Looking for recipes for your crock pot?
http://slow-cooker-recipes.blogspot.com/
What is with most of the girls on American Idol?
Are they sharing the same bottle of BLACK nail polish??? Doesn't a store in Hollywood sell another color?
I noticed it last week and then tonight. Yuck!
Wow,
Love to read blogs?
Can't remember which ones you have read?
Sad when you click on one and they haven't posted for weeks?
The ANSWER= Google Reader!
Yes it takes a little bit of time to enter your favorite blogs.......but the payoff! Well worth the few minutes.
It tells you who has updated their blogs in a list on the left and shows the blogs in the window on the right. (except you don't get to see all the headers and extra cute items we place in the sidebars of our blogs)
But for a quick update..........very helpful!
My internet time is so much easier and quicker for blogs I already like..... NOW i get to spend time finding new blogs!!
AND you can send Shared items to your own blog so that other people know what you are reading and you can Star items that you might want to remember, or re-visit later.
Not much school work today. Everyone is feeling under the weather.
Katherine has been feverish since dinner last night.
So we read Aslan's Triumph and started Junie B.'s Boss of Lunch
Read through 5 chapters in Religion to catch up. 
She and Derek read through the write & wipe books on ABCs and 123s
James is reading Augustine came to Kent and other work for the week.
Paula Moldenhaur sends wonderful, thoughtful, Faithfilled emails every few weeks that make me really think about God and faith.
Today she sends out Ephesians 3: 14-21 "Prayer for Readers"
Prayer for Readers. For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine, by the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever, Amen. (Ephesians 4:14-21)
Sign up at http://www.soulscents.us/signup.htm
Wonderful Day!
I realized late tonight that last year on Feb 25th we held my Dad's funeral.
It was a very nice service, on a beautiful day.
As everyone exited we gave small white triangular boxes to everyone, formed a circle outside the church and opened the boxes to release butterflies! Very amazing.
Even later last night as I was thinking about Feb 25th, I realized that back in 1997 it was the date that the attorney called us and asked if we wanted to adopt a baby that was due on March 25th. OF course we said YES. And James was born on March 29th - Easter Vigil!! 9:16 p.m.
Imitation of Christ, by Thomas á Kempis: Book 3, Chapters 40
........... This most assuredly, I may truly think and say: Lord I am nothing, I can do nothing of myself, that is good, but I am in all things defective and ever tend to nothing. And unless I am assisted and interiorly instructed by Thee, I become wholly tepid and relaxed, but Thou, O Lord, art always the same, and endurest unto eternity, ever good, just and holy, doing all things well, justly and holily and disposing them in wisdom.
Day 5 Book3, Ch 40
.... Let Thy Name be praised, not mine; let Thy work be magnified, not mine; let Thy Holy Name be blessed, but let nothing be attributed to me of the praise of men. Thou art my glory; Thou art the exultation of my heart; in Thee, will I glory and rejoice all the day; but for myself, I will glory in nothing but in my infirmities.
Today's activities were based on The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Katherine read the book to all of us.
I Printed out pages from Kiz Klub for Derek to color.
Well, first I asked him if he wanted color or black and white and I thought he said color so as those were printing he cried, "No, I want to color them" - but it is a lot of coloring for him.
(As proven - that he only made it through 3 oranges)
Then on to DLTK's sequencing cards -
Where I printed out enough for all 3 kids to make their own books.
I made Derek's booklet, but he glued the pictures where he wanted on each page.
On the last page of this book activity, I printed the days of the week out and glued onto black paper so Derek can learn the days of the week.
This page of numbers, I printed and glued to blue paper so Derek can sequence numbers.
And make life cycle circles for Caterpillars/Butterflies from Kiz Klub also.
I have been carefully thinking about how to celebrate the coming Lent.
I was feeling a little desperate that tomorrow is Ash Wednesday and I still had not decided. I thought I should just start making a list of things I could do for my sacrifice and nothing really meant a lot to me… except exercising…….. YUCK a REAL sacrifice as I hate it a lot.
So that still may be a good one.
Finally found where I was reminded of St Louis Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration.
That was the answer. Just what I needed.
I ran up to the linen closet (which is my library!!) and found de Montfort’s book Total Devotion to the Blessed Virgin. I brought it with me to the Y while the kids had gymnastics and Derek played at the park.
It is an awesome book, but not the book I needed that lays is out easily. Then I saw the back of the book and it showed the other book I have and need: Preparation for Total Consecration. It’s at home in the linen closet/library.
If you don’t have the books, you can follow this website at Fish Eaters
and it outlines how to do it, and the prayers to say everyday.
Looking at the chart, if you begin TODAY on Feb 20 it is perfect timing to make my Consecration on March 25th. The Feast of The Annunciation.
