Home-Made Rubber Stamps

I thought the price of rubber stamps was ridiculous so I bought a 49¢ 2 pack of erasers and used my rusty broken box cutter to make my own! That was fun! I need more erasers!

I am in charge of

An aquarium field trip

Stamp 200 hands!
(Written in haiku form in honor of Haiku Wednesday)

School Links

MY kids need to practice their math facts so they can get faster.  They answer the questions correctly at school, it just takes them longer to do it.  I'm not going to lie. I'm thinking it's because my kids were born with molasses legs and do everything extra slowly.  especially the Megster.  SO, I'm compiling this list of sites for them to use after their homework is done everyday. I'm also throwing in other education sites for them to try out.  I thought I'd post this on here in case any of you people need something like this for your own kiddos. Here goes:

STEM
http://www.discoveryeducation.com/

MATH
QUICK FLASH II
http://www.multiplication.com/games/play/quick-flash-ii

MULTIPLICATION TIMED TEST- this one come with a sticker chart you can print, too
http://www.thecurriculumcorner.com/thecurriculumcorner123/2013/01/01/multiplication-timed-tests/

TIMED MULTIPLICATION TEST- This one has a lot of other math tools like budgeting tools and business calculators
http://www.free-online-calculator-use.com/multiplication-quiz.html

MY KIDS' FAVORITE MATH SITE
https://prodigygame.com

THEIR TYPING SITE
https://www.typing.com/

OTHER TYPING/KEYBOARDING GAMES at learning games for kids- there are a lot of other types of learning game on this site.  Check it out.
http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/keyboarding_games.html

BBC BITSIZE DANCE MAT TYPING- this one is a guided tour by a British sheep.  if your kids like animation I'd start them here.  Also, if you click where it says BITESIZE on the site, it will take you to a lot of other learning games sorted by level.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z3c6tfr

FREE LANGUAGE LESSONS. THE KIDS ARE LEARNING PORTUGUESE
https://www.duolingo.com/

YOUNGER KIDS:

STARFALL- learn to read.  My kids are too old for this one, but I put it here for anyone with young children
http://www.starfall.com/

ROSETT STONE KIDS READING- this is another for preschool age kiddos.
http://tinyurl.com/kdnvapw

Tess

Our sweet little Italian Greyhound mutt- 5 weeks old. She was abandoned and we adopted her last night. The kids think they are just babysitting her for two days for someone else but we are getting her fostered until Christmas eve (if you know what I mean).

She actually fits IN the bowl- I ended up using a peanut butter jar lid to feed her.

These kids love this dog

He's in heaven. He got up a few times in the night just to lay on the hard ground next to her

Well, she didn't like the milk. i guess she's past that stage

 

It's like her own little yard... with a giant rolling Indiana Jones basket ball.  Careful, doggie!  Don't get crushed!

 Licking her lips

Trying to make Tess comfy

 Nap time.

1st day of school!

They are little buddies, these two. First day of 2nd and 4th grades. Their lives are happening before my eyes. Crazy. I'm so grateful for such an awesome family

That's our front porc.  Like their umbrellas?  We never had to carry umbrellas to school in Arizona!

Pelicans and a Fisherman's Bum

We took the beach route on our way to school this morning (we usually take the jungle route). These pelicans were following the fishermen to see if they could snag any yummy fish. Yup, dude is nakey. I figured if he doesn't care why should I?

 This guy soared right over me. He's huge- his wings look like giant hands

Coming in for a landing...

I just got wise to the fact that they have free WIFI down here.... umm yeaahhh... I may never leave. Working on the beach this morning.

Babysitting Island style

We watched our friends Eric and Holly's kids for them at PBH (PBH stands for Portsmouth Beach Hotel, but we all just call the beach there PBH, too.)

Hudson and Cash were sooo easy to watch.  good boys.  I think all the kids had a super duper time building sand castles at sunset.

A little friend I caught

I think I'll name him Herman

I love old things that have a story

Hooray for a successful day of play!

random thoughts consolidated for your amusement.

Listening to the boys playing in the back of the van while carpooling at 7:30 this morning brought a question to mind...
What is the plural for "triceratops?"

