How to Make Chess Team T-Shirts Using Fabric Spray Paint
5 CommentsBy Lostcheerio on Sunday, June 14, 2009 at 9:28 AM.
For full instructions on this project, see my other blog post about making t-shirts here. I used the same general technique for making the chess team shirts but with some specific embellishments.
Materials:
Aerosol fabric paint. Something like this. In black.
White t-shirts.
A cardboard rectangle big enough to slide inside the shirts.
Xacto knife and cutting board.
Freezer paper.
Iron
Iron-on letters (optional)
1. Find or draw your design. You are looking for a simple silhouette of a chess piece. You can use whichever piece is your team's favorite. We used kings because our coach refers to the kids as King Benny, King Ben, etc. Maybe you want to be knights or even pawns. You know, the pawns are the most powerful pieces on the board. Or something. Look for something very simple in silhouette, like this:
On the kids' shirts, I put the black king on the back.
Father and son shirts. Yes, this is their game face.
Chess shirts in action at the Championship Chess Norfolk tournament in May.
The Benjamins
Chess warriors
Materials:
Aerosol fabric paint. Something like this. In black.
White t-shirts.
A cardboard rectangle big enough to slide inside the shirts.
Xacto knife and cutting board.
Freezer paper.
Iron
Iron-on letters (optional)
1. Find or draw your design. You are looking for a simple silhouette of a chess piece. You can use whichever piece is your team's favorite. We used kings because our coach refers to the kids as King Benny, King Ben, etc. Maybe you want to be knights or even pawns. You know, the pawns are the most powerful pieces on the board. Or something. Look for something very simple in silhouette, like this:
2. Print out your design at about 10 inches high.
3. With an Exacto knife and cutting board, cut the design out of freezer paper. Save the inside! If you need a visual on this process, check my other post.
4. You now have two pieces of freezer paper -- one in the shape of a chess piece (to make the white king) and one with a chess piece shaped hole in it (to make the black king).
5. Position the freezer paper with a chess shaped hole in it in the spot you want the black king, and iron it down.
6. Slide your cardboard piece up inside your t-shirt to protect it from seeping paint. Spray your fabric paint into the stencil. Spray LIGHTLY! This is not a job for kids. Back up about a foot from the shirt and spray in gentle bursts. If you spray too close or too heavily, it will get clumpy and gluey and will not dry properly. Ever. As long as you live. Even if you live to be 37, like I have.
7. Let it dry for a few minutes and then peel the freezer paper outline off. You now have a black king!
8. Position the king-shaped freezer paper where you want the white king. and iron it down.
9. Spray your fabric paint around this reverse stencil. This is supposed to look a little graffiti, a little rock-and-roll, so spray in a zig-zag and let your inner tagger out. You do have an inner tagger, don't you? You didn't poison your inner tagger with too many violin lessons and tae kwon do tournaments did you? Good. So tag away.
10. Let it dry for a while and then peel the freezer paper off. You are done!
You can also add letters, iron-on jewels, and other embellishment. Go mad. Chess is a battlefield, and you may need to employ all the iron-on weapons in your arsenal. More pictures:
3. With an Exacto knife and cutting board, cut the design out of freezer paper. Save the inside! If you need a visual on this process, check my other post.
4. You now have two pieces of freezer paper -- one in the shape of a chess piece (to make the white king) and one with a chess piece shaped hole in it (to make the black king).
5. Position the freezer paper with a chess shaped hole in it in the spot you want the black king, and iron it down.
6. Slide your cardboard piece up inside your t-shirt to protect it from seeping paint. Spray your fabric paint into the stencil. Spray LIGHTLY! This is not a job for kids. Back up about a foot from the shirt and spray in gentle bursts. If you spray too close or too heavily, it will get clumpy and gluey and will not dry properly. Ever. As long as you live. Even if you live to be 37, like I have.
7. Let it dry for a few minutes and then peel the freezer paper outline off. You now have a black king!
8. Position the king-shaped freezer paper where you want the white king. and iron it down.
9. Spray your fabric paint around this reverse stencil. This is supposed to look a little graffiti, a little rock-and-roll, so spray in a zig-zag and let your inner tagger out. You do have an inner tagger, don't you? You didn't poison your inner tagger with too many violin lessons and tae kwon do tournaments did you? Good. So tag away.
10. Let it dry for a while and then peel the freezer paper off. You are done!
You can also add letters, iron-on jewels, and other embellishment. Go mad. Chess is a battlefield, and you may need to employ all the iron-on weapons in your arsenal. More pictures:
On the kids' shirts, I put the black king on the back.
Father and son shirts. Yes, this is their game face.
Chess shirts in action at the Championship Chess Norfolk tournament in May.
Benny's concentration pose.
The Benjamins
The Brocketts
Chess warriors
Labels: chess, custom, fabric spray paint, how to, t-shirts, tournament
Benny has had a serious crush on a little girl named Cecelia for almost a year. He has had dear, close friends who are girls before, girls he's planned to marry, girls he's been devoted to -- like his deep abiding love for Zoe since he was four years old. But his love for Cecelia is different -- more frantic, more urgent. She's a beautiful, sweet girl with long glorious hair and he just adores her. They hold hands, do art together, play Warriors together, and sometimes he just drags along behind her, worshiping. She is kind enough not to rebuke him, although the intensity of emotion isn't there for her. She sees Benny as a good friend and is happy to let him hang out with her. I so appreciate her tolerance! I thought I'd share some pictures of them together before they both grow out of it.
