Sorry I haven't been posting lately. I've been having camera/computer issues but I should be able to start posting this weekend again! I wanted to thank my friends who've emailed me privately telling me how much they missed my blog! :)

Mama Llama

politics

If you were walking past our house, here are some of the signs you'd see on our window.

Art

We studied Andy Warhol's Red Sam. Here is Squirrel's watercolor.

Here's Fluffy's. If you would like to see the real Red Sam as well as his other artwork, go here.

Must Be Nice to Have a Sugar Daddy

I am just appalled with the $700 Billion bailout plan. This is yet another example of what's good for Main Street isn't good for Wall Street. I understand that they need bailing out because this does affect the entire world, however, it needs to be contained to Wall Street. They need to face the consequences for their greed and covert actions. Bonuses and severance packages should be seized for the bailout in lieu of jail time. Homeowners should get an extended loan (a 40 year mortgage instead of a 30, for instance) instead of a lower interest rate. Homeowners are partially to blame for this as they knew they were buying beyond their means. This isn't fair to the rest of us who struggle to pay our bills. Our house values have dropped too yet we're the ones who are going to be footing the bill.

Rosh Hashanah

••Rosh Hashanah••

••by Fluffy Puppy••

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is celebrated no later then September 6^th because Jews follow the Lunar Calendar. The Lunar Calendar, different than the Mayan Calendar, has events falling on different days each year. On Rosh Hashanah, the traditional greeting is Shana Tova, which means ‘Have a Good Year.’ Piyyut, religious poems, are added to the regular services. Also, prayers are recited by a river, or a natural body of water, to cast away sins. Jews throw bread crumbs or pebbles, as if those are their sins.

The Shofar, a trumpet made from a ram’s horn, is blown on both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. There are four sounds the instrument makes: Tekiah, which is one long sound, Shevarim, three blows, Teruah, a series of short sounds, and Tekiah Gedolah, one very long sound.

The foods eaten during Rosh Hashanah are mostly symbolic. Apples and honey and honey cake represent a sweet New Year. Other foods, such as dates, black-eyed beans, leek, spinach and gourd, are mentioned in Talmud, the second most important text, after the Hebrew Bible. A loaf of round challah bread represents the cycle of the year.

Rosh Hashanah

Greek Honey Cake

This is a very good recipe but I remembered AFTER we baked it, I wanted to try incorporating the honey into the cake and forgo the honey sauce. You can find this recipe here.

For a more traditional honey cake recipe, go here.

Rosh Hashanah

Lokshin Kugel (noodle pudding) for Rosh Hashanah. This is the first time I'm trying this specific recipe. You can find the recipe here.

Note: After trying this recipe tonight, I have to say it's excellent! It looked like a lot of sugar, but it really is just enough! Two thumbs up! You can serve this either warm or cold. I prefer it warm.

Cinderelli, Cinderelli

The kids and I detailed my van this weekend and when I saw this, I couldn't resist singing out "Cinderelli, Cinderelli, wash my car Cinderelli."

Needless to say, I got "the look" from Squirrel.

Fluffy couldn't hear me because she was busy vacuuming my seats. Now where did I lay down that whip...

JFK

We watched a documentary on JFK the other day and I asked Squirrel to list six facts she remembered from the show.

1. It remains unsolved
2. It happened in Dallas, Texas
3. The government thought the President of Cuba (Fidel Castro) was behind this
4. Whoever did it used Lee Harvey Oswald's gun
5. Three or four shots were fired
6. Kennedy was shot in the head and throat
   

cute pic

Need I say more?

What's for dinner

Potato Kugel

This is the first time I used this recipe and to tell you the truth, it was a little bland. Next time I would add more salt and seasonings in general and put it under the broiler to make it crispy. It looks delicious though, doesn't it? I added three types of cheese, Monterrey jack, co-jack and mozzarella. Here's the recipe.


Potato Kugel

3 medium potatoes
2 small carrots
1 small onion
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 egg
1 tbs oil
2 tbs chopped parsley
2 tbs wholemeal breadcrumbs
1/2 cup milk powder
15g butter, cubed
1/2 cup grated cheese

1. Grate potatoes, onion and carrots, and combine with the crushed garlic.

2. Lightly beat the egg with the oil, and pour over the grated vegetables. Stir in the parsley, breadcrumbs and milk powder.

3. Spread into a greased 20cm pie dish and dot with the butter.

4. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with the cheese and bake for a further 15 minutes.

Serve hot or cold. Freeze for up to 4 months.


NOTE: So after doing a little bit more research on other potato kugel's, I think it needs to be cooked for another 15 minutes or so. Some recipes even say to turn the oven up to 400 for the last half hour.

