Science 101

Did you know that if you put a Skittle in a glass of water the 'S' will float off all in one piece?
Tonight we saw it with our own two eyes!
And it was fabulous!
About a month ago I saw an article in Family Fun magazine about a family that does fun experiments with their Halloween candy.
I have been patiently waiting all month long to try it myself.
Oh ya, and I let the kids watch, too.
Let's not kid ourselves here, we all know I home school my kids and do these fun things for myself.
Sure, they can come along for the ride, but I am the one who wants to do these crazy things.
I really wanted to know what would happen if we filled a tray with candy and put them in the oven.
I'm the one that wanted to watch two atomic war heads bubble over when we dissolved them in water and added baking Soda to the mixture.

I wanted to see the rainbow colors melt away and leave fantastic colors in cups and bowl and dishes.
This activity did not disappoint.
The magazine listed a website with many different activities to try with different candies.

Baby watched and ate chocolate covered raisins as Lemon heads and suckers were being smashed to smithereens and sprayed my newly cleaned kitchen floor with tiny shards of sticky candy goodness.

We were not surprised to see that the Atomic War Heads and the Sweet Tarts were the most acidic candies in the mix.

I loved watching the cool patterns and shapes the molten candy made on the cookie sheet.
We loved watching them harden into cool shapes.
It was really cool to see what oozes out of those sugary treats.
For example, Air Heads and StarBursts had pools of oil floating on top of the candy puddle. We touched it with our fingers (once it had cooled of course) and our fingers were totally oily, way worse than eating a basket of french fries.
That really surprised me.
But I think the most surprising thing was that the Twizzlers did not change its shape in any way.
What is that made of?!?!
It did get tiny little blisters on the bottom, but it would not melt, even in a 350 degree oven.
Weirdo Billy!

My favorite part was those sexy hands wielding a hammer.
Yup, that's my man.

This photo cracks me up. Who needs a television when you have a bucket full of candy and an oven? I love my cute fun loving family!

Misunderstood

I think my post yesterday created a few ripples.
I think some of you may think me un-American for not liking trick-or-treating.
Don't worry, I'm no such thing.
I really do love all of our pagan ways, all of them!
I'm here today to show you just how much I love them.

First off, let me assure you, I have not sworn off Halloween altogether.
My house is living proof.
Anything that is standing still is filled with pumpkins, gourds, leaves, corn, and so on and so forth.
We have done many fun traditional Halloween activities with the kids and there are more in store before now and Saturday.
Here are my favorite things about All Hallows Eve (and fall).

I love our annual fall leaf hunt up in the mountains.
I love bringing the leaves home and finding fun crafts and ways to decorate with them.
(Yes, I mod podged pressed leaves onto blocks of wood. It made a great general conference activity)
I love picking apples and making quart after quart of apple sauce and apple cider.
I love chili and rolls.
I love the first homemade pumpkin pie custard of the season made with a fresh pumpkin just picked from the field.
I love the annual trip to the corn maze with fabulous friends who bring home made kettle corn by the 5 gallon bucket.
I love picking our own pumpkins from the pumpkin patch.
I love sliding down the huge slides assembled from humungo stacks of hay bales.
I love the bittersweet goodbye of the falling leaves.
I love seeing my 1 year old try to rake the leaves with a rake that is at least 3 times bigger than he is.
I love the last fall horse ride at Snow Basin, so bitter sweet.
I love all the piles of leaves that are created and destroyed every single day.
I love the warm smell of chunky apple muffins in the chilly mornings.
I love the colors.

