Zoopendous

With this being the last day of my birthday month, I figured I had better take that trip to the S.F. Zoo that had previously been postponed twice. The weatherman promised warm temperatures in the city and we had nothing going on for the entire day. 

James brought along his friend Josh and we spent an entire afternoon enjoying the beasts of the land, the fowls of the air, and the creepy crawlies. An added bonus was being able to see the zoo through Dave-o's eyes, who experienced these strange creatures for the first time today.

Along the loop, the kids had fun posing at the various animal dropbacks. 

While stopping to eat our packed lunch, a peacock graced us with his beauty. The kids watched and followed him around for a good half an hour hoping he would fan it's tail. But all he wanted was our sandwiches. This was a favorite, most talked about "moment" of the afternoon.

A lady approached me while we were eating to express her joy in seeing another large family. She pointed out her own family of four and we chatted for a bit about the joys in homeschooling our children. I love running into people like that.

We ended the visit at the children's petting zoo anxious about Dave-o's reaction to the animals. He loved it! I am crazy about the above picture of Dave-o studying the goat. He was insistent that it was a doggie and not a goat. In the end, the ducks and geese were Dave-o's favorite.

I bought a year family pass which we intend on using many times. The kids are already asking when we can go back. Kirsten especially wants to return so that she can buy another big bag of cotton candy.

We're Drying Out

Northern California actually hit 80 degrees today. It felt wonderful to dry out from all the rain we've had. I took the kids to the park to enjoy the sun's rays on their white winter skin.

James, Steven, and Kirsten had fun playing on the equipment. Dave-o, on the other hand, would not stay put.

I am always amazed at how far his little legs will carry him. Dave-o's first inquiry was the baseball dugout.

Then he took off running onto the field and kept going and going. Until...

He heard an all-too familiar sound. Basketballs bouncing on pavement. Dave-o beelined it to the other side of the park and watched the big kids shoot hoops on the court.

Dave-o was insistent that he should play with them. But I of course said no. This resulted in a tantrum which would not end as long as he could see and/or hear those balls. Our park adventure was over at this point. I am grateful to have had a sunshiny warm day to spend with my children.

Harnessing Energy

In History class, I have been teaching the kids about the industrial revolution. They learned about Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin, the perfecting of the steam engine, and standardization. As we know, this put an end to much of "muscle labor".

James decided to build a water wheel. Once he proved it would work, he attached a club that swung around to hit a golf ball from the harnessed energy of the mill. Steven and Kirsten of course wanted to make something as well. Steven created a windmill and Kirsten a pinwheel.

Now, if only I could find a way to harness my children's energy to be distributed to myself and other exhausted mothers.

An Artist's Love

An Artist's Love

By Kirsten Zinn

Now don't you faint!

But I love to paint.

Seeing the pretty colors blend;

The paint brush is my closest friend.

My Kryptonite

When the children were little their vision was, shall we say, omnipotent? They viewed me with no fault, no guile, and no weaknesses. In their eyes I could do anything, like that of a superhero.

Now that the kids are older, they know what my "kryptonite" is; and today I was called out on one of my weaknesses by my 14 year old son. James has been bothering his younger brother a lot lately and this morning while preparing for church was no exception. I was pretty upset with his behavior and as a result the two of us weren't on very good terms for the first half of the day.

Directly after church, James and his dad went home teaching. When they returned home, I asked James how his lesson went. He said that it went well and then added, "You should read the lesson, Mom."
In other words, this is what James was really saying to me, "This lesson applies to you, Mom. You should read it and do what it says."

Ouch! My pride was deeply wounded. The Home Teaching lesson was entitled "Looking for the Good" by Pres. Dieter Uchtdorf.  I have to admit that my first feeling was that of anger and hurt. But then I remembered last week's Family Home Evening lesson that I gave on showing respect when communicating with each other. My heart was softened and I knew that this was James' way of telling me that he feels like I'm being too critical with him. As I've pondered his words and after reading the Ensign article, I know that I need to work harder on seeing the good in my children; even when they are behaving like little monsters.

Our Future

I am grateful to belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have no fear for the future of the Church. Look who will be leading it!

Reconnecting With Old Friends

I have been driving back and forth from San Jose to Gilroy lately. I've been having so much fun helping my friend, Lucy, make decorations for her daughter's wedding reception. Catching up on life with some of the old gang from the Gilroy Ward has been a blast. Last weekend I made the drive south once again so that I could attend Kessie's bridal shower. Here I was able to see more of my friends that I hadn't talked with since moving away from the Garlic Capital of the world (eight years ago). Seeing Kessie happy and in love brings so much joy to me.

