Solutions and Solubility Experiment

Our spring-like weather prompted me to plan a fun science experiment. James and Steven needed a break from studying Avogadro's number, molar mass, atoms, etc. 

They made ice-cream in a bag. 

Of course they also learned the science behind it.

The salt melts the ice by breaking apart the hydrogen bonds that form its hexagonal crystal lattice structure. Melting is an endothermic process (energy is absorbed from the surroundings.) The surroundings are comprised of the ice cream mixture in the bag. As energy is removed from this mixture, it will freeze into ice cream. 

To make ice cream, it's necessary to have the temperature lower than the normal freezing point of water, because addition of sugar, vanilla, and other substances used in making ice cream depress the freezing point of water. Adding salt to the ice lowers the temperature that water freezes in. 

Did you know that kneading is important to the process, since this introduces air into the mixture, giving ice cream its distinctive taste and flavor?  

Ice Cream in a Bag

gallon freezer bag

two quart freezer bag

rock salt

crushed ice

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup evaporated milk

4 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1. In the quart freezer bag, place the milk, evaporated milk, sugar and vanilla. Seal the bag
2. In the gallon bag, fill halfway with ice. Add 1 cup rock salt.
3. Place the quart bag in the gallon bag and seal the gallon bag. Knead with your hands for about 20 minutes. After this time, remove the small bag and enjoy a delicious treat!

*Note: The bag gets really cold. The kids ended up putting gloves on when kneading the mixture. 

Growth Spurt

When you live in an area where shorts are worn almost all year round, you don't notice just how much your children have grown until they put on pants due to the first cold snap of the season.  Kirsten in particular has really been going through a growth spurt. In fact, she is inching her way up to Steven's height. After taking her clothes shopping I was surprised to discover that she fit into a size 12 in pants. (She went from a size 8 to a 12 in eight months time.)

Time is Eating my Tuesdays

Do you have days that feel like this picture?

This picture depicts my Tuesdays being eaten up with:

• Meetings with our ES
• School
• Violin lessons
• Flute lessons
• Hockey Practices

The strange thing is ...

I enjoy the busyness.

I know there will come a time in the near future when I will look back on my life with fondness and miss the homeschooling, the meetings, sports practices and games, music lessons, and basically everything that comes with being a mother of teenagers and young children. 

(Well, maybe I won't miss meetings.)

One Eight

"I'm an adult now!" "Because I'm an adult, I can do...(fill in the blank)" This is what I have been listening to all day long from my birthday boy. Under US law, Justin is now legally an adult.  He can vote, join the military, and marry. An adult? Yes. A grown-up? No. 

Justin: Once you are living on your own, pay rent, have a job, use your own money to pay for things like loans and toilet paper and dinner and cars, and live without the safety net of mommy and daddy, than I will consider you an "adult".

For now, enjoy your carefree life. Enjoy having your meals cooked for you. Enjoy being with you family. I love you Justin. 

Before heading off to school, Justin enjoyed his birthday breakfast consisting of cherry bars, scrambled eggs, and bacon. 

For dinner we ordered orange chicken and some side dishes from Panda Express. Then Justin opened his presents (which was mostly money). Dave-o wanted to help him open everything.

Dave-o even monopolized the candle blowing part. 

(I should have put the powdered sugar on the lemon bars AFTER Justin blew the candles out. 

Especially when they are trick candles and took a couple of minutes to blow out. 

Happy birthday Justin!!

A Priest

 James was ordained a Priest today. He is the 17th member of the Priest quorum. In behalf of the quorum, Jeremy Pack spoke to James about what it means to be a Priest. He ended by telling him that he is a part of a brotherhood. Jonathan Estiva chimed in with, "Yah! We've got your back." 

My favorite part of the ordination was seeing Justin join in the circle of priesthood holders laying his hand on James' head. The two brothers even hugged afterward! I am proud of James for living his life worthy to hold the priesthood and pray that he will always keep himself clean. 

