NT was up early to watch PBS's Cyberchase this morning. He came upstairs afterward to show me that he had learned to add three 3-digit numbers together so we fine-tuned what he had seen on the show.

After breakfast NT asked for our old digital camera and the kids took turns taking pictures for quite a while before they decided to build a pirate ship in the living room out of furniture, couch cushions and blankets, which soon turned into a bird's nest. They used two laundry baskets to make the egg that they took turns "hatching" out of.

After lunch NT went to the Science Museum to see Into the Deep at the Omni with Grampy, which he loved. Lizzy and I went to meet friends so Lizzy got to run and play and share dance steps with with two other little girls.

Late afternoon NT and Grampy returned and NT twice watched the Into the Deep DVD that Grampy bought for him to take home.

Though it was a fun day, it was a disappointing evening for NT. He and John walked over to basketball practice only to discover that it was cancelled for both this week and next, meaning that there are only two games left and no more practices for the season. NT was so upset. John took him down to their basketball "court" in the basement and they practiced for a little while down there.

When it was time to go to bed we went to feed the fish, only to discover that one of his new fish, a blue gourami, had gotten caught in the shipwreck and drowned. NT was devastated. His Siamese Fighting Fish had died earlier in the day (we were expecting that since he had not been well for some time), so it was a doubly difficult loss for him.

Highlights of the past few days include:

Zoo with friends Augie and Louisa on Thursday where NT took a complete inventory of all the fish at the zoo to see if there were any breeds there that he could get for his tank.

Gymnastics for Lizzy on Friday morning. While we were waiting NT and I went through a good portion of the a first grade math workbook (for me) so I could feel comfortable that he does, indeed, know the kinds of things first graders are "supposed" to know.

Friday afternoon NT had homeschool science club at the Science Museum which turned out to be a disaster. We have been repeatedly disappointed with the calibre of those classes and have decided to find other more exciting places to participate in science classes. While NT was being bored to death in class, Lizzy and I hung out with Runa and her mom at the museum. After class all the kids ran crazy together to burn off all their pent up energy!

This morning NT had a basketball game and had Grampy & Maria and Minna & Grandpa Alan in the cheering section. He is making great strides and is really enjoying the game.

After basketball we took a family field trip to the fish store where we spent a huge amount of time talking with the staff about our cloudy water problem, learning about what kind of fish food we need (we ran out of what the fish came with), and asking about what to do about our Betta who doesn't eat. NT got two new powder blue fish for his tank (I can't remember the kind...).

NT has been keeping up with PBS's Cyberchase, and for days the kids have been building with the big cardboard blocks I brought up from the basement. They have also been getting tons of entertainment out of the huge Rubbermaid container that the blocks are stored in. It is fascinating to see the kinds of games the kids come up with on their own.

NT has been drawing, wrote a letter to Ezra, has been asking about the meanings of sooooooooo many words, has been reading his fish book like crazy, and asks so many questions about so many things I can't keep up! :-)

Tuesday we had a much needed at-home morning to sleep in (until 7 a.m.), catch up on housework and laundry, and build pillow forts in the living room.

In the afternoon, we joined some new homeschooling friends at the History Center where NT showed us around the Ben Franklin exhibit. We checked out the MN 150 exhibit, and finally ended up in the granary play area where the kids got all rosy-cheeked climbing up and down, running through tunnels, and "driving" the grain wagon.

NT had ceramics class in the late afternoon and then he and John had a Cub Scouts den meeting in the evening where it was a craft extravaganza!!

Yesterday started out bright and early with PBS's Cyberchase and then it was time to take NT to his weekly MN Science Museum class, which he is really enjoying.

The kids built a fort in the living room/dining room after lunch and then we took an impromptu trip to the Como Park Conservatory to meet some other new homeschooling friends. We saw all kind of tropical fish and plants, lots of cool koi, and even an up-close sloth that we watched for quite a while and learned quite a bit about! We really enjoyed the warm, humid air--NT pretended he was back in Lamanai!

NT had basketball practice and one of the other parents approached me to tell me what a great game she thought he had on Saturday!

Today the kids did some more fort-building and then we were off to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts where we waited in line for an hour with hundreds of other artists so NT could register his artwork to be shown in the Foot in the Door exhibit starting later this month. He is really excited--he has been asking to show his work in the "Minneapolis Substitute of Arts" since he was 3-years-old!

