Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Gotcha Day
Friday, March 12th, our family celebrated our first ever Gotcha Day. A year ago we officially adopted David and Chase. Even though they had been with us for two years prior to that day, we purposed in our hearts that March 12th was going to be a very special day in the Martin home. We have come to the conclusion that adoption is something to celebrate and not hide!
So first thing in the morning I ran to the hollowed Canadian chain, Tim Hortons, and bought some donuts! After br
eakfast we all sat down at the computer and looked at some photos of David and Chase when they were babies, with their biological mother and of the adoption day back in Roanoke. Then, after some school in the morning our entire family went to the most American of restaurants, Chuck E Cheese for lunch (homeschooling rocks!). I am happy to report that with a lot of of Parmesan and peppercorn, the pizza was passable!
Then we stopped by and elderly couple's house. Frank and Ruth Lawrenc
e are from our church. they have been married over 60 years. Frank has been building a model railroad set-up in his basement for years and it is quite a display. He mentioned it to me and I asked him if I could bring my boys over to see it. They all loved it and were amazed by it's sheer size!
At the end of the day we had family video night and cuddled up the couch. What a great Gotcha Day we had.
So first thing in the morning I ran to the hollowed Canadian chain, Tim Hortons, and bought some donuts! After br
eakfast we all sat down at the computer and looked at some photos of David and Chase when they were babies, with their biological mother and of the adoption day back in Roanoke. Then, after some school in the morning our entire family went to the most American of restaurants, Chuck E Cheese for lunch (homeschooling rocks!). I am happy to report that with a lot of of Parmesan and peppercorn, the pizza was passable!Then we stopped by and elderly couple's house. Frank and Ruth Lawrenc
e are from our church. they have been married over 60 years. Frank has been building a model railroad set-up in his basement for years and it is quite a display. He mentioned it to me and I asked him if I could bring my boys over to see it. They all loved it and were amazed by it's sheer size!At the end of the day we had family video night and cuddled up the couch. What a great Gotcha Day we had.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
New blog
I have started a new blog to support a book I am working on. More information ot follow. Anyways check out the blog here -
http://crazy-characters.blogspot.com/
http://crazy-characters.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
Friday, March 05, 2010
The sound of the vacuum cleaner....
Another post on family life by Patsy
There is something slightly comforting about the sound of the vacuum cleaner running. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s constant humming drowns out the sounds of the ringing telephone, the way too loud Sponge Bob episode on TV, or the screams from children fighting over the same toy. Anyway, I find it somehow soothing. It can be pleasant to lose yourself in the relative peace of the soft pings and tinks as the vacuum picks up the occasional stray object. One can revel in the knowledge that not only are you grabbing a few quiet moments, but you are also keeping your home “Good Housekeeping” clean. I never mind vacuuming….at least I didn’t…until we became dogless.
I sense confusion, dear reader. Can it be that you do not comprehend the connection between the family dog and the peace of the gentle vacuum sounds? Allow me to enlighten you. You see, while we had a dog, I could vacuum the entire house listening to the gentle sounds of the carpets being cleaned. However, the first time I vacuumed under our dining room table after our dog was gone, I was forced to face a very grim reality. The soft pings and tinks of the vacuum doing it’s job suddenly became loud and continuous thunks and rattles. There was debris in mass quantity under my table! In short, there was enough food under there to feed a third world country! While our dog Tucker was alive, I was happy living in total denial believing that my children were at least eating some of the healthy foods that were placed before them. Now, I was being forced to look at my sons in a very different light. Those little stinkers had been passing their unwanted food to the dog for years!
Believe me, I have been the recipient of whinning and complaining comments about my food for years. I am under no delusion as to my children’s abhorance of healthy green vegetables and low fat meats. I am also completely comfortable in my ability to cook good tasting food. My skills are not in question. It is their taste buds that are to blame. No, it is not the shock of finding they had not wanted their food that caught me by surprise. It was the knowledge that they had somehow gotten the food from their plates to the floor without being caught that really caused me some trepidation. Were my children really this good at deception? I didn’t know whether to applaud their slight of hand, or discipline their unethical disposal of perfectly good food.
I am no stranger to the picky-eater. I had a very good friend whose son would only eat yogurt and cheese sticks. He might occasionally eat a few potato chips dipped in ketchup, but that was it. And definitely no peanut butter! I once tricked him into tasting a peanut butter and jelly sandwich by telling him it was a PBJ. He took a bite, swallowed and said, “Not too bad”. That was until his older brother explained to him that PBJ stood for peanut butter and jelly. He proceeded to throw up. That was the day I learned a very valuable lesson…..always work alone. Of course the whole situation was a little more comical because the boy’s mother was a nutritionalist.
