St. Louis Science Center

Twice a year Scott's work schedule differs vastly from normal.  He works at the St. Louis Temple as a Custodial Assistant Supervisor for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  His normal schedule is Monday through Friday from 9pm to 6am.  Twice a year the Temple closes for two weeks for deep cleaning, allowing patrons to volunteer to help do cleaning that doesn't normally get done (Like the chandeliers).  For this time he works from 11am-10pm.  The only real advantage is that he is home at night.  This schedule he really doesn't see much of the kiddos - so on Saturday we decided to do something special.  After our normal trip to Costco we headed to the St. Louis Science Center.

The St. Louis Science Center is one of the free attractions that we can do as a family.  Granted some of the neatest parts of the Science Center costs extra (Planetarium, Discovery Room, and special attractions).  We want to make it to the Star Trek Expedition, hopefully we will make it back by the end of May!!!

Math

 One of the first things we saw was a teenager volunteering for Pi Day.  They had things set up at different zones of the Science Center where the kids could do hands on math projects.  Donovan wanted to figure out how many balls were in the container and together the two of us worked it out.  He got to use a calculator for the first time - which I found odd, but okay!!  The young man said that the two of us had one of the closest answers all day.  That made me smile!!!  Instead of using a ruler to measure the container we used the six balls, added two more and then figured out the rest. 

Volume = Pi x Hight x radius squared

We then went to the flight simulator and Amelia got drive a plane.  She kept crashing it into the ground.  Scott got it through the St. Louis Arch three times!!

Mia Flying a plane

Ancient Egypt

Child Mummy

I was fascinated by this Child Mummy.  I guess you could say I have always been intrigued by Egyptian History.  THis is the actual artifact (Sad to call him an artifact, he was a beloved child 2000 years ago) given to the Science Center in 1985.  He was "acquired" in the 1900's by a Missouri Dentist.  He is part of the most extensive archeological study in recent history.  In 2006 Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology and Washington School of Medicine began to take CT scan 3D models, DNA testing, and carbon dating of this little guy.  What they know for sure is that he was about 7-8 months old when he died.  He lived around 40 B.C. and 130 A.D.  They are attempting to trace his ancestry through DNA (which is difficult at best).  I believe that he was well loved, for it was expensive to get him mummified!

I stood there awhile, looking at his precious face and thinking about how devastated his parents must have been at his loss.  I wondered how he received the fatal wound on his head.  How peaceful he looks.

Dinosaurs

Around the corner from this little guy stood the mechanical dinosaurs.  Mia wanted nothing to do with them.  I also love Dinosaurs so we headed into a room where fossils could be touched and handled.  We had to leave before we were ready though because Mia could see the Dinotrons and she kept saying "Scary Dinosaur".  Poor thing.

Gavin thought it was funny that he got to hold Dino Poop!

Daddy and Mia looking at a Mastodon Molar

Paleontologist actually cleaning a T-Rex tooth

We went through many other areas, Donovan and Dad were fascinated by electricity, the kids had a blast in the sound room, and loved creating an arch out of blocks.  Had a great video for that, but for some reason am having issues uploading (sigh!!!).

Before the arch fell on top of them

It was a good four hours at the Science Center.  As we left we took pictures by the Dinosaur statues.  Mia had no trouble with them, they weren't trying to eat her!

Donovan upset that the park won't let him climb up.

He was told not to feed the Triceratops, but he wouldn't listen!

New Learning Goals for Gavin

Thursday I opened Gavin's book bag and was greeted by his newest Individualized Education Program (IEP).  It was really exciting to see the great leaps and bounds he has made in the past year and a half.  The first file contained the previous years goals and notes that his different teachers took.

Occupational Therapy

February 2011

• He struggled with holding scissors correctly, progressed with fasteners and buttons and snaps, taking turns, didn't know a single color and couldn't count to 5 (let alone 10), his vocabulary was incredibly limited, his gross motor skills worried his teachers, and many other little things.  When he first began therapy he really struggled with being verbal.  One of the main skills they wanted to work on was the ability to put items in categories.  He struggled with putting items such as animals and food in their category.  Instead he would group them by what he liked and disliked.  He struggled with spatial concepts and following directions

 February 2012

• He now will tolerate 15 minutes of upper body strengthening - which aides him in his gymnastics at the Little Gym!!! 
• He makes good attempts to hold his pencils and crayons but always reverts to this weird way of holding his writing utensils.  (His dad has the same grip). 
• Gavin has improved on taking turns, but hasn't met his goal   LOL, we have this problem at home too.  We are working on it daily - but he isn't very patient!
•  He now knows all the basic colors, and his basic shapes.  He counts to 13.  (he then consistently goes 16, 21, 14, 15 . . . )it cracks me up how he gets into his own pattern and sticks to it.  Last week he started to count, paused at 13 and then went to 19.  Oh, I was so proud of him
• A year later now has a good understanding of spatial concepts (He is so close to his goal - he is 70/80%  Way to go Gavin).  He knows large medium and small 100%, he struggles with two step directives.  
• Gavin struggles with who, what, when, where, and why questions.  He often gets this lost look, or will answer with something completely off the wall.   The speech therapist mentioned that he is very inconsistent with the goal.  There will be some days that he will answer the questions at 100% and then others he just misses the mark completely.  The great news is he is labeling his vocabulary words correctly most of the time.  It is so neat to know that a year and a half ago his vocabulary was around 100 words and now we can have an entire conversation with him.  
• Over the year Gavin can now catch a ball both while he is sitting and standing, and he has increased his throwing ability.
• He has met all of his gross motor skill goals. Yipee!