After lunch we headed over to the library where we picked up a bunch of lacrosse books and a lacrosse DVD that NT had requested, and Grampy picked NT up to take him to practice basketball at the gym for the afternoon.

Last Friday we went with a homeschool group to see Mr. McGee and the Biting Flea at the Children's Theatre and met some new friends who invited us to try out a new play group not far from us which we will do on Friday of this week. After the play we spent a little bit of time at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, but NT was disappointed that there wasn't any artwork up that was done by kids, like the last time he visited, so we didn't stay long.

Saturday NT had a big audience at his basketball game--Aunty Em, Grampy, Maria, Grandpa Alan, and Minna all joined us and got to see NT make the first basket of the game for the second week in a row!

Afterward we went to the co-op and then John took the kids ice skating (Lizzy's first time!) late afternoon. Grandma Ruth and Bob came to play in the evening and the kids stayed up late taking "pictures" with the old camera they brought and playing all kinds of board games.

Sunday NT and John went briefly to a Cub Scout event and then we had a quiet day. We all stayed up late to watch the Grammy awards. NT wanted to see the Black Eyed Peas perform and Lizzy likes all the singing and dancing ladies.

This morning NT was up early to watch Cyberchase on gears ("algebraic thinking").

Lizzy had ballet class and NT practiced punting his hackey sack up the stairs the entire time. He was trying to figure out how to get the ball to go straight, as opposed to curving or hitting the ceiling--it was an interesting scientific experiment!

The kids played all afternoon and then NT went to cooking class. It will be early to bed tonight!

Today NT was up early to watch PBS's Cyberchase on factoring.

The kids changed yesterday's wooden "dance floor" into a "tennis court" this morning, complete with pipe cleaner tennis ball.

NT had his first Science Museum class for the Homeschool Engineering: Machines that Move series where, among other things, they each made and tested their own anemometer.

Lizzy went to spend the morning with Minna. They played the little violin and baked banana muffins.

NT and I stopped to check out the new library on Lake Street on our way home from the SMM. We decided it didn't have a very good selection of books (compared to what we're used to at Southdale), but NT did find a book on Chess, which he spent much of the evening reading. We also requested some books online about lacrosse.

The kids played more "tennis" in the late afternoon and built all kind of things with the Magna Tiles in the living room. Then they helped me grate all the cheese for dinner.

We tried a new recipe (Three Cheese Manicotti) for dinner. NT gave it only 1 star (because of the onions).

NT had basketball practice last night and then spent the rest of the evening reading his chess book. Lizzy and I read books on the couch and tried on some of my jewelry.

I am so wiped out after our big day today, I could hardly get myself to sit down and type this up!

This morning we quickly did our morning routine so we would be ready to be gone for the whole day.

We left at 9:30 for Lizzy's gymnastics, which she really looks forward to every week. While waiting, NT and I planned next week's dinner menu and then he spent the rest of the time reading one of his new fish books. He is trying to figure out what kinds of fish he can add once we get the water situation all figured out.

We ran a couple of errands and then it was off to the Science Museum of Minnesota for NT's first Homeschool Science Club. Today's topic was magnetic attraction and he was able to join the 7-9 year-olds. He made a couple of magnetic contraptions that are beyond me, but they are pretty cool and he had a great time. He saw a couple of his new homeschool friends in class and was really excited about that too.

While we waited for NT during his 3 hour class, Lizzy got to play with one of her new homeschool pals and even made another new friend.

After class NT wanted to explore the dinosaur exhibit, so we hung out at the SMM for awhile longer and ran into his new friends again. The kids had a great time and would have stayed longer if I would have let them. As it was, it was a very long day--we didn't arrive home until 7 p.m.!

We have been so busy the past few days that I've had a hard time keeping up!

Sunday we had brunch at Minna's with a number of our Seattle relatives who were visiting. Of course, during most of it, NT was glued to the Vikings game in Minna's den.

Late Sunday afternoon NT and Liz went to Grandma Ruth's to decorate Valentine's Day cookies and play with Bob. They came home with a huge stash of craft supplies (and a glue gun!) from Grandma Ruth and a whole bunch of notebooks and pencils and items for NT's Leonardo DaVinci inventions from Bob.

Monday morning Liz had ballet and NT worked with his new multiplication flash cards while we waited. We went to the library and NT checked out a number of books on medieval knights & weaponry, and some books on different types of spy planes, etc.

In the afternoon NT went to Minna's for a walk with some of the Seattle folk and then back to the condo to work with his new glue gun. Meanwhile, Lizzy and I met some of our new friends for a hike by the river and a warm-up afterward at the Riverview.

