Thursday 7/31/08 Crickets...

We need to go to the pet store and get more crickets for the frogs to eat. We have three frogs.I think that one is a tree frog and two are red-bellied frogs...but we got them so long ago that I am not sure. We feed the crickets grass or carrot shavings. So...yes...that does mean that we are feeding the food.

Wednesday 7/30/08 sock dolls...

The girls have quit making sock dolls since we went to the library. They must like these books.
The last time that I did some packing for us to move, I packed the sock doll stuffing and the bag of button eyes and some other extra sock doll pieces. I thought that the girls were done with that hobby for a while and that we would move right away...so then the items could be unpacked quickly at the next house. But...the girls weren't done sewing and this house hasn't sold. The good news is that stuffing and buttons are cheap and readily available. They can be found at many stores close by.

Tuesday 7/29/08 dinner and math...

Beth has been helping me to cook dinner each night. She is old enough to stir things, measure and to open cans. She is now tall enough to get the plates out of the cupboard. Maggie would rather read.
The girls have been doing some math homework review over the summer to get ready for next year. I need to get some flash cards or a math card game to use too. A card game would be great. The kids like fun learning.

Monday 7/28/08 Folding bike...

I bought a folding bike. After our last bike ride, when all of the bikes were on the bike rack, I looked down to where the bike rack sits on the plastic bumper. The bumper was sagging. Four bike is too much weight for the bumper. When we first got the bike rack, Beth's bike was small enough to fit into the trunk. Now her bike is bigger and must go on the bike rack too. I hope to have the bike by next weekend. It is the right size, so the kids can take turns riding it too.

Monday 7/28/08 the neighbor's garden...

One of our neighbors moved out two years ago. A different neighbor cuts the first neighbor's grass each week...just so that the house doesn't look abandoned. One day I noticed that the weeds at that house were four feet tall. The kids and I went over to pull the weeds. The garden looks nice now. We had never gone over before to see what was planted in the front of that house. It will be nice someday to have neighbors there.
Since our house hasn't sold the girls will go back to the school that they were at last year.

Saturday 7/26/08 bike riding...

We went bike riding today!!! It didn't rain!!! The bikes went on the bike rack so easily and the mosquitoes weren't out!!! We take water with us and frozen juice pouches for the ride home. I would like to get a basket for my bike, but the basket would need to be removable...I don't think that we could get my bike on the rack with a basket on it.
The seat on Maggie's bike is fixed now and my bike tires stayed pumped up. Beth practiced different tricks. She can ride with her feet off of the pedals and with one hand...but she doesn't do both tricks at the same time. William likes to find someone who is riding fast and try to catch them.

Friday 7/25/08 bike riding and Christmas shopping...

Well, it is Friday!!!!! We have a new plan for the weekend. We are going to go bike riding tomorrow morning after breakfast...unless it rains. Beth wants to go outside and play with her friends, and Maggie and William both have their books in hand.
It is about 153 days until Christmas...I am hoping to get most of my shopping done this weekend. I don't like to shop when it is cold out.Also, if I get it done now...then I can concentrate on playing with the kids, spending time with them, making cookies etc., instead of wondering if I have everything done.

Thursday 7/24/08 hobbies...

Mulberry season is almost over. The kids are eating the last of the berries. Mulberry season is one of their favorite times of the year.
We are trying to find all of the kids a hobby. They each need something that they enjoy when their friends aren't around. We have tried books, needlepoint, crochet, making sock dolls, transforming t-shirts, model car building, building with hammers and saws, bead necklaces, sewing, painting...William likes to read, Maggie likes all of the hobbies, her current favorites are sock dolls and reading, and Beth likes all of the hobbies especially if someone is doing the hobby with her.

Wednesday 7/23/08 books and bike riding...

We went to the library this week. Beth's book had come in, and Maggie needed more books. Maggie got four books...Maggie needed four books. She loves to read. Beth likes to read now. It is a relief that she doesn't dread picking up a book.
We are going to try to go for a bike ride this weekend. I hope that it doesn't rain while we are riding. We haven't been able to ride since we got Maggie's bike and my bike fixed...but we do spend a lot of time putting the bikes on the rack...and taking them off again.

Tuesday 7/22/08 grass seed...

We had a large tree in our front yard. It was taken down last year and the stump was ground up. A few weeks ago we put compost over the mulch (ground up bark) and added grass seed. The grass seed didn't grow very well. Our neighbors came over the other day and said that for about a dollar-fifty per bag we could get some dirt for the grass seed to grow on. So...we got some dirt and put more grass seed on it. Now we are keeping it watered. I hope that the grass grows, I would really like to go onto another project.

Monday 7/21/08 colleges and bike riding...

