We have been so busy enjoying the coming of spring that I have not felt compelled to sit down and write!

Since my last post more than two weeks ago we have had many adventures including NT's last basketball game of the season followed by lunch and medals, the Ballare Rhythm Festival, the Cub Scout Pinewood Derby, Mad Science classes, ceramics classes, and lots of dance classes.

NT and I attended a fabulous music and dance performance of "Carnival of the Animals" at Orchestra Hall with our play group, and we all attended the (modified) winter picnic at Grampy's. We have been to the Minnesota Zoo and the Como Conservatory with friends, and the kids have gone swimming at the indoor beach and out for treats with Grampy and Maria.

We walked with Kiki and learned about reptiles and amphibians (and even touched them!) with other homeschoolers at Wescott Library. NT went to an Irish music concert with Grandpa Alan & Minna (it turned out to be a trio including Lizzy's Irish step teacher and her husband--small world!).

We've watched PBS's Cyberchase and PBS's Reading Rainbow DVDs on birds and manatees and transportation, and a 3-part NOVA series on evolution called Becoming Human. We've researched chicken breeds and brooding methods, collected supplies, met another urban homesteading family with chickens, and ordered our chicks.

We've seen bald eagles and wild turkeys and built tons of stuff out of Magna Tiles, the Zoobmobile set, and toothpicks and marshmallows. We've read books on birds, tropical fish (of course!), planets, and guacamole. We've drawn pictures and written letters and cut up stuff (including pajamas--oops!). We've been digging in the dirt and playing outside a LOT and doing lots of running.

And, finally, yesterday we went to see NT's artwork hanging at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts with Minna & Grandpa Alan, followed by lunch outside on the patio at The Black Forest Inn. Afterward the kids went bird watching at Becketwood and saw the resident owl (and a crow) with binoculars before walking all the way home. The kids played in the yard until it was time for Cub Scouts.

NT was up early to watch PBS's Cyberchase on time/distance/speed and then dove right into his tropical fish book. We told him we wouldn't take him back to the fish store for at least a month, but that does not appear to have slowed him down on researching the next kind of fish he wants.

While Lizzy was in ballet class, NT drew and colored a picture of his fish tank to give as a birthday card to Grandpa Alan.

The kids played and read all afternoon and we figured out how to change out some of the water in the fish tank. Then I dropped NT at Minna's for board games and dinner at the restaurant while Liz and I went to Irish step class.

NT was up early to watch PBS's Cyberchase on 2 & 3D geometry. He worked for quite awhile afterward reworking the LEGO model of his bedroom that he had made the day before. He built his "dream bedroom" out of LEGOs to show us how he wants his room set up (there are lots of fish tanks in it).

Lizzy had ballet in the morning and while we waited, NT and I worked a little more in the math workbook for my benefit, though we were interrupted by one of the other moms who sells Usborne books. We spent the rest of the time looking through her samples and they are really amazing. NT was actually jumping up and down with excitement over BOOKS!

The kids spent the afternoon building with K'nex and playing basketball in the basement...until NT decided to bring his dribbling practice up to the dining room, which lasted for quite a while.

Late afternoon NT had a Mad Science Class and then went to Minna's for dinner where they played card games and board games. Meanwhile Lizzy and I went to Irish step where Lizzy had a real live fiddler in class!

This morning we decided to make some progress in organizing the kids' rooms. They helped with some sorting and Lizzy organized her things into the new shelf she got from Minna & Grandpa Alan.

NT set up another "basketball hoop" in the basement (after I cleaned out much of the stuff...) so that now he has a "full court". He and John spent quite a bit of time down there playing. NT also watched a bit of pro basketball on TV, but decided to get back down to his own court to practice. John told him he should take a break because he is so basketball-focused that John is worried that he will burn out, but NT would have none of it.

Late afternoon we picked up Grandpa Alan and we all went to Minna's orchestra concert where Lizzy danced in the back and NT learned about a couple of new instruments. Lizzy especially liked watching the (homeschooled) high school girl play her flute solo. Afterward we all went out to dinner.

When I went up to bed I got NT up so he could watch his fish feeding at night. Several of them are nocturnal, so I have found it is much more fun to feed them when they are really active. We sat and watched them for almost 30 minutes. It was a lot of fun!

Highlights from the past several days:

We tried out the new play group last Friday. They were meeting for a class on endangered species at Woodlake Nature Center. NT at first refused to go and refused to "learn anything" but, wouldn't you know it, he learned a lot, got to touch a live turtle, met some new friends, and had a lot of fun.

Saturday morning NT had a basketball game and had a good-sized cheering section, as usual. He and John went to the fish store afterward and he brought home 5 new tiny fish for his tank--he has been reading about them over and over in his fish book.

