one of my favourite songs.....

School holiday fun - card houses

week 2 of the school holiday and we're having an "at home" day today. In church yesterday Turtle busied himself building structures out of hymnbooks, and I thought that I would introduce him to card houses... The boys have been working hard at it for an hour now, trying to build 3 tiers. I am impressed with their patience and concentration. Every time their structures collapse, they start up again, tweaking the design slightly to make it more balanced and sturdy.

that's my girl

Here's Little Possum clutching a bunch of clovers. She said they are "lady-clovers". When I asked her why, she said "because they are pretty". Makes perfect sense.

Little Possum has very strong opinions on what to wear which occasionally leads to some eclectic ensembles. Sometimes I am tempted to interfere if the outfit is a little hard on the eyes, but I made a decision a long time ago that I would let her pick her own clothes as long as she is dressed appropriately for the weather and not attempting to go rock-climbing in a fairy dress. To give her credit, she usually does pretty good. Today she was very colourful. Matches her personality!

Kitchen chemistry experiment

Turtle had a science project for school which required demonstrating a reaction using kitchen "chemicals". We figured there'd be quite a few vinegar/bicarb soda volcanoes, so we thought we'd try something different. We settled on making a "Acid or Base?" demonstration:

First we needed a reliable indicator - the water from boiling red cabbage is perfect:

Our test substances:

Vinegar turned the indicator pink=acid Bicarb soda: blue/green = base

I, at least, was happy to see that our washing up liquid was neutral... must be better for my hands :)

lemon - no surprises there.... beautiful, pink colour.

Turtle documented the experiment, took photos and later repeated it in front of his class.

Rowan of Rin - a Doodlebug book review

"Rowan of Rin is an excellent fantasy book. It is a compulsory asset to any magic or fantasy lover's bookshelf.

Rowan of Rin is the first of five books, each with its own unique twist. Rowan of Rin (the first book) is when the water for the bukshah (half cow half sheep creatures) stops flowing from the mountain which causes a huge argument. Should a party be sent to investigate or should the town wait to die?

Anyone who enjoyed reading Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings or even Eragon will love this book. I highly recommend this book for book lovers.

Unpredictable, shocking, non-stop! If you like this you must read Rowan of Rin"

(this was Doodlebug's entry in the UNSW competition in writing this year.... I'm a proud momma)

wrapped in my love

found late one evening as I was heading off to bed: One Turtle asleep on my office chair wrapped in the quilt I made him. As the middle child, he treasures all the occasions where he's special. He was the first of the children to receive a "grown up" quilt of his own and when I gave it to him his eyes lit up in a way that I will remember and treasure. Turtle - know that I love you and my quilt represents all the hugs I have in my heart for you!