We toured a college last Saturday. I think that this is our last tour. After it was over I asked William what he thought. He said that it was not the college for him. I asked if he had made a choice from the other colleges, he said no, not yet. He can take classes on-line at the community college until he is ready to choose.
We tried to go bike riding Saturday. As soon as we got to the bike trail and got our bikes off of the rack, it started to rain. We waited a few minutes for the rain to slow down and we put our bikes on the rack and we went home.

Monday 7/21/08 last weekend...

We had a lot planned to do this weekend. Saturday morning we went to a college tour. Then in the afternoon we went for a bike ride, but it rained so we came back. Sunday we had church and then the kids wanted to go to the Art Museum to do crafts.
I think that this may be the last college that we tour. William is almost ready to pick a college

Saturday 7/19/08 solar power...

William took a few of the library books on solar power back to the library. These books were on changing a whole house to solar or they were too technical for us. We still need to get on websites to see what we need to do.
The kids want to build a solar oven. We started one a few years ago, but we didn't finish it. It was one that needed two boxes...it needed other supplies but it was so long ago that I don't remember what they were.

Friday 7/18/08 the butterfly bush...

Our butterfly bush is starting to grow. It is a late starter. We have a lot of plants that start early and flower right away. These flowers are completely gone before our butterfly bush even sprouts. It has purple flowers and a nice fragrance. A lot of our other flowers don't have a scent, so we are always glad when the butterfly bush flowers.
Maggie likes to go around the yard and pull off all of the dead flowers. She has been having a lot of fun with that these past few days. Beth would rather find a friend.

Thursday 7/17/08 fruit...

Our neighbors have a pear tree and grape vines. They told us that we can go over any time and get the fruit. We checked on the pear tree yesterday. There is a lot of fruit, but it is not ripe. I wonder if we will move before it is ready to pick.
We haven't gone to the Art Museum in a long time. I would like to go back again. We like to go on Friday nights. They have an area where the kids can do a craft and sometimes there is a group playing music. We don't know a lot about art, but we do enjoy looking at the pictures.

Wednesday 7/16/08 public television, reading...

We like to watch some of the shows on Public Television (PBS). I need to call PBS and see where I can get a listing of there programs. We like "Nova" and "Wired Science" and a few others. We keep missing them because we can't figure out when they are on.
I have finished reading my book. I am going to start reading some of Shakespeare's comedies next. I would love to read Shakespeare and have tried before...but it always ended up that the old English isn't easy to read and I don't stay with it. But...since I have packed all of my other books and this book will be my only choice, I have a better chance of finishing it.
We went to the library to get the girls some books from their summer reading list. Maggie found two books and Beth found one. Beth is also having one sent from another library branch to our library. When the book gets here, the library has a computer call and leave a message that the book is in. Beth thinks that it will be fun to hear the computer talk.

Tuesday 7/15/08 bike riding...

We went for a bike ride last weekend. We got all four of the bikes onto the bike rack, took our helmets and waters and went to the bike shop to get our tires pumped up and purchase a new tire pump. At the bike shop...we had to take the bikes off of the bike rack. I was already tired. The bike seat on Maggie's bike kept tilting back, so we had it adjusted. It started to sprinkle. The kids looked so upset about the rain. I told them not to worry, that it may not be raining on the bike trail. Then we put the bikes back on the rack and went to the trail. We took the bikes off of the bike rack...by this point a folding bike was looking really good...if only I could find one for twenty dollars (then we could put all of the bikes into the trunk). William rode off down the trail...he is old enough to go alone. The girls and I had ridden for about twenty feet when it started pouring. We went back to the place where our car was parked and waited for it to stop.
The ride went well. The seat on Maggie's bike kept tilting back and my back tire went flat during the ride. Other than that it was fun. We didn't need to stop to rest as much as we did last year...we are all getting stronger. I will take Maggie's bike in soon to get the seat fixed. I am hoping to fix my flat tire here at home. We can't fix Maggie's bike, we are not strong enough.

Saturday 7/12/08 books, solar power and bike rides...

The girls wanted to go to the library. In their summer homework books there is a list of recommended reading for their grade. They both copied down their list of books so that they can look for the books. I am glad that they are interested in reading.
We looked at the solar books last night. It is more complicated that just buying a solar panel...but I still think that we may be able to do this. The books list a lot of web sites that tell about solar power. We are going to go to these to ask some questions. We think that we need a solar panel and a converter, but we don't know where to buy the converter or how much it will cost. William says that we need to be sure that we don't end up with more electricity than the toaster needs.
We are going to go on our first bike ride today. Our tire pump quit working and so we need to go to the bike shop and get our tires filled and get a new pump. I hope that all of the tires are ok...if they say that one tire needs repaired and they need to keep the bike, then we can't go on the bike ride. Everyone was able to find their bike helmet, and all of them still fit. I was worried that we wouldn't be able to find them since we have been packing to move. I hope that it all works out.