Sunday Aunty Em and Craig took the kids ice skating and out for a treat afterward. We had homemade pizza and banana splits in honor of Valentine's Day while watching the Olympics.

Monday Lizzy had ballet and then the kids went swimming with Grampy and Maria at the "indoor beach" and out for a treat afterward. Late afternoon, NT went to play at the neighbors' while Liz and I went to Irish step class--it was a busy day!

All the while, NT has been keeping up with PBS's Cyberchase, reading his fish book like a fiend, inventing all kinds of things, playing like crazy with his Marbulous building set, devising and writing up all kinds of "secret plans" to "trick" his parents with his sister, and conducting all kinds of physics experiments in the living room which make a huge mess and drive his mother crazy. :-)

NT was up to watch PBS's Cyberchase on mixed numbers in fractions.

We were out the door early this morning to get to The Snowy Day at Stages Theatre with a bunch of other homeschoolers. While waiting for the play to start, NT and I talked about the different kinds of jobs people have to create a play--creative director, music director, choreographer, lighting designer, costume/make-up designer, etc.

After the play we had a quick stop at home to change to go check out the homeschool open house sample classes at Ballare where Lizzy takes ballet. Lizzy tried out the homeschool Creative Dance class and NT tried the hip hop class because he is interested in breakdancing...but they didn't do any.

In the end, the director and I decided to keep Lizzy in her regular class instead of switching to the new homeschool class because there is no year-end performance with the homeschool class. The performance is very important to Lizzy!

In between activities NT has been poring over his tropical fish book planning for the trip to the fish store on Saturday. He has all kinds of fish picked out. It will be interesting to see what he comes home with!

NT has invented all kinds of things today--from a sling shot to a paper surf board (to slide down the dance studio stairs) to a bird feeder made out of an egg carton. I can hardly keep up.

Liz surprised me and "cleaned" her room all by herself this afternoon (the floor is picked up and there is a "mountain" piled up on top of her bed, her toy box, her shopping cart...), and she has spent quite a bit of time this afternoon performing with her microphone on her "stage" (today it's the couch). If only I could find her a class where she could sing and dance at the same time!

It will be early to bed tonight!

This morning NT was up early for PBS's Cyberchase on direction and distance.

Lizzy had ballet this morning and while we were waiting, I showed NT how to finger knit. He worked quietly on his rope for the entire time, and then worked for another couple hours once we got home. He plans to make a rope long enough to go around the whole living room.

After lunch we went back out to shovel and the kids played for quite awhile in the new snow.

NT continues to try to teach his sister how to play chess...so far it's not really taking, but he likes to keep trying anyway.

We dropped NT off at his cooking class late-afternoon and then Liz and I were off to her very first Irish step class, which she loved. They learned some dance steps and did some rhythms and learned a song.

NT had dinner at Minna and Grandpa Alan's where he got to play chess!

Friday I dropped NT at Minna & Grandpa Alan's while Liz and I went to her gymnastics class. NT ended up spending almost the whole day there. Minna had visitors who brought their fiddles so NT got a chance to play Minna's little violin again in the morning for the first time in quite awhile. In the afternoon Grandpa Alan taught NT how to play chess, which he has been wanting to learn for several weeks now. He LOVED it and started begging to get his own set.

Liz played by herself with the Magna Tiles for much of the afternoon and then she and I made cookies.

Saturday morning NT had a basketball game. This week's fan club included Minna & Grandpa Alan, Grampy & Maria, Auntie Em & Craig, and Kiki. Afterward another parent approached him and told him he played a good game and was really good at staying with the ball.

Saturday afternoon Brenna came over to play and John took Liz over to Grandma Ruth's.

Today the kids went out to play in the snow and ended up pulling apart some of the corn cobs that Grandma Ruth gave them to feed the squirrels, though all the kernels are likely to get buried in the new snow!

After lunch John and NT took some fish water in to the fish store to get the water tested and were given the thumbs-up on water quality (though no word on why it's still cloudy, but no one seems to care, including John & NT...). Then they stopped to pick up NT's very own (cheap plastic) chess set.

We watched the Super Bowl in the evening and had lots of yummy snacks made by John!

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.

For the most part, we had a nice relaxing weekend to finish up our activity-filled week.

Saturday morning was NT's basketball game. The team did much better this week and NT made the first basket of the game with Auntie Em and Craig there as witness!

After the game, Lizzy and I went to the co-op while NT and John went to the fish store to find out how to fix the cloudy water in the new tank. NT also traded in the two common platys he inherited because he didn't want them to have their live babies in his tank, knowing that the baby fish would eaten right away. They learned all kinds of things about how to care for the fish and the tank.

