May. 28, 2007
Home Spun strip #100
Posted in Home Spun comic part 5
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OK, I guess I can't put this off any longer. I wish I had something more spectacular for #100, but that's the thing with our homeschooling. We just plod along through all the holidays without even noticing they passed. So without fanfare, parades, or flags raised, here is my 100th comic strip. ;o)
 My prayers are with all soldiers, past and present, this Memorial Day. May there be peace on Earth. |
May. 21, 2007
Home Spun strip #99
Posted in Home Spun comic part 5
 Ever try testing for acids and bases? Doing this experiment once was enough for me. Boiling red cabbage leaves is not an activity for those of us with a sensitive sense of smell. Pregnancy only makes things worse. I wish we had seen this episode of Zoom, which only required setting chopped red cabbage in cold water! Don't forget to enter the Home Spun Contest! The link is on the sidebar. |
May. 13, 2007
Home Spun strip #98
Posted in Home Spun comic part 5
 Mother’s love Fills the hearts of her children Warm and bubbling and overflowing Seeping into every pore And spilling over into adulthood Into the hearts of her children’s love Her children’s children. A flood of love filling each generation Mingling with her mother’s love Her grandmother’s love Her great grandmother’s love, Stretching back to the first mother’s love And forward to eternity. Happy Mothers' Day Everyone!!!! |
May. 11, 2007
Home Spun strip #97
Posted in Home Spun comic part 5
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May. 9, 2007
Home Spun strip #96
Posted in Home Spun comic part 5
 Hmmm...I'm getting down to the wire here. MOMflippedisWOW will be expecting a book. The suggestion box is open, if anyone reading this has published. I think I'll draw it out a little and do some reprints, that way you can all see how far I've come in a year! Does anyone else feel a contest coming on? Something along the lines of "Why my family should meet the Spinners." I won't be able to do this fairly, because so many of you are dear friends, but let me think about it. |
May. 7, 2007
Home Spun strip #95
Posted in Home Spun comic part 5
 I've gotten some nice comments about starting this comic strip pregnancy. I'm still mulling over whether to speed up the process. I like the suggestions of keeping her pregnant until I run out of ideas and then put her in labor. And of course, homeschooling goes on, pregnant or not, so I might not even mention things like morning sickness, kicking, bulging belly, etc. in every strip. But it's nice to have that option! |
May. 4, 2007
Home Spun strip #94
Posted in Home Spun comic part 5
 I've said before that I started this blog pre-Sierra, and that's why there were only 2 children in the Spinner family. I've also said that if she noticed she was missing I would write her in. Well, she did, and as a present to her for her birthday, I am writing her in and she will get to name her character! Happy Birthday Sweetie! Now to decide how long I want to keep Jess pregnant. Should I speed up time a bit, or follow the style of my favorite "For Better or For Worse" and put this in real time? |
May. 2, 2007
Home Spun strip #93
Posted in Home Spun comic part 5
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Apr. 30, 2007
Home Spun strip #92
Posted in Home Spun comic part 5
 The Spinners are home again! Ever feel run down after a vacation? |
Apr. 27, 2007
Home Spun strip #91
Posted in Home Spun comic part 5
 A great way to learn a language is total immersion. In this case, I immersed my foot in an anthill. The only person around to assist me that day was an aunt who spoke only Spanish. This is how I learned the word hormigas, which means ants. Interesting fact, these are not native ants but a fierce invasive Argentinian ant species. As a teenager, I learned the word aguaviva after I got stung by a jellyfish. This proves that learning a second language can be a painful process. I'm hoping there are no fatally poisonous creatures on the island that I'll need to learn the name of. |
Apr. 25, 2007
Home Spun strip #90
Posted in Home Spun comic part 5
 We really did meet a hermit crab whose shell was too big. Add this to my "You can learn a lot from watching animals" file. This was in the midst of the building boom, both here in NY and in PR. Everyone was building huge houses for themselves. (Our own house is small, probably one of the only houses in our area under 1000 sf.) I pointed out to my kids how this little crab wanted so much, but all this huge shell did was weigh him down. He was the only hermit crab leaving a furrow in the sand. How much nicer it would be if his shell were the right size so he could move around more freely and climb my son's shirt with his friends! |
Apr. 23, 2007
Home Spun strip #89
Posted in Home Spun comic part 5
