Family Sunday

Today we started and completed a family project we had been planning on doing for the past couple weeks. We had been gathering soda bottles from soda drinkers and the other day we finally got the 6 two liter bottles we needed to make 2 self contained ecosystems. 
Without getting into the details the one bottle contains pond life and the other bottle which is inverted into the bottom bottle simulates ground life. The two share water and oxygen.
Anyway it was such a fun project to do together and will continue to provide learning.
First we took a trip to the petstore to purchase some aquatic plants and tiny snails. While we were there we also bought 2 male and 2 female guppies which we hope will reproduce. When we then purchased the crickets we had to get 15 even though we only needed 5. 
When we got home we went to our compost pile for some soil and the kids had fun searching for the other 2 components of our project-pill bugs and earthworms!
Daddy had cut the bottles for us and in the bottom bottles we put aquarium gravel down and poured 2 fish in each one along with the snails and plants. In the top bottles we also put gravel in first then soil,worms,bugs and crickets. Then we planted grass seed. 
The kids are having so much fun watching the bugs crawling Around. What cheap pets!!
The worms are making tunnels in the dirt and since the bottles are clear you can actually see what they have made underground! https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh499EVb3WBpmjlOl4ZePkSDWDVVy1CgJWnhHs804Dx7Svfz-mBo5FLvUzNJogyEm2Uccm3vrMpfTjQe9pdHmIrK9ibGUBkMDcvRqbICMBQiL9a-bTDrBsKs1olFfrrps3YO4_kt8yQd5-6/s1600/photo-711278.JPG
A few of the 'extra' crickets now have a new home in an outside terrarium and the rest were reluctantly let go. 
All in all it was a great family day together and we got to all enjoy the glorious weather outside as well!

Winter Blues

   Yup it's that dreaded time of year again. Every fall I tell myself that I won't let the short days of  the approaching winter affect me,but every winter I fall prey to winter's griping cold fingers.
And so it has begun-right on schedule. After the holidays and all the festivities are over and the days have been shortened for a couple of months I begin to long for the warmth of spring-for longer days of sunshine. It's not just a longing but a need. My body and my mind cannot handle what the winter brings me each year. 
I think I am a strong person,that is until mid January and worst still-February approaches. These months catapult me into a dark lonely place. I grow bored yet don't feel like doing anything. I grow tired although I cant sleep. My body aches and I get a chill I cannot rid myself from. My motivation wanes and I beat myself up for feeling this way. 
I questioned if I brought this on myself. Did I talk myself into this winter depression yearly? I found the answer to be no. Even when I did not think about it,id then all of sudden realize I was in the throws of a winter depression. Ugh. 
Even though the  days are shorter they drag on. Every chore that needs to get done seems like so much effort. 
O winter why do you hate me so!?