A Fun Weekend in LA

A few weekends ago, Ossil had a conference at UCLA.  He has had several of these conferences,  and so we have come to know the UCLA area pretty well, and all the fun things to do around there for a low price.  This time, we went to the the La Brea Tar pits, and the California ScienCenter.  The Tar pits were very interesting, and we had never been there.  It is so strange, because it is right in the middle of LA, on Wilshire.  We had to drive across Rodeo Drive to get there.  It is strange, because it is like a park with a medium sized museum on it.  The museum is nice.  It has a live lab where you can see the scientist working on each little or big bone.  It also has all kinds of bones of animals that got stuck in the asphalt (not tar).  They got stuck, like on flypaper, and then slowly starved to death, or wolves or other animals would come and eat them, and some of these animals got stuck themselves.  There are so many bones there, it is unbelievable.  I think the earth had some oil that came up from inside the earth and got thick and sticky.  The neatest bones in the museum were that of a huge Mammoth, and a Sabertooth Cat.  But they have so many bones, a lot of animals got stuck there.  Outside on the grounds, there is a few little buildings.  One of the buildings is an excavation site.  You go into a room with a lot of windows and look down in the 20ft deep pit (probably deeper), and you can see just black stuff everywhere.  It is sectioned off in areas.  The excavators work in the summer, so the asphalt will be softer and it will be easier to get the bones out etc.  It is really hot down there in the summer, and really stinky.  Looks like fun.  If you walk around the grounds, you will see a green field and seemingly oddly placed little fenced off areas.  The size of a crib, but a little smaller.  If you look inside, there will be just a big space where natural asphalt is coming up through the ground.  It is so strange.  We actually found a spot where they hadn't put up a fence yet.  Right in the middle of the grass, back stuff is slowly oozing up.  It is amazing.  It was so strange, and so fascinating.   Also, the price was good, about  $17 total for me and the kids and parking.  

We tried hard to save money, so we had a sack lunch we brought from home and ate it in the car after we saw the "tar pits".  Then we drove over to exposition park close to USC.  That is where they have the California ScienCenter.  It is such a fun place, and it is free, with a suggested donation of $5 for adults.  So after parking, the price was about $13.  Pretty good price I think.  The CSC is a total hands on museum.  It tells kids about science principles, and they can touch almost everything.  They also have a few displays.  They had one about drugs, how they are made and where they come from, and how they can damage your brain and how they hurt society, etc.  I didn't really enjoy that one, so we kind of went fast.  However, that would be good for teenagers.  They also had CSI: The Experience there.  That was soooooo fun.  There are three different "crimes".  We had the one most young kids get, because this really is an exhibit for older kids.  Ours was that a hiker was in the desert, and came upon a human skeleton.  That isn't too scary for kids, because of halloween.  So we had to examine the scene, and take notes on everything we could possibly think of.  Then we had to go to the lab and examine the bullet that was found in the skull, the hair that was found on the man (there was a tuft of hair stuck to his button on his shirt), things like that.  We went from lab station to lab station working on the clues and solving the mystery.  If you have older kids, and you get a chance to do the CSI experience, you really should.  My kids were a little scared, but we did the least scary one, and it wasn't too bad.  Csitheexperience.org for more information.  It will be at the California ScienCenter until April 26th, and it is free.  Then it moves to Portland for several months, and then to Fortworth, etc.  I don't think it is free at all museums, just at Cal ScienCenter.  They also had a show about homeostasis that was fun.  They have a 50 foot "person" laying in the middle of the stage, and you can see the heart, and veins, etc.  And they show what happens when someone gets hot, or tired from exercise or needs food.  How your body keeps itself in balance.  That is really fun too.  The Sci Center actually has 2 buildings.  Most people don't know about the other building, because it is behind the big building.  It is all space and aeronautics.  They have a reentry pod from a space mission - actually several, as well as replicas of satellites, and real fighter jets and a real helicopter children can sit in, as well as displays to learn about the science of flight, and weightlessness etc.  That one is also really fun.  

   The Sci Center is right next to the LA Colosseum where the Olympics was held.  So we walked to the front and took pictures.  They didn't have it all fancy like the the Chinese, they tried to make it roman-ish.  So it was more traditional than flashy.  

After wards, on our way home, we stopped at Rubio's fish tacos.  One of my favorite foods is the gourmet tacos.  The shrimp one was to die for.  All in all a fun, rather inexpensive trip.  Oh yea, Ossil had a good time in his meetings.  He wanted us to come with him because he didn't want to be alone all day.  We are really glad we went.  