Spanish

Here Squirrel is studying Spanish using Rosetta Stone. The girls really seem to like the program. Squirrel spent about an hour studying it today.

What's for breakfast from Mama's kitchen

Baked Apple Oatmeal

We didn't have enough apples or brown sugar or molasses to make brown sugar so I did a little improvising. I substituted canned pears and bananas for the fruit and regular sugar instead of brown. This is delicious. I usually add pears to the apple mixture but the banana was a pleasant change. To get the recipe click HERE.

Civics

JAIL OR BAIL?
by Fluffy Puppy


Let's say Brad Paisley was put in jail for allegedly murdering his manager. Then Kimberly, his wife, pays the fine for bailing him out. They let him go without another word. But is that the right thing to do?

Let's say, now, that Tim McGraw was also put in jail for murdering his manager. Then Faith pays the fine for bailing him out, too. He receives the same treatment -- leaving without a backwards glance.

Is that completely fair? What if Tim really did murder his manager? And what if, after he was released, he goes and murders somebody else?

I don't think that if you haven't gone to court yet, you should be able to be bailed out. Once the jury decides if you are innocent, though, you should be released unconditionally. If the jury decides you're guilty, you should live out your time in jail. It's unfair and unsafe to set a murderer or a kidnapper free. That's practically knowing that he's guilty, but pledging him innocent.

Alaska Rally

Over 1400 people showed up to protest Sarah Palin. To view, click HERE.

Farmer in the Dell

The girls helped my Mom harvest some fruits this weekend.

Squirrel snips a watermelon.

The watermelon posing with Squirrel. :)

Fluffy Puppy finds a watermelon.

Proud of her harvest.

Anyone up for fried green tomatoes?

or eggplant parmesan?

eney meany miny moe.
all of you have got to go.

Posing with their harvest.

McCains selective amnesia

Two words - PHIL GRAMM

Read what has been really happening behind the scenes HERE.

Quote of the Day

Win as if you were used to it, lose as if you enjoyed it for a change.
-Eric Golnik

Cranberry Monterey Pizza from The Smelly Llama

1 tube (13.8 oz.) refrigerated pizza crust
8 oz. monterey jack cheese cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 can whole-berry cranberry sauce
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Unroll crust onto a lightly greased 12-in. pizza pan: flatten dough and build up edges slightly. Bake 425 for 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown.

Sprinkle cheese over crust. Spoon cranberry sauce evenly over crust: sprinkle with pecans. Bake 8-12 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before cutting.

Note: We shredded the cheese before putting it on the pizza.

Art Today

Sorry guys, you're just going to have to tilt your head to look at this one. I couldn't get this to turn like a portrait. Anyway, this is Squirrels tree.

Here's Fluffy Puppy's tree.

To make this project, have student trace their hand making sure to leave the fingertips pointed. Next, free draw vertical lines from in between the fingers down to the bottom of the page. Take a marker, we used brown, and trace all the lines you just made. Then, starting from the bottom, draw the contour lines, linking them as you go. As you work your way up the tree, single lines will mark the branches. Add leaves, color your tree and background with any media you like. We used crayons.

Funny Pics

Squirrel took this in case you were wondering what Mystics nose really looked like.

and what Savannah looks like when she sleeps


and what she looks like when the flash from the camera has jarred her from her nap.

Note: Fluffy Puppy took the pictures of Savannah

Quote of the day

I can't understand why people are freightened by new ideas. I'm freightened by the old ones.
- John Cage

Fun With Grammar

Squirrel has been studying parts of speech specifically verbs, nouns, adjectives and adverbs. She wrote twelve words each under the relevant title and put them into piles face down. She then chose one word from each group and made silly sentences out of them. Here are a few she created.

1. The big dog was flying wildly.
2. The bee safely coughed for a long time.
3. The short bunny sneezed selfishly.
4. I tickled the short llama quickly.
5. I cuddled the worm safely and cooked him some cookies.

Our Froggie House

Some of you might have seen a previous post about a new froggie friend we have hanging out in our garden. We decided to welcome him by making a frog house for him in our garden.

We had to face it away from the street so when our sprinklers came on, his house wouldn't fill up with water.

Here's Fluffy Puppy's house.

Here's Squirrels house.

Obama has a Rabbi in the family

To read this article, click HERE.

You have GOT to check this politcal link out!

Thanks Kelly for emailing it to me!

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/15/84829/6022/760/599280

Constitution Day

Today was Constitution Day and Fluffy Puppy had to memorize the preamble for civics and give her opinion on what the most important part of it was. Here it is:


The Most Important Goal In the Preamble
My opinion by Fluffy Puppy


We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.


