Food Museum: Goats

The Catlin Gabel first grade class spends the spring studying food for their science and social studies units--farm to table style. In groups, they choose a type of food of interest (fruits, vegetables, bread, meat, dairy) to research. They conduct interviews while on fields trips to a local grocery store and a farmer's market. Parents come to class and teach each group how to make a food from their category: dried fruit, jam, pickled veggies, loaves of bread, jerky, yogurt, and ice cream. Then groups create a "Food Museum" with activities and informational posters. 

This was one of my favorites from this year: "chickens and things you make them in to." 

Originally, Magnolia choose dairy, but then she wanted to specialize in goat products. Her teacher allowed Maggie to branch off from her group to create her own food museum--I love that about our school! Now, this girl is now passionate about goats. 

She worked hard during work time and some of her free time on her exhibit, agonizing each evening, worried she'd wouldn't finish before the parent viewing event. Magnolia, and her teacher, were incredibly proud that she pulled it off. When I got to the event, as she showed me her museum, I realized why she had been worried, and was overwhelmed with pride myself.

She didn't just create the one required information poster or activity. Magnolia had made three informational posters,

an Interactive "Fun Fact" board, 

AND a goat game to test your new knowledge!

She really knew her stuff!

Some things I learned about goats from her exhibit:

• Goats have rectangular pupils to help them see in the dark
• Goats discovered coffee beans
• Goats are picky eaters
• Each breed of dairy goat gives a different flavored milk

Blake + Rachel

Blake and Rachel, we wish you many, many years!

This weekend we returned to Bellingham and Camp Firwood to celebrate with some of our closest friends. Blake was instrumental in getting Brian and me together and stood by our side in *both* of our weddings. Since then, he has been a constant friend -- the only non-family member to stay in all of our houses, including Beijing. We are just getting to know Rachel, but our family has already grown fond of her.

Brian was excited to give a toast to his friend. 

The quote of the night: "talked him off the monastic ledge"

I enjoyed catching up with dear friends throughout the entire weekend. 

The girls played and danced and got a first glimpse at the special place where their parents' relationship began. 

Word of the week: Consider-it

Consider-it (noun): a substance made by removing water or other diluting agent

"Apple puree consider-it, apple juice consider-it, natural strawberry flavor, strawberry consider-it, citrus pectin, lemon juice consider-it..." 

-- Magnolia (7), reading the nutrition information, a current favorite past-time 

Kaleia "Logic" - Reason to Want to Die

Magnolia (7): No one wants to die. 

Kaleia (5): I used to want to die. 

Me: Why did you want to die? 

K: I wanted a new family.

Me: You wanted a new family? You didn’t like your family?

K: No, I just wanted to see what it was like to have a different one. 

Me: You know you don’t get a new family when you die. 

K: Yeah, but I would get to meet lots of new people in heaven. 

Me: True…but you know you can meet lots of new people here too. 

K: Yeah.

Incriminating Digital Evidence

We received an email from Kaleia's kindergarten teacher alerting us to the fact that Kaleia had her camera at school today. I thought it might have been unintentionally left in her backpack after our weekend trip. When I talked to Kaleia, she convinced me that she didn't bring it to school on purpose and that she didn't know it was in there. I totally believed her until I downloaded the pictures and found these...

This last one must have been her friend the photographer for the above photoshoot. Little stinkers.

Fairy Visit

Kaleia, as half-fairy, attends fairy school in the middle of the night and is our resident expert on fairy life and the wishes of the queen fairy. In this interview, Kaleia introduces us to a fairy she has caught. 

P.S. Forgive the low quality of the video -- and length! I just couldn't cut any material! The technical difficulties with this video roadblocked my blogging the last few months, but now we should be rolling again. 

It is finished!

Extra curricular activities, including housecleaning, came to a halt recently as I frantically worked to finish my renewal entries for my National Board teaching certification. Last year was just too hard, on too many levels, to take advantage of the first opportunity to renew, so this was my only shot. The process was less rigorous that the first go-around, but now I have two kids and a more demanding job. I finished my four papers, which included videos and work samples from my teaching, with 43 minutes to spare! That sentence makes it sound too easy. To provide some perspective, my mother's day and birthday present requests were for time to write and editing services. I've skipped the girls soccer games and fallen very behind in every area of my life.

I would not have been able to finish without my dear friends and former Bellingham colleagues, Amanda and Scott. They provided valuable feedback and support from afar. But most of all I would have been lost without Brian. He put his pursuits on hold the last few weeks to help me with my writing, handle more of the parenting, and put up with my near nervous breakdown moments. His Facebook status during the thick of the editing indicates he might have been nearing a breakdown of his own. 

I won't find out if I pass until December 2015, but that's out of my hands. For now a huge weight feels lifted and I can start chipping away at all that has been postponed. 

Word of the week: Tasumi

Tasumi (noun): A long high sea wave caused by an earthquake, submarine landslide, or other disturbance 

Magnolia: Papa, are we on the highest floor? 

Brian: Yep.  

M: Good. 

B: Why “good”? 

M: Because it says if there’s a tasumi to go to the highest floors.

A few seconds later...

B: Maggie, if you were pronouncing a word wrong, would you want someone to tell you? 

M (happily): Papa, I know I’m pronouncing a word wrong. 

B (laughs): Which word? 

M: Tasuemi

Sometimes we wonder how much to correct these mistakes and how much to let them just figure things out.

Sisters...watch scary movies together.

They're watching the Lego Movie.

Usually this scene is reversed with Magnolia comforting Kaleia during a "scary movie."

I hope they always lean into each other or hold hands when things are scary. 

Pet Day 2015: Best Waver

Trudy attended Pet Day today at Maggie's school. She was awarded a certificate for "Best Paw Wave to Say Hi!" We think every pet received an award, but we aren't telling Trudy.