Earth Cake Science Project

(Ours looked nothing like this, I just thought it was cute.)

Ponito had to make a science project and he told me about it last weekend. He told me by saying at 5pm on Sunday night, "You have to get a styrofoam ball for a science project - right now." Needless to say, I did not agree that his lack of planning necessitated a crisis for me.



However, we talked about why he needed it. Turns out he has a big science project due about the Earth's core. Cool, but I'm not driving to the craft store on a Sunday night to buy a foam ball. Does it have to be a foam ball? Turns out, no, it didn't.







It suddenly occurs to me that I've been dying for a chance to use my Betty Crocker Bake'n'fill pans ever since I picked them up at a thrift store over a year ago. Doesn't that just look perfect?
Talked to Ponito about it, and he was very enthusiastic about cake, so we were set to go. We started making cake mix and adding food color to the different layers, and I had him show me the assignment to make sure we had all the layers. Ummm?! Ponito? You do realize this project isn't due for two weeks? *sigh*



So we finish the cake parts, freeze them, and I send him to bed (a little late).


*****************************************************************
Flash forward two weeks. Now I've had time to shop and buy icing (I hate making icing, and I can never keep pre-made icing in the house for long because it disappears (Mostly empty canisters with spoons in them are later found in Bear's room, in case you were wondering).



So at 7pm, Ponito and I start the "easy process" of assembling the cakes.




1st problem. For a round cake there are only 2 layers. The cake shown on the box is not a round cake. It has a round cake inside it. No worries. We had taken that into account and decided to make the "earth's core out of edible playdoh dyed red (hard to see in my photo shopped picture).



2nd problem. No clean mixing bowls! Whose turn is it? Apparently "Not Me's" turn, and "Not Me" is nowhere to be found. Fine, we'll make it without the mixer. So we made peanut butter playdoh, but it took forever to get enough food coloring in it to turn it red, and it took forever to mix by hand. 3 pink fingernails and a pink splotch on the coiunter and I finally got it done. Scooped out room for it in the filling layer of cake, and *Bam!* The Earth now has an inner core (red playdough) and an outer core (orange colored cake).





3rd problem. The filling layer of orange colored cake is supposed to be iced and inserted into the main layer of yellow (barely any dye so it's kind of neutral colored) cake. The filling layer is pretty small so it's a good thing I bought 2 tubs of icing. We generously coat it with yellow frosting and smoosh it into the round main layer (twice because there wasn't enough icing the first time). Now the inner and outer core are surrounded by the lower mantle (yellow frosting) and the mantle (not so yellow cake).





4th problem. (Although not until we tried to cut it). Now the Earth needs a crust. In the picture it's thin and brown. I'm so smart I decide to use the melting chocolate wafers that I've had sitting around forever as the crust. So we melt them and coat the outside of the cake. Perfect and easy. Of course later when we have to cut out a section of the cake so you can see the layers, I realize it's not that easy to cut the now solid layer of chocolate cocooning the cake, but we manage to make it work and the layers of icing hide all the cracks.





5th problem. Next part was easy. Mix blue food coloring into a can of white icing, and spread it on the chocolate covered cake. *Kapow!* Done! One Oceanic Crust, complete. *Oops!* We forgot to get the Continental crust ready. Oh well, shouldn't be hard. I was looking for an excuse to use up a box of egg whites so I we decided to make meringue continents. How hard could it be? First make the meringue. Not too difficult since we have pre-separated egg whites, but Ponito does have to wash a mixing bowl. No way am I mixing meringue by hand! Don't forget it has to be green! Ok add food coloring. Not dark enough. Add more food coloring. More.... more... more.... well... mint green'll just have to do.



6th problem. do we just want green blobs floating in the blue icing? You know, it's really not that hard to make the meringue into shapes. Let's find an image of the earth as seen from the top down, print it out, and using a plastic bag with the corner snipped off, we can just fill in the outlines of the continents. *Oops! I snipped the hole too big. Oh well, not that big a deal right? We want it fairly thick anyway so it won't break too easily or get lost in the icing."



