The morning was spent at a birthday party held at the local gymnastics club

Then off to a housewarming party for friends who have moved to the country - so an afternoon of...

Riding horses

Feeding baby lambs

Riding go-karts

Looking at the calves

Hanging out with new friends

Playing soccer

On the way home we drove past a new (well, new to us) woodfire pizza place, so once we knew they did gluten free, we stopped in there and ordered a few pizzas. Nathan got chatting with the owner and was quizzing him on how the oven worked and got to see it all in action.

(Shame I forgot my camera!)

A full day out!

On a spur of the moment I decided that I wanted to go jeans shopping today and had not had any luck with the local shops. So a phonecall to my mum at and we arranged to go to the next biggest mall with the kids for a few hours later on in the morning.

Then the speech therapist phoned to cancel our morning appointment - the universe must have heard my message that we really wanted to go the local homeschool science and technology fair instead. So we headed there for an hour or so before going to pick up my mum. We saw some neat displays - rubber band powered cars, bridge building, plants soaking up food colouring and some water rockets being launched amongst many other cool things. Nathan got thinking about something he'd like to organise for next year.

Stepdad decided he wanted to come along too and suggested that he take the kids to the pools nearby while we shopped. So the kids had a great time with Grampie swimming and I had a good time with my mum shopping at leisure. We didn't get home till 4.30pm, so stayed at their house for dinner and watched a DVD.

A cold rainy day...

Sitting in front of the fire reading more Little House in the Big Woods (Danielle's definitely into it and we're about 1/3 of the way through the book already).
Playing board games - we built Beetles and then played Snakes and ladders

Reading a few maths story books - set at Danielle's level and she got it

Playing the Let's Shop game

Watching a DVD or two

Nathan read another story to us

A bit of crafting

More playing with ALL the cushions and pillows found around the house where they were lined up all through the lounge and down the hallway...

A few days back Nathan bought out to me a cord that's been in Danielle's bedroom for a few years and said that it was made up of two strings. I pointed out that it actually had 3 and that it was plaited. So I set him up with his own three strings to plait.

The other day we were talking about how liquids expand when frozen. We filled a container to the brim and popped it in the freezer and saw the results.

Yesterday we had a friend with her two wee boys come for most of the day - so there was sandpit play, playground play, inside play...and loads of mess but full of fun!

Today was to be a relaxing home day with no plans (and nice to coincide with it being the Spring equinox).

From our library books Nathan got our a little chapter book to continue reading to me.

Mid morning we headed out for a walk (well, one of us walked)... We found a heap of cleavers that the kids had fun sticking on.

We got home to make buckwheat pancakes for lunch.

Nathan wrote a little story about our walk and Danielle told me a story that she wanted me to write down for her.

I then "suggested" lol that everyone have a wee rest on their own. Danielle went off to play "hide and seek" with her soft toys and hid them all and then found them lol. Nathan jumped up into his bed with some books. I snuck into my sunny bedroom with a cup of tea and some newly arrived herbal books.

Mid afternoon we decided to head to the library and return out mountain of books. Getting onto first name basis with the librarians down there now lol.

We came home with a mixed pile as well as Little House in the Big Woods to re-read to Nathan (and to read to Danielle for the first time). I think I like that book the best out of the 4 that we have read so far. Previous attempts at chapter books have not been of too much interest to Danielle, but this one seems to have captivated her so far for the two chapters we read at bedtime.

I was in serious need of ideas with the kids this morning. They were getting to that stage of getting ratty and annoying each other.

We grabbed out of the library pile the book on Mixtures & Compounds, and found the next home experiment we could do. So after reading up on Water and The Air (and discussed the different gases) we wanted to test how carbon dioxide gas puts out fire.

We lit a small candle. Then put five tablespoons of vinegar into a bottle and added half a tablespoon of baking soda. As the mixture fizzed, Nathan held the mouth of the bottle close to the flame. The candle went out as the carbon dioxide from the reaction prevented oxygen from reaching the flame. Nathan couldn't wait for dad to get home so he could show him this one (he was out for a bike race today).

I then disappeared outside to chit my potatoes that have been sprouting. I realised I'd accumulated quite a pile of large chopped pieces that didn't have any sprouts on them. Rather than just composting them I thought we could make some potato stamps (since I'm usually too stingey to use our potatoes for play!).

Nathan meanwhile, went and started carving out from his plasticine (I wasn't too comfortable him cutting the potatoes to make shapes with the way that I needed to hold them and he didn't want to use a butter knife so found a way where he could get a similar experience).

Danielle thought that looked like fun too...

Then on to the stamping...

That then turned into a bit of this...

It was then time for lunch and they sat down to watch Madeline again (I snuck outside to read my book in the sun - bliss!).

Daddy got home a while later and took them out for a play at the park.

This evening Nathan played Bloxorz again.

This morning the kids popped on a video and chose Madeline. At the end when the scenery changed into a painted picture, Nathan raced off and got out the paper and paints and started to draw the same scene (and yes I'm a bit crazy (or irresponsible or lazy...) sometimes - check out the water AND paints right on top of the carpet...).

We went over to nannie and grampies for lunch and when I went and did some work with my mum, the kids watched some of Annie with Grampie (gosh, had a bit of an orphan theme going on today!). They then all went outside and helped grampie dig some ditches down his driveway to lay some drainpipe.

I bought a Mad Libs book that arrived in the post yesterday. This evening Nathan and I got it out for a bit of a play. He loved creating all the silly stories and it quickly got the hang of providng nouns, verbs, adjectives etc as requested.

I've been noticing over the past few months that Nathan likes watching any cooking type shows if he spots one on TV (I've personally never been into them). We don't have the TV just left on and the kids don't often watch programmes outside of the morning kids shows (mostly DVDs other times). However, if the DVD has finished and for some reason flicks onto the TV channels and he's spotted a cooking show I've often found him sitting down intently watching. Not that I'm surprised, since he does enjoy cooking and helping me out in the kitchen.

Then tonight I was watching a herbal medicine programme on TV and he came into the lounge after his bath and sat down and watched all the potions the man on TV was brewing up.

An early start!

Well, for us it was anyway.

I checked my emails this morning at 8.15am and there was one from a friend saying "come over right now! our trees are being chopped down this morning". So 5mins later I'd managed to get the kids dressed (and myself) and we were out the door.

We then checked out a new week old lamb, a bolshy goat called Molly, a noisy but very cool goose, some curious and friendly alpacas from over the neighbours fence who let me pat their noses and a bumblebee nest in a pile of soil.

We then had a little play with their 7wk old kittens. This was Danielle's favourite one.

And that was all by 10am!

After lunch the kids got out the Memory cards again and we had a few games before they moved on to stacking them.

A friend came and played in the afternoon. (I was expecting a surprise visitor for the kids at 1pm, but he didn't turn up, so we'll have to wait for another day).

I read another chapter of the book on the boy growing up in China.