At that time, my first son was just a toddler and I had no real idea of the problems that awaited me. He became a picky-eater the day he started to actually chew food. OK, that does sound a little strange, but he really wouldn’t eat anything that took too long to chew. That pretty much narrowed down the meat choices for him. Hotdogs were OK, hamburger was not. In fact, we have been known to ask for a cheeseburger without the meat at fast food restaurants. (It’s funny…they never believe you the first time you ask for that, and they always give you a slight smile as they repeat your order back.) Of course, as he grew, he learned to eat a wider variety of meats. He now eats cheeseburgers with the meat, but not much else.
One of my adopted sons had a hard time eating any vegetable and could not stand the idea of someone else holding a spoon anywhere near his mouth. The first night we put our “foot down” and actually required him to eat his vegetables is now known in our family as the “green bean incident of 2007”. He was amazing in his perserverance. The child actually held one green bean in his mouth for 45 minutes without chewing or swallowing. I’m not really sure if we can completely claim victory in the green bean showdown, because he never actually “ate” the thing. He just held it in his mouth until a little trickle of green drool started running down the side of his mouth. Finally, I think it just mixed with his saliva and he swallowed it accidentally. It’s a sweet little family memory that we will always cherish.
I have a son that will eat mostly meat, but not much dairy; a son that will eat all dairy and bread, but not much meat; sons that eat a huge breakfast of any kind, but not much supper; and one who can’t seem to find a food he doesn’t like. As long as it is well known that I am not a short-order cook, and everyone must eat their vegetables, I can live happily in total oblivion. But now, I have come to the realization that my “happy place” of ignorance is being threatened. I can see that I have only two options open to me…either get another dog, or stop vacuuming under the dining room table. I wonder how long it takes for food to bi-degrade on it’s own……
There is something slightly comforting about the sound of the vacuum cleaner running. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s constant humming drowns out the sounds of the ringing telephone, the way too loud Sponge Bob episode on TV, or the screams from children fighting over the same toy. Anyway, I find it somehow soothing. It can be pleasant to lose yourself in the relative peace of the soft pings and tinks as the vacuum picks up the occasional stray object. One can revel in the knowledge that not only are you grabbing a few quiet moments, but you are also keeping your home “Good Housekeeping” clean. I never mind vacuuming….at least I didn’t…until we became dogless.
I sense confusion, dear reader. Can it be that you do not comprehend the connection between the family dog and the peace of the gentle vacuum sounds? Allow me to enlighten you. You see, while we had a dog, I could vacuum the entire house listening to the gentle sounds of the carpets being cleaned. However, the first time I vacuumed under our dining room table after our dog was gone, I was forced to face a very grim reality. The soft pings and tinks of the vacuum doing it’s job suddenly became loud and continuous thunks and rattles. There was debris in mass quantity under my table! In short, there was enough food under there to feed a third world country! While our dog Tucker was alive, I was happy living in total denial believing that my children were at least eating some of the healthy foods that were placed before them. Now, I was being forced to look at my sons in a very different light. Those little stinkers had been passing their unwanted food to the dog for years!
Believe me, I have been the recipient of whinning and complaining comments about my food for years. I am under no delusion as to my children’s abhorance of healthy green vegetables and low fat meats. I am also completely comfortable in my ability to cook good tasting food. My skills are not in question. It is their taste buds that are to blame. No, it is not the shock of finding they had not wanted their food that caught me by surprise. It was the knowledge that they had somehow gotten the food from their plates to the floor without being caught that really caused me some trepidation. Were my children really this good at deception? I didn’t know whether to applaud their slight of hand, or discipline their unethical disposal of perfectly good food.
I am no stranger to the picky-eater. I had a very good friend whose son would only eat yogurt and cheese sticks. He might occasionally eat a few potato chips dipped in ketchup, but that was it. And definitely no peanut butter! I once tricked him into tasting a peanut butter and jelly sandwich by telling him it was a PBJ. He took a bite, swallowed and said, “Not too bad”. That was until his older brother explained to him that PBJ stood for peanut butter and jelly. He proceeded to throw up. That was the day I learned a very valuable lesson…..always work alone. Of course the whole situation was a little more comical because the boy’s mother was a nutritionalist.
At that time, my first son was just a toddler and I had no real idea of the problems that awaited me. He became a picky-eater the day he started to actually chew food. OK, that does sound a little strange, but he really wouldn’t eat anything that took too long to chew. That pretty much narrowed down the meat choices for him. Hotdogs were OK, hamburger was not. In fact, we have been known to ask for a cheeseburger without the meat at fast food restaurants. (It’s funny…they never believe you the first time you ask for that, and they always give you a slight smile as they repeat your order back.) Of course, as he grew, he learned to eat a wider variety of meats. He now eats cheeseburgers with the meat, but not much else.
