So many banana bread/cake recipes I've tried have only hinted at banana flavor. This cake screams ripe banana, which is one reason I love it.
It is my take on something called "Kona Inn Banana Bread." An internet search revealed endless variations of similar recipes. Whenever we have too many overripe or soft bananas, this is one way to use them.
If you only have one or two bananas, peel and freeze them until you have enough to make this cake. Or use the frozen bananas in blended fruit drinks. They also make a delicious fake ice cream when blended frozen.
Mix together all wet ingredients. Add dry ingredients and stir until mixed.
Bake in a 9×13″ pan at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick or chopstick tests clean.
*You can buy flaxseed meal already ground. Store it in the refrigerator.
To make your own, blend a small amount of whole flaxseed (about 1 cup) in a blender until it is mostly ground. Store airtight in the refrigerator.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 14th, 2009 at 11:23 am and is filed under Bread, Desserts, Recipe, Snacks, Vegan.	You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


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Larry Loeb
RST Gets Fixed
Peleg Hadar of SaveBreach Labs has posted about the vulnerability he found in Intel's Rapid Storage Technology Service.
Peleg Hadar of SaveBreach Labs has posted about the vulnerability he found in Intel's Rapid Storage Technology Service (CVE-2019-14568). Intel has released a patch for the bug, and credits Hadar for its discovery in the security advisory that accompanies it.
Intel Rapid Storage Technology (RST) is a Windows-based application providing "improved performance and reliability for systems equipped with SATA disks for desktop, mobile, and server platforms." It is widely used with Intel chipsets.
Hadar first notified Intel about the situation in July of this year. He had noticed that when it was started up "IAStorDataMgrSvc.exe" tried to load 4 DLL files that were not present into its own directory. Once the service had been loaded, it would load Intel's ISDI2.dll library (Intel Storage Driver Interface Dynamic Library). That library will use "LoadLibraryA" in two places in order to load the DLL files.
He further noted that the procedure would actually load, if it was found, only one of the "Ioctl.dll" files that it was looking for. Once it loaded one of them successfully it would not try to load any of the rest.
He says that, "The root cause of this vulnerability is that no signature validation is made against the DLL files which the service tries to load (i.e., calling the WinVerifyTrust function)." The upshot of this is an attacker can implant arbitrary DLL files and the service will load them.
Because it will load the implant without any questions, the service will load the same malicious code each time it is restarted. This gives persistence to any DLL-based attack.
Now, there is still a bar to using this attack vector. Notice how Intel states what the problem is as, "Improper permissions in the executable for Intel(R) RST before version 17.7.0.1006 may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via local access."
You need to be an authenticated user with local access before this attack can be carried out. In fact, Hadar says that," Note: In order to exploit this vulnerability the attacker needs to have Administrator privileges." Perhaps he is considering that the attacker needs to implant the DLL into the correct directory.
In any case, this was assigned a medium vulnerability score in the CVE.
The release of the mitigation by Intel was almost held up for an additional month, according to Hadar. The timeline he posted says:
"Dec 4th, 2019 - Intel asked to delay the public disclosure until January 14th, 2020 in order to allow their business partners sufficient time to integrate the fix into their products.
Dec 10th, 2019 - Intel informed us that they managed to work out mitigation details with the business partner that had requested delay of the disclosure to January. As a result, their advisory was published December 10th, 2019."
Sometimes, things do work out.
— Larry Loeb has written for many of the last century's major "dead tree" computer magazines, having been, among other things, a consulting editor for BYTE magazine and senior editor for the launch of WebWeek.
From MFA to Zero Trust
2020 State of Cybersecurity Operations and Incident Response

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Chlorhexidine's exceptionally persistent and broad spectrum antimicrobial properties have led to its recognition as the most effective agent available for surgical scrubbing, hand washing and patient preoperative prepping and skin wound cleansing.
This synergistic combination is not only more effective, it is also very well tolerated with prolonged contact with the skin. The purity of the ingredients makes for a clear blue solution with unequalled bactericidal activity.
ChlorHex-Q Scrub exhibits a broad range of antimicrobial activity. ChlorHex-Q Scrub is a mild scrub containing Chlorhexidine Digluconate and Quaternium-33 that exhibits bactericidal activity against a wide range of micro-organisms.
Wet hands with water. Pour approximately 5 mL of ChlorHex-Q Scrub in palm of hand. Add enough water to make a lather. Lather thoroughly. Rinse thoroughly under running water.
USP Purified Water, Alkyl Dimethylamine Oxide, Chlorhexidine Digluconate, Polyoxyethylene-6-Coco Amide, Octylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol, Glycerol, Polyethylene Glycol, Quaternium-33, Hydroxyethylcellulose, and FDC Blue #1.


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Q: Tutorial for browser-sync setup for Wagtail I am new to python world and finished Codeforeveryone Wagtail videos.
I have wireframe website that I have added to Wagtail but could not figure out how to get browser-sync to work. Could anyone suggest what I need to do to get this browser-sync setup working so that html, css, scss update automatically after I hit the save button?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Олекса́ндрівка —  село в Україні, у Новоодеському районі Миколаївської області. Населення становить 24 осіб. Орган місцевого самоврядування — Антонівська сільська рада.

Населення
Згідно з переписом УРСР 1989 року чисельність наявного населення села становила 33 особи, з яких 13 чоловіків та 20 жінок.

За переписом населення України 2001 року в селі мешкали 24 особи.

Мова
Розподіл населення за рідною мовою за даними перепису 2001 року:

Примітки

Посилання
 Погода в селі Олександрівка

Села Миколаївського району

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
BAE guilty but escapes court
Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) and The Corner House were shocked and angered by the decision of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) to settle with BAE Systems. As a result of the settlement there will be no opportunity to discover the truth behind alleged bribery and corruption in the many BAE deals that were under investigation by the Serious Fraud Office.
While the acceptance of guilt in relation to Tanzania is welcome, the investigations related to other countries including South Africa and the Czech Republic were far more significant. SFO investigations of deals with several countries were continuing up until today, and only last week the SFO charged a former BAE agent with corruption in relation to deals with several European countries.
The SFO settlement was announced in conjunction with the US Department of Justice whose fine concerned BAE's deals with Saudi Arabia. While the combined fine is more significant, the UK penalty of £30 million is a tiny price for BAE to pay to see the end of the investigations that had been gathering evidence for years and were coming to a head.
Full story at: http://caat.org.uk
War Profiteers News | February 2010


Help Center > Reputation & Moderation Why is voting important?
You, [gasps for air] got all that?
Help Center > Reputation & Moderation Why is [my vote] important?
Up Voting a question or answer signals to the rest of the community that a post is interesting, well-researched, and useful.
Down Voting a post signals the opposite: that the post contains wrong information, is poorly researched, or fails to communicate information.
All our sites are intended to be a sort of representative democracy. Moderator elections are an important part of that plan, but voting on questions and answers is the primary mechanism through which the community governs the site on a day to day basis. The more that people vote on a post, the more future visitors can be certain of the quality of information contained within that post.
Be consistent with your scoring. Everyone votes a little (or a lot!) differently; however, to make this process work, everyone must be judicious in their OWN voting consistency - don't worry about matching other peoples' votes, or be coddled - this is your say.
Give the poster something to improve, if applicable. Comments are a "life line" to know how to improve their post. Acquired knowledge will become evident in the poster's subsequent responses, thanks to you. Be (nice) constructive and encouraging, but efficient.
Focus on awarding for things done; not penalizing for NOT doing something.
Be genuine. You are an evaluator, a counselor and a motivator - don't be the one whose disingenuous behavior or comment turns a poster off of Stack Exchange forever!
In light of the recently proposed improvements to the Code of Conduct, I find the lack of suggested direction for voting, in this free-for-all, disturbing.
Browse other questions tagged discussion voting etiquette help-center .