 I'm pretty sure I've spelled some of these incorrectly. Accent marks are not my strong suit. By the way, my dad makes the best arroz y gandules (rice and pigeon peas). And my Godmother makes the best flan (a custard dessert). One dish I forgot to list was pasteles. I'm not sure I can explain it. I was/am the picky eater of the family, so if I ate something, they usually didn't tell me what was in it. Ignorance is bliss, you know. I know this dish has to do with wrapping a filling, usually meat, in a banana paste. Puerto Ricans are very hospitable. They like you to stay in their homes and they like to feed you. I remember on this particular trip (almost six years ago) we decided to go to a restaurant to celebrate our 10th anniversary and one of my aunts told me, "If you're hungry when you get back, let me know and I'll make you something to eat." |
Apr. 20, 2007
Home Spun strip #88
Posted in Home Spun comic part 5
 And just because I want you to have the full virtual vacation experience, here are some links to the places I mention: Camuy Caverns-This one has a couple of pictures of the caverns, which was the most I could find. There are about a million steps in this place. Arecibo Observatory-This is the home of SETI, Carl Sagan's baby. El Yunque rainforest-Bonus! This site has a picture of our little friend, the coqui. You have never known excitement until you are 1 kilometer in both directions from the nearest bathroom, both ways are uphill, and your son has a shy bladder so you can't just use a tree. AND you have to pass a waterfall. |
Apr. 18, 2007
Home Spun strip #87
Posted in Home Spun comic part 5
 It took my son, then 5, two days to realize that no one was speaking English. Once he realized his cousins couldn't understand him, he came to me and said, "Mom, how do I say 'I want to play in your room' in Spanish, because I really want to see his toys." Needless to say, he learned a few phrases to get him through the trip. Natural learning doesn't take a vacation! Since some of you asked--Yes, your pets can vote for a new blog name too. Cats, dogs, hamsters, rats, lizards, snakes, miniature horses, etc. But please limit your goldfish voting. They'll just forget in 3 minutes anyway. |
Apr. 16, 2007
Home Spun strip #86
Posted in Home Spun comic part 5
 Names have been changed to...Oh, forget it. There's too many of them. I'll just shuffle them around a little and add the one or two I actually never heard amongst my Puerto Rican clan. |
Apr. 13, 2007
Home Spun #85
Posted in Home Spun comic part 5
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Apr. 11, 2007
Home Spun strip #84
Posted in Home Spun comic part 5
 I'm waiting for my Dad to e-mail with the "official" explanation of why Puerto Ricans have this custom. There was a song he was trying to remember that they sing when the plane lands. I'm already in trouble for calling the cuatro a 10 stringed guitar when it is a 10 stringed instrument. (I just try to print the facts, not argue semantics.) I do have the name now of the scratchy gourd thing. It is called a güiro, and it is traditionally played with the cuatro. |
Apr. 9, 2007
Home Spun strip #83
Posted in Home Spun comic part 5
 I find that one of the nicest things about homeschooling is that we are not tied to a school vacation schedule. If I want to take a day trip, I take a day trip. If I want to spend 2 weeks in Puerto Rico, ummmm...gee, I guess we have to do a little planning first. But I can always send the Spinner family to visit! So for the next two weeks, I am dedicating my strip to a very special trip to Puerto Rico, loosely based on our real life adventure when Marina was 8 and Chase was 5.  Vote here for your favorite blogs! Thoughts from the Home Front is in the Funniest Blogs category. I have to admit, I've viewed some of the other blogs in this category and there is some stiff competition. I, of course, am excited just to be nominated! Thank you to all my good humored readers. |
Apr. 6, 2007
Home Spun strip #82
Posted in Home Spun comic part 5
 There are so many Tía Fela stories, I think I'll have to figure out how to do a set of comics about her. "Once upon a time, there was a boy, and he walked, and he walked, and he walked, and he walked, and he walked, until he came to a river. Then he swam, and he swam, and he swam, and he swam....ZZZZ." Keep the stories alive in your family. They are your heritage! May everyone find peace and joy in these Holy Days. Happy Easter! |
Apr. 4, 2007
Home Spun strip #81
Posted in Home Spun comic part 5
 Quick Dad, what's the name of the scratchy thing? Do I just call it the Gourd? Send a comment before someone asks me what it is! Today I came in from filling the feeders and told my husband we have a Montreal drizzle. Only he understands that. "Oh no!" he replied. You see, we spent our honeymoon in Quebec and when we got to Montreal there was a cold wet drizzle that we spent two days walking around in. Umbrellas were useless. And it was the beginning of August so we were dressed for summer. Needless to say, I came home with pneumonia. Ah, the memories! |