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We are in touch with the local Fresh Air representative and she has put an application in the mail to us. We will fill that out and then there will be a home visit. We are very excited about the prospect of our visitor this summer.
In my local paper today, I found out aobut an organization called Fresh Air Fund. This group has a Friendly Town program where hosts from rural and suburban areas host an inner-city child for two weeks in their home during the summer. You can pick the age and gender of the child. The website says that 65% of the children are invited back the following year by the host families. This is a great opportunity to make a difference in the lives of a child and of your own family. Check out the website and see if you are in an area eligible to participate.
We will keep you posted on the progress of this adventure.
Some weeks just seem to be piled higher than others. This past week was one of those weeks. Monday afternoon was our go to town and get groceries day. We also went by the library and the bank and ran a couple of other shopping errands.
Tuesday, Harmony Co-op, that ran for most of the 2005-2006 school year got together for an end of the year party. We ate good food, talked about the year past and the year ahead and in general had a great time. It was a little sad as some of the children are heading off to public school next year, but we are determined to keep in touch. We were comprised of 7 great families. The kids got along well and the parents gelled well. It was a pleasure and we all learned a lot.
Tuesday afternoon, Katrina met with Jack's piano teacher and we set up her lessons which will begin next month. Then Jack had a group lesson to attend.
Wednesday, we were supposed to go to another co-op, but Katrina was exhausted and I couldn't wake her until about 10:30. Plus I was feeling a little on the ill side. We were also supposed to go to a Geology meeting that evening, but we skipped that as well.
Yesterday, we went on another field trip to the Old City Cemetery. We learned more about archaeology and the Old City Cemetery, bees, and toured some of the buildings. We picniced and chatted, then headed for home.
In between all of that, I was trying to get the house cleaned, laundry done, Ebay packages shipped, and some other odds and ends taken care of. I cleaned out the car and the Suburban, I mowed. I weedeated. I wrote 40 ads for VaBay (a company in Lynchburg that I work for) And today I am packing up because tomorrow we are headed to the beach for 9 days! I can't wait!!!!! I have made my lists. I am completeing the last of the laundry and I need to clean the hamster cages. Tonight Jack has his end of the year piano recital and awards ceremony...
Tomorrow is coming, tomorrow is coming....we love the beach and are thrilled to be able to go and to stay for such a long time.
Tuesday afternoon, Katrina met with Jack's piano teacher and we set up her lessons which will begin next month. Then Jack had a group lesson to attend.
Wednesday, we were supposed to go to another co-op, but Katrina was exhausted and I couldn't wake her until about 10:30. Plus I was feeling a little on the ill side. We were also supposed to go to a Geology meeting that evening, but we skipped that as well.
Yesterday, we went on another field trip to the Old City Cemetery. We learned more about archaeology and the Old City Cemetery, bees, and toured some of the buildings. We picniced and chatted, then headed for home.
In between all of that, I was trying to get the house cleaned, laundry done, Ebay packages shipped, and some other odds and ends taken care of. I cleaned out the car and the Suburban, I mowed. I weedeated. I wrote 40 ads for VaBay (a company in Lynchburg that I work for) And today I am packing up because tomorrow we are headed to the beach for 9 days! I can't wait!!!!! I have made my lists. I am completeing the last of the laundry and I need to clean the hamster cages. Tonight Jack has his end of the year piano recital and awards ceremony...
Tomorrow is coming, tomorrow is coming....we love the beach and are thrilled to be able to go and to stay for such a long time.
I read an interesting story today about a gentleman who bequeathed 12,000.00 a year to the First Lady of the United States to be used as she chooses. What a neat idea!
New Hummingbird found in Columia. The newly discovered Gorgeted Puffleg is threatened due to the slashing and burning in the area by cocoa farmers.
The Sonoran Pronghorn, North America's fastest land animal, has been brought back from the bring of extinction. Five years after drought whittled the deer-like animal's population to a handful, pushing it to the brink of extinction, its numbers are back above 100.
Warming threatens migratory birds.Disoriented by erratic weather, birds are changing migration habits and routes to adjust to warmer winters, disappearing feeding grounds and shrinking wetlands, a migration expert says. Failure to adapt risks extinction. Birds face starvation when they arrive too early or too late to find their normal diet of insects, plankton or fish. In the north, some birds have stopped migrating altogether, leaving them at risk when the next cold winter strikes.