Tuesday NT asked if we could go to the Science Museum to see the Titanic exhibit once more before the exhibit closes. We saw that exhibit and explored many others, including the Egyptian mummy, which we discussed at length with a docent.

We went to the historic 5.8 for lunch and learned about its history and how it started. We talked about the Prohibition and what a speakeasy was.

Late afternoon NT had ceramics class where they are currently working on tea sets.

Today Liz visited with more Seattle folk at Minna's with Auntie Em for brunch while NT and I went to check out The Works where they had a homeschooler program on estimation and budgeting today. NT really liked it and is looking forward to visiting again soon.

When we got home Maria met us with a HUGE surprise for NT. She found a 20 gallon tank with all the equipment (including fish!) for NT, who has been wanting his own fish tank for a very long time. We spent the afternoon cleaning and filling the tank, and then NT and Maria went to the fish store to learn more about what to do to try to keep the existing fish alive. NT is beside himself with excitement!

Tonight NT and John are at basketball practice.

All week NT has been keeping up with PBS's Cyberchase and we have been practicing a lot of math as it has applied to our everyday life. We have been reading another Hardy Boys' mystery. NT has had his globe out and has been figuring out where places are, like Wisconsin and Iceland. The kids have been building things like crazy with the Magna Tiles and jumping on the trampoline in the living room and making obstacle courses all over the first floor.

I think we're all ready for a day off!

The last few days have been packed full of activities!

NT has been keeping up with PBS's Cyberchase in the mornings.

Tuesday we went to Northrup Auditorium on the U of MN campus for a "physics circus" with a group of homeschoolers. NT loved it just as I had expected he would.

Tuesday evening NT had ceramics class and then toured a local fire station with his Cub Scout den.

Wednesday NT and I read about Benjamin Franklin and then he went with Grandpa Alan & Minna to the History Center to see the Benjamin Franklin exhibit and then they met Auntie Em for lunch.

Wednesday evening NT had basketball practice. He is really excited for the first game coming up on Saturday!

Thursday we went to check out a local homeschool co-op's open house. We stayed for over 5 hours. The kids each got to sit in on a class and they both loved it. There was a big social room where the kids got to play with other kids of all ages and they had a blast.

While we were there we ran into people with whom we were in Little Sprouts at the Waldorf school when NT was just two. They now have a little girl Lizzy's age as well. They invited us to go out to dinner and play. The kids all hit it off and we are so happy to have found some great new homeschool friends to hang out with!

This morning Lizzy had gymnastics and, while waiting, NT read made out his first-round birthday list and read one of his 28 library books on football. Later we stopped at the library and he checked out about 10 books on basketball.

NT watched PBS's Cyberchase this morning. The topic was factoring.

This morning NT chose The Eagles Greatest Hits for our music selection, but the kids weren't impressed and, before long, asked for yesterday's hip hop CD again so they could do another dance party.

We finished a Hardy Boys mystery and started a new one. We played restaurant and then the kids played football in the living room while I finished up the morning routine.

After lunch they started (but did not finish) the original 1968 version of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

NT worked more on his cursive and then was off to basketball practice with John after dinner. He loves basketball and seems to be getting the hang of it. They had their first practice game last night and he came home pretty excited and confident. They stayed a little bit after practice to play a little extra with a few of the other boys.

This morning NT watched PBS's Cyberchase where the subject was number and operations.

After breakfast he built a structure with his Magnatiles and then disappeared to his basement workshop where he created his own Secret Decoder (note to self: get him some brads!) before it was time to leave for today's field trip.

We picked Minna up bright and early and headed to the Minnesota Children's Museum to check out their new dinosaur display which was really impressive! The kids dug for fossils, learned cool dino facts and saw what North America looked like 65, 75, and 85 million years ago. We stayed at the museum for over 3 hours! Besides the dinos they did a craft, played in the kitchen/restaurant, made a music video, worked with other kids in the factory, and NT worked for quite a while with the hydraulics in the water room--it is so cool to watch him figure things out that even most adults can't do!

After the museum Minna treated us to a fancy (for us) lunch at Fabulous Fern's and then it was home to finish up the crafts they've been working on for the cousins while they listened to more Encyclopedia Brown mysteries on audio book.

After dinner John walked the kids over to Ellie's and then to Debbie's to deliver some homemade toffee--an event they look forward to every year!