sunday, sunday.

Today we headed to our favorite science museum to see their new exhibits. The boys always love seeing the familiar, but definitely love exploring the new. The water cycle exhibit was pretty cool. They could see where rain goes - from your roof to the water treatment plant.


We saw how much water weighed, and how far many people on the planet must carry their water every day. We read how much water people use in this country daily (ouch). We compared showerheads for water usage. We saw how plants and fish work together in aquaponics to filter and grow in a beneficial dependency.


We walked through a green built house and compared different types of insulation, paints, flooring, and windows. We looked at different light bulbs, read about fiber optic solar, and saw how much electricity a live eel was generating in a tank (cool!). The boys even got to run and produce kinetic energy...by running in what really was a gigantic hamster (uh, human) wheel. They lit up light bulbs running and running.


We explored wind turbines, hydrogen cells, nuclear power, solar power...they felt good about how much they already knew, and excited to find out more about a few new interesting things (electric eels).


A nice break from our intensive gardening efforts of the past month or so. Tomorrow more rain - the boys won't mind though, as we have a new fun game...Earthopoly...and we have some research to do on those electric eels!

view from the top.

Today was cold, gray and wet. Before the weekend cold front we got out to enjoy a warm summery day. We were coming home from a garden center with a flat of prairie plants for our new mini rain garden behind our house. From a distance we saw the ferris wheel and knew we had to stop for a bit to wander the fair. It was the perfect day to be outside.


I'm afraid of heights, but hey, part of living and growing is confronting your fears, right? If I can chant my way through an MRI in a tiny tube, I can take pictures hands free while at the top of a spinning rocking metal contraption! ;)



Of course the boys were oblivious to my sweaty palms. They just thought it was fun and that there was a great view from the top. Oh, and that sign down there says 'cotton candy'...can we get some??

corner view wisconsin:: beach

This weeks Corner View is Beach. While we do have beaches here in Madison, Wisconsin, they are of the small lake variety! We are surrounded by lakes, and so do often visit beaches - mostly in fall, winter and spring, though, as we like the cooler weather and no crowds.


In the summer if we head to a beach we like the spring fed lake variety outside of the city - the cool water and clean beaches are lovely. A few things we watch out for in our inland beaches is bacterial counts, algae blooms, swimmers itch...we read the beach reports before visiting to be sure it is safe for swimming! There are many great swimming lakes within an hour or two of us...we could visit a new beach every week all year and not make it through the list!


About 80 miles away is Lake Michigan. I lived in Chicago for many years right on the lake front, and miss that never ending horizon of water. 

The Great Lakes -- Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario -- and their connecting channels form the largest fresh surface water system on earth.


They are a treasure, and we love to visit.

I will admit that none of these photos are from this week - but from my iPhoto archives. We have had a week of cool cloudy days and wind - but perhaps next week we will be back to the beach, throwing rocks, digging with sticks, and looking for fish!

To visit the other corner views (full of lovely beaches!!!!) visit:

jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie, esti, sophie, cele, modsquad,caitlin, joyce, ani, couturecoucou, kim, a day that is dessert, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage,trinsch, c.t.,jeannette, outi, schanett, ritva, dongdong, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana,denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, ruth, dianna, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e,janis, kari, jgy, jenna, skymring, elizabeth, audrey, allison, lise, cate, mon, victoria, crescent moon, erin, otli, amy, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, malo, vanessa,britta, virgina, april, rebecca, b, kyndale, desiree, di, travelingmama, aimee, sunnymamaamanda, ali, jenell, guusje, britta, juanita, pamela, inna, daan, myrtille, cris, samantha, karen, kristina, angelina, dorit, goldensunfamily, sophie, janet, nicki, ruth, mcgillicutty,

hatched! update..

As I sat here, tonight, getting a few things done on my list, I heard a scratching noise. I asked my husband if it was raining - almost sounded like rain or light hail on the window. No, no rain. Could it be? I thought. I walked over to the little paper bag that has been sitting on our windowsill for over a month. I held it up to the light - and yes!

The praying mantis egg sac has erupted! Hundreds of tiny praying mantises crawling out of the sac. We were told they normally hatch in the morning and so the boys have been checking and re-checking daily - 11 PM is a surprise! I placed the bag into a half gallon canning jar, opening the paper as I did so that the insects could spread out a little. I covered the top with a few layers of silk and screwed on the ring. I hope that keeps them in until morning. The boys will be SO excited!


We were told that the mantis babes will eat anything and everything, including each other, so to get them outside quick. We must wait until morning for the boys to see them, and so that we can see to release them throughout our garden so that they can chomp on the bad bugs that may ruin our cabbage, cucumbers or squash. I hope they all make it until morning so that we can free them into their new home (and I hope they cannot chew through a few layers of a silk and wander the house as I sleep!). Should be a very exciting morning!


Update:: A made it downstairs before I did this morning, and I heard him SHRIEKING as he saw that the mantises were out in the jar. Very excited boys! We took them outside and put the insects on plants throughout the garden. G held a few. I picked some up and put them on leaves where I knew there had been insects.


We were told that of a few hundred that hatch, fewer than a hand full will reach maturity. Rough mantis world, out there. Hopefully enough of them will be happy eating bugs in our yard (they don't eat ladybugs, another beneficial insect).


Go, mantises, go!

fired up.

About a week ago we took a trip to a local ceramics studio for the boys to do the paint your own pottery. A picked a truck coin bank, and G picked the classic piggy.


They had a lot of fun painting the ceramics - it took a few layers to be sure that the color would be intense when fired. They carefully painted on the details, and added their names with a special 'pen'. A went brush happy with the black on the windows. Even my husband painted for a bit (while I helped the boys) - doing several layers on a coffee mug before asking me to add some details.


Yesterday we got the call that they had been fired and were ready. G loves his shiny blue & green polka dotted piggy bank. It is full already, as you can see.


A likes his truck - it is the perfect green for him, and his racing number shows up clearly! His has a bit more room for change, so he has some saving to do.


We even like the mug - although my husband wants to take it to work, and I want it for my tea. Ahem. ;)