Canning Week

Last Saturday, I huge truck pulled into the parking lot across the street and unloaded boxes and boxes of produce.  They were selling 60 pounds for $10.  Most of the produce was stuff for salsa.  So, I bought a mixed box, then went back and bought a box of just tomatoes and then another box of apples.  I spent the week canning. 

First I made salsa

Ephram and Faythe were big helps with the tomato peeling. 

Then I canned diced tomatoes

I also got 40 pounds of chicken that I pressure canned

There wasn't enough apples to can so I made a small batch of applesauce and I"m saving the rest of snacking.  What a deal, but a super busy week!

Spring Garden

I finished planting my spring garden last week. Back in January, while the weather was still cool, I planted a few things (carrots, peppers, tomatoes, lettuce) and then the weather started getting warmer so I planted some more (zucchini, squash, cucumbers, more tomatoes and peppers).   I still have a lot of questions, but I'm learning a lot about gardening.  Every season my garden does better, but I wish I could figure out how to get more.  For example, my peas grew tall, but I only got enough peas to snack on every few days.  I've never had enough tomatoes to can or beans to can.  My next step is to figure out how to make my plants produce more. 

Science Fair

The kids participated in our homeschool group's annual science fair.  I wasn't too excited about participating this year, but the kids were super excited and I enjoyed their enthusiasm.  They each picked their own projects.  They each came  up with a question, performed the experiment, documented the process and presented it at the science fair.  I took pictures of the process, but forgot to take pictures of their displays.  And the pictures I took of them presenting are too dark. 

Braedi did an experiment to determine if a substance was an acid or a base using red cabbage juice as an indicator.

 Corbin wanted to do something with tadpoles, but no one around here sells them and all the online companies had bad reviews.  So he settled doing an experiment with pill-bugs.  He put them in a maze and tested them to see if their antennae were sensitive enough to find the pile of dried leaves. 

Dyllan decided she wanted to do an experiment with magnets.  We had been studying magnets in science then and luckily had some pretty strong magnets for her to experiment with.  She made a list of objects that she wanted to see if the magnetic force would go through.  Her favorite was her nose. 

Ephram has been fascinated with plants and picked a project that dealt with what a plant needs to grow.  We bought three plants and gave one water and sun, another just water (no sun) and another sun but no water.  He did a fantastic job of remembering when and what to water. 

Kids Staying Home From Church Leads To World Domination

The kids have had terrible coughs lately.  We decided it would be better not to share it with our friends at church, so everyone except Ashlee and Faythe stayed home today.

I lounged around for a while while the kids ate breakfast and cleaned up.  When I got up, they immediately asked to play games.  I thought it would be a good idea to do some spiritual stuff first, so we cracked open a Book of Mormon and read a few versed from Jacob 5 - The Allegory of the Olive Tree.

An Olive Tree(photo source: http://thecommonty.blogspot.com)

My intent was to discuss and practice techniques to help a reader better understand scriptures.  We read through the first several verses and talked about what it meant.

Smarty pants Braedi wanted to jump right into the scattering of Israel, of course, but the rest of the kids understandably focused on the story at face value-a tree was dying, was nourished, and parts of it became healthy.

Then we broke down the parts of the story to discuss the symbolism.  For example: the Lord of the vineyard is Christ, the vineyard is the world, the sickness of the tree is apostasy, etc.

Then we read through it again, and the conversation that followed clearly indicated that the kids' perspective shifted to take in the deeper, allegorical significance.

We also talked about how it is fairly easy to understand the face value, or more superficial layers, of what is being said - Israel was scattered and will be regathered, the Lord calls servants (prophets and missionaries) to nourish God's children to counteract the decaying effect of apostasy, etc.

Taking verses apart word by word is helpful in this search for deeper understanding.

Dyllan said that she felt the word "the" was important, because it gives organization to ideas.  I decided to run with her example, and we spent some time discussing how using "the" in a sentence can make all the difference. Serving A lord can be antithetical to serving THE Lord.

Braedi then brought up how words like thee, thine, and thou are common to scriptures.  She identified that we also use them when we pray.  These words invite a spirit of respect and honor into our language.  This led to a beautiful, spiritual moment in which we felt the reality of the majesty and greatness of God and His Son, Jesus Christ.  Those who truly know them will collapse at their feet, kneeling in worship, overcome with awe and gratitude for all they have done and continue to do for us.

I'd like to say the day continued on such a spiritual high, but we changed gears into game mode to play Risk.  The kids were great sports, and we all had fun.

Each of the kids was excited to start his or her reign of terror, intent on subjugating and humiliating any and all opposing forces.  Well, except for Dyllan.  I guess she's more of a lover than a fighter.

Ephram showed a conquering prowess that none of us expected.  He out-rolled his way from victory to victory.  Soon, we were all addressing him as "General Bloodbath."  The kid was an unstoppable maniac!

