A Busy Day

Today we went to the TELUS World of Science in Edmonton. Once a month they have classes specifically for homeschoolers. I signed Sara up for the Grade 2 class, "Chilling Out." Sky was in the Kindergarten class, "Fabulous Five Senses." I was very impressed with all the teachers and the content of both classes. Sara learned about temperature and the different forms of water - solid, liquid and gas. They did some really neat experiments! Sky, of course learned about our 5 senses. There were different stations around the room to learn about each sense with a hands-on game or craft. Their classrooms were right next to each other, so I hopped back and forth to make sure they were doing O.K. I spent most of the time with Sara. She tends to just want to sit and observe and won't participate sometimes. So, I wanted to make sure she was actually doing things and focusing on the task and not just people-watching. At the end of both classes they had the absolute coolest demonstration! They both had the same thing - Sky's was to experience the sense of touch and Sara's was to watch something go from liquid to solid. They actually made ice cream, in an instant, with liquid nitrogen! I was amazed and the kids thought it was magic! It was very much edible, so we all had a little cup of it! It was actually very yummy. I took a video, but have tried 3 times to upload it and it's not working for me. I'll keep trying, but it will have to be a separate post... One of the best things about all this is that each class cost me a whopping $4.25! Well, I did have to buy a family annual membership, but I'm thinking it will be very worth it. We ate our box lunch in the cafeteria after the classes and then explored the rest of the World of Science for awhile before heading home. There was lots to see and touch and the kids loved it! Playing with the sand in the "Erosion" exhibit.
This one was all about boogers!!

Posing with a giant eyeball!

Sara inspecting giant teeth as she stands on a giant tongue!

Tonight (and till noon tomorrow), Joshua and I went to a parenting seminar. It was good, so far. I'll share my thoughts later... Joshua's parents signed us up and offered to babysit as well, so you can't beat that! They're actually keeping the kids overnight, so that really helps with the early morning tomorrow. When we got home this afternoon, the kids eagerly packed their bags for their sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa's! They were so excited! Oh, and Mom made us supper too - can it get any better?! Now here I go to bed... We have to leave the house at 7:15 a.m. Ugh! For those of you who know me well, I am NOT a morning person...

The Pictures I Know You've Been Waiting For!

Without further ado, here are pictures of the new house! We'll start with the living room. The arched window looks out to the front yard. The other side of the living room. The phrase above the piano says, "May our home be warm and our friends be many."
Our bedroom - we bought a new bedroom suite when we moved and I love it!
Sara's room. The flowers on the wall are not stickers. They are plastic flowers with a small magnet in the center of each one. There's special flat-headed nails that come with the set. You hammer the nail in flush with the wall, and simply attach the flowers to each nail! It's one of my favourite new decorations in the house!
Sky's room in the basement.
Other side of Sky's room. We painted another blackboard wall for him because he really missed the other one. As you can see, it's already seen a lot of creativity! The door on the right leads to his bathroom, complete with shower!When you walk down the stairs to the basement, this is what you see first.

To the right, is my sewing table corner and all the stuff that I haven't organized or put away yet!
On the left is the play area and door to Sky's room.
Another view of the play area. When they built the basement, whoever did it, did a great job with the lighting. It's very light and bright and open. The kids have been great about playing, reading and watching T.V. down there.
This is our schoolroom/office on the main floor.

Here's where I'm sitting right now, writing this post!
The family room, that's right next to the kitchen. We've already had a few cozy evenings with a fire in the fireplace!

So, that's it! Hope you enjoyed the tour!

Don't Blink - You'll Miss It!

We have this beautiful wooded area behind our back fence. I took this picture 9 days ago, when the leaves were at their peak colour.The next picture was taken this morning! The trees are almost completely bare, with only a few brave leaves hanging on. Isn't that crazy?! I love the fall season, but it just doesn't last very long around here. We have to hurry up and enjoy it while we can!Before the leaves disappeared, we did manage to get out and enjoy the beauty of it all. I love these next pictures of Sara and Sky's little hands holding their treasures for me to see! (First one is Sara and the second one is Sky.)

Thanksgiving Day is just 2 days away for us! We'll be having our turkey dinner at my in-laws house. I'm bringing the hashbrown casserole and the pumpkin bread. Mmmm, I can hardly wait! It still seems a little strange to have Thanksgiving in October, but I'm getting used to it. It would be even more strange to have Thanksgiving at the end of November, when winter has officially set in, though! Sara and Sky have been working on a poem to say for everyone on Thanksgiving Day called, "Pumpkin Poem." They've done an amazing job memorizing! It's really cute. I'll try to get it on video so all of you can see it too.

I know I've been absent from the blogging world for awhile. I was pretty sick for two whole weeks at the end of September, and still haven't felt like myself since then. We've also been busy with school and getting into the new routine. It's been good and the kids really seem to be enjoying themselves. I think they were bored! And of course, we are still trying to get settled into the new house. We're slowly, but surely getting all the pictures hung and decorations arranged. I'll take some pictures soon, so you can see the finished product! Right now, it's time to go make supper!