I love that as soon as my kids see the first pumpkin or a spider on any neighbors porch they insist that we pull all of our decorations out so we can be ready for Halloween too.
I love it when I pull out the bin of Halloween costumes that my kids must each try on every costume in there.
Beano even tried the Belle gown. Don't worry he was out of it in a flash when he saw the astronaut get up.
I love it that as soon as they see the costumes they know exactly what they want to be.
I love carving pumpkins with the Bennetts.
Seriously, all the good food and good friends, it's one of my favorite traditions.
I love the family gatherings on chilly evenings.
So far that's all we've done this year for Halloween.
Halloween and fall get pretty mixed up around here.
I think we celebrate fall more that Halloween, but we still have tons of fun that day too.
I love our home school Halloween party and seeing all the different costumes everyone comes up with.
I really can't wait this year; I've heard some strange costume rumors.
So really the only thing I don't like is the huge amounts of candy.
And really the biggest reason I don't like it is because my kids do get so sick and I hate cleaning up puke.
Since we've changed our diet my kids are doing so much better, it works for us.
Isn't that what life is about? Finding what works for your family and sticking with it?
What is working for mine may not be what works for yours, and that's OK. In fact, that's as it should be.
So far we have found ways to eliminate most processed foods form Christmas and Easter and you know what? My kids are fine with it.
They still love Christmas and Easter, even without the candy.
They are not deprived of all treats, all the time.
The truth is, we've merely changed the treats we do give them.
They still feel like it's a celebration and that the day is special.
They are thrilled with the idea of a Halloween carnival Halloween night instead of trick or treating.
Truth be told, I don't think they really like it all that much either.
Sure they get candy, but they're usually frozen stiff by the end.
We like the idea of playing Halloween games indoors where our toes can stay nice and toasty and seeing good friends and watching clowns and unicyclers.
Fun will be had by one and all!

Ready, Set, Go!

I am really torn about Halloween this year.
I have always hated, hated, hated trick or treating, yet every year we end up doing it.
I hate knocking on strangers' doors begging for candy.
I hate freezing outside in the late Northern Utah October weather and trying to find costumes my children will not freeze in.
I hate trying to force some sort of healthy food in them before the onslaught of junk begins.
I hate that they never want to eat because the anticipation of all that candy is just too exciting.
I hate coming home with obscene amounts of candy for my 4 year old and 2 year old.
I hate feeling no self control as I gorge myself on chocolate after they've gone to bed.
I hate stealing from my children.
I hate sneaking candy when they're not looking, because I know if I got caught they'd all want a piece but I'm not willing to let them eat candy before breakfast.
Somehow it's OK for me, but not them.
I really hate that.
I hate trying to find someone to pawn all the candy off on so I can finally stop eating it.
All these are reasons I hated it before.
Now with our new diet of no toxic waste I am hating the idea even more.
Once again we have been invited to a trunk or treat.
Which, by the way, seems worse to me than regular trick or treating.
Let's see how much candy we can gather in T-Minus 5 minutes! Ready, set, GO!
The greed of it all makes me sick.
These are not characteristics I want honed in my children.
So what to do, what to do?
I don't know, I still have not figured it out yet.
Come to the event after trunk of treating is over? Skip the whole thing? Let them truck or treat, knowing they're not getting any of it?
It all seems so silly to me.
I know, I know, I'm weird.
I am imagining the hate mail already!
As a peace offering here is a 100% Whole Grain, All Natural, No Toxic Waste, 100% Yummy Fall Treat Recipe.
(Now I'm not saying it's healthy, but it is a million times better that what they'd get on the street)

Harvest Granola Apple Bars

Ingredients:

Crust:
1 1/2 C Whole grain flour
1 1/2 C Rolled oats
1/2 t Baking soda
1 C Brown sugar
Pinch of Salt, optional
3/4 C Butter

Apple filling:
5 Medium Apples, cored and sliced ( I left the skins on for more texture)
1 C Water
Honey, to taste (No much at all)
1 t Cinnamon
Cornstarch and water to thicken, optional

Directions:

Start the apple filling first. Place the sliced apples and water in a sauce pan. Bring to boil then cover and simmer until apples are fork tender.
Meanwhile for the crust, combine all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix to combine. Soften the butter and add to the dry mixture. Use a pastry cutter to cut in the butter with the dry ingredients. Place 3/4 of the mixture in the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan. Press to form bottom crust.
When the apples are tender add the cinnamon and honey to taste. Mix with a hand mixer until chunky apple sauce is formed. If this is too runny you can thicken it with corn starch and water.
Pour the apple mixture over the crust. Sprinkle remaining crust over the top. Bake in 375 degree oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

I want to share this with my family on Halloween instead of huge mixing bowls full of candy.

Be Afraid, Be VERY Afraid!