I have a network manager icon with exclamation mark how to debug what caused this exclamation to appear? what logs to check, maybe wireshark would help?
Is there any way for connecting to a wireless Wi-Fi AP from a Linux PC avoiding the discovery fase (probe request/response)?
How long will NetworkManager search for and reconnect to Wi-Fi networks?
How to detect when NetworkManager loses Wi-Fi connection?


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Prince Harry's pal Tom Bradby makes new revelations about Duke's 'Heartbreak' over Megxit
Prince Harry is 'heartbroken by the situation" with the royals, according to ITV's Tom Bradby
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's friend Tom Bradby opened up about their exit from royal life following his candid 2019 documentary on their African tour.
The Duke of Sussex is "heartbroken by the situation" with the royals, according to ITV's Tom Bradby, who interviewed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during their tour of Africa in 2019.
The news anchor, who toured southern Africa with the royal couple for their emotional documentary 'Harry & Meghan: An African Journey', revealed: "It was a very psychologically complex project because they were clearly in a difficult position and weren't feeling great and I realized the extent of that the more I was there."
When asked if he thinks Harry and Meghan seem any happier since they moved to US, Bradby responded: "I think they are feeling better, yes…So are they unhappy? No, I think they are content, the things they are doing they are quite excited by. "
The anchor opened up to Alan Titchmarsh on this Sunday's episode of Love Your Weekend, saying: "I think he [Harry] is heartbroken by the situation with his family, you don't necessarily need to have knowledge to know that, but I think it is true."
He continued: "The situation with the family clearly isn't ideal and it has been a very difficult year for them all. I think the whole thing has just been incredibly painful, that is obvious to everyone."
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's friend, who is also a journalist and author, concluded: "You have got to remember this isn't just a family, it's a firm. They are in the business of public service on a very elevated, exposed platform and to some extent, they are all locked in it together. "


Hyde 10 Year Old single malt is a limited edition single malt that has been finished in Oloroso Sherry casks. This is a double distilled single malt that was initially matured in ex-Bourbon barrels. It is non-chilfiltered and bottled at 46%. This is named after Douglas Hyde, the first president of Ireland.
Nose Lots of juicy fruit aromas, with hints of boiled sweet and pear drops. There's also a woody note, similar to pencil shavings and workshops then some spice and cola notes.
Palate Mouth-filling and viscous. Lots of juicy fruit to start with then evolves into dried vine fruits, dates and caramel flavours. Some warm, spicy oak adds a peppery note, which persists to the finish.
Types of Barrel used for Aging Initially matured in ex-Bourbon barrels before a finishing period in Oloroso Sherry casks.
Style Double distilled, unpeated single malt.
Any Additional Information of Note Limited to just 5000 bottles in the first batch. Non-chilfiltered.
The Hyde 1916 is a special celebratory bottle released on the anniversary year of the 1916 rising. T..


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Benefits for social assistance are increasing, but not fast enough, according to an advocate
'It's a system that keeps people in poverty,' says the author.
Social assistance recipients will get a permanent rise in their monthly income beginning in January 2022.
Adults will now receive $450 per month, parents of children up to 11 years old will receive $271 per child per month, and parents of children aged 12 to 18 would receive $359 per child per month.
Brad Trivers remarked, "Our most vulnerable Islanders have the autonomy to spend it where they need it most."
"They have to make difficult decisions, and this raise will make those decisions much simpler."
The increases, according to Trivers, are in response to growing inflation. The national average is 4.7 per cent, an 18-year high. P.E.I. has the highest annual rate of inflation in the country, at 7%.
Trivers stated, "We have to respond to what is occurring out in the world."
Overall food prices would rise three to five per cent, according to Canada's Food Price Report for 2021. Most Atlantic provinces, with the exception of New Brunswick, are expected to have gained even higher than that.
The province is also providing a one-time increase to the allowance for school-aged children in December. Parents with children aged four to eleven will earn $200, while those with children aged twelve to eighteen would receive $250. That's more than double the usual quantity.
'Given the bare minimum to survive'
While the increase is welcome, Jillian Kilfoil, executive director of Women's Network P.E.I., believes the amount people will get is still insufficient.
"Marginal rate increases, while welcome, will not fix the problem," Kilfoil added.
She believes the entire social assistance system should be abolished and replaced with a basic income guarantee.
On P.E.I., persons on social assistance are given the "basic minimum to subsist," according to Kilfoil, which keeps them in poverty.
"It's a system that robs a lot of individuals of their dignity," Kilfoil added.
"Instead of giving them what they need and trusting them to spend it on what they need, there's a procedure where you're nickeled and dimed and have to seek approval for everything ahead of time."
Also Read: According to the CFIA, the study into potato warts could take until 2023
Tags: advocate, author, PEI news, poverty, social assistance
According to the CFIA, the study into potato warts could take until 2023
Omicron in the United Kingdom: A "Bigger Wave" is on the way; an alert has been issued in London
According to a former professor, the use of NDAs has produced a "culture of silence and fear" on the UPEI campus
During the B.C. floods, a Princeton native is stranded at a motel with his family
P.E.I. privacy commissioner says Islanders are willing to challenge decisions
How girls on Prince Edward Island are improving their math skills and confidence
As the senior health official raises concerns, work on a new UPEI medical school is beginning