Rare, soft-shelled turtle found in abundance at previously unknown nesting site. "We thought it might be almost gone, but found it in abundance in this one pristine stretch of the Mekong, making the area the world's most important site for saving this particular species," David Emmett, a CI wildlife biologist, said in the statement. Previously, this rare turtle was thought to be on the brink of extinction.
More than 700 previously unknown species have been discovered in the lightless depths of Anarctica waters. Most of the new life forms discovered were isopods, a vast order of crustaceans ranging in size from microscopic to nearly 30 centimetres (10-inches) long. Of 674 species cataloged, more than 80 percent had never been previously identified. The expeditions also turned up 160 species of snail-like gastropods and bivalves, along with 76 types of sponges, 17 of them new to science.
There are several interesting articles in the science world today, so I'll provide links here so you will be sure to get a chance to read them.
Goggles Offer 3 D Views of Storms: This is very cool! In Japan, scientists have taken data from past storms or other natural phenomenoa and plugged it into a system that literally enables them to be inside the storm and make new observations. They also say they are better at predicting the weather than the weather people are.
Examples of Early Roman Dental Work Discovered.
Get Out there and Clean those dirty windows or you could be contributing to air pollution!
I do not claim to understand what dark matter is, but I think it is interesting that it has gravity and that gravity bends light. Below is a photo from the Discovery Channel of what scientists say is evidence that Dark Matter exists.
I live just outside of Lynchburg, VA. When I was growing up, Jerry Falwell was a name brought often to my attention because of the area we lived. Most people in my circle didn't have particularly nice things to say about hi. My parents didn't like his constant appeals for money for his many programs and ministries, partially because my great grandmother would send him money that she should have used for items like food and medicine.
When I went to the College of William and Mary, I was disturbed by the fact that when I introduced myself in my Freshman classes and mentioned I was from Lynchburg, VA, the professors always asked if I knew Jerry Falwell. This fretted me because there are 75,000 people in this town and I didn't equate Lynchburg with Jerry Falwell. But people around the world do.
Last Christmas, I went to the Living Christmas Tree at Thomas Road Baptist Church. The first half, we loved. The second half got a bit preachy and during the show, Reverend Falwell stood up and asked for money to support one of his ministries. I couldn't believe it. I had already paid 10.00 a ticket to go and now he was asking for more money...it didn't leave a pleasant taste in my mouth.
However, despite the fact that there are things that have bothered me about Reverend Falwell over the years, I respect the man. And I was saddened to hear of his sudden passing yesterday. WSET is the local television station and if you want news of the local variety and to see the impact that Reverend Falwell's passing is having on our community, it is a great place to go for stories.
Reverend Falwell has left behind a lasting legacy in our town. He was instrumental in starting a private school, formerlyLynchburg Christian Academy, now Liberty Christian Academy. He also founded Liberty University. He is pastor of a church that has a congregation of 24,000 people. He is instrumental through the university for providing a place for local high school graduations, lots of sporting events, conferences, and concerts. We have an ice rink in Lynchburg due to his vision. Countless lives have been touched by Reverend Falwell and have been blessed for it.
I am grateful for all he has done for our community. My thoughts and prayers to go out to his immediate family and his church family. He was a good man and he helped many keep the faith even after pastors like Swaggart and Bakker trampled on it. Godspeed, Reverend Falwell. You will not be forgotten.
If you have never visited a Homeschool Carnival, now is a great opportunity. Anne, at Palm Tree Pundit is from Hawaii and has some beautiful flowers to share with us as well as lots of great articles from homeschoolers. So grab a cup of coffee and go check it out!
And by the way, I have an article there too this week:)
I had a fantastic Mother's Day today and would like to thank my family for providing me with such a lovely day. This morning, the children and I surprised my mom by showing up at her church. She is in the choir and saw us, she took a deep intake of breath! It was the best. It was even neater because as we waited for the service to begin, several people came up to say hello and I introduced ourselves and told them why we were there and they felt like they were part of the secret.
Then I came home and my seven year old fixed me a healthy choice meal in the microwave and poured me a soda. Then the kids and I watched a movie, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, while I played racing games on my Nintendo DS. Then my sweet husband and children took me out to eat at the Chinese Buffet. I had my picke of places, and that was the high on my list. I would have liked to go to another place where there was better sushi, but there was nothing there that the kids liked, and I would have felt terrible having my Mother's Day dinner like that;)
Then we came home. I got out my puzzle felt, sat on the back deck and worked on a puzzle for about 1 1/2 hours while we talked about our upcoming beach trip. I did the few dishes from today while my son played the piano, then I spent a couple of hours playing Paper Mario on the Nintendo Wii. All of the things I did today are things I enjoy doing, but never have time for.
