Today we went to camporee. First we made a totem pole out of boxes and paint. We stacked boxes on top of each other and taped them together and painted them. After totem poles we made a shelter to keep us warm and dry. We had: three bandannas, poster board, trash bags, rope, balloons. We found two trees and long sticks and put them on the trees. Then we took poster board and put it on the sticks on the trees. We also had a gross food challenge. It was disgusting! At the end of the day we went on a glow stick hunt. I found 9 glow sticks! My favorite part was... S,MORES! We cooked them over the fire. It was great! Then we went to sleep.
-Princess Peach
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Huntsville Times
We went to a newspaper today! I learned that a typewriter is what reporters used to write newspapers in the olden days. Linotype is a big typewriter. Next we saw giant machine called a printer press. I also learned that it one person roll a 2,300 pound paper roll! It costs 800 dollars a roll! They make 65,000-70,000 papers a day. Next we saw a machine that made copies of advertisements. It can copy 12 advertisements at once!
-Princess Peach
-Princess Peach
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Pumpkin Patch
We went on a hayride and got very big pumpkins. On the way back I learned that pumpkins start out as little flowers! After that we went to the country store and got candy! Then we went to the "corn crib". I jumped in the corn from the edge and got stuck! We also went on the playground. We went down the slide and on the swings. Then we went to the barn and pet animals.
-Princess Peach
Monday, September 28, 2009
Where did September go?
September has been a busy month. We're settled into our routine and everything is going great. In fact, I was surprised to find we're already at the END of September. This month absolutely flew by for us.
Princess Peach started working on a new song for her violin. Greensleeves! I remember playing that when I was a little musician.. ahh, the memories. Anyway, we started studying it today and hope to play for Daddy soon.
So what have we been doing? We've been spending a LOT of time in the kitchen and having fun with new foods. We decided as a family to move away from the traditional American fare and search for healthier options. They picked out a recipe for granola bars, which we made into bite size treats! Super yummy!
Oh, and we did NOT have Luigi mash the lentils for his peanut butter balls and sneak them in the recipe right in front of him. Really.. *coughcough*
Princess Peach started working on a new song for her violin. Greensleeves! I remember playing that when I was a little musician.. ahh, the memories. Anyway, we started studying it today and hope to play for Daddy soon.
So what have we been doing? We've been spending a LOT of time in the kitchen and having fun with new foods. We decided as a family to move away from the traditional American fare and search for healthier options. They picked out a recipe for granola bars, which we made into bite size treats! Super yummy!
Oh, and we did NOT have Luigi mash the lentils for his peanut butter balls and sneak them in the recipe right in front of him. Really.. *coughcough*
Princess Peach read an article today about President Barack Obama addressing children and we set our very own goals for this year. Princess Peach will study for her spelling tests and work on her listening skills.
She has developed an amazing interest in all things science and we are planning to sign up for the Science Olympiad this year!
-Princess Peach's Mommy
Friday, September 11, 2009
Kool-Aid Play-Doh
Homemade play-doh is sooo easy to make. We are trying out different recipes for it and found a neat one that calls for Kool-Aid for coloring!
Princess Peach helped measure the ingredients for the recipe. We doubled the recipe, added the ingredients to the pan, gave it a little heat and a few quick stirs to get it all together...
Princess Peach helped measure the ingredients for the recipe. We doubled the recipe, added the ingredients to the pan, gave it a little heat and a few quick stirs to get it all together...
Spoon it from the pan onto wax paper, knead it a little, let the kiddos give it a few good squishes... 
Then put it in an airtight container to cool for a little bit in the fridge...
And finally when done, it's time to mold the dough! Whee!
Here is today's recipe:
Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup salt
3 TBS oil
1 package of Koolaid (use the color of your choice)
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and cook over medium heat for a few minutes until dough forms the consistency you want. Remove from heat and cool. Keep in airtight container, refrigerate until used.
-Princess Peach's Mommy
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Our milk still goes MOO
I took Princess Peach, Mario and Luigi to a chicken and dairy farm today. We had beautiful weather, unlike our clothed shower as we ran into the museum for Princess Peach's science class. THAT is a different blog altogether.
We drove from our home in the Mushroom Kingdom to the countryside and found the cute, little farm. There is a shop, some animals and the cows are in the back. The farm is the same farm we buy our milk from at the Farmer's Market, so the kids were familiar with the milk.
