Uncle Steve's Whirlwind Visit

Uncle Steve came in for a quick 3-day visit last week. He took us out to dinner for our anniversary (very nice!), and treated the girls to, among other things, ice cream. Vivian particularly enjoyed hers!


We took a hike to Ski Lake with Catalina - happy dog!


Vivian and Bret in the makeshift hut at Ski Lake.


Steve, Carolyn and Vivian (who slept for most of the uphill hike...on mama's front...man was I sore on Sunday!) happy because it's downhill time.

The Choc-to-pus

Grandmother Joan, Kevin and Erik got us an Octopus cake pan for our 10th anniversary (apparently tin is the traditional 10th anniversary gift). Sabine was very excited about making a cake, and there was even a nice sounding recipe on the back of the cover...but it was for a white cake, and Sabine wanted chocolate. So, I omitted the cinnamon and replaced it with some cocoa powder, and ta-da! Enter the Choc-to-pus. Sabine helped decorate the cake with very stale colored mini marshmallows, and homemade butter cream frosting.

A Whole New Mind

My friend (and Jackson High School art teacher) Meggan told me about this book...I'm only 80 pages into it, but am finding it very interesting and thought provoking. Click on the title of this post to visit Mr. Pink's webpage.

Publishers Weekly says of it: "Just as information workers surpassed physical laborers in economic importance, Pink claims, the workplace terrain is changing yet again, and power will inevitably shift to people who possess strong right brain qualities."

I especially like the story he shares of one of Hallmark's premiere artists visiting elementary schools and commenting on the art he saw in classrooms. When he asked kids in kindergarten how many of artists there were in the classroom, almost all of them raised their hands. When he asked the same question in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. grades, fewer and fewer kids raised their hands, up until 6th grade when not a single hand went up. How sad! But not surprising...

I recall recently a little girl at the library coloring table telling Sabine (who was coloring in a pre-printed sheet with an apple tree on it) that the apples in the tree had to be red, and the leaves had to be green...(I was glad to see that Sabine didn't necessarily follow this advice). I mentioned that sometimes apples are green or yellow, and that leaves on trees change color...but it didn't seem to impress the girl, who I assume has been told in no uncertain terms that apples are red, leaves are green, etc. YIKES!

Thrift Store Goodies

I found the following items (all for $5) at Forget Me Not today:

A 1968 dictionary which I plan on cutting up to make Artist Trading Cards.

A BUDDHA BOARD water painting slate (mainly for Sabine and Vivian, but it does have a message on it to "live in the moment" so maybe it's meant for me, too).

Giant pickup sticks (played several times today with Sabine, and she and Vivian made up their own game with them, surprised we still have 4 eyes between them).

Also, (not pictured) a groovy set of retro-colored measuring spoons. We do a lot of baking, and often the 2 sets we own are in the dishwasher when we need them.

Lest you worry that my house will fill up with such bargains, I also dropped off several bags to said thrift store earlier in the week. I figure it's like renting some cheap homeschooling fun.

My first ATC

I did it! I finally created an ATC (Artist Trading Card), with the help of Sabine and Vivian, of course. So fun to get out my stamps again. I used the 1968 dictionary and cut out the definition of genius...now I want to make more, More, MORE! (insert wicked laugh here).

A special thank you to all the folks at Imagination Tribe for the encouragement.

Sabine was looking through all of my stamping supplies (yes, I was an addict!) and asked why I hadn't shown her them before. "I just haven't been stamping much lately, babe...guess I've been busy." To which she replies, "If you have another baby mama, I'll look after the baby so you can do more stamping." Very sweet, but don't hold your breath, anyone!

Now I want to put all of my stamps into the sewing room, where all my other creative supplies are...honey, pass the drill...

Pinwheels for Peace

[From pinwheelsforpeace.com]

In today’s world, peace needs to become more than just a word.

A pinwheel is a childhood symbol – it reminds us of a time when things were simple, joyful, peaceful. A pinwheel is easily made using just about any type of material, from copy paper, to thin plastic, to lightweight metal. The stick of the pinwheel can be as simple as a pencil or as intricate as a carved stick or metal rod. Pinwheels can be made as small as one inch in diameter or as large as desired – limited only by the creator’s materials and motivation. Pinwheels can be minimal or very complex – imagination, creativity (and a mild breeze) are the only variables needed.

I saw this idea on the Holistic Moms Network email loop. Think I may have Sabine and Vivian make some pinwheels sometime soon. International Day of Peace is September 21, 2007.

Expert says, "Learning is in the doing"

Bret found this article (click on title of this post to access the article) by Samuel Western in the September 11 Casper Star Tribune. Apparently Kurt Fisher, the Charles Bigelow professor of education at Harvard's Graduate School of Education, spoke to members of the Wyoming Board of Education the other day and had this (among other things) to say:

Brains cannot be directly filled with world knowledge. It's not just a matter of storage information. It's through action, through doing things. The standard view in brain-based education is that the brain learns to read. No. A child with a brain learns to read.

Shocking! (ha ha.) It will be interesting to see what the esteemed Wyoming BOE does with this information.