Saturday evening John and Liz made everyone's current favorite dinner on NT's menu--German oven pancakes with sour cream and strawberries.

Sunday morning we all pitched in to clean the house. In the afternoon it was football mania with back-to-back playoff games. John made homemade popcorn for a snack and then sloppy joes for dinner. I contributed homemade apple crisp for the half-time dessert during the Vikings game.

All weekend the kids played with the Magna Tiles, read books, and made up all kinds of their own physical activity "challenges" in the house since it was wet and sloppy outside.

Today NT was up to watch PBS's Cyberchase on refining and optimizing inventions. Then the kids brought up some huge sheets of scrap wood from the basement to play with (Magna Tiles and cars were involved, of course).

Lizzy had ballet and NT and I worked on some new math flashcards I picked up for him. He didn't love them, but I was impressed by how much he knew or was able to figure out...like how to add 53 + 25 without a piece of paper and pencil (or a calculator) and how to solve for "x" in a simple equation.

This afternoon the kids shoveled snow and played together until it was time for NT's cooking class where they made homemade pretzels. Then Liz helped me make dinner--biscuits and sausage with gravy--which NT gave only 2 stars. During dinner NT and I had a conversation about how he doesn't like jazz (always my dinner music of choice) because it's too slow and there's no singing (at least on the CD that's currently in the player...).

This morning was NT's first basketball game. He was so excited he could hardly stand it. He loves playing basketball so much. He put on his uniform first thing this morning and went down to the basement to "practice" (with no basketball and no net in a junky unfinished basement...???).

This is the first time we have seen NT really "take" to a sport. The first time we've seen him really "get it" and work hard instead of just hanging out for the fun of being around kids. He really loves the game and was very assertive in getting his hands on the ball.

After the game the coach from the opposing team approached us and asked NT if he played football. He invited NT to play football for their park--it's the best-known in the city for football (their older boys' team went to FL and won nationals). NT was really pleased.

Since our discussion about Elvis over a week ago, NT requests listening to the Elvis station on XM radio whenever we are in the car.

This afternoon NT and I figured out how many seconds are in an hour and then the kids played outside while John worked on the chicken coop. Later they started watching the football play-off games. NT always likes to hold his football during the game and jump around. It drives us nuts but today he informed us that he likes to re-enact each play after it happens. We realized that's probably why he looks like he has such good football potential (during basketball games) even though he's never officially played. He's been practicing every week for months!

I picked up the Everything Kids' Basketball Book and the Everything Kids' Football Book for NT and he fell asleep reading them tonight.

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

NT was in a crabby mood, so I chose the music selection and put in hip hop again, since it really seems to perk the kids up.

Lizzy had ballet class this morning and NT worked on one of his numbers workbooks the entire time. He read all the clues and found all the numbers. He worked on some spelling as he went along. He learned how to check his answers in the back of the book and practiced looking things up by page number.

We went to the library and NT checked out 27 books on football--books about each of the different teams. He laid them out all over the living room floor when we got home and looked them over while listening to the audio book Dinosaurs Never Say Please by Bill Harley.

Before leaving for his cooking class, NT helped me make homemade egg noodles. We measured out the size of the noodles with a ruler so we knew we were cutting them to the size the recipe called for.

While NT was at cooking class, Lizzy and I discussed how icicles are formed. We read several picture books while we waited to pick NT up after class.

Back at home, we cooked the homemade noodles and decided to give them only 2 stars and cross them off the repeat list. They weren't too bad, but they were a lot of work to chew!

This weekend was full of fun activities.

Saturday morning NT had an art class where he worked with both pastels and modeling clay. This particular art class offers the opportunity to have artwork displayed in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, so he is really excited.

As a follow-up to Friday's conversation about Elvis Presley, NT asked if we could listen to the XM Radio station that plays ONLY Elvis music. He liked it very much.

Saturday afternoon Minna, Grandpa Alan, & Auntie Em took the kids to the Lake Harriet Kite Festival where they saw lots of really cool and colorful kites, and the warmed up afterward with hot chocolate at the Riverview. Lizzy wasn't feeling well so she stayed back to rest and watch the original Muppet Movie with John.

Sunday John took the kids sledding and then NT went out to play with the neighbor in the snow. Both kids went to bed on time for the first time in days. There have been so many activities, everyone needs to catch up on sleep!

This morning we chose an acoustic guitar CD, Fingerdance, for our morning music. At first NT claimed to be unimpressed, but later he requested that I put the CD back on.

We played a trivia game that NT made up, and then he worked on some tinfoil inventions while pretending that he wasn't listening to the Hello, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle audio book. Since it seems to him (by the title) that it is a book that girls would like, he wants no part of it, but I caught him listening when he didn't know I was around.