I love school.  I love that I know people and that they like me enough to call to me from across a courtyard while I'm walking the other direction so I will come talk or walk with them.  I love learning.  I AM feeling the weight of a full schedule this semester and second guessing my choice of enrolling in 8 classes/18 credit hours.  However, from the looks of it, I chose the right teachers to overload with... for the most part... kind of...  ANYWAY, I might have some exciting news about a trip to a very north eastern popular US city for Jazz Ensemble.... to work with one Phil Mattson. BUT nothing's official as of right now, we just have to see if the college will pay for our registration fee which is.... VERY expensive. All wealthy philanthropist readers please contact me :)  We are one of  only two community college choirs selected in the nation- joined by two University choirs and 1 professional choir.  All are a capella jazz choirs. NO choreography, thank you very much. ;) it's all about the tone, harmony, and expression.

Martin Luther King Jr Day aka Civil Rights Day was a ton of fun! Among other things we went and used our last two groupons at Bahama Bucks and I got something that is now my new favorite: 1/2 Rootbeer, 1/2 Jamaican rum Bahama Mama Rama. holy cheeseballs. It was sooooo good.  I don't think I need to try any other flavors ever. ever. ever.

The other day Matthew and I were eating our favorite snack and he looked up and me and said:
Matt: Mom, I heart chips and salsa. (how cute)
Me: *smirk* sighhhh Me too.
Matt: Really, I just heart salsa.  If I didn't have a chip, I'd use a spoon.

-----and then I proceeded to teach my young padawan my "pour-the-chip-crumbs-from-the-bottom-of-the-bag-into-the-salsa, mix-and-proceed-to-eat-like-unto-the-eating-of-cereal-WITH A SPOON" technique.  I know this may be a little too personal to share on the blog, sorry :) *sniff* my little boy's all grown up..

Now that I've got all that out of my head, it's time for ... no, not haiku Wednesday, but a Wednesday Limerick!!
 
I went back to my school this week
To learn how to add and to speak
to tell girls from boys,
play keyboards with poise
And learn about rocks like a geek.

Wow, I pretty much covered all my classes except for choir and voice....  I was going to do this for the last line:

And go sing for Phil in NewYeek <-----but I would've had to do new yeek instead of new york. and thats too weird for 90% of my readers.  I personally would've giggled every time I read it, though. Dang, I should've put it.  I'm such a sell out. hanging head in shame and going to curl up with my kindle to read a few chapters for my Psychology & Gender Differences and Public Speaking classes tomorrow.

Haiku Wednesday

It's Matthew's birthday (7)

been on the xbox all day

just pausing to puke

(poor kid.  I'm pretty sure it's ecoli- I always tell the kids to wash their hands after touching the turtle, but do they listen?  Well, most of the time, yes, they do)

Out of Towners day 1

Merry Christmas, y'all. I hope everyone had a mahvelous holiday.  We just got home today and I had a blast. 

We went up to UT last week to spend Christmas with my family- it usually should take about 11-12 hours to get there, but we got a late start, were rerouted in Phoenix around some homicide for which they closed off a section of grand ave., took the car to AutoZone in Wickenburg to check a mysterious transmission error(turned out ok) and drove through a snowstorm in the mountains in the middle of the night (could only see the taillights in front of us and sometimes nothing at all), so it took ummmmmm FIFTEEN. yes. one. five.We got there at 5:00 in the morning.  After about 3.5 hours of sleep, we ate breakfast with the family, chit-chatted for a few hours, and then went to the park with all the kids.

random playground in Springville, UT with the cousins- there was snow on the other side of the park which you can't see in this picture..... I swear it.

Me and Matt.  Yes, I know you can't see my hands-they were cold!!

My toes were frozen when we left.  Dang ventilated hiking shoes.  I forgot that they were so breathable. booo.

Since we all had icicles hanging from our noses we came home and watched some movies and messed around (Aaron slept), then went caroling around the neighborhood with REAL candles...oooooooh...  It was so chilly I even had some double hoodie action going on.  alls I gotta say is burrr (obviously this is not REALLY alls I have to say since this post continues, but you get the point.  One should not be able to see their breath while inside a vehicle. savvy?) And then back home jiggedy jig for my brother's Mexican hot chocolate. 

