Take Your SIL to Blog Day...

OK, I have created a new category: Take your sister-in-law to blog day. I'm probably the only one who will ever do this, and this may be a one-time thing, but I think she is a talented artist and I want to show some of her work.












There is lots more where that came from. She has some work in a local gallery and tonight was the opening night. We went to the show and we were very impressed. Other people seemed to like her work as well. She has some neat stuff. Anyway, I hope you enjoy viewing a few of her pieces.

Take Your Kid to Blog Day...

These poems are supposed to be in diamante (diamond) form, but I couldn't get it to turn out that way. So you will have to use your imagination. Anna wrote these for a poetry workshop class she is taking at our homeschool co-op.


Winter
nippy,crisp
freezing, numbing, piercing
frosty toes, parched throats
blinding, boiling, scorching
hot, sunny
Summer




Merle
brave, courageous
unflinching, daring, enterprising
adventurous, bold, timid, bashful
trembling, quivering, fearing,
afraid, scared
Addy

(This poem is about two characters from the book The Two Princess of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine.)

10 Things I Learned from my Parents

Denise tagged me for another meme, so here goes.

10 Things My Parents Taught Me

1. My mom taught me how to balance a checkbook.
2. My dad taught me how to ride a horse.
3. My mom gave me her recipe for fudge and taught me how to make it.
4. My dad taught me how to check the oil in a car.
5. My mom taught me that everyone is equal in the eyes of Jesus.
6. My dad taught me the value of working hard.
7. My mom taught me to stick with something when things get tough.
8. My parents taught me to be more of a "saver" than a "spender."
9. My parents taught me to learn from my mistakes.
10. My parents taught me how to be a parent.

Sick kids

Blah! Both of the girls are sick this weekend. I think that is a first--to have both of them sick at the same time. They both seem to have some kind of stomach flu. Not very fun, especially for them. I just hope that I don't get it, too. I have to teach at co-op tomorrow and our Girl Scout meeting is tomorrow night. No time for me to be sick!

Take Your Kid to Blog Day...

This week, in lieu of something my kids have done, I am including a recent picture taken of them on our vacation. This a picture of them in a redwood grove. They are inside a tree that was burned by forest fires, but is still living.

Take Your Kid to Blog Day...

Up today is Emily's response to a question in her science book. Here is the question:

Galileo faced a very difficult decision in his life. He was convinced by science that the heliocentric system was correct. Nevertheless, his church said that it was wrong and threatened to throw him out of the church if he didn't recant his belief in the heliocentric system. Galileo, in obedience to his church, agreed to publicly recant his belief, even though he knew it was right. Did Galileo make the right choice, or should he have stayed true to his science and been thrown out of the church?

Emily's response, which she worked on for quite a while: "I do not think there is a right or wrong answer to this question. Different people have different ideas or beliefs. In my opinion, what Galileo did was right. He could have kept arguing and fighting the Roman Catholic Church, even though it would get him nowhere and he would be kicked out. Instead, he stopped protesting but he still collected data because he knew he was right, despite the negativity around him. His belief in God was so important to him, he stopped promoting the heliocentric system, even though he knew he was correct. It's really hard for me to give up on an idea, especially if I strongly believe I'm right. Imagine how it was for Galileo. He was scorned and mocked for having a different viewpoint than others. Yet his love for God and the church proved more important than anything, so he publicly recanted his belief in the heliocentric system! Galileo is a role model for me because of his determination and strength in difficult situations."


In addition, I will let them answer the questions from Jennifer's meme. Anna first:

Something I do well is art and math.

Something I'd like to improve on is cheerleading and learning about God.

My favorite food is mac and cheese, pizza and grapes.

Three words that best describe me are annoying, kind to others, and happy.

My happiest moment is when I went to Disney World.

The most important thing in my life now is my family and Jesus.

Were any of the answers surprising? I was surprised that she mentioned cheerleading. She took a cheerleading class at the Y a few years ago, but hasn't really done anything since. I'm not sure why she described herself as annoying. I don't think she is any more annoying than any other kid, although her sister might sometimes disagree. The rest of the answers don't really surprise me.

Now Emily:

Something I do well is English and acting.

Something I'd like to improve on is my attitude.

My favorite food is pizza, mint chocolate chip ice cream, and cucumbers.

Three words that best describe me are caring, outgoing, industrious.

My happiest moment is when I went to Alcatraz.

The most important thing in my life now is God, family and church.

I was a bit surprised that Emily said she needs to improve her attitude. Not that it isn't true at times (she is 12, after all), just that she admitted it! LOL I was also a bit surprised at her happiest moment. I figured she would have said when she was baptized last year, but I guess her mind was on a different track--probably because she heard her sister's answer.

So, that's it for our Take Your Kid to Blog Day. You can go over to Blest with sons to read what other kids are doing and saying.

Updated to add: When Emily read my response to her answers, she said, "Oh, I wish I had said that. That really is my happiest moment. I was just thinking about all the trips we've taken." So, consider her answer changed.

Amy is giving away a book!

Amy over at Amy's Humble Musings is giving away Lies Homeschool Moms Believe by Todd Wilson. Sounds like a great little book to encourage you or the homeschooler in your life. Head on over to her site to enter for a chance to win!

Changes, changes

Hi. Glad you stopped by. As you can see, I have redecorated. That is thanks to Blogger Beta. I hope that switching over doesn't cause any problems for anyone who wants to post comments. 'Cause if it does, I have no idea how to fix it!