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Influence of ingesting a solution of branched-chain amino acids on plasma and muscle concentrations of amino acids during prolonged submaximal exercise.
Blomstrand, Eva
Gymnastik- och idrottshögskolan, GIH, Institutionen för idrotts- och hälsovetenskap, Eva Blomstrands forskningsgrupp.ORCID-id: 0000-0002-6537-042X
Ek, Sonja
Newsholme, Eric A
1996 (Engelska)Ingår i: Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.), ISSN 0899-9007, E-ISSN 1873-1244, Vol. 12, nr 7-8, s. 485-90Artikel i tidskrift (Refereegranskat) Published
On two occasions, seven male endurance-trained cyclists performed sustained exhaustive exercise with reduced muscle glycogen stores. During exercise, the subjects were supplied in random order with an aqueous solution of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) or flavored water (placebo). Ingestion of BCAA caused the concentration of these amino acids to increase by 135% in the plasma and by 57% in muscle tissue during exercise, whereas in the placebo trial there was no change or a slight decrease in the concentration in plasma and a decrease of 18% in the muscle. The plasma concentration of alanine increased by 48% during exercise when BCAA were ingested, and the increase in the muscle concentration of alanine during exercise was larger (70% versus 31% in the placebo trial), suggesting an increased rate of alanine production. Also, the plasma concentration of arginine increased by 14% during exercise when BCAA were ingested, whereas there was no change during exercise in the placebo trial. There was a smaller decrease in the muscle glutamate concentration during exercise in the BCAA trial (32% versus 47% in the placebo trial; p < 0.05), but, for the remaining amino acids, there was no difference between the BCAA and placebo trials. There was a significant decrease in the muscle glycogen concentration during exercise in the placebo trial, whereas only a small decrease was found in the BCAA trial (28 and 9 mmol/kg wet wt [p < 0.05] in the placebo and BCAA trial, respectively). This might indicate that an increased supply of BCAA has a sparing effect on muscle glycogen degradation during exercise.
1996. Vol. 12, nr 7-8, s. 485-90
URN: urn:nbn:se:gih:diva-1491PubMedID: 8878139OAI: oai:DiVA.org:gih-1491DiVA, id: diva2:369361
Eva Blomstrands forskningsgrupp
Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.)


The column steering shaft in a power steering Mopar is different (shorter) than the shaft in a non-power steering car.
Steering Gear - changes in 1973. This affects the pitman arm. Prior to 1973 the output shaft diameter was 1 inch (doesn't apply to the C-Body). In 1973 it increases to 1.12 inches. If you buy a steering gear from a post-73 year car and try to install it on a 1972 or earlier car - the pitman arm will be too small.
Typically, 3 different pumps were used on mopars... they require different lines & brackets to secure the pump to the engine.
Federal - pressure hose comes out the front of pump, and tapped hole in the end of the pump shaft.
Saginaw - pressure hose comes out the back of the pump.
TRW/Thompson - has a hex-shaped hole or no hole in the end of the pump shaft. pressure hose is in same location as Federal pump.
Both Federal and TRW pumps can use a cap that appears similar to a radiator cap.
Brackets, pulleys, etc... all depend on the specific application. See below, or our catalog for the appropriate part numbers.
PS23 - Big Block 383 and 440 Mopar Saginaw Power Steering Pump Brackets For use on 1969 and later Big Block engines without Air Conditioning.
PS22 - Big Block 383 and 440 Mopar & Hemi TRW Power Steering Pump Brackets. For use on most pre-1969 Big Block engines without Air Conditioning. 1966 426 hemi applications.
PS004 - Small Mopar Block Saginaw Power Steering Pump Brackets. For use on 1970 and later Small Block engines with or without A/C.
PS25 - Big Block Mopar 440 and 383 & Hemi Federal Power Steering Pump Bracket. For 1967-72 Big Block & Hemi engines with or without A/C.
PS26 - Mopar Small Block Federal Power Steering Pump Brackets. For 1970-72 Small Block engines with aluminum water pump with or without A/C.
PS27 - Small Block Mopar TRW/Thompson Power Steering Pump Brackets. For 1964-69 Small Block LA engines with cast iron water pump housings and TRW or Thompson pumps. Can be used on both A/C and non-A/C applications.
Thanks for sharing it. I learn a lot from your blog.


The Lunch Punch collection was invented by an Aussie mum who wanted to make food fun for her little boys. From the very first set, the forever popular 'Match & Munch' puzzle cutters right though to the recently released 'Sporty' cutters, each set is a collection designed to get children interacting with, enjoying and eating food!
Our sandwich cutters are designed to use the whole slice of bread, and are taller than a cookie cutter to keep your sandwich light and fluffy.
The Lunch Punch is dishwasher safe, BPA FREE, Phthalate FREE, PVC FREE and Lead FREE. It is made from FDA certified food-grade plastic. Both The Lunch Punch and its packaging are 100% recyclable.
The Lunch Punch is intended for use by adults but can be used by children over 3 with adult supervision.


Mario Pilozzi, 71, of Oakville, Ontario, Canada, was, until January 2008, President and CEO of Wal-Mart Canada. He joined Wal-Mart Canada in 1994 as Vice-President of Hardline Merchandise and was promoted to Senior Vice-President of Merchandise and Sales, and later Chief Operating Officer, before serving as President and CEO. Prior to joining Wal-Mart Canada, Mr. Pilozzi held a broad range of positions with Woolworth Canada spanning more than 30 years, including the positions of Vice-President of Hardline Merchandise, Administrator of Store Openings, District Manager, Store Manager and several other key roles in Woolworth's variety and discount-store divisions. Since his retirement in 2008, Mr. Pilozzi has served as a consultant for Wal-Mart's businesses in Puerto Rico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, China and Japan. Mr. Pilozzi has served on Cott's board since June 2008.


YesMe technology is a lighting manufacturer and supplier that specializes in long life and energy efficient products for residential light applications. The company is headquartered in Ping-Tung city, Taiwan, Republic of China.
YesMe manufactures a series of G4, G9, E12/E14 products in Taiwan. They are ceramic heat dissipation structure, lower heat and longer lifetime than plastic structure. The products are high energy efficiency at very low heat generation, high brightness ( ex.G4 ( 12V )= 540lm @4.5W ), good color rendering of illuminated objects, no flickering, homogeneous light without unnatural radiation pattern that protects the eyes.
We are in LED field for over 20 years, well experienced in LED applications, packaging, chip, epitaxy and circuit design. With our expert's knowledge we can help to advise you on the best product for your needs. At YesMe we make choosing the right lighting solution easy for you because all YesMe's products have been researched and produced to the highest of standards. Good quality and stable products.