I'm going to be smart and not make the continents on a flat surface and then try to stick it to a round shape. (Thinking ahead for once!). So I get a glass measuring bowl, tape our image to it, then tape some wax paper over that. Ponito tries piping, but it's not that easy so he hands it off to Mom. *Bam!* We've got Continental crust blobs!



Meantime it's 7:30 and the kids are still clamoring for dinner. I'd already decided to make Boboli pizza (fairly quick and easy) and had even bought the stinky fish for Hubby's pizza and spinach and asparagus for mine (plenty of artichoke hearts and pineapple already). So no worries. I'll quickly squirt out the extra meringue into little kiss shapes that the family can eat or something (waste not, want not!), and then I'll make the pizzas.



7th problem. Oh by the way? What do you do with the meringue once it's made? Does it just air dry? Check the recipe. Oh CR*P! It has to bake in a 200 degree oven for over an hour! That means the oven will be full of meringue and we can't make pizza. Ummm... Hubby? I know the kids had their hearts set on pizza, but... I could make mac'n'cheese on the stove, or nuke some leftovers.



*Deafening cheers!* Hubby has decided to spring for "real" pizza from a chain restaurant. He'll even pick it up! VERY happy teenagers.



8th problem. 1+ hours later (bedtime), we pull the meringue out of the oven. It looks fine, but is stuck to the wax paper, and cracks when you take it off. I'm also trying to talk on the phone to a friend about RAD kids who acts out sexually (got to remember to look up the links I promised her), without saying things that 11 year old Ponito doesn't need to hear, and trying to get most of the meringue on the cake. Use white icing for Greenland and Alaska, and... Done!



9th problem. Cut and label the cake. A pain (see problem #4) but we get it done. Decide to give the cut out piece to Ponito's teacher to eat. Also we cut loose all the extra meringue blobs for Ponito to give to his friends. Finally get Ponito to bed. Send him back a second time after he adds one more label he forgot.

Final problem. I was supposed to be spending all evening working on Hubby's resume so he can apply for a job tomorrow. It's 1am and I've done almost nothing. *sigh*

Smarter than a 6th Grader?

I wanted to share these two recent writing examples by my boys. I realize that Ponito is a little advanced for his age (maybe a lot), but the difference to me is still incredibly striking. These boys are supposedly both doing on-grade level work. That's 5 grades apart. 6th grade for Ponito and 11th grade for Bear. Maybe my expectations for Bear are just too high because Ponito and Bob are very advanced for their age.


This is a song written for an 11th grade English assignment by Bear. I couldn't give you all the exact really weird spacing. He did this on a computer so all the mispellings are apparently because he ignored the spell check. He didn't make a great grade on it, but that was because he didn't do the assigned cover art and he turned it in several weeks late:

The County (supposed to be Country) Funny Boot Song

These boot are made for walking on this arena ground the’ s boots are made for walking stalking the’ s grounds Talking

My stomping grounds this song is not working so I’m going to walk way talking

My life without boots is making all the clowns frown like I’m sailing a way in a talking

Cloud with a big fat gray frown sing some blues about a man without boots

On my head there is thread that looks like bread that I found in my boots

One day I got a knew pair of boots that look just like the bread

On my big fat red head

I have on my head and it said to the boots on with some dreads

I think I’m going crazy so give me my meds because this is all in my Big fat

head that all I have in big fat head I think I’m dead….



This is an essay written by Ponito. Who is just starting 6th grade. It is a FAIR Club assignment he was given for playing a neighbor child's Playstation games which are rated T for Teen (he's only 11). This is very much against the family rules and he knows it. He was told he couldn't have the PS2 back until he'd written a 500 word essay explaining why I should allow it. This was not the first time he'd been caught sneaking around and doing stuff he knows is against the family rules. He and the neighbor boy weren't allowed to play with each other for a week.

