Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Happy Halloween!!

Katherine the Princess

Derek the Dragon *in flip flops!

James the Knight
TRICK OR TREATING..................... HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

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Carving pumpkins

You know your kids are getting so much older when you come down from the shower and they are outside carving their own pumpkins!
It was always a family watching dad do it activity.
But with the fires and Derek's birthday, Halloween has snuck up on us and we were not ready.... no jack o lanterns carved yet. James took charge and got everyone set up. Katie had just finished so she is out of the pictures.

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Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Derek is 5 today !!!

My baby boy is now 5 years old.
Time is going by way too fast.
Luckily he is still my snuggler. Most nights he still comes to me, snuggles up on my lap and falls asleep.
He still likes to be kissed, hugged and still (though not too often anymore) twiddle my hair.
He was the only one who twiddled my hair. He HAD to. He would do it while he nursed and had to do it while he fell asleep. Sometimes he still reaches out to my hair as he is drowsy and falling asleep. All the kids are different. I always wonder if the other kids would be more affectionate if they hadn't been 'replaced' by the next baby when they were 2 or 3.
Derek has had me all to himself. He didn't get kicked off my lap by a new nursing baby.
He didn't get kicked out of sleeping with mom.
He didn't get shipped off to pre-school. He's home with mom doing preschool & now kindergarten.


He is into doing this 'deer in the headlights' big goofy grin these days.

This is the 3rd round of cupcakes and singing Happy Birthday. 1st at his party. 2nd at his Art History class, more cupcakes, and now at home after his dinner out.... more cupcakes! (see the extras still on the side w/o frosting)
come on over.... have a cupcake!!

The sweetest smile picture.
He's in his crown from the toy store and the balloon we got at the party store.
I like the way spidey looks in the balloon, like he's posing with Derek too.

I have more pictures to post from his party, after I get permission from the other moms to include their kids in the pictures.

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The gift he really wanted .... King Car nivore

This was the one thing Derek really wanted for his birthday. King Car-nivore !
Everytime he saw the commercial we had to watch it.
I found it in the store, but it may be hard to find.... there were only about 4 on the shelf the couple of times we were at the big toy store. So if santa is bringing one to your houes... I would get it now. (they are on sale this week $5 off)

He had his party on Sunday and received 2 of the smaller cars.... the shark and the cobra (thanks DB).

He rec'd $$ from grandma so we stopped by the tru on his birthday. We went to the customer counter and they gave him the crown and a balloon. Then announced over the loudspeaker to look for Derek in his crown and wish him happy birthday!

After NOT finding the hot wheels set we came for....looking at all of the 'cars' movie cars, the monster trucks, the transformers, the TMNTs, we found the car-nivores. Luckily I had warned James that this might happen and that the gift was already wrapped at home. When Derek pulled the King truck off the shelf and declared, "This is It!" James and I gave each other the look.... and James jumped in for me to say, "oh no that is out of your budget!"
We were actually able to talk him out of it and I said that he may get some more b-day money from aunts that he could come back and get it. whew! it worked!

He ended up choosing another hot wheels set. It hangs from the top of a door and the car elevators up and drops down flying off the ramp at the end.

We left the toy store happy and met daddy at .................... Foster's freeze!
For about a month Derek has insisted that is where he wanted his b-day dinner.
We couldn't talk him out of it. We tried every 'nice' restaurant I could think of. Nope FF it is!
So after his corn dog ??? and a huge pile of fries (this neighborhood family owned place if very generous with the fries) he ordered a Reese's twister and we went home to open 2 more gifts and have cupcakes. The neighbor couldn't make his party, so he brought over a gift and had a cupcake too.

WHAT IS IT ? ? ? ! !
Let's see how it works. There are a lot of buttons in the back.
He pops up and beats his chest making loud gorilla noises.
you can program 3 directional buttons or choose the preprogrammed straight, circle or figure 8.

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pool update..... cement deck poured

well, I haven't had much to update on the pool..... because nothing has been happening! Just a big cement hole in the back yard with pretty tiling around it!

good news: they started digging on Aug 21 and finished the tiling on Sept 21.
bad news: we were not ready... we were not informed we were supposed to have the decking people ready to pour around the pool. It took 2 weeks to choose someone and then a week for his schedule. They prepped the area and were going to pour on Tuesday.... and the fires came late Sunday..
A lot of the men, including the contractor, all live in or near Ramona which was evacuated.
So we were able to have the curb poured last Friday. Monday they did the rebar.
And this morning, very early! they were here with the cement truck!

