Saucin'

Okay, so the jam turned out more like sauce, despite me following the directions to the letter. Thankfully, Dorothy came through with REAL directions, and once there are enough raspberries to pick 3 or 4 pints, we are trying again.

Please note that our raspberry sauce is still divine when spread on toast. You just kind of have to pour it out of the jar. ;)

Jammin'
We just made a batch of raspberry jam - 4 pints. I am amazed at the amount of sugar that went into it...but there's nothing like homemade raspberry jam in the middle of winter. It's a little bit of sunshine on a cold day.

Of course, these 4 pints are not going to last until December, so we will have to pick more raspberries....

I leave you with a portrait of Zoe, painted as...well, Zoe.

More Home Schoolin'

Here's some more of S's curriculum.

Citizenship, History and Government:
- understand neighborhood vs town vs state vs country
- importance of environmental issues (recycling, littering, etc)
- U.S. geography
- beginning world geography
- understand differences in people
- idea of family tree, relatives
- beginning Vermont history (maple syrup making, farming)

Phys Ed and Health
- identify body parts
- understand basic body functions - digestion, etc
- understand good health habits - toothbrushing, healthful eating
- basic safety
- phys ed activities to include running, walking, karate, ice skating, biking, skiing, snowshoeing, trampoline

Photos From the Fair

We went to a county fair yesterday - it was the perfect day for it. Sunny but not too hot. Breezy. Sascha is a great age for rides - she tried just about everything, including the Himalaya (a sort of circular mini-rollercoaster that goes REALLY fast, then backwards) and the giant slide. Zoe stuck to the kiddie rides, but really only enjoyed the merry-go-round (even the boat with the pink interior was not as exciting as she thought it would be).

Some photos....










(Zoe got on a pony, too, but once it started moving, she was done!)





This is Zoe checking out some angora rabbits...they looked a lot like what I'd imagine a "dust bunny" looks like. ;)



Zoe checking out the goats with her friend Lilly.



Zoe, Lilly and Sascha got a special "backstage pass" to hang out with some prize-winning goats.




This is an alpaca. It was talking to us. Sort of a mooing sound, but its mouth stayed closed. As this was the last day of the fair, I think it was ready to go home.

It Can't Be Normal....


For a 2-year-old to properly use the word "also."

But then....Zoe *is* almost 3, and I'm sure our kids are far from normal anyway.

Sascha has been asking about evolution again ("Where did the first person come from?"), so I finally tried to explain how humans evolved. I thought I was thorough and avoided most of the inaccuracies that many people believe (we are "descended from monkeys", for example. Not so. Humans and monkeys have a common ancestor in the fairly recent past, which is not the same as saying we're just a breath away from being chimps.).

Of course, two days later, she asked me where the first *monkey* came from.

So I got online and found a couple of good books. They should show up soon.

I also tried to explain nearsightedness to her, using the basic principles of optics. But since I don't remember optics really well (some stuff just falls right out of my head...I like physics, I just can't retain it), I'm sure she has some bizarre concept of how people's eyes worsen. Oh well.

R.I.P. Brando

Our dog, Brando, was put to sleep on Tuesday. It was time...he was very sick with a pancreatic tumor. He couldn't run or play or do much of anything anymore. The tumor was also changing his personality. It was a tumor that makes insulin, so it caused low blood sugar. That led to seizures, balance problems, and changes in his brain caused by a lack of sugar. He seemed out of it a lot of the time, and was becoming unpredictable.

We all went to the vet's together, and explained it in kid terms to the kids. They are so honest and unfettered with "shoulds" and second-guesses about emotion that they just did their thing. Sascha cried; Zoe asked "Why Bindo die?" but didn't cry. They petted him before, and after. They miss him, but they seem to know he isn't coming back.

If there is a place for dogs after this life, I know he's there running around, looking for someone to pet him, and asking for treats.