Gracie was the first to pull it off! I set a long-term goal a couple of years ago for the kids to solve the Rubik’s Cube. I gave them one monetary incentive to solve it with instructions and then a second incentive to solve it WITHOUT any instructions. With the quarantine and the rainy weather as of late the kids have had some extra time to work on such projects (unfortunately – I had to REMIND them of such!).
Dominick was the first to tackle the Rubik’s Cube with the instructions. That stoked the competitive nature within Gracie. I came home from work one day and she was frustrated – because she was trying to solve it with a different strategy than the one Dominick was using. She HATED the cube that day!
But she stuck with it (good job Gracie!) – and the very next day she could solve it not only WITH the instructions- but WITHOUT instructions as well! Now she LOVES the Rubik’s Cube!
So since we are also into 3D printing I suggested to Gracie that she makes a Rubik’s Cube stand that indicates the date she tackled the cube! Of course, she did!
Chip’s Epic Easter Egg & Treasure Hunt
This year’s Easter Egg & Treasure Hunt was a real hit with the kids & wife. I finally cleaned it up so other people could use it and wrote up some instructions. It is now available if you would like to try it (or wait until next year). You can find it on our sister site www.EpicTreasureHunts.com – which will feature other themed hunts as well – eventually. I’m trying to get the kids to be little entrepreneurs, and this is a family project – so we will see how that all works out!
Mother’s Day
We tried to spoil Melani a little again this year. Breakfast was all about waffles & fruit, lunch was leftovers and then we made MAN chili again for dinner! The kids had so much fun last year making the MAN chili – that everyone requested we do it again this year! So we did!
I think everything turned out a little better this year as compared to last year. And everyone was a little better about cleaning up WHILE we were cooking too!
For those of you that don’t remember what MAN Chili is from last year- the philosophy – as I tell the children – is bigger chucks of more stuff! So we throw everything in – and barely chop or mince anything! Mushrooms – cut most of them maybe once. Garlic – BIG chunks! Onions – why even cut them or chop them up???
Gracie is really into the 3D printing and created this cell phone case for Melani. This was a challenge – because we couldn’t find a an exact model for her phone. So we took something that was close and had to modify it quite extensively! The heart and name were also added – of course. Finally, we printed it out of color-change filament – which changes color from green to yellow when it is exposed to heat. Here you can see the heat from my hand was enough for the case to change color where I was holding it. We plan on also using glow-in-the-dark filament to print her name and the heart – and then put those where the holes are now.
We also made some cards for Melani, my mother (Mimi) and Melani’s mother (Gramma or Grandma). Below is a sampling of some of those cards.
Teacher Appreciation
Melani also got a little appreciation from the school this weekend. We looked outside one day – and the principal had placed one of these signs in our front yard! I know there have been some unique challenges this year for teachers – and it was great for her to get some appreciation. She also did a great job helping to put together this year’s Yearbook! Great job Melani!
Stay safe and healthy as we try to return to some semblance of normal!
Sincerely,