Say cheese! The kiddos started off at the cheese squishing station. Princess Peach was given a small bag full of crumbly cheese, then a pinch of sugar was added in and the -squishing- began. Luigi did not say a single word until his entire bag of cheese had been devoured. I'll assume it was yummy because not one of them shared with Mommy.
Then it was off to the milk station. They decorated labels for their very own pint of milk, then we watched through a glass window while she put the milk in each one. Mario downed his within a minute, Luigi took a little longer and Princess Peach saved hers to take home.
"Shake, Shake, Shake, SHAKE YOUR BUTTER!" The kiddos were given little jars filled with cream and told to shake (and shake and shake and shake and shake) for five minutes until the cream separated into butter! Princess Peach shook hers up like a pro and we ended up with three little baggies of fresh, soft butter. We put it in the fridge to harden up and will sample it with dinner tonight.
And before we left for our home in the Mushroom Kingdom, we stopped to say hi to the cows. Do you know the cows your milk comes from? We do!
-Princess Peach's Mommy
We drove from our home in the Mushroom Kingdom to the countryside and found the cute, little farm. There is a shop, some animals and the cows are in the back. The farm is the same farm we buy our milk from at the Farmer's Market, so the kids were familiar with the milk.
Say cheese! The kiddos started off at the cheese squishing station. Princess Peach was given a small bag full of crumbly cheese, then a pinch of sugar was added in and the -squishing- began. Luigi did not say a single word until his entire bag of cheese had been devoured. I'll assume it was yummy because not one of them shared with Mommy.
Then it was off to the milk station. They decorated labels for their very own pint of milk, then we watched through a glass window while she put the milk in each one. Mario downed his within a minute, Luigi took a little longer and Princess Peach saved hers to take home.
"Shake, Shake, Shake, SHAKE YOUR BUTTER!" The kiddos were given little jars filled with cream and told to shake (and shake and shake and shake and shake) for five minutes until the cream separated into butter! Princess Peach shook hers up like a pro and we ended up with three little baggies of fresh, soft butter. We put it in the fridge to harden up and will sample it with dinner tonight.
And before we left for our home in the Mushroom Kingdom, we stopped to say hi to the cows. Do you know the cows your milk comes from? We do!
-Princess Peach's Mommy
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
The end of summer
We've been busy since school started last month. Too busy to even BLOG.. criminal, I know. Leaving the camera in the car a few weeks didn't help much, either.
Princess Peach is doing great with schoolwork. We start the day with violin theory, then we practice (and practice and practice) on violin and for choir. Princess Peach has been playing violin for two years now and still misses her Romanian teacher we had in Germany. Now that she has the basics down, I'm teaching her here at home. We love to go to the local symphony, too!
We study English next and are still finishing up with a review. Reading is one of Princess Peach's favorite hobbies and she has many books. She finished reading My Teacher Is An Alien by Bruce Coville last week.
Then we are on to Math! This is Princess Peach's least favorite subject, but she does well with it. We're finishing multiplication this week and beginning a study in division soon. She loves math games and likes to play Sudoku, too.
Social Studies this year is going to be packed with exciting studies! Princess Peach is taking a class on Medieval Histories and we're studying early U.S. History here at home. She is also working through maps and geography and will do U.S. States and Presidents next semester. She loves history.
We're beginning Spanish and thankfully we know a little ourselves! We've learned numbers through 100, colors, shapes, etc. Next we're going over the basic parts of speech. Princess Peach has a passion for languages and has learned some sign language and German, too.
Art. Princess Peach would happily sit at the table all day and do artwork. We are learning about famous artists and will be replicating "Van Gogh's Bedroom" this week. We'll be studying Vincent Van Gogh with help from library books and the Metropolitan Museum of Art site.
Princess Peach and the kitchen. The kitchen and Princess Peach. They are like Peanut Butter & Jelly. Milk & Cookies. You get the idea. We do so much together in the kitchen, so our study on Home Economics has been an absolute joy for both of us. She is learning kitchen basics, preparing meals, planning menus, and will learn about other aspects of running a household. She is taking up a sewing class, too, and already has plans to make her first pillow.
Princess Peach's little brothers Mario and Luigi started preschool this month and LOVE their curriculum. They are doing a unit study on apples. Princess Peach has a lot of fun helping out with them and gets to be crafty with me as we cut, color, and paste projects with the boys! She is a wonderful helper.
