I've Been Tagged!

My sweet friend Aimee, we go way back to our college days, tagged me. First, I'd like to say you need to check out her blog because she always has some neat homeschooling activities going on over at her place.

The rules of this tag are to list 5 things that shaped me as a mom. Okay, here we go!

1. My mom. She is a hands on mom. She volunteered for just about anything there was that involved us: homeroom mom, Girl Scout Leader, school nurse, etc. She cooked meals from scratch, taught us to sew, grew our own vegetables and canned them, took us to whatever museum, gallery, or cultural gathering she could. I'll be a good mom if I can do half the things for my kids she did for us!

2. My faith. Even when I was little I knew I wanted kids. Being a mom was something I couldn't wait to be. I think God was working on me even then:) I've learned that as a parent we don't have all the answers, but He does. Sometimes it just requires patience and faith. I try hard to listen to Him and be the kind of mother He wants me to be. Some days it is easier than others!

3. My husband. He understands what kind of mother I hope to be and helps me get there. Our decision to home school was a process of lots of praying, tears, and frustration. But in the end I knew that is what we were being called to do. He supports that, works hard so I can stay home, and encourages me on those days I'm not feeling like a very good mom!

4. The birth of my first child was full of unexpected happenings. She was a week late, I got a terrible infection and was very sick. In the meantime, Em was having a hard time and my labor lasted for 18 hours. When the worried doctors believed I had no energy left to push, told me they might have to use the forceps, and Em's heart rate took a nose dive, that momma instinct kicked in. There was no need for forceps and Em was born and whisked off to the NICU. In that instant I was a mother that would do anything for her children. Over the next week I found my voice and questioned and fought with doctors and nurses alike so that my daughter had the best care possible. That moment shaped me into the mother I am in so many ways, for when it comes to my children I am a force to be reckoned with!

5. All the very good and not so good mothers I have encountered over the years. They have shown me in big and small ways what kind of mother I want to be and sometimes that which I want to avoid.

I'd like to pass this award on to three ladies whose blogs I hope you get a chance to read for they are really neat moms:

Amy at Buffaloes and Butterfly Wings

Sasha at Small Town Momma

Connie at Smockity Frocks

A Lesson In Density

This weekend not only did I get a glorious nap, a new computer system from my hubby, lots of loving from my kiddos I also got one more very special treat. WB, my engineering hubby, decided to give the girls a lesson on density.

This is WB explaining the lesson (yes that facial hair is new, don't ask!!)

WB explaining to the girls how to measure by looking at the meniscus.

Little One ready to record data:)

WB used oil, saltwater, water, and alcohol which they measured and weighed to determine the density. First they put oil and water in a glass to see what would happen. Em learned how to do math equations using grams per milliliters. She followed along remarkably well for a fourth grader. Soph also understood certain concepts I was not sure she would grasp being 7, but she hung in there. I refrained from telling WB that this was a lesson I did in my 7th grade science class, which they struggled with. I'm glad I did because the girls understood more than I thought they would and enjoyed themselves in the process.

Isn't it cool when you make liquids pile up like this?

The last thing they did was to determine the density of a tomato and make a hypothesis as to where it would get stuck in their density parfait.


They had a blast, absorbed what they needed too, and spent a fun afternoon learning with WB!

Nature Walk

We have been having some very nice warm weather and luckily we've gone outside to enjoy these beautiful days. We've been studying nature during our science time. Last week we decided to take a nature walk around our place. Em brought the camera and our goal was to find tracks, rocks, leaves, flowers, wildlife on our walk and document them with either pictures or by collecting them.

The girls knew right away this was one of our deer tracks. They come nightly to feed now that most of the vegetation in the canyons has died.

We stopped by the girls rock quarry. This is where they have been excavating for a few months now. Most of the rock is caliche and limestone. But we do find a few other treasures around.

Most of our wildflowers have died, but we have plenty of these around. In fact they make some very cute Christmas angle ornaments. You'll have to check out my post on my Crafty Corner Blog.

Everything we collected they gathered on a tray for labeling. We are going to the library today to check out a wildlife and plant guides to identify all our items. Using our pictures and our collections we will be making a nature book. WB also took the girls to the Botanical Gardens where they took more pictures of flowers and butterflies. We stopped by our favorite park and took pictures of all the different ducks and collected more leaves. They are going to organize their books by area.

We might even do a collection for the different seasons. The activities are endless and the best part is the kids enjoy doing it. Even my 2 year old can identify most of the things we have collected.

How do you study the nature around your area?