Sam and Esther...

A day in the life of 3rd grade science

Well, we just finish our math unit on area, perimeter and volume, so we are diving into science. My kids LOVE science because we do alot of experiments and exploring, and they like it when I get dramatic and tell them how we might all die if we mix the wrong chemicals, etc. (Even though we have never mixed chemicals, telling them this gets them into the right scientific mindset) Our new unit is all about animals, biomes and adaptation. To test our how adaption works, we simulated how certain beaks are better at eating certain foods. We used clothes pins (a Cardinal's beak) and popsicle sticks glued to clothes pins to simulate a Heron. We tested which beak, short and strong or long and thin, would do best with different types of foods(cut up drinking staw, etc.) Turns out, Heron beaks can go deep into sand, while cardinal beaks are good at crushing small things. And these decide where these lovely birds live!

But, I would have to say that the highlight of our day was definitely our video and song that we most definitely memorized, and sing throughout the day.



Enjoy, and please just remember that the camel's lashes are more dope than J. Lo's.

A Taste of Serendipity

Good NEWS! Well, as you may know, Andrew and I waited an hour and a half in the freezing cold to taste the cold confections inside of "Serendipty," the ice cream shop featured in the movie, "Serendipity." When John Cusack and his girl first begin to fall for each other, they travel to this two story shop to sip on frozen hot chocolates. When Andrew and I arrived, there were about 75 people eating in this deceptively large, two story shop. When we were seated, we thought nothing of the table shoved into an old marble fireplace, but reminisced of the movie just the same. The other night, we popped in the movie to point out the destinations we shared with the characters. When they arrived at Serendipity, we were excited to see them enjoy the same setting we did, then we had a SHOCK! Out of all the many table they could have sat at, they ended up sitting at the SAME table that we did! Same marble fire place, same marble bust of an angry aboriginal--what serendipity!

Well, we were pretty excited, and if you don't believe us, I included photos!




On another note, aI am so excited about the Inauguration tomorrow! It's going to be history in the making. My third grade class is a very diverse group, and we will most definitely be watching Mr. Obama become out very first African American President! Look for one of my students to become our future president one day! :-)

Resolutions and Rotations

My lovely monther in-law recently pointed us to Suze Orman's tips for financial success in 2009 she had seen on Oprah. We love the tips, and are testing them out. Some of her tips were to go a day without spending money, a week without the credit card, and a month without eating out. The first two are easy for us, but that last one freaked is out, impossible, we thought. Well, we began this week and after having to eat out for each meal in New York which costs an arm and a leg, we were kinda excited. It has now been a week and we have not eaten out at all!!! WOW! We were tempted once or twice, I will be honest. Saturday, after our walk on the beach, we got on the scooter, and I asked Andrew if we could go get burritos somewhere. He said, "Yes, wait--I don't have my wallet, its at home!" So we made hamburgers with grilled onions and steamed veggetables at home--WAY BETTER! Not only have we been saving major money, but there have been other bonuses as well. We have been eating healthier, working together in the kitchen, and we have been spending more time at home, avoiding being out and spending money elsewhere. Tonight, Andrew is making his homemade chili, and I made some corn bread, it should be ready soon! mmmmmmmmm



Actually, we have been saving so much money, that we were able to buy an airpurifier on woot.com. Why an air purifier, you ask? Well, our two little furballs aren't as hospitable to our friend's noses as we would like. On Friday night, we had friends over for dinner (another no eating out night!), and after "Burn After Reading," two of them left with itchy eyes.

So, our new year resolution will help when dander attacks.

The last thought that I will leave you with is our cat's butts. Our cats desperately needed a bath this weekend, so Andrew got 'em all lathered up and bubbly in the tub. They always look like skinny, drown rats when they are all wet, haha. Before he was about to let them out of the tub, he decided to cut off the fluffy fur that grows on the back of their hind legs, otherwise known as their butts. It looked great in the shower, but now not so much. But, turns out we love it because everytime we see them know, we literally crack up. They look like little lambs when they walk.

A non vacation Blog!

WOW! Look at me I'm blogging and we're not on vacation! It's a miracle! But, then again, I don't generally blog when I'm not out and about becuase I don't have kids, so what to tell? Well, our cats are doing really, extra well since we got home. I think they missed us so they are on their best behavior. Piper's not whining, and Lucy is always rolling on the floor, looking for love. "Wookin for nub in aw da wrong pwaces."

I went back to work, and I have been with my kids ONE day. I had GLAD training Tues and Wed. Poor kiddos, oh well, it's for their good. We got a class pet Monday. Herbie, the blue Beta. He's kinda a grumpy guy, always frowning, even though I think he can't help it. But the kids LOVE him. "Ok boys and girls, today is Herbie's first day of school ever, and his first day in our room with the Dragons, (thats us, we're the Dragons), what should we tell him about us so that he feels more comfortable?" -me

First hand raised, "WE LOVE reading!"
"Oh yeah, good one!" -me
"WE LOVE SCHOOL!"-second child
"So true!" -me
"We are super smart"
"seriously!" -me
"we LOVE Mrs. Brockhaus"
"hmm, best one I've heard yet!" -me

So, as you can see, Herbie probably feels right at home, even though I thought I had killed him when I first transferred him into his bowl. Traumatizing I suppose.

Well Herbie, we're glad you're here! You have some friends in the class, Duncan the paper dragon hangs on our wall, our room 19 mascot, and Bananas, the monkey that hangs (with a staple) from the paper tree in our room.

New Years Eve from my perspective...

Ok Ok. This is my vacation too. Now you get to hear about our new years eve from my perspective. We got on the subway to go to Brooklyn for a New Year's party. When we emerged from the underground at our final stop (after accidentally arriving at a few of the wrong, "shady" subway stops) and it was quite chilly...it was one of those 10 degrees but "feels like" ZERO times! I love the subway though...It's like Mario Brothers. You just go down, pick a destination, and come up in a new world! I love it!
Our faces were instantly numb when we got to the street level and were hit by the brisk cold of the night. It was still quite exciting though, and to us San Diegan weaklings, we consider it an adventure every time we face the extreme cold. It feels great to come out alive!
So besides the fact that I ended up talking and dancing with another GUY last night, it was a pretty darn coool night. And actually, Ed, my fellow bloke from England was a pretty nifty guy. Well...that's about all I am going to give you for now. Getting home at 6:00am was definitely out of the ordinary for us, but it was well worth it as New York was a wonderful setting for a New Year's celebration!