Even More Challenging

STRIKE THREE: Today started early for us, with the flu hitting Annabelle at 3:35 a.m. dagnammit. I was hoping by some sort of miracle she wasn't going to get it.

Needless to day, Annabelle kept a low profile all day, with low meaning mostly horizontal. She and Kirby logged lots of couch time.
And for a few hours this afternoon, Bee migrated back to her bedroom to relax in bed under the watchful eyes of Princess Peach and Toad.
MEANWHILE, BACK TO THE CHALLENGE: This was Day Two of our participation in Hunger Challenge Week.

In an email update we received this morning from United Way of King County, we learned that the number of Washington households that are “food insecure” (meaning they struggle to afford enough nutritious food) rose from 288,000 to 367,000 in 2009 - a 27 percent increase. I can't help but think the stat was even worse in 2010, as the economy and job outlook was even worse, IMHO, then.

CJ opted for a PopTart for breakfast (I know, I know, not exactly the Breakfast of Champions). Fortunately, we'd scored a box of 16 for just $1.99 at the Grocery Outlet (that's less than the regular price for a box of 8).

Rather than computing the Pop Tart cost right away, I told CJ I'd like him to estimate how much it cost, using what we knew - that the box of 16 cost very nearly $2. So, we talked about how that meant that half the box (eight tarts) cost $1 (half of 2). And how if you knew that it cost $1 for eight of them, then you could make a pretty decent guess how much one cost. For instance, you knew it was more than a dime because 10x .10 = $1.
So CJ guessed .19, Annabelle managed to guess .18 through her flu fog and I estimated .12.
I "won," and, of course, I shared why I guessed 12.
We were well under our max budget for the day. Poor Annabelle is largely to thank for that.
Annabelle daily total: $1.16
55 Goldfish = .17
Chocolate milk = .99
CJ daily total: $2.08
Pop Tart = .12
goldfish = .17 (for 55 fish)
Cheese stick = .20
1/2 organic apple: = .22
Bacon ($1) & toast (.17 ) & olives (free, as they were leftovers I charged him for last night): 1.17
Ice cream scoop = .20
(Note to Concerned Readers - while it may look like I'm trying to starve the boy, it's worth noting his appetite is still not 100 percent, post flu last week.)
Christian daily total: 8.07
Coffee = .60
2 eggs (2@.08) with chipotle chili sauce (free, as he paid for it last night @ dinner) = .16
Corned beef and cabbage = $2.60
Celery & peanut butter = .38
Bacon ($1), egg (.16), tomato (.55), spinach (.50), cheese (.10) salad + dressing (.20) = 2.51
Copper Hook x 2 = 1.82
My daily total: $4.88
Coffee = .30
Yogurt = .57
Cheese stick = .20
1/2 organic apple = .22
20 Goldfish = .08
Bacon ($1), egg (.16), tomato (.55), spinach (.50), cheese (.10) salad + dressing (.20) = 2.51
N/A Becks = $1

FAMILY TOTAL for TUESDAY: $16.19 - that's $5.81 under budget. Frankly, it seems like we should have done better, given that Annabelle ate nothing and CJ just grazed.

SOME SCIENCE: Though our schooling was super duper limited today, we did do a little bit of learning. I felt like doing a fun, easy experiment, so I turned to Science Bob - a site we haven' t visited in way too long.

I decided to try the "Roll a Can with Static Electricity" experiment. To get ready, I blew up a happy face balloon and emptied a can of soda.

I asked CJ if he could push the can with the balloon. He thought he could, and he did. Then I asked him if he could pull the can with the balloon. He didn't think he could and, again, he was right.

Then I told him that we *could* pull the can with the balloon with the power of some invisible electrons with a negative charge. And where would we find these magical powers? By rubbing the balloon on his head!
He rubbed rapidly and then I had him put the balloon next to the can and lo and behold, the can (with its positive charge) was attracted to it! Cool!
After our little experiment, CJ enjoyed a rousing round of balloon volleyball. He was able to sustain 120 plus hits before he called it good. That was the most action our house saw all day.

FAMILIAR FACES: Well lookie here - CJ and Annabelle were featured on the United Way of King County's Blog about Hunger Action Week. Nice!