So it is my “sign” that I was supposed to find this today so that I can get started on the Start Date!
Gymnastics was followed by our trip to IHOP for dinner, in honor of Mardi Gras / Shrove Tuesday ~~ now known as National Pancake Day!?? Free pancakes! But they ask for a donation for Children’s Miracle Network. I was very proud; Kate dug in her wallet and gave a $1 and some change!
Back at home I found the book I need and want to share with all of you some more information for Lent.
In the bookshelf I found My Imitation of Christ and Wisdom’s Fool by Eddie Doherty for reading during Lent.
With the kids I’m going Lapbooks on the Simple Gifts Blog has list of ideas from other bloggers for Lent.
I've been looking for activities for the kids for lent and finally came to Julie's site
where she has her entry for the Loveliness of Lent and Weekly calendars
which I'll be doing with the kids. Thanks Julie!
I'm researching spelling help for us today. We are several weeks behind in 4th grade spelling.
It seems we forget to do it everyday. Starting today, we do it first.
I like this FREE program at SpellingTime.com, but right now we need to stick to our assigned spelling words and catch up. This would be a great summer activity.
The following is the Vatican English text of Pope Benedict XVI's message for Lent 2007:
"They shall look on him whom they have pierced" (Jn 19:37)
Dear brothers and sisters!
"They shall look on him whom they have pierced" (Jn 19:37). This is the biblical theme that this year guides our Lenten reflection. Lent is a favorable time to learn to stay with Mary and John, the beloved disciple, close to him who on the cross consummated for all mankind the sacrifice of his life (cf. Jn 19:25). With a more fervent participation let us direct our gaze, therefore, in this time of penance and prayer, at Christ crucified who, dying on Calvary, revealed fully for us the love of God. In the encyclical Deus Caritas Est. I dwelt upon this theme of love highlighting its two fundamental forms: agape and eros.
read more at Catholic Online
Praying for everyone named Joseph today;
Kids' activity: Brown Bear, Brown Bear.
The kids got to choose toys at the toystore and we all went to dinner at On the Border.
I can't believe it has already been a year since you left us for Heaven.
We love you.
We Miss you.
PHOTO from around 1971
Prayer of Saint Gertrude St. Gertrude the Great is invoked for souls in purgatory and for living sinners. Our Lord told St. Gertrude that the following prayer would release 1000 souls from purgatory each time it is said. The prayer was extended to include living sinners as well.
"Eternal Father, I offer You the most Precious Blood of Your Divine Son, Jesus Christ, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the Universal Church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen."
Full Moon
Groundhog Day
Feast of the Presentation of Jesus.
Mary Kay Clark writes, "It reminds us that we are to dedicate our children to God so that they can give glory to God and enjoy Him forever while witnessing to others concerning the grace of God. "
Learn Geography of the world. We've been playing this game all morning!!
I signed up for the newsletter at Knowledge Quest
and then was able to download "Global Mania - Master Geography in 7 months"
for free from them after they sent me a welcoming email.
This game is part of learning about geography of the world in 7 months.
http://www.wartoft.nu/software/seterra/
Seterra is a challenging geography program with 70 different exercises. Learn about countries, capitals, flags and cities in Africa, Europe, South America, North America, Asia and Australia, using outline map exercises!
I downloaded the Sebrans ABCs games too. - There are several letter and word learning games - - but I like the Math Games the best
http://www.knowledgequestmaps.com/index.htm
It's never too early for your child to become familiar with letters and numbers. Sebran's ABC's colorful pictures, pleasant music, and gentle games teach letters, numbers, simple math, and rudiments of reading.
God bless you!Laurie
I thought this would be great for St Patrick's Day coming up.
MORNING OFFERING --- Breastplate of St. Patrick
I arise today through a mighty strength,the invocation of the Trinity,
through belief in the Threeness,through confession of the Oneness of the Creator of creation.
I arise today through the strength of Christ with His Baptism,through the strength of His Crucifixion with His Burial,through the strength of His Resurrection with His Ascension,
through the strength of His descent for the Judgment of Doom.
I arise today through the strength of the love of Cherubimin obedience of Angels,
in the service of the Archangels,in hope of resurrection to meet with reward,in prayers of Patriarchs, in predictions of Prophets,in preachings of Apostles, in faiths of Confessors,
in innocence of Holy Virgins, in deeds of righteous men.
I arise today, through the strength of Heaven:light of Sun, brilliance of Moon, splendor of Fire,speed of Lightning, swiftness of Wind, depth of Sea,stability of Earth, Firmness of Rock.
I arise today, through God's strength to pilot me:
God's might to uphold me, God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me, God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me, God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me, God's shield to protect me,
God's host to secure meagainst snares of devils, against temptations of vices,against inclinations of nature, against everyone who shall wish me ill, afar and anear, alone and in a crowd.
