Saturday, February 28, 2009

Brit was invited to spend the night with Keilee last night. Cody loves looking at their games and toys, and playing with Britney and Keilee. He just likes getting into everything at their house! He found something really cool...Expandagon! It's all these pieces of plastic and fit together and expand. Keilee, being the amazingly kind person she is, gave it to Cody. We got it out tonight after I gave Logan a bath (Dang...he's a BIG dog!) and had so much fun! We tried making a rocket, but I don't think we have the right pieces, so we made a wacky rocket:) We also discovered they make a Grow-bot Glow-bot. It's motorized and glows in the dark?! Yeah, Cody wants it:)

Keilee~Britney~Cody

Our creation

I see you

Christmas in February

Donna and Elisa came over yesterday to celebrate Elisa's birthday with us. We haven't seen Elisa before Christmas...way too long! She brought our Christmas presents. I got these awesome crafty books and Bobby got a roll-up camping blanket. The kids got reading and coloring books, Brit got some jewelry, Cody got a magic wand, and they both got lots of Pez dispensers to add to their collection. Thanks Elisa!!!

Cody's collection
Britney's collection

Monday, February 23, 2009

Curtains

I finished the curtains for our camper today!

We're so ready to get our stuff loaded up so we can head out and go exploring:)

Friday, February 20, 2009

Happy Campers

With as much traveling as we want to do, it made sense to start looking for a camper. We figured out approximately how much we would save per trip if we stay in a campground instead of a hotel. Wow! That money could go into more important things...like more traveling!

We are the proud owners of a Scotty Camper!


Cody's favorite new hiding spot.
(Cabinets above sofa)



I'm making new curtains. I have to get
rid of that pink! :)
We LOVE our camper and can't wait to go on our first trip!

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Happy Valentine's Day

Wishing everyone a wonderful Valentine's Day
Love~
The Wacky Lackeys

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Seeing Something New

Cody went to the ophthalmologist, and guess what? He needs glasses like the rest of our family:) So today we headed off to Birmingham to pick out his glasses and get them ordered. On our way, we stopped to eat lunch and saw something none of us had ever seen before...a 27 mile an hour speed limit sign! Has anyone ever seen this before? We thought it was so interesting that I had to snap a picture.


OK, I have to be honest here. I knew Cody's glasses would be a wonderful thing for him, but I was so worried they would be those big, thick, plastic, ugly glasses...especially when the guy said, "Your insurance has it's own kind for you to choose from." I felt a little panicky when he reached for the long, rectangular box. I've never been so happy to be proven wrong! These glasses look awesome on him...and he looks so grown up! Cody really likes them, which is the most important thing. He should have his glasses in about two weeks, and he's actually excited:)

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Beautiful Saturday

Britney had play practice from 9 - 12. After practice we had a board meeting. (I'm on DreamWeavers General Board for those of you that don't know:) It was a little after 1:00 by the time we were finished and we were HUNGRY! Cody had the fabulous suggestion of going to McDonald's. When we got home, Britney geared up and grabbed her board and Cody got on his scooter. I rode the skateboard a little...I think I may have to get one, too. Now I remember how much I loved having one when I was younger.



Friday, February 6, 2009

Skate Day & Reading Contest

The first Friday of each month is Skate Day for the homeschoolers in our area. It's also when the Reading Contest winners are announced! (Or any other contest for that matter)

Cody kept everyone entertained!

Then he played the games for a while.

We found out they had skates that fit him! This is the first time
Cody has gotten to skate at the rink! He had a blast!


READING CONTEST

Britney got 2nd place for 5th & 6th grade! She got a
medal with her name on it as well as a certificate!

Cody came in 4th place for the 2nd grade! He got a
green participation ribbon and a certificate!
WAY TO GO! YOU GUYS ROCK!!!!

I tried to get a couple pictures of Britney skating, but they just didn't turn out. It was way too dark in there to get a decent shot.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Cody's Monster Putty

Cody has been playing with his color changing Silly-Putty for hours today. On the package it says it will change color in cold water, so he's taken over ownership of my 2 cup measuring cup. Then he got an idea! He added a small piece of Flubber into the water, stirred it around and wondered what would happen if he added food coloring. He chose green and stirred some more. The Flubber dissolved into the water. Another idea! Let's add Borax and startch...and how about some glue?! He stirred for the longest time. I thought the glue dissolved too, but then he pulled "Monster Putty" out of the green water! It's much thicker than Silly-Putty and Flubber. It breaks apart easily, but then sticks back together. It's a pretty cool invention!


Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Goosebumps Mask

Cody and I were looking online at Halloween masks about a week ago and ended up finding a Goosebumps mask. Cody was beyond excited and wanted to send the link to Grama to show it to her. Next thing we know, Grama sent us an email saying she got it for him and it would be here on February 3rd. I thought Cody was going to fall in the floor-we was so excited! He began counting down the days until it's arrival. It was on the front porch when we got home last night. He LOVES it!!! He played with it and his Silly-Putty until about 11:30 last night and then he slept with the mask. He loves it so much! Thank you Grama!!!!
Sorry...not the best pictures. I'll try to get more soon.