Last week when I pulled out the Halloween decor my kids found a package of glow in the dark vampire teeth in the bottom of the box that must have been in there for like, ever.
I don't remember ever buying them, I think they came with the box.
Despite their origins, the kids found them and were at once thrilled!
I think the dried green smoothie on their cheeks goes really well with their fangs.
They spent the better part of a whole afternoon playing vampire.
Then they discovered they glowed and spent the rest of the afternoon in the bathroom with the lights off.
When they stopped glowing they were very sad.
Then I explained that they need sun light to make them glow again.
They were thrilled that it actually worked.
They would go from the dark, dark bathroom to the windowsill and wait about 30 seconds, then high tail it back to the dark, dark bathroom.
I laughed at them all afternoon long. They were too funny.
Every time I looked at them in the eye they would hiss at me and bare their fangs.
Then I'd bust up in a heap of laughter as they scolded me for not acting scared.
So then I shrieked in mock fear and they were happy.
It's been nearly 2 weeks and the thrill has not worn off. Dubs still sleeps with his right by his head every night, he even tried to smuggle them into primary on Sunday.
He looked up at Mr Bird on his way into the church and smiled his big fang-y grin, just as innocent as could be.
Nice try, buddy! Maybe next week.

Just One More, I Promise

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I just have one more post about Halloween and then I promise I'm done.

We went to two pumpkin carving parties this year and we had a blast at both.

The first was with some family friends. They have a wonderful pumpkin carving party every year.

They do it in the garage and have chili and scones and tons of treats. I think I ate 3 scones, they were so yummy! We have not been the last few years so it was really great to go again and just chat the night away.

The second was a homeschooling costume party. Again, there were tons of yummy treats and great friends to chat with. Did I mention that I love Halloween?

So here is a little slide show of our pumpkin carving festivities.

Now, on to the next item of business.

I just have to share what Mr Bird and I decided to do with the loads of candy the heathens brought home from trick or treating.

We ate on it for a few days.

When I say we I really mean I.

I ate and ate and ate nothing but candy for 2 days strait.

Then I came to a conclusion.

I need CA (Chocoholics anonymous)

Hello, my name is Dreamer and I'm a chocoholic.

I realized I was not going to be able to stop eating it until it was either all gone or out of my house. As long as it was there, I had a piece in my mouth or I was dreaming about what I was going to have next. Of course I was hiding it from the kids. If they saw what I was doing they might want to do it too. Heaven forbid I should let my kids eat THAT much candy, that's absurd. Still, I could not control myself.

So I thought of a plan.

We could not just chuck it all or we'd have 3 angry heathens to deal with. So we did what any good parent would do, we bribed them.

We offered them each a dollar and a trip to the dollar store to by anything they wanted if daddy could take all their candy and give it to the poor people he works with who didn't get any candy.

Guess what... it worked.

Turns out they love money more than candy.

So now the candy is gone from my house and I didn't have to eat all of it.

The heathens are happy cuz they got a new toy to cart around until it gets forgotten or broken.

Everyone is happy...except me.

I'm down from my sugar high and I feel like I'm in detox.

I need serious help.

Perfection!

I'm caught.

I may have gotten into the kid's Halloween candy, just a little.

OK, a lot!

But look what I found. A perfect pack of m&m's.

Just the right amount of each color in one of those mini packs to make the perfect pyramid.

m&m's are my favorite. Not peanut, or almond, or crispy or even peanut butter. I'm crazy about plain m&m's.

Whenever I open a pack of these sweet candy coated chocolates I immediately start organizing them by color and I have to make the biggest color coordinated pyramid possible.

It's an obsession, I can't help it. It is very rare that I find a pack as perfect as this. In fact I don't ever recalling it happening before. There are usually too many greens or not enough blues so the odd balls get eaten first and I end up with a slightly smaller pyramid.

Then I look at my pyramid for a while and waste time turning all the m's the right way. Then I usually eat a row at a time, one of each color so the pyramid gets smaller and smaller with a new color on top after each stage of eating. And I have to put two m&m's in my mouth at once. Don't ask me why, there is no reason to my madness.

Call it OCD, call it crazy, call it what you may, I can't help myself. I do it every time without exception and without even thinking about it.

So how do you eat your m&m's?

Do you have some odd way like I do or do they hit your mouth before you get a chance to even see their color? Do you prefer plain or pregnant m&m's?

Please, tell me I'm not the only crazy one!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Here is my princess and the pea.

What you can't see in this photo is that baby Cakes has a black eye, long story.

It's getting better now but I could not help but laugh at my cute little black eyed pea!

For some reason I love Halloween.

