Look, a new banana tree grew where the other one died! I hope we can dig it up and take it with us without killing it.

And, one pod has grown on the heirloom purple podded beans. We found it today when Trent put in a bit of fence for them to grow up. Yeah, I grew two pods now! Wow, 5 more years and I'll have a meal for one. =) This toad has moved in to the garden. Mom, look, the garlic grew. I don't know if it would have grown bigger, Jewel picked it.

front yard circus

The best smoothie ever! 1 whole peeled orange, 1 whole peeled banana, a big glop of plain yogurt, 1 or 2 tablespoons of sugar if you want, a handful of frozen pineapple, a handful of frozen peaches. It is tricky to blend and takes a lot of stirring and blending, but it is worth it. Trent likes a few fresh blueberries in his.

Usually Trent finds videos for the blog. But, lately Taylor has been helping. He found the RedDwarf videos (he loves that show) and this morning he found this.

Day 3

So, today we used the Ten Terrific Weeks to further the Camelot/Middle Ages theme. That led Taylor to long for an art project. So, using another Usborne book (hate to sound like a commercial, but they are great) we came up with this. We also started to cut out the pieces for the model of the Medieval Castle (also Usborne). The game is working perfectly at continuing a theme and still mixing up our days enough to keep it fun. We studied a little on the history of the trebuchet, and of course flung some clay. The trebuchet is from Pitsco. Tata earned 15 exp. points for the dragon stained glass window. (It is drying,so we'll see the finished product tomorrow.) He also found 2 slips and made 3 connections. Altogether today earned him 23 more knollars and 17 exp. points, and a better understanding of medieval art and religion. I should say that I am not going into any additional detail about what we exactly we are studying, because it is a purchased program and therefore under copyright. However, as we move through other places there will be times when I can give more detail. Now that we have begun, I can plan the enemies and devise limits on experience points and weapons needed. They will begin appearing in the store soon. Should be fun!

This week

Thanks to a 30th Anniversary (Congrats to my Aunt and Uncle) we saw lots of family this week. Beautiful Momo!

My Cousins! I don't see them often, so it is always fun to get together. However, there are more that I didn't get pics of, and all the pics of us together are on their cameras for some reason. Anywho, these are the schemers that pulled off the surprise party. And, I don't know why, but we always take a pic of each other taking a picture of each other. That's my mom and below her is dad .

And, other than starting the game blog, things were "the usual" at our house. And, Trent went to the dentist and somehow came home with peppers for goulash. Oh, and we recieved our grain shipment. Jewel and Trevor are a knight and a princess. Trevor said he is "lightning mcqueen knight".What is it about a day off that says, "Hmmm, let's do some yardwork." And, I am not sure how it got there, but, it isn't coming out. Maybe if King Arthur comes by. Oh, that is the monster gopher tortoise. There are about 20 in the field. And, I grew one peapod! Just one, I really don't know what else to say. At least there will be ripe figs soon. And, finally here are some pics of the "school" things we did this week. Taylor made a "stained glass window" and we built and played with the trebuchet. The dragon is really great!There is a video on our youtube and the game blog. Can you guess the timeperiod we're studying. Are you surprised? =) Well, that's it. Peace

Day 2 part two

We finished the web report and Taylor set a record. He earned 4 exp. points and 63 Knollars. When he has 150 exp. points he will "level up" and add a name of his choice. Right now that is "wolf". He is currently a scholar, because everyone starts that way. He has "free" help on his web report until then also. After level one, he has to "buy" his help. I enjoy the budgeting I see him doing. I especially love that it isn't my real money involved.

Garden update

We had one day of clouds and rain a few days ago. And I realized that if I believed in that sort of thing, I would do a rain dance everyday. It's not big, but good practice. We will have to start all over soon, after the move. I can't wait to start packing.

"Day 2"

Taylor rolled a set of big interviews today , earning about 30 new slips of knowledge. And, luckily for him this space is linked to video and web resources, so it was no challenge at all to knock out quite a few. Also, it is interesting that we recently studied some of them, so it was great review. We reasearched the Middle Ages online. We were able to find some related shows on DVR from the History Channel. And, he spent quite a while laying siege to his "castle". (It was the table decoration at his birthday 2 years ago. Now I am glad I let him keep on top of the bookcase all this time.=)) However, we had a change of plans tonight, so I won't know how many knollars he earned until he finishes his "web report" in the morning. He also mentioned a few timeline entries that he wanted to make.

"Day 1" of our adventure,

We found ourselves near the Castle at Camelot. After learning about Camelot online, we began building a trebuchet. (Taylor will insert his imaginative reason why here). And this space was linked to DaVinci, so we read from How to Think Like DaVinci and completed an exercise from it. Because Leonardo DaVinci didn't live during the Middle Ages, we had to add him to the web report a different way. We used a slip of knowledge (gravity) linked to the trebuchet. Which was great because he spent some time studying DaVinci's flight machines. He really wanted the bonus pay for the 3 way connection, so of course, I let him.

He also connected a few things from the Ten Terrific Weeks Adventures in Knighthood (from Usborne Books) to the timeline scroll. So, for his hard work today he earned 2 experience points and 46 Knollars. (My game minded son insists on exp. points being a part of our game. He also made me add bad guys.)

Jellybean wants some cheese!

She also signs water, milk, flower, cookie, hot, baby, please, bath, and apple. I really love the fake tantrum! So smart!

It's been a year since we got our reel mower...

My man is so strong and smart and self-sufficient!!! Trent sharpened and adjusted the blades on my favorite mower, even though I am sure he secretly wants to replace it with a gas version. It is cutting like new again. This mower rocks; no gas, no oil changes and no broken parts. Not to mention the fitness benefits. =)

Look at how her hair has grown!! Our beautiful Jewel! So, I absolutely can not wait to read Temple Grandin's books. I just read an article about her in Discover from 2005. It was one of those that partly echoes my own sentiments and partly causes Aha! moments. This is the reason I am so glad that I saved all my old magazines. Just a few years subscriptions have become very useful. So, I've decided to read the article to Taylor during the brain part of our anatomy studies. Can't wait! Also, the game is fantastically doing the things that I created it to do. It forces him to slow down and study one topic, without getting bored long enough to gain lasting knowledge. And, he loves the idea of earning "points". I am very, very close with the game. I have filled about 5 notebooks with notes and changes, and I made 4 boards before I was satisfied. I am no artist! Now, I have to make the final master on all the supplies and it will be available on Etsy. This should be fun. I really hope that I get to see what others will do with it. Also, I am becoming a Malcolm Gladwell fan. I am reading the Tipping Point and listening to Blink, among a few others. I have driven my husband insane with the noises I make while reading. And, I am constantly reading excerpts to him. Actually, I am probably annoying Taylor,too. Oh, yes, and... Trevor is potty trained!! I am calling it today, because more times than not, he makes it. If you have ever potty trained you know what I mean. He is very unique in the way he goes, too. He gets on all fours over the seat. It is very cute. So, nothing unusual going on, just the same old growing and learning. Oh, and you should hear Trent's spanish. I am so proud of him. And, it works out great because we wanted to teach the children anyway. So, here are some new videos of the front yard fun.