Making a fossil cast

For a good part of the summer Thomas worked on getting some of his Boy Scout badges done. For his digging in the past elective he had to make a fossil cast. 

So one evening we took a trip to Joann's and picked up some plaster so he could put together his cast. It was fairly easy to mix up and then he was ready to pour and place his items in. Because he has liked dinosaurs for a long time he had a nice little collection he could choose from. He could have really put anything in it to dig the toys out later but he went with all dinosaurs and bones.

We poured a little of the plaster in the bottom and he went ahead and placed the toys where he wanted them. We tried to layer as best we could and then set it up for it to dry. He had a lot of fun making this and couldn't wait to "dig" all the stuff out. 

Becoming a CLC

Back in the first part of May the Healthy Children's Center for Breastfeeding came to Newburgh. Though this organization they teach a week long class and at the end they have The Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice come in to administer the exam for certification. As I have looked at other program I really wanted to attend this one because it is all evidence based. They travel all over the US teaching this courses to all types of medical disciplines. I was actually pretty shocked to see that they were coming to Newburgh. With being a week long class and the expense I wasn't quite sure that it would actually work out. But my visiting teacher offered to take her for the mornings and Eric had set aside some money so I went ahead and signed up. 

It was a really great class and it was great to get into some nutrition based stuff again. The information was really great and I was happy I had a chance to attend. When Friday came around I was a little nervous about the exam and I was hoping that I would be able to pass this test to get my certification. There were three parts to the test. I was not worried about the counseling part or the multiple choice, but the LAT tool test was pretty nerve racking. With this it is a pass or fail and if you fail this part you do not get certified. After the class ended we were told that it would take 6-8 weeks to get the results back. So though tout the summer I was anxious about getting the results back. At the end of July I got the envelope in the mail. I was happy to see a big envelope and I was hoping that was because it included my certificate. Eric and I opened it and I am happy to report I can now say that I am a CLC, a Certified Lactation Counselor : )     

Making an edible fossil layer

When Thomas started scouts they had pretty much redone the entire program. Because this really is my first experience with the scouting program I really didn't have anything to compare it to so to me the change didn't effect me at all. 

The change to the program started June 1st just after Thomas turned 8 so we were all starting from square one. As I looked through his wolf book there were required badges to work on and then they had to pick one elective badge.

There were lots of fun different electives to chose from, and honestly as I was looking at them they were a little more fun then some of the required ones ; ) The one he pick for his elective was Digging In The Past. This was really perfect for Thomas, because it was all about learning about dinosaurs. 

One of the things he had to do was to make an edible fossil layers. He had a lot of fun with this. We used jello, pudding, crushed graham crackers and animal crackers. I let him chose the flavors so he opted for blue raspberry jello and strawberry pudding. 

After the jello and pudding were set he layered them in the glass and he was ready to eat them. He was able to figure out that the way they had you layer made a difference if the animal cracker was soft or still crunchy. It was great because it double as his snack that day too ; )

Her own water pack

Just over 18 mths old this little girl was ready to start hiking on her own for at least a little while ; ) After we dropped the kids off with my parents, Eric and I wanted to go to the REI there in Indy.

There were a few things that we needed to pick up for our hiking trips. While we were there we saw this purple Camelbak and thought it was perfect for our Livvy. After everyone was back at home we showed her her own water pack and she instantly wanted it on. 

We thought it would be a fun family activity to take a walk on a Saturday morning so she could try our her pack. She really thought it was the greatest thing that she was like everyone else and able to carry her water on her back. Daddy came prepared just in case she was done walking so we wouldn't have to  carry her. 

She already new how to use the mouth piece and had no trouble getting the water to come out. The pack was a little low on her back but other then that it seemed to fit her pretty nicely and she will be able to grow into it : ) 

Bowling night

When Thomas turned 8 he was able to start going to Cub scouts. He was pretty excited about this. Even though his birthday is in the last part of the school year the scouts do have a few activities they do in the summer time. 

So in late July the troop had an activity at the bowling ally. He was excited to go and seemed to have a good time with the other boys. They did have the help of the bummers so he was happy he did have a bunch of gutters ; ) 

Saving Eggbert

While we were up in Michigan we stopped by to pick up somethings that Eric had at his parents house. There was a box of a Saving Eggbert that he did for either scouts or a FHE thing, but the kids were pretty interested in doing this project. 

So the purpose of this project is to make a device or contraption so when you drop your hard boiled egg of the roof it won't break. With this project you were given so much "money" to spend and a time limit to plan. So the boys were given a list of things they could "buy" and paper and pencil so they could design there device and add up how much money they spent. 

It was fun to watch them think about what they wanted to spend their money on to make different devices. Both the boys had a lot of fun and seemed to come up with some good ideas. After they made their device they were able to put a face on their egg and get Eggbert ready for take off. 

After we were all done we were able to head outside and Eric dropped all four of our Eggberts off our garage. Livvy was able to draw on her Eggbert but he didn't go outside because she had already dropped him on the kitchen floor ; ) thank goodness it was hard boiled ; )

In the end Eric's Eggbert was the only one who broke, so Thomas was showing him off for me. 

The boys were pretty excited that they were able to see their Eggbert from breaking. In the end it was a really fun activity with a lot of good learning points and objectives. 

Livvy was our cheerleader : ) And she had lots of fun watching the eggs fall from the sky. 

Kids Day 2015

For kids day this year we did things a little bit different. Since the kids had been in Michigan we wanted to do some fun things with them. So instead of getting them a little gift we had some fun activities. 

In the morning we went to the movies and seen the new Minion movie that we all wanted to see. It was great that we were able to go in the later morning because we were able to get a better price on our tickets. 

After the movie the kids wanted to go putt-putting. There is a course really close to the theater so it was a quick trip over. Because it was the middle of July and it was in the afternoon it was pretty hot but the kids still wanted to go so we took advantage of the shade and Eric and I tried to make it a fast game to get out of the heat. 

Because we were pretty hot after putt putt we took a trip over to Sonic and got a slushies for the ride home. For dinner the boys wanted pizza which was great because I didn't have t heat up the house with making dinner. We all had a fun day and the kids really seemed to enjoy all the activities and enjoying time together as a family : )