Recently, Joseph has had a lot of questions about the economy. He hears about it daily on the radio and has been personally touched by it with Ken's job situation.
He has asked me several times HOW the economy got bad. I have struggled to answer him (at his level), but I wasn't doing an adequate job because he kept asking.
THEN, I remembered that I had heard an awesome piece on This American Life that explained it beautifully. It did such a great job that after I heard it, I came home and told Alex he should look it up and listen to it.
I looked it up on NPR's website and downloaded the piece from iTunes and put it on my ipod and waited for a good time to let him listen to it. Since we spend so much time in the car driving back and forth to Scottish Rite, that is a great time for us to watch Discovery Channel shows that have been downloaded so that is when I gave it to him.
The first 40 minutes of the show explain what happened to the banks and the last 15 minutes or so talk about the solutions.
Joseph listened so intently, his face was a picture of concentration. At the end of the first 40 minutes, he handed the ipod back to me and said, "I get it now."
I asked him if he didn't want to listen to the rest of it and he said, "No, I get it now."
So, I asked him if he liked it and he said that yes, it was very good and he got it now. (I think he gets it. :p)
Then, I asked, "So, Joseph, if someone asked you what happened with the banks, what would you tell them?"
Joseph says, "I would tell them to LISTEN TO THAT."
:p
Here is a link if you want to hear it, of if you have an 8 year old who has been asking you about it.
Bad Bank
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
The rest of the bluebonnet pictures
Chera just sent me a link to the rest of our pictures. Aren't they fabulous?
Bluebonnet Pics
Bluebonnet Pics
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Camping at Eisenhower State Park with Pack 200
This weekend was our first campout with our new pack. It was a very busy, fun-filled, muddy weekend.
We were supposed to go up there on Friday, but with the threat of severe thunderstorms and an 80% chance of rain, we decided to put off leaving until Saturday morning. The weather report and radar showed nothing over North Texas and it was supposed to be sunny and warm in the afternoon.
However, when we go there, SOMEONE hadn't READ the weather report. It was very gray and foggy. After we got the campsite set up and had eaten lunch, we headed down to the lake to help Joseph complete his conservation badge by picking up trash around the shoreline.
I had the kids bring their watershoes for this, but the girls' shoes are new and Libby got blisters very quickly.
She has bandaids now. ;)
After we picked up a few bags of trash, we headed back to the campsite so that Ken could start the smoker and I could babysit it.
Joseph attended a Leave No Trace workshop and was the only scout to take notes.
Then they went to the Raingutter Regatta.
Caroline lost her second tooth on Friday night, so here is the toothless picture. :D Actually, it is not as toothless as it really looks. This one also came in as a sharktooth.
She is one tooth ahead of Libby now.
One of those Rare Genuine Happy Libby Faces.
Joseph enjoying the fruit platter that I took with us.
For dinner, I smoked chicken breasts with this recipe:
Smokey Citrus Chicken
5 pounds chicken breasts or thighs
3 quarts Water
1 quart Orange Juice
5 ounces Kosher Salt
1 Tsp White Pepper
1 cup Orange Marmalade
1/2 cup Orange Juice
2 Tbs Lime Juice
2 Tbs Lemon Juice
2 Tbs Honey
2 Tbs Heinz 57
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Pepper
* Kosher salt brands vary in density. One cup of table or canning salt weighs 10 ounces. One cup of kosher salt weighs from 5 to 8 ounces. If you don't have kosher salt on hand, use 1/2 cup of canning or pickling salt. As a last resort, use 1/2 cup of non-iodized table salt. ( see About Salt )
Combine the water, orange juice, salt, and white pepper, stirring until the salt is dissolved. Cool the brine to 40 degrees before adding the chicken pieces. Soak the chicken in this citrus brine for two hours, in the fridge.
To make the sauce, combine the marmalade, juices, honey, Heinz 57, salt, and black pepper at least an hour ahead of time. As an option, you can add some heat to the mix...cayenne pepper powder or red pepper flakes to taste will warm it well.
