Pencils, paperclips and dancing popcorn.

Today was a day of thriving, to be sure. I had so much fun with my kiddos! What a blessing it is to be a Mama, don't ya think? We did mini music lessons, played math and reading games, we read about mollusks, did a science project and created fun things with pencils and paperclips. My house is a little messy, but the mess is well worth it! 

Our experiment today, was to make popcorn seeds dance. You can do it too! Fill a jar with water, add some vinegar then some baking soda and some food coloring (just for fun)...drop in the seeds and in a moment or two you will see them start to bounce up and down! From this we learned, that mixing the vinegar and baking soda produces carbon dioxide, which is gas. The gas bubbles carry the seeds to the top and then burst, dropping the seeds to the bottom again. The kiddos loved it! The seeds actually kept dancing for a good hour or so. I am entering this in the 2010 science fair, go check it out!

Later in the day, I dropped a pile of pencils and paperclips on the table. (As suggested by the Think! site) and we had a fun time creating. Here are some of the resulting inventions/art.

The day ended with a couple more games, some reading and discussing and a sweet song. I love my job.

First entry.

I am blogging again for a couple reasons.
1. My husbands schedule changed and I now have a good time to do it.
2. I just want to keep a record of things I accomplish and things I want to remember.

I want to do this to encourage myself (and perhaps others). It is so easy to get bogged down with the woulda, coulda, shouldas and forget to rejoice about the things that did get done and the moments spent living. I titled this blog "Life, more abundantly"...Taken from

John 10:10 (King James Version)

10The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

My husband and I are often told that while our children are young that we are just in a survival mode. Well, we got to thinking about that and realized; we want more than that. We want to Thrive, not merely survive. Oh...don't get me wrong, there are days (many days) Where getting food on the table and keeping the children from running completely wild, is all I can do. But, even on those days...there is some thriving that can be done...slowing down to read a book, going on a quick walk around the block or making a batch of cookies. You know, the little things that make life a little sweeter.

Anyway...Thats what I envision for this blog. A record of my days (not every single one...but many)...and the ways in which I thrived. Oh, and photos, because, I like photos (especially of my kiddos).

Today I had many thriving moments, in spite of a sore throat that is plaguing me. I enjoyed a fun morning with my Husband and kids...I love watching Joe play with the kids and to hear them laugh with delight as he tickles and rough houses. There is nothing like it. I enjoyed the crisp cool air for a short time and admired my daughters ingenuity with such simple things as rocks and wood scraps. I made a yummy snack: Homemade cheese dip with chips. Kinda like this, except...just cheddar and cream with a little salsa added. Then we had dinner and snuggled up to read in front of the fire. It was a good day....I think I thrived.