The truck blocked the driveway so I couldn't leave with the kids at the normal 9 a.m. time to get to Art History.
But it was OK. This is a once in a lifetime thing.
Plus we worked so hard over the weekend on our mosaics.
I'll post those later. I did some palm trees. James made a volcano erupting and 2 palm trees on fire.
Derek made a whale with James and I to help.
I worked hard on a koi fish a couple weeks ago. But then revised the one large fish to 2 smaller fish.
Oh on Friday James & I put our 3 turtles in the curb and we added some blue glass square tiles to the curb too.


You can barely see just above the wood frame the kids did their names with "squiggly" glass pieces and then their handprints.
I'll do close ups when we get them all cleaned up.

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cement pour slideshow

here are some pictures of the men pouring the cement





the one picture is of my Koi fish mosaic just being placed in the wet cement

the next shows the blue whale Derek made in a little crook

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Birthday Party pictures

Derek's birthday party was at Build a Bear followed by happy meals at McD's.

















waiting while everyone sings..... and blowing out the candles.

Friday, October 26, 2007

in need of router help.... anyone know what to check?

blasted wireless router.
I happily connected the kids' computer with wireless adapter and it worked.

However, it somehow disconnected from my laptop's wireless adapter and now I can't be on the internet unless a cord is stretched across the primary walkway of 3 kids and 3 adults.

My laptop keeps telling me that I dont' have an internal wirelss connector??

I've spent hours while I turned everything off and on a dozen times.
I called cox to get me back onto the internet when I couln't even get on with my internal modem and a cord - without the router.

I can link the modem to the router and then run the cord from the laptop to the router but it is not the best way in this busy household.

I spent hours searching for my linksys disk to somehow re-install that program and maybe link it all back up again.

I want to update on my mom's house..... keep checking back.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

San Diego.... Recovery in Process the fires and the Diocese

Everything is going well here. The weather has changed.
It is cooler today. There is still an orange haze in the sky. But it is not very smoky smelling.
There are still fires burning, but they are out of the populated areas. Still in some areas where people have rural homes though.

Now begins the survey of the damage and beginning to make plans.

Watching the news right now and FEMA is setting up at the stadium, insurance companies are setting up trailers and booths to help the victims.
They say the first issue is to get them into a home so they can leave the shelters. Then they will start the paperwork.
They are comparing this disaster to Katrina a lot.
The opinion is that everything they did wrong with Katrina will not be done this time and FEMA will learn from their mistakes.

The President is arriving right now. His plane is landing as I type at Miramar. He will then get on a helicopter to tour the county and survey the damage.
Then he will have lunch with firefighters at a large mall (which is right across Lake Hodges from my mom's condo) Then he will make a statement at Noon.

**Geoff just called. He was driving up the 15 and saw the Air Force One plane going overhead to land.

My mother just left with Geoff - in separate cars - to see if she can get to her condo.
She knows, by a phone call, that she does not have cable tv and phone, but she will see if there is electricity so that she can go home.

TOPIC CHANGE
**Catholic Church side note - this just came to mind this morning. (This is a simplified version---click the diocese links to see the actual letters from the Bishop)

You may be aware of the situation where abused persons sued the Diocese of San Diego. (*note most abuse occurred in 60s and 70s. Not all of the abusers were priests. Most of the abusers are dead. ALL are out of the church ministries. One is in prison)

The Diocese filed bankruptcy because they could not pay all of the money to the victims. The Bankruptcy court kicked the case out after several months.
The court case was settled and the Diocese has to pay the victims millions of dollars. http://www.diocese-sdiego.org/Settlement/Pastoral%20Stmt%20Settlement%20H.pdf

The past 2 Sundays the parishes of San Diego announced that the Bishop has requested our Body of Christ to help fund some of the monies with a campaign called "Embracing our Mission". We could lose our Seminary and the Pastoral Center if enough money is not raised.

I bring this up because it puts the Catholics of San Diego in a tougher situation right now. When there is a disaster the donations to charity decrease.
All of the families that lost homes and all of their belongings are not going to be able to donate to charity.

I felt like telling you all this because San Diego, and the Catholics of San Diego could really use your prayers.

Please pray for our Bishops, priests and your brothers & sisters in Christ at this difficult time.

http://www.diocese-sdiego.org/set.asp?link=sexualabuseresponses.htm&in=Bishops

We are all in this together. The priests and the victims are our brothers & sisters in Christ.
We are all One Body. We pray for the priests, we pray for the victims. We can donate to the Mission to help our entire Church.

Thank you for reading this and for your prayers.

God Bless

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

I'm like Kanga. oh so cute. sweet and thoughtful, caring and motherly

A cuteness break from all the fire posts.......


Take the 100 Acre Personality Quiz!