Here they are on the spinny thing at the playground:
It must be love. He lets her drive on the bumper cars:
Happy and airborne:
Riding in the front of the roller coaster:
Spinning on the Katapult:
Happy children:
It's summer and they won't be seeing much of each other. I can see at this point that they've already started to drift. Benny loves girls, and his interest is pulled in other directions. Cecelia needs time to hang with her girlfriends and that frustrates him. I can see in my child that his emotions are intense and his loyalty, for a nine-year-old, is deep. The fact that he's been so focused on this one girl for so long is amazing. Thanks to her graciousness and kindness, his first crush was a sweet, innocent business that gave him a lot of joy.
Here they are on the spinny thing at the playground:
It must be love. He lets her drive on the bumper cars:
Happy and airborne:
Riding in the front of the roller coaster:
Spinning on the Katapult:
Happy children:
It's summer and they won't be seeing much of each other. I can see at this point that they've already started to drift. Benny loves girls, and his interest is pulled in other directions. Cecelia needs time to hang with her girlfriends and that frustrates him. I can see in my child that his emotions are intense and his loyalty, for a nine-year-old, is deep. The fact that he's been so focused on this one girl for so long is amazing. Thanks to her graciousness and kindness, his first crush was a sweet, innocent business that gave him a lot of joy.
Labels: benny
North Carolina State Tang Soo Do Championships
4 CommentsBy Lostcheerio on Sunday, May 31, 2009 at 8:59 PM.
On May 9, the children competed in a Tang Soo Do tournament in Fayetteville. It was Sadie's first tournament and Benny's second. Sadie was the littlest little warrior there, with a pink mani-pedi, pink sparkle gel in her hair, and a sparkly butterfly hair tie holding her braids together. She was astonishingly cute, I confess.
The tournament was not well organized. It started (late) at 10:30 and then the children in Benny's ring (the biggest age group) were told to sit around the edge of the ring while all belt levels performed first for and then sparring. Benny is a child who sits still as easily as an elephant flies. He was sitting on the floor with nothing to do but keep quiet and watch for about three hours, I kid you not. There was absolutely no reason for this madness -- there could have been a schedule with certain belt levels at certain times, so that the rest of the kids could have gotten up to eat lunch, go to the bathroom, play DS, see the sunshine, etc. But whatever! Benny was remarkably well behaved, given the circumstances, and even though he got shouted at by a black belt at one point, I was proud of his patience and self-control in that ridiculous situation. I would have died if I'd had to sit there for that long. The adults planning the tournament should have considered if *they* would like to participate in such a thing. The other NKA moms and I were speculating if any moms had been involved in the planning. Our guess: No.
Here's Sadie's form:
And Benny's form:
In the background of that one you can see the other kids sitting around the sidelines, wishing they could go out in the lobby and get pizza, or still feel sensation in their feet.
Neither of our kids placed well in the form. The good news is that in the sparring Benny pulled out a surprise success -- second place. He was very happy!
I could spew some more bitterness and discontentment, but instead I'll just post some more pictures.
Sadie and her friend Keric getting some advice from Master Odom:
One of Benny's teachers, who has been very patient with him and really helped him clean up his form and in general get his karate more fierce and awesome. She got second place in the black belt division for grown-ups:
Benny made a friend while sitting on the sidelines. He was at the last Fayetteville tournament too, so they recognized each other.
The kids had fun, and the experience was great for them, if irritating for us. The next week, Sadie got her first yellow tip on her white belt! Karate is awesome.
For more pictures, some of them very grainy but definitely cute, check out my Flickr set.
The tournament was not well organized. It started (late) at 10:30 and then the children in Benny's ring (the biggest age group) were told to sit around the edge of the ring while all belt levels performed first for and then sparring. Benny is a child who sits still as easily as an elephant flies. He was sitting on the floor with nothing to do but keep quiet and watch for about three hours, I kid you not. There was absolutely no reason for this madness -- there could have been a schedule with certain belt levels at certain times, so that the rest of the kids could have gotten up to eat lunch, go to the bathroom, play DS, see the sunshine, etc. But whatever! Benny was remarkably well behaved, given the circumstances, and even though he got shouted at by a black belt at one point, I was proud of his patience and self-control in that ridiculous situation. I would have died if I'd had to sit there for that long. The adults planning the tournament should have considered if *they* would like to participate in such a thing. The other NKA moms and I were speculating if any moms had been involved in the planning. Our guess: No.
Here's Sadie's form:
And Benny's form:
In the background of that one you can see the other kids sitting around the sidelines, wishing they could go out in the lobby and get pizza, or still feel sensation in their feet.
Neither of our kids placed well in the form. The good news is that in the sparring Benny pulled out a surprise success -- second place. He was very happy!
I could spew some more bitterness and discontentment, but instead I'll just post some more pictures.
Sadie and her friend Keric getting some advice from Master Odom:
One of Benny's teachers, who has been very patient with him and really helped him clean up his form and in general get his karate more fierce and awesome. She got second place in the black belt division for grown-ups:
Benny made a friend while sitting on the sidelines. He was at the last Fayetteville tournament too, so they recognized each other.