-Princess Peach's Mommy
Princess Peach is doing great with schoolwork. We start the day with violin theory, then we practice (and practice and practice) on violin and for choir. Princess Peach has been playing violin for two years now and still misses her Romanian teacher we had in Germany. Now that she has the basics down, I'm teaching her here at home. We love to go to the local symphony, too!
We study English next and are still finishing up with a review. Reading is one of Princess Peach's favorite hobbies and she has many books. She finished reading My Teacher Is An Alien by Bruce Coville last week.
Then we are on to Math! This is Princess Peach's least favorite subject, but she does well with it. We're finishing multiplication this week and beginning a study in division soon. She loves math games and likes to play Sudoku, too.
Social Studies this year is going to be packed with exciting studies! Princess Peach is taking a class on Medieval Histories and we're studying early U.S. History here at home. She is also working through maps and geography and will do U.S. States and Presidents next semester. She loves history.
We're beginning Spanish and thankfully we know a little ourselves! We've learned numbers through 100, colors, shapes, etc. Next we're going over the basic parts of speech. Princess Peach has a passion for languages and has learned some sign language and German, too.
Art. Princess Peach would happily sit at the table all day and do artwork. We are learning about famous artists and will be replicating "Van Gogh's Bedroom" this week. We'll be studying Vincent Van Gogh with help from library books and the Metropolitan Museum of Art site.
Princess Peach and the kitchen. The kitchen and Princess Peach. They are like Peanut Butter & Jelly. Milk & Cookies. You get the idea. We do so much together in the kitchen, so our study on Home Economics has been an absolute joy for both of us. She is learning kitchen basics, preparing meals, planning menus, and will learn about other aspects of running a household. She is taking up a sewing class, too, and already has plans to make her first pillow.
P.E. we are very sneaky at. We go to the park a lot, swimming, bowling, for long walks with Koko (our little terrier mix), to the soccer field. We get it in where we can. We have a Wii that Princess Peach looooves to play. She does really well at yoga and likes to do a lot of the balance games. She also has been doing a lot of jump rope this past week, too.
We are using a nice little Bible curriculum called Studying God's Word and are starting on Book E. This is an in depth study on each book of the Old Testament (excluding a few). We hope to finish Book E and F this semester and start up on Book G for 5th grade. Princess Peach also has a fun devotional book God & Me for Girls 6-9. It is a short lesson followed by an activity. We also are in an AWANA club and Princess Peach is working through her T&T Girls book and doing AMAZING at memorizing her verses. We are so proud of her!
Science is another favorite of Princess Peach. We finished up dinosaurs and are studying animals, life cycles, etc. She is also taking an astronomy class! She especially loves doing experiments.
Princess Peach does technology and should be blogging again soon. She's also having fun playing JumpStart for 4th-6th grade. We'll be learning how to compose e-mail later this week.
Girl Scouts started up a few weeks back and Princess Peach is in an awesome troop with five other scouts. We went bowling this week and are back to learning all about Girl Scouts next week so we can have an Investiture and Rededication ceremony in a few weeks. Time flies by SO fast with Girl Scouts!
Princess Peach's little brothers Mario and Luigi started preschool this month and LOVE their curriculum. They are doing a unit study on apples. Princess Peach has a lot of fun helping out with them and gets to be crafty with me as we cut, color, and paste projects with the boys! She is a wonderful helper.
-Princess Peach's Mommy
Friday, August 14, 2009
My Pets
My cat was born in Port Angeles, Washington. Her name is Kitty Witty and she lives inside. We brush her fur. We got her when she was a kitten. We like to play with her.
My other dog is a stray dog. Her name is Koko and she lives outside. We are teaching her how to sit. We got her when she was a dog. She jumps at me when I feed her. I tell her to sit. My pets are great!
-Princess Peach
Let's have eggs for breakfast
Hehe. So we decided to make a special breakfast this morning and venture out of the Cheerios-Pancakes-Oatmeal-Waffle box. After much research (the top recipe on the list), we picked this easy Huevos Rancheros recipe and got to work.
Princess Peach mixed together the rinsed pinto beans with the green salsa. This is the base mixture for the recipe, which we later baked in the oven with a sprinkle of cheese.
Princess Peach thinly slicing the scallions. She's quite handy with a knife! We chopped up scallions, romaine lettuce and fresh cilantro.
Princess Peach eating our delicious huevos rancheros!
Princess Peach mixed together the rinsed pinto beans with the green salsa. This is the base mixture for the recipe, which we later baked in the oven with a sprinkle of cheese.
