| The Lee's...Homeschool (and Life's) Happenings*******************************Check out www.xanga.com/leebenvic for updates
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Sunday, May 13, 2007
Happy Mother's Day - New Orleans Trip
Please see our updated posts at www.xanga.com/leebenvic
Happy Mother's Day - New Orleans Trip - Greetings from Post-Katrina "The Big Easy"! I feel a bit guilty and sort of wish we were here to do something constructive to help with the hurricane recovery instead of just tagging along sight-seeing while Ben is at a work conference...Well, Ben tells me we are helping, at least helping the economy a bit.  Lately, we've been spoiled by military hotels which usually have full kitchens. We'll go out to eat occasionally or when we have to or grab something for a picnic, but we generally like the option of cooking in, especially with 4 kids, long waits, higher costs, etc. This plush hotel only has a coffeemaker and a refrigerator full of very overpriced snacks/drinks for sale (i.e. No microwave). This time I ended up bringing our rice cooker and lots of canned and dry food items, paper plates, etc. It's amazing all that one can cook in a rice cooker other than just rice. Here are a few links...Last night, we had a dish with brown rice, canned corn, canned tuna, some TVP, and furikake, which J12ds liked. I was getting concerned because he hasn't been eating much lately because of discomfort from his new orthodonic expanders. One tip to make hotel room dishwashing and clean up easier was to line the pot with oil so it wouldn't stick.
Today we walked and visited the National WWII Museum. That is a wonderful museum...It was a little heavy/overwhelming for J9dd...She is sometimes very sensitive to scary, violent, graphic scenes which is hard to avoid when dealing with D-Day. Similar feelings were felt when we visited Dachau concentration camp in Germany. I really appreciated these multimedia timeline maps that graphically showed for example when and where the Nazis on the European side and Japan on the Pacific side were trying to expand. They showed how the US used "dummy" paratroopers and fake tanks before and during the Normandy invasion. It was clearly laid out, so the kids could put pieces of what they already knew together, such as when the London bombings occured as in the beginning of the Narnia movie/story and also about Pearl Harbor and how Grandma and Grandpa (Vicki's parents) were forced to go to the Japanese American Internment Camp, Manzanar. You can get a better sense of why things happened and what was going through each leader's mind at the time. It reminds me of when we visited the Hiroshima Memorial while we were stationed in Iwakuni, Japan.
In the afternoon, we stopped for a "coffee and beignets" break at Café du Monde (thanks for the travel tips, Rebecca!) and also walked around the French Market.
Funny Kid Quotes: Last night we were in the hotel pool and the kids were playing a game where all four of them were stuck on Ben and he tried to get them off. I mentioned that the kids look like barnacles. J4ds said, "Yeah, we're bionicles"!
This morning at the WWII Museum, we were watching a film. I realized that we really need to move quicker through our history studies someday after Ancients/Medieval...J7ds leans over and asks me, "Mom, is this about the Civil War??"
Near the French Market, we stopped to see a statue of Joan of Arc on her horse. J4ds says, "Her name sounds like my name!" It does, sort of, when you say her name quickly...
Other Funnies: Here are some funny T-shirts we saw today in shops: "Make Levees, Not War" and "I drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was gone".
Tonight, I tried the rice cooker spaghetti with whole wheat spaghetti, canned spag. sauce, corn, beans, and TVP.
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Water Safety Patrol
Water Safety Patrol - This morning the 2 middle Js headed to the pool at 8am for Water Safety Patrol tryouts. It's too bad J12ds will have to miss Junior Lifeguards here (the program for his age group) since we'll be in CA in June...I also checked out if he could catch the program in So Cal, but their program WASN'T in June...oh well, maybe next year...I had to chuckle inside when the lifeguard told us that in Water Safety Patrol, one of the sessions includes how to treat injuries like jellyfish stings...Poor J9dd has already had 2 such stings in her lifetime, one right on her forehead... |
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Free Hurricane Unit Study
Free Hurricane Unit Study - I think we Florida newbies ought to study this over the summer...and eventually put together our emergency kit and plan...I need to stop procrastinating... |
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Elizabeth George Speare's Witch of Blackbird Pond
Elizabeth George Speare's Witch of Blackbird Pond - Our current library audiobook in the van is the Witch of Blackbird Pond. J9dd selected it...She loves to read with quite a passion, which is so exciting...I'm still waiting (and waiting...) for the reading bug to hit the boys... (Is it a girl thing?) She probably would rather read than almost anything and often carries her current book around with her. These days she likes to either read books by the same author or in a series. We both enjoyed Elizabeth G. Speare's other book which we read for history, The Bronze Bow so she wanted to read this one next. I know it's a good book when I start driving even slower than usual and taking the long way home just to finish the chapter...(I know, I know...it's wasting gas...but it's harder to get the kids to sit and listen intently for a longer period of time unless you build up a bit of momentum...)
I found a couple of links which have free literature study guides, including ones for Blackbird Pond:
Speaking of books, in the evenings Ben has been trying to read to the kids from this series about famous missionaries and later on, the kids get to listen to a usually fun, lighthearted (not-scary-before-bedtime) audiobook in bed after the lights are out...usually the likes of Junie B. Jones or Magic Tree House. I wish it were War and Peace, but I suppose beggars can't be too choosy...
