Torti-yah!!

Once again trying to get the girls inti the kitchen more I found one of the easiesr recipes for kids to help cooking. Tortillas! Yes the classic flour tortilla is such and easy dish, yet no one ever seems to cook it from scratch anymore. Flour, water, baking powder, and shortening... That is it. We did it old school with a pin, but with the amount of fun we have I may get a Roti or tortilla press.

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Going into town to go to the market.

Yesterday we went in to our local farmers market. I gave Isabella $4 to spend on anything she and her sister wanted. After a few questions on how much some of the jewlery cost we moved on to the produce. First they decided green beens. Isabella gave the lady $2 dollars and she turned to me and said can we have these for dinner? I could only oblige. So we moved on and they stopped at the eggs they were really excited to hear about where the eggs come from so we finished up with buying eggs. 
What a great day!

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Furry Residents II

The Polar Bear is the world largest land carnivor maxing out around 2,000 lbs, that lives in the Artic Cricle mostly in North America, but also found in Asia. Interestingly enough the fur is actually clear and hollow and their skin is black. The white coat usually yellows with age. When kept in captivity in warm, humid conditions, the fur may turn a pale shade of green due to algae growing inside the hollow guard hairs.

Although stereotyped as being voraciously aggressive, they are normally cautious in confrontations, and often choose to escape rather than fight.

Contrary to a legend among native hunters, polar bears do not cover their black noses while lying in wait for seals. However I have read on a clear day their nose can be spotted up to six miles away with Binoculars.

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Columbus's Newest Furry Residents

The Columbus Zoo has added another new exhibit this year featuring Polar bears. The new exhibit gives the viewers a very interesting view of Polar bear.... from down below! What a great new exhibit.

Many people do not give the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium the credit it deserves, however did you know that...

The zoo operates its own conservation program, donating money to outside programs as well as participating in their own conservation efforts. Over the past five years the zoo has raised over $3.3 million from fifteen different sources.

Once the expansion is over in 2014 the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium will be over double the land size of the San Diego Zoo and Detroit Zoo, larger than the National Zoo, and getting close to the massive 260+ acre Bronx Zoo?

Currently the we have 5,804 animals that is larger than the San Diego Zoo, National Zoo, Bronx Zoo, and National Zoo. The Detroit Zoo has Columbus is numbers.

Also 746 species reside here... which is only eclipsed by the San Diego Zoo from the previously mentioned zoos.

The Columbus Zoo first got put on the map in 1956 where on December 22, 1956, Colo, a Western lowland gorilla, became the world's first captive-born gorilla at the Columbus Zoo. She is the oldest gorilla in captivity, and in 2006 celebrated her 50th birthday. Colo's family is now very extended, with 1 child, 10 grandchildren, 4 great grandchildren, and 2 great great grandchildren still living in zoos throughout the country. The Columbus Zoo currently houses 15 gorillas, 6 of which are related to Colo. Thanks in large part to the efforts with Colo, The Columbus Zoo has become a leader in breeding gorillas with 30 gorillas born at the zoo since 1956. According to wiki.

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Off to the Zoo...

While walking into the zoo with another family I asked them are you members? They replied with an excited "Yes". Followed by, "...even if we didn't use it that much we will still pay the price for membership because it is such a great thing for Columbus and all of the conservation efforts they do."
They are absolutely right. That is why we are so happy to have been given this gift from the girls grandparents. We do not see this as a gift to us but rather to Columbus, Ohio!

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Training Hard.

Over the last few months the words training hard were normally uttered about when speaking about triathlons. However in the fast few days it is regarding potty training. 
We have been working hard with Charlotte for months to get her potty trained (during the day). So we decided that hard ball was the game she needed to play. So this week we switched her over to regular 'big girl' panties.
So far:
Monday one accident
Tuesday four (one at home)
Over all I think it is going well. A little more laundry to be done now but a lifetime of no more diapers!

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Do you wish you could...

Do you wish you could just forget everything and become a kid again?

Charlotte wants to dip her toe in...

While at the pool this weekend, (Which we have decided to join next year because it is so good for the kids and the adults) Charlotte was enjoying her new goggles and loving the fact that the water doesn't get into your eyes. I put in a picture to see how great the pool is. However I didn't get a clear picture from the other side where there is a castle for only younger kids, picture a massive playground filled with slides, stairs, ramps, ropes, windmills, and WATER! You can see it in the background of the previous post of Isabella.

Note: I do not remember any lifeguard jumping in after anyone so I would only think that the boy in the picture above is okay.

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Come on in... The water is great.

This weekend Isabella crushed her fear of jumping into the water alone. Peer pressure is an amazing thing. She saw one of her classmates jumping in alone. She was hesitant, however later she tried it... She was in love!

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Just Peachy.

Two years ago I was out at the local hardware store with Isabella. She decided she wanted a tree. 'Hey why not...' I asked her, fruit or flower... Apple, cherry, peach... We settled on a peach tree.
So we planted it. From then on it was always called 'Isabella's Tree'. 
Flash to this weekend. We have fruit!! They are almost ripe. 
I am sure that will be the best tasting fruit she will ever taste.