Evacuation list of what to take

Here is a great list of things to think about, prepare and pack if you have time before an evacuation.

(I have deleted some items that pertain to having infants and cold weather items: hats, scarves)

WHAT TO TAKE ----- A checklist

When leaving is immediate:
__- Pack important papers
__- Turn off gas
__- Distance BBQ tanks
__- Pet cages/carriers & food
__- Leave outside lights on so FD can see your home through smoke.
__- Cell Phone, Charging cord

If you have time to prepare:

Family
__ Photographs of all family members
__ Pets (if advance warning, take to an approved shelter)
__ Pet ID tags
__ Pet medications
__ Pet leashes
__ Pet water bowls

Documents
__ Health insurance card
__ Car insurance card
__ House deed
__ Marriage license
__ Insurance papers
__ Tax papers
__ Birth certificates
__ Drivers' licenses
__ Legal documents
__ Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)
__ Computer backup disks
__ Laptop, CPU, Computers (time permitting)
__ Computer CORDS, rechargers
__ Printer & cords
__ video camera, digital camera, all cords to recharge

Money
__ Check books
__ Savings books
__ Credit cards
__ Cash
__ Purse
__ Wallet
__ Blank checks

Medications
__ Prescriptions
__ Analgesics
__ Motion sickness tablets
__ First-aid kit
__ Prescription glasses
__ Prescription hearing aids

Jewelry
__ Gold, silver, and other valuable jewelry
__ Family heirlooms
__ Decorations, pins, awards

Sentimental
__ Photos and albums, slides, movies, home videos
__ Family Bible
__ Irreplaceable keepsakes
__ Original paintings

Food and Water (for three to seven days - if time permits)
__ Water (at least one gallon per person and pet per day)
__ Non-perishable, ready-to-eat food
__ Pet food
__ Manual can opener

Toiletries (if time permits)
__ Soap, shampoo and towels
__ Toothbrushes and toothpaste
__ Shaving articles
__ Sanitary devices

Clothing (appropriate for the season - if time permits)
__ Change of clothing for each person (for one to seven days)
__ Coats and jackets
__ Shoes and boots
__ Change of underwear
__ Sleepwear

Additional Items to Take (if time permits)
__ Cell phones
__ Reading material
__ Recreational items – playing cards, games, gameboy, puzzles
__ First-aid kit
__ Flashlights and extra batteries
__ Portable radio and extra batteries
__ Cameras and extra batteries

WHAT TO DO BEFORE LEAVING
__ Fill evacuation vehicle gas tank
__ Park evacuation vehicle in the garage heading toward street and travel route
__ Close evacuation car windows but DO NOT LOCK CAR and leave keys in ignition
__ Close garage door but leave it unlocked (disconnect automatic garage door opener)
__ Establish an evacuation plan, travel route, probable destination
__ Determine where separated members will meet
__ Follow any official agency's evacuation instructions
__ Turn off natural gas at meter
__ Disconnect propane tank
__ Close or cover outside vents and shutters
__ Remove combustible items from around the outside of the house
__ Turn off appliances, thermostats, fireplaces, stoves
__ Leave one light on in each general area so firefighters can see your house in dark and smoke
__ Release any livestock in the area
__ Close fire resistant window coverings, heavy drapes, and Venetian blinds
__ Move overstuffed furniture away from windows
__ Close sliding glass doors into the center of the house (DON'T lock them)
__ Remove lace, nylon, or light material drapes and curtains
__ Place a ladder against the roof of the house on the side opposite the approaching fire
__ Fill bathtubs, sinks, and containers with water
__ Soak burlap sacks, small rugs, or large rags in containers
__ Turn on exterior lights
__ Lock doors and windows
__ If instructed, tie large white cloth to front door knob
__ Don't tie up telephone lines (notify friends and relatives by e-mail where to contact you)
__ Make safety equipment obvious for firefighters (spigots, ladders, chain saws, hoses, etc.)
__ Plug air vents and openings that are close to the ground
__ Prepare an "information note" to leave on the door detailing who you are, where you have gone, where flammables are (such as lawnmower gas, ammo, chemicals - move them all into one place)