Dear mom,

I have never done an essay before, but here it goes. I am not sure about Bear but I am really sorry about what I did! I know what we did was horrible because I should have known not to play a teen rated video game or a shooting game for that matter and we should not have done it but Star Wars Battlefront Two is just so cool I could not resist. Besides for Christmas you got me that Star Wars movie that you thought was a game but it turned out to be a movie. You said that you were going to go and try to get me a Star Wars video game, but you never did so I asked [Neighbor boy] if he could bring his Star Wars Battlefront Two game because his play station two (P.S.2) does not work. So he brought it over and we played but even though it was not in my head I knew I should have asked you!

And now that I have an Eye Toy from K_________ our cousin for the Play Station Two I really want to try that new game from Christmas really badly! And no the camera does not hook up to the computer (he means the internet). I know that you think that I really do not need the Play Station Two but I only tried to live a life without the PS2 to prove that I do not need the play station two to entertain me. I know that my life is good enough without the Play Station 2. Speaking of the play station 2 can we have it back because when I give this to you I am pretty sure that this essay will have 500 words?

Going back to the new game that nobody has ever played in this family, it looks really fun and I now wish that we can play it. Once we get the play station two back that game is the first thing I am going to do!

I also have not played any of the other games in a while like Nascar Thunder 2003 because I mean who does not like racing and flipping cars catching them on fire and I know what you’re thinking why is he saying on how to be destructive but inside me I know not to do this in real life because somebody could get killed if I wreck into them and get into a car crash, Corvette, and Corvette 2 Evolution, Need For Speed 2 because I like to race other people and wreck my car cause it does not make a single dent in the car but in real life if you hit a wall or another civilian’s car it would probably kill you or the other civilian and if not then you or he will get badly injured, ATV 1 and ATV 2 because I like going into the flatland area and flying backwards.

I am promising you that I will never play and/or watch a video game that is rated T for teen or a game that has shooting, cussing, kicking and, or punching or other things that you do not like in video games.

Ponito

Hello, my name is

Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.

I told Ponito about this photo I'd found, and yesterday he came home from vacation bible school wearing a name tag with this written on it.

I love my kids!

(This is a quote from the must-see movie, Princess Bride for those of you who are not classic movie buffs).

Animal allergens

Thanks guys!

Ponito's skin was absolute perfection this morning (although there are clumps of baking soda everywhere on his bed now). So I guess I can assume it was something on the new stuffed animals that he was allegic to or maybe a cat chose to sleep on his bed while he was at Grandma's. He's not allergic to the cats, but one of them "escapes" frequently ("You are an INDOOR cat Mr. Snuggles!!") so there might have been something on his fur.

Ponito is not really prone to allergies anymore (he was allergic to glutens as a little guy, but luckily outgrew it), but the Cedar/ pollen in our part of the world is super high right now. There's a saying around here that if you don't have allergies, moving here will give them to you! The airborne allergens could be making him more susceptible to whatever allergens were in his bed.

Obviously I'll wash everything in his bed, but I'm not sure what to do about the new Beanie Baby stuffed animals. He's been convinced by the thrift store owner that they will be worth a fortune someday because they still have their tags on - so I can't wash them. (Good suggestion that it could be bed bugs Purple, but since his skin was blemish free this morning I have to assume it wasn't bug bites).

Bumps, Benadryl and baking soda

Ponito came in itching like crazy. As I watched the number of itchy bumps multiplying. I poured Benadryl into him and then tried to find the Calomine lotion. All I could find was hydrocortisone cream (we have tons from Bear's tattoo removals). We tried that, but it didn't stop the itching. Gotta love Google (and my favorite neighbor who didn't have any Calomine lotion either who looked it up for me) - it recommended an oatmeal or baking soda bath. I decided to try a baking soda paste and it worked. Stopped the itching and the bumps stopped multiplying too (could have been the Benadryl finally kicking in).

Now all we have to do is figure out what caused the rash. It was an hour after he went to bed that he came in. The rash was only on his face and torso (he slept shirtless, but in long pants). Dinner was leftovers so it couldn't have been that. The only thing I can figure out is he got some beanie babies at the thrift store on Saturday. He slept with them last night at Grandma's (he sleeps at Grandma's most Saturdays), but says he wore a shirt.