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Playing Catch

This weekend we were at a local park and we happened to find a baseball. So I decided to work on Charlotte's throwing skills. She is actually really good! However for some reason she likes turning to the side and throwing it to noone.
Maybe it is because she knows she has a rocket and doesn't want to hurt anyone.

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The Rockets' Red Glare

Since it is July still and the 4th just recently past did you know:

"The Star-Spangled Banner" lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry" a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships in Chesapeake Bay during the Battle of Fort McHenry in the War of 1812. (according to Wiki)

I recently learned in a Podcast (Stuff You Missed in History Class) that Key was in the brig on a British frigate along with John Stuart Skinner, across the harbor while watching this attack on Fort McHenry in Baltimore. The British had a weapon, Congreve rocket, that exploded above the target to cause damage below because the armament were so strong from the front and this is the farthest firing weapon they had. The British had to stay a large distance away (over 1.5 miles) from the Forts weapons so these rockets were the only form of attack with the range of 1.75 miles. The Americans couldn't do anything about it until they were out of rockets, 25 hours later!

The storm flag was flying the during the attack at night. Key didn't know if we survived or not until the sun came back up and they raised their huge American flag that was ordered by Major George Armistead. He expressed desire for a very large flag to fly over the fort, the Great Garrison Flag, the largest battle flag ever flown at the time.

This was a major win at the time considering Washington, D.C. was already taken.

It is sad to know that the flag later caused a family to feud, so it was later cut into pieces so everyone would be happy.

O! say can you see by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming.
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;
O! say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

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A view from the back of the room.

Recently we were at the local library for the regular Saturday book reading. However last weekend they brought in a magician, vantriloquist, and juggler.
So he took his puppet out and went about his show. Isabella freaked out and we had to sit in the back of the room until the monster was gone.

Later on she got up enough courage to be a part of the show when he asked for a princess to come up. He called the hat he gave her it a princess crown. She wasn't amused with the color choices.

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Essay On Food

There is a podcast that I listen to on a normal basis. Here is a short snippet for a contest that he is entering in. The begining part is the essay about food and cooking it. (I thought it would go well with my last post.) The ending part is the favor he is asking. Anyway, this is a great podcast I would urge you to listen to it, however this is here today for essay on food... here we go...

Help in the kitchen - Aww Shucks!

Recently I was able to get the girls involved into our daily routine. I took both of the girls to the store. Asked them to pick out one fruit, one veg, and one meat.
First to be picked: a fresh pineapple
Then a kiwifruit, yes that is two fruits total.
Then corn was picked.
Then fish, however the 'fresh fish' that my local mega mart had didn't look so fresh so we opted for chicken nuggets.

The girls wanted to dive in and shuck their own corn. And then they watched me slice and dice a pineapple. They really were amazing that a prickely thing like that was so sweet.

That day they ate everything on their plate!

Did you know? According to http://www.etymonline.com

Shuck: 1819, "to remove the shucks from," from noun (1674) meaning "husk, pod, shell," Amer.Eng., of unknown origin. Later used in ref. to the shells of oysters and clams (1872). Interjection shucks is 1847, from sense of "something valueless" (not worth shucks). Many extended senses are from the notion of "stripping" an ear of corn, or from the capers associated with husking frolics; e.g. "to strip (off) one's clothes" (1848) and "to deceive, swindle, cheat, fool" (1959); phrase shucking and jiving "fooling, deceiving" is suggested from 1966, in U.S. black English, but cf. shuck (v.) a slang term among "cool musicians" for "to improvise chords, esp. to a piece of music one does not know" (1957), and shuck (n.) "a theft or fraud,"

According to wiki:

Kiwi: Also known as the Chinese gooseberry, the fruit was renamed for export marketing reasons in the 1950s; briefly to melonette, and then by New Zealand exporters to kiwifruit.
Kiwifruit also serves as a natural blood thinner. A recent study performed at the University of Oslo in Norway reveals that—similar to popular mainstream aspirin therapy—consuming two to three kiwifruit daily for 28 days significantly thins the blood, reducing the risk of clots, and lowers fat in the blood that can cause blockages.
The kiwifruit skin is edible and contains high amounts of dietary fiber. In a fully matured kiwifruit one study showed that this as much as tripled the fiber content of the fruit. In addition, as many of the vitamins are stored immediately under the skin, leaving the skin intact greatly increases the vitamin c consumed by eating a single piece of kiwifruit when compared to eating it peeled. As with all fruit, it is recommended that if eating the skin, the fruit be washed prior to consumption.

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Summer Sisters

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Inpromptu Photoshoot

Show me pensive...
Show me sad...
Show me happy...

Good.

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2010 Parade

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Fireflies

Normally the girls go to bed before the sun goes down. However during special occations such as the fourth of July and we are waiting for the fireworks they can stay up. This year the girls found fireflies for the first time. Here are a few pictures of the girls chasing them down.

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Happy Fourth of July!

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Grace and Hip Hop

Pizza Day Again.

Last night was make pizza day for dinner. I always love getting the girls involved with the cooking. 

Premade dough from the store is a great way to speed up the process... And no, not the round premade dough. The dough that comes in ball or ameba form.

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Alien Day

Today was alien day for Isabella's room. Here is what she dressed in.

What? Not ugly? Well yeah, not all aliens need to be ugly. Haven't you seen Avatar?

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