The kids had fun, and the experience was great for them, if irritating for us. The next week, Sadie got her first yellow tip on her white belt! Karate is awesome.
For more pictures, some of them very grainy but definitely cute, check out my Flickr set.
Labels: karate, norfolk karate academy, tang soo do
Homeschoolers in the Semi-Finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee
0 CommentsBy Lostcheerio on Wednesday, May 27, 2009 at 7:55 PM.
For a list of all 41 spellers who made the semi-finals, click here.
For a list of the nine *homeschooled* spellers who made the semi-finals, scroll down:
#16 Josephine Kao, Sacramento, California.
#36 Claudine Broussard, Nova Scotia, Canada.
#40 Veronica Penny, Ontario, Canada.
#65 Serene Laine-Lobsinger, West Palm Beach, Florida.
#158 Tussah Heera, Las Vegas, Nevada.
#168 Kevin Drew, Buffalo, New York.
#218 Connor Aberle, Portland, Oregon.
#270 Andrew Traylor, Charlottesville, Virginia.
#276 Tim Ruiter, Centreville, Virginia.
Go homeschool!
For a list of the nine *homeschooled* spellers who made the semi-finals, scroll down:
#16 Josephine Kao, Sacramento, California.
#36 Claudine Broussard, Nova Scotia, Canada.
#40 Veronica Penny, Ontario, Canada.
#65 Serene Laine-Lobsinger, West Palm Beach, Florida.
#158 Tussah Heera, Las Vegas, Nevada.
#168 Kevin Drew, Buffalo, New York.
#218 Connor Aberle, Portland, Oregon.
#270 Andrew Traylor, Charlottesville, Virginia.
#276 Tim Ruiter, Centreville, Virginia.
Go homeschool!
Labels: bee, bees, homeschoolers, national spelling bee, spelling, spelling bee
This is the face of the boy who rode Griffon by himself today. We went to Busch Gardens to pick up Dan's phone, which fell out of his pocket while he was upside down last week. We thought we'd hang out for a few hours and just do some kiddie rides, splash in the water areas. It was just me and the two kids. Then we read on Benny's height check sheet that he could ride the roller coasters *unaccompanied.*
I called Dan. Would this be okay, did he think? Should I allow it? Beside me, Benny was jumping up and down, insisting that he would be fine - FINE. I waited for him. I watched every car. I followed the line as it went around. There were times I couldn't see him. I fretted and tapped my toe. He rode Apollo's Chariot, Alpengeist, and Griffon all by himself. In between we did Sadie rides and played in the water. He was patient. He was thrilled. He was, he told me, "self-responsible." Remember when Benny was born? This is that same boy, right now today:
I called Dan. Would this be okay, did he think? Should I allow it? Beside me, Benny was jumping up and down, insisting that he would be fine - FINE. I waited for him. I watched every car. I followed the line as it went around. There were times I couldn't see him. I fretted and tapped my toe. He rode Apollo's Chariot, Alpengeist, and Griffon all by himself. In between we did Sadie rides and played in the water. He was patient. He was thrilled. He was, he told me, "self-responsible." Remember when Benny was born? This is that same boy, right now today:
Labels: benny
Rush Limbaugh Says Non-Profits are Bloodsuckers
16 CommentsBy Lostcheerio on Friday, May 15, 2009 at 8:39 AM.
In a commencement speech at Arizona State University, Obama encouraged graduates to find ways to help their country outside a mainstream career track. Rush Limbaugh used this as a springboard to announce that non-profit organizations are parasitic bloodsuckers, not worth of attention from this year's graduates. Better find a real job than become a beggar, a dependent on society. Well, read it for yourself:
Obama: "Did you study business? Why not help a struggling not-for-profit to find better, more effective ways to serve folks in need? You study nursing? Understaffed clinics and hospitals across this country are desperate for your help. You study education? Teach in a high-needs school. Give a chance to kids who can't -- who can't get everything they need, maybe, in their neighborhood, maybe not even their home, but we can't afford to give up on them. Prepare them to compete for any job anywhere in the world. You study engineering? Help us lead a green revolution, developing new sources of clean energy that will power our economy and preserve our planet. Find somebody to be successful forward. Raise their hopes! Rise to their needs."
Rush: "By definition, how does a nonprofit operate? A nonprofit begs for money from other people. A nonprofit lives on donations, and the people that run nonprofits have to siphon some of the donations that they collect as their salaries. That, somehow, is preferable to going out and producing something and expanding the economic pie? Yeah, go to a nonprofit. Ask somebody else for money! Get credit for caring. Get credit for not being concerned for profit. I never met anybody at a nonprofit didn't care about money. People at nonprofits care as much about money as anybody else does, except they don't work for it. They beg for it. They feed off of others. They're like the US government, except they can't print their money. They're bloodsuckers!"
A short list of non-profit bloodsuckers who don't work for their money, parasites on our country who bleed from and destroy the rugged individual:
1. Focus on the Family
2. NRA
3. Swiftboat Veterans for Truth
4. The Heritage Foundation
Or how about a longer list...