Gift Giving Tag!!

Ok, Natalee, here it is.  My sister Natalee had this on her blog.  I love the things she makes, she is so artistic and very creative.  I am not as creative as her, but I like to try.  Anyway, here it is. This is a gift "tag".   The first five people to comment get a handmade gift from me. Those who commented also have to post this on their blog and then do the same, make a gift for the first five people who make a comment.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. It'll be done this year 2009. Hopefully sooner than later.
3. You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be sewn, scrapbooky, baked, beaded, or it may be something totally random that I come up with on a whim. Who knows? Not you - until you receive your gift! 
4. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch? The catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. Let's get those homemade gifts going! So, the first 5 people to leave a comment telling me they are doing it also, and post the same post on their blog will receive a gift - made with my two hands! (Although you may be taking your chances with that...)Be sure to post pictures of what you won when you receive it! Don't worry if you live far away. I will send it to you.

I like this, because anyone involved does so voluntarily.  It seems fun.  Good luck.  

By the way, Natalee doesn't count.  She gets an item anyway.

The BNP Paribas Open

My good friend Michelle who works with me in primary, had just turned on the radio the other day when they said that they had tickets for the tenth caller.  She had no idea what the tickets were for, but she called in and was the 10th caller.  Then she found out she had just won tickets for the evening of March 14th at the  Our seats were right above the green stripe. High up, but 

still a good view.  Evey seat has a pretty decent view of the court.  

(It was a lot less crowded when we were there.)

BNP Paribas Open.  She had to work that night, and called us to see if we wanted them, since Ossil is a former professional tennis player.  I said yes, even though I had no idea how or who was going to use them.  We wanted to avoid paying for a babysitter, so I told Ossil that he should go with my dad.  He was planning on it, but he had been so busy the past few days, that he was tired out.  He just wanted to spend time with the kids.  So he didn't want to go.  What a great husband.  Anyway.  It was getting almost time to go, I had no idea what to do with these tickets, so I called my mom, and she wanted to go.  So we went together.  It was so much fun.  It is such a beautiful place.  It is amazing that I am married to a former professional tennis player, because I know almost nothing about tennis.  Maybe if I had been married to him while he played tennis I would know more.  Anyway, we got there, and we had no idea what to do or where to go.  We wandered around trying to figure out where to go.  Then we decided that we should just go to the seats our tickets specified in the main stadium.  We were up on the 4th level, and we went up and sat down.  Two women were playing - a 17 year old Russian named Pavlyuchenkova vs. number 2 in the world Jankovic from Serbia.  Well it was very exciting.  The 17 yr old Russian beat the #2 in the world with 6-4, and 6-4 score.  Then we stayed and watched the 13th ranked the world  James Blake (USA) and a guy named Jarkko Nieminen (Fin) ranked 38th.    That game was extremely exciting.  They were constantly getting Deuce (a tie right before you and score a real point).  Nieminen was not nearly as strong as James, but he was better at control.  James was very powerful but made so many errors.  In the end James won because I think he was stronger and had more endurance, but the game was so close.  It was so fun, and we learned so much about tennis from being there.  We were amazed at the technology.  A player can challenge the referee's call 3 times.  And when he does, the computer puts up on the big screen a computer animation of a ball flying through the air and bouncing off the court, and leaving a mark where it landed.  So you can see if the ball was in or out.  Several times when the players challenged, they were right.  The ball just moves so fast, that the referees just can't always be right.  It was amazing to watch, and fun as well.  

James Blake (13th) USA

Jarkko Nieminen (38th) Fin

Mom said that that is what we could give her for her birthday present.  I think she enjoyed it, I know I did.  Thanks for going with me mom.  It was just such a great, fun night.  It is not often we go to major sporting events.  I really liked it, everyone is so civilized.  No one paints their faces or is obnoxious in tennis matches.  Everyone is quiet.  Also tennis is fun to watch.  There really is constant action.  I don't enjoy watching football or baseball, because it seems so boring.  I think basket ball is much more interesting to watch, so is tennis.  It really was a fun night.  I am so glad I went, I will have to go again next year if we can get cheap or free tickets.  I hear the first two days are totally free.  Next year when Ayden is in Kindergarten, I might just have to see if that is an option.  

A lot of people I know had their kids working there as ball kids.  They are the ones that run after the stray balls and then give the players the balls for serves.  The kids volunteer there for two weeks, so they have to miss school, but it sounds like a lot of fun, and a great opportunity.  They have to try out for it.  A few people I know are ball moms.  They teach the kids how to do it, and watch over the kids for the two weeks.  That also sounds like a lot of fun.  If anyone is interested, keep checking the tennis garden's website during the year to learn more.  