During fast and testimony meeting, Justin shared his testimony of prayer. Before giving blood at his school (for his first time), Justin felt scared. He said a quick prayer and immediately felt calm and at peace. After giving his testimony, Kirsten whispered in my ear, "My heart felt warm while Justin was speaking." This is proof that you never know who you're going to touch when bearing testimony. I am grateful for Justin's courage to stand before a congregation and open his heart and Spirit for his little sister to feel. 

Our Sunday was complete having Mom and Dad Zinn join us at church and afterwards dinner at our house. Now I need to prepare for Justin's birthday tomorrow!

Gold Panning Party

Drizzly weather hovered over the San Jose area for the first part of the day. However, after noon, the sun broke through the clouds giving James the perfect weather for his "Gold Panning" birthday party. 

The night before, David flattened 30 lead buckshot and spray painted them gold. He gave each boy a bag of sand with 5 gold buckshot for them to practice panning with. When they found all five, they "graduated" to pay dirt. Gold fever spread like wildfire. The boys got more excited with each flake of gold that they found.

James and Matthew

Josh and James

 Can you see the flakes of gold?

Benjamin...Blake and Matthew

Steven and Josh...David and Matthew

Jason...David and Blake

Andre

Cheers!

The boys ate root beer pulled pork sandwiches, Kirsten's chili, chips, fruit, and a variety of root beer.

Next, they went to a nearby park and met up with three other boys for a game of capture the flag. Recent rain made for a muddy game, but they're boys. They played until the park ranger chased them out.

Everyone met back at our house for some chocolate cake (with chocolate gold nuggets) and ice cream.

The night ended with watching the new Batman Rises movie upstairs in the game room. 

********

While the other boys were watching a movie, Steven and Benjamin went to a dance in Morgan Hill. This was Steven's first dance! 

Beans, Beans the Magical Fruit

The more you eat, the more you toot.

The more you toot.

The better you feel.

So eat some beans.

With every meal!

 Beans somehow got the short end of the stick when it came to marketing. What other food's primary claim to fame is making people toot? 

Beans actually have many nutritional virtues, such as a great source of fiber, high in protein, high in iron, and low in fat. Kirsten learned all about these little flatulence-producing enzymes in her cooking class. Tasting canned beans didn't appeal to Dave-o, so he hung out elsewhere this time.

Kirsten then made a large batch of chili to be used for James' birthday party tomorrow. Yum! 

(I'll have to figure out how to write the recipe for my chili. I usually just throw ingredients into the pot until it tastes good.)

Dave-o the Dinosaur

Dave-o asked that I take a picture of him being a T-Rex with his two fingers (his new obsession). He insists on wearing his dinosaur shirt EVERYDAY. (Good thing he doesn't have body odor yet.)

(He's even a dinosaur when forced to wear church clothes. But when church is over, he immediately changes into the T-rex shirt.)

The Land Before Time movies are his favorite.

Dave-o recently asked me to make spikes for his back.

Help??

A Sixteen Year Old

My once white-haired, 6lb-11oz baby boy is now a sixteen year old. Where have the years gone?!

James' seminary teacher has made a tradition of making balloon animals for his birthday kids. James requested a chameleon and was blown away at the finished piece.This was a fun way to start out his day.

Next I drove James and some of his friends home to our house for a special birthday breakfast of banana chocolate chip muffins, scrambled eggs, and bacon.

As principal of our school, I declared January 23rd a holiday. No school! (Except for Justin.)

James played a few video games and then we went bowling.

James, Steven, and Kirsten

It took a while for the ball to reach the pins when Dave-o rolled it.

After each of us bowled, Dave-o would ask, "Is it my turn?" Over and over. 

Kirsten and James

The final score.

After dinner (tomato soup and homemade bread) James opened gifts.

And ate my version of Hostess Cupcakes.

I love you James!

Happy Birthday!