which had a golden circular screw which would reflect a tiny image of me. My memories of the seventies have a golden hue. It probably has something to do with the carpet, but I think it also has something to do with the happy childhood I had.

Ice Cream Tutorial

Nothing says good old American holiday weekend like homemade ice cream. Here’s a way to do it the old fashioned way. We did this for my science class on Friday. I’m posting pictures of our kids (the little cuties) making it 3 1/2 years ago in our rental house.

2006-02-18 Ice Cream Science Fair Project 001

You will need

  • 1 cup milk,
  • 1 cup whipping cream,
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla,
  • 1/2 c sugar,
  • 2 cups of rock salt,
  • 1/2-3/4 bag of  ice,
  • one #10 can with a lid,
  • one 30 oz. can with a lid (look in the coffee aisle).

2006-02-18 Ice Cream Science Fair Project 004

Mix the first four ingredients and pour into the small can.

2006-02-18 Ice Cream Science Fair Project 005

If you’re being scientific, you can measure the temperature of your mixture.

2006-02-18 Ice Cream Science Fair Project 009

Tape the small lid on the small can to prevent leaks. Place 1/2 cup of rock salt on the bottom of the BIG can and put a layer of ice down. Place the small can into the big can and pack more ice around it and on top of it, layering 1/2 c more rock salt with the ice. Place the lid on the big can, tape all around (to prevent leaks) and….

2006-02-18 Ice Cream Science Fair Project 011

Start rolling the can across the floor… and keep rolling…

2006-02-18 Ice Cream Science Fair Project 013

for 12 minutes.

2006-02-18 Ice Cream Science Fair Project 016

After 12 minutes, unpack the small can and stir the ice cream and take a temperature reading (if you’re being scientific). Work quickly.

2006-02-18 Ice Cream Science Fair Project 017

2006-02-18 Ice Cream Science Fair Project 018

Tape the small lid back into place. You’ll notice that the ice in the big can has melted a lot. This is because the heat from the cream has passed from the small can to the super-cooled  ice. (Rock salt lowers the freezing point of ice, making the ice colder than “freezing,” and this draws more heat from the cream mixture. It’s the heat from the cream that melts the ice as the liquid cream turns to ice cream.) You’ll need to discard the old ice and salt and repack the big can with 1/2 c rock salt on the bottom and more fresh ice and 1/2 c rock salt around the small can. Tape the big lid in place and get rolling again…

2006-02-18 Ice Cream Science Fair Project 020

Roll for 7 more minutes. Gloves are a good idea.

2006-02-18 Ice Cream Science Fair Project 025

By this time, anticipation will be high and many hands will want to help…

2006-02-18 Ice Cream Science Fair Project 026

You’ll have a nice creamy treat waiting for you in that little can.

2006-02-18 Ice Cream Science Fair Project 029

Science before dessert…

2006-02-18 Ice Cream Science Fair Project 032

All that hard work is worth it. Happy Labor Day!

Dusting off the old Degree

science club september 007

It’s been 13 1/2 years since I student taught at Mountainview High School. I taught biology. And while I student taught, I grew out of all of my clothes and anxiously awaited graduation so I could start getting the house ready for our baby. I waddled just a little as I went through Commencement and all. I snacked on a Snickers bar as I sat in a sea of graduates at the Marriott Center. You know, you’ve got to eat when you’re expecting a baby.

That day, thoughts about the future as a mom overshadowed my dreams to be a science teacher, as they should. But at certain moments in my life since then, I have seen that a TEACHER I must be. Thankfully, I have been blessed with many opportunities to teach… 3 years of seminary, many years in Primary, 8 more years homeschooling…

But today, 13 1/2 years later, I taught a real science class for our homeschool club and it felt really good.

science club september 010

I also roped Richard into teaching robotics. What a man!

August Sahuarita Saga

I got up early this morning to finish the August Saga. It’s a great way to make sure we Finish Our Essays. Having a deadline is great, and so is the knowledge that someone besides Mom is going to look at your writing. The art this month is amazing.