We put him to bed in his bottom bunk with no stuffed animals. We'll figure it out in the morning.

Kids say the darndest things!

Yesterday I was sitting in attachment therapy with Kitty and we started talking about her adoption story. I know a lot of people tell their kids this story all the time, but it feels awkward to me since my kids weren't young when they came to live with us and they know their birth stories. Not to say she hasn't heard the story before, but she doesn't know it by heart or anything.



That got me to thinking about all the little family stories that we don't even think about. The "in jokes." The little things that might have made us crazy at the time, but in a lot of ways make us love them anymore.



The Name Game
Kitty's adopted name is actually one of those stories. When my mom and dad were thinking of names for me one of the names Dad suggested was "Kitty" (not really, but use your imagination). My mom really liked the name and it would have been mine, but my mom asked what made my dad think of it. Apparently it was the name of a bar maid he'd met while on TDY (temporary leave) in a different state from where Mom was. I don't know what Mom suspected, but it did not become my name. I liked the name and when Hubby and I were discussing girl names for Bob (yes, in real life she has a girl name!), it was one we considered, but her initials would be unfortunate so we picked a different name. Bob also knew this family story and had taken to naming her dolls "Kitty," so when Kitty decided to choose a new adoptive name she picked "Kitty" (and she liked the unfortunate initials).



Disney Movies

Bob and Ponito of course have many cute little stories. The way Bob pronounced most Disney movies... Joshination Puppies (101 Dalmations), Perkolees (Hercules) and Pokey Nokey Oh (Pinocchio).

"He Bit Himself"

One of my favorites is the "He bit himself" story. Bob was rough on Ponito when he was little. She was 3 and did not want a brother, and he was very easy-going and let her pick on him without retaliation. Bob was going through a biting phase and had even bitten herself and tried to blame it on him. Of course her teeth were much bigger and we told her we didn't believe her and that we knew she'd bitten herself (we didn't discover until year later not to tell her how we knew what she'd done - because she learned from her mistakes and became a better liar!). Anyway, soon after he came up with a bite mark, and she confidently told us she hadn't done it. That he'd bitten himself... The Bite Was On His Cheek!

This beat the time she got caught coloring on the walls, and told us little brother Ponito had done it.  We told her we knew she'd done it, because she'd written her name.  So not too long after when she wrote on the couch with a marker, we told her again, we knew she'd done it because even though it was Ponito's name on the couch he was only 1!  She'd tried to teach little brother how to write his name, but it hadn't worked..



Smokey the Bear... fetus?

Kitty told the therapist and I one of her family stories that didn't actually involve any abuse (at first). Apparently Biomom told Kitty that while she was pregnant with Kitty, that every time she started to smoke, Kitty the fetus, made her throw up. Kitty then told us how she continued to hate Biomom's smoking after Kitty was born too. She talked about a time when she was in second or third grade that she locked Biomom out of the house because she was smoking. The second story obviously triggered some trauma for Kitty and she dissociated from the conversation until we were able to change the direction of the conversation.

No really, it's a Healthy Snack!

We have almost no cute family stories for Bear. So Monday I really appreciated it when he finally created a new one! On his way out the door to the bus, I noticed that Bear was holding what looked to be a peanut butter jar (taking the whole jar to school for a snack is of course not acceptable). Then it clicked. For Kitty's family party she'd requested German Chocolate Cake with Coconut Pecan icing... YUM! The'd had about a cup and a half of icing left over so I'd decided to bring it home and ice some brownies with it for dessert on Kitty's actual birthday on Tuesday. The jar of icing was what Bear was carrying out the door. I told him no way could he take icing to school for a snack. He said it was pecans and stuff so it was healthy! Say what?!! I said it is ICING, that means it is sugar and butter with a little bit of nuts thrown in. He started to argue with me, but I cut him off and told him to put it back. My friend witnessed the whole thing and she totally backed me up on the icing vs nutritious nutty snack thing. Don't know if that's why he didn't argue to much. He grabbed an old jar of stale soybeans?! and stormed out. We politely waited until his bus pulled away from the curb to laugh our heads off!