1. The Salvation Army
2. Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts
3. YMCA
4. American Red Cross
5. March of Dimes
6. Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (beneficiary of Rush's annual drive)
7. Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation Inc. (beneficiary of Rush's donation from his sale of Harry Reid's letter on Ebay)
8. Freedom Alliance (beneficiary of Sean Hannity's concert series)
9. USO: Operation USO Care Package
10. American Cancer Society
If the people who work for these organizations were listening to Rush's show yesterday they heard a powerful message: "You don't work, you beg. You don't help us, you bleed us. And you people who chose to get jobs working at parasitic suckholes like these should reconsider your careers. If you'd had any sense as college grads, you'd have pursued real jobs in real corporations where people work for their money instead of begging."
In other words, thanks!
Obama: "Did you study business? Why not help a struggling not-for-profit to find better, more effective ways to serve folks in need? You study nursing? Understaffed clinics and hospitals across this country are desperate for your help. You study education? Teach in a high-needs school. Give a chance to kids who can't -- who can't get everything they need, maybe, in their neighborhood, maybe not even their home, but we can't afford to give up on them. Prepare them to compete for any job anywhere in the world. You study engineering? Help us lead a green revolution, developing new sources of clean energy that will power our economy and preserve our planet. Find somebody to be successful forward. Raise their hopes! Rise to their needs."
Rush: "By definition, how does a nonprofit operate? A nonprofit begs for money from other people. A nonprofit lives on donations, and the people that run nonprofits have to siphon some of the donations that they collect as their salaries. That, somehow, is preferable to going out and producing something and expanding the economic pie? Yeah, go to a nonprofit. Ask somebody else for money! Get credit for caring. Get credit for not being concerned for profit. I never met anybody at a nonprofit didn't care about money. People at nonprofits care as much about money as anybody else does, except they don't work for it. They beg for it. They feed off of others. They're like the US government, except they can't print their money. They're bloodsuckers!"
A short list of non-profit bloodsuckers who don't work for their money, parasites on our country who bleed from and destroy the rugged individual:
1. Focus on the Family
2. NRA
3. Swiftboat Veterans for Truth
4. The Heritage Foundation
Or how about a longer list...
1. The Salvation Army
2. Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts
3. YMCA
4. American Red Cross
5. March of Dimes
6. Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (beneficiary of Rush's annual drive)
7. Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation Inc. (beneficiary of Rush's donation from his sale of Harry Reid's letter on Ebay)
8. Freedom Alliance (beneficiary of Sean Hannity's concert series)
9. USO: Operation USO Care Package
10. American Cancer Society
If the people who work for these organizations were listening to Rush's show yesterday they heard a powerful message: "You don't work, you beg. You don't help us, you bleed us. And you people who chose to get jobs working at parasitic suckholes like these should reconsider your careers. If you'd had any sense as college grads, you'd have pursued real jobs in real corporations where people work for their money instead of begging."
In other words, thanks!
Red Cross Workers Loafing Around
Bloodsuckers! You should be ashamed!
Shriners Children's Hospital: People working here should have gotten a real job!
The YMCA sucked the life out of all of these sad little children.
Labels: barack obama, media, politics, rush limbaugh
The study of Persian rugs is an interesting way to get into Persian history and Islamic culture. Why are Persian carpets so beautiful? In a culture where iconography is immoral, a functional object like a rug is a place where art can be expressed "legally." Like calligraphy, Persian carpets are art in the guise of a necessity. Given the significance of these rugs to the culture from which they come, it's no wonder they are sometimes portrayed as magical.
Here are a few things we learned about while studying Persian rugs: symmetry, the types of designs (geometric, curvilinear, pictorial), the elements of a rug (border, central medallion, repeated motifs), child labor laws, how to value a rug based on knot count, the difference between natural fibers and manmade fibers, and more.
Project materials:
Large canvas rectangles
Crop-a-dile or other awesome hole-puncher
Lace-weight yarn/thread in different colors
Poster paint and brushes
Preparation:
Punch holes in the short sides of all the carpets, about 1/2 inch apart. You are going to need a serious, no-kidding hole punch to get through canvas. I used a Crop-a-dile.
Cut the thread into pieces about 10 inches long. Deep rich colors are best.
Step One: Fringe
Step Two: Paint
First have the children sketch their ideas with a pencil lightly so they can erase and redo it if they're not happy with it. Make sure everyone remembers to put in a border, a central medallion, and then repeated motifs.
What class is this? My elementary literature class at Norfolk's premier co-op of extreme homeschool awesomeness, Homeschool Out of the Box.
Here are a few things we learned about while studying Persian rugs: symmetry, the types of designs (geometric, curvilinear, pictorial), the elements of a rug (border, central medallion, repeated motifs), child labor laws, how to value a rug based on knot count, the difference between natural fibers and manmade fibers, and more.
Project materials:
Large canvas rectangles
Crop-a-dile or other awesome hole-puncher
Lace-weight yarn/thread in different colors
Poster paint and brushes
Preparation:
Punch holes in the short sides of all the carpets, about 1/2 inch apart. You are going to need a serious, no-kidding hole punch to get through canvas. I used a Crop-a-dile.
Cut the thread into pieces about 10 inches long. Deep rich colors are best.
Step One: Fringe
Give each child a choice of thread colors and encourage them to work in patterns. They can use a simple knot to create their fringe. Make a loop in the center of the thread, push the loop through the hole, and then thread both ends through the loop. Pull tight. You can fold over the edge of the fabric as you go to create a smooth edge.
Step Two: Paint
First have the children sketch their ideas with a pencil lightly so they can erase and redo it if they're not happy with it. Make sure everyone remembers to put in a border, a central medallion, and then repeated motifs.