[book id='6' /]

Lighting a Fire

Education is not the filling of the bucket but the lighting of a fire! -Yeats

This letter from a missionary in Brazil arrived for Daniel today. How exciting for Daniel. He is so thankful! Thanks to a kind bishop who has put in requests to some missionaries to help with Daniel’s coin collection while sharing a little of their missionary zeal.

Smile at a Mormon Missionary today and let them share their message with you! They are good and they love the gospel. Thanks, Elder Farnsworth.

Elder Farnsworth letter

Observatory

telescope diagram

I like finding clues around the house showing me what my kids are thinking about. I found this diagram today of one of the telescopes Daniel saw at the Whipple Observatory on Friday. I thought the reflection patterns were pretty good, and it turns out, they are pretty accurate.

Did you know we don’t have street lights here so there is better star gazing for the observatories? Well, now you know. It’s a great place to stargaze. Now Daniel and Paige can say they have been to an observatory, thanks to a good friend who took them. They were up so high on the mountain that they saw Mexico. The whole building which houses the telescopes can rotate. Just thought you’d like to know…

Timothy's bird house

This is a drawing Timothy has made of the birdhouse he wants to get for our backyard. He has a birdcage that he’s filled with birdseed, hoping to catch a new pet.  In fact, the whole yard is littered with birdseed to attract future pets. He told me tonight that the bird could live in the birdhouse and then visit the birdcage now and then… it looks like he plans to leave the door open.

So, to wrap this all up in a neat metaphor, I’ll say that I’m grateful live in my own personal observatory and to be an observer of children.  I try sift through all the information and words and behaviors and see what my children are trying to communicate. With the help of the Lord, proper focus and care and timing, simple observations of behavior or words can give me greater insight into the  needs, hopes, and wishes of my children. A simple piece of paper, a forlorn sigh, a persistent wish or behavior… each a precious clue.

Good Night, Sweet Prince (Hamlet, 5.2)

Sonoran Shakespeare Players

This was our last meeting of the Sonoran Shakespeare Players yesterday. We finished our reading of Hamlet. We had fun!

Claudius and Gertrude

Celebration ensued when it was over. We posed for lots of dramatic shots. Here is King Claudius and Queen Gertrude.

shakespeare last 020

Oh, the drama of it all. Kids dying all over the floor. Yes, only the queen was poisoned by goblet, but Daniel thought he’d try the drink, too.

Hamlet and Laertes

Hamlet and Laertes battle it out with one sword-a-poisoned.

Claudius

King Claudius is killed by Hamlet.

Well done, kids. I think you’ll remember this day.

We read from the Shakespeare Can Be Fun series, Hamlet for Kids by Lois Burdett.

You can see our other Hamlet days here and here, and read about Hamlet for Kids here.

For Ms. Fascination/Repulsion

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VM6uqj0_jQc

This video is hilarious because it’s true about the reactions people have to us and the mythology about our lifestyle.

A friend told me she has a fascination-repulsion complex about homeschooling. Is it a compliment to my ego strength that someone would be so honest with me?  She asked me to share what a day of homeschooling life looks like.  Before I go on, I need to say that socially, I feel fascination/repulsion from people almost every day. I am aware that homeschooling makes most people feel uncomfortable. Perhaps through this honest post, you will see that while my life is not ideal, I LOVE what I do each day. So, sorry for a tedious post, but I’m doing this for a friend (or two):

Here is a day in the life of a homeschooling family

Paige (8th grade), Daniel (5th grade), Timothy (1st grade), Mark, age 3

6:30-7:45: We wake up and try to get ready. Paige has a first-day-after-braces hangover and we take longer at breakfast than usual. Paige and I make waffles and we wait for Paige to gingerly chew them. I throw some laundry in the machine.

7:50-8:10: Family scripture study. We read aloud, then we say the pledge. No time for singing this morning. We’re late!

8:15-9:15: I have a planning conference with Daniel to plan out his day. I made lists of assignments in their planners last night. Daniel chooses to do history first. He tries to read the chapter to Timothy, who is also studying ancient history, but Timothy is uncooperative. Tim wants history with me. I can’t do it now, so I set him to work with his calendar and then copywork. Meanwhile, Paige starts on algebra. Once Daniel finishes reading his chapter, I give him some oral review questions on history and then narrate a summary of the chapter for him to write in his history notebook. I teach Paige a 10 minute math lesson about absolute value and then she continues her lesson. I finally coax Mark to get dressed and I change his messy diaper. Daniel writes a journal entry. Timothy goes to his room for a Lego break.

