Solar System Project - Complete!

Katie has a big Science project that is due on Thursday. But we finished early! That is SO unlike us! The teacher assigned it several weeks ago , which gave us lots of time to plan and work. She decided she wanted to make a model of the Solar System on a poster using styrofoam balls as the planets. So, mom made a run to Waco and bought a basket full of foam. Then we proceeded to cut them in half. Have you ever cut foam balls in half? It is not easy. I tried with a regular knife and the styrofoam laughed at me. Ummm... Houston, We have a problem!!  I finally decided that this project called for power tools. Oh, wait. We don't own a lot of power tools! So, I did what any good housewife would do. I used my electric turkey-carving knife!! The kids laughed and laughed. Katie finally said she needed to take a picture. I let her. This was the scene at our house a few weeks ago on the night we slaughtered the styrofoam...Not a pretty sight.

Anyway, she painted and planned and googled facts about the planets, so last night we sat down to assemble the massive work of art. Gracie was totally engrossed in "Scooby Doo, Where's my Mummy?" on the DVR, so we got it put together really quickly. She drew in the asteroids and pasted on the facts and I helped her hot-glue the planets in place. She was really proud of it when we finished. It was getting late and she wasn't quite finished yet, so she even got to stay up late to complete it. I told her that we should just finish it and get it turned in before Gracie had a chance to destroy it. (Don't laugh... she has destroyed before, and she WILL destroy again. She's like a ticking time bomb! ha ha!)

The project turned out looking like this:
Pretty cute, huh?

(Also, just as an FYI, did all of you KNOW that they have changed the rules for what qualifies as a planet? Pluto is NO LONGER A PLANET!!!!!!! Kate was telling me this, and I kept disagreeing with her, so finally we went online to check it out and SHE WAS RIGHT!!! "My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas" no longer works... nowadays the kids say "My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nachos". It is official... I am old... my acronyms are no longer relevant!!!!!!!!)