Thanks, guys! I feel relaxed and loved and special and I am ready to hit the ground running tomorrow:) And that's a good thing, because we have a busy, busy, busy week!
You know, we all wonder it...are we teaching our children the important things they need to know in life? Are they hearing our message? Are we getting through? Well, I see signs in my children that they are getting it and there couldn't be a more wonderful gift on this Mother's Day.
My daughter made a new friend at Awanas. I had met the mother briefly during pick up time and Katrina and K.K. really hit it off. K.K. came to my daughter's 7th birthday party and they all had a great time. And what is really cool is they are only a few minutes from our house (and we are 30 minutes from everything!) So at the end of Awanas last month, K.K.'s mom invited Katrina to come and spend the night. It happened that it fell on the same night as my husband's birthday and we usually try to do something just the two of us for part of that day, so i was thrilled. I told her that sounded great, and we would talk later in the week.
Well...I get in the car and mention this to the kids and Jack's first response was..."But, Mommy, you don't really know those people!" Wow! He was so right and I had just let that fact slide under the rug. In the end, it didn't work out for Katrina to spend the night, but yesterday she and K.K. met for a fun afternoon of play and I got to know the family a bit better. I even told Cindy what Jack had said and she was impressed that he was thinking along those lines.
Katrina had a great time with her friend and when I went to pick her up, she wanted to stay for the night. I told her it wouldn't work this time, but we would do that soon. On the way home, she was recounting how much fun she had...but then said..."Mommy, they all smoke, except for K.K. and she says she is never going to smoke. I am glad she isn't going to do that and I hope her parent's can quit. Dianne (step-grandmother) told me it is really hard to quit."
And then she told me that they had a brownie snack and that K.K. threw the wrapper on the ground. Katrina told her friend she shouldn't do that because that was littering....
Imagine me jumping up in the air and saying 'yes! ' Of course I didn't as I was driving, but I was thrilled that my daughter was picking up on important lessons and wasn't afraid to share her viewpoints with others. I only pray that she and Jack both continue on this path.
Today I was reading about all of the events occuring in Jamestown this week as part of the beginning of their 400th anniversary celebration. Along with the opportunity for visitors to watch archaeolgists at work, the chance for people to tour the reconstructed town and a large variety of other events including a speech by President Bush, there is a crew that set off yesterday to follow Captain John Smith's trail of exploration around the Chesapeake. They are sailingin a boat designed like his and made by many of the same tools. They are going to attempt to complete the 121 day journey using only sails and oars. And they will be christening the first National Historic Water Trail. It sounds like a great adventure!
So I read to the bottom of the article and there at the end was a blurb about 70 protestors outside of Jamestown shouting "Black Power" and "Red Power" and protesting the fact that we were 'celebrating' the anniversary of a town that was the beginning of the decimation of Native Americans and where the first slaves in the United States were brought to.
What the heck is wrong with these people? We are celebrating the founding of our country. And like all countires, there are good things and bad things, but ultimately, we are celebrating the beginning of a great nation and we are celebrating the triumph of man over his environment and tremendous odds. I am sorry about slavery, but I also get tired of people acting like Americans were the only ones to participate in this foul institution. Slavery still exists today. The slaves that we obtained from Africa were sold to us by other Africans who also kept slaves themselves. Native Americans also had slavery, but the slaves were quickly assimilated for the most part. Can we give this a rest? Can we move forward instead of dwelling in the past?
I am more sad about the treatment of Native Americans. They were here first, after all. We did horrible things to these first settlers to America. But we can't go back and undo what has been done. We need to focus on today and strive to do better and to help the people we have hurt in the past, within reason. We cannot go back and make restitution to people whose forefathers were slaves. We cannot return land to the Native Americans that we took by force, by treaty and by lies.
But we can continue to work towards an integrated and fair and equal society. And I for one am celebrating, not merely commemorating the founding of Jamestown and the courage of those who laid the foundation for America.
Hi! I thought I would join in the Friday Feast meme! If you'd like to see what others have to say, check out the original post HERE!