The kids took home some interesting work! Painting on the canvas was challenging for a few, they needed reminding to keep a lot of paint on their brushes. However, making the carpets led to some interesting discussions about what the carpets mean to the people who make them. Here is the class singing a Persian folk song while they worked. They started singing spontaneously, then of course I had to run get my camera and have them do it again!
What class is this? My elementary literature class at Norfolk's premier co-op of extreme homeschool awesomeness, Homeschool Out of the Box.
Labels: arabian nights, art, classical literature, crafts, lesson plans, lessons, literature, projects, reading
Strawberry Picking at Three Sisters Farms
3 CommentsBy Lostcheerio on Sunday, May 10, 2009 at 8:59 AM.
For years Veronica and I have taken our kids to the Three Sisters Strawberry Farm in Suffolk, VA, to pick organic strawberries. The reason we drive a long way to get strawberries that are organic is that this person...
and this person...
as well as Veronica's little people... do not hesitate to eat as many berries as they can, during the process. So, when you're at an organic farm, you feel like maybe your child isn't gulping down handfuls of mustard gas and won't be growing another kidney out the side of its head as a result. Or whatever.
So we get to Three Sisters Farm, and we start picking:
And the berries are HUGE. Massive, perfectly heartshaped berries, elegantly ripe, hanging in perfect, convenient clusters from every bush. And where are the weeds? There are no weeds. I don't know if you've ever been to an organic farm, but it is sort of weedy. In fact, some of the weeds are there on purpose because they help the pH balance or discourage invasive pests or recite pop poetry which the plants find nothing wrong with because, hey, it's entertaining, but the elitist slugs scorn, or whatever. So where, we wondered, were the weeds?
Veronica and I joked around that the Three Sisters people were sneaking in pesticides and just not telling anyone. Har har har. It is to laugh, right? Except OOPS, when Veronica actually investigated, she discovered that *BOO* they actually ARE using pesticides! It's not organic anymore! In fact, Three Sisters aren't even doing the farming -- they leased it out to something called Faith Farms which is slinging pesticides in great, heaping bucketfuls.
Which is why the berries were so nice and huge and perfect and the rows were so even and unweedy and easy to pick from. Which we found out after the children had eaten about a quart each of unwashed, mustard-gas-laden strawberries.
And so had I! I'm expecting a third kidney at any moment.
Fortunately, we still have our friends! And we will all be creepy third-kidney-havers together:
Another plus: the Three Sisters Farm still operates the store and animal farm connected with the property, and they had lots of completely organic baby ducks, turkeys, chickens, a fully organic cow, a couple of organic peacocks and these astonishingly cute organic kittens:
All in all, it was a super fun day with ice cream, candy, kittens, and massive awesome ripe delicious strawberries. I still highly recommend Three Sisters Farms. The berries might not be organic anymore, but you can always eat the kittens without washing them!
and this person...
as well as Veronica's little people... do not hesitate to eat as many berries as they can, during the process. So, when you're at an organic farm, you feel like maybe your child isn't gulping down handfuls of mustard gas and won't be growing another kidney out the side of its head as a result. Or whatever.
So we get to Three Sisters Farm, and we start picking:
And the berries are HUGE. Massive, perfectly heartshaped berries, elegantly ripe, hanging in perfect, convenient clusters from every bush. And where are the weeds? There are no weeds. I don't know if you've ever been to an organic farm, but it is sort of weedy. In fact, some of the weeds are there on purpose because they help the pH balance or discourage invasive pests or recite pop poetry which the plants find nothing wrong with because, hey, it's entertaining, but the elitist slugs scorn, or whatever. So where, we wondered, were the weeds?
Veronica and I joked around that the Three Sisters people were sneaking in pesticides and just not telling anyone. Har har har. It is to laugh, right? Except OOPS, when Veronica actually investigated, she discovered that *BOO* they actually ARE using pesticides! It's not organic anymore! In fact, Three Sisters aren't even doing the farming -- they leased it out to something called Faith Farms which is slinging pesticides in great, heaping bucketfuls.
Which is why the berries were so nice and huge and perfect and the rows were so even and unweedy and easy to pick from. Which we found out after the children had eaten about a quart each of unwashed, mustard-gas-laden strawberries.
And so had I! I'm expecting a third kidney at any moment.
Fortunately, we still have our friends! And we will all be creepy third-kidney-havers together:
Another plus: the Three Sisters Farm still operates the store and animal farm connected with the property, and they had lots of completely organic baby ducks, turkeys, chickens, a fully organic cow, a couple of organic peacocks and these astonishingly cute organic kittens:
All in all, it was a super fun day with ice cream, candy, kittens, and massive awesome ripe delicious strawberries. I still highly recommend Three Sisters Farms. The berries might not be organic anymore, but you can always eat the kittens without washing them!
Labels: phi bensa zoe, strawberries, suffolk, three sisters farm
Norfolk Karate Academy Demo at Larchmont Elementary Carnival
1 CommentsBy Lostcheerio on Friday, May 08, 2009 at 1:24 PM.
Sadie and Benny showed off their kicks and punches with the rest of the little warriors in white from Norfolk Karate Academy, on the Mermaid Stage at the Larchmont Elementary Carnival last weekend. This was Sadie's first time out as a karate princess, and she rocked it.