WHAT TO DO NOW TO PREPARE
__ Keep evacuation vehicle gas tank full
__ Practice family fire drill and evacuation plans
__ Practice STOP, DROP, and ROLL (should clothes catch on fire)
__ Prepare a list of valuables to take with you (store together, if possible)
__ Make a video of all belongings, talking about each
__ Take still pictures of all belongings as a backup
__ Document an annotated list of all belongings
__ Develop outdoor water supply with hoses to reach entire house, nozzle, and pump
__ Have fire tools, ladder, and fire extinguishers available
__ Post name/address signs clearly visible from street or road
__ Post load limits on access bridges
__ Clear driveway to at least 20 feet wide with 15 feet vertical clearance (for emergency vehicles)
__ Clear weeds and cut grass within 10 feet of structures, propane tanks, utility boxes
__ Clear debris from roof and gutters
__ Clear vegetation from within 3 feet of hydrants
__ Remove trees growing through porch, deck, or roof
__ Remove trash and debris accumulations
__ Remove branches that overhang within 15 feet of roof and chimney
__ Stack firewood uphill or on a contour at least 30 feet away from house
__ Thin and prune your trees and brush
__ Install smoke detectors and test quarterly
__ Install only non-combustible roof material
__ Install shutters, fire curtains, or heavy drapes on windows
__ Install screens on foundation and eave vents
__ Install enclosed sides on stilt foundations and decks
__ Install chimney screen or spark arrestor


Find this article at: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20071022-1711-checklist.html

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Fire update... still safe here

THANK YOU for your well wishes and prayers!

It is very hot today. Luckily we still do not have any wind in our neighborhood.
SO the air is very hot and dry and stale. There is an erie orange glow that has been hovering in the sky since Sunday afternoon.
Ash has been falling around here. The air is stuffy and smoky. I've only been out to take trash out and that is uncomfortable. So we are just staying inside.
We are running the A/C once in a while just to circulate some air in the house.

They have announced on the news athat No schools will open through the rest of the week.

So far our home is in a safe zone. We are right in the middle with fires North of us and the growing fire South of us. The fires are moving West toward the ocean. We don't want them to move north or south.
The desert winds, called "Santa Ana" wind is what is fueling the fires with hot, hard wind from the East.

Hopefully the normal wind from the ocean will kick in soon with cool moist air and blow the fires back to where they already burned and go out. But it is not expected until late Wed.

Geoff tried to take a car full of donations we could find around the house.... sunscreen, toothbrushes, plates, cups, utensils, canned foods.
But at the stadium, he could not find a way to get in to make the donation without waiting a very long time in the line that is for the evacuating people. They are still bogged down with people going there to evacuate.
We'll try again later.

My mom's house is along the 15 and right at Lake Hodges.
The MANY houses that burned down in Rancho Bernardo are just on the other side of the freeway 15 from her condo complex.
She is very anxious to get home. But they haven't said that her area is allowed to return.
She passed many homes on fire as she escaped her home and came down Pomerado Road.

Geoff ran up to the grocery store and I had him get the new "Meet the Robinsons" Movie so we are all going to get distracted by that for a while and stay off the news channels.

Fires still burning

We are stuck at home again today watching the fires around the county on the news.

Our air quality is poor.

They want everyone to stay home today and stay inside.
Not supposed to be out driving in San Diego. Lot of people not going to work.
No schools open again tomorrow.
They are now asking us in San Diego to conserve electricity too.

Monday, October 22, 2007

San Diego County Wildfires..... hunkered down

San Diego County is on fire today.

I was awakened this morning @ 6:50 a.m. with my mother's phone call that she was evacuating her condo complex near Escondido & Rancho Bernardo because of the fire.
She was on her way with very little.... her 2 dogs, medication, dog food & underwear.
She doesn't know what else she was able to throw in her suitcase in 5 minutes.
She finally arrived here around 8:45. The drive ususally takes 30 minutes.

We are staying in the house to keep out of the poor air quality. We have the TV going and switching around to every news channel to keep informed about the evacuations and fires.

It is so sad to see the homes on fire.

So far we are out of danger. However, the winds can change the fire direction at any moment. (We did have to evacuate with the fires of 2003.)

There is the worst corridor of fire North of us.
And as of tonight there is a growing corridor of fire south of us with the new evacuations of Chula Vista.
We live near the Qualcomm stadium, where they are sending evacuees, so hopefully that is a good sign that we may reamin safe.
I have clothes loaded into laundry baskets and photo albums in a box. The file of important papers on the counter ready to go. Won't forget the laptop and cameras.
(The kids all packed their backpacks full of legos and toys first thing this morning as they woke up and I let them know of the danger.)

Over 250,000 people have had to evacuate their homes and many, many homes have already burned down.

Please keep all of San Diego and Southern California in your prayers today, tomorrow and the days to come. Last time we were not able to return to our home for 3 days and the fire never came to our neighborhood. It was a mess of falling debris and ash.
Thank you.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Praying.... for Alice's mum



Prayers for Alice's Mother Alice.
After a terrible car accient, Alice also had a stroke.
Her condition continues to be very serious, and she remains in intensive care with little to no movement on her left hand side.