California vacation--the finale

Day 6

After several fun-filled days with aunts, uncles, cousins, cousin-in-laws, step-cousins, cousins-once removed, second cousins...well you get the idea. We had a fun reunion, but on Thursday it was time to move on. We headed north to Eureka to visit my aunt who, because of her health, was unable to attend the reunion. My cousin (her son) had invited us to stay with him and his wife. We drove up Highway 101 and saw some beautiful sights. We absolutely fell in love with the magnificent Coastal Redwoods. You really have to experience these fabulous trees to appreciate just how awesome they are. Here are a few pictures.

The trees are just so unbelievably huge! The second picture was taken with Brian, the girls, my niece and 2 nephews (and a couple of other kids) on the trunk of a fallen redwood. That is the end with the roots. We also stopped at a grove called Founder's Grove, where there were some amazing trees, including the fallen Dyerville Giant. Here is a picture of the Founder's Tree. I believe it is about 12 feet in diameter. There were 10 of us holding hands fingertip to fingertip to encircle the tree! It is almost 350 feet tall. We also got to see the famous "Drive-through Tree." Here is a picture of our family standing in front of it. I took a picture of Brian driving our rental car through it, but it is kind of dark. We finally tore ourselves away from the trees and arrived at my cousin's house. We had a nice dinner with them and visited for awhile before we headed to bed.

Day 7

After a delicious breakfast of pancakes, we headed out to look around Eureka. It is an old logging town and has some interesting sights. The Carson Mansion is a beautiful example of the many Victorian houses in Eureka. We also visited the site of old Fort Humboldt, where there is also an outdoor exhibit of historical logging equipment. Very interesting. After lunch, we went to visit my aunt and had a very nice visit. The afternoon found us on the road headed to a place called Fern Canyon. We took Highway 101 further north, where my cousin had us turn off onto a very rough and winding dirt road. Along the way we saw some Roosevelt elk right next to the road! We ended up near the beach and then took off on a hike into this gorgeous little canyon. There was brook tinkling through it and five-fingered ferns covering the walls. It was breath-taking! My media card reader is not working right now, so I can't download the pictures that I took, but you can go here or here to see someone else's pictures. It's almost like being in another world. Anyway, after our hike, we stopped at Gold Bluffs Beach so the kids could wade in the water one more time. I still can't figure out why they kept wanting to get in that cold water. I guess it's because they live so far from any ocean. Fortunately, they just got their feet and ankles wet this time.

Day 8

We got up on our last day and headed back toward San Francisco. We decided to take Highway 1 along the coast. The first portion of this highway was actually through more mountain and forest so it was extremely twisting and winding. We had to stop at one point because Brian wasn't feeling very well. We ended up near some blackberry bushes, so everyone got out and picked some delicious wild blackberries. YUM! We drove along the coast for quite a ways and it was breath-taking! We didn't take it all the way to San Francisco because we were running out of time to get our rental car back. We crossed the Golden Gate Bridge again--no fog this time-and made it back to SF in time to turn in our car. Then we took the BART back across the bay to our hotel, where we spent the night and left early the next morning.

Well, that's it. We crammed a lot into 8 days, but of course, still didn't get to do everything we would have liked. But, I guess that just leaves things for us to do if we ever find ourselves out that way again.

Take Your Kid to Blog Day...

Written by 9-year-old Anna: an acrostic poem

S unny days come to life
U nder the big, blue sky
M eadowlarks flying in the wind
M ischievous squirrels playing in the trees
E verlasting beautiful breeze
R apid winds finally die down

We interrupt this vacation update...

...to bring you a meme.

Wow! Denise tagged me for a meme--my first time ever--so here goes:

1. Three things that scare me:
Driving in traffic in big cities
Snakes
That my kids will not choose to serve God

2. Three people who make me laugh:
Jay Leno
My friend, Maureen
My kids

3. Three things I hate most:
Snakes
Inconsideracy (is that a word?)
When people try to play mental games

4. Three things I don't understand:
Most things about computers
Most things about electronics in general
Why there is so much hatred in the world

5. Three things I am doing right now:
This meme
Drinking a glass of water
Petting my cat

6. Three things I want to do before I die:
Go to Japan
See my children get married and have children
Have unlimited resources for travel, philanthropy, and spoiling my future grandkids

7. Three things I can do:
Drive a car
Load the dishwasher
Tie my shoes
(Hey, nobody said these had to be major accomplishments!)

8. Three ways to describe my personality:
Friendly
Self-deprecating
Nurturing

9. Three things I can't do:
Fly an airplane
Make "hospital corners"
Resist chocolate

10. Three things I think you should listen to:
Anything by Josh Groban
Our church song leader when he leads "Days of Elijah"
Your mother--'cuz Moms always know best :)

11. Three things you should never listen to:
Ditto what Denise said about Paris Hilton
Music with trashy lyrics
Anyone who is putting you down

12. Three things I'd like to learn:
How to download music onto an MP3 player
How to sew
How to be a better parent

13. Three favorite foods:
Chocolate cake
Chocolate chip cookies
Basically, anything with chocolate

14. Three beverages I drink regularly:
Water
Water
Water
(and an occasional iced tea or Coke)

15. Three shows I watched as a kid:
Bewitched
The Brady Bunch
The Partridge Family

16. Three people I'm tagging to do this meme:
Well, since I think Denise is my only reader...
But if anyone reads this and wants to do it, leave a comment so I can go read your blog.