This evening, we were invited back to Gilroy to have dinner at our very good friend's house. The Stewarts, Robin and Dale, were a huge part of our lives when we lived there. We did everything together. It felt like old times sitting in their home with them again, laughing and talking. Dale brought out a bunch of games for us to play which were based on the TV show, "Minute to Win it". Each person has one minute to complete the task.

Cup Stacking: Stack the cups and take them down without them falling over.

Thread the Pasta: While holding a spaghetti noodle in your mouth, you have to thread it through six penni pasta shells without the use of hands.

Blow the Cups Down: You repeatedly have to blow up a balloon to use it's air to blow the cups off the table.

Cookie Facial: Using only facial expressions, you have to move the sandwich cookie from your forehead to your mouth.

Below are videos of a hilarious game using ping pong balls and a tissue box strapped around your waist. Justin can really move his hips!

Dale ended the evening by reading a bunch of riddles for the kids to solve. We had such a blast!

The End of our Drought

I can't believe how much rain Northern California has been getting lately! Raindrops have been falling on our rooftop and heads all week long. The wet weather has been tough on Dave-o since it has prevented him from playing outside. He has been crankier than usual because he is tired of staying inside (he is an outdoor boy). Since Dave-o enjoys taking baths, he should be grateful for all the water the rain is giving us to fill up his tub.

I think this is the end to California's drought.

"Batchaberry"

 How can a sweet, little, red strawberry cause so much mayhem?

While killing time between Kirsten's science class, the boys and I drove to the nearby Walmart (as there isn't one by our house). Steven drooled up and down the Nerf aisle, James stocked up on a supply of gum, and Dave-o threw a fit over the hundreds of containers of strawberries. Over and over he screamed for some strawberries ("batchaberry"). I grabbed a couple of containers (because they did look yummy) and placed them in the cart thinking Dave-o's tantrum would stop. But no...I was wrong. He paraded behind the shopping cart doing his little "angry dance" while still screaming for the strawberries. We distracted him with balls, which of course worked, but as soon as we unloaded our goods at the check-out, Dave-o spotted the red berries. The boys and I tried to pretend this ill-behaved child wasn't ours, but he wouldn't let go of the cart that held his strawberries. After strapping my still screaming child in his car seat, I rinsed some of the berries off with a water bottle and placed one in the hand of a now quiet, happy boy.

Feet Wet

Does this picture give you a clue as to what kind of weather we've been having lately?

These past few days, Nor-Cal has experienced heavy rain, wind, tornado warnings, lightening, and today pea-size hail. Lots of it!

Being stuck inside has been driving us all a bit crazy. So, when Dave-o woke from his nap, we picked Josh up and headed to the church with the intent on playing tennis. Instead, the kids made up a new game called, "tennis dodgeball". The rules are similar to dodgeball except you're hitting a tennis ball at each other with a racket. When a team mate is hit, he/she has to sit out until a fellow team mate hits the opposite basketball backboard with the ball. This kept them occupied for two hours.

 Dave-o of course spent much of the time throwing any ball he could get a hold of while dodging the flying tennis balls. When he and Kirsten became bored, we went outside to enjoy the break in the weather.

Jumping in puddles is always fun to do. 

Everytime Dave-o splashed in the water he would excitedly yell out, "Feet wet!"

It's the First Day of Spring

Spring is my favorite season. The colors of new life make me feel alive and happy. Our nearby hills are green with patches of yellow and orange Poppies (CA state flower). On our way to church, Kirsten commented on today being the first day of spring. Then she asked if we had tomorrow off from school so that we can celebrate this wonderful season. I said no (but secretly I agree with her desire).

A Patient and Long Suffering People

For the past ten days I have been watching and reading about the horror that the people of Japan have been living through due to a 9.0 earthquake, a deadly tsunami, a radioactive meltdown in some of their nuclear power plants, and now snow. My heart is broken over the millions of people that have lost everything including loved ones and are now homeless in freezing temperatures.

Over the past few years, I have witnessed many natural disasters occurring in our country as well as around the world. In each situation, a large percentage of the affected individuals resorted to loitering, violence, and rioting as a way of dealing with their oppressed circumstance. The Japanese people, however, have done the opposite. They have been patient and long suffering. The world is watching them in amazement as they share what little food and water they have with those who have none. Theirs is an example of charity which has humbled and inspired me.

While driving the kids to their science classes last Wednesday, we discussed the current situation in Japan. In tears, I told them that in their life there will undoubtably be disappointment and heartache. But it is HOW we bear those "crosses" that will determine what kind of a person we will become. Before coming to earth, we knew that life would have it's challenges and trials. But we agreed to come here so that we could receive a body of flesh and bones. Our task in this life is to keep ourselves spiritually and morally strong so that we can rise above the tide of wickedness and hardship that will test our faithfullness.