Appetizer
Tell about a time when you had to be brave.
When the doctor recommended that my 18 month old son have a brain MRI done because his head was so big. As an ex-Early Intervention worker, I knew about hydrocephaly and I was terrified. But I played it normal for Jack because I didn't want him to be scared. Turns out he just has a lot of grey matter:)
Soup
Which upcoming movie are you excited about seeing?
Pirates of the Caribbean 3 and Harry Potter 5. I am counting the days!
Salad
Name an item you try to always have on hand.
Ketchup...my husband and son love ketchup! But really, we keep a lot of stuff on hand. The closest convenience store is 10 minutes away, the closest other stores 20 or so...I make one trip a week to the store and otherwise, we do without. So when it comes to things like toilet paper...that's always on hand:)
Main Course
Imagine the most relaxing room you can think of. Now describe it!
A well lit room with lots of windows to let in light and allow me to look out on trees and a small pond and bird feeders. There would be huge comfy chairs to curl up in with good books or a favorite craft and there would be a table for playing board games or for working a puzzle. There would be music softly playing in the background and a fireplace along one wall. Soft, plush throw rugs on the hardwood floor.
Dessert
On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being highest), how spiritual or religious are you?
I am going to say a 5. I am more religious than many, not as religious as many others. I read from my bible, talk with God and attend church. But I don't do any of these as regularly as I should and it is easy for the time to do these things to be filled with other things like work and taking care of my family.
We are very lucky to live in an area of the United States rich in history. Now, I know that compared to Europe and Asia and Africa our history is short, but still for this side of the ocean, we do have a fair amount of history in our back yard. The Revolutionary War, the Civil War and all the things in between and after.
So when we go to pick a place to go on a field trip, our problem is not finding something to do, it is choosing what to do. I belong to a homeschool group that has a field trip database. Right now we have about 43 ideas on our list and that is by no means all the possibilities.
So today we went to visit the Old City Cemetery. This is a real treasure. You may be thinking a cemetery is not exactly a plac eyou would want to visit, but there is so much history here and so much to learn. There is a Confederate section to the cemetery. They are well known for their antique roses. They have a composting section and they have brought in buildings to preserve the history of the area. There is also a 'Kids Haven' area. Here you can find a swing hanging from a towering oak that kids love to swing on. It is situated on a hill, so as you go to your farthest point, you feel like you are flying off the edge of the world. Even grown-ups love to give it a whirl. There is a place to sit in the grace, read a book, enjoy a picnic and just escape from the world for awhile.
Today we first took advantage of Kids Haven, then we went on a 2 hour tour. They really pack a lot into that two hours! First we got some history of the cemetery. Information on who was buried there (it was the only cemetery in the area in the 1800s where people of color could be buried (black, American Indian, Chinese, etc). We learned about items that were left near tombstones and their significance (in Victorian times, a broken wheel might symbolize what the person did in life, but it also symbolized that the circle of life was broken). We examined cornerstones of family plots and tombstones. We even saw a tombstone that had been repaired after it had been excavated from a tree that it had grown up next to it.
Next we visited their composting site and learned how to make our own composting bins and worm bins. The kids loved holding the worms (except for my son, Jack who said he was afraid of them).
Then we headed to the frog pond where a local naturalist and employee of the local Parks and Recreation department met us and told us about Frogs. She played frog sounds for us and we tried to guess which frog we were hearing. She showed us what the different frogs and toads looked like. She had captured tadpoles from the pond for us to watch and then she let us look at a couple of her frogs and even pet one of them. While we were in this session, it began to rain. A nice spring downpour, but we were sitting under a willow and didn't get completely wet. The kids were thrilled that it was raining on us!
Then it was off to the Pest House where we learned some about 19th century medicine and the instruments they used. The guide there showed us old medical instruments and compared them to their modern day counterparts. At this point, the older kids were still very interested, but the younger ones were ready to leave (we had children in our group ages 3-10).
Lastly, some of us went to visit the goats that live at the Old City Cemetery. They were happy to have some visitors.
You just never know what you might find at a cemetery near you. Next week, we are going with another group to the same place but for different tours. I'll let you know how it goes!
Hurricane Season is fast approaching (normally June until November), but this year, we are getting an early storm that has developed off the Florida coast. Subtropical storm Andrea. She is early by a few weeks and she isn't a huge storm, but still enough to have storm watchers getting their gear together and doomsayers to start wailing about the end of the world and global warming.
