Weeks 26-28: Busy, Busy, Busy!

The past few weeks have been crazy busy in our house!  We've had a mixture of bad weather (which made for some great sledding and snow exploration!), and a bad case of cabin fever.  We have wanted to be out and about and on the go, so that is exactly what we've been doing!  Even the snow couldn't keep us home.  One day Dad even got to stay home from work and we took the kids sledding.  And bonus, we ran into some good friends from church.  Big K went up and down the hill for a solid two hours.  He was frozen solid by the time he was done!  Big K also got to go snowboarding for the first time.  He did an awesome job and is excited to go again!

We also brought some snow inside to play with.  Baby W really enjoyed being able to experience the snow without having to be outside in the cold!

I've mentioned before how Big K has been really into listening to The Magic Tree House series books on tape.  He finished a book called Mummies in the Morning and our local museum just happened to have an exhibit on mummies!  We thought it was the perfect chance for some extension learning.  Big K thought it was creepy (and it kinda was!) but the exhibit was also really cool and we learned a lot about the science behind mummy making!

We also had a field trip with our homeschool group to a local grocery store.  It's not your normal grocery store though.  It is a crazy big international market and the kids had a chance to not only tour the store and learn about the store's history, but we also had the chance to sample foods from all over the world.  I was so proud of Big K - he tried every single food that they offered.  He tried rambutan (a fruit popular in southeast Asia), jicima (a Mexican potato that's not really a potato at all), sushi, salsa, several different types of cheese, and even BUGS.  That's right - Big K and Little E both tried cheese flavored worms and LIKED THEM.  They both even asked for seconds!

We also visited our local tourism board and collected supplies to finish up our Ohio project envelopes and then mailed them out.  Big K has been stalking the mailman every day waiting for our packages from other states.  So far we have received packages from Louisiana, Wyoming, and Oregon.  Our favorite part of each package have been the maps but we've also gotten lots of other goodies like recipe cards, stickers, post cards, and lots of other stuff!  It's been a lot of fun exploring the information from other parts of the country.  We are looking forward to receiving the rest of our packages!

After all the snow and cold weather, we have been itching to go somewhere warmer so we ended up going for a nice long weekend to Atlanta, Georgia!  We had a blast.  We visited the Lego Discovery Center where Big K made lego cars to race down ramps.  We also went to the CocaCola museum and tasted popular sodas from all over the globe.  Big K's favorite was an apple flavored soda from China.  Little E preferred a fruity drink from somewhere in Africa.  We even got a chance to see the CocaCola secret vault and take a picture with the cocacola polar bear!  And how can you go to Atlanta without visiting the amazing Georgia Aquarium.  Talk about an awesome place to visit!  We especially loved the dolphin show and the penguin exhibit!

In other big news, Big K got his Tiger badge in cub scouts this past month at the Blue and Gold Banquet.  He completed all the requirements for the badge with two other boys in his den.  He has been working hard to finish it all up and has learned a lot of things in scouts each week.  Now he is on to working on his car for the pinewood derby!

Now that the weather is FINALLY getting warmer, we are looking forward to more outdoor experiences and time at the park!  We are also planning on a big summer backyard garden this year, so Big K and Little E have been busy deciding which plants they want to grow!

Happy Learning!
Momma C