Look at the face: serious, fierce, and focused. This is a little girl who would never leave the house without her tutu. Without her pink leotard with the sequinned stars on the front. Who collects Barbies like stamps. Whose Polly Pockets all live in their own elaborate estates. She is a girly girl of the first order. Glitter in her veins. Firmly believes in unicorns and fairies. You get the idea. She started karate in February at the same school where Benny has been a student for the last five years, and within two years had quit ballet and was at the dojo twice a week.
Here she is doing her form with her friend Keric. Keric and Sadie both have older brothers who are karate veterans. they grew up watching classes and playing together in the toy room at NKA. Don't they look *awesome*?
Of course, she wasn't the only little redhead to snap it out. Benny was also showing his skills, solo-ing on his blue belt form, Pyung Ahn Oh Dan:
We love karate...
...and of course we also love carnivals.
For more pictures and video, check my Flickr set for the karate demo.
Look at the face: serious, fierce, and focused. This is a little girl who would never leave the house without her tutu. Without her pink leotard with the sequinned stars on the front. Who collects Barbies like stamps. Whose Polly Pockets all live in their own elaborate estates. She is a girly girl of the first order. Glitter in her veins. Firmly believes in unicorns and fairies. You get the idea. She started karate in February at the same school where Benny has been a student for the last five years, and within two years had quit ballet and was at the dojo twice a week.
Here she is doing her form with her friend Keric. Keric and Sadie both have older brothers who are karate veterans. they grew up watching classes and playing together in the toy room at NKA. Don't they look *awesome*?
Of course, she wasn't the only little redhead to snap it out. Benny was also showing his skills, solo-ing on his blue belt form, Pyung Ahn Oh Dan:
We love karate...
...and of course we also love carnivals.
For more pictures and video, check my Flickr set for the karate demo.
Labels: demo, karate, norfolk karate academy
Silly Suzuki: Silly Words to Allegretto
0 CommentsBy Lostcheerio on Thursday, April 30, 2009 at 10:04 AM.
Allegretto can be hard to learn because the sections are so similar and share elements. These words reinforce the ABCB form of the song, which is why the "sticks in my hair" part is repeated, and they are meant to be sung by the teacher and the student, with the teacher singing the part in italics.
Can I play Allegretto with beans in my nose?
Would there be any argument, do you suppose?
Can I play Allegretto with sticks in my hair?
Do you think that my teacher would care?
I don't care what you put in your hair or your nose
Just as long as you know where your fourth finger goes!
Can I play Allegretto with sticks in my hair?
Do you think that my teacher would care?
Can I play Allegretto with beans in my nose?
Would there be any argument, do you suppose?
Can I play Allegretto with sticks in my hair?
Do you think that my teacher would care?
I don't care what you put in your hair or your nose
Just as long as you know where your fourth finger goes!
Can I play Allegretto with sticks in my hair?
Do you think that my teacher would care?
Labels: allegretto, lyrics, silly suzuki, suzuki, suzuki violin, violin
Top Homeschoolers to Follow on Twitter: The Homeschool Twitterati
23 CommentsBy Lostcheerio on Wednesday, April 22, 2009 at 7:49 PM.
Why do so many homeschoolers use Twitter? Maybe we are all undersocialized! Here is a guide to The Homeschooling Twitterverse, ruthlessly categorized by me:
Homeschool Dads
@martin_deveau (Scouts, 9 kids)
@darthdilbert (Christian, Nascar, Army)
@williambrockett (Navy, Geocaching, Chess, Tech)
@jimmiekersh (Conservative, Reformed Theologian)
@scotters (Conservative, Techie)
@circlereader (Christian, Human)
@chrisod (Netizen, Techie, Evolved Homeschooler)
@JayRyanAstro (Freelance Patent Agent, Astronomer)
@homeschooldaddy (HS Dad who actually teaches)
@120pagemonster (Screenwriter, Buddhist)
@Homeschooling (Aerospace Engineer)
@dcobranchi (Liberal, Secular, Evolved)
@stranahan (Writer, Artist, Huffington Post)
Conservatives:
@txskirt (Christian, TCOT)
@MrsCarrington (Infrequent Tweeter)
@vansadil (Technophile, Geocacher)
@AttachedToSix (Catholic, Organics)
@HomesteadMommy (Homesteading, Sewing)
@RebPasWife (Lutheran, Funny)
@Stubborn_Facts (1776!)
@kathymckinney (Self Proclaimed Rightwing Redneck)
@mcgburson (Christian, Southern)
Liberals:
@lostcheerio (This is ME! I am great! Follow me!)