Today was Lizzy's first day of "big girl" gymnastics--a class that parents don't have to be in. NT and I watched from the lobby and NT worked on two different math workbooks--which also involved writing and spelling--and his ice cream truck brain-teaser puzzle while we were waiting.

We grocery shopped for much of the afternoon. Along the way NT and I discussed a surprising number of "big life" stuff. We talked about who Elvis Presley was and how he died. We talked about what it means to overdose on drugs and how that can sometimes happen. We talked about why it seems like that happens to a lot of famous people.

We also talked about how "St." is an abbreviation for both "Saint" and "Street". We talked about what a saint is and what it might take to become a saint.

We talked about pro football contracts and how they might be negotiated and how a player gets signed to play for one team or another.

We talked about how hard he would have to work and how long it would take him to save the $5 he wanted me to spend to buy little individually-wrapped Bonabel cheeses that I think are outrageously expensive (over $1 apiece!).

This evening we tried a new recipe for dinner--Croque Monsieur--and NT gave it four stars--five stars when he tried mine with the fried egg on top. I am so proud of him for really stepping out of his comfort zone and trying new foods from the cookbook we are working out of together.

Tonight NT and John went to the Cub Scout pack's game night and had a lot of fun. NT was excited about it all day and was not disappointed. They didn't get home until after 9 p.m.!

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

The music selection for the morning routine today was rap...which in this case was pretty much the same as the hip hop CD the kids have been favoring, so that was kind of a bust.

We read quite a bit of the new Hardy Boys book this morning, looked up several words we didn't know, and then NT worked on writing his last name in cursive. The kids also played with the Magna Tiles and Maria's dogs for a good portion of the morning.

This afternoon we tried a new homeschool playgroup, which the kids loved. There was a whole pack of boys NT's age to sled and play basketball with, and Lizzy played with 3 other girls near her age, which was fun to watch. This was the first time Lizzy has been in an unstructured group of children and she did beautifully.

After playing with the other kids for almost 5 hours, the kids fell right to sleep tonight!

This morning NT watched PBS's Cyberchase on spending money.

The music selection for this morning was hip hop and the kids were so excited about it that they threw an impromptu dance party in the living room.

Lizzy helped me make the beds and knead bread and then she and NT did a "play" that involved a large furnace filter box that they could fit inside of.

All by himself NT came up with the idea to climb inside the box and put Magna Tiles on the inside and outside so that moving the one on the inside would "magically" slide the Magna Tile on the top. He placed tiny plastic dinosaurs on the tiles on the top and then the kids hid inside the box and slid the dinosaurs around from inside. Half-way through he realized that if he had each dino on a different color and the tile below matched the color of the tile above, he could be outside and tell Lizzy which color to move and she could move the dino he wanted. The whole thing was very clever and really cool!

NT worked hard again on writing his name in cursive and then wrote another "Top Secrit" letter to Ezra--this time in cursive!

We read some of Lizzy's books and NT listened to an entire Encylopedia Brown book on CD and then watched the original classic version of The Wizard of Oz while Lizzy took a nap.

Late afternoon Minna took NT to his first ceramics class of the session, which he loved!

This evening Lizzy asked if we could go back to the house with the Christmas lights synched to music so we stopped on the way home from dropping the car at the repair shop.

This morning NT was up early for PBS's Cyberchase. The topic was the importance of zeros.

The kids did their new morning routines for the first time in the new year. Our new routines include taking a job from the FlyLady Job Jar and quickly getting it done. At first NT was skeptical, but then he said the job didn't take very long (pulling all the toys/trash/misc. out from behind the couch) so he wanted *another* one to do!

NT's routine also includes choosing a CD for us to listen to each morning while we are getting ready for the day so the kids can be exposed to all different kinds of music. Today's CD was Caribbean music!

While getting ready to leave for ballet, NT and I discussed the difference between offense and defense using the example of the Vikings football team, of course.

While Lizzy was in her ballet class, NT worked on a game that involves figuring out how to get a little ice cream truck out of a traffic jam. It can be very tricky and he kept busy the whole 45 minutes with various "jams" I set up for him.

After ballet the kids went swimming at the "indoor beach" and to lunch with Grampy & Maria. Then we dropped NT at his arts-&-crafts-turned-cooking class. We got the call this afternoon that the class had been changed and he decided to try the cooking class, even though he was skeptical. Of course, he liked it and is already looking forward to next week!

Tonight NT worked way past bedtime in his room practicing writing his name in cursive. He has been asking for weeks to learn cursive, so I picked up a book and some tools/paper for him today. He worked for over an hour practicing his first name and was timing himself to see how long it takes him each time--48 seconds is his best time so far!