Please send your prayers.



Visit her blog and also go and read her beautiful article, her debut piece, in the Long Island Catholic titled: Our Mother's Care.

A story about their first (of 3) visits to see "Our Lady of America" during the visit of the statue to New York City.


Our Lady of America the website.




coming out of her protective box...............

riding in style.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

cute St. Nicholas site

Advent & Christmas will be here before we know it.

Here is a cute site about St. Nicholas and celebrating his sainthood.

http://stnicholas.kids.us/Brix?pageID=122

Love the craft projects.
Prayers, scripts, beverages, songs..... lots of stuff.
And the page about the popularity of "Nicholas" as a name and surname around the world.

"How does St. Nicholas fit into all of this? He is an Advent saint because his
December 6th feast day always falls in early Advent (Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas between November 27 and December 3). However, Nicholas is a good Advent saint for more
important reasons than the date of his special day. Whatever he did, and it is
said that he did many kinds of amazing things, what he did may not be as
important as the way he did it. Nicholas became so popular because in his own
life he was such a faithful follower of Jesus Christ. His life always clearly
reflected the way each one of us is called to show God's love to others,
especially those in need."

Oma's Pumpkin Patch...... Field Trip!

Time for another field trip.
Today we are off to Oma's Pumpkin Patch. Held every Fall at the Van Ommering Dairy Farm in Lakeside, CA.

We enjoy the fun activities and the hay ride around the Dairy Farm.

This year their milk is still going to the milk co-op, however, they are then selling the milk to be made into Powdered Milk. That is the best money for their milk this year.
(Last year they said most of the milk was going to be sold in Costco stores)

Here are some pictures of the kids having a blast on the Cotton Seed hill. It is soft, yet slippery.
They come home with lots of seeds hiding in their socks, shoes & pockets from rolling around in it for several hours.



They milk 500 cows twice a day. Each cow produces about 7 gallons a day.

Once a month the vet comes out and tells them which cows are expecting and the approximate due date. The cows get a 2 month maternity leave.
they go into one pen when they are 2 months before due date. Cows are pregnant for 9 months.
Then they go into another pen when they are in their last 4 weeks of pregnancy.

Each day about 2 calves are born.
Last year there were twins born and then one more just before our hay ride went by.

This year a bull was born that morning. The farm sells all of their bull calves and keep the cows.
They said in exactly 2 years from their birth date a cow will be delivering her first calf.

Friday, October 12, 2007

Friday Field Trip.... Balboa Park

I've been waiting anxiously to make it to the San Diego Art Museum's Impressionists of Giverney exhibit since reading about Lissa's visit with her children.
Luckily they extended the Sept 30th date through October 14th. So we were going at the last minute!

Impressionist Giverny: A Colony of Artists, 1885–1915” at the San Diego Museum
of Art spans the 30-year period bookended by Giverny’s first bohemian
arrivals, to the exodus of all foreign-born colonists necessitated by World
War I.

Impressionism is my favorite period of art. Monet is very popular as is Renoir around our home. The chance to see more Monet art is exciting.
My favorite exhibit was seeing his art at the Bellagio Gallery in Las Vegas 3 years ago. (there is still a link) The collection was absolutely amazing! The exhibit included Monet's works that are usually displayed at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. I felt in a dream world because it was amazing to be able to be so close to the actual Monet paintings that are very famous including Water Lillies and The Water Lilly Pond. I held my breath as I leaned in to examine the brush strokes. I was amazed at his liberal use of paint. So thick in most of his paintings.
I usualy think of the terms "struggling artist", "starving artist", painters who were so poor they sold off furniture and did not eat to spend all of their money on paint. Didn't Van Gogh borrow money from his siblings? And here was Monet laying paint on so thickly as if it were cheap.

We were honored with a Monet exhibit in San Diego a few years ago also.
Wow, I found a link and it was back in 1998.
That exhibit featured paintings of his Giverny gardens from the Musée Marmottan in Paris.

James & Katie enjoyed the pictures. Derek mainly pulled my arm and asked to leave. Oh well.
There were not a lot to see and most were landscapes. There were many haystacks.
I had to look for things in the paintings to keep everyone looking a little longer.
Can you count the cows Derek?
What do you think that woman is doing by the side of the stream?
One painting was of a town street and at the very end was a church with a flag.
After reading Madeline in Paris last week and coloring the same flag I was happy Katie recognized the French flag when I asked here. It was no larger than your fingernail. So if she had missed that would have been OK.

We arrived about 12:30 and we were done around 2:15.

I told the kids that there was an Egypt and mummy exhibit at the Museum of Man.
(that again I read about on Lissa's blog)
So we headed down the sidewalk.