@gillian_s (Organic, Green Living, Knitting)
@unschool (Sweet Tweets)
@summerm (Home-Birthing, Feminism, Breastfeeding)
@nomad_chicken (Tweeting HS travels in Southeast Asia)
@BoondockMa (Homesteading, Green Living)
@VegHeadPez (Buddhist, Karate Mom)
@mrsstranahan (Funny, Irreverent)
@coffeehound (Reader, Tutor, Coffee)
Writers:
@mrshannigan (Suite 101 Feature Writer)
@bonnyglen (Author Melissa Wiley)
@TammyT (host of Homeschool Writers Chat)
@TravelMaven (About.com Travel Writer)
@KristyTolley (Travel Writer, Kids Book Author)
@chrisworthy (Freelance Writer, Crafter)
@ClassicaScholar (Amazon Entrepreneur)
@AmandaBinTN (Unit Study Author)
@eeeegads (Twitterphile)
Christian:
@sawickis (Deals, Freebies, Saving $$)
@chelseajohns (Parenting)
@LacysWife (Lots of links)
@militantmom (Catholic, Writer, Reader, Funny Person)
@ElizbethChannel (Autism, GFCF, Quirky)
@fivejs (Piano Teacher, Reader)
@GratiaeUtDeus (Catholic)
@belleterra (Gardening, Sewing)
@kristi_runwatch (Bible Blogger)
@pianosteve (Podcasting Outside Institutional Religion)
@KarinKath (Cooking, Parenting)
@MamaArcher (Quiverfull)
@MrsStrick (Cheerful Tweets, Knitting)
@jacque_dixon (Quiverfull, Modesty)
@kidzanddogs (Crafting, Michigan)
@farmsteadlady (Gardening, Crafting, Blogging)
@gfcfmomofmany (Gluten Free)
Homeschooled Teens:
@super_angel (Power Blogger)
@aponderingheart (Modesty Maven)
@girlygirl007 (Christian Conservative)
Professional Types:
@beverlyschmitt (Preston Speed Publications)
@traciknoppe (Social Media Consultant)
@gemparenting (Parenting Advice)
@WWAHHMpreneur (Business Consultant)
@BathNBeads (Etsy Crafter)
@sophiadare (Etsy Crafter)
@douladeb (Homebirthing)
@spiceoflifedsgn (Etsy Crafter)
@loribourne (Montessori Supplies)
@TeenBizTalk (Business Coaching for Homeschooled Teens)
@VeryVerdant (Etsy Crafter)
@Nodinsnest (Etsy Crafter)
@farmhousemagic (Hand-dyed Silks)
@mrsjberry (Organic Food Depot, Glass Blowing)
@sarahjbray (Web Design, Graphics)
@peggyalvarado (Arbonne Rep)
@lorigouhin (Entrepreneurs at Home)
@marynix (Informed Parent, Elder Care)
@annahawthorne (Artist, Teacher, Writer)
@homeschool (Social Network Designed, Robot Geek)
@katemarais (Curriculum Publisher, Pandia Press)
Bloggers:
@principled (Principled Discovery)
@phatmommy (Agnostic, Technophile, Funny)
@color_me_pink (Jewelry, Gadgets, Food)
@sendchocolate (Autism Advocate, Humor)
@campcreek (Project-based HS, Art, Inspiration)
@VeganMamaDotCom (Vegan Cooking)
@sprittibee (Open Source Homeschooling)
@worducopia (Books and Writing Blog)
@nikowa (Knowledge House Academy)
@kim_mcneill (Kim's Play Place, Objectivist, Scientist)
@rationaljenn (Objectivist)
@reflective (Life Nurturing Education)
@mamarati (Gardening, Babies, Food)
@pagesofourlife (Photography, Classical HS)
@thirstyboots (Country, Single Parent HS)
@andrea_r (Eclectic, Canadian, Homeschooljournal.net)
@hsdistractions (Christian, Young Children)
@lapazhome (Unschooling, Florida Keys)
@lauriebluedorn (Trivium Pursuit, Classical, Christian)
Homeschool Resource Sites or Magazines:
@homeschool_mom (Homeschool Rewards)
@homeschoolounge (Homeschool Lounge)
@peahdotcom (Homeschool Curriculum Savings)
@heartofwisdom (Heart of Wisdom)
@mathdaddy (Math Worksheet Wizard)
@julieunplugged (Brave Writer, Cool Blogger)
@HomeSchBoutique (Homeschool Boutique)
@homeschool101 (Successful Homeschooling)
@hsbapost (Homeschool Blog Awards)
@The_HomeScholar (Helping People Homeschool High School)
@Terri_Johnson (Homeschooling ABCs)
@hmhomeschoolers (Very infrequent Tweets from Homemade Homemade Homeschoolers)
@SchoolhseStore (The Old Schoolhouse Store)
@TOSMag (The Old Schoolhouse Magazine)
@Homeschoolsegue (Homeschool Local Networking Site)
@myhomeschoolplan (Homeschool Record-Keeping)
@HomeschoolGuide (About.com Homeschool Guide)
@homeschoolers (Alpha Omega Publications)
@HOTMonline (Heart of the Matter)
@homeedmag (Home Ed Magazine)
@annzeise (A to Z Home's Cool, Massive Resource)
@homeedforums (Home Ed Forums, Networking)
@unschooledmom (Unschooling.com, John Holt)
@ahahomeschool (American Homeschool Association)
@sproutclassroom (Classroom Materials For Sale)
I Do Not Recommend:
@HSArticles (Overuses hashtags promoting her ad-heavy article site.)
@lshiller (Too many self-promoting tweets. He's relentless.)
@homeschoolernow (His site, Magic Learning, has persistent pop-ups.)
@crescentprephs (Purely promotion for this online high school.)
Did you like this post? I slaved over a hot stove all day to make it.
Are you following someone fantastic who wasn't included? You can make this list even better by suggesting yourself or other homeschoolers for me to add!
You can also promote it on your favorite social bookmarking site, at the links below.
