My nephew and niece are up today and that means much loneliness for me. Occasionally I have to step in and say stuff like, "Okay guys, time to clean that up," or, "I think you guys should eat now," or, "Do I have to tie you guys up to the flagpole, pull you up to the top and let you flap in the breeze for the rest up the day?" But really I'm mostly left by myself as the kids drag out board games, barbies or craft supplies. Catherine even manages to mediate most of the tiffs and hurt feelings ("I'll deal with it Mom"). Talk about feeling left out.
Never fear though. there's always the Internet and a Google search for history lectures can turn up some marvelous finds to occupy a bored mom (Don't say that. Of course I know there's always cleaning but I don't want to go there, thank you very much).
12 Byzantine Rulers is a fantastic series of lectures by Lars Brownworth. Ever thought all the fun died when Christianity came into the picture? Not so! the Byzantine rulers could be every bit as fantastic or depraved as any of the emperors before Constantine. The politics, people, wars were as interesting...And Mr. Brownworth does a wonderful job with an even and engaged delivery.
Next time the kids don't need you or you've managed to lock them in a closet for a bit, have a listen.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Museum Trips
I've been up at my mom's the last couple of days. It was just a quick trip but we managed to squeeze quite a bit into it.
Yesterday we went to the Fundy Geological Museum where I was surprised to discover that the rock and mineral samples, particularly amethyst, held as much wonder for Catherine as any of the fossils and casts of dinosaur bones. Harry was the one that run around the dinosaur exhibits while Catherine stood glued to the mineral exhibit trying to work out how to pronounce the names.
The trip to the gift store was interesting. Catherine piled up on all kinds of sciency goodies: Geodes, polished rocks, a rock that grows crystals after a week in vinegar, little plastic tubes that you compress and then release to shoot across a room and an old fashioned toy that I can't describe and will have to post a video of later.
Harry choose a plastic magic wand that made a whooshing sound and had a blinking LED light.
I tried to steer him away from the wand to something I considered more appropriately reflective of a museum gift shop but he was not persuaded and in the end, it was all he wanted. And he knew what he was doing of course. That wand hasn't gotten a rest since and has sparked some wonderful imaginative play.
We bundled up our loot and headed for the Age of Sail Heritage Museum which is only 5 minutes from my parent's house. It's a small community museum with exhibits that mostly come from the basements and attics of the local people. And it has everything. There was a dinghy, model ships, an old turn-of-the-century kitchen, models of the local wharf when it was a ship building center, documents, household goods, woodworking tools, a snowshoe for logging horses (!)...Catherine was most impressed with a blacksmithing forge and anvil on display. When I told her of another attraction a couple of hours away from our home that had a working blacksmith shop she got excited and decided that HAD to be our next trip. I think the blacksmith shop was something she was familiar with from fantasy books and that's why it was such a draw for her.
The only downside was that though the young guide at the museum was very polite, she wasn't all that knowledgeable. When Harry piped up with, "Excuse me but where did this boat come from?" (in reference to a wooden dinghy) all she could say was, "Um. Off a bigger boat." No matter, we had a good time there.
Yesterday we went to the Fundy Geological Museum where I was surprised to discover that the rock and mineral samples, particularly amethyst, held as much wonder for Catherine as any of the fossils and casts of dinosaur bones. Harry was the one that run around the dinosaur exhibits while Catherine stood glued to the mineral exhibit trying to work out how to pronounce the names.
The trip to the gift store was interesting. Catherine piled up on all kinds of sciency goodies: Geodes, polished rocks, a rock that grows crystals after a week in vinegar, little plastic tubes that you compress and then release to shoot across a room and an old fashioned toy that I can't describe and will have to post a video of later.
Harry choose a plastic magic wand that made a whooshing sound and had a blinking LED light.
I tried to steer him away from the wand to something I considered more appropriately reflective of a museum gift shop but he was not persuaded and in the end, it was all he wanted. And he knew what he was doing of course. That wand hasn't gotten a rest since and has sparked some wonderful imaginative play.