General Bloodbath

Luckily for me, his tylenol started to wear off, which took the edge off his destructive drive.  I might have started wheeling and dealing with the other kids, too.  (The best treaty in a quest for world domination is the one you break at that deliciously devious and perfectly opportunistic moment.)

I tend to have a bit of a competitive streak in me, and this quality might have been instilled in me through many late night Risk wars with family friends.  The epicn-ness of those battles back in the day is hard to describe, but never has a war been fought with more strategem, cunning, and outright aggression than experienced in the living room of the Barraza's home back then.  Good times!  The kids aren't quite to that level yet, so for now I shall enjoy my unfair advantage.  The years ahead portend of humility delivered by crashing dice from the hands of my offspring.

When the game was done, Corbin was begging to set back up for another go.  He only had 3 armies at the end and wanted a chance for redemption.  We decided not to play again, since it was getting late, and I hadn't thought to feed the poor creatures.

Ashlee warmed some pizza, and they kids dispersed to other activities.

The near-victor's illness kicked back in, and he passed out on the couch to recoup.

All in all, it was a nice day with great kids.  They participated freely in our discussion.  They had valuable things to contribute to that discussion.  We felt the influence of the Holy Ghost in our home.  The kids all did their best at Risk.  And nobody fought or complained.

Sometimes I think I might be doing all-right in my role as Dad.

United States--Maryland

Maryland  has a lot of shoreline for being such a small state.  There is plenty of seafood to catch and eat.  Skip jack boats are the state boat.  They are found in Chesapeake Bay dredging up oysters from the floor.  We made our own skip jack boats.  I got the idea from this site. 

1. Take a piece of cardboard (we used cereal boxes) and fold it into a U shape.  Tape the sides so it stays in that shape. 
2. Cover with tin foil.
3. Make sails using printer paper and skewers and a glob of play-do to make it stand.  Corbin even made a dredge for his. 
4. Name your boat and put it in the Chesapeake Bay (our bathtub).  Braedi--The Shark, Corbin--Springy Ol' Jack, Dyllan--Lucky Boat, Me--The Cranky Oyster.

United States--Maine

Some fun random facts about Maine:

• It's the only state whose name has only one syllable.
• It's the main place in America for lighthouses, lobster and blueberries.
• People in West Quoddy Head, Maine are the first to see the sun rise because it's the farthest East.

We made lighthouses for our activity.  We used this site, but modified the activity a little.  I had small clear cups and small white cups on hand so we used those and red paint.  We also made our own flames instead of tea lights.  Ephram and Dyllan got creative with their lighthouses (no light would have been able to pass through, though) and Braedi and Corbin stayed true to a typical lighthouse. 

Group Storytelling and Book Discussions

Jeffrey is a friend of mine.  We’ve been able to hang out a little bit this year doing some hunting, going to a Ron Paul event, and working on our kids’ pinewood derby cars.  Each of those outings was fun in itself, but the icing on top is hanging out with a guy like Jeffrey who is always looking to better himself and the world around him.

Often, Jeffrey makes a comment or asks a question that sticks in my head until I work out an answer.  I’m always better off for it, and this is one of the things that make Jeffrey so likeable for me.

An ongoing conversation between us is how to have meaningful discussions with our kids about books we read or other important topics.  I think dads, more often than our wives, struggle with getting our kids to open up and speak freely about their thoughts.  I’ve felt this, and Jeffrey shared the same concern.  We’ve talked quite a bit about what we can do to have better discussions.

We don’t have all the answers, but we find hope that being engaged in the process is the right move, and we’ll get better with time.  The first discussions are bound to be rough, because we’re new at it.  Like any other activity, proficiency follows dedicated practice.

Yesterday, the kids and I were goofing around making up a story together.  It dawned on me today how effective our play was in practicing skills necessary to having a good discussion.  There are several ways to play the game, but yesterday it went like this:  I started a sentence and stopped before the sentence was complete.  I stopped at a point where the sentence was still open-ended, that way the kid I pointed at could finish the sentence.  Then I would roll with whatever was said and start the next sentence.  Sometimes all I would add was, “and then….” and let the next kid run with it.  The kids had fun with it.  Each one of them participated, even Faythe.  This is roughly how the story went:

Dad: Once upon a _________

Corbin: TIME!

Dad: There was a _________

Braedi: Dragon.

Dad: The dragon loved to eat __________

Dyllan: Fish, no, wait… cows!

Dad: The dragon was super hungry and went into the forest where he found ____________

Faythe: a dragonfly.

Dad: And the dragon _________

Ephram:  ate the dragonfly!

Dad: And the dragonfly _________

Corbin: was stuck in the dragon’s belly.

Dad: where ___________

Ephram: he found a mouse.