text:
Tetralogy of Fallot Video Series
Cardiac Center
Outpatient Appointments
Second Opinions, Referrals and Information About Our Services
Experts from the Cardiac Center at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia describe tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), a congenital heart disease characterized by four associated features, one of which is a ventricular septal defect (a hole in the heart). In this video series, you will learn how our experts diagnose TOF before birth, monitor babies during pregnancy, plan for delivery and care after birth, and how they surgically repair tetralogy of Fallot.
How the Normal Heart Works
Kim Persick: I worked at CHOP for 15 years in the echo lab, and we were just fooling around, scanning the baby. And the fetal heart technician, she actually caught this lesion when I was 15 weeks pregnant. And in my family history, there's some heart disease, so they wanted to watch. And about at 20 weeks, they told me they suspected that he was tetralogy. I was okay. Of course, I was concerned and nervous, but I knew where I was and that he would be taken care of.
Thomas L. Spray, MD: All of heart surgery is 50 years old, and we've come from a situation of being able to treat nothing to being able to at least deal with most, if not the vast majority of, congenital heart defects in a way that allows children to grow into adulthood.
Jack Rychik, MD: We live in an era where there are very few things that we really can't take care of.
Thomas L. Spray, MD: Tetralogy of Fallot was one of the first significant congenital heart defects to be addressed surgically.
J. William Gaynor, MD: The first successful operation was done in the mid-1940s at Johns Hopkins.
Thomas L. Spray, MD: So there are many people out there now with tetralogy of Fallot who are in their 30s, 40s, 50s, had children of their own, who are doing fine, who have had repairs of that particular heart defect.
Jack Rychik, MD: Tetralogy of Fallot is a form of congenital heart disease initially described by Etienne Fallot, who was a French pathologist in the mid-1800s. He identified four specific associated features with this particular form of congenital heart disease.
J. William Gaynor, MD: The most important features are that there's a ventricular septal defect, or a hole between the two pumping chambers of the heart, and blockage of blood flow getting out to the lungs. In some children there's almost no blockage and they can actually have too much blood flow to the lungs. In other children the blockage can be so severe that there's not enough blood flow and they're very sick after birth. And sometimes there's a complete blockage, or what's called pulmonary atresia.
Jack Rychik, MD: In order to understand and to comprehend any of the different forms of heart disease that exist, it's very important to make sure we understand what the healthy or the normal heart looks like. The normal heart has two sides, a right side and a left side, and four chambers, the top receiving chambers, or atrium, and the lower chambers, which are thick-walled pumping chambers called ventricles. Red blood cell will come from either the superior vena cava or the inferior vena cava and enter into the right atrium. The blood then flows across the tricuspid valve to the right ventricle. The right ventricle then squeezes and ejects that blood cell into a vessel called the pulmonary artery. The pulmonary artery splits into two vessels, each going to the lungs. As that red blood cell makes its way through the lung, it returns through the pulmonary veins to the left atrium. That blood is now oxygenated. It's picked up oxygen, then goes across the mitral valve into the left ventricle, which does most of the work in terms of delivery of blood flow to the body. That blood cell is now ejected into the aorta to some organ or muscle or skin in the human body. Now, there are some significant differences between the heart in the newborn and the heart in the fetus.
J. William Gaynor, MD: The heart actually is — assumes its almost complete anatomy often before a woman would even know she was pregnant.
Elizabeth Goldmuntz, MD: The heart is actually functioning and pumping blood to the baby throughout most of fetal life.
Jack Rychik, MD: Because the lungs are collapsed in the fetus and it's really the placenta through which much of the oxygenation takes place through the mother, there are various bypass pathways within the fetal heart that direct blood away from the lung. The first is a structure called the foramen ovale. That's communication between the two top chambers of the heart that allows for blood to go from the right atrium to the left atrium. In fact, because there is very little blood that's returning from the lung which would normally go to the left side, the majority of blood that fills the left atrium and left ventricle is coming across the foramen ovale from the right side. Because the lungs are collapsed, there's high pressure, high resistance in the lungs. As blood is ejected out the right ventricle and enters into the main pulmonary artery, very little goes down into the lungs themselves. The majority goes into a structure called the ductus arteriosus, which is the second important communication between the pulmonary artery and the descending aorta. The third structure that's important that connects the umbilical vein to the fetal circulation is a site, a junction, called the ductus venosus. That acts as somewhat of a resister, if you will, in terms of controlling the return of blood from the placenta to the fetal circulation. Birth is a wonderful process and an amazing process, and there's a dramatic change that takes place in what we call the fetal transition, this transition of the circulation from fetal life to neonatal life. As soon as the cord is clamped, the ductus venosus ceases to carry blood to the heart, and it begins to constrict within the first few hours or days of life. The very first thing that happens when a fetus is born is it takes its first breath, the lungs expand, and so the resistance or pressure in the lungs drop, and that promotes blood flow into the lung itself. The ductus arteriosus begins to constrict and is typically fully closed within 24 to 48 hours of life, and blood is now then fully directed into the lung. As the blood returns to the left side of the heart, after traversing the pulmonary circulation and picking up oxygen, the pressure in the left atrium rises just a bit, and the trap door of the foramen ovale, which was open before birth, now begins to close, usually within the first few days of life.
How tetralogy of Fallot Develops
Thomas L. Spray, MD: Tetralogy of Fallot is one of the most common congenital heart defects and probably the first significant congenital heart defect to be addressed surgically.
Peter J. Gruber, MD: The problem with tetralogy of Fallot is that the orientation of the muscle on the inside of the heart is abnormal.
Thomas L. Spray, MD: The septum, the partition between the two ventricles, forms slightly more anterior or frontwards than it should.
Jack Rychik, MD: As that tissue that sits beneath the two great vessels is positioned in front of the pulmonary artery, it results in the four findings of tetralogy. First, there is a ventricular septal defect, or an opening between the two lower pumping chambers. Second, there is a narrowing of the pathway from the right ventricle to the pulmonary artery, or what we call pulmonary stenosis. Third, there is a repositioning of the aorta, which is the vessel that delivers blood to the body, such that it's overriding the two lower pumping chambers. And fourth, there is development of thickening or hypertrophy of the right ventricle as the blood is ejected out through the narrowing of the pulmonary artery.
