Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Summer 2010
It's been an unpredictable summer for us this year. Kurt just needs a few more classes to graduate with his Bachelor's degree. The plan was for him to take Math 1050 this summer, so that he could get into the classes he needs for graduation this fall. That didn't work out due to some silly rules in the Math department and a really really hard Math Placement Exam. Last May I let him quit Scytek so he could stay home and watch the kids. It didn't make sense for him to work, just to put the kids through daycare. The plan was for him to quit come fall anyway. Of course, this placed hardship on the family for the rest of the school year, because I was the only one working. Fortunately, after he decided he wasn't taking summer classes, this year. Scytek offered him his old job back, part-time again, and we can now work towards getting back on track.
So, instead of having him home to watch the kids this summer, I had to start hunting for a babysitter. It didn't make much sense financially to put them back in daycare, because there would be no point in Kurt working. Unfortunately the first 2 people I asked to do it, fell through at last minute. The night before Kurt went back to work, I asked my neighbor and primary teaching partner if she'd watch the kids. She graciously said YES, and refused to let me pay her. What a blessing sent from above! When I said "unpredictable", this is what I meant. I'm the type of person that likes to know well in advance who's watching my kids, how we're going to get by, etc. Having things change so quickly threw me off course a bit.
Now we're just a month away from school starting again. Taya will be in 3rd grade already, and Triston will be in 1st grade. Since I'll still be working full-time, and Kurt will be going to school and working part-time, the kids will go to after school club each day until we are done. I've been waiting a long time for us to NOT have to pay for daycare, and the time is approaching quickly.
We have been blessed immensely over the years and I am grateful for everyone's help getting us through school. I'm going to try and keep up with my blog, since it's a great way to record our family history.
So, instead of having him home to watch the kids this summer, I had to start hunting for a babysitter. It didn't make much sense financially to put them back in daycare, because there would be no point in Kurt working. Unfortunately the first 2 people I asked to do it, fell through at last minute. The night before Kurt went back to work, I asked my neighbor and primary teaching partner if she'd watch the kids. She graciously said YES, and refused to let me pay her. What a blessing sent from above! When I said "unpredictable", this is what I meant. I'm the type of person that likes to know well in advance who's watching my kids, how we're going to get by, etc. Having things change so quickly threw me off course a bit.
Now we're just a month away from school starting again. Taya will be in 3rd grade already, and Triston will be in 1st grade. Since I'll still be working full-time, and Kurt will be going to school and working part-time, the kids will go to after school club each day until we are done. I've been waiting a long time for us to NOT have to pay for daycare, and the time is approaching quickly.
We have been blessed immensely over the years and I am grateful for everyone's help getting us through school. I'm going to try and keep up with my blog, since it's a great way to record our family history.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Dinosaur Park
We spent the afternoon at Dinosaur Park on Mother's Day. What a great adventure for us. We went with my sister Marilyse, her husband Ben and their 5 year old Sam. It was a lot of fun!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
For Christmas, Nana & Papa bought Triston a package of Triops to grow. Here are some pictures of ours so far, and some information below on what they are. The kids are totally fascinated with these little creatures.
The tadpole shrimp (scientific name = Triops longicaudatus, which are in the order Notostraca in the class Branchiopoda) inhabits freshwater, ephemeral ponds ranging from 50ºN latitude in western North America through Central America and into South America. In the U.S., Triops are found in desert habitats (see Figure 1). They live in small pools that accumulate after flash floods in the summer. Since these pools are rather short-lived, the Triops consequently have short lifespans, completing their life cycles in a mere 20-40 days!
Populations of Triops comprise males and hermaphrodites, with wide variation in the numbers of both sexual types. Most populations have many more hermaphrodites than males, and in some ponds, no males are found at all. The hermaphrodites can fertilize their own eggs (called "selfing"), or can mate with a male. The fertilized eggs are called "cysts" or "resting eggs," and can be dried for several years to decades before being hatching when rehydrated. In this cyst form, Triops can withstand extremes of heat and cold. (This is why they can be sold in plastic bags in novelty stores!) The eggs are carried by the hermaphrodites in small "brood pouches" located on two of their swimming appendages (about half-way down the length of the body, on the left and right sides). The eggs are either white or pinkish in color, and are carried in these pouches for between 12 and 24 hours before being laid in the ponds. (Note: some of the Triops actually cement their eggs on various structures (e.g., twigs, grass, etc.) in their ponds. If you drape something like a plastic or fiberglass mesh (like a small bit of a window screen) over the side of those small plastic containers that are included with kit, you might get the hermaphrodites to lay their eggs on the screen!)
The tadpole shrimp (scientific name = Triops longicaudatus, which are in the order Notostraca in the class Branchiopoda) inhabits freshwater, ephemeral ponds ranging from 50ºN latitude in western North America through Central America and into South America. In the U.S., Triops are found in desert habitats (see Figure 1). They live in small pools that accumulate after flash floods in the summer. Since these pools are rather short-lived, the Triops consequently have short lifespans, completing their life cycles in a mere 20-40 days!
Populations of Triops comprise males and hermaphrodites, with wide variation in the numbers of both sexual types. Most populations have many more hermaphrodites than males, and in some ponds, no males are found at all. The hermaphrodites can fertilize their own eggs (called "selfing"), or can mate with a male. The fertilized eggs are called "cysts" or "resting eggs," and can be dried for several years to decades before being hatching when rehydrated. In this cyst form, Triops can withstand extremes of heat and cold. (This is why they can be sold in plastic bags in novelty stores!) The eggs are carried by the hermaphrodites in small "brood pouches" located on two of their swimming appendages (about half-way down the length of the body, on the left and right sides). The eggs are either white or pinkish in color, and are carried in these pouches for between 12 and 24 hours before being laid in the ponds. (Note: some of the Triops actually cement their eggs on various structures (e.g., twigs, grass, etc.) in their ponds. If you drape something like a plastic or fiberglass mesh (like a small bit of a window screen) over the side of those small plastic containers that are included with kit, you might get the hermaphrodites to lay their eggs on the screen!)
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Update
Hello all. It's been a while since I've updated our blog. Nothing has changed much since I last wrote. Life is very routine for us. Monday-Friday, get up, drop off the kids at daycare, go to work, pick up the kids, eat dinner, read scriptures and go to bed. On the weekends we relax with no routines. I am usually cleaning and doing laundry on most weekends since I'm not able to do it much during the week.
Kurt is really busy with school so we don't see him much. He spends most evenings up at the Studio working on his projects. Fortunately he only has about a year and a half left. This summer he'll be doing his internship. We aren't sure where yet. He'll start applying in a month or two. Hopefully he'll find a place that will want him to come back after he graduates. He's an excellent designer and a great student. We love him and miss him a lot when he's up at school. I imagine he'll be pretty busy as an interior designer as well once he gets into his career, so we're getting used to that idea now.
That's all for now folks!
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