We bundled up our loot and headed for the Age of Sail Heritage Museum which is only 5 minutes from my parent's house. It's a small community museum with exhibits that mostly come from the basements and attics of the local people. And it has everything. There was a dinghy, model ships, an old turn-of-the-century kitchen, models of the local wharf when it was a ship building center, documents, household goods, woodworking tools, a snowshoe for logging horses (!)...Catherine was most impressed with a blacksmithing forge and anvil on display. When I told her of another attraction a couple of hours away from our home that had a working blacksmith shop she got excited and decided that HAD to be our next trip. I think the blacksmith shop was something she was familiar with from fantasy books and that's why it was such a draw for her.
The only downside was that though the young guide at the museum was very polite, she wasn't all that knowledgeable. When Harry piped up with, "Excuse me but where did this boat come from?" (in reference to a wooden dinghy) all she could say was, "Um. Off a bigger boat." No matter, we had a good time there.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Spore. It's Almost Here.
If you're a true geek then you''ve been waiting years for the release of a game called Spore from the gaming god, Will Wright (of Sim City and The Sims fame). Spore is a life sim that should take the player from a one-celled organism through to getting a civilization into space.
And it's coming in September. That sound? That's the squealing of millions of joyful gamers all around the world.
Today I downloaded the demo version of the Spore Creature Creator and since then, the kids and I have created dozens of creatures. It's a blast to do and the possibilities, even with the fairly limited choices in the demo version, are almost endless. Needless to say, tommorrow there will be a purchase of the ten dollar full version of the creature creator.
One neat feature of the creator is that when you're finished you can make a video of your creature and upload it to YouTube (someone in marketing needs a whopping promotion). The creativity on display on YouTube is wonderful. People are using it to create beautiful little creatures:
Weird and wonderful beasts:
Human beings:
And even dirty words and sexual acts (Just search for "spore mating" on YouTube)
Crazy. But I think this is just a hint at what Spore will do. It's not meant to be consumed by the end user, it's meant to be controlled by the end user. And it's a pile of fun.
And it's coming in September. That sound? That's the squealing of millions of joyful gamers all around the world.
Today I downloaded the demo version of the Spore Creature Creator and since then, the kids and I have created dozens of creatures. It's a blast to do and the possibilities, even with the fairly limited choices in the demo version, are almost endless. Needless to say, tommorrow there will be a purchase of the ten dollar full version of the creature creator.
One neat feature of the creator is that when you're finished you can make a video of your creature and upload it to YouTube (someone in marketing needs a whopping promotion). The creativity on display on YouTube is wonderful. People are using it to create beautiful little creatures:
Weird and wonderful beasts:
Human beings:
And even dirty words and sexual acts (Just search for "spore mating" on YouTube)
Crazy. But I think this is just a hint at what Spore will do. It's not meant to be consumed by the end user, it's meant to be controlled by the end user. And it's a pile of fun.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
All of a Sudden...
Everything's possible.
Shannon got the position in the nearby town we were hoping for.
Now we've got a foundation under us. Now we can sit down and talk about what the future is going to hold. Most of the discussion will be about real estate. I'll be gunning hard for a duplex in the nearby town that's cheap enough that we can still hold on to our current house. He'll be wanting to stay here for a little while in case he wants to bid on a job that may be opening up out this way. Either way, it's freedom. It's the freedom to discuss and debate and choose between real choices and the freedom to act on those choices.
How weird.
Excuse me, I have to go scream now.
UPDATE: Now I have to sit and sigh, big time. As it turns out, something went a little funny in the bid process and now my dear husband IS going to the town that's 7 hours away. No new house yet. Hopefully, he'll only be there for a few months.
Darn it.
Strangely though, I'm not that disapointed. Knowing where he's going is better then the uncertainty we had before.
But still...Darn it.
Shannon got the position in the nearby town we were hoping for.
