A flurry of outdoor action

A flurry of shopping does not sound like fun to me, oh no.  School is coming up, and with three of them now going in, I have my work cut out for me.  Truth be told, it's mostly the shoes that take up so much time.  Clothes are a more leisurely purchase, but my kids seem to go through shoes with a whirl and a bang.  They wake up and suddenly their shoes no longer fit - NONE of them.  Thank God for summer and sandals, but no such reprieve exists for school where shoes must be worn both inside and out.  

Last week we went to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM).  I've been to the ROM myself before I had kids, but I never realized the treasure trove it would present for young children.  They just loved the exhibits, especially the Egyptian and biodiversity sections.  All those animals, and dinosaurs, and hands on activities!  The blue whale exhibit was among each child's favourites.  I think I will add a membership to the ROM to our Christmas list.  Such a perfect gift!

Prior to the ROM we had been studying ancient Egypt a little.  I use the term "studying" quite loosely.  Our studies have been more self-propelled than anything else.  M especially has been knee deep in pyramids, pharaohs, and hieroglyphics.  After a couple visits to the library and quite a few books later, we built a step pyramid out of sugar cubes and then M calculated the perimeter and area of the base of his.  (We haven't gotten around to volume yet, but it would be perfect for that!)  Later on this week, we will study the effects of the elements (hair dryer and water) on our pyramids. All this to say, our visit to the ROM was well-timed!

With the solar eclipse, there was quite an interest in astronomy last week.  NASA had a nice site set up to watch the eclipse, since we were not in the path of totality.  M made a projector so we could still check things out - we couldn't find glasses last minute.  There are actually several suns in that photo because I think we poked more than one hole in the aluminum square.  Oh well.  We got to see the moon eclipsing the sun without leaving our living room!  M even decorated his projector to show how much further the sun is from the earth than the moon.  He also added some dramatic solar flares.  Loved learning astronomy with him!  Our poor family and friends had to put up with him explaining things over and over.  He was just so into it.

Yesterday we went hiking on the forest trails at Riverwood Conservation.  It's not far from us, though we had to drive there.  The kids loved exploring and digging around for rocks on the paths.  Even baby loved the walking, and she did all of it by herself.  My back can't handle carrying her anymore.  S had found an acorn on the path and when we saw a squirrel sitting on a tree stump, she promptly threw him the acorn.  We then watched as he cautiously retrieved it and ate it up in front of us.  That was pretty cool.  Needless to say S was tickled pink!  That definitely made her day.

Last night I did some work on a blanket I am crocheting.  Blankets are the worst.  It feels like it will never end, or even more, that I am not making any progress.  Sometimes I don't even manage to finish one row in a sitting.  I know I have until Christmas to finish, but most days that feels like too little time!  To be honest, that is not the only thing I am working on.  Of course.  I have started another icon.  Actually I started it a little while ago, but I am recommencing work on it after a break.  My deadline is spring for this project, so it should manage to sort itself out as long as I don't get too carried away adding more projects.

The funny thing is, I've been told that once the kids start school I will have more time for those things.  I will only have baby with me after all.  I anticipate the reverse in fact!  Baby M is such a darling, but totally into everything.  She climbs, she's curious, she likes to touch and taste EVERYTHING.  I cannot leave her for longer than 3 minutes alone.  And for me to bring out paints... I can't imagine what kind of disaster would occur.  No, I think I will have less time, at least for painting anyhow.  But with that sweet little face and chubby hands close by, I doubt I'll mind it too much.

Wishing you a wonderful long weekend!