I summon today all these powers between me and these evils:against every cruel and merciless power that may oppose my body and my soul,against incantations of false prophets,against black laws of heathenry,against false laws of heretics, against craft of idolatry,against spells and smiths and wizards,against every knowledge that endangers man's body and soul.
Christ to protect me todayagainst poison, against burning, against drowning,against wounding, so that there may come abundance of reward.
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me,Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right,Christ on my left,
Christ in breadth, Christ in length,Christ in height,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.
I arise today through a mighty strength,the invocation of the Trinity, through belief in the Threeness,through confession of the Oneness of the Creator of creation.
Salvation is of the Lord. Salvation is of the Lord.Salvation is of Christ.
May Thy Salvation, O Lord, be ever with us.
God bless you!
While exploring our first year homeschooling, I discovered websites on how to lapbook & notebooking.
We took our annual Whale watching trip on our boat to follow the Gray Whales. We have been going every January.
This was our first time ever seeing the whales do breaching-- amazing!
We also saw groups of dolphins that we have never seen in previous years.
When we got home I started to search the internet for more info on the migration of the whales for the kids, and found this great free curriculum:
http://www.acsonline.org/education/curriculum/index.html
This curriculum is intended as a resource for teachers interested inintroducing their students to whales, dolphins and porpoises. It contains some basic background information on cetaceans and offers some ideas foractivities to engage students. It is not intended to be either all encompassing or the ultimate resource. The hope is that this will serve as a springboard for teachers and their students to delve into the world of cetaceans and the marine environment.
Have Fun!
Laurie
www.UsborneBookBasket.com Usborne has great whale, dolphin, seas & oceans books too!
It has been loose for a while, but not ready to come out.
Alert the Tooth Fairy!
This is hilarious because you put in your name and it tells you what kind of Ben & Jerry's ice cream you are........... and this is my absolute favorite flavor!!!
| You Are Phish Food Ice Cream |
 You've been described as gooey and fudgey. Sorry. |
I have sugar cookie dough .... gasp! Mix.... from Costco. So we could make up some cookies for Santa. Ialso got confec. sugar the other day. We also have a "build a gingerbread house" from Costco to do.
Kate's friend H was sleeping over so they were busy. Derek fell asleep on the way home with Geoff and woke up enough to come in a fall back asleep on the sofa.
Geoff took him upstairs. I stayed up watching TV and he came tip-toeing down after 11 p.m.
He was wide awake.
I was totally into the movie 50 First dates. So we watched it .............until 12:35!!
Then I took him to bed with me and it seemed another hour before we fell asleep, he kept tossing & turning.
So I know he's going to crash soon tonight. He's been going all day and riding his bike
he's tired and cranky already.
Aren't we all.
Twas the Night Before Christmas Homeschool Style
(Author Unknown)
'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the home,Children were still studying for their test on Rome.
Mom was planning, she had just an hour,To teach 'one more lesson' before their night shower.
A whole week of vacation, the children were thrilled,But Mom saw the lesson plans, and the blocks were still filled.
"Can I stop for a day, much less a whole week?"Just the thought of time off made me shudder and shriek!
Would they remember anything, would they fall behind?"
Lord, I need your help, just give me a sign!!!"
Then out on the sidewalk, I saw my four boys,And I heard them say, "it's not about toys."
To the neighborhood kids, they explained Jesus' birth,And how through Jesus, not toys, we gain our worth.
At that point, math and spelling and learning to write,Meant little to me as I had lost the sight Of what teaching at home was truly about.
Then I sat at my desk and began to pout.The pouts turned to sobs, "Lord what have I done?
It's not about grades, but to follow your Son!""Please guide me and show me my job is to teach,and turn them to you, and of Jesus I'll preach.
"Now we'll put away books and not open them 'til later,We'll focus on Jesus, our Lord and Creator.It's His day and so we will all celebrate,
I'll never mention the words "behind" or "we're late".
So, Thank You, Lord, for blessing me,With such a great husband and family.
Now homeschooling moms, TURN OUT THE SCHOOL LIGHT!
And, "Happy Christmas To All And To All A Good Night!"
What if Jesus came instead of Santa?The Night Before Jesus CameT'was the night before Jesus and all through the house,Not a creature was praying, not one in the house.Their Bibles were lain on the shelf without care,In hopes that Jesus would not stop by there.The children were dressing to crawl into bed,Not one ever kneeling, or bowing a head.And Mom in her rocker with a babe on her lap,Was watching the Late Show while I took a nap.When out of the East there arose such a clatter,I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter.Away to the window I flew like a flash,Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash!When what to my wondering eyes should appear,But angels proclaiming that Jesus was here.With a light like the sun sending forth a bright ray,I knew in a moment this must be THE DAY!The light of His face made me cover my head.It was Jesus! Returning just like He said.And though I possessed worldly wisdom and wealth,I cried when I saw Him in spite of myself.In the Book of Life which He held in His hand,Was written the name of every saved man.He spoke not a word as He searched for my name;When He said, "It's not here" . . my head hung in shame.The people whose names had been written with love,He gathered to take to His Father above.With those who were ready, He rose without sound,While all the rest were left standing around.I fell to my knees, but it was too late;I had waited too long and thus sealed my fate.I stood and I cried as they rose out of sight;Oh, if only we had been prepared for this night.In the words of this poem the meaning is clear;The time for His coming is drawing near.There's only one life and when comes the last call.We'll find what He told us was true after all.