I had been planning to buy Family Membership passes at the Art Museum (regularly $75 I was able toget them for $65... just ask for the online discount)
I was not as eager to get the same at Museum of Man. However, the receptionists were very animated about all of the exhibits at the museum and the childrens' area and the mummies that I went ahead and gave my $50. Well it's a donation to support our community and the arts right?!

The kids are studying the Mayans so we stopped at that exhibit first. Gigantic carved stone pillars were on display. The Mayans were very dedicated the their calendar.
Next we headed upstairs and found the middle of the exhibit where they are comparing Man, monkeys and apes. Further in they show how they date acheological digs.
We finally made it to the Egypt & mummy exhibit. It was small.
My children were also facinated by the Lemon Grove Girl's mummified remains.
I didn't tell them about what Lissa said of her history...(young men grave robbers that left her in a box in someone's garage for 14 years!)
There was none of that information at the exhibit. Only signs showing how they use teeth, bones and physical development to guess at the age of the remains.
My children were more concerned with WHY did she die? Why was she curled up? How could she die with a baby in her tummy?
I explained that she was malnourished and probably died of starvation, her body could not survive taking care of herself as well as an unborn child.

We left a little dazed and confused. We were interested in the mummy part but now it seem strange to be looking at the remains of a real person, improperly placed in a museum for all of us to look at.

OK on to the beauty of nature and the Botanical Garden with the Koi fish pond and Lily pads out front: Here are the photos...................

THE KOI FISH

Balboa Park... Botanical Garden & Lily pond

SOME FLOWERS AND FLY TRAPS INSIDE........ FUN PICS OF THE KIDS OUTSIDE WITH LILY PADS

Botanical Garden

I hope it is funny....

so I read so many blogs and the moms post about the cutest, silliest, clever things their kids say. I guess my kids are not so clever?

Until today...... we are driving along and they are playing a game that they say whatever word they can think of (well it started out to be animals, and turned into whatever word). Starting at "a" and going along the alphabet.
I was just listening.
And then I joined in around "O".
We got to "s" and James said surprise.
I said supercede*.
Katie said sunflower seed.

I started laughing so hard that I had tears. They asked what was so funny.
Katie kept saying sunflower seed and how great it was that she said 2 words with "s". Which made me laugh more every time she said sunflower seed again.

Finally I was able to ask if she thought I said super seed. Of course she said yes. I spelled supercede* and defined the word for them giving an example. Then said that's why I was laughing because it was so cute that she thought we were making up seed names.

Well I don't know how funny that is, but I thought it was. Maybe you had to be there.

**Ok I just looked it up in the dictionary and that is the Old world spelling, which is now deemed incorrect spelling. It should be spelled supersede.
Well there you go - a spelling lesson in my blog post for all of us.

Friday, October 05, 2007

Hermit crabs from the tidepools..just visiting

A hermit crab out of it's shell.
Derek is lining up the crabs for their big photo shoot.
Here are the crabs we brought home from the cove field trip.
Derek spent hours watching them, arranging them, letting them walk around.

However, before they all died, we returned them to the ocean where they belong.
We are sorry if we hurt any of them but they were fun while we visited with them at our home.

Next time we will get a pet shop hermit crab that is not from the tidepools. But mom is not too anxious for a crab pet so I've been able to stall the kids for a while.

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La Jolla Cove Field Trip pictures

Our oceanography science group took a field trip to La Jolla Cove to see the seals and tidepools.

St. Faustina's Feast Day .... Jesus I Trust In You






Saint Faustina Kowalska


Jesus, I trust in you!


—Image of the Divine Mercy

Our Lord gave many great mystical graces to Sister Faustina of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Poland. He also gave her a mission - to tell the world that He is Mercy itself, and that before He returns as a just Judge, He is coming as a merciful Savior. Jesus called Faustina His “Secretary of Divine Mercy”, and commanded her to write everything He told her. In obedience, Faustina kept a diary, now called "Divine Mercy in My Soul", and published by the Marians Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of Stockbridge, Massachusetts. This printed diary fills over 600 pages. Over 7 times He told her that this message would prepare the world for His final coming. Sister Faustina led a seemingly ordinary life. However, her life was anything but ordinary. From the time she was a little girl to her death in 1938, her life was a constant dialog with Our Lord, Our Blessed Mother, the saints, and the angels. The devil tried on numerous occasions to dissuade her from her mission, even appearing to her in the form of wild dogs threatening to tear her to pieces.

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Halloween Bingo

Tonight we played a few rounds of Bingo.