Matt, Eve, Megan, Willam

Older bro Rob, younger sis Katie (8 mos pregnant), me (makeupless-aren't you lucky), mom.

Abuelita's Hot Chocolate- we were being dumb and acting like it was a picture for a commercial......*wink*

After examining the actual Abuelita (spanish for "Grandma") used on the cover of the packaging (seen above in Rob's lovely Vanna hands), supermodels Kate-mo and Demi tried to recreate her pose in their rendition of "still life with hot chocolate" aka "Double Chins never looked so good"

Katie dont kill me!!!  I LOVE this picture :) We are dorks hee hee AND I love that 80s country mug.... reminds me of home.

By the way, did you know that if you leave a candy cane in your hot chocolate it dissolves the inside of the candy cane, making it like a straw???  Not only absolutely interesting, but scrumptious, too. Who knew? 

Unfortunately for you, the pictures of me drawing on Aaron's face with eyeliner while he's napping on the couch are still on my dad's camera so you'll have to wait to see those.... That concludes our picture post for day one.... stay tuned for more soon!

Hasta.

(Although I know hasta is spelled this way I originally put asta so that people would pronounce it correctly.  Aaron scolded me and said "just because people don't say it correctly doesn't mean you should spell it differently.  People say worcestershire wrong all the time, but you don't see people spelling it wrong for their benefit")

What I overheard...

While I was doing my hair this morning and the kids were getting ready for school this morning I overheard them having this conversation:

Matt: Megan, you should try out for soccer cause you're a good  kicker and that's what good kickers do
Megan:  Really?  you think I'm a good kicker?
Matt: yeah. and you should try out for soccer
Megan:  Matthew, do you want to know why I don't try out for soccer?
Matt: Why?
Megan:  Cause I forgot who was on my team last time and I messed up.  And then this boy said later "YEAH MEGAN, MESS UP AGAIN!"
---------pause----------
Matt: it's ok, you just gotta remember their names and remember what they're wearing.  You should still try out for soccer.

I like that.  It's a good day.  (And alls I've gotta say is whatever it is that someone slipped in my proverbial drink this morning is amazing.  Good mood, yummy breakfast, kids on time, ahhhhhhhhhh)

Matthew and his cute face.

Just thought I'd post a couple pictures of Matthew and his cute face. In a soccer uniform.

 Watch out, ladies.

front and center :)  What a little stud.

Ze Cornish Pasty

lame title- just go with it.

I brought my leftovers with me to my conducting class a few weeks ago for lunch and although I was a little embarrassed to heat up this visually unappetising  mass of aromatic food in the company of my classmates, I was not ashamed enough to refrain.  mmmmm it was sooo good... turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, gravy all muddled together in a heap of unabashed culinary glory..... oh man... the redolent thanksgiving aroma made my classmates drool.  Ed, the professor, (and yes, we called him Ed- the adept Edmund Hughes, conductor extrordinare) took a reluctant look at the contents of my tupperware and asked "What IS that?"

"It's a Cornish Pasty.  From the Cornish Pasty Company"

"What's the Cornish Pasty Company?" he asked

There were gasps from around the room and then everyone came in at once with "You've never heard of the Cornish Pasty Company?" and "Ohhh it's soo goood!" and "You HAVE to go the Cornish Pasty Company"

Well, to tell the truth, I had never been to the Cornish Pasty Company before I got my turkey dish and was quite surprised that so many people knew about it.  I guess I became cool when I went.  Who knew?  I just thought it was yummy.

Would you like me to tell you about the Cornish Pasty Company?  No?  ok.

ohhh wait... you would?  it's hard for me to tell through this computer screen. you're gonna have to think louder than that if you want me to hear you.

A Cornish Pasty is made from pastry dough, and should be shaped like a ‘D’ and crimped on one side, not on the top. It should include beef, swede (called turnip in Cornwall), potato and onion, with a light seasoning of salt and pepper - keeping a chunky texture. The pastry should be golden and retain its shape when cooked and cooled. The pasty has been described as a "functional food" as it appears to be designed with the purpose of being easily carried, retains its heat for a long time and can be eaten with the hands.  There are many recipes for pasties these days but they for the most part stick to meat, potatoes, vegetables, and gravy.