Remove the chicken from the brine, rinse, drain, and dry with paper towels. Brush the chicken pieces with oil, season with pepper, and put in a 225F smoker. Apple wood is a good choice for smoke here. Plan on smoking the chicken for 2 to 4 hours at this temperature.
After two hours, check the internal temperature of the chicken. Remove thighs when they're at 175 degrees F, and breasts at 165F. Cover them and let them rest for twenty minutes.
I am putting it here, just in case I ever lose the recipe. It was such a huge hit with the family (of course, Alex wasn't with us and we wouldn't have had this if he was. :p) The sauce is REALLY REALLY good.
After dinner, it was time for the campfire and skits.
Here are the kids waiting for things to get started.
Since we were the only ones from our den, Ken and Joseph did the skit together. It was an audience participation one involving sound effects and visual effects. ;)
Joseph was the babbling brook....
and the waterfall
I got to try out my new aerobed in the back of the 4runner. It was definitely better than sleeping on the ground, but I still woke up several times and was pretty tired and grumpy this morning. Also, a thunderstorm came through in the middle of the night and I laid awake stressing about the rest of the family being in the tent. I think the kids slept through it though.
We were supposed to go up there on Friday, but with the threat of severe thunderstorms and an 80% chance of rain, we decided to put off leaving until Saturday morning. The weather report and radar showed nothing over North Texas and it was supposed to be sunny and warm in the afternoon.
However, when we go there, SOMEONE hadn't READ the weather report. It was very gray and foggy. After we got the campsite set up and had eaten lunch, we headed down to the lake to help Joseph complete his conservation badge by picking up trash around the shoreline.
I had the kids bring their watershoes for this, but the girls' shoes are new and Libby got blisters very quickly.
She has bandaids now. ;)
After we picked up a few bags of trash, we headed back to the campsite so that Ken could start the smoker and I could babysit it.
Joseph attended a Leave No Trace workshop and was the only scout to take notes.
Then they went to the Raingutter Regatta.
Caroline lost her second tooth on Friday night, so here is the toothless picture. :D Actually, it is not as toothless as it really looks. This one also came in as a sharktooth.
She is one tooth ahead of Libby now.
One of those Rare Genuine Happy Libby Faces.
Joseph enjoying the fruit platter that I took with us.
For dinner, I smoked chicken breasts with this recipe:
Smokey Citrus Chicken
5 pounds chicken breasts or thighs
3 quarts Water
1 quart Orange Juice
5 ounces Kosher Salt
1 Tsp White Pepper
1 cup Orange Marmalade
1/2 cup Orange Juice
2 Tbs Lime Juice
2 Tbs Lemon Juice
2 Tbs Honey
2 Tbs Heinz 57
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Pepper
* Kosher salt brands vary in density. One cup of table or canning salt weighs 10 ounces. One cup of kosher salt weighs from 5 to 8 ounces. If you don't have kosher salt on hand, use 1/2 cup of canning or pickling salt. As a last resort, use 1/2 cup of non-iodized table salt. ( see About Salt )
Combine the water, orange juice, salt, and white pepper, stirring until the salt is dissolved. Cool the brine to 40 degrees before adding the chicken pieces. Soak the chicken in this citrus brine for two hours, in the fridge.
To make the sauce, combine the marmalade, juices, honey, Heinz 57, salt, and black pepper at least an hour ahead of time. As an option, you can add some heat to the mix...cayenne pepper powder or red pepper flakes to taste will warm it well.
Remove the chicken from the brine, rinse, drain, and dry with paper towels. Brush the chicken pieces with oil, season with pepper, and put in a 225F smoker. Apple wood is a good choice for smoke here. Plan on smoking the chicken for 2 to 4 hours at this temperature.
After two hours, check the internal temperature of the chicken. Remove thighs when they're at 175 degrees F, and breasts at 165F. Cover them and let them rest for twenty minutes.