Princess Peach thinly slicing the scallions. She's quite handy with a knife! We chopped up scallions, romaine lettuce and fresh cilantro.
And *poof* after ten minutes baking in the oven, much fresh herb chopping and some egg frying, we ended up with this beautiful finished dish! Oh yeah, all before 7:30am. This recipe was both easy AND tasty. And Princess Peach is so awesome in the kitchen!
Princess Peach eating our delicious huevos rancheros!~~~~~
ACTIVE TIME: 30 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes
EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy
1 1/2 cups very thinly sliced romaine lettuce
1 scallion, sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
3 teaspoons canola oil, divided
2 teaspoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
1 15-ounce can pinto beans, rinsed
1/2 cup prepared green salsa
8 6-inch corn tortillas
Canola oil cooking spray
3/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
4 large eggs
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Combine lettuce, scallion, cilantro, 1 teaspoon oil, lime juice, 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a bowl; set aside. Combine beans and salsa in another bowl.
3. Coat both sides of each tortilla with cooking spray. Place tortillas on a large baking sheet in 4 sets of overlapping pairs. (Each pair should overlap by about 3 inches.) Spread about 1/3 cup of the bean mixture on top of each pair of tortillas and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons cheese each. Bake until the beans are hot and the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Crack each egg into a small bowl and slip them one at a time into the pan, taking care not to break the yolks. Season the eggs with the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook undisturbed for 5 to 7 minutes for soft-set yolks. (For hard-set yolks, cover the pan after 5 minutes and continue cooking until the yolks are cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes more.)5. To assemble, place an egg on top of each pair of tortillas and top with a generous 1/4 cup of the lettuce mixture.
-Princess Peach's Mommy
Thursday, August 13, 2009
What we did on our summer vacation
Ahh... lemonade, farmer's markets, fireflies, too much humidity to do anything but sprawl out and watch a movie in the middle of the afternoon... summer. This was our first, complete summer in the states since returning from Germany last year, and boy did we ever take advantage of every day. Well, rest and relaxation IS taking advantage of a summer day, right?
Here are some of our favorites:
Princess Peach and Mario at our church Luau
Princess Peach swinging at the park
Princess Peach loves soccer
Princess Peach learning about fossils on a guided hike
Swimming lessons
Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles for Princess Peach, Mario and Luigi
Riding a carousel at the zoo
Princess Peach feeding a lorikeet
And finally, Princess Peach's birthday celebration at a wonderful Thai restaurant! Mmm mmm, indeed!
-Princess Peach's Mommy
Here are some of our favorites:
Princess Peach and Mario at our church Luau
Princess Peach swinging at the park
Princess Peach loves soccer
Princess Peach learning about fossils on a guided hike
Swimming lessons
Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles for Princess Peach, Mario and Luigi
Riding a carousel at the zoo
Princess Peach feeding a lorikeet
And finally, Princess Peach's birthday celebration at a wonderful Thai restaurant! Mmm mmm, indeed!
-Princess Peach's Mommy
Ohhh.. in the Strike Zone!
Thursdays will soon be our busy days, shuttling between Co-Op in the morning, to the SAS after lunch and then to chess club before we finally return home at dinnertime. That all begins in a few weeks. So today, we had a light load of school work, a few chores and then... nothing? That can't be!
Princess Peach, Mario and Luigi all loaded into the minivan for some spontaneous BOWLING action. We sneakily call this P.E. which I am sure it is, but the kids didn't know that. Hehe.
Princess Peach's little brother, Mario
Princess Peach's little brother, Luigi
Princess Peach... Raar!
-Princess Peach's Mommy
Princess Peach, Mario and Luigi all loaded into the minivan for some spontaneous BOWLING action. We sneakily call this P.E. which I am sure it is, but the kids didn't know that. Hehe.
Princess Peach's little brother, Mario
Princess Peach's little brother, Luigi
Princess Peach
Daddy was even able to join us for the second half of the game! My little bowlers had such an awesome, fun time! We are planning more trips to the Bowling Alley this month and next, so I am sure she'll be bowling 100 soon! Oh, and for the record it was: Luigi with the win at 79, Mario in at 69 and Princess Peach with 61 (without bumpers). Super kiddos!
Mario giving the bowling ball a huge push!
Luigi's "Happy Dance"
Princess Peach... Raar!
-Princess Peach's Mommy
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Soap or Candle?
And that is the question put to Princess Peach today as she made her project at the science museum. She was able to use scientific method and figured out that, as she says, because it creates suds when she runs it under water that it is, in fact, SOAP.
