SWORD FIGHTS & HOMESCHOOL...nieghbors must be talking, LOL

I am sure the neighbors were thinking back to the GMA story on un-schooling as they watched my kids this past week. Of course there was a reason, there always is. We have been studying Romeo & Juliet. The kids are learning a scene. Of course withe siblings you don't practice parts like the balcony scene. We have been practicing the scene where Tybalt gives Mercutio the fatal blow. Ko-Ko wants to play Juliet next so the boys will be Lady Capulet and the Nurse and do the scene where Juliet is told about Paris...no scandalous sword fights on the lawn or in the park then.

I have decided that I have to work playgroup for Indy into my schedule. We went to gymnastics field trip with our homeschool group. Indy didn't participate. The other little ones were 3 & 4 and he is just 2, but play group will be good group interaction as well.

My laptop is holding on by a thread. It is a little netbook and fixing plus a battery will cost just shy of a new one, fixing it with no battery will cost half as much as a new one. So I struggle keeping in this plug to a lose connection while I decide. My decision is do I spend $125 (+?), $250 (+?) or $300. Either way it is a lot in this house.

KO-KO'S GYMNASTICS GALA

It was last Thursday, but laptop troubles kept me away...but here it is.

We all headed down to the gym. A convenient 5 min walk, the traffic isn't great and i feel like I am playing chicken sometimes and with all 5 kids I ordered everyone down to the traffic lights, so a convenient 8 min walk.

We got there, figured out where to send Ko-Ko. Then i got us all paid up, gave the kids a budget for the BBQ / canteen and told them to browse while I saved seats with our sweaters.

Our seats were decent, I will know for next year where the better ones were. But it all pans out. Ko-Ko could see us while she was waiting. She looked over at me a few times. There was a lot of people and I worried about her. She melts down in crowds but she didn't YEAH!

The evening had a Micheal Jackson theme. All the groups did great. the littlest kids did songs from the Jackson 5 era. Ko-Ko did a great job and Sunny Not showed me that the camera on my phone has zoom. So here are the pics, we tried to get one of her cartwheeling, we came close.

In the end she enjoyed herself, I am very proud of her, especially in such a crowd, and I am excited to share the pics with you all!

TUPPERWARE ANYONE?

First Off
I haven't been posting cuz the AC adapter for my laptop is shot. My husbands laptop sux (in my opinion) I am not uploading all my pics on his so I am saving some posts for when I get an adapter...lets just hope it is the adapter. I have a bunch of school work on PDF files for the kids.

And Back To Tupperware
Grandma Claus pand Aunty Claus hosted a tupperware party last night. I invited a good friend who I can always count on making the dullest experience fun. I am lucky that most of my friends are this talented. Anyway tupperware partties are fun. Food laughter and shopping for things I could have got way cheaper at the dollar store. Ok it is way better quality then the dollar store and looks nice too. Also it was a fundraiser. The free gift Aunty won...a family picnic size soft sided cooler filled with tupperware items. She is going to raffle it off for a fundraiser for Algonquin Park Powwow. Our fave powwow, but small and run by one family so help is appreciated. I made a cake for the party. Pink cocnut with a sticky smooth icing sprinkled with cocnut. When I have a laptop that types properly (so far this has taken 30 min) I will post it.

So who knew that tupperware parties were fun. I always thought it was so lame that all the Moms were heading off to one. So some friends will be hosting some too. I have a wish list for what I will get next. If you have never tried this then get your funniest friends together and call the tupperware lady.

IS THERE ANYTHING FUN TO DO?

I Hate These Words. and yet I hear them al to often. I do NOT try to run and entertain them though (learned with eldest Sunny Not just how that backfires.

What drives me the most nuts is you take them for lunch. By books, or like today (a mix of everything), go to Wendy's for lunch, play at the park with other HS'ers, then come home, bake cookies and go to drumming (with Runners BF).

How did this happen? I have no idea. Solution? oh so many corrective punishments have been tried and failed. It is time to take Grandma Claus' advice. Some good 'ol sham and humiliation....hope it works!!!

WHY?! WHY ARE 7TH CALVARY HELICOPTERS AT WOUNDED KNEE?

WRONG ON SO MANY FRONTS
The USA has sent helicopters to the sacred grounds of Wounded knee were hundreds of my people were massacred in 1890 while dancing the ghost dance. The place where in 1973 Lakota Grandmothers went to make a stand with the AIM movement supporting them, and again met the army.

When will it end? When will unarmed Indians stop running into armed military on our own lands? Will the USA always chose the 7th Calvary to do this dirty work? Are we to believe it is anything other then insult that the USA chooses the same unit who massacred hundreds of our ancestors, mothers, grandparents and babies?

All I can contribute is that I am shocked and angry. So here are some links for you all.

http://nicdhana.blogspot.com/2010/05/wounded-knee-aftermath-may-day-2010.html

http://denverabc.wordpress.com/2010/05/03/south-dakota-warrior-women-drive-off-black-hawk-helicopters-from-wounded-knee/

And you tube: Also watch parts 2 - 5

FOSSIL HUNTING

My dad (Grandpa) came and took us to a lakefront neighborhood with a few limestone beaches. We went to the one we went to when I was a kid. Limestone flats, and limestone rocks. We picked us rocks looking for hints of fossil. Then we smashed them open looking on the inside.

Ko-Ko was a natural at it. SW found some quartz (very small) and started chipping the rocks to find more. He found lots of tiny deposits and was very pleased. Ko-Ko Grandpa and I were splitting the rocks to find what was inside (as I mentioned).

When Grandpa told her that she was bringing light to the inside of a rock that had not been exposed to light in millions of years she got busier, she really liked that.

Runner looked for a bit but was drawn to all around him. Exposed roots, shells, ducks and gnerally the water. He stared at it and skipped stones. Indy was thrilled that we were throwing rocks and joined in.


What We FoundOr what we think we found...
2 leaf fossils, one fairly clear-ish, photographed OK
trace fossil, lots of dots and squiggles.
many pieces showing patterned ridges. All near the edge of a break. The kids were excited but I was hoping for something I could easily identified....

Ko-Ko Delivers!A worm fossil and our biggest, clearest and it is complete, the only other (almost) complete one was one of the leaf fossils. Best of all it was a fun day. And I decided I would so like to buy a house in that neighborhood. I wanted to when I was young as well (but had forgot). My Dad showed me the streets that had more affordable houses on them
(didn't know there was any in that neighborhood.)...so here's to positive thinking!