Big Girl

We had a busy weekend, as usual.  Saturday morning the kids all had a dentist appointment at 8AM - an appointment that normally takes about 45 minutes total.  We had a lot we needed to accomplish so I had planned to get a long run in around 9AM and still have plenty of time to do everything else.  But, alas, plans change.  The dentist's office hired a new hygienist who must be very thorough because we weren't done until 10:15 - which blew all chances of my run right outta the water.  I barely had time for a shower!

We had to run an errand in a city about 90 minutes from home and then we had plans to meet my sister-in-law for a big event:



Baby Girl got her ears pierced!!  I had originally "planned" for it to be just me and the girls (Little One isn't sure how she feels about this - on one hand, she wants to be like her sister; on the other hand, she does NOT like pain and she saw her sister cry).  But, plans being thrown right out the window is how we roll these days so the boys and Daddy were along for the experience.  I was kinda crabby about it because, of course, they just wanted to be done and I  wanted to make it all about the experience.  Guys just don't get that this is a big day in a little girl's life!

 

At the same time, little Miss Ivy got her ears pierced, too:

 



 

You can tell by the look on her face that she's starting to suspect something, she's just not sure what...

 

All in all, I'll just say it's done and she loves them!  She really can't stop looking at herself in the mirror (Baby Girl, not Ivy.  I'm pretty sure Ivy has forgotten about the whole thing by now.)

 

Then this morning, there was a meteor shower so I took the boys outside around 5AM.  It was a bit anti-climactic as there were some clouds in the sky in the area that was supposed to be the best viewing but we did each see 3-5 shooting stars so at least it wasn't a wasted experience.  And they're signed up for the next show (sometime in mid-Dec)(If you're interested in this kinda thing, the meteor shower continues through Wed morning, with the best viewing being pre-dawn).

 

Also this week - we had our annual water balloon hunt/battle.  The kids each get a bucket and after I've hidden balloons around the yard, they find them and fill their buckets.  After they're all found, we have at it.  This year I filled around 300 balloons and invited the neighbor kids to play along.  I also recruited the other neighbor's oldest son (he's probably in his late twenties?) to help me hide them because, yinz guys, 300 is A LOT of balloons!  Next year, we're going epic - I'm going to buy bags for all of the neighbors and invite them to fill them and meet at our house for fun and refreshments!  Can't wait!  I get to be the coolest mom on the block - for about 12 minutes!

Photos

I asked them to "show me your muscles!"

The best thing...

About painting with water...

Is that it's free...

And doesn't stain!

Summer and The Next Big Race

I haven't been posting too much since summer vacation started.  I know I tend to be in the minority, but for the most part, I LOVE having my kids home.  That first week, however, is an adjustment for all of us.  We survived, and now we're enjoying each other's company again.  We signed up for the Summer Brain Games at the Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago) and haven't really started, but that's going to change today.  I'll be sure to post our successes (and failures!) so that you can see what you're missing! ;)  If you have kids, you should sign up.  Plus, if you're going to be in the Chicago area, you get one free admission.  And if you blog about it, I think you can be entered to win some sort of tech package (I haven't got to that part, yet).

Even though that first week was pretty un-scheduled we've made up for it since with plenty of visits to doctors, dentists, and surgeons.  When I had to call Aunt Jo for the third time, I asked if she could just move in! ;)  So far, the summer is shaping up to be busy but not over-scheduled.  I sometimes worry that I'm doing our kids a disservice by not having them signed up for summer sports but then I see our neighbors who spend all weekend running back and forth to two or three different fields and events and I think maybe WE aren't the ones doing a disservice.  I'm not judging...it's just not how I want my kids to remember childhood.  To each their own.

That being said, our boys are taking swim lessons for two weeks in July.  I'm excited and more than a little nervous.  I'm not a strong swimmer, primarily because I'm nearly legally blind without my glasses - the main reason I could never, ever conceive of doing a triathlon.  Ever.  But I want my boys to at least learn the basics.  I want them to have a fighting chance if the need ever arises.  Girls are next summer (Little One isn't old enough for this particular type of class).