Peter J. Gruber, MD: So it was described as a tetralogy, or four basic problems. But in general, there's one problem, and that is that the muscle underneath the great vessels, or the aorta and pulmonary arteries, has not formed in the proper location.
Preparing for Baby's Birth
Peggy McCann, RDCS: A lot of times, our families come in, and they're just conscientious of getting the heart adequately diagnosed. And what happens is once they're evaluated by our team, by our group of physicians and the nurse coordinator, they're given a little bit more information. And they're strongly encouraged to have other testing done. And that might be an amniocentesis with a full genetic workup for 22q deletion. They might have a fetal MRI. They might have a more involved fetal ultrasound.
Jack Rychik, MD: Tetralogy of Fallot is a relatively common form of congenital heart disease, and it can be associated with other forms of congenital abnormalities.
Elizabeth Goldmuntz, MD: At this point, specifically what we know about the genetic basis of tetralogy of Fallot is that about 7 percent of those children will have trisomy 21, so they have a complete extra copy of a chromosome 21. We also know that about 15 percent of those children will be missing a piece of chromosome 22, now called the 22q11 deletion syndrome.
Jack Rychik, MD: This abnormality can result in the presence of tetralogy of Fallot, and it can also result in some other types of anomalies including cleft lip or palate, abnormalities of speech or phonation, and in some patients, even development of learning differences or learning difficulties.
Elizabeth Goldmuntz, MD: So you can see that the genetic basis of these disorders can encompass either a complete change in chromosome number, like have a complete extra copy of a chromosome; it can be a missing part or a duplicated part, extra part of a chromosome; or it can be a small change in a specific and single gene.
Peggy McCann, RDCS: It's one thing for us to say we can fix the heart, but it's another thing to say, sure, we fixed the heart, but there's all these other questions that remain to be answered.
Jack Rychik, MD: We treat Tetralogy of Fallot in the same way in these patients that have these various other associated anomalies, but certainly it places things in a little bit of a different context. Some of the patients who have these associated anomalies may require additional care and intervention in the Intensive Care Unit. There might be a need for a bit more attention or perhaps a bit of a longer stay when these children undergo these various surgeries.
Peggy McCann, RDCS: So it's important to know if there's other anomalies because it gives a more comprehensive picture to the parents of what this baby is going to behave like postnatally.
Thomas L. Spray, MD: Babies with Tetralogy of Fallot often do extremely well after birth.
Jack Rychik, MD: Most can safely deliver through a vaginal means. When delivered, however, and when separated from the placenta and no longer receiving oxygenated blood from the mother, we now place the task of oxygenation upon the lungs of the newborn.
J. William Gaynor, MD: If they have enough blood flow at the time of birth so that they don't need an urgent operation, we'll have an elective operation somewhere between two and six months of life.
Thomas L. Spray, MD: And those babies are just like any other baby. The issues really are feeding and growing.
Sarah Tabbutt, MD: Because technically, for the surgeon, they could do it when the baby is first born. It's really no different than doing it when the baby is 3 months of age. It's just, for us taking care of the baby in the ICU, your hospitalization is much shorter if you've already been at home, you've learned how to eat, you've gone through that newborn period. Then if you come back when you're 3 to 4 months of age for surgery, your recovery time in the hospital is very short as compared to if you're a newborn.
Thomas L. Spray, MD: Nowadays, because surgery has developed so much, we can repair this heart defect very routinely somewhere between two and four months of age. So that's when we now electively repair tetralogy of Fallot.
Peggy McCann, RDCS: In patients with a big VSC, with serious overriding of the aorta and seriously stenotic pulmonary valve, we know that, unfortunately, that patient isn't going to have the liberty of waiting for like, say, a repair at 3 to 6 months.
J. William Gaynor, MD: For many children with complex heart disease, there's blockage of the blood either going to the body or to the lungs. And there's a blood vessel called the ductus arteriosus which connects those two arteries. Everybody has one, and it usually closes after birth.
Sarah Tabbutt, MD: You can keep that blood vessel open with a medication called prostaglandins. And so, therefore, by giving a baby prostaglandins, you're actually replicating the same physiology that it had in the uterus, when it was very stable, to when it's outside the uterus.
Jonathan J. Rome, MD: About half of the children who are born with tetralogy of Fallot have a more complicated form of tetralogy where not only is there a hole between the two pumping chambers of the heart, and not only is there a narrowing going out to the lungs, but actually there's no connection at all between the heart and the blood vessels in the lungs. And that's called tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia.
J. William Gaynor, MD: Obviously, if we know there's a complete blockage, or pulmonary atresia, we know the baby will not have blood flow to the lungs after birth if the ductus closes. So we have to initiate prostaglandin therapy to keep the ductus open.
Jack Rychik, MD: When the ductus arteriosus remains open, that can provide an additional source of blood flow to the lung and, therefore, allow a period of stability and adequate oxygenation until the baby makes its way to surgery.
Sarah Tabbutt, MD: Sometimes they're born with a diagnosis where we're not sure if they're going to need surgery in the newborn period. And so those babies are often started on a prostaglandin medication in the delivery room, which stabilizes the baby so that if there's any problems, they won't occur in the delivery room. And we bring the baby to the ICU, and we stop the prostaglandins, and we let the baby transition to being a baby separate from being in the uterus. And we watch very carefully and see how the child does. And for some of those children, they need the prostaglandins restarted because, in fact, they do need to have their surgery before they go home. And for other children, they're actually okay, and they can go home and come back at a later date.
J. William Gaynor, MD: So not every baby who has a prenatal diagnosis of tetralogy of Fallot will need an immediate urgent operation. If possible, if they have adequate pulmonary blood flow, we will let them — we would like to let them grow for a couple months before they have the surgery. So they would be born. They would come to the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. They would have an echo to confirm the diagnosis. We would watch them to be sure that they had enough blood flow to the lungs and then let them start to eat and hopefully go home and come back for an elective operation at 2 to 3 months of age.
Surgical Repair for tetralogy of Fallot
J. William Gaynor, MD: When we repair tetralogy of Fallot, there are two major things that we need to do. One is to close the ventricular septal defect so that there's no mixing between the two pumping chambers, and the second is to relieve the blockage to the lungs.
Susan C. Nicolson, MD: It's very, very important that the family feels comfortable with you, as an individual, taking their child from them and that the child recognizes that nothing bad is going to happen to them, that they can do this without being awake for any painful experience.