We don't have visitors but with 2 kids birthdays and the holidays from Oct to Dec
we are very busy around here - - especially with a vacation thrown in the middle! :)
Last night I told Geoff I don't remember the gifts I've already bought and worst of all where I have hidden them around the house!
It will be interesting trying to find them all.
Our trip to Hawaii was wonderful as always. It was a lot cooler and more windy than we have experienced. On Oahu we stayed near Koko Crater which is on the southeast side of the island and the weather is quite different there than the southwest side of the island we have visited more often.
We stayed on Maui for 5 days and that was a lot of fun. The Marriott has a big water park for the kids and water slides. We had a very fun snorkeling/boat trip to the coast and saw many fish and beautiful corals.
Happy 7th Birthday Katherine!
Dinner Party #1 the night before in Maui.
The dessert she chose was s'mores
over our own little fire.
Derek fell asleep (as usual at dinner)
Dinner Party #2 the band in the restaurant is playing the song
for everyone to sing to you- -
and we are on Oahu today!
You loved being on 2 Hawaiian islands on your birthday.
We're off on vacation to Maui - Marriott and on Ohau at a friend's house out by Koko Head Crater.
On Maui we took a snorkelling trip on a boat with a window for the kids to see the fish. The kids tried snorkelling, Kate hated it; Derek endured it; James finally fell in love with it and went quite far with me.
On the way to Koko Head we passed by Blow Hole everyday and it was quite active since there was a storm and heavy tradewinds blowing everyday we were there. It was a "cool" trip, not as much sun as we like. This is the first trip we have come home without tans. Oh well, better for the skin anyway.
We had a major school change too. I was happy with the kids' school, but always wanted to homeschool.
So after taking care of my dad until he died in February, I decided I wanted my kids home with me and we are homeschooling this year.
James is in 4th and Katherine is in 1st. She will finish some of this school's 1st grade work this month and we'll move her to 2nd grade subjects in the new year.
We went to LA for Katherine's early birthday present (dec 3) to go to the American Girl Store for her first doll and accessories. We had a wonderful time with my mom and she brought a friend.
Satuday we were busy preparing with a haircut and pedicures for my dear friend's wedding, Katherine was a flower girl.
And so we are very busy finishing the 1st Quarter of homeschool with James taking tests this week.
There isn't a short answer about how homeschooling is going........ and with everything, there are good days and bad, We are still learning how to do all this...............
Overall, the homeschooling is going well. Katie is zooming through 1st grade. I already turned in her 1st quarter grades 3 weeks ago, and she is ahead in phonics 2 quarters and english. (I knew she would do fine) She is missing having friends around all day. But we started gymnastics and met some Catholic homeschool families at the park last Wednesday after Mass.
James is taking his 1st quarter tests this week. His work is much more intense.
However, I'm trying not to push him and stress the two of us out. He and I "butt heads" very often. I knew he would be more of a challenge. Plus it is 4th grade and the expectations for writing and reading are much more.
Even I have a tough time keeping up with his workload of subjects!
I've been doing lots of research on unschooling and reading lots of internet information and books from the library.
So when we have a day of little "book schooling" I know that they are kids and they do learn a lot from playing.
It helps keep the pressure off.
Parenting remains the challenge. It is a huge adjustment to have all 3 at home all day. Usually they get along great, but they have their moments. Going up to Moms group at St. Therese on Thursday mornings has helped a lot. They get to play and do crafts with the kids and I get to see my mom friends.
We enrolled back into gymnastics at the YMCA after taking a couple months off. So we are adding in more activities as the year progresses.
Well that's still a long but short answer.
I'm reading an awesome book "My Life with the Saints" by James Martin, S.J.
Borrowed from the library. It is a Jesuit priest and he shows how he has learned about the Saints as he has "become" Catholic and a priest in seminary. He has several other books, I will be looking into.
Also been reading more about Mother Teresa. And Moms group was Great a few weeks ago to remind me how easy the Divine Mercy Chaplet is. I finally ordered EWTN on cable and love doing the rosary and DM chaplet with the videos they play.
Time to get going! James finished his science & religion tests and called a recess! It is lunch time anyway.