And my next race - July 13th.  The Fireworks 5K - Run for your Heart.  This race is near and dear to my heart (no pun intended).  I signed up on a whim for the inaugural running and this will be the third year.  I also dragged my sister along.  I was surprised at where the start and finish lines are - the old hospital in town.  The place where our beloved Grandma A passed away.  From a massive heart attack.  I really think that my entire family should be participating in this somehow - walking (even just the 1 mile!), running, racing, volunteering or AT LEAST cheering us on.  You can feel that we're supposed to be there.  At first, it hits you like a ton of bricks but then, at least for me, there's a peace.  Like at least I'm doing something to prevent heart disease in my OWN body and maybe encouraging others.  My mom and youngest brother are planning to be there, I think.

This year, my sister's running the 10K.  I'm gunning for a 5K PR (personal record) of under 27:15 (my last time at this race).  Last year I PR'd with Achilles tendinitis.  I also took 1st in my age group.  I'm looking to kick butt this time, but I'll be happy with a PR.  And it would be REALLY nice to place in my bracket.  Of course, since this will be the first time we're staying for the awards ceremony I probably won't.  They also changed the course - it has typically been VERY fast - because there's a bridge that's under construction.  As in, not there right now.  For the first time, they're not hyping this up as a "very fast" course. Sigh.

S'mores by Solar Snack Set-Up

I mentioned before that we've been participating in the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry's Summer Brain Games.  We completed Week 5 Solar Snacks awhile ago but things around here are just a bit crazy.  Here's how it all went:

Mostly, the girls just supervised on this one.  You line a pizza box with aluminum foil, cover the opening with plastic wrap and place whatever you're hoping to "cook" inside on a paper plate.  We made s'mores (because that's what the directions recommended and I wasn't feeling particularly creative)(I did want to try to pop popcorn, tho, but I really wanted this to work):

 As you can see, the results were delicious:

For future reference, I would recommend NOT placing the top graham on the s'more until melting is complete (45-60 minutes) because ours just slid off anyways.

I believe we are going to skip Week 6 Take Flight because we spent all last week making paper airplanes.  Week 7:  Light Up the Night looks like a lot of fun and I'm hoping to get to it before school starts.  However, this week was Cross Country Camp - which my boys totally rocked - and we are all exhausted.  And my home is starting to house an entire family of dust bunnies.  And the laundry!  Oy!

Buoyancy

Week #4 of the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry Brain Games was Buoyancy.  In the original version, you tried to float different things to determine how/why different things float.  In our version, I made it a competition between the kids.  They each made a boat out of aluminum foil and the boat that held the most pennies won.  For the record, I made Little One's boat.

 And the winner is....Baby Girl!  It was a lesson, that's for sure!  The boys were rather disgusted that their boats didn't even come close, even though theirs definitely LOOKED more like a boat.  Hers looked more like something out of Swiss Family Robinson - a raft, maybe.  But it held 75 pennies!  Which was lucky, because that was all that I had out there with us!  I was trying to figure out how I was going to get more without Little One sinking them all.

For the record - Oldest Boy - 54 pennies; Youngest Boy - 53 pennies; Little One (and The Mommy) - 73 pennies.

The best part was splashing in the tub of water afterwards.  Geez, it's still hot here!

Next up:  Solar Snacks!  This requires the use of an empty pizza box...which we never have because I always make homemade pizza (and tonight's pizza night!).  Thankfully, my mom is going to hook us up with one on Sunday.  We're supposed to make s'mores.  None of my kids really like s'mores (which, I KNOW!).  Guess that means I'll have to eat the experiments myself! 

Bottle Rockets

We are about a week behind in our Summer Brain Games quest, but that's OK.  We'll make up for lost time this week.

Week #3 is Bottle Rockets.  I had orginally planned for this to happen during the 4th of July weekend when Mr. MOTH was home for a few extra days but that didn't work out.  Although I think he was looking forward to participating; when he read the instructions he said, "Look, boys!  We're going to get to meet the local authorities!!"  LOL!

I'll make a small admission here:  When I was working as an analytical chemist for a paint and coatings company, I was in charge of the Take Your Child to Work Day activities.  We did something very similar to this activity except it was in a sealed ziploc bag instead of a bottle with a cork.  This one requires more prep time (good, if you've got a creative child; bad if you just wanna get it done).  It's a simple chemical reaction which generates a gas that fills the volume of the container and causes an "explosion".  Cool, when you're a child.  Very cool when you're an adult. 

Because Baby Girl believes EVERYTHING needs to be decorated, we went the bottle rocket route:

 Youngest Boy was in charge of the launch pad - we had one "rocket" for boys, one for girls.