In the Preamble it states that on of the goals is to insure domestic Tranquility. I think that is important because without peace, nobody would have the power to think. When there are sounds and distracting things going on around you, it's hard to concentrate. And if you're getting ready to give a speech or write a law, you have to be focused so you don't accidently publish an unsatisfactory bill.

Without quiet, you get frustrated, unable to cogitate your day, or how things turned out on your first day of work. If a weight is put on your shoulders, then you need to be able to talk it out, or at least consider which road to take. If you're in the Government and your boss asks you what you think about Vetoing the bill that states that all boys over 5 have to shave their heads, you need to think of the pros- and cons- of this law.

You might veto the bill because it would make the boy colder, or give it a more frightening look. But you might be in favor of the bill because you might be a man yourself with no hair, or have a son that has a very long hairstyle that you disapprove of.

If you can't think, you might choose the wrong thing and have to live with your decision.

If there isn't the right amount of peace, it's easier to make mistakes. This could also occur if you're uncomfortable, away from your comfort zone. You might recklessly choose something so you can go back to where you're most comfortable.

Pecan Shortbread from The Smelly Llama

Thanks Mom for making these with the girls!

Pecan Shortbread
3/4 pound unsalted butter, room temperature 1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
3½ cups all-purpose flour ¼ teaspoon salt
1½ cups small diced pecans

Recipe courtesy of The Barefoot Contessa


· Preheat the oven to 350° F
· In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and sugar until they are just combined
· Add the vanilla and almond extracts
· In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter/sugar mixture
· Add the pecans and mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together
· Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes
· Roll the dough 1/2 ½ -inch thick and cut into 2-½ -inch squares with a plain or fluted cutter (or cut into any shape you like). Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet
· Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool until they reach room temperature and serve
· Yields 26 cookies at 3/8”

newspaper hut

Today we decided to make a newspaper hut.

rollin', rollin', rollin' (keep those kids a'rollin')

Fluffy Puppy feeding the baby spider while he hangs in his playpen.

Fluffy Puppy teaching Squirrel a new chord. If you'd like directions for making this hut, click HERE.

art

We are studying perspective in art class. Here is Fluffy Puppy's picture. The piece of paper on her railroad tracks was intentional, she signed her name.

Here is Squirrel's picture.

Sarah Palin

A verified letter regarding Sarah Palin from snopes.com


ABOUT SARAH PALIN

I am a resident of Wasilla, Alaska. I have known Sarah since 1992. Everyone here knows Sarah, so it is nothing special to say we are on a first-name basis. Our children have attended the same schools. Her father was my child's favorite substitute teacher. I also am on a first name basis with her parents and mother-in-law. I attended more City Council meetings during her administration than about 99% of the residents of the city.

She is enormously popular; in every way she’s like the most popular girl in middle school. Even men who think she is a poor choice and won't vote for her can't quit smiling when talking about her because she is a "babe".

It is astonishing and almost scary how well she can keep a secret. She kept her most recent pregnancy a secret from her children and parents for seven months.

She is "pro-life". She recently gave birth to a Down's syndrome baby. There is no cover-up involved, here; Trig is her baby.

She is energetic and hardworking. She regularly worked out at the gym.

She is savvy. She doesn't take positions; she just "puts things out there" and if they prove to be popular, then she takes credit. To read the entire letter click HERE

Quote of the Day

When I stand before G-d at the end of my life, I would hope I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say "I used everything you gave me."
- Erma Bombeck

Whomever you vote for this year, remember this:

It's easy to get sucked into the drama of the election but there are some things I wanted to remind you about as you prepare to head to the polls.

1. Make sure your opinion is your own and not your parents, clergyman, friend, neighbor or butchers'. Take the time to do your own research and come to your own conclusion. You just might be surprised by what you learn!

2. Unfortunately, most journalists today include their own opinions and slants about subjects often leaving the facts buried far under the remains of slams and distortions, untruths and opinion. Sometimes it can be hard to decipher what the truth actually is. For this reason, it would behoove you to check a few different resources to make sure you have the full story. Here are two excellent resources to have: factcheck.org and snopes.com factcheck.org was sent to me by L.A. Mama raisingcalifornia

3. Let's talk polls. I find myself checking the polls daily to see where our nation is at. But there are some rules I keep in mind as I do so.

• When checking online polls, make sure they have allowed for a margin or error. If they don't, it should be considered invalid.
• Keep in mind that someone had to pay for the research. Whether it was the republican party, the democratic party or an independent, it's important. This would explain differences from one poll to the next.
• Also keep in mind that the numbers depend on who was being polled. Some areas contain higher (or lower) concentrations of a particular party and the researchers know this.
• If you just registered with a particular party, it will take awhile to catch up to the polls

4. If you're still undecided or want to make sure you're voting where your issues lie take the quiz on this site: change.org This site was sent to me by L.A. Mama raisingcalifornia

*note - When you take the presidential quiz, be sure to click on how the issue is defined. I thought they were self-explanatory but they are not. Also, after the quiz, be sure to click on the "compare" button next to each candidates name for a comprehensive comparison of your views and the candidates. Also, by clicking on the candidates stance, you will be able to see an explanation of their issue in full.