J. William Gaynor, MD: They'll go to the operating room. The anesthesiologist will put them to sleep. We'll then clean, prepare everything in the chest and abdomen sterilely so that we can do the operation without infection.
Thomas L. Spray, MD: The surgical repair of tetralogy of Fallot involves using the heart and lung machine to support the circulation while the operation is done.
Peter J. Gruber, MD: We're bypassing the heart and the lungs so that the operative field, the area where we're working, is clean, we can see what's going on.
Thomas L. Spray, MD: And then the heart is stopped, and the upper chamber of the heart is opened. And working through the valve that enters the right side of the heart, the hole between the two pumping chambers of the heart is closed with a patch. The patch is made out of a sort of fuzzy Dacron material, so the lining of the heart grows over that and makes it nice and smooth.
J. William Gaynor, MD: There can be blockage below the pulmonary valve, inside the ventricle, from big muscle bundles. The pulmonary valve itself can actually be blocked. The pulmonary valve has three leaflets which open, and if they're fused together, that can cause a blockage because they can't open completely. Sometimes, just by separating the leaflets, you can open the valve. The pulmonary valve is a circle, and the outer layer, that's called the annulus. If that's very small, even if you open up the leaflets, it's like having a small tube. It may be too little. And then you can also have blockage out in the pulmonary arteries themselves. So you can have blockage below the valve, at the valve, and above the valve.
Thomas L. Spray, MD: Sometimes, if the artery to the lungs is quite small, it's enlarged by opening it and putting a small patch over it to make it bigger so blood can easily get to the lungs.
J. William Gaynor, MD: That's called a transannular patch. Some babies will tolerate that very well. Others will need a valve put in at some point in their life. After surgery, we'll make sure that the heart is working okay, that the blood pressure is okay, that there's enough oxygen in the blood, that there's no bleeding. And then usually we leave a couple little tubes inside the heart to let us measure pressures in the heart and give drugs. These come out through the skin. There's also usually two little, blue pacing wires which let us change the heart rhythm. We then leave a drainage tube, and once everything is stable, the baby will come back up to the Intensive Care Unit.
Thomas L. Spray, MD: That operation nowadays takes about three hours to do, from start to finish, and the actual time it takes to do the repair inside the heart is only about 30 minutes. The results with that surgery now are very good. The risk of not surviving that operation, while not zero, is less than 1 percent, so children do extremely well with that particular surgery.
Outcomes for Children With TOF
Kim Persick: Robert comes back once a year for follow-up now. We usually have our annual echocardiograms, and he's on no medication, and he has no restrictions. And he's just an active little boy.
J. William Gaynor, MD: We recently looked at a series of a hundred consecutive children at CHOP, having elective tetralogy repair between — at under 6 months of age, which means they've been out of the hospital and they came back electively for their operation. And every one of those children survived the operation. Now, that doesn't mean the mortality is zero. It means some of those children were very sick. But it does mean that survival for straightforward tetralogy should be excellent. And then the long-term survival also appears to be very, very good.
Thomas L. Spray, MD: The vast majority of children with tetralogy of Fallot will have what is essentially a normal life.
Jack Rychik, MD: By closing the hole and relieving the outflow tract obstruction, one is recreating a situation that's relatively close to the normal heart. However, because of the initial element of narrowing in the right ventricular outflow tract and the need to enlarge the narrowing, there can be leakage of the pulmonary valve.
Thomas L. Spray, MD: And while that is very well tolerated, there are some people, as they get into adulthood, where the amount of that leakage causes the right side of the heart to enlarge and they need to have an artificial valve put in on the right side of the heart. So there is some risk of needing additional surgery after these repairs.
Jack Rychik, MD: There are some patients who continue to have some evidence for residual narrowing even after initial relief of the pulmonary stenosis. In a small percentage of patients, there can be difficulties and problems with narrowing that occurs downstream of the pulmonary artery in the vessels within the lung itself. And those narrowings can oftentimes be treated with catheter-type techniques, or sometimes they may even require placement of a stent through a catheter.
Unknown Speaker: In addition, patients with tetralogy of Fallot repair may have a higher risk for rhythm problems.
Kim Persick: I have a sister that is six years younger than I, and she was born with tetralogy. She was operated on at 15 months, and she — she herself needed a pacemaker.
Unknown Speaker: The use of medication and the requirement for pacemakers has been an issue for older patients after tetralogy of Fallot repair. Our hope is that in the current era of technologic advances that this will be less of an issue for patients as they get older in the future.
Kim Persick: Her heart disease was a little bit more than Robert's. And growing up knowing what a normal life she had, I knew that he would be okay.
Jack Rychik, MD: So repair of tetralogy of Fallot can result in a normal quality of life, and in the vast majority of these patients, there is very little residual problem or issue that they need to deal with. Certainly, these patients need to be followed by a cardiologist, and they need to be seen and evaluated at regular intervals.
Thomas L. Spray, MD: But in terms of the ability to do things and to, you know, have children of your own and grow up and be employed, people with tetralogy of Fallot do extremely well. And there are many adults now with congenital heart disease. In fact, there are more adults now than there are children living with congenital heart disease which, frankly, is a testimony to the fact we've been pretty successful at dealing with these conditions.
Robert E. Shaddy, MD:Our mission ultimately is to help children with heart disease and to help their families get through this difficult problem, to do whatever we can to make their lives better.
Kim Persick: Robert, he's 9 years old now. He is very active. He plays baseball. He plays soccer. He rides his bike. He always wants to be outside. Robert is lovable. He's funny. He's a great kid.
Elizabeth Goldmuntz, MD: What moves me is to work with the families and to work with the children and to give them the best possible care that we can provide. That's first and foremost.
Susan C. Nicolson, MD: And to see them grow and to see them integrated into the family and to see them interface with their parents and their siblings just as you would any other routine and normal child.
Thomas L. Spray, MD: To be able to take the heart of a child and fix it so that the physiology is better and the child has a chance at a long life, that's very gratifying.
J. William Gaynor, MD: There's nothing better than seeing the kids come back when they're 4 or 5 years old.
Susan C. Nicolson, MD: And really see that they're just like any other kid.
Jack Rychik, MD: Through the Fetal Heart Program, we're now able to offer hope and promise for the future for these children to go on to lead happy and healthy lives, and that's what this is all about.
Topics Covered: Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF)
Related Centers and Programs: Cardiac Center, Fetal Heart Program
Cardiac Center Home
Patient Outcomes: By the Numbers