History of the Cornish Pasty (pronounced past-y not like tooth paste, but like something happened in the past)  The exact origins of the pasty are unclear, despite the modern pasty's strong association with Cornwall (located in the south west tip of Great Brittain). It became popular in Cornwall during the 17th and 18th centuries, where tin miners and other workers adopted it due to its unique shape, forming a complete meal that can be carried easily and eaten without cutlery.  Side-crimped pasties gave rise to the suggestion that the miner might have eaten the pasty holding the thick edge, ensuring that his dirty fingers (possibly including traces of arsenic) did not touch food or his mouth. Other theories suggest that miners ate the pasty from end to end, and the earliest Cornish recipe book, printed in 1929, claims that "the true Cornish way" to eat a pasty is from end to end, so that any uneaten portion could be saved for later. Any excess pastry from a miner's pasty might sometimes have been left for the knockers, capricious spirits in the mines who might otherwise lead miners into danger. There is also a humorous belief that the pastry on a good pasty should be strong enough to withstand a drop down a mine shaft. The pasty's dense, folded pastry could stay warm for 8 to 10 hours.

Traditional bakers in former mining towns will still bake pasties with fillings to order, marking the customer's initials with raised pastry. This practice was started because the miners used to eat part of their pasty for breakfast and leave the remainder for lunch; the initials enabled them to find their own pasties.

Want to eat one?  A really yummy one?  in a hip dig?  Yes I just said that. don't mock me.  it really was a cool place- A place where they want you to think that they're not trying to be cool- that it just happened naturally, but oh boy are they trying.  Just like we all are, right? ;)

Yeeeaaaahhhhh... anyway... 

We had fun with Hipstmatic again.. sorry all you who like clear pictures.  We're just weird like that.

 We love the vintage.  the imperfect.  the quirky. the artsy.

 The bar..

oh wait- i didn't mean to say we like the bar.  I just meant "here's the bar."  that's it, I swear.

 We sat European style (no seperation of parties.  You're next to whoever is at the table... see the guy behind the menu in that picture down there? He was next to Meg- I think he didn't want me to take his picture.... hmmm... ...nah. I bet he loved it.  I wish he had moved that menu though- it kept getting in the way of his face. he has a lot to learn about modeling.

 We had these wicked awesome candles to kind of seperate the two families at the table.  i'm full of fun adjectives today.

 Oh ha- heres the other "try for a cool menu picture" picture. You can't see the menu but my eye looks sweet.  I'm a cyborg.

 My yummy food- The Pilgram: roasted turkey/chicken, sweet potatoes, grilled onions and stuffing.  Served with red wine gravy and cranberry sauce. Wow. It was spectacular.  I have to say, though, that it was even better as leftovers- all of the flavors melded together. wow.  i kind of wish I had eaten less at the restaurant so that I'd have more left over. It was delectable.

My food AND my family.  It doesn't get better than this.

One of our desserts.... caramel apple cinnimon pasty served hot with icecream. It made our eyes pop out and and our tummies say "howdy" (If you don't get the reference it's ok.  I'm just that wierd anyway)

nomlicious.

The Apple Caramel was actually a dessert appetiser because they put the wrong dessert on our ticket- so they just gave us the wrong one and said "the right one will be out soon."

The right dessert was a peanut butter jelly and banana pasty with heavy whipped cream. ruh? yup. it was yummy :)

 Oh, I forgot to mention how hip the set up was- all the benches were restored church pews and the patio had booths and tables and curtains as if it were inside.  The only lighting was those wine bottle candles.   You can see two ppl at their table outside the window in this pic... (wow, this picture totally looks like it was captured in the 70's and not just because of the hipstamatic finish)

Did I mention that the candles were the only lighting?  It was pretty dark in there... I loved it.  Who wants to see their food?  pshaw. totally overrated.

 Not this dark, but you get the picture.

Go visit the Cornish Pasty Company- it is a delectably eccentric experience and you'll love it!