5. Chain emails - Just press the delete button. Chain email is a waste of time as it is almost always untrue. Here are some signs to look for when you receive one per factcheck.org

• The author is anonymous. Practically all e-mails we see fall into this category, and anytime an author is unnamed, the public should be skeptical. If the story were true, why would the author not put his or her name on it?
  
  
• The author is supposedly a famous person. Of course, e-mails that are attributed to legitimate people turn out to be false as well. Those popular messages about a Jay Leno essay and Andy Rooney’s political views are both baloney. And we found that some oft-quoted words attributed to Abraham Lincoln were not his words at all.
  
  
• There’s a reference to a legitimate source that completely contradicts the information in the e-mail. Some e-mails will implore readers to check out the claims, even providing a link to a respected source. We're not sure why some people don't click on the link, but we implore you to do so. Go ahead, take the challenge. See if the information you find actually backs up the e-mail. We've examined three such e-mails in which the back-up material clearly debunks the e-mail itself. One message provided a link to the Tax Foundation, but anyone who followed it would have found an article saying the e-mail's figures were all wrong. Another boasted that Snopes.com had verified the e-mail, but Snopes actually said it was false.
  
  
• The message is riddled with spelling errors. Ask yourself, why should you trust an author who is not only anonymous but partially illiterate?
  
  
• The author just loves using exclamation points. If the author had a truthful point to make, he or she wouldn’t need to put two, three, even five exclamation points after every other sentence. In fact, we're developing another theory here: The more exclamation points used in an e-mail, the less true it actually is. (Ditto for excessive use of capital letters.)
  
  
• The message argues that it is NOT false. This tip comes from Emery, who advises skepticism for any message that says, "This is NOT a hoax!"
  
  
• There’s math involved. Check it. One message that falsely claimed more soldiers died during Bill Clinton’s term than during George W. Bush’s urged, "You do the Math!" We did. It’s wrong.

Quote of the day

Nothing shows a man's character more than what he laughs at.
-Jonathan Wolfgang Van Goethe

social studies project

Here's Fluffy Puppy helping Squirrel with her topicgraphical map. There's actually a top layer of dirt as well as a place for her frog pond but the batteries from their camera had died by then. I will have to post it at a later time.

Fluffy Puppy's map without the topsoil. Tomorrow we will be taking a field trip to a local nursery to find out what plants are indigenous to our area as well as what the best plants to plant in clay soil are. Meanwhile, the girls will have to come up with some ideas of what materials they will use to make their maps look like the sketches they did a few weeks ago.

what happens when diet pop meets mentos?

We decided to try the infamous diet coke and mentos experiment this afternoon. However, the girls didn't tell me that after using my camera to make a video last night, my camera had run out of batteries. So while my battery was charging, I had to use their camera (which also ran out of batteries) which doesn't have a view finder and lags terribly. So here's a lone picture as a show of proof that we did do this!

The kids wondered if their would be the same kind of reaction if we used carbonated water, so we tried it. But we only had canned selzter water and although the reaction was similar it wasn't as dramatic. Tomorrow we will purchase a 2 liter bottle of seltzer water and see if the outcome is the same. It was a lot of fun! Here's a link that explains why this happens: http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/00000109

Play - Doh cookies from The Smelly Llama

Today we decided to make "play- doh" cookies. Here are our colored balls.

Ready for the oven

What a fun project! Here's the recipe, but we adjusted it by adding 3 cups of flour.

Here's the recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Play-Dough-Cookies/Detail.aspx

Quote of the Day

Insanity is hereditary - you get it from your kids!
-Sam Levenson

Nature surprise

When Daddy Llama was finishing the walkway today, he spied a surprise in our garden!

Squirrel took some pictures of him before he hopped away!

Basic animal cell cookies from The Smelly Llama

Since Squirrel has been studying cells in science, I thought it would be fun to make cell cookies.

Squirrel making the cytoplasm.

Fluffy Puppy was in charge of the cell membrane.

Squirrel eating the nucleus.

Having fun with the nuclei and cell membrane.

Our "cells" ready for the oven.

Definitely not the prettiest cookie we've ever made but they are delicious and were a lot of fun to make!

This recipe can be found here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Play-Dough-Cookies/Detail.aspx
Note: I found I needed much more flour than the recipe called for.