I am putting it here, just in case I ever lose the recipe. It was such a huge hit with the family (of course, Alex wasn't with us and we wouldn't have had this if he was. :p) The sauce is REALLY REALLY good.
After dinner, it was time for the campfire and skits.
Here are the kids waiting for things to get started.
Since we were the only ones from our den, Ken and Joseph did the skit together. It was an audience participation one involving sound effects and visual effects. ;)
Joseph was the babbling brook....
and the waterfall
I got to try out my new aerobed in the back of the 4runner. It was definitely better than sleeping on the ground, but I still woke up several times and was pretty tired and grumpy this morning. Also, a thunderstorm came through in the middle of the night and I laid awake stressing about the rest of the family being in the tent. I think the kids slept through it though.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Egg Dying
This morning, with the stormy weather in the background, we dyed some eggs. And cracked some eggs.
After we finished dipping and redipping them, we added stickers and some mod podged flowers.
And, yes, that is the very rare picture of me.
After we finished dipping and redipping them, we added stickers and some mod podged flowers.
And, yes, that is the very rare picture of me.
Alex's Birthday Celebration
and I don't have a single picture of Alex. :p
Here is his Star Trek birthday cake that we enjoyed before we went to Adventure Landing.
The kids, Ken and I got to Adventure Landing before Nanny, Hoppy and Alex arrived so we bought tickets for the kid go-karts and headed over there. The line was LOOOOONG and the drive time was a very generous five minutes so we were still standing in line when Alex got there. He went to get himself a ticket to ride the grown-up go-karts and then headed over there with Ken to a line that was VERRRRRRRRY LOOOOOOONG.
Joseph, Libby and Caroline really loved their driving experience.
Caroline ready to go
Libby is set
Joseph's one goal was to pass everyone as many times as he could.
I'm in the lead, mom!
It was really funny to watch Joseph. The entire time he was out there, it looked like he was just muttering to himself. We asked him about it afterwards and he said he was singing "Speed Racer".
We had one three car pile-up which had them all in a fit of giggles.
After parking (ahem) their cars and coming out, Caroline says, "I didn't have any mirrors!"
We headed over to the big go-karts to see how the grown-up guys were doing and they still had a loooooong liiiiiiiiine. We decided to go over and start golfing and let them catch up with us.
Caroline
Libby
Joseph
So, you can see, I was hardly WITH Alex. :p After we finished our round of golf (with Ken and Alex joining us on the 12th hole), we decided to call it an evening. The weather was starting to cool down and the breeze was picking back up.
We had Alex's birthday dinner at Red, Hot and Blue.
Joseph on hearing the "blues" outside the restaurant, starts bumping and grinding in that special Joseph way.
Ken: Joseph, do you have the blues?
Joseph: No, I have the oranges.
I WILL get a picture of Alex when he picks up his birthday present. ;)
Here is his Star Trek birthday cake that we enjoyed before we went to Adventure Landing.
The kids, Ken and I got to Adventure Landing before Nanny, Hoppy and Alex arrived so we bought tickets for the kid go-karts and headed over there. The line was LOOOOONG and the drive time was a very generous five minutes so we were still standing in line when Alex got there. He went to get himself a ticket to ride the grown-up go-karts and then headed over there with Ken to a line that was VERRRRRRRRY LOOOOOOONG.
Joseph, Libby and Caroline really loved their driving experience.
Caroline ready to go
Libby is set
Joseph's one goal was to pass everyone as many times as he could.
I'm in the lead, mom!
It was really funny to watch Joseph. The entire time he was out there, it looked like he was just muttering to himself. We asked him about it afterwards and he said he was singing "Speed Racer".
We had one three car pile-up which had them all in a fit of giggles.
After parking (ahem) their cars and coming out, Caroline says, "I didn't have any mirrors!"