Got any cute "family stories" about your adopted kids?

Snow boy!

Here's my "baby" with his snow man. They used all the snow from the whole yard to build this little guy. Notice the green grass behind them. The snow lasted only one morning and I think we got only 2 inches. He's wearing my gloves which are just for warmth and I had the only pair. They were sopping wet through and through. Apparently it was better than the socks that most of the kids were wearing though. No one around here has mittens or gloves of course!

I still hate s**w!!

Ponito's project

If you noticed that I hardly ever post anything about Ponito except for his amazing hugs, that's because he is such a laid back, easygoing kid. I remember when he was a baby and I frequently had to remind myself that he was there (not a problem with Bob!). I feel like I've been whining a lot lately so I thought this time I'd post about my baby!

He is smart (started reading and doing first grade level math at age 4), athletic (he walked at 7.5 months and is incredibly coordinated), happy (usually smiling and in a good mood unless he's sick, hungry or tired), friendly (he's always running around with the guys, but has also been "married" 7 times since he was 3 years old!), easygoing (I was actually happy the day he finally fought back after Bob had been picking on him for years) and loving (he runs up to me with a hug and a big "Mommy!!" every morning and after school. At 10, he is the youngest in the family and has no teenage hormones making him insane!

I don't know what I'll do when he tries to leave the nest! (Is it stalking if you're the mom?)

Yesterday though he reminded me that he's only 10.

You see he's had this science fair project that he's been working on for months. He'd decided that it would be about whether or not rechargeable or regular batteries lasted longer in an RC car... but he doesn't have any RC cars. I reminded him of this several times early on in the project and suggested he talk to Hubby or Poppy (Grandma's husband who is also an engineer)... but he didn't.

Apparently he's been working through the steps, keeping up with the class - including a three page paper with references about the background information, a materials list, procedures/ steps for how the experiment would work, a hypothesis... everything but doing the actual experiment. At the beginning of Winter Break the teacher sent an e-mail reminding the class that the experiment needed to be done and the conclusions written by today (Friday). Ponito assured me he had it under control, and I'm not one of those Mamas that do kids' homework for them. He's old enough to deal with the consequences.

So Monday night (the last day of Winter Break), Ponito talked to Hubby who broke the news that we would not be buying him a pair of RC cars for this project. I'd suggested using flashlights weeks ago, so apparently that's what he decided to do. Hubby generously allowed Ponito to use one of Hubby's dive lights for the project (there are NEVER working flashlights in our house). But there was only one light. Ponito popped a couple of rechargeable batteries in it, turned on the stopwatch on his watch, and waited for the batteries to run out. He couldn't leave it on overnight in case the batteries died when he wasn't there to watch it. He couldn't take it to school. So the batteries didn't burn out very fast.

Yesterday, out of the goodness of my heart, I decided to take the watch to work with me and keep an eye on it. Apparently when stopping the watch when I went into Bear's school to attend a meeting, I accidentally cleared the time! *eek!* Then I left it on my desk when I went home for the day. I immediately apologized to Ponito as soon as I realized, and he took it very well. I asked Ponito when it was due.

That's when Ponito realized that the results of his test were due the next day, and the first set of batteries had taken over 24 hours to burn out (still hadn't actually). There was no way he could finish the project in time. Being Ponito he didn't get that upset, or blame others, or throw a tantrum, or quit (that's one reason I love me some Ponito!). Ponito's friend suggested he do a quick experiment instead. Made sense to me, so we pulled up some ideas on the internet.

Ponito found an experiment about separating salt, sugar and pepper with static electricity (here). It looked easy and we only had to borrow one ingredient (pepper, which I hate!). He got to play with a balloon and make his hair do silly things. It was easy and fun. When he asked to go play at his friends' house afterward I said sure as long as he cleaned up. I asked if he had to do a write up of his results, and he said it was just a paragraph and he could do it later.