 Little One has ZERO interest in these science experiments.  She does, however, make off with the necessary equipment every time.  That's toilet paper:

 Pour a 1/4 cup vinegar into a small plastic bottle (we used 10oz water bottles); place a teaspoon or so of baking soda on 2 squares of TP and fold it up; Drop the TP in the bottle, cork it TIGHTLY, invert it on your launch pad and run like heck!!

This was too hard for the little kids.  Oldest Boy probably could have done it but there was too much confusion and fear from the others.  It only worked when I took control.  But they were still impressed when the rocket shot right out of it's construction paper wrapper.  Note:  We did not meet the local authorities. 

Next up:  Week #4 Buoyancy with aluminum foil.  I'm making it a competition between the kids - whoever's boat holds the most coins gets to keep the coins (Little One, she LOVES coins so I'm hoping to keep her attention).

Water Balloons

Last week, one of my favorite bloggers (Dawn Meehan) posted a link to the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry for their Summer Brain Games.  Now, it's no secret that I am a nerd...married to a nerd...raising 4 more so this was right up our alley!  The second week (we skipped the first one) was about a simple machine (lever) and using it to launch water balloons by assembling a catapult.  My parents hooked us up with the second galloon jug (because I only have one milk drinker and we didn't wanna wait) and Mr. MOTH and I gathered all of the other supplies the night before.  Click this link to get the directions.  Or sign up and do the rest of them along with us.  Next week is bottle rockets.  WOOT!

First we assembled our materials and followed the directions (there may have been a few minutes spent chasing a certain 3-year-old around while she ran off with, oh, I dunno, ALL OF IT).

 Then everyone got a turn to launch a balloon:

 And then some enemy artillery came in and, well, we need to regroup our forces:

 Because I am not one to be deterred by something like that, I was prepared to use Plan B for the next day(which was to have a water balloon battle the following day when the temps were higher).  In case you were wondering, this is what 150 (or so) water balloons look like:

 I got this idea from the most recent Family Fun magazine.  I "hid" the balloons around the yard similar to how the neighbor girls hide the Easter eggs.  Each kid got a bucket with the understanding that once the balloons had all been gathered they could hit whomever they wished (including me) with their ammo.  I'm not stupid.  I left about 50 balloons in the sink for MY ammo.

 The "hunt" begins!  These three shot out into the yard in search of the treasure...

 ...and they ran right past these ones!  My Baby Girl, she's smart!

Now, at this point, you're going to have to use your imagination because I wasn't about to allow them to throw water balloons at me while I held my beloved camera.  Yes, it's a point-and-shoot but it's all I've got and I CANNOT live without it.  I was shocked that they ALL enjoyed this.  With a 6-year age-range it's not always easy to find something that everyone likes.  It took me all morning to (stealthily) fill and hide the balloons.  It took 25 minutes for this whole scene to play itself out.  There was only one major meltdown (Oldest Boy COULD NOT get the balloons to break when he hit someone with them.  They just bounced right off and broke on the ground.  Let me just say that I know FOR CERTAIN that he was throwing them hard enough.  I have no idea what was up.).  This is definitely a must-do for next summer and possibly again this year.  Water balloons are cheap.  Making my kids squeal with glee is absolutely PRICELESS.

Sprinkler Fun

It's Almost Over

Just like every year, I am currently trying to cram in as much summer stuff as possible into the last few days of summer vacation (There's 104 days of summer vacation...now that song is stuck in my head. Maybe because my kids walk around singing it all.day.long). On Tuesday, we went to the lake for a picnic - something I try to do more than once but this year that didn't happen. I prefer the "South Shore" where the beach is almost non-existent and there's a nice little play area:

Taking 4 kids to the lake by myself makes me a hair nervous because none of them can swim (I know, I know). Makes my mom nervous, too. She said - DON'T GO NEAR THE WATER. Hmmm. I wasn't sure how I could accomplish that so I just, well, ignored her.
The water was a big draw. There was sand and mud and, um, water snakes (That would be why Mr. MOTH and I don't SWIM in the water. Yes, I'm a girl.)

But it sure is purty.

For the record, this is where we were when the earthquake struck the East Coast. We never even felt it. I got a text from Mr. MOTH while we were on the way home explaining how it had all gone down in his building. And then a call from my mom and a text from my brother (who STILL isn't officially a daddy yet!). Youngest Boy said, "Will the house be split in half when we get there?" I think he watches too much TV...