I have always loved storms and been intrigued by them. Thunderstorms and Hurricanes. Tornadoes and Blizzards. When storms are heading my way, you can find me glued to the Weather Channel trying to predict which way I think the storm will track. I have been fascinated by weather and the might of nature since I was a child. I don't like the devastation, but the beauty of a storm is inescapable to me.
One of my earliest memories came in the wake of Hurricane Camille in 1969. I was just barely 3 years old and I can remember my father driving my mom and me through Nelson county and pointing out where mountainsides had been washed away (along with the lives of many). Camille was the second Cat 5 storm to hit the U.S. in the 1900s and its highest clocked sustained winds were 190 mph!
When I was in elementary school, we watched a film about Camille. I couldn't believe that the storm that had caused so much damage here in Virginia had first destroyed Biloxi Mississippi. I was fascinated by the people who refused to obey warnings and leave the area, but insisted on hanging out and having hurricane parties. I was astounded at how the fury of the hurricane could wipe out man's sturctures and imprint on the land in a matter of hours. I have been hooked ever since.
I always had a special fondness for thunderstorms. The wind whipping in the trees, the rain pounding on the room, the lightning streaking across the sky and the thunder rattling the windows in the house. I remember sitting on the front porch of our trailer with my dad and watching storms approach. We could literally see it start raining about 1/2 mile or so down the road and could watch as it approached our home. A very cool thing!
Hurricanes often bring rain and even flooding rain and heavy winds to our area here in the foothills of Virginia. The next brush I really remember though was Hurricane Gloria. I was a sophomore at the College of William and Mary. My mom, dad and grandmother had come to Williamsburg to visit for parent's weekend. We started hearing about Hurricane Gloria and suddenly, it was said that she was predicted to make landfall and come in over top of Williamsburg. You can only imagine the panic that ensued at a college gearing up for Parent's weekend and having over 5,000 students that they had to figure out how to protect. There really wasn't any getting out of town, it all happened so fast. My family decided to hunker down in the hotel. My roommates and I put masking tape on the windows, we weighted down Marilyn's MG Midget and then I went to stay at the Russian House with my fiance and friends. My folks wanted me to come be with them, but I was madly in love and wasn't about to leave my fiance's side. The winds howled, the rain came...but that was it. Gloria had a mind of her own and didn't make landfall there and the Category 4 hurricane moved northward and eventually struck Long Island as a moderate hurricane with winds of 85 mph. There were a few huge trees knocked down on campus, but the next day was one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. My experience shows the day after these tremendous storms are always exceedingly beautiful. A promise from God that all is okay and that the storm has passed on.
There have been other storms: big ones, small ones and I have watched all of them with interest and concern and fascination. When Florida got hit by four good size storms in 2004, I was glued to the screen. I couldn't believe this constant barrage. I have family and friends in Florida and we were constantly worried about what was going on there. It seemed that the citizens of Florida couldn't get a break. But at last the weather cleared and people began to rebuild.
Then in 2005, we joked as we saw the list of names that might be given to hurricanes that year. My daughter, Katrina, was tickled to see her name was a possibility. Then as the storms kept happening, we realized there would be a Hurricane Katrina. She thought it was neat at first, but my 5 year old daughter who regularly saves caterpillars from ants and spiders and who loves all animals, was horrified by this monster storm that had the same name as she. In the days and weeks that followed, people who knew us would tease her about being Hurricane Katrina until I had to make it clear that they had to stop. She was heartbroken for the loss that had occured and the animals that were homeless. Time has passed, and she doesn't get the comments that she used to, but still, every now and then, when introduced to a stranger, they will mention it. This monster storm that devastated one of the most beautiful cities in the United States will forever be linked with my daughter.
Today, I was reading about Andrea and saw the list of other names on tap for the 2007 season.
Andrea
Barry
Chantal
Dean
Erin - my children have a good friend named Erin
Felix
Gabrielle
Humberto
Ingrid
Jerry
Karen - I have several friends named Karen
Lorenzo
Melissa - uh oh...that's me!!!!!
Noel
Olga
Pablo
Rebekah
Sebastien
Tanya
Van
So I will be watching with fascination and trepidation. Melissa is a long way down the list. Part of me hopes we don't make it that far, and part of me can't help but be fascinated with the idea.