I know, I know, everyone does, right?

I hafta say, I love it way more now than I did when I was a kid.

There is just something about being the mom and getting to play dress up with all my kids all day and then being able to go out in public looking so silly that just brings a smile to my face and a little laughter to my heart.

I love watching my kids' faces light up as they see their friends in their costumes.
I love putting curlers in Doodle's hair.
I love the smell of chili in the crock pot.
I love seeing Beano so excited about his knight costume that he kept track of all the pieces during our home school party, all by himself.
I love seeing them run down the side walk up to the next house, wondering what treat will be in store for them.
I love hearing the detailed report of exactly which type of candy that house gave them,
at every single house!
I love walking through the neighborhood and seeing all the other little monsters and chatting with my sister while the heathens gather the loot.
I love it that my 3 year old wants to be a boy lady bug and will not be talked out of it.
We'll see how that flies when he's 15!
I love watching my baby try to crawl in a pea outfit, too cute!

I love being the mom!


Dubs says in sheer astonishment, "They gave me CANDY!" after the first house.
I wonder what he was expecting.
At another house a little further down the road he says, "I got a big sucker that has GUM inside!"
A little further down the road my nephew who was going up to the doors with them told me that Dubs was saying, "More, please." at every house after they would give him a piece of candy.
Who can resist a cute little boy lady bug who says please?
We finally got him to stop saying that and to say, "Thank you" after they gave him candy.
Then a little further still the report was of Dubs saying "Can I have a Big sucker, please, the kind with gum in it!" At every house!
That sent the candy giver outers digging through their stash to pull out the last blow pop.
Then we had the conversation of
beggar can't be choosers.
As soon as we pulled out of my sister's drive way to head home Beano asks in the most serious tone, "Mom, when do we get to go trick or treating again?"



What a fun night he had! Now I just need to figure out what to so with all that junk food!

I certainly don't want to eat it and I don't want my kids to eat it all either!

Oh well, I guess just one piece can't hurt...