Fast forward 3 hours. I asked Ponito for some more details and that's when I discovered that since he had chosen a whole new topic he had to completely redo all the work he'd done - including the 3-5 page background paper! It's now 7:30pm and his bedtime is 9!

So I helped him.

No, I did not write/do it for him! Mama don't roll like dat! I did type it for him, but I typed what he told me, including the fact that "electrons move 'woo woo woo' around the atom nucleus." We found several reference articles on static electricity at his level which he had to read - so much for this being an easy project! Then I helped him understand the articles (they started with what atoms were and ended with Coulomb's Law and the Triboelectric series!). I can safely say that he understands the concept well enough to explain it to his class in words they would understand.

2 and a half hours after his bedtime we finally finished. I have to say I'm proud of him for sticking with it and finishing - even though he was dead on his feet. I suggested several times that he just explain to the teacher what happened and ask for an extension until Monday, but he was insistant we finish. I know it was his fault he waited so long and then he had to start over, and that he started so late in the day because he wanted to play with his friend, but I honestly believe he didn't realize he was going to have to rewrite the whole thing or that it would take so long. I'm actually pretty proud of him.

Electrons going "woo woo woo" around the nucleus.

My Baby, Ponito

This is my baby. The reason I get up in the morning. He gives the best hugs and kisses, and is usually in a good mood. I can't believe he is 9.5 and in 4th grade! I feel so ancient!

I'm sure one reason he's so sweet is that, unlike all my other kiddoes, he has not started puberty yet. Still, he is much more affectionate than even most little boys his age. He climbs up me for hugs and clings like the little monkey that he is. I love that I can still carry him around (his sister, Bob, was so big at this age! She was well over 100lbs.). Ponito started walking at 7 1/2 months and has always been coordinated. I started him in gymnastics at age 2, when I started working in a Mother's Day Out program. He ended up doing gymnastics for 3-4 hours a day, 4 days a week, for a year. He is the most coordinated kid you can imagine (unlike poor Bob who grows 4 inches a year and is always in a new body!). He's one of those kids you see doing dangerous things in the shopping cart like standing or hanging over the edge, but if you tell me he's going to fall out, I'll just reply, "I wish!" This is because he NEVER does and I can't convince him to quit.

He's always in a good mood unless he's hungry, tired or sick. I think having all of these older sibling is especially hard on him though. He's always being told what to do and being the only social kid of the 4, he is constantly wanting to have friends over or go visit friends. Bob is very introverted so isn't really social. Kitty and Bear are very social, but can't handle the pressure of being in a crowd and really have very few social skills. Kitty especially, is very jealous of Ponito getting to go to friends' or his cousin's house.

My nephew and Ponito are only 6 months apart in age. Sometimes we think of them as a two headed boy! Especially when Ponito is looking over his cousin's shoulder to watch him playing Nintendo DS. I think Nintendos are evil and keep kids from being active and as the World's Meanest Mom I do not allow my kids to have one. They are not even allowed in my home, which means my addicted nephew doesn't come to our house much anymore. I also do not allow them to watch certain channels and think Spongebob is evil, so my little niece doesn't like to come over either.

Ponito has always been so tolerant! He used to let me dress him in silly costumes every Halloween. It's only been in the last few years that he refuses to wear them - after of course he lets me spend days making them. The first picture is of T as Prince Charming (sister of course was a princess). The second was Rainbow Horsey (he matched a stuffed animal he owned) - this was an adaptation of Unicorn Centaur Princess - his sister's costume the year before. They both wore these costumes for all of 5 minutes after being forced into them by a frustrated Mommy. The third is of a dolphin, for his sister's ocean themed birthday. Again, he wore the costume for 5 minutes. Mommy no longer makes elaborate costumes!!

No blog about Ponito would be complete without blackmail pictures!

As Pioneer Woman would insist, "He's not my favorite!"