Learning to Walk

Sadie is trying to learn how to walk. She's a little ornery in this video because it was her nap time but you can see that she is getting better. Her problem is that she loves to fall into our arms at the end. We can't seem to teach her that walking and nose diving are not interrelated.

Tutor.com Job

My online tutoring job has been an interesting roller coaster. I thought I would share some of the questions that students log in and ask me. This job can be funny at times and stressful at others, but I sure am learning a lot about science!

what will happen if I soak the potatoe in an acidic solution? This was the first question I ever had and I was nervous enough as it was. I didn't know the answer and thought I was doomed to be fired on my first session.

I need a recording of a cockatiel on a wave file that is no more than 4 seconds long I happen to be working as I'm writing this post and this was the question I just got!

Where did the light kernels in corn come from? What really matters is do they taste any different?

I need to buy snails can u look on lione wher I can fin snails? Check your backyard.

The water droplets collect around ____________ and form ______________. I had the hardest time with this question and never did find the answer for the student. My mentor informed me that it's dust particles and clouds. Simple enough, huh?

i need the caterpillalr. me tacher wants me to label catepillarer.

who uses soll maps? No such thing exists.

can you explain background radiation to me? Uh, I had no idea.

How do babies form? I'll be darned if I know. I had another similar question but it's X-rated so I won't say it.

if there is a sanddbar on a river , how will the sandbar affect boat travel It may make boat travel slightly difficult....

Why does an icecube feel cold when you put it in your hand? Does it really matter?

How can you distinguish a clastic (fragmental) sedimentary rock from a chemically formed sedimentary rock? I hate rock questions....they are my least favorites! I'd like to start a petition to have the topic removed from textbooks!!!!

if a curve with a radius of 65m is properly banked for a car traveling 75 km/hr, what must the coefficient of friction be for a car not to skid when traveling at 90 km/hr. No idea, next!

As an object moves away from earth, the ___________ the red shift, indicating the rate of expansion is ________________. Still no idea, next!

How quickly can tornadoes wind rotate? 318 mph was recorded on May 3, 1999.

ok here I go: newton's doctor says that he has to drink 4 oz. of water but there are no measuring cups besides a 3 oz and 5 oz. cup and it says that he took one cup and filled it up to its capacity and then.....? but ikd what comes next. This was tricky but the answer was to fill up the 3 and dump it into the 5 and then fill up the 3 again and dump whatever can fit into the 5. That will leave you with 1 in the 3 oz. cup. Then you dump the 5 oz. cup and put the one ounce in there and fill up the 3 again and dump it in the 5 oz cup again and that will give you 4 oz. But this kid was only in 6th grade and just didn't get it! Bless hit heart.

I could go on and on but I won't bore you. Hopefully this gives you a little taste of my professional life and you better understand why I am the way I am lately. Between this, seminary, and Sadie I am bound to end up in a mental institution!

Allow me to introduce you to....

Good Reads. What is it you ask? It is exactly what I've been looking for to help me become more literate. I've made many attempts to become a 'reader', but it always fails miserably by me picking up something inappropriate or uninteresting (usually both). Enter Good Reads. Goodreads is a social network for readers in the world. They started in 2006 and now have over 1,700,000 members with 40,000,000 books to their shelves. Members can recommend books, compare what they are reading, keep track of what they've read and would like to read, and even form book clubs. Chante got me started with it but I found several other friends that are on there, too. It's been great for our marriage, too! Instead of me grudgingly watching sports or Ben selflessly watching some pointless sitcom I lay in bed and read while he is tuned into ESPN. It's heavenly! But, warning: reading is addictive. Who knew? It's so fun to find quality, entertaining reading material that is mind-expanding, relaxing, and inspirational. So, I hope this doesn't sound like an advertisement for Good Reads, but if you are interested you should sign-up. I'd love to see what you are reading and get your recommendations about what I should read next!

Beach Day

Anyone who knows us knows that we love Ft. DeSoto Beach. It's an extra few minutes of driving but Ft. DeSoto is the most beautiful, most private (at least it use to be), and most fun beach we have found. In fact, my father has requested to be buried at Ft. DeSoto (maybe that will keep the tourists out). So, over Christmas break we ventured down there for a beach day and we had a blast.

Mike and Sarah brought their kayak, and Kimmy brought a water balloon launcher and we used it to launch tennis balls. We had fun launching the tennis balls way up into air and catching them.
However, we started to get a little bored so we started launching the tennis balls at the people in the kayaks. The experience turned cold when I launched a ball just over Ben's head and he went to reach and leaned a little too far and ended up in the water. Opps! The air temperature was about 80 and the water temperature was 70 degrees. I thought Ben was nuts but he found it refreshing - after the initial shock.

The whole day was very fun and relaxing. The babies did great and the weather was beautiful. It made me hopeful that Sadie is getting to the age where we can do more things. I have visions of going to the beach and swimming in the pool
all summer. Let's hope Sadie has the same vision :)