New Goals
Here is a list of his goals for the next six months (He will have a new IEP for Kindergarten)

•  Hold his pencil correctly
• hold scissors correctly and cut a 3 inch sized object with less than 1/2" deviation
• be able to perform a variety of manipulatives (Stringing, lacing, fasteners)
• Count by rote to 20 and be able to count 15 objects.
• improve appropriate classroom behavior (wait his turn, stay in his own space, share toys)
• point to pictures/objects when presented a descriptive/concept word (Hard/soft, same/different, long/short, empty/full)
• sequence 3-4 picture cards
• Identify groups of items that belong together (clothes, food, animals, etc.)
• He will verbalize social acceptable behaviors (wait my turn, don't interrupt verbally, don't touch game or person).
• He will sequence 3-4 picture cards using a simple sentence in imitation and then with prompts.
• Label nouns, verbs, and adjectives in picture cards
• Work on throwing to a target, underhanded, and overhanded.
• Hop on one foot, in linear fashion.  Walk on a line or balance beam for 8 ft (he hates the balance beam, he is afraid he will fall off.  We are working on that one at little gym).

I think these are great goals.  What I love about getting his IEP is that I know specific things that he is working on at school and it gives me a guide as to what to work with him at home as well.   

Weight Loss Wednesday Link Up

I was reading posts on No Ordinary Blog Hop and came across a post that had me thrilled, Weight Loss Wednesday Link Up hosted by Mary!!!  I am So excited to find someone that I can support and be supported as well.  

I have always been heavy, from the time I hit puberty - if not even before!  I served a mission in Fortaleza Brazil for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when I was 21 and lost about 40 pounds.  I looked good, and was at my lowest weight EVER - 180!  The day before I started college at Brigham Young University I fell down and ended up in non-weight baring casts for a year.  By the time I was walking again I had gained my weight back and it just increased.  

I succeeded on Weight Watchers and lost another 40 pounds before I got married!  My husband likes his women (me) on the larger size and I fell into a comfortable blur of wedded bliss and weight gain.  I soon ballooned to 260 pounds.  Each time I got pregnant it followed a period of weight loss (after years of infertility).  While I was pregnant I ended up with Gestational Diabetes and strictly followed the Diabetic Diet my OBGYN placed me on.  I wanted healthy babies. 

I remember being so close to under 200 pounds again after Amelia was born.  I promised myself that I would stay on the diet even though I didn't have diabetes anymore.  I lied to myself and as of right now I weigh 274 pounds.  I gasp as I write that number.  How did I get there?  It is from emotional eating, binge eating, eating at midnight because I stay up too late and get hungry.  I love the taste of food.  

BUT, I took my 2 year old to the Little Gym this week.  I was winded after running in a circle for less than five minutes.  I couldn't skip, or jump because I was just too heavy.  When I am on the floor I struggle to get up.  My doctor recently told me that my A1C had hit that critical 7 that indicates I now have type II Diabetes.  My mom has Type II Diabetes and I get angry with her for not taking care of herself.  I want her around for my children's weddings.  But what about myself?????  Don't I want to be around for my children's weddings???  I'm a hypocrite! 

I joined TOPS (Taking Off Pounds Sensibly) after Christmas.  I have not done very well, but am surrounded by wonderful supportive women.  I have a new bike that my husband bought me last year.  (I've only ridden it once).  I have new tennis shoes to wear while riding my bike.  I have my meds that I have to take each morning and night (which I forget to take half the time.) 

I need to buckle down and just do it!  

So here are my goals.

• Monday Wednesday and Fridays while Amelia is down for her nap and Scott is sleeping (gotta love those graveyard shifts) I am going to ride my bike.
• I am going to start counting carbs again.  I am allowed 75 a day right now.
• I am going to watch my fat intake - no more McDonald french fries for me! (Those are my weakness)
• My mom bought me a book called Eat To Live by Joel Fuhrman, MD.  I am going to start reading it.
• A doctor once recommended The Thin Commandments :  The Ten No-Fail Strategies for Permanent Weight Loss by Stephen Gullo PHd.  I am going to re-read it.
• In my church we have what is called the Word of Wisdom  It is found in the Doctrine and Covenants Section 89 (The Doctrine and Covenants are a compilation of revelations given to prophets in the latter-days which is for the establishment and governance of the church)..  I follow the no smoking, no drinking part really seriously but I don't follow the rest.  It tells us to eat fruits and veggies and give thanks for them.  To eat meat sparingly - eat them in the winter, or during famine or excess hunger.  I want the promises that are bestowed upon those that follow these Words of Wisdom.  I want to be healthy.  I want an increase in wisdom and knowledge, most of all I want to run and not be weary, walk and not faint.
• Make a meal plan.  I struggle with a weekly one, so I am going to take Mary's idea of planning the next days food the night before.  Maybe this will be more manageable for me.

My goal is to lose 10%s of my weight each quarter of the year.  So if I break it down it will look like this:

247 by June 1st That breaks down to 2 pounds a week

222 by September 1st Also breaks down to 2 pounds a week

200 by December 1st About 1 and a half pounds per week

180 by March 1st One pound a week

This post is linked up to Winecup Christian Academy

Weight Loss Wednesday Link up