The Golden Locket

The clock in the dashboard of the shiny new Chevy Silverado glared 11:39 through the darkness of a chilly November night as a young man and his new bride drove through the darkness. The wedding cans still clunked behind them as they headed for their honeymoon spot. Even though it was cold, they looked forward to time alone. Time without wedding planners and photographers, time without parents and bride's maids, time without caterers and cranky great aunts. It was getting late and they were still hours away from the Grand Hotel in New York City. They were still in the middle of nowhere. The GPS unit hooked to the dashboard read 2 hours 15 minutes estimated arrival time. Stacy looked lovingly over at her new husband, his crisp white shirt with the two top buttons undone made him seem so dashing. He looked back at her, he could see the sleepy look in her eyes.
"Let's find a hotel in the nearest town and just stay the night and we can worry about getting to New York tomorrow, you look so tired." He said it so gently and with a gentle touch of his hand she could not say no. Besides, it might be fun to start their new life together with a little adventure. A little fidgeting with the GPS showed a Bed and Breakfast just 10 miles up the road in the little town of Altoona, NY.
" I wonder if the hosts are still up, I don't want to bother anyone." He said with a glimmer in his eye.
"Let's drive past and see if any lights are on." She said as she squeezed his hand three times. It was their unspoken signal of 'I love you.' He smiled and squeezed her hand in reply. Their eyes met for a moment and suddenly 10 miles seemed to be a million.
They drove in silence as the miles seemed to drag on. Before too long the freeway exit was in view. They pulled the truck off the high way and into a little town. The streets were lined with huge oak trees. They seemed to envelope the narrow road as it winded through the little city. There seemed to be no life in the little town. Every store on the little main road was locked up for the night. They pulled off onto a side street and wound down the road even further. Stacy grabbed Jordan's hand as the darkness seemed to deepen and the trees seemed to grow thicker. The small neighborhood seemed so still, so quiet. There was not a light to be seem for miles around. Suddenly as the road turned they could see a faint light glimmer through the darkness. As they approached the Bed and Breakfast they saw 2 porch lights shinning as if they were saying, "Welcome, come in and rest!" The lights drew the tired couple to the beautifully carved wooden double doors. Gingerly Jordan knocked.
The doors opened and there stood a beautiful woman, her long black hair hung loose around her shoulders, her huge blue eyes welcomed in the strangers. The wind caught the hem of her long skirt and blew it between her legs. She quickly ushered the weary couple into the warmth of the sitting room.
"Come in!" She said with a smile on the corners of her lips. "You look so tired. Are you looking for a room?"
"Yes, please. We were on our way to New York, but we seem to have gotten a late start."
" My name is Claire." The elegant woman looked out into the darkness for a brief moment. "You must be newly weds, look at the cans on your truck!"
"We are, we were just on our way to New York City for our honey moon." Stacy looked into Jordan's eyes as a smile passed between them.
"Oh, young love! Dale and I were married this day 30 years ago! It's funny that you have come here on your wedding day and on our anniversary!" The older woman took Stacy by the hand and led her to the sitting room, to a chair by the fire. The fireplace danced with golden streaks of warmth. Stacy held her hands close to feel the warmth licking her skin.
Just then Dale walked in and greeted the young couple with a warm smile. He was such a handsome man. His thick wavy brown hair swooped over his brow just above his deep blue eyes.
The two couples chatted for a few minutes about weddings, the one that just ended a few hours ago and the one that had happened a life time ago. they seemed to be drawn to one another. The older couple being renewed by the sparks of young love. The younger couple seeing how in love they could still be after 30 years, excited about their new life together.
Finally Claire showed the newly weds to their room. "Breakfast is at 8:00, I make the best apple turn overs you will ever eat!" With that she shut the door and was gone.
Stacy and Jordan had a wonderful night. They had slept so peacefully they almost forgot where they were and that they needed to be on their way. They quickly got dressed and gathered their things. They headed down stairs, looking forward to Claire's apple turn overs. They were greeted in the dinning room by Claire and Dale who looked just as radiant as they had the night before. Again, the two couples chatted over breakfast. Conversation seemed to come so easily to them. Stacy thought how odd that she could feel so at ease with these strangers, and ones so much older than herself at that. Before they knew it an hour had passed. The newly weds thanked their hosts and asked to pay the bill. The older couple looked at each other and smiled as Dale said, "It was such a pleasure to have you, we could not possibly charge you. Consider it our wedding gift to you."
Jordan tried to argue, but in the end he shook Dale's hand heartily and said, "Thank you, we will always remember your hospitality. Who knows, we may just have to come back here again next time we are passing through."
With that the two couples hugged good bye and Stacy and Jordan were off to their honey moon.
As they neared the Hotel in New York City Stacy's hand went up to her chest. She felt it for a moment then gasped in horror. "My locket! It's gone! The one my grandmother gave me! I must have left it on the night stand at the Bed and Breakfast!"
"Don't worry, we can stop on our way home, I'm sure Claire will find it and keep it safe for you." He looked at his bride and she looked into his eyes.
"You're right, it will be good to see them again, maybe we can even leave a little early and have time to visit some more."
The first week of their marriage passed too quickly. Before they knew it they were on the road headed for home, and their new life together. Soon the sign for Altoona, NY came into view. They took the familiar exit and drove down the little main street. It looked so different in day light. The shops were open for business and neighbors stood on their lawns chatting. As they turned the corner and wound around the little road they were horrified to see the place where the Bed and Breakfast had stood. In it's place was a huge pile of black wood. Ash covered the ground. The trees near by were even charred from what must have been a devastating fire. Horrified by what they were seeing Jordan and Stacy turned the truck around and sped into town. They stopped at the nearest shop and asked the shop keeper what had happened to the Bed and Breakfast.
"It was a fire." Said the grey haired man. "It was such a pity, it happened just over 5 years ago. The owners, a man named Dale and his wife Claire, were celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary. The fire department said they must have fallen asleep with the fire still going, the chimney caught fire some where around midnight and they slept right through it all. The whole town was so sad to lose such a great family." The old man almost teared up as he finished telling the bewildered young couple of the accident.
Jordan grabbed Stacy's hand and ran for the pick up. They sped back up the windy road and starred at the pile of ashes. How could that be? They were there, they were real. Neither of them dared speak as they slowly got out of the truck and walked around the heaps of charred wood. Suddenly a shrill scream escaped from Stacy's tiny frame and she collapsed. Jordan rushed over to her. He looked down and there he saw, on a charred night table, Stacy's beautiful golden locket.

This was written for entry in Scribbit's WriteAway contest!

Happy Halloween everyone!