Anti Bullying Video

Cool video - MissE is the first clip in it!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FrciJkW87-o

Water Molecules

2 parts marshmallow and 1 part grape bonded together. Yummy!

Braille Hangman

Madly searching for a few last minute birthday inspiration for Miss JiJi - and voila - super easy modification for Hangman! Thanks, Melissa & Doug!!!! Would you believe that APH alphabet stickers fit perfectly on the letters - no trimming required! OK, so I had to limit each body part to 3 characters on the extremities - so toe instead of foot, and I didn't want to write chest and bottom, so those became neck and body. A couple of arms, hands, legs and a head and D.O.N.E. Now if she likes it.

Happy Lunar New Year

ahhhhh -the life!

Making a piñata

A lamb piñata to be exact! We have been studying Passover. The girls have been begging to make a piñata, so when I began gathering supplies and asking what shape we should make, they all shouted a lamb! It will be taking a beating. Like a sacrifice?

At any rate, covering it with cotton balls is a lot easier than pieces of tissue paper!

No comment on the idea that it really doesn't much resemble a lamb. We tried! Maybe it will look better when it is finished?

The Mama and two beautiful daughter in loves!

Sewing

Well, we did it! Turns out it was far easier than I was imagining and she appears to have a knack for sewing!

I used masking taped to hold the pieces of fabric together, eliminating the need for pins AND giving a guide for the pressure foot.

For this first project, I wanted an easy, quick success. I remember when I learned, it was SO boring learning the proper pinning, cutting, blah, blah, blah. I just wanted to make something. Our next project can be one where she does more of the prep work.

The Tuttle Twins Learn About the Law

Children are often taught that government protects our life, liberty, and property, but could it be true that some laws actually allow people to hurt us and take our things?
Join Ethan and Emily Tuttle as they learn about property, pirates, and plunder. With the help of their neighbor Fred, the twins will need to figure out what they can do to stop the bad guys in government!

Sample Pages

Below are a few pages from our first book, The Tuttle Twins Learn About The Law

We are just ordering our book, but it sure looks good!  I can't wait for others in the series to come out!

A New Adventure

Chicka and her drone

Riding Blindly

Ah ha - finally learned how to upload a video!  This is when JiJi first started to ride her bike last fall!

Miss JiJi is beginning to play the piano!

The Bee Ballad

Oh, there once was an unlucky bee.
And don't forget the curious she.
His stinger removed, after a quick and painless death,
So the inquisitive she could explore and see his breadth.

OK, so I'm not a poet, and I admit I am a blogging slacker. But gracious, we have been busy!

Snow Day in PNW - Finally!

Happy Chinese New Year!

What better way to celebrate CNY than flying kites on the beach! The girls even made their own and stamped them with a horse, being the Year of the Horse, you know!

Finally

FINALLY found a way to transfer photos from the camera to the ipad!!!! Here is one of my favs from Christmas - what do you think?

Painting the Dog

Miss JiJi did a beautiful painting project today. We used swell paper to draw a dog and then combined shaving cream with glue to paint. When it dries, it is supposed to leave a fluffy raised texture. Somehow it doesn't look like it will much resemble a dog, but that is ok - we had fun! Fortunately she checked out the drawing first to see that all the parts were present and accounted for. Couldn't be painting an incomplete creature, you know!

Do you see what is sitting on the table in front of JiJi? YUP - it IS Mr. Marty, the traveling SmatBrailler! Thanks to so many of you, the braillewriter arrived at long last a couple of weeks ago and is being used with gusto. She is busy practicing her braille skills to enter into the national Braille Challenge competition in a few weeks - wish her luck!!

Venting

OK - what would YOU have done? It seems whenever we are in public there is nearly always one comment or question about the big B word. You know - the word everyone is afraid to actually say - Blind. Education of the public is fine. We are a conspicuous family - a silver haired caucasian mom with three adorable eight year old Asian girls, one of whom is blind. In a small, rural community.

We were at the grocery store in the self check line. A little guy of about 6 left his mom's register and was getting in our faces trying to look at my daughter's eyes. I was in a hurry to check out and get out so I really didn't even notice him for a bit, other than another little body in front of me. It finally dawned on me that he was REALLY eying my daughter. He finally said "what's wrong with her?".

My teeth automatically ground down and I had to force a smile and pause for composure. "There is nothing wrong with my daughter. Are you asking about her eyes?" "uh-huh" (articulate little fella - not) (and where is his mother, anyway?????) "My daughter is blind and her eyes don't work the same as yours." He left and we got busy with finishing our checkout.

Then I noticed that he was back, more in her face than before. hee hee - this was probably not my best moment, but I got in his face at his shrimp level and said "you asked your question, I answered you, and now you are being rude. Go to your mother", I smiled, turned and we waltzed off.

Would you care to share some of your words that you use to answer the B question?

iboy's part time job

And of course his sisters have to check it out!