The last few days we have been experience typical weather for this time of year. We've had sun, rain, hail, and snow, sometimes all within minutes of each other. Yesterday it hailed and was sunny at the same time! Right now it is snowing and even sticking a bit! Of course, being homeschoolers, we just drop everything we are doing and go play. Child #3 had to run all over the backyard barefoot looking for his boots because a few days ago it was warm enough to go barefoot!










This is what it looks like when I teach. They are watching Curious George. Or Dora the Explorer. And looking at books. Just kidding. We were already done with our school work for the day. But boy, did I feel like a lazy mom! Here we were, finished with all the work, and still in our pjs and watching TV! I should have had them at a museum or a lecture series!







And just in case you forgot what a terrible/terrific two year old looks like...

She is totally taking advantage of the fact that I move slowly and don't like to get out of my chair when I finally sit down. She ignores me and causes all sorts of trouble. She is so possessive and selfish and competitive with her brothers! She won't even let ME hold her baby dolls. The other night, Child #3 sat down on his dad's lap to hear a story. Child #5 ran over, pushed her brother out of the way, and planted herself right on Dad's lap so SHE could be the one that got read to. Her big brother is so easy going that he just moved over, but come on!

Four weeks until the major competition arrives...and I can't wait.

First Day of Spring

We are up to two chrysalids (or chrysalises if you prefer) on this first day of Spring! The other three caterpillars have assumed the position (hanging by their feet in a J shape) and should be in the pupa stage by tomorrow morning. The kids wake up every morning and run out to see what has happened overnight, much like Christmas. This picture is from yesterday, when we had only one chrysalis. Since then, this chrysalis managed to be glued flat to the lid by another caterpillar, who is now glued to its side. Caterpillars aren't the smartest creatures on God's Green Earth.

Child #1 is on her first official day of Spring Break and will be heading down to Disneyland tomorrow! Lucky!

Luck o' the Irish or Fool's Gold

Before I recount the hilarious story of yesterday's leprechaun hunt, check out this picture of Ian doing a science experiment in the kitchen last Friday. He learned about fizzy things and what makes the bubbles. This is him watching what happens after you add baking soda to vinegar. See that grin? But what happened next was even better! The fizz poured out all over the table, just like the science fair volcano. But that wasn't the funny part either. You know, there is a reason why we do science experiments in the kitchen with everyday ingredients aka nothing poisonous! This child of mine bent over the foam and lapped up a big mouthful of the stuff! Yuck! Vinegar and baking soda! Ew! Oh, the look on his face! But the batteries had just died in the camera...

So, yesterday being St. Patrick's Day, and the fact that we have Irish blood running in Mark's veins, I was under obligation to do something to celebrate. I didn't bother telling the kids it was even St. Patrick's Day until the afternoon because we spent the morning shopping and I didn't want my children pinching strangers for not wearing green. When Ian found out what day is was (he asked the date so he could count down the days to Spring), he immediately checked me for green. I wasn't wearing any. I asked him if he was going to pinch me and he said, "I can't pinch you. I love you too much!" So how do I repay his sweetness? I trick him.

I had bought some gold chocolate coins at the grocery store the night before and decided that this was the moment to give it to him. I asked him if he wanted to go for a leprechaun hunt and got him all excited about the possibility of finding gold in the backyard. I tricked them into looking for Shane's boots in the bedroom while I quickly grabbed the coins from the cupboard and then headed out to check the van for the missing boots. I tossed the coins over the fence while My Pathetic Doberman barked viscously at me, like I was a total stranger tossing poison candy to my kids. Dumb dog. I told her to shut up and then she tried to eat the coins! I yelled at her again and she ran up the stairs and started barking to be let back in the house.

The kids came outside and Ian immediately started running all over the yard looking for leprechauns. He got so angry at his brother for riding bikes and being loud! He said, "If you don't help me find the leprechauns, you won't get any of the gold!" By then, Ami was home from school and we discussed the possibility that My Pathetic Doberman scared the leprechaun away and caused him to drop his gold as he escaped. We pondered whether or not the leprechaun would have dropped the gold by the gate as he was escaping.  Ian immediately starting looking in the right spot, to which I was thankful because I wanted to go back inside; I was cold.





Here they are gathering the gold! Oh, the boys were so excited! They have been collecting spare change and putting it in a piggy bank, so you know these kids thought they hit the jackpot!

When I showed them the true treasure, the chocolate inside the gold-colored foil, I nearly had a mutiny on my hands.






Ian says, "This isn't the real gold. Come 'on Shane, lets go look for the real stuff."

He was not a happy camper.

Finally over the flu!

After 14 days of feeling under the weather with a "flu-like virus" I am finally able to start getting back into a groove. I'm still waking up to cough all night long, but I guess this is just training for the new baby!

On the fourth day of my fever, we got a package in the mail... our caterpillars! They were teeny-tiny little caterpillars, about a quarter of an inch long. My plan (before I got sick) was to do an entire unit (science, reading, writing, spelling, art, etc) on caterpillars and butterflies for all three kids. I had everything all planned out, including having the books checked out from the library. But because we were sick (and I was the sickest) I took the laid-back unschooling approach and have just let them read about caterpillars and butterflies in books of their choosing. Child #4's book is The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, which they all enjoyed. Child #3 can tell me all about the life cycle of a butterfly and how to tell the difference between moths and butterflies. Child #5 can count to 20...but that isn't butterfly related, just scary. Now our caterpillars are about two inches long and should be starting their crysalids any day now!