She made this beautiful, heart shaped bar of soap and scented it with peppermint!
She made this beautiful, heart shaped bar of soap and scented it with peppermint!
Meanwhile, I took her little brothers (yes, you guessed it) Mario and Luigi out for some half off slushes at Sonic. What a nice way to end another day.
-Princess Peach's Mommy
Tornado Art
Ahh, tornadoes. We do see an occasional tornado here in the Mushroom Kingdom. Well WE never have actually seen one, but there have been a few nearby. Kinda.
This week, our art focus was on the powerful, destructive tornado. Princess Peach used wax crayon, chalk, pencil, and the ever important cotton balls and craft paper to make these beautiful works of art.
These masterpieces are gracing my fridge now. Family members may apply for the artwork on loans ;)
-Princess Peach's Mommy
This week, our art focus was on the powerful, destructive tornado. Princess Peach used wax crayon, chalk, pencil, and the ever important cotton balls and craft paper to make these beautiful works of art.
These masterpieces are gracing my fridge now. Family members may apply for the artwork on loans ;)
-Princess Peach's Mommy
Best. Cookie. Ever.
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup flaked coconut
Directions: In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Beat in oats and coconut. Roll into 1-in. balls. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets; flatten slightly. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks. Yield: 5 dozen.
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup flaked coconut
Directions: In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Beat in oats and coconut. Roll into 1-in. balls. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets; flatten slightly. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks. Yield: 5 dozen.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Cookie time! We baked these delicious little treats and froze the extras. Awesome with milk. Even better right out of the freezer! Mmmm....
-Princess Peach's Mommy
Scientific Method
We are getting back in the groove for school! The first two days were a little up and down (from the table) and today she is staying on track. We started at 7:45 and should be done today just after lunch! Hopefully ;) Princess Peach is excited for her Scientific Method class later today at the local hands-on science museum, so I am sure she will get her schoolWORK done by then. Right? Hehe.
Today we checked out the Moon Walk over at Scholastic News. Princess Peach wrote a nice "letter" home from the perspective of an astronaut about her moon landing. She also invented a new type of sandwich today while writing in her journal:
Ice Cream
M&Ms
Graham Crackers
Take the ice cream and M&Ms and stir in a bowl. Take ingredients and lay graham crackers flat. Scoop ice cream on one. Put top on.
Sounds yummy! Princess Peach can't wait to get into the kitchen when we work on our home economics. She loves baking and cooking ;)
Our plans last night included a baseball game, but the ever lovely weather rained out the game before it ever started. Here's Princess Peach enjoying a game earlier this summer:
The team will be back in town next week, so we will try again then! Princess Peach loves baseball and going to games.
-Princess Peach's Mommy
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Back to School
Monday was our first day in the fourth grade. Princess Peach is taking on a lot of subjects this year:
Language Arts
Music (including violin and choir)
Math
Social Studies (including Medieval History)
Astronomy
Sewing
Spanish
Art
Bible
Science
P.E.
Home Economics
Health
Technology
Wow, yes. That is a mouthful. Some are daily lessons, others are once weekly. Princess Peach is going to be keeping busy with her daily homeschooling, Girl Scouts, Choir and AWANAs, Chess Club, and a once monthly, hands on science lesson at the local museum. We are in a co-op through our cover school and have a weekly class or field trip through the MWR at the SAS.
Princess Peach learned about Fireflies today on Scholastic News, started reading James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl and drew an awesome tornado scene from one of our favorite art websites, Art Attack. I think she would rather not mention the spelling or math we did, but it is at least done!
-Princess Peach's Mommy
Language Arts
Music (including violin and choir)
Math
Social Studies (including Medieval History)
Astronomy
Sewing
Spanish
Art
Bible
Science
P.E.
Home Economics
Health
Technology
Wow, yes. That is a mouthful. Some are daily lessons, others are once weekly. Princess Peach is going to be keeping busy with her daily homeschooling, Girl Scouts, Choir and AWANAs, Chess Club, and a once monthly, hands on science lesson at the local museum. We are in a co-op through our cover school and have a weekly class or field trip through the MWR at the SAS.
Princess Peach learned about Fireflies today on Scholastic News, started reading James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl and drew an awesome tornado scene from one of our favorite art websites, Art Attack. I think she would rather not mention the spelling or math we did, but it is at least done!
-Princess Peach's Mommy
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