Crayola has a cute Halloween Bingo Game.
There are 5 different cards. I printed out 4. We all colored a page. I cut my pieces out for the calling cards.
http://www.crayola.com/activitybook/subact.cfm?id=64&maincat=17

Halloween printables:

http://homeschooling.about.com/od/holidays/ss/halloweenprint.htm

http://members.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/halloween/

started "Madeline in Paris"

Last night I read Madeline in Paris and then Katie had a turn.
So this morning we left our regularly scheduled reading (that's not going so well) and took a turn for the better.

Printing out fun pages after searching the internet.
Learning about Notre Dame, Paris, France, French words for shapes, colors, days of the week, months of the year and counting in French. and a coloring page of the Eiffel Tower.

Matching pages in French
http://members.enchantedlearning.com/language/french/matching/

Google Map of Paris
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Paris,+France&ie=UTF8&ll=48.868328,2.351074&spn=0.050361,0.158272&z=13&om=1&pw=2

Eiffel Tower coloring page
http://www.crayola.com/activitybook/print.cfm?id=576

12 little girls to print out in color
http://www.geocities.com/mamabrown_1122/sharedfiles/Madeline_girls.pdf

Map of France w/ questions
http://members.enchantedlearning.com/europe/france/mapquiz/index.shtml?p

http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/nytmaps.pl?france

Notre Dame
http://notredamedeparis.fr/spip.php?page=document&id_document=193&id_article=69

http://www.aviewoncities.com/gallery/showpicture.htm?key=kvefr1367&dir=paris&tpe=city

other homeschool families' lapbooks
http://www.geocities.com/mamabrown_1122/madeline.htm

http://www.fiarcircle.com/lapbooks/madeline_2005/madeline_2005.html

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/smlltwnfiar/213357/

St. Francis of Assisi Feast Day


Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is discord, harmony;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is error, truth;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

personality type: INFP

whoo hooo...... I'll be hanging out with the Blessed Mother Mary, John, Luke, Shakespeare, Mr. Rogers, Helen Keller, Laura Ingalls & Princess Diana.

Click to view my Personality Profile page
INFPs are introspective, private, creative and highly idealistic individuals that have a constant desire to be on a meaningful path. They are driven by their values and seek peace. Empathetic and compassionate, they want to help others and humanity as a whole. INFPs are imaginitive, artistic and often have a talent for language and writing. They can also be described as easygoing, selfless, guarded, adaptable, patient and loyal.

Famous INFPsReal INFP People
A. A. Milne - author (Winnie the Pooh)
Albert Schweitzer - theologian, musician, physician
Aldous Huxley - English author
Amy Tan - author (The Joy-Luck Club)
Annie Dillard - author (Pilgrim at Tinker Creek)
Audrey Hepburn - actress (Breakfast at Tiffany's)
Dick Clark - television personality
Donna Reed - acress
Fred Rogers - Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
Fred Savage - actor (The Wonder Years)
George Orwell - author, journalist
Helen Keller - deaf/blind author, activist, lecturer
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - American poet
Isabel Myers - psychological theorist
J. R. R. Tolkien - writer (Lord of the Rings)
James Herriot - veterinary surgeon, writer
James Taylor - singer-songwriter, guitarist
John - Disciple of Jesus
John F. Kennedy, Jr. - lawyer, journalist, publisher
Laura Ingalls Wilder - author (Little House on the Prairie)
Lisa Kudrow - actress ("Phoebe" on Friends)
Luke - physician, author
Mary - Mother of Jesus
Mia Farrow - actress
Neil Diamond - musician
Peter Jackson - filmmaker (Lord of the Rings
Princess Diana - Princess of Wales
Scott Bakula - actor (Start Trek Enterprise)
Tom Brokaw - television journalist
Virgil - ancient Roman poet
William Shakespeare - English poet and playwright

Book study: The Egypt Game

The Egypt Game - A book Study

http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/egyp/egyptg.html

http://www.edhelper.com/books/The_Egypt_Game.htm

http://www.mead.k12.wa.us/SHILOH/Griffith/MrGsWebPage2/The_Egypt_Game_Book_Project.htm

http://www.neferchichi.com/

http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-egypt-game/themesandcharacters.html

http://yennadon.sd42.ca/online/integrate/egypt/novelguide.html

http://yennadon.sd42.ca/online/integrate/egypt/egyptoutline.html

Spelling / Vocab List
1) Sphinx 2) pyramid 3) tomb 4) mummy
5) cataract 6) granite 7) delta 8) oasis
9) nomad 10) drought 11) eternity 12) papyrus
13) hieroglyphics 14) dynasty 15) pharaoh 16) quarry
17) hereditary 18) sluices 19) chariot 20) desert
21) scribes 22) ebony 23) artisan 24) Nile


