Magical Egg Writing

A couple of weeks ago we got a book from the library called Kid Concoctions & Contraptions.  It's basically a bunch of ideas/experiments We immediately dug into it to see what we could make or build.  There were a handful of things we could do right away with the stuff we had around the house, and we did a few of those (growing construction paper flowers in water, making a loopy flyer with a straw and strips of paper, making a popper by folding paper a specific way, layering oil & colored water & alcohol).  We were moving so fast that first day that I didn't think to get any pictures of the fun we were having.

Over the next week or so I went through the book, made a note of the ones I thought we'd enjoy, made a list of the things we'd need to do some of them.

Last Sunday got the book out and tried a few more ideas.  The first one was pretty simple - put raisins in a class of club soda or ginger ale and they'll sink, then rise to the top, and go back down.  It was actually pretty cool.  The kids liked waiting to see which ones would surface next.

The next one we did was Magical Egg Writing .... mix alum and vinegar, paint that on the shell of an egg, boil the egg .... and voila! you won't see anything on the shell, but when you peel the boiled egg your writing will show up on the white of the egg inside!

Well, here are our results:

Painted, boiled egg:

Peeled egg ... no writing!

But they sure were good to eat!


So for some reason the experiment didn't work the way it was supposed to, but it didn't matter.  The kids and I had a blast, and we had fun screaming "Bummer!" every time we peeled an egg and there was no writing on the inside.

We also did some salt/water painting, and just this past weekend we made a water cyclone out of 2 two-liter bottles.  Taipan thinks that one is pretty cool. 

There are a five or six more of these that I think we'd have fun with .... I've got supplies now, so when the mood strikes us we're ready.

Family Picnic July 18

A friend of ours arranged for a family picnic last Friday evening.  Other than lots and lots of mosquitos, the park was awesome.  Both kids loved it - there was a splash fountain (where the kids began and ended their evening), a playground and swings (where Taisim spent a lot of time), and river access (which Taipan enjoyed). 

Strongsville Homecoming

Last week the kids and I went to Strongsville Homecoming festival one evening while Yuta was working.  Our mission was to see rides, and get carnival game prizes.  Mission accomplished!

Super Duper Cooper

Back in mid-June we added a new cat to our family. We adopted him from PetSmart - he's a year-old, and had been a stray. His name is Cooper. This cat has adjusted to our family so well. I don't think we could have found a better fit. Taipan and Taisim love petting him, putting their heads on his belly to hear his purr, playing with him and the feather toys, and occasionally chasing him. Cooper is very relaxed and calm and playful, and has found a good buddy in Yuta.

Here are some pics of him:

7 years

Today is our seventh anniversary.

Yuta got me a new laptop (yippee!!), and put this on the desktop (and about an hour ago he brought a vase of flowers into my office):



Later this week we're going to Chicago - my Nonna's 95th birthday is on Sunday, and we're having a birthday lunch on Saturday. All of her living descendants will be there, which will be cool. Among the folks we'll see are some cousins that we haven't seen since our wedding, and one of my aunts who hasn't met my kids yet. It should be fun. Taipan and Taisim will be thrilled to see Jason and Elyse!

Watching fireworks on July 3rd in Independence, OH

I created this using wordle - pretty awesome site.

Grandpa & Grandma's - 5/14

Float in the pool...


Jump into the pool...



After the pool...

Disney Marketplace - Light Sabers - 5/13

This was the reason we came to the Disney Marketplace... we had heard that you could build your very own custom light saber!!!!! So we made it to the 'Once Upon A Toy' store, and got to work. It's actually pretty nifty. You get to choose various parts to customize your saber, including a crystal that sets the sounds it will make and the color of your blade!





I made one, Taipan made one, and Taisim made one. Even Karen made one, as I pointed out to her that she would need something to defend herself with.

Yuta's red saber	Taisim's purple saber
Taipan's blue saber	Karen's green saber
The Hsu Family Light Sabers

Disney Marketplace - Lego - 5/13

Next stop was the LEGO store! We all had fun running around and playing with the LEGOs they had out. Taipan loved the LEGO Star Wars sets, and had a blast with the bins of LEGO bricks in the walls. Me... I was admiring the Indiana Jones sets they had :)