We headed over to the big go-karts to see how the grown-up guys were doing and they still had a loooooong liiiiiiiiine. We decided to go over and start golfing and let them catch up with us.
Caroline
Libby
Joseph
So, you can see, I was hardly WITH Alex. :p After we finished our round of golf (with Ken and Alex joining us on the 12th hole), we decided to call it an evening. The weather was starting to cool down and the breeze was picking back up.
We had Alex's birthday dinner at Red, Hot and Blue.
Joseph on hearing the "blues" outside the restaurant, starts bumping and grinding in that special Joseph way.
Ken: Joseph, do you have the blues?
Joseph: No, I have the oranges.
I WILL get a picture of Alex when he picks up his birthday present. ;)
Saturday, April 11, 2009
We cheated
Our forecast is calling for a 100% chance of rain on Sunday, so we did our egg hunt this morning (Saturday).
Alex and I were out in the backyard at 10:30 last night trying to hide eggs. It was pretty funny trying to find a good hiding place when it was pitch dark out there anyway.
This morning it was beautiful...no wind (for once) and about 55*.
The eggs had no candy in them. They were filled with the pieces of a Playmobil set that we got for the kids. Alex and I mod podged blown eggs last week with art tissue paper. They turned out really pretty and it made them very durable.
It took 36 jumbo blown eggs, 13 plastic eggs and 11 bags to get all of the little pieces into something for the hunt.
The kids were so excited and just overjoyed with every egg they found.
Some of them were trickier than others to get to.
After they found all of the eggs, they came back in to get the loot out of them.
Libby enjoyed bashing them against the side of the table to open them.
Until she figured out that Joseph was saving the eggs by finding the open spot and peeling away the tissue paper and carefully pulling out the treasures.
There were some really cool finds...from a princess and her dressform to LOTS of tiny daggers, swords and maces.
The kids also got tiny sketchbooks and charcoal pencils and those went over really well. We have had lots of black hands and beautiful artwork.
Alex and I were out in the backyard at 10:30 last night trying to hide eggs. It was pretty funny trying to find a good hiding place when it was pitch dark out there anyway.
This morning it was beautiful...no wind (for once) and about 55*.
The eggs had no candy in them. They were filled with the pieces of a Playmobil set that we got for the kids. Alex and I mod podged blown eggs last week with art tissue paper. They turned out really pretty and it made them very durable.
It took 36 jumbo blown eggs, 13 plastic eggs and 11 bags to get all of the little pieces into something for the hunt.
The kids were so excited and just overjoyed with every egg they found.
Some of them were trickier than others to get to.
After they found all of the eggs, they came back in to get the loot out of them.
Libby enjoyed bashing them against the side of the table to open them.
Until she figured out that Joseph was saving the eggs by finding the open spot and peeling away the tissue paper and carefully pulling out the treasures.
There were some really cool finds...from a princess and her dressform to LOTS of tiny daggers, swords and maces.
The kids also got tiny sketchbooks and charcoal pencils and those went over really well. We have had lots of black hands and beautiful artwork.
Friday, April 10, 2009
A new playhouse!
Ken had off today and we spent the morning building a playhouse. I found the plans in one of our Family Fun books that we have.
The kids were really into the project and they are at such fun ages for building.
Caroline measures and marks...
Joseph uses his hammer...
Lucy guards the extra pieces...
Libby and Caroline haul wood while Joseph....ummm....
Toby is enjoying the sun and being with the family
Lucy truly thinks that this project MUST be for her.
Teamwork!
getting close!
Tha-a-aa-a-t T-ii-i-ickles!
All done! :D
The kids were really into the project and they are at such fun ages for building.
Caroline measures and marks...
Joseph uses his hammer...
Lucy guards the extra pieces...
Libby and Caroline haul wood while Joseph....ummm....
Toby is enjoying the sun and being with the family
Lucy truly thinks that this project MUST be for her.
Teamwork!
getting close!
Tha-a-aa-a-t T-ii-i-ickles!
All done! :D
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