Barbie birthday cake.

So my second child turned nine recently and she wanted a Barbie cake. Now let me tell you, it was pretty easy. What wasn't easy was trying to make it allergen free for my son to enjoy, but I succeeded. At the end of the day my daughter was happy which was all that mattered

Sunflowers

To me, sunflowers are the essence of summer. Although they don't last too long, they make every effort to brighten someone's day. We planted sunflower seeds back in March and are now seeing them bloom.

Hopefully we can harvest the seeds in a week or two. The birds have already been at one of the plants and have eaten many of those seeds. I did some research on the internet on ways to harvest seeds since I had never done so before. Some recomend covering the sunflower heads with cheese cloth or old panty hose to protect the seeds from birds. They still receive the sun and water they need, and you get to keep your seeds.

Secure the cheese cloth or hose with a rubber band at the base of the flower head. Once the petals have fallen off and the back of the flower head has turned yellow or brown, your ready to harvest. Simply cut the stalk about a foot down from the head.

Then over a bucket, just pop the seeds out with your fingers. (you may want to wear gloves). You can soak the seeds overnight in a saltwater solution, then rinse and dry in the morning. After they've dried in the sun for about an hour or so, bake them in the oven. Yum!

Lapbooks

Lapbooks, I think they are the newest craze in home education. Well at least they are at my house. I learned about lapbooking on YouTube almost a year ago. Since then I've been hooked. The videos show you how to put the folders together to make booklets. You make a lapbook on any subject you can possibly think of. They can be as big or as small as you wish. So far my children have created lapbooks about ancient Egypt, flamingos, space, the Beatles, family, Spider man and giraffes. Right now I'm brainstorming about lapbooks based on different countries. I haven't quite figured exactly how we're going to make them yet, but I'm working on it. There are so many websites now that have printable templates for lapbooks. You can choose one of their subjects and print out their pictures and dittos and have your child fill them in. Or you can make everything yourself. We've done both, and both ways look great. However, when you create everything yourself, you do have more freedom as far as content. So just go for it. Make a lapbook about surfing or hurricanes, Africa or roses, acting or sewing. Your imagination is the limit. Or should I say, your child's imagination. Here is a great website http://www.lapbooklessons.com/.