One of my adopted sons had a hard time eating any vegetable and could not stand the idea of someone else holding a spoon anywhere near his mouth. The first night we put our “foot down” and actually required him to eat his vegetables is now known in our family as the “green bean incident of 2007”. He was amazing in his perserverance. The child actually held one green bean in his mouth for 45 minutes without chewing or swallowing. I’m not really sure if we can completely claim victory in the green bean showdown, because he never actually “ate” the thing. He just held it in his mouth until a little trickle of green drool started running down the side of his mouth. Finally, I think it just mixed with his saliva and he swallowed it accidentally. It’s a sweet little family memory that we will always cherish.
I have a son that will eat mostly meat, but not much dairy; a son that will eat all dairy and bread, but not much meat; sons that eat a huge breakfast of any kind, but not much supper; and one who can’t seem to find a food he doesn’t like. As long as it is well known that I am not a short-order cook, and everyone must eat their vegetables, I can live happily in total oblivion. But now, I have come to the realization that my “happy place” of ignorance is being threatened. I can see that I have only two options open to me…either get another dog, or stop vacuuming under the dining room table. I wonder how long it takes for food to bi-degrade on it’s own……
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Acetone and Styrofoam
Title of Experiment: Acetone and Styrofoam
How I got the idea for this experiment: I saw this experiment done before so I thought why don’t I do this experiment for the science fair? That way I could learn as much as I could about it.
Question or Problem: I wanted to find out why acetone dissolved Styrofoam.
Prediction or Hypotheses: I thought that it was because acetone has some sort of chemicals that would dissolve Styrofoam. I thought maybe acetone had an acid make-up.
Materials used: Acetone, Styrofoam head, glass bowl
Steps taken: I put the Styrofoam head in a bowl. Then I took some acetone and poured it all over the Styrofoam head.
What happened/observations: The Styrofoam head dissolved and turned into goo sort of like really wet mud.
What did I learn: I learned that they put gases into the Styrofoam that makes it all puff up. The acetone just releases the gases and turns the Styrofoam back into a plastic material. Once all the acetone is released the Styrofoam turns into a hard plastic again.
By Tanner Martin
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Egg in the Bottle Experiment
Title of Experiment: The egg in the bottle
How I got the idea for this experiment: My dad gave me the idea, I saw him do it before.
Question or Problem: I wanted to find out why the egg would get sucked into the glass jar.
Prediction or Hypotheses: I thought that the fire would be looking for oxygen and would pull the egg in as it created a pulling suction.
Materials used: A glass jar, a hardboiled egg (peeled), matches, a paper towel
Steps taken: First we boiled an egg and then peeled it. Then we lit the paper towel and dropped it into the glass jar. Then we rested the egg, pointing down, on the top of the glass jar. Then we waited and watched as the egg was sucked in.
What happened/observations: The egg was sucked into the bottle. A popping sound occurred when it happened. The egg got ripped up as it was sucked in. The fire went out
What did I learn: I learned about atmospheric pressure. There is const
ant pressure from the atmosphere pressing down on the egg. There is equal pressure resisting the egg from below. When the fire took all the air out of the jar, there was no more resistance from below, and the air pressure from above forces it down into the bottle.
By Blake Martin
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Cyber Science Fair
Hey Homschool parents - Join us for our Mac-Cyber Science Fair 2010! Blake and Tanner will be participating in what looks to be like a fun event! I would tell you what their projects are going to be, but then I'd have to kill ya! ;)
We will be psoting their science projects here on the KidKove blog. If uou want to participate go to http://themacrak.blogspot.com
Here is how it will work: (copied from themacrak blog)
1. Spread the word out there in "cyber-land" that we will be having a homeschool Cyber Science Fair. The actual Science Fair judging dates will be held online March 5th. Judging will take place during the day with the Science Fair winners announced Saturday, March 6th, 2010 & prizes forthcoming!
2. All homeschoolers will need to be registered online by March 1, 2010 in order to receive their Science Fair information packet. Parents: (1)You must at least have email capability, but if you found us online, that shouldn't be a problem. (2)You must also have a digital camera in order to post pictures. (3)Your child must also be a student between the ages of 8 - 18 years of age, actively homeschooling.
REGISTER HERE: http://themacrak.blogspot.com/2010/02/wacky-science-join-mac-cyber-science.html Send an email with your child's nickname or first name only; Age; School Grade; Science Fair Project topic; and your email contact information. You will then receive your participant packet with instructions & guidelines.
3. We will be posting links to our Cyber Projects through a posting thread (with Mr. Linky) on this blog. Each participant can post their Science Fair Project for judging via their own blog (or parent's blog). No blog, no problem - Make a comment below and we will make arrangements to have your project posted. All projects must be posted via Mr. Linky for judging by March 3rd, 2010 by 6:00 pm CST to qualify.
4. WE WILL HAVE FUN WHILE LEARNING!!! Be sure to get started looking for a great project. Subscribe to this blog so you won't miss the Cyber Fair Link-Up Post, nor any of the fun prizes we will be giving away during the MAC-CYBER SCIENCE FAIR!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)