EGYPT-VOCABULARY REVIEW TEST
1) A long period of time during which little or no rain falls. ___________________
2) A succession of rulers from the same family. ___________________
3) A system of pictures used to represent words, ideas or sounds. ___________________
4) A group of people who constantly move from one place to another. ___________________
5) A place in the desert, around a body of water, where food plants can grow. _________________
6) Scholars, sometimes priests, who recorded events, laws and histories. ___________________
7) Massive stone structures used as royal tombs. ___________________
8) A large steep waterfall. ___________________9) A writing material made from the pith of a tall water plant. ___________________
10) A person skilled in some industry or trade, a craftsperson. ___________________
11) Title given to kings of ancient Egypt. ___________________
12) A deposit of earth and sand that collects at the mouth of a river. ___________________
13) A statue of a lions body with the head of a man. ___________________
14) A vault or chamber for the dead. ___________________
15) A place where stone is dug. ___________________
16) A gate which holds back or controls the flow of water. __________________
17) A hard black wood used for ornamental carving. __________________
18) A two wheeled vehicle pulled by horses. __________________
19) Derived from ones parents or ancestors, established by tradition. __________________
20) Time without beginning or end. __________________

EGYPT-GENERAL KNOWLEDGE QUESTIONS
1)Copy the following sentences and fill in each blank with the correct word(s):
A) The source of the Nile is located in the __________________.B) Egyptian kings of the ___________________Kingdom were the first to build pyramids for their tombs.C) Egyptian kings in the New Kingdom began to call themselves _____________________.D) The_____________________ were the people who introduced the horsedrawn chariot to the Egyptians.E) Egyptian ___________________ kept records of daily life in Egypt by writing on sheets of paper made of ________________.

2) List the trade goods exchanged between the Egyptians and their trading partners.
3) Using the headings, the Pharaoh, the Taty, the Nomarch and other officials, write a description of their contribution to the government of ancient Egypt.
4) The study of Egypt has been divided into three parts: Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom. Choose 2 events for each time period and explain how each one changed changed Egypt.
5) Explain how Egyptian beliefs are tied to their environment. Think about the powers of their gods, and the Egyptian beliefs about the afterlife to help you write your answer.
6) Tombs like Tutankhamen's help us understand the culture of the ancient Egyptians. The following items were found in Tut's tomb:a) a gameboardb) a trumpet made of copper and brassc) a leopard-skin cloakWhat can each of these objects tell us about the Egyptian way of life?

Book Studies

A good site with lots of books to choose from. Suggestions for how a particular title might be used across the curriculum.

CIMC: Integrated Units

Sarah Plain & Tall
Courage of Sarah Noble
Lon Po Po
One Grain of Rice by Demi
Very Hungry Caterpillar
The Sign of the Beaver
Miss Rumphius

Listening library in the car

The Trouble with Tink and then Beck and the Great Berry Battle

My Father's Dragon Trilogy

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Looking forward to: Tea & Cake with the Saints.

Alice has a new book coming out: Tea & Cake with the Saints.

Pre-order it at CHCweb.com. It it coming out Nov 15th. $18.95

"Hospitality does not have to be elaborate or difficult. It can begin right at
home with one’s siblings and parents! It can be as simple as a picnic with a
friend to celebrate their feast day or surprising your sister with breakfast in
bed. Many of the ideas in Tea & Cake with the Saints use Saint’s feast days
as the occasion for practicing hospitality in the form of simple tea parties,
but almost all of the ideas given can be used for any occasion a girl can dream
up!
Young ladies will also be encouraged to start their very own homemaking
notebook and fill it with some of the ideas and recipes found among the varied
chapters on everything from basic cleaning and organizing, to simple gardening.
Tea & Cake is not meant to be a home economics text, but a light, fun and
inspiring introduction to “hospitality and the home arts”. Includes suggested
menus with recipes, articles, copy-n-clip recipe cards, hostess gift ideas, and
much more!
This beautifully illustrated, full-color book is divided into four
sections corresponding to the four seasons, each of which contains menus,
recipes, and ideas. The Winter section, for example, not only includes a menu
and recipes for tea or hot chocolate, cheddar muffins, spice cake, and cream
cheese mints."



She also wrote: Sewing with St. Anne sold at chcweb.com.

Time to order for Katie's birthday and/or Christmas gifts.

Monday, October 01, 2007

St. Therese, "The Little Flower" Feast Day


Monday morning we spent time reading outloud from James' Reading 5 Seton book that contains the autobiography of St. Therese in honor of her Feast Day.