Thursday 7/10/08 sock dolls and solar power...

The girls started their sock dolls. This doll is shorter than the last two, so the arms and legs are smaller. The girls sewed one arm and decided that they looked too small and that the directions must be wrong. I have explained that it is a shorter doll and the arms and legs will be smaller. The girls have decided to make bigger arms, I thought that they should try the arms that they have sewn and see how they look...I think that the girls are going to make bigger ones.
William went to the library yesterday to get us some information on solar power. In the stores here we can buy a solar panel, but we need more information on what else we need and how to hook it up. William came home with five books on solar power and a book for him to read. We are hoping to look at the books tomorrow. I don't want to switch this house over to solar and then move...I just want us to get some information and see how much it will cost, how we can use it, and what we can gain.

Wednesday 7/9/08 C++ and sock dolls...

We took William's computer tower to the computer store to have them load the C++ disks. They said that William had already loaded the C++ properly. It doesn't work because the program that is being entered needs adjusted. All of the pieces are now in William's computer.
William had wanted to take more college classes on-line. I suggested that taking the next C++ class might be good. The more time that he spends in the program the better chance that he has to figure out what needs to be done to get his computer to work.
The girls have started making their next sock doll. We have cut out the pieces from two socks. The pieces are so small that the girls keep all of the pieces in Ziploc bags. They may start sewing tomorrow.

Tuesday 7/8/08 programming and sock dolls...

William wants to program using C++ on the computer in his room. We did get the C++ program into his computer. He has a C++ book to guide him through. The new problem is that the book comes with a disk and when he writes programs the computer can't figure out the path to the disk to make the program run. We need to have someone look at this for us.
Maggie and Beth are ready to sew more sock dolls. I got them more socks and buttons for eyes. They will probably start sewing this week. This will be their third doll.

Monday 7/7/08 the play area...

We have a play area in our backyard. It's not a big one, but it's big enough for the kids in our neighborhood. It is one that is sort of like a fort, made of wood. with a flat area on top for the kids to stand on. The flat part is where the top of the slide is connected.
When we moved here, the play area is what sold my kids on moving. There is a baby swing and a rope ladder. The mulberry bush grows over the play set, so all of the kids can stand on the top part and eat the berries. The kids play and talk up there. This is the place where so many of my kids neighborhood memories came from.

Saturday 7/5/08 playing outside, Buckeyes and solar power...

We went outside to play today. The girls played catch while sitting in the chairs. Then they ran up and down the street, sort of racing, sort of playing tag.
The kids talked about making Buckeyes...the desert with peanut butter surrounded by chocolate. I told them that I had wanted us to make them last Christmas, but didn't have a recipe. I should find one on the Internet so that we can make them.
We are going to try to find more out about solar power next week. I found a store in town that sells solar panels. They weren't too expensive. William said that he would go to the library to get us information on how to use them. We are all very excited about this project.

Friday 7/4/08 watermelon...

Happy 4th of July!!! I hope everyone had a happy and safe holiday. We stayed home. Since we were out late last night and may be out late tomorrow, we stayed home today. We did some house cleaning, and then went outside so the kids could play with their friends. We had a watermelon that we cut up and took outside for everyone to enjoy. After the kids were done, I took buckets of water and washed off the porch, Some of the kids could eat a whole slice and not spill a drop...and others couldn't. That's OK...that's why we ate it outside.

Thursday 7/3/08 Fireworks...

We went and saw some fireworks today. It was great, a very well rounded evening. The place that we went to had a spot for William to read on our blanket...free rides for the kids...a band...clowns making balloon toys and hats...food at a reasonable price...and probably other things too. William takes his book and reads and we bring him food now and then. The girls ride the rides. The rides are only for grade school kids. Then the girls and I walk around. At dark they have the fireworks. We think that it is so cool how they put the show to music.

Wednesday 7/2/08 playing outside?...

We went out to play yesterday. The girls like to play catch with the soccer ball. I think that they choose the soccer ball over the basketball because they may want to kick the ball to each other.
After a while they decided that they were tired, but they still wanted to play. They got the chairs off of the front porch and sat in them, and continued to toss the ball back and forth to each other. I asked them if this still qualified as exercise, they just giggled.

Tuesday 7/1/08 picking berries...

The kids were out in the backyard with the neighbors. They were up in the play set, eating the mulberries. Everyone was getting along, Every now and then their voices could be heard..then one of the kids would say ''ouch'', then the happy conversation would resume...then a different child would say ''ouch''. This kept going for a few minutes. I finally realized that when a mulberry would fall out of the tree and fall on one of them, they would say ''ouch''.