Enormous Caterpillar!

Look what we found in the garden this weekend! At first we couldn't figure out what the heck it was... Neither myself, my neighbor nor any of our kids had ever seen anything like it before! It was freakishly large... approximately 4-5 inches and FAT. To give an idea of just how enormous this thing was, please note that in the photo, that is an adult hand holding the branch (my neighbor Donna's hand, actually... Thanks, Donna!) Anyway... after some research we found out that it was a tomato hornworm, which feasts on the leaves (and sometimes fruit) of tomato plants before overwintering in the soil in a pupal state, to emerge in the spring or early summer as an enormous moth. We released it off in the back of the yard, far away from the tomato plants!

So... it's officially the first day of autumn, and we officially have our first batch of handpicked apples from the Apple Farm! Yesterday, we went to Brooksby Farm in Peabody to celebrate my little cousin's fifth birthday. There was a hayride, apple picking, feeding farm animals, pumpkins, cider donuts.... all that good fall stuff! Today we'll be cooking up a batch of fresh applesauce before we head out for Theo's Hip Hop class this afternoon. I'm very much looking forward to that delicious warm apple cinnamon smell wafting through the house!

Tough Times

As I've eluded to before, I'm going through some personal/family things right now, which have made it tough to get on here and blog. When I'm not busy with the kids, I'm busy dealing with stuff related to the whole divorce thing. Ugh. When the marriage first began to go awry, I got some advice...the true wisdom of which I'm only now beginning to fully understand. The advice was, "Do everything you can to fix it, because getting divorced is like trying to unmix paint." That analogy is far more accurate than I ever imagined it would be. My life has been so completely intertwined with this other person's life for 13 years... to try to unmix that now is painful and difficult for all of us. The other part of that is that the paint can't ever really be unmixed when there are children involved. My life is forever tied to this man, for he has given me the three most precious gifts... my beautiful babies! Although we are no longer a couple, we are always going to be parents together, and someday we will be grandparents together. My children have always been and will always be the center of my universe... keeping them safe and happy through this process and beyond is the top priority.

But enough of that... back to my normal bloggy chatter...

So far, the first couple of weeks of the "school year" have been full of fun stuff! We've been to the Children's Museum, made a trip to the Basketball Hall of Fame and the Eric Carle Museum, went to Walden Pond for the Not-Back-To-School Picnic, and today we had Homeschool Day at Old Sturbridge Village. We've had lots and lots of outdoor fun, too, enjoying the last warm and sunny days before the chill of Autumn sets in. We've done some fun indoor projects on the rainy days, such as baking, crafts and science experiments! And speaking of crafts and science experiments...

Update on The Great Volcano Project: We've had a few setbacks on the volcano project, mostly that the clay didn't dry properly and started to slide down, and thus it needed repairs. But they haven't given up! They will be putting the finishing touches on the repairs, and hopefully we'll be ready for it to erupt later this week.

We've got lots going on the rest of this week too... Games Day and dance classes tomorrow, and Library Day and Nature Study Group on Thursday! Whew! I'm tired already!

The Great Volcano Project of 2008, Part 2

Phase 2 is underway!


Now it just needs to dry! That is the hardest part, the waiting for things to dry. Patience is not something my kids have in abundance! We will be away all day tomorrow on a little day trip adventure to Western Mass, so by the time we get back to the volcano on Thursday it should be good and dry, and ready to set up for eruption! More photos to come, of course!

The Great Volcano Project of 2008, Part 1

They're making a volcano. Phase one is drying now. Phase two is set to begin tomorrow. For some reason the photo is all pink, as if being viewed through rose-colored glasses. I thought about fixing it in photoshop, but I've got to get Annabelle out the door tonight for our Mother Daughter group. More photos coming soon.

Hello, My Name is Mommy

Harry: (while looking at a Thomas the Tank Engine lunch bag) Daddy's name is Thomas, too!

Me: Yes, it is. His real name is Thomas. What's my name?

Harry: Mom.

Me: Yes, I'm Mom, but what's my real name... my other name?

Harry: Mommy.

Bird Rescue!

We had a little surprise event during our picnic in the park yesterday.... we found a wee tiny baby bird who had fallen from a tree and was a little stunned and we thought maybe even injured, as one of it's wings was at an odd angle. We observed it for 20-30 minutes, while we had our picnic, waiting to see if Mama Bird would come to it's rescue. The wing eventually righted itself, but no mama bird was to be seen, nor could we find the nest. It flopped around peeping, while we kept watch, guarding our wee charge from dogs and children at the busy park. We feared for it's safety, it being so small and helpless... it didn't even have all it's feathers yet. Not sure what else to do, we scooped it up and carried it to Town Hall to see if Animal Control could help. We were told by the lady there that they wouldn't do anything for it (right in front of my kids! The nerve...). I glared at the mean lady and told my crestfallen children, "Don't worry.. we'll take care of it. Let's go see if Marcia has a box" So we kept walking up to our local gift shop, and where the proprietress, Marcia, set us up with a shallow box filled with tissue paper.
After some online research and some phone calls to the MSPCA and Audobon Society, we determined that the bird was likely a House Sparrow, which are non-native and thus, none of the animal rescue centers will take it. Poor little immigrant bird can't get healthcare. Sad. So... we followed the advice of another website, which indicated that putting it back in the vicinity where it was found, but out of harms way, is it's best chance for survival, as it is likely the Mama bird will come back for it. So that is what we did. The kids want to go back today after we go to the library, to check on it. Hopefully it has been rescued! I can't bear the thought of going back there and finding a dead baby bird.

And speaking of going places... today is a busy day! But it's one of our favorites... our once-a-month "Double Library Day". This is our first Book Discussion Group meeting of the new school year, and the older two kids are very excited to share their summer reading with their friends. Hopefully, this busy day will NOT involve any more wild animal rescues. I think I've had enough of that for now!

First Day of "School"

It's early in the morning, the wednesday after Labor Day. There is a crisp cool breeze blowing in through the open window. All the neighborhood kids are getting ready to head out the door for their first day of School! As for us, we consider learning to be something that happens all day everyday... but still we are swept up in the "first day" excitement! We had a nice lazy summer, not really following a schedule, just kind of doing what we felt like, when we felt like it. So this morning, here at our house, we're getting ready to start our first official day of the "School Year"... we're getting back into our routines, we've stocked the homeschool shelves and cabinet with fresh pencils, writing journals, workbooks, rulers, etc, and the calendar is filling up with all sorts of fun activities and opportunities for learning and fun! Here is what our first day of "School" will look like for my kids:

Wake up! Make beds, get dressed.
Breakfast! Maybe some pancakes?
School work.... a workbook page or two of their choosing, and some writing practice.
Pack Picnic lunch.
Go play at the park to celebrate First Day of School!
Stop for Ice Cream on the way home.
Come home, have a little quiet time after our outing.
Play in the yard and garden.
Come in for baths and dinner, Books and Bed.

And now... off we go on our day!