9:15-10:00: Daniel practices piano. I fold some laundry (just a little… I try not to do housework during school). I help Paige review her chapter about the lymphatic system. Timothy and Mark play together. Daniel is very upset by his new piano piece so I take a break from science and play along with him on the piano. Pretty soon I won’t be able to help him at all in piano because he’s getting so good.

10:00-10:30: Paige and I finish our science review. Mark joins us and plays with stickers while Timothy finishes his copywork and Daniel reads the scriptures and takes a recess. Paige and Mark watch science videos on a CD rom. They watch lymphocytes in action and blood flow and I’m amazed at the technology that allows us to see inside the human body. Meanwhile, Timothy plays a math game on the Leapster. (I cringe a little over this. It’s still just a computer game, no matter how many numbers and things they throw in.)

10:30-11:30: Paige practices piano. Mark talks to me in the school room. That boy likes to talk. Daniel reads for an hour. I haven’t assigned him a book yet, so he gets to choose the book today. It’s a Hardy Boys morning. Timothy reads to me from a Curious George book on the couch. I never get tired of Curious George. I teach Timothy a math lesson. Mark wants a math lesson, so Paige takes him out of the school room and counts with him in his own math book. Paige begins her history chapter and summary on her own. Mark plays with tangrams while Timothy finishes his math assignmnent. We pull out the gummy candies to keep the little guys happy. Daniel tells me he can’t read the clock from far away. Well, that’s good to know. There’s another appointment we need to make.

11:30-12:00: Daniel works on math in the school room while Paige works on a history essay in her quiet bedroom about the unfortunate rise of Hitler in Germany. Timothy and Mark head outside. I indulge and look at the computer. More friends bragging announcing on Facebook about all the canning/food preservation they have accomplished. Guilt. Denial. Ok, I’m fine now, and acknowledge that I, too enjoy the affirmation that comes from writing about one’s day on the internet. We didn’t finish school by noon as planned, but that’s ok. There are 5 more hours after lunch before we have to be anywhere.

12:00-1:00: Lunch. We always take an hour for lunch. It’s essential to my happiness. While waiting for pasta to cook, the kids watch a DVD and sort through coins from my bank. If you have coins from a foreign country, Daniel is a collector. We eat, then do the breakfast and lunch dishes.

1:00-2:00: Daniel finishes math and spelling. Paige works on Writing Strands. I read to Timothy from history, his final (and favorite) subject. Mark watches Curious George. I update the homeschool club list.

2:00-3:00: I put Mark down for a nap. Paige finishes writing, does a German lesson on the computer and studies her spelling words. Daniel is finished with school, so Timothy and Daniel begin their free time. 4-5 hours of free time is what I try to give my children each day. It’s not possible for Paige to have this much, though.

3:00-4:00: Paige reads. Timothy uses his 15 minutes of computer time on Lego.com. Daniel and Timothy keep playing together. Mark sleeps. I correct math problems and read.

4:00-5:30: Paige and I paint with oils. Mark and Timothy join us for a little while. Daniel works on his animated computer programming. Dad comes home.

It’s 5:45 now and I’m going to post this. Basically, this is what we have planned tonight:

6:00-7:30: Paige goes to ballet. We have a friend come over. Our other friends were sick or too busy to play today. I make dinner.

7:30-8:30: We get the kids ready for bed.

9:00-10:00: I make lists for tomorrow and read.

Things to remember:

1. I worked into this schedule gradually, one child at a time. I built my curriculum and goals over time. I’m always trying to improve.

2. I believe in providing a religious education, teaching many subjects, working together, providing opportunities to pursue interests and talents, and allowing lots of unstructured play time.

3. I limit t.v. and computer time.

4. To me, parenting and teaching and family life are hard to distinguish from one another. They all blend together in my days.