Flashback: Chicago Field Museum

October 2012

Finally back in our RV, we traveled to Chicago for a few days.  We could not find many campgrounds in the area and none near where Matt was working, so we boonedocked in a nearby WalMart parking lot. We are getting better at that -- finding places to dump tanks and fill up with water while on the road (a lot of Pilot gas stations.  Matt has an app on his phone that tells where the ones with RV services are).  We are then fine to spend a few days camping without any hookups.

While Matt was at a work meeting during the day, the kids and I drove the car downtown to the Field Museum.  This was our kids' third (I think) trip there.  We spent a lot of time in the Egyptian Mummy exhibit and throughout the Africa exhibit.  There was so much more to see that we didn't get to.  I hope we can go again soon!

 Weak:  these two would not have cut it as pyramid builders

Carnivorans:  the common ancestor of cats and dogs

Loved this exhibit.  

Did you know hyenas are more closely related to felines than canines?!

Flashback: Salt Festival

October, 2012

We met some friends at the Salt Festival at Big Bone Lick State Park.  This is an annual pioneer days festival, but it had been several years since we participated.

 The blacksmith

 Sword necklaces the blacksmith made from nails

 music accompanying a talk about pioneer history

 fossil from the salt lick at Big Bone Lick State Park

 The fossil guy,

 breaking from his fossil talk when he saw Seth's wooden sword,

 to talk about a rudis and the emancipation of gladiators

Flashback: Evan's Apple Orchard

October 2012

This has become one of our favorite fall traditions:  the Evan's Apple Orchard and Cider Mill tour with K.E.E.N. homeschool group.  We always have a little talk about apples, bees, and apple trees, then we go on a guided tour of the cider mill, a wagon ride, pumpkin picking at the pumpkin patch, and an afternoon with friends at a huge, fun, and unique playground.  I was really glad this year's tour day was one that we happened to be home between trips.

Flashback: Space Jump

Remember the "space jump."  Gathered that day to anxiously watch Felix Baumgartner.  Redbull Stratos put together a great, informative website that helped us pass the time during his long ascent.

Slow, Grey Day

We traveled with Matt to Middle-of-Nowhere, PA; but our RV is in the shop for repair work on the heater/hot water pilot, so we're in a hotel.  Had hoped to catch up on reading The Hobbit with the kids since we have the dog and cat at the hotel with us and can't really go out to do much.  The movie release is later this week, and we wanted to finish the book by then.  Maya was up late last night and ended up sleeping in really late today, so we we haven't gotten to read as much as we had hoped. It is cold and gray and rainy; one of those days where you can't seem to really wake up and can't get warm, even indoors.

I played Set online this morning while the boys cuddled with the dog, played with the cat, read/played online, and ate breakfast.

The three of us entertained ourselves while Maya slept:

• Read about the history and traditions of various winter solstice holidays
• Did a couple of logic exercises/brain teasers from Khan Academy
• Watched an episode of Destinos Introductory Spanish
• Wrote Christmas Cards to send to a little boy who is trying to break the Guinness World Record for receiving the most Christmas cards
• Wrote & solved math problems for each other

After Maya woke up, we read The Hobbit for a bit, then paused for lunch, warm showers (did I mention we cannot get warm today?!), and hot coffee (for me).  Everyone did their own things -- guitar or Minecraft -- for a while, but they're ready to read again. 

 Sss, sss, so long for now, my precious.

Playing with Friction

At our sticks-and-bricks house, reading from some physical science books and experimenting with friction by staggering the pages of two similarly sized books together and attempting to pull them apart.    The amount of friction from so many points of contact, makes this impossible.

Padawan Training

Flashback:  September 2012

The weekend that we returned from our trip out west was the Cincinnati Comic Expo.  Maya and Seth had tickets for "Padawan Training" with Star Wars prequel stunt coordinator, Nick Gillard, who also played Jedi Cin Drallig in Episode 3.

***Video to come once I figure out how to do it and/or someone is available to help me with it.  Uploaded one from my phone, but can't make it work over on YouTube   Maya has been calling me a YouTube Noob, and I think I'm living up to that today.  Anyway, check back another time for video!  :) ***