Now we've got a foundation under us. Now we can sit down and talk about what the future is going to hold. Most of the discussion will be about real estate. I'll be gunning hard for a duplex in the nearby town that's cheap enough that we can still hold on to our current house. He'll be wanting to stay here for a little while in case he wants to bid on a job that may be opening up out this way. Either way, it's freedom. It's the freedom to discuss and debate and choose between real choices and the freedom to act on those choices.
How weird.
Excuse me, I have to go scream now.
UPDATE: Now I have to sit and sigh, big time. As it turns out, something went a little funny in the bid process and now my dear husband IS going to the town that's 7 hours away. No new house yet. Hopefully, he'll only be there for a few months.
Darn it.
Strangely though, I'm not that disapointed. Knowing where he's going is better then the uncertainty we had before.
But still...Darn it.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Girls and Horses
Catherine is at a Guides campout tonight and tomorrow. It's happening at a horse farm where the 18 or so pre-adolescent girls will all get riding lessons for a day.
I don't envy the Guide leaders.
Campout. Horses. Girls.
I think I'd rather walk over slippery river rocks with vials of nitroglycerin strapped to my chest. Much less explosive.
I don't envy the Guide leaders.
Campout. Horses. Girls.
I think I'd rather walk over slippery river rocks with vials of nitroglycerin strapped to my chest. Much less explosive.
Birthday Party Planning for Catherine
I did it. For the first time ever I have the party of one of my children planned at least two weeks in advance with invitations ready to go. Usually parties are a much more last minute affair and end up with us either paying for some package, like a movie theatre party or just inviting people over with no real plan while the kids go wild. Not this time.
Kids will arrive at a local wildlife park after lunch where our first activity will involve spliting them into groups headed by an adult with a digital camera. Each team will get a list of clues. They'll have to figure out what animal the clue refers to and then head to the enclosement where they'll have to get a picture of the animal (or the info sign) and a picture of them acting like the animal. I'm not sure if I'll bring the laptop so we can giggle at the pictures or send them cds after the fact. Once that's over with we'll head to the nearby picnic park.
At the picnic park we'll do an animal craft. After the craft we'll eat cupcakes and open presents. If there's time to kill after that we can play animal charades.
The only hitch would be rain but if it does rain, we'll simply be brave and get wet. That's why I'm opting for cupcakes rather then a cake, easier to distribute in case of dramatic downpour.
So that's it. It's planned. Invitations go out today. Two weeks before the party. I astonish myself sometimes.
Kids will arrive at a local wildlife park after lunch where our first activity will involve spliting them into groups headed by an adult with a digital camera. Each team will get a list of clues. They'll have to figure out what animal the clue refers to and then head to the enclosement where they'll have to get a picture of the animal (or the info sign) and a picture of them acting like the animal. I'm not sure if I'll bring the laptop so we can giggle at the pictures or send them cds after the fact. Once that's over with we'll head to the nearby picnic park.
At the picnic park we'll do an animal craft. After the craft we'll eat cupcakes and open presents. If there's time to kill after that we can play animal charades.
The only hitch would be rain but if it does rain, we'll simply be brave and get wet. That's why I'm opting for cupcakes rather then a cake, easier to distribute in case of dramatic downpour.
So that's it. It's planned. Invitations go out today. Two weeks before the party. I astonish myself sometimes.
You Atheists Annoy Me
Well, you don't all annoy me (but the generality makes for a punchier title, eh?). Just those of you on atheist message boards who are all reasonable and clear thinking when it comes to religion or politics but become irrational weenies who resort to anecdotes and unsupported claims when the subject of homeschooling comes up. It's the willing devolution into Lessenberrys that gets me.
This is especially bad when the whole reason I go to atheist message boards is for the clear-thinking, rational discussions. Yes, I like the snark and cursing too but it's mostly the other stuff. What frigging right do those posters have to dash my expectations of them? What right do they have to get so messy, emotional and...human?
This is especially bad when the whole reason I go to atheist message boards is for the clear-thinking, rational discussions. Yes, I like the snark and cursing too but it's mostly the other stuff. What frigging right do those posters have to dash my expectations of them? What right do they have to get so messy, emotional and...human?
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