I guess I need to take some more tennis lessons and learn to play.  It was a blast, thanks Michelle, thanks Mom, thanks Ossil!!

Science Fair Part 2

Since we got first place in the school science fair, we got to go to the district science fair.  So last night we went as a family.  The first half we just looked around at the different displays, and the second half there was an awards ceremony.  Everyone who makes it to the district level gets an award - Third, Second, First, or Sweepstakes.  

There are a few hundred entries, from kindergarten all the way up to high school.  There are lots of people entering in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades, but not as many in middle school, and hardly any in high school (although the high school ones were really good).  

The truth is that I didn''t really want my kids to come to district.  I only wanted them to do a science fair project so they could see how it was done.  And after experiencing it, next year do almost all of it them selves.  This year I really walked them through it.  We talked about how important the question is, and how it has to be a the right question that you can answer  with the tools available, etc.  Then we brainstormed questions, and Christyne came up with the question.  I went to the library and found some books that were helpful, and looked up articles online.  Then we read them out loud together and discussed what was important information for the research and the journal.  We also talked about how experiments need to have only one variable.  And that ment they needed to use the exact same amount of water, and the exact same pot and the exact same burner and the pot had to be cool each time we used it, etc.  Also that we needed at least 3 trials of each experiment.  When we did the experiment, they had to be in there doing it, but I had to do the fire part.  So they were measuring and timing.  When we wrote up the journal, I had them write it by hand.  So, as a group we would talk about what would be said, then I would type it in really big font, and they would copy it into their journal.  At first I had them each write a journal, then I was going to take the neatest pages and staple them together for one journal.  But half way through, they got really tired of all the writing, so I had them take turns writing (I thought we only needed on journal).  Then I would save the typing for the board, and print it in smaller letters.  They helped me glue the things onto the board.  Of course I typed up the things for the board, and they helped me glue it.  When it came to the graphs, I just typed numbers, and this beautiful graph popped up in one of my programs.  So next year they will do that.  They worked really hard on it and spend hours and hours working on it.    

So we go the the district science fair, and low and behold, I look at the other 3rd grade projects, and some are way more complex than ours.  (I tried to make our project something they would understand, and the whole time we were doing it, we talked about the science behind it, and they had to explain it to me and know it.)  And I knew there was no way a 3rd grader could have done those projects alone.  So then I didn't feel so bad.  I also talked to Andi's teacher who is in charge of the science fair for our school, and she said it was fine.  

Well, we sit down for the awards, and I was hoping for a 3rd place.  So they would be getting an award, but because of my guilt for doing so much, not get too much of an award.  Well all the 3rd place ribbons were passed out, and my kids didn't get any.  Then they passed out the second place ribbons, and still my kids didn't get one.  Then they passed out the first place ribbons, and my daughters were still sitting there.  Then they started calling the sweepstakes winners.  Sure enough they called up Andreya and Christyne.  They were so excited.  They each got a trophy. 

 This is their first real trophy for anything, and I am so glad that they got it for something academic.  Sports is great, but I want my kids to feel really good about accomplishing something with their brains.  Especially Andreya.  She is very smart, and has the IQ test to prove it, but she has some sort of reading and writing learning problems, so it is hard.  She struggles in school.  She works hard, and yet she struggles.  She also gets frustrated because she is smart and knows she should be able to do much better than she is, but there is a hurdle that makes it hard.  I am so glad that she won a trophy for academics, because I want her to know that she is smart, and if she works hard and doesn't give up, she can do well.  Also, they both just love science.  Andreya is always quoting science facts about animals that she learned years ago in school.  Christyne always asks for science kits for christmas or her birthday.  I am really glad they won.  

Our plan for next year is to have the girls do almost all the work.  This summer they are going to work on their typing, so they can type it themselves.  And from now until summer we will be thinking of questions to ask.  Then this summer we will work on it, so we can take a long, long time and they won't get too overwhelmed.  I am going to have them do almost all of it, I will be the mentor or technical advisor.  And in January we will just do the things like glue stuff to the board, etc.  Also, once you get to 4th grade, you can go to the county science fair.  So next year they will be doing it almost all on their own. 

It was a very fun night.  Someone had set up powerful telescopes out side and we could see the moon up close, and saturn.  Also, we ran into people we knew but had not seen in a while, like people I used to teach with, or people from our old ward, and people from MOMS Club.  Poor Ayden, he was miserable.  He was bored, but well behaved.  I was really proud of all my kids last night.