FUN WITH FLUBBER

We've been talking about making Flubber for a VERY long time. I kept forgetting to buy Borax. It's not exactly on my usual shopping list:) Through a joint family effort, we remembered to buy it last time we went to Walmart. We just made our first batch and it is awesome! It was easier to make than the Silly-Putty. After playing with it for a while, Cody decided to add yesterday's Silly-Putty to it just to see what would happen. Britney thinks it's a little more sticky than hers, but I can't tell a difference.
Brit's showing off her scientific-mathematical mind:) She did an experiment to see how much her Flubber spread out and expanded on the table. She measured it in five minute increments. It started out at 27" and after 15 minutes it was 37".
Cody pretty much thinks it looks like Goosebump's Monster Blood and it is "devouring" everything on the table!
Here's how you make it:

Add 1 1/3 Cups of warm water with 2 tsp of Borax. Stir until Borax is dissolved and set bowl aside. In another bowl mix 1 1/2 Cups warm water with 2 Cups Elmer's white glue. We also added a couple drops of food coloring at this point. Then add Borax mixture to glue mixture with your hands. Have fun!!!









Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Homemade Silly Putty

With as much entertainment as we've had with Silly-Putty the last couple days, we wanted to make some of our own. It was a lot of fun and incredibly messy at first. Here's what we did...

We mixed 2 tbsp white glue with 1 tbsp liquid starch with a fork. We used Elmer's School Glue and Niagra Spray Starch. At this point the putty was very wet and slimy and stuck to everything! At first we added more glue, but that just made it runnier. Then we added the liquid starch and it started thickening. Brit thought it was fascinating that adding a liquid made something thicker. Then we worked it with our hands for several minutes. We also added a drop of food coloring and squished it around until it was all mixed together.








Monday, February 2, 2009

Boiled Omelets





During the summer I found a camping recipe for boiling omelets. I thought it was really cool and wanted to try it, but we didn't get a chance to make them when we went camping in North Carolina. The other day, I was talking to our friend Karen, and they were making boiled omelets for breakfast. So this morning I decided that we didn't need a campfire to make them:) You just put two eggs in a baggie along with whatever you like in your omelets. We added ham and cheese. Stick the baggie in boiling water for 13 minutes and you have a delicious breakfast. Pretty cool, huh?!

Our Weekend

Cody wanted to go to Hobby Lobby to get more Silly-Putty. If you know this kid, then you know he almost always has Silly-Putty with him. He bought blue glitter and Color Changing Silly-Putty. He has played with it for hours. He wanted to know how it changes color so we got online and found this website dedicated to Silly-Putty! We learned so many cool things! Check it out:
http://www.sillyputty.com/

Britney has been wanting a skateboard since before Christmas. When we went to Walmart we checked out what they had. Brit was not impressed. They were $40 and they only had one design. I remembered they had a bunch of skateboards at Target so we went there next. Brit found a Tony Hawk skateboard marked down to $12.48!! She was able to get her board, helmet (which is an 8 ball!) her knee and elbow pads, and wrist guards for $40! She is one happy kid!!! She doesn't like the design on the bottom, but she's covering it with these really cool stickers and decals. I will add pictures soon.


It was so beautiful yesterday! Bobby changed the oil in the vehicles (Thank you baby) and the kids played outside for a while. Cody and I drew with sidewalk chalk while Brit played football with Logan and a neighbor. Then I got Cody's scooter out and he had a blast!















We went bowling last night! Britney and Cody both got a STRIKE!!! I got a great picture of Brit, but the pic of Cody was VERY blurry. I snapped the picture and jumped with excitement all at the same time.













Cody has a new collection...Cube World! The kids each got one about a year ago. He plays with them occasionally, but nothing major. He saw them when we were in Target to get Britney's skateboard and wanted ALL of them. He asked if he could collect them and of course we said yes! He bought one yesterday, and another today, plus Brit gave him hers (She's such a great sister!) So he has four cubes and two of these other things that make lots of sound and light up.

We also worked on our embroidery, played with the Lite-Brite, listened to a couple chapters of Around the World in 80 Days, played several games of Clue, put on a talent show and danced with our shadows. We had a great weekend:)

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Great Quote

"When we adults think of children there is a simple truth that we ignore: childhood is not preparation for life; childhood is life.
A child isn't getting ready to live; a child is living. No child will miss the zest and joy of living unless these are denied by adults who have convinced themselves that childhood is a period of preparation.
How much heartache we would save ourselves if we would recognize children as partners with adults in the process of living, rather than always viewing them as apprentices. How much we could teach each other; we have the experience and they have the freshness. How full both our lives could be."
John A. Taylor

Where we've been as a family