As a disclaimer, I want to restate that I am devastated by the damage these storms do to peoples homes and lives. But like a car accident on the side of the road, when a storm is coming, I can't help but watch and be intrigued and amazed.
Above is a picture of one of 55 murals found in a cave complex in Nepal. These stunning murals depict the life of Buddha. The shepherd actually made the discovery decades ago when sheltering in the caves during a storm. But he only recently realized their importance when mentioning them to a scientist in the area.
"What we found is fantastically rich in culture and heritage and goes to the 12th century or earlier," U.S. writer and conservationist Broughton Coburn told the Associated Press.
Included among the sprawling complex are manuscripts written in Tibetan, pre-Christian artifacts, pottery shards, and a number of smaller paintings.
The above photo and information are from National Geographic Website.
The Theft and the Miracle by Rebecca Wade is a book about teenagers. One in particular, Hannah Price, goes through her life not feeling the best about herself (she is overweight and has acne), but she also has a talent and that is she is an artist. But she doesn't lord it over others, in fact, she is one who is always helping others. She lends a coat to someone who doesn't have hers, she buys a snack for someone who has lost her money, she visits a lady pretty much every week and does her shopping for her(the lady suffers from agoraphobia). She thinks well of others and even when she has been hurt, she doesn't lash out at them.
In this story, she has an amazing moment in a Cathedral where she is compelled to sketch a centuries old statue of Mary and the baby Jesus. Within hours, the baby part of the statue is stolen and Hannah is in a race against time to find it and return it to its rightful owner. Her best friend, Sam, a teacher, a bishop and Gabriel, the archangel are just a few of those who help her in her quest. A delightful read and great reinforcement of how we can make God's wishes reality.
This is Rebecca Wade's first book, I look forward to many, many more! The book is designed for children ages 9 and up, but even my 7 year old got caught up in the story.
In spite of the fact that no inscriptions have been found, the location and style have led archaeologists to believe that it is indeed the tomb of King Herod that was discovered a few weeks ago on the West Bank. This is a very interesting archaeological even as it adds to the hsitorical fact found in the Old Testament.
Giulio Magli has published a book, Secrets of the Ancient Megalithic Towns. In his study, he studied 38 Italian towns that date back to Roman times. He studied the orientations of their streets and has come to the conclusion that Romans used Astronomy when laying out their towns. By determining this fact, then it will enable scientists and archaelogists to learn more about what the Romans knew about astrology.
The Holiday is a romantic film by Nancy Myers and has a lot of big names in it: Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Kate Winslet and Jack Black. If you enjoy a heartwarming, romantic comedy, you will love this movie. If you have wondered what could happen if you just picked up and basically exchanged your life with a stranger, then you will also love this movie. It is definitely a 'chick flick'. My husband bemoaned the fact that no one was killed, there was nothing blown up, etc. I found the movie captivating and found myself smiling a lot as sweet moments occured.
This is a story of two women who are having love life and personal problems. They find one another through Home Exchange and within a day, they have left their troubles behind and journeyed to new lands. Kate Winslett, who has very little self-respect, finds a bushel! Her outgoing personality attracts those around her and while she is helping others, in the end she helps herself to become stronger.
Cameron Diaz is a powerful, wealthy woman who is emotionally blocked. Her journey into love finds her overcoming past sorrows and learning that loving and taking chances can be very rewarding.
Jack Black and Jude Law melted my heart with their smiles. They both did a fantastic job. I highly recommend this movie!
We don't go see a lot of movies when they first come out. One reason is that going to the movies is very expensive. Another reason is that we don't often have the opportunity to go out on a date night. Yesterday was my husband's birthday. We went to see Spiderman 3. We really liked the firs two Spiderman movies and in particular thought that number 2 was fantastic. This one left us both feeling let down. There are tons of special effects, though when you are having fights where people are zooming around in the air, it is a bit hard to follow.
Toby MaGuire and Kirsten Dunst seemed tired to us. In fact Toby seemed to be enjoying his role the most when he was in his 'bad spidey' mode. The rest of the time, his performance was a bit ho hum.. It was very reminiscent of the last movie where Spidey is once again trying to come to grips with his inner demons. That story was fantastic the first time, the second time around made it become trite. And there are no real bad guys in this movie. They all come off as simply being misunderstood and flawed human beings.