Want to Tweet this? Here's a shortened URL for you: http://bit.ly/hstweeps
Don't forget to follow me! Me me me! I will follow you back. @lostcheerio
Labels: homeschoolers, homeschoolers on twitter, list, networking, social media, twitter
Silly Suzuki: Silly Words for Go Tell Aunt Rhody
1 CommentsBy Lostcheerio on Tuesday, April 21, 2009 at 7:46 AM.
Princess Go Tell Aunt Rhody:
Go tell Aunt Rhody I'm a princess now
Go show her all my shoes and pretty clothes
Tell her I like to play the violin
Tell her I like to play the flute
Go tell Aunt Rhody I'm a princess now
Go show her all my shoes and pretty clothes.
Plant Cell Go Tell Aunt Rhody:
Go tell Aunt Rhody I'm a chloroplast
Go show her all my stacks of thylakoids
Tell her I'm green because of chlorophyll
Tell her I make light into food
Go tell Aunt Rhody how I make the food
Carbon Dioxide, water and the sun.
For those who are keeping score at home: When I'm done posting these, I will make a printer-friendly songbook as a PDF. Until then, you'll just have to cut and paste the words into notebook if you want to print.
Go tell Aunt Rhody I'm a princess now
Go show her all my shoes and pretty clothes
Tell her I like to play the violin
Tell her I like to play the flute
Go tell Aunt Rhody I'm a princess now
Go show her all my shoes and pretty clothes.
Plant Cell Go Tell Aunt Rhody:
Go tell Aunt Rhody I'm a chloroplast
Go show her all my stacks of thylakoids
Tell her I'm green because of chlorophyll
Tell her I make light into food
Go tell Aunt Rhody how I make the food
Carbon Dioxide, water and the sun.
For those who are keeping score at home: When I'm done posting these, I will make a printer-friendly songbook as a PDF. Until then, you'll just have to cut and paste the words into notebook if you want to print.
Labels: go tell aunt rhody, music, suzuki, suzuki violin, violin
Singing Suzuki: Silly Words for Lightly Row
2 CommentsBy Lostcheerio on Saturday, April 18, 2009 at 10:53 AM.
Lightly Row Princess:
Princess says, "Play with me!
At the castle come and see!
We'll ride ponies in the woods
And give them sugar if they're good.
Diamond is my favorite one
Hop on up and have some fun
When we're tired maybe we can
Have some chocolate cake for tea!"
Lightly Row Plant Cell Parts:
Plant cell wall, nucleus
Endoplasmic Reticulum
Vacuoles give shape to cells
And these are all the organelles
Chloroplasts turn light to food
then the mitochondria
Change the food to energy so
Plants can grow up big like me!
Labels: lightly row, music, suzuki, suzuki violin, violin
The Tea Party Would Have Been Awesome! (With the Proper Permit)
12 CommentsBy Lostcheerio on Wednesday, April 15, 2009 at 6:17 PM.
Here's one sure sign this is not the revolution: Somewhere near Washington DC there's a truck driving around full of tea bags.
Yes, the plan today was to dump 1,000,000 tea bags into the Potomac River as a protest of -- uh -- the government. Unfortunately, the proper permit for dumping a truckload of Lipton into the Potomac could not be obtained! WHAT? NOT OBTAIN THE PROPER PERMIT!? Well, FINE, then they were going to dump the 1,000,000 tea bags on the ground! ON THE GROUND! In the *park.* NO! THEY DID NOT HAVE A PERMIT FOR DUMPING TEA IN THE PARK EITHER!! Even after the protesters offered to dump the tea tags onto a tarp for easy clean-up, the authorities weren't crazy about the idea. So the hundreds of protesters (HUNDREDS! HIDE YOUR CHILDREN!) packed up their tea bags and went home. Because nothing says "HANG 'EM HIGH!" like a quiet obeisance to the local dumping ordinances.
So much for the event billed as the largest grassroots movement in history. Guess what teabaggers? Fox News got what they wanted out of you -- a big fat ratings day. Show hosts coming at you from across the country! Live music! Parades! Tea! All on Fox! Of course, it was fair and balanced reporting, exactly the same coverage they gave to those silly anti-war protests which a few (hundred thousand) people attended in a couple (thousand) cities around the country (world). If you want a hearty chuckle, watch this montage of the slavering, drooling promotion from Fox News.
I mean, it's a little bit silly. But hey, invoking the Boston Tea Party was always ridiculous. First of all, Americans in Boston were protesting taxation without representation. Remember November 4? We all voted. You lost. Obama has cut taxes on 95% of the population. Even that top tier of income earners, for whom the tax cuts have been repealed, are still paying a lower rate than they did under Reagan. Maybe that's why no one was really *that* mad, not mad enough to break any laws anyway, except for some guy who threw a box onto the White House lawn, effectively shutting down the only protest in Washington that was actually functioning.
For a great example of *really super angry* protesters who are ready to storm the Capitol and take back control of their country, watch this video of a nice lady explaining to a small crowd why they have to comply with Secret Service after the box-on-the-White-House-lawn incident. Listen closely and you'll hear one mob member mutter quietly, "We should just have our tea party right here!" That's right -- a TEA PARTY! In your FACE, Obama!
It was supposed to be the beginning of a revolution! They were mad as hell and they weren't going to take it anymore! Well who doesn't love a little activism? Too bad it all ended up with a lonely man driving around in a truck, no place to dump his two tons of tea.