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It's the night before the last day.
The boys are all tucked into bed and - presumably - sleeping, in anticipation of being out the door by 7:10am, on our way to the first soccer game of the last day.
And it's really, really windy.
And if I think of anything else to whine about, you'll be the first to know.
I gave the boys a few caramels for dessert.
Wyatt stuck his together, put one end in his mouth, and began chewing slowly with the other end sticking out of his lips.
Tate immediately began to snort and giggle. I think tears were actually coming out of his eyes.
Wyatt! It looks like you have a turd in your mouth!
Wyatt jumped up and ran from the table... to the bathroom, to look in the mirror.
Because, really, who could pass up the chance to see what you look like with a turd in your mouth.
Why am I celebrating? I mean, I'm not the one that has to go run around for an hour and a half, when it's 42F and raining.
Exhibit A: Wyatt, before practice.
Exhibit B: Wyatt after practice.
a candy bar from the coach.
I'm living in a Tide commercial.
First snow on the hills around the lake.
The days are shorter and the nights darker.
Summer nights, here, never seem to get completely dark. A little bit of bluish twilight seems to hang on all night. But no more.
A storm rolled in yesterday. Well, it had been raining on and off all day, but around 5pm it got dark. Really dark. Rain, hail, thunder and lightning. Tate's 5:30 soccer practice was - thankfully - cancelled. Even if there hadn't been lightning, it was getting too dark to see.
Only a lot darker and nastier. Yes, I turned that photo upside down on purpose!
I'm not on a mission to use my crock-pot everyday, (like Crockpot 365), but it does seem to be getting a work-out at my house lately.
I think soccer madness has a lot to do with it. Take Thursday... Gunnar had practice at 4:30, Wyatt at 5:00, and Tate at 5:30. By the time we got them all back home it was going on 7! And it's not like I have a lot of time to make dinner in the evening, with three drop-offs and three pick-ups.
Except, I cooked a turkey last week, so I used turkey broth. Whatever.
It will probably look kind of like this.
Okay, for my ultra-non-spicy family we adjust this. Do what you like.
1 to 2 C dark red kidney beans - I used canned; drain and rinse.
Pour in (carefully!) the onion/garlic/broth/seasoning mixture and stir it all up.
Turn on the crock-pot and forget about it until dinner.
* I put mine together in the morning and left it on low for about 8 hours. You could probably half that and cook it on high. Or cook it on the stove-top (higher heat) for a couple hours.
* I used lots of broth and a large can of tomato sauce to make mine more soupy, and served it with cornbread. We love to throw the cornbread right into the bowl of soup. Because we're classy, like that.
* Now that I look at the pictures, I think I added corn, too.
* I used a large (5Qt) crock-pot. If you have a smaller one, adjust the amounts of veggies.
I am thinking... soon, soon, turkeys will go on sale, and I will buy two. Or three. At least. And fill my freezer with turkey pot pies.
I am thankful for... work keeps trickling in for Kerry,( and we keep praying for more.) To God be the glory.
I am praying for... Wyatt and my brother and sister to stay healthy for their trip, and my Aunt Myrna, recovering from pneumonia.
I am wearing... well, duh... my "winter uniform"... blue jeans, t-shirt, sweater, wool socks.
I am going... in circles?
I am reading... still reading "Little House on the Prairie" with the boys, and reviewing a book that a friend of mine is writing. Exciting!
I am hoping... for one more Saturday without rain. Pleeeeaaaaaase!
I am hearing... clothes flopping around in the dryer. Too cold and damp for the clothesline. Darn.
I am remembering... sweating in our summer heat wave and wishing for cool fall days.
From the learning rooms... King Charles I lost his head, working with ratios and rates in math, two eggs soaking in vinegar - testing the effects of flouride toothpaste, spider-webs going up on the walls, and the famous (Leutze) painting of Washington Crossing the Delaware to discuss for art.
Around the house... lots of leftovers in the kitchen (which is good), piles of clean laundry in the laundry-room (which is half good... when they're put away, then it'll be all good), and in the living room, a basket full of fall books, like The Spider and the Fly, One Dark Night, and a perpetual family favorite, The Runaway Pumpkin, because we all like to say, "Thumpety-bumpety, thumpin' bumpin', round and roly, runaway pumpkin!"
On my mind... we found a chair for the desk :0) Well, it almost fits. It's about a quarter of an inch too wide. But that's nothing Kerry can't fix with a saw and sandpaper.
Noticing that... the days are getting really short. Still dark when we have breakfast at 7am, and dark again by about 6pm. I love changing seasons.
One of my favorite things... Handel's Messiah.
A few plans for the rest of the week... the last soccer practices of the season. Hallelujah!
The sunrise, Sunday morning, taken from the boys' bedroom window.
I think Gunnar learned a bad word.
Me - Um, Gunnar, what is a buster?
A really mean person who never keeps his word!
I'm trying not to laugh, because I'm sure there are at least two little savages who need some wise parental discipline.
And I'm wondering if he made that up himself, or if he actually did hear a bad word and he's mispronouncing it.
But I don't want to ask.
My oldest will be going on a trip.
You may, or may not, have noticed little Stitch relentlessly marching across the Pirates of the Caribbean 'ticker', on the sidebar.
We've been counting down since he found out.
Swine Flu is everywhere. At church, in the soccer teams, at the grocery store.
And I'm not paranoid about it. We've probably all been exposed, and we may get it. And we're generally healthy so I'm not all freaked.
But, please do me a favor.
Please pray for Wyatt, and my brother and sister, that they'll all be healthy for their trip.
The boys are allowed to come into our bedroom in the morning for a snuggle, if they want. It's kind of a little boy thing, although Wyatt will occasionally come sit on the foot of the bed if he wants to talk about something.
Gunnar comes almost every morning. He wiggles down under the covers and is like a little furnace. He'll lay (lie?) there quietly for a few moments, and then he'll say something. The first thing out of his mouth in the morning could be anything. I love this about little boys.
Mom, want to hear three amazing things about the octopus?
Mom, where do potatoes grow?
Mom, mornings are the bestest times! (Me, feeling all warm and cozy, thinking this boy is referring to the snuggle time, but no... he continues...) Because I get to have Grape-Nuts, milk, and brown sugar! I love Grape-Nuts, milk, and brown sugar!
Mom, do you know how flies taste? (Fear and disgust fill my mind.) With their feet!
Dewy, foggy fall mornings are the best time to capture spiderwebs, because the dew makes them visible and easier to find.
Here we are with our materials.
When you find a web you want to collect, spray it. If you're not using something sticky, be sure to get it thoroughly wet.
Carefully slide a piece of construction paper behind the spiderweb and slowly pull it toward you.
It helps to bow the paper a bit, toward the web, so the web drapes over the paper.
Quickly, while the web is still wet, sprinkle a little bit of flour on it, and gently shake it around.
Here are some of our finished products!
Outside my window... still beautiful fall leaves, but there are less and less of them. The grass is green again (after going brown for the summer), and covered with red and yellow leaves. Foggy this morning... might be a good day to go collect spider webs.
I am thinking... how much I love this time of year.
I am praying for... friends in Africa (missionaries) with flu in the house.
From the learning rooms... we've just started our "All Saint's Day" devotions, leading up to Halloween All Saint's Day. We're studying India this week, and the Taj Mahal, as well as all the usual... What a great coincidence that one of our saints/missionaries is Amy Carmichael, who served in India.
From the kitchen... Ha! Kerry is making dinner tonight, for himself and the boys, as I will be OUT. I'm guessing the menu will probably feature something from the "Top Ramen" family.
I am creating... more science experiments.
I am going... to Moms In Touch today.
I am reading... "Little House on the Prairie" with the boys. They love it, even though it's about girls. Gunnar said, "Mom. It's okay because they're not girly-girls, and adventures happen to them." Like traveling in a covered wagon, and being surrounded by enormous wolves, and almost being washed away while crossing a creek that was more of a river. So that's all okay.
I am hoping... to find a chair for the desk I got for the boys' room. Looking for a small chair, probably wood (ie "paint-able") that will fit into a 16" opening.
I am hearing... Wyatt blowing into a piece of PVC pipe. He claims that he and a neighbor boy are communicating with Morse Code. Right.