There is the Green Goblin Jr, who is also Spidey's best friend, but who wants to kill him because he mistakenly believes Spidey killed his dad. He spends a lot of anger trying to defend his dad who never really gave a hoot about him anyway. And when Spidey finally points this out, we are supposed to feel like Spidey should have kept his mouth shut, but I felt like saying, yep, the kid needs to know the truth.
At another part in the movie, Spidey turns in a photographer who faked a photo. Not only did the faked photo originally cost Peter Parker a steady job, but it also defamed Spidey. Again, it seems we are supposed to be angry with Parker, when in fact he did the right thing. And he does yell at his landlord in one scene about a door that sticks, the handle falls off, etc and again we are supposed to be shocked by Parker's behavior, but given the fact that this makes it almost impossible for him and others to get into the apartment, it doesn't seem all that out of place.
So the photographer becomes another bad guy, and he is the closest to being a real bad guy. But we are supposed to go...well, gee, Spidey cost him his job, took his girl...no wonder he turned to the dark side...
Then there is the Sandman. The person who really shot Peter's uncle. There is a whole lot there and I don't want to blow it for you, but again, we are to feel sympathy for this character.
The only truly 'bad' guy is the alien in the movie and he's just living the way he was designed to, so even here are shades of grey.
There were also things that don't make sense. Things that should kill people don't. Things that seem less harmful have them on the brink of death. Mary Jane's promising career that took off in Spiderman 2, hits a snag but it seems contrived just to make more problems. Can't have Spiderman too happy. Why is it that Spiderman, like Batman seems to always have to fight these internal personal issues?
If you like special effects, definitely go see this on the big screen. Though if you are lucky enough to live near a dollar movie, I would wait until it gets there. Otherwise, just so you know what happens with Spidey, you should wait and watch it at home.
Here are two photos I found at the National Geographic Website.
1. This is a photo taken from space of a volcanic eruption on Jupiter's moon Io. Isn't is spectacular!? And isn't it cool that we can take photos of other planets and moons? The plume of gas vaulted over 200 miles into the air.
2. The < a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/05/070503-oldest-lobster.html?source=rss">oldest Lobster fossil on record was found in Mexcio...boy, wouldn't this guy have filled up a houseful of guests!
This story makes me chuckle. For every time the scientist proclaim they know the answer, there are a hundred times where they are still trying to figure things out!
In this case, it turns out that Mercury's core is molten which explains it's weak magnetic field, but scientists are unsure of how it has maintained its molten middle so close to the sun. One question answered...another dozen asked!
Here are three stories I ran across today that I thought might be interesting to others.
Stay At Home Mom's Work Worth $138.095 (and I am wondering where my paycheck is!)
Jack Ripper Id'd? Still this mystery continues to taunt criminologists and historians.
Honey bees don't just make honey. In fact, they are the sole pollinator for almonds. They are also the major pollinator for citrus fruits and apples. This is why there are great concerns about the current die off of the honeybee population. Even cattle can be affected as they are fed on afalfa which is pollinated by bees! The honeybee population has been in decline for years due to parasites that have invaded the colonies. When I was a child, there were honeybees all over my yard. Now I am tickled when I see one and that happens rarely, like once or twice a year!
Colony Collapse disorder has claimed about 1/4 of the bee population this past year. There have been periods of die offs like this in the past and the cause is really unknown. Theories abound as you can read about at the above link. But no one knows for sure and when you don't know the cause, preventing the problem is pretty much impossible.
Here is a quote listed on the Wikipedia page that is attributed to Albert Einstein, but no one knows for sure:
"If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man."
To me, this problem seems way more serious than any other problem out there. And can you imagine how the cost of fruit will continue to skyrocket? I went to purchase apples the other day. I needed them for an experiment. They were 2.00 a pound! How many apples are in a pound? These were 1/2 pound each which means I got 2 apples for 2.00. This is why people are eating more junk and less good stuff. The good stuff is more expensive and people can't afford it! And just so you know these weren't huge apples. I have seen bigger. They weren't the smallest either, but they didn't have any little ones.
I am not a scientist and I don't have the ability to change this situation, but I do want to make others aware of it.
This is an interesting story about a couple who built a town from scratch with their own money and hard work. It is inspiring and a good reminder of what we can accomplish!
If you want to study Insects, here is an opporunity for you to get a free mini unit study and to possibly win a ladybug habitat! Check out the Experimental Zone for all the information!