Dad: and_________

Someone: they played cards.

Dad: Meanwhile, the dragon_____________

Faythe: saw a bumblebee

Dad: and the dragon____________

Braedi: KISSED IT ON THE LIPS!!!!

(Now all the kids are cracking up.)

Dad: And then_______________

Ephram: they fell in love, because they kissed on the lips.

Dad: And what happened to the dragonfly?

Dyllan:  Oh, they forgot about him, because they were in love.

Dad: And________________

Most of the kids in unison: THE END!

Granted, it’s a silly story.  The plot is disjointed and isn’t very meaningful; however, every one of my kids participated with excitement.  This is a big deal.  Often, when they feel like they’re being asked to offer an answer they clam up.  Two reasons I see for them shutting down are: they fear giving a wrong answer, and they feel silly or vulnerable exposing their thoughts in front of others.

The open-ended group story is effective, because it bypasses these fears and offers a fun, light-hearted environment in which the kids feel safe to share their creativity. 

When we lay down some ground rules about taking turns and not trying to change or undo what another person has added, it also teaches them to work with other people’s contributions.  Teamwork is always important in sibling relationships and in any group wanting to have a meaningful conversation.

            But here’s where the exercise gets golden.  It’s mainly an opportunity for us dads to learn skills we need.  The ground rules we set apply to us too, which makes it easier to curtail our “dad drive” that tells us to take over and lecture.  It also gives us an opportunity to see that our kids are creative and fun and they have great ideas.  Finally, just like our kids, we learn how to work with comments that seem off the wall to us at first.  Mutual respect and give-and-take are very important in cultivating an environment of trust.  Trust is imperative to a good discussion with our kids.  Without it, they will not open their hearts to us, and we both miss out.

          In conclusion, I think everyone should give this a try.  You can do it in the car, at the dinner table, during home evening, or any other time.  Just loosen up and have some fun with it, and you’ll be amazed at how much you can learn about your kids and how much they will open up when they feel trust and are having fun.  Then transition the lessons you learn into other discussions you have with your kids.  I think they will flow better, and they will probably be more meaningful.

Feel free to let me know if this works for you.  I wrote this on a whim today, but I think it will help some of us.

Pinewood Derby 2012

Yesterday was the day of Corbin's first Pinewood Derby. I think it's a right of passage for both the boy and his dad. I kind of get it now why dads have a hard time letting the kid touch the car, but I get even more why they need to. I think I did OK. :)

Corbin chose a design from a book that his uncle Jeremiah loaned to us. My brother Jeremiah is becoming somewhat famous for helping other people out with their pinewood derby cars. We went to his house on Thursday, and Jeffrey West and his boys came with us. It was fun to have them come along; they're a good family. The plan was to cut and sand the bodies and do a little speed-increasing tune-ups.

Corbin's design didn't hold up to our official rules, so he chose some modifications to fit the rules. I wasn't trusting enough to let Corbin work on a band-saw yet, so I cut out the car, but he did all the sanding. In fact, when I tried to help with the belt-sander I got the tip of my finger sanded off. It was a painful reminder that this was Corbin's project, not mine. I wrapped up the night by melting some lead fishing weights and added them to the car.



Corbin chose a color scheme and a lightning themed design. On Friday morning, we painted the car-black with a yellow lightning bolt. He named it the lightning thief. We set the wheels, and I almost broke the car. That was my worst moment this week. At least it was a small piece that chipped, and the wheel stayed secure.

Saturday morning came. Corbin added the finishing touch by painting "Lightning Thief" on the back portion of the car. I straightened the wheels a bit, and we headed to the races.

The "Lightning Thief" weighed in a shade under the weight limit. I thought it was a bit over regulation weight, so we packed some tools. They came in handy for a couple of other kids' cars, so it made my day to have them.



The race was fun. There were some creative cars. There were also some fast cars, and the competition was stiff. I'm pretty sure the winner, Nickolas, was undefeated. I hope I spelled his name right. That kid impressed me - a lot. Not only did he have a crazy fast car, but he was a stellar sportsman. He would shake the other boys' hands and say "good-luck!" He was a champ.

The Final was super close!

From Pinewood derby 2012

So Nick got first place, Wyatt West got second, and Corbin got third! He was all smiles when he got the trophy. They also did a heat with the cars running backwards, and JJ West won that one! So between the cars my brother helped us with, we had a first, second, and third place. Not bad!



It was a successful event. We had fun building our car, it was a bonus to place, we got to strengthen our friendship with the Wests, and the fundraising part of the pinewood derby was successful.



You don't soon forget smiles like those boys had today.

