Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

This is James Taylor's song "Shed a Little Light". Enjoy listening to the music video below in honor of Martin Luther King Day!





Posted by Carly

Centennial Farm

We were inspired to make an early visit (traditionally we go in Spring) to the Centennial Farm this year: http://www.ocfair.com/ocf/CentennialFarm . Some friends of ours were going to see the piglets that had just been born, and since the weather was unseasonably warm it felt like Spring anyway. We had fun checking out the piglets, petting baby chicks, and (our favorite thing -something we had never seen there before), a cotton plant. We pulled the cotton from the boll and compared it to the lamb's wool they also had at the farm. At home Great Grandma told us about her experience (as a child) picking cotton on a farm in Texas and we found this resource on-line: http://www.cottonsjourney.com/storyofcotton

The Centennial Farm is a great place to go to see farm animals and plants. They have tons of animals ranging from a bunnies to oxen! They also have lots of different herbs, edible plants, and fruit trees. Go in the Spring, when all of the babies are born! You're bound to have a great experience!

Posted by Carly

A Fun Day at the California Science Center

Today we went to the California Science Center, where we go once a month for a homeschool day. Lots of homeschoolers gather there to be taught about different elements in science such as: electricity, air pressure, rockets and roller coasters. After we do experiments we usually see an IMAX movie. Today we experiemented with electricity and magnets. In the pictures above, Micayla is touching a Van de Graaff generator, I've created an LED bug, Allie and Nate are using a hand generator to create energy for their electromagnet, and in the last picture Allie made a spinner with a battery operated motor. We learned more about circuts and how energy can travel and move things; it was fun. If you'd like to join us for future science days in LA, check out this link:

http://www.californiasciencecenter.org/Education/Education.php

Maybe we will see you there sometime!

posted by Carly

Happy 2009!

Happy New Year! We rang in the new year by paying a visit to our local mountains.
A trip to the snow was long overdue. This is what Allie looked like when we reached an alititude high enough to reveal a thick blanket of white powder everywhere.

Here is Nate all set to go sledding down the hill - fast! And the girls ready for some fun! Hope your "New Year" is off to a great start too!

The Giving Jar

Every year we stuff stockings for kids who are homeless. We save up money throughout the year in each of our moonjars http://www.moonjar.com/ -a mini bank, with seperate sections for saving, sharing, and spending. At the end of the year, in December, we contribute what we have in our sharing jars to our family "Giving Jar". This year we saved up 131 dollars; just enough to spend about 30 dollars each for 4 kids. Each kid in our family stuffs a stocking for a girl or boy our age. We go to Target, and pick out things for our girl or boy, such as: mini toothpaste & toothbrush, a book, a T-shirt, pens & a pad of drawing paper, a toy, a game, chapstick, and any other items that we'd like to add in.

Once we've put all the goodies in the stockings, we tag them and take them to the Long Beach Rescue Mission http://www.lbrescuemission.org/ It feels good to give to people who might not have much, and it's fun to pick everything out for "our kid".

Happy Holidays!!

Posted by Carly

Nutcracker

This year's Nutcracker was a huge success! Micayla did wonderfully as a Little Sentry, and I had a blast dancing the part of Clara. Here are a couple of pictures....

Posted by Carly

FAITH - Fine Art in the Home

The girls tried out a new art teacher this week. They have had a variety of art teachers/lessons over the years; this one proved to be a fast favorite. They were told they could paint on the floor of the art studio (the instructor's garage) and then given canvas to do their final painting on. Michelle (the instructor) gave them tips on creating their art, at the same time allowed for complete creative expression. The girls can't wait to go back!
http://fineartinthehome.com/