I am remembering... Still need to get some craft projects organized and moving forward.
Around the house... New batches of books from the library, and a basketful of seasonal books I set out for the boys, (mostly) clean bedrooms and bathrooms, and my "pumpkin spice" candle, half burned.
On my mind... we are getting closer to Wyatt's Disneyland trip. Excitement is building!
Noticing that... if you don't know us IRL, let me remind you that Wyatt is oldest, then Tate, and then Gunnar. Wyatt is barely taller than Tate and for the last couple of years Tate has out-weighed him, much to his chagrin. Well, with Wyatt's recent gains and Tate losing (I think about 8 pounds!) in the hospital... I weighed them the other day and Wyatt is a good five pounds heavier than Tate.
I think in his (Wyatt's) view, the world is now back on its axis.
One of my favorite things... autumn evenings, after dinner, reading stories together in the living room.
A few plans for the rest of the week... oh heavens... Wyatt and Tate both have Dr appointments and ortho appointments, MIT, soccer practices, soccer games, AWANA, piano lesson... and I need to get to WalMart. Don't hate me, I love WalMart.
Yes, I posted a picture of this same tree, just down a few posts. But the lighting was so dramatic, I had to take another one.
We had rain, yesterday. Buckets and buckets of rain. It was a monsoon.
You would think my boys lived in isolation if you saw how excited they get when company is coming. Good grief. It could be someone we see frequently... or not. Doesn't matter. And we have company pretty regularly, so I don't know why they get so giddy.
So we had company last night. Actually, overnight. Two missionaries - young guys, therefore "cool" in the eyes of the boys. By the time they arrived I had already put the boys to bed. Gunnar and Tate have little resistance to the warm comfort of their bunks, but Wyatt - I suspect - kept himself awake, listening for their arrival.
We started in their bedroom, which wasn't too bad, because I wanted their dressers cleaned off (mostly) and wanted a quick success to encourage us all. Here they are with their tidy dressers. Soccer trophies and models get to stay... for now.
This end of the room wasn't too bad either, but they've straightened up their beds and the tubs of stuff underneath.
Here's where we had our work cut out for us... the Family Room. They call it the play room, and you can see what happens after a busy week or two. Sometimes it gets so bad I don't even want to look in there.
Books, blankets, toys, CD's, games.... all in a heap.
And so much stuff piled in the closet, and on the floor, that it was hard to put anything away properly.
... all the way to the back corner, with the vacuum stowed after Wyatt went over the floor.
Tate asked me to put this on the blog.
It's the boy and his sandwich.
And then there's his sandwich. He prefers creamy peanut butter and honey, open-face.
Which he accessorizes. With goldfish crackers, when we have them.
Then he carefully eats the crust off, all the way around.
And the bumpy part, in the middle? Saving the best for last. He scrapes a mound of pb&h into the middle and stands a few fish in it for good measure.
Gunnar has discovered product. He got rained on at soccer practice, and had no time for a shower before AWANA. Not a problem.
"Mom, I want my hair to look like I was electrocuted!"
Except he says it, "electric-shooted," which always cracks me up, so I don't correct him. I think he got it from Tate, so it may be a HoH thing.
"So, you got any sticky stuff for my hair?"
And just for the record, it was not Crazy Hair Night, because we already had that. It was Yellow Night. But my boy is confident and secure in his appearance, and off he went.
Okay, honestly, home schooling isn't always exactly a bed of roses. That could qualify for the "Understatement of the Century Contest", if there were such a thing.
But today was good. Today we were in the groove. So, I bring you our adventures with carbon.
We began with A Feast for Yeast, the classic yeast/sugar/warm water in a bottle, experiment.
Talked about yeast being a living organism (a fungus), and how it eats the sugar and gives off carbon dioxide, just like we do. While it did its thing we also talked about the carbon cycle and moved on to the different forms of carbon.
Using the pictures in our book as a guide, we attempted to make models of the carbon atoms in different forms. The pictures, however, are somewhat cartoonish, so our models may not be 100% accurate.
This is the carbon in your pencil "lead". The atoms are spread out in flat sheets that can slide around.
The carbon atoms are all connected, making diamonds very strong.
Our materials wouldn't hold the soccer-ball shape we were going for, so we settled for a partial model of the buckyball, but here's a cool one we found online.
Wyatt thought that draping it over his face would help give it the curved surface area he was trying for!
We didn't bother trying to make a model of the carbon found in charcoal because it's basically disorganized.
Well, maybe we did. When we put the pieces back in the box!
Don't ask me. Maybe it's genetically programmed. All three of my boys play defense (at soccer.) Oh, they'll happily play offense, if asked, but defense is their forte. They all take it quite personally when the opposing team scores. (Still working on that "this is a team" concept...) But they take their responsibility on the field very seriously.
a Craigslist find for the boys' room. I'm hopeful that it will help Wyatt be less distracted and able to work more independently. And that I can have my table back in my office for projects.
I'm pretty sure there's a Calvin and Hobbes books called "The Days are Just Packed". Well, that's how I feel lately. I know that soccer has a lot to do with it, and there are three more weeks. Hallelujah. I love it for the boys' sake, but I love when it ends :0) What makes me really nuts is that, since the (wonderful, generous, talented) coaches are all volunteers, most of the practices are in the early evening, when they get off work. In other words, right at dinner time.
You know how when you have a new baby your friends, your really good friends, will bring you dinner? Well, my friend Dee Dee brought this to me. Oh. My. So good and so easy.
But here's the great thing about a crock pot: you can use just about any cut of meat and it will come out tender and delicious. Grampa Grasshopper hunts and we often use venison or elk instead of beef.
Seriously? Canned mushrooms? Do people use those? I use fresh.
Yes, nutmeg. With meat. Do it.
Combine, mix well, cover, cook in crock pot on low, 7-9 hours.
Mix well, add to beef mixture in slow cooker.
Cover and cook 10 more minutes (or so) to thicken.
Serve over noodles, or rice, or in pita bread.
Seriously, your mouth will thank you. Go, make this. It's what's for dinner.
Outside my window... rain is forecast, but I have a perfect fall day out my window :0) Frost this morning, trees scattered across the "ROY" end of the ROY G BIV spectrum, (see my red dogwood in the photo above), and - once again - laundry on the line. Though the temps were below freezing this morning (maybe it will freeze-dry?) I have faith that the clothes will eventually dry. :0) Every time I hang a load out I find myself wondering if it's the last load to go on the line for this year. I love the way my clothes and sheets bring in the fresh, outdoor smell.
I am thinking... that I'd love to just cancel school and play today, but after taking two days off last week I'd probably better not.
I am thankful for... a good time yesterday with friends. We invited another family over for lunch, kind of last-minute. Their kids are all younger than ours, but that was just fine. Gunnar, especially, loves little kids. All the kids (except their baby - so cute!) played outside quite a bit. We live on a corner and although there's not much traffic I reminded my boys to keep an eye on the littler ones and keep them out of the street. "Don't worry, Mom," Gunnar assured me, "I adore Steele and Adia!" And Xochi, too.
From the learning rooms... look at the post below and you can see the school room... before we started school for the day!
From the kitchen... beef stroganoff in the crock-pot. My mouth will be watering all. day. long.
I am going... staying home today, except to run Tate down the hill to soccer and back. Wyatt to a check-up tomorrow. And the library. I really need to get to the library.
I am reading... Little House in the Big Woods with the boys, Keep A Quiet Heart for myself.
I am hoping... the rain holds off until the end of soccer season. Ha ha ha ha ha.
I am hearing... the boys playing pirates again. I don't know how he does it, but I've gotta tell you, Gunnar does this voice that sounds just like Bobcat Goldthwaite did in the movie Scrooged.
I don't know where he came up with it, but it's his pirate voice.
On my mind... Christmas. Well, presents, specifically. And how to manage that this year.
Noticing that... the quiet(er) noises of boys playing happily are escalating, so it's time to wrap this up.
One of my favorite things... fall, fall, fall!