Flowers--Failed Project

Remember back to when I bought the girls new bedspreads and I had some help with pictures and curtains?  Well I decided that I wanted to do something more.  The plan was to make "homemade" vinyl stickers for the walls--trace the flowers on one of the bedspreads, find matching paper and cut out flowers and dots in those colors then modge-podge the flowers to contact paper and stick the flowers to the wall.  First I had to find the right colors.  Courtney pointed me in the right direction and I found a pack with almost all the colors.  Then we cut them out and I modge-podged the flowers to the contact paper.  This was tricky--the flowers were big and thick and they didn't lay down as easily as some of the other papers that I've used.  After cutting the flowers out again, Courtney helped me decide where to put the flowers, BUT the flowers wouldn't stick!  UGH!  All that work and they wouldn't stay on the wall.  I debated other options--wallpaper paste, re-cutting the flowers, spray adhesive, tape--and decided to put a little bit of masking tape on each  petal.  TA-DA!  Not the neatest way to get them up, but it worked and they look real-ish.  Failed projects like these make me scared to do other do-it-yourself projects, but I'm glad that I have friends around who will help me.

I wanted just flowers, but Braedi wanted dots, so I did both.

Spring Break

We don't really have a "spring break", but when our friends and cousins do we always take some time off to do something fun with them.  Jennie's kids had 2 weeks of spring break.  They came up here one day and attended our homeschool PE with us.  Then yesterday we headed down that way.  We spent the morning hiking and playing at the park and then the afternoon at her house. 

We also got to spend an afternoon with our friends the Pottle's.  I didn't take any pictures, but lets just say that the kids had a great time in their giant back yard and I always love my conversations with Ammanda. 

United States--Louisiana

What do you think of when you think of Louisiana?  I thought of swamps and gumbo and Mardi Gras and hurricane Katrina. 

Louisiana has swamps but they also have bayous.  Swamps are more of a low-lying, marshy wetland while a bayou is a slow moving stream that feeds into a swamp.  The swamps and bayous are homes to many different types of animals, and they also attract fishermen to the area.  Louisiana makes more money from fishing than any other state. 

I also learned that there is a difference between Cajun and Creole.  Cajuns are people of French ancestry while Creoles are from Spain, Portugal and France.  There was a little more to it than that, but I already returned the book to the library. 

We decided to celebrate Mardi Gras.  We learned a little more about the festival.  Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday in French.  It is celebrated the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.  This year it was February 21st.  We talked about some of the traditions and looked at other places it is celebrated (only under a different name in different places).  Then we made masks.  I printed off a template, and we decorated them using the colors of Mardi Gras (green, purple and gold).

United States--Arizona

Arizona celebrated it's 100th birthday on February 14th.  We decided to take the first 2 weeks of the month and learn about our state.  We read lots of books,

made some crafts,

went to a celebration,

We saw a show and when the presenter asked for kids to come up, Corbin did every time. We spent most of our time in the KidZone--there were a lot of bouncy toys and a petting zoo.

There also had a giant ball

 and a bouncy swing
You might not be able to see it, but Braedi was scared to death.
She only took 3-4 jumps and then quit.  

  and to a symphony that honored Arizona. 

My dad sent me a link to an online story (that he helped edit) about a tortoise who was born the day Arizona became a state.  For 100 years she traveled around Arizona visiting with the animals and people that live here.  I wish that we could have traveled with her for real.  I've lived in Arizona since I was 12, but I haven't been to very many places.  I had to look at a map whenever the tortoise went to a new place.  Hopefully we can visit some of those places this year.

Happy 100th Birthday, Arizona!

Dyllan Turns 7

Earlier this month Dyllan turned 7 years old!  She started the day with her breakfast choice--muffins--then opened her presents.  She is such a girl, so it was easy to find stuff she would like--earrings, play make-up and clothes.  She had a day free of chores and picked her favorite foods for the other 2 meals. 

We also had cupcakes.  Dyllan wanted to try to light her own candle.  She was too scared to hold the match long enough to get the candle lit.  Then Corbin tried to light it and blew it out along with the match.  I hope my kids don't end up hating me for how much I laugh at them.

It's not a party year so for the family activity she picked going to the store to buy hats, then going on a hike and then coming home to eat ice cream.  Buying hats was a fun idea.  I liked everyone's choices. 

Jonathan and I were able to talk Dyllan into going on a trail that we've never hiked before.  It was fun, the kids complained a little, but they did well. 

looking at scat

Dyllan picked Neapolitan ice cream and it was good after a long, warm hike.

Dyllan also got to spend the night with Grandma and Grandpa Mecham.  She made a cute skirt, but I didn't take a picture.  I did get a picture of the cute sock monkey, though. 

She'll get the spend the night with Grandma and Grandpa Garrett and her cousin later this month and they'll go shopping and have tons of fun.  Happy Birthday!

***Pictures added from date with Grandma and Grandpa and Hayley.***

The girls went sopping and to a movie and had a great time together..