It is our family's prayer that the people of Japan continue to remain strong. I have no doubt that they will quickly rebuild on the firm foundation that has held them up thus far.

Why are you Lucky?

 Strange things tend to happen at our house on St. Patrick's Day. Cups of water sitting out turn green along with other food items such as, pancakes and mashed potatoes. Kirsten and her friend Fiona would periodically run in the house (from playing outside) to see if any leprechauns had played more tricks.

For English, I had James, Steven, and Kirsten write an essay on "why they are lucky". Kirsten wrote about being lucky to have a best friend, James stated his luck on living in the United States, and Steven felt lucky to live in a home in California with a family that loves him. Then we made our traditional green slime. They had fun playing with it in their hands while listening to my History lesson.

Once school was over, we made yummy cupcakes with a lucky 

chocolate gold coin to top it off.

I am thankful for fun traditions.

Slime
Ingredients:
4 oz (1/2 cup) Elmer's white glue
1 1/2 cups of water (divided)
1 tsp Borax
food coloring (optional)

Directions:
Pour the glue into a bowl. Stir in 1/2 cup of the water and food coloring. In a separate bowl, mix 1 cup of water and 1 tsp. of Borax powder. Slowly stir the glue mixture into the bowl of Borax solution until it forms a ball (this happens almost instantaneously). Knead the slime in your hands until it feels dry (Don't worry about the excess water remaining in the bowl). The more the slime is played with, the firmer and less sticky it will become.

Content

It must be nice to have no worries. Ahhh...To be a child again!

A Bump in the Night

In the middle of working on my blog tonight, I heard a loud thump in one of the back bedrooms followed by a cry. I ran into Dave-o's room and found him sitting up in his crib with blood running down his lip. My first thought was, did he just have a seizure? David said that if it were a seizure, Dave-o would've bit his tongue. While comforting my little guy and trying to figure out what had caused this injury, Dave-o patted his head and said, "Ow-ee". The only scenario that I can think of is that something scared him in his sleep which caused his body to flinch thus hitting his head against the crib and biting his lip. Does that even make sense? I doubt we will ever know. Thankfully we had some frost bitten popcycles in the freezer from last summer. This stopped the bleeding on the outside and inside of his lip (he bit all the way through it). Poor baby.

Note: As you can tell from the above pictures, Dave-o has had quite the weekend. The other day, James was dragging Dave-o around by the feet on the carpet leaving a big rug burn on his forehead. We've just been telling people that he was in a fight and won.

Happy Birthday to Me

I was secretly hoping that the tenth day of March would somehow magically be postponed for a year. But, alas. My birthday arrived right on time just like it has for the past thirty-seven years. My ever graying hair, slowing metabolism, and teenage children are making me feel my age.

My family made my day very special which is what they do each and every year and I love them for this. James and I started the morning out at the gym. While we were there, David delayed going to work so that he could help the remaining children cook eggs, bacon, and toast. Before leaving to work, David wanted me to open one of my presents (from he and his parents), which was an iPad. He added a Kindle app. and downloaded a book that I had been wanting. Then he showed me what icon to touch to open up the internet. I did as I was instructed and immediately found myself reading a VERY sweet and tear jerking letter written by my husband. What a wonderful start to my day.

Next on the agenda, was a much needed trip to the dentist. It has been 6 years since I've been. We were all placing bets on how many cavities Dr. Vehahn was going to find. To my delight, he only found one. He did spend about 20 minutes scraping off all my plaque build-up. Taking care of my body was a wonderful birthday gift to myself. My dentist recommended that I have a consultation with the orthodontist (who I know very well due to two of my children seeing him on a regular basis). My bottom teeth are VERY crooked and I was told that these bones will weaken as I get older which will most likely cause my teeth to fall out. I've always wanted to get my teeth fixed and now this is just the motivation to do so (just as soon as Justin gets his off).

Justin had half day and we had planned to go to the SF zoo for the day, but mother nature decided to play a dirty trick on me: Rain was falling in SF. So, we went about our day as any normal day; with the kids attending their classes at the Grange. David made me pizza for dinner and a delicious chocolate cake for dessert. After laying
Dave-o down for the night, Kirsten and I went to the stake center to watch our two guys (David and Justin) play basketball for our ward. Justin made two three-pointers and one regular shot. David was the funnest to watch (as I'm sure you can imagine). He put everything he had into the game, including his knees when he fell to the ground to block a ball. They lost pretty bad against the single's ward, but it was entertaining.

Thank you to everyone who made my day so special!