Caz

*** For some reason this did not post on July 25, when it was originally posted, so I'm guessing it got 'eaten' into the drafts folder when my IE threw a dummy spit.  So for your amusement, here it is today lol.  I am rather having a laugh at myself at the leve of frustration a stupid scone caused!***

Oh for the love of all that is holy (or holey for that matter) would  someone in the universe reveal to me the secret of SCONE making!?!?!  I have just made a batch using a recipe from Australia's MasterChef's cookbook... and while they tasted great... they are about half an inch tall.  Seriously! 

Frodo & I followed the recipe just so, measuring everything exactly.  Kneaded 'lightly' as the instructions said, baked and voila.  Flat arse scones *sigh* 

This is not my first epic scone failure either.  Everyone says 'scones require a light touch'  fine, I barely touch the bastages and they STILL DON'T RISE!!!!!  Don't think I could get much lighter than that, could I?  

I refuse to be defeated though.  I have found another recipe and am trying again.

*** Added upon posting... Yes, I DID finally create edible scones that actually LOOKED like scones (somewhat, anyway)  So I can claim victory in the battle of Caz vs. Scones!!

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Caz

We have had the best couple of weeks around the Hobbit household.  We're gearing up to start our Monday Pcyc classes this week, but the boys have been a bit stir crazy with the lack of THEIR things to do so when a park meet was organized last week, we were ON it!    

This was a newish group, and is more of a side shoot group really, as it has a few members of other groups we're part of.  The only difference is it is purely secular in nature... and oh wow, how nice was it to not have to worry about saying something that might offend, or make uncomfortable,  the more religious home educators.    The other group I attend IS an inclusive group, but sometimes you just don't want to have to screen what you say at all times ya know?  

We met at a GREAT park, never even knew the place was there.  And directly across from the cop shop, so you're pretty guaranteed to be safe from wandering hoodlums and such ;)   My friend and her hubby & kids came, and to the boys delight, they brought their DOG!  

Oh MY, Merry was just in LOVE with Sammy the dog.  He NEEEEDED Sammy (lol his words, no kidding)  and the kids were so good with the pooch.  My gf's kids, despite being 12 and I think 14, were more than happy to play with my guys and help keep an eye on them.  I told C that I might have to start paying her kids for park days LOL.   Here's Sam walking Sammy (lol) and loving it!  


We also had fun with science this week.  We made Craters!  Totally loving the experiments from this science curriculum .  We're finishing up the 'space' section and moving on to the Earth science end of things now.  For this experiment, I filled a baking dish with about 5cm of flour, and then had the boys use the sifter to 'dust' the top with cocoa powder (ok, so we used el cheapo home brand chocolate muffin mix, it was 1/6 of the cost of cocoa ;) )   Then we took marbles and recorded their diameter,  then dropped them from varying heights (knee, waist, then shoulder) to see how that affected the size of the craters they made.


Here's dad getting in on the home ed fun for a change, helping with the crater measuring.   The boys then documented their measurements and we discussed why they thought the meteor (err.. marble) dropped from the heighest position made the biggest crater. They quite enjoy being little scientists when we get out the lab reports.  


We also had a great little 'poem' activity to help the boys remember the difference between Meteoroids (just orbiting out in space, minding their own business),  Meteors (entering our atmosphere and burning their way through), and Meteorites (the bit that's left over IF any of the meteorite doesn't burn completely up and something actually hits the Earth!)  They thought it was quite amusing that the same item has three different names just based on WHERE it happens to be at! lol

Caz
 Really, we didn't vanish off the face of the earth... honest!   More in just a moment!
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Caz
 
Well the hobbits & I have been busy busy the last few weeks... and obviously mama hobbit fell off the blogging bandwagon lol.  I did TRY to come post a few times, only to get interrupted or distracted, so I gave up *sheepish*    

The Uncles were over from New Zealand for a few weeks, and we spent a fair bit of time hanging out with them.  The boys dragged them along to swim class, played mah jong on the ipad with them, (Uncle M and Sam were on the ipad... Uncle N and Frodo were relegated to the 'old' laptop lol.  Old being 6mos old... but not new & sexy like the ipad)  and bubbles were blown & paper airplanes made.  They're back in NZ now, so hopefully they are enjoying some peace & quiet... cause they didn't get a whole lot of that when the boys were around!

This week we headed out on an epic journey, 1.5hours each way!, to the Abbey Medieval Faire Kids Day.   It was just me & the boys and I was a bit concerned, but in the end we had a fabulous day!  Mother Nature cooperated nicely with the weather... last year it was dreary & drizzly off & on all day.  This year, mostly sunny with a cool breeze... perfect!  Prepare for pics!

The boys had a ball!  There was junior jousting (sans horse, of course!), sword fighting, shield painting, cardboard sword making, animal petting and archery... among other things.   They got a kick out of all the people in costume and the 'funny' speech they used.  

  There WOULD have been a pony ride, and the boys were very disappointed that didn't happen.  That's the only thing I would say really needs improvement ... the company hired to provide pony rides was WOEFULLY ill equipped.   They had 2 ponies for 1000 or so kids!  I sincerely hope that those poor ponies got to take good breaks during the day... but with 60odd families in line at a time?  I'm kinda doubting it  :(   I've already made a 'suggestion that they plan for that more next year so children aren't disappointed, and more importantly, the animals aren't mistreated! 

There was no doubt they enjoyed the day, especially when the next morning I woke up to a mini tournament in my family room lol!