A couple of months ago, I borrowed a book from the library on Art. It was an interesting book, but unfortunately I can't remember the title of it. What I liked most about it was that it helped teach me about the styles of different artists and then it had activities to do that would in some way relate to the artist. So we decided to use one of these to make three inexpensive and lovely Mother's Day gifts. (We paid about $6.00 total for all three gifts), but we spent a couple of hours creating our master pieces.
Here is how we made our masterpeices (and each is different)....
Materials:
Old magazines or seed catalogs
Scissors
White Glue
Water
Small Bowl
Flower Pot
Potting Soil
Flower seeds or bulbs
1. Cut out several pictures of flowers from magazines
2. Mix equal amounts of glue and water in a bowl. Dip one cut-out picture in the glule solution, covering it entirely. Place it on the side of the flowerpot, smooothing down the edges. Repeat for the remaining pictures, slightly overlapping each piece. Let dry.
3. Fill the flowerport with soil, plant a few flower seeds, and add water. (We chose forget-me-nots). Place your pot in a sunny spot and watch your garden bloom.
4. We took a sharpie marker and wrote around the undecorated rim "Happy Mother's Day 2007, Love, Daniel, Melissa, Jack and Katrina"
It was fun, easy and made a cool gift!
A couple of years ago, my daughter watched the movie "Ella Enchanted". She liked this spin of the Cinderella tale and I liked the fact that the while the young lady lived happily ever after in the end, she had to work a bit for that happiness. It seemed a bit more real life to me. I didn't know the movie was based on a Newberry Honor book.
A few weeks ago, my son saw the book on DVD at the local library and we checked it out. Right away I knew there was a lot more to the book than had been in the movie. I believe the movie runs about 1 1/2 hours. The book was listed as being 5 hours and 42 minutes long.
It was fantastic! We were enchanted from the beginning when we meet Ella and her mother and learn of the fairy curse which makes Ella be obedient to all who order her. We went through the sadness of Ella's mother dying and then we were taken on a magical journey complete with ogres, fairies, elves, handsome princes, centaurs and more. Ella tried time and time again to break her curse. She tracked down Lucinda who had given her this 'gift' but Lucinda only told her to be happy to be obedient. Ella made a huge sacrifice, but in the end it was her love and sacrifice that overcame the curse.
I was a little disappointed when Ella ended up with glass slippers, was attending three royal balls and had to be home before midnight when the coach would turn back into a pumpkin, but the ending overcame this well worn section and we were immensely satisfied with how things turned out. I recommend this book either to read yourself or to listen to. If you haven't seen the movie already, it is very, very different from the book and of the two stories, I like the book best.
A fellow homeschooler and I went and visited Virginia Safari Park and Natural Bridge Caverns today. If you live in Virginia or are planning a visit this way, there is tons of stuff to do in Natural Bridge. The cavern is not the best Virginia has to offer, but the Safari Park was spectacular and fun!
The first animals we met at Safari Park ( a drive through park where the animals come to your car and eat from feed buckets that you purchase from the park) were the llamas.
This guy was the welcomer and the first to say hello.
This guy was very inquisitive and wanted to know just how much food we had...
And this guy said we weren't going anywhere until we had given him an appetizer!
Katrina and Erin got to pet this one...they were thrilled!
Sharee was enamored with the Watusi and we learned that the huge horns (that I couldn't get a picture of) were for cooling this magnificent creature. He was very polite and even slobbered on my friend to say thanks!
This regal fellow has a nice rack. I was unable to figure out which of the critters he was from the guide book.
This is why people adopt Vietnamese Pot-Bellied Pigs...they are soooo cute when they are babies!
Crocodile Jack!
The giraffe was winking at us for those great giraffe crackers we fed him...he wanted just one more!
Zoo keeper Erin feeding Llamas, Jack and Katrina
Katrina feeding three baby goats. She got very upset when the older goats would butt them out of the way so they could have the food instead.
Bear attacks Jack and Katrina...I was so afraid!
In Australia there is a stand of 100 trees that have existed for over 100 million years. They were only rediscovered as still being alive in 1994. As part of an unusual conservation effort, the Australians are selling cuttings around the world. Unlike Kudzu, these trees are slow to reproduce so they are a non-invasive species. In the U.S., National Geographic has these long-lived trees for sale. They would make a fantastic and unique gift for the gardener on your list! And one that can live for a thousand years.
Be sure to watch the video.