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Ben has been reading to the kids from this series in the evenings.
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Sunday, May 13, 2007
update from Xanga blog
More updates at Xanga blog www.xanga.com/leebenvic
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Last Week in Review and Funny Business Names - Time has been going by so fast...the past week was like a blink of an eye...I guess we were extra busy with medical/dental appointments and J7ds' portfolio evaluation...Monday J9dd went to a Girl Scout pizza party (they are doing some end-of-the-year fun activities with the cookie money) at a place we tried for the first time, Gordy's Pizza on Lillian Highway. (As a side note, one of my family's childhood pets while growing up was a dog named Gordy...) Anyway, I know I am into weird things...I like to try unusual pizza toppings...You should try pizzas in Japan...They have toppings like squid, corn, canned tuna, etc. J12ds went up to survey the selection and told me that Gordy's vegetarian pizza looks like a pizza with salad on top of it. I was intrigued so I tried it...and asked the cook about it. Actually it wasn't their vegetarian one, it was a BLT. It was good, nonetheless...
 
Yesterday, J9dd attended a birthday party of our neighbor and her friend from Girl Scouts at PAC, where J4ds takes swim lessons with Ms. Heather. On the way home, we went to the ballfield to watch my friends Lillian O and Susan E's sons' baseball game. It was a really exciting game that was tied and went into overtime (They won). At one point, we saw both of their sons, one at first and the other at second base, tag a runner out in a pickle.
Funny Business Names
I sort of like to compile funny business names....especially the ones which, when they are translated, sound funny in the other language. Here are a few:
- Nova (One of my first cars was a Chevy Nova and we drove it during the early years of marriage) I don't know if it's true or not, but I heard that the car didn't sell well in Mexico because when translated, it means No go or doesn't go.
- Ben's IPAQ adapter cord's brand is I-go, which I wonder how it would sell in Korea. Someone else will have to help me translate it...I think it's a sort of expression of surprise or disappointment...
- I hope this isn't too offensive (since we're in the Bible Belt and all...) There is a well known Vietnamese soup called pho, pronounced "fuh", and in Huntington Beach, CA on PCH, there is a restaurant called, "What the Pho".
Posted 5/11/2007 at 4:19 PM
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Today, after a few weeks of wearing spacer bands, J12ds got fitted with upper and lower palate expanders at the orthodontist. I found a video clip of what should happen here. Supposedly, I have to "turn the key" three times a week for 6 weeks. I never had expanders, but I had braces for a long time, so I can sort of relate to those awkward pre-teen feelings of having trouble talking, eating, the discomfort, the wanting to curl up and hide at first so peers don't have to see him until he gets used to them...
It really is the "coolest" orthodontic office I've ever been in...Other than the usual comfy chairs and nice magazines, they have video games, a little movie theater, serve cookies and coffee, and a somewhat annoying appointment reminder system... For each appt, I get an e-mail, a home phone message, a cell phone text message, what's next, a courier at the door???
Posted 5/10/2007 at 5:16 PM
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eBay Apprentice - I've been starting to walk J12ds through the processes involved in selling on Ebay and also trading and sending/mailing on Paperbackswap. Steve and Kerry Beck have some informative, free info about teaching kids about eBay here and here. There really are a multitude of lessons or steps involved including finding prospective items, researching the demand, taking photos (and uploading to your computer, uploading to e-Bay), writing descriptions of items, communicating with the customer, setting up payment, printing out the address, packaging and shipping, putting the right amount of postage on the package, giving feedback, etc.
P.S. An update regarding J7's previous post is here...
Appliance Entropy - It's kind of funny how a little bit of chaos breeds even more...Last night, I was sort of rushing around, trying to clean up a bit before J7ds' evaluator arrived today and didn't see a thin cloth purse strap under J9dd's bed which got caught in the vacuum and disabled it...(thankfully, Ben was able to fix it tonight by repositioning a belt). Then, right after the teacher left, J7ds was putting in a dvd into the laptop but somehow when he pulled it out, the piece came completely out and won't go back in! Ugh...we have to figure out whether to send it in to Dell or try to get it fixed locally... (5/10/09 P.S. Kudos to Dell and whew...thank God it's still under warranty...We called tech support and the man from Panama said they would mail us a new dvd drive...)
Posted 5/9/2007 at 8:24 PM
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Joost - Let us know if you'd like a free Joost invite...It's free internet tv...They have some good National Geography-type documentaries. (Be forewarned though, some of the start-up screen has some raunchy MTV-type videos, which you may not want the children to see...)
Posted 5/9/2007 at 4:52 PM
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Wowio Free e-Books - Just FYI, I found this useful website from a homeschool e-loop,
Wowio (http://www.wowio.com).
You can download 5 free e-Books a day and they have quite a selection of various old and new books (not merely books on public domain) including, for example in the Children's section, recently published history project books of things you can build yourself for Ancient Egypt, Civil War, Colonial, WWII, and also another set of history books called Tools of..., Tools of Native Americans, Ancient Greeks, Romans, Navigation, etc. which sell for at least $12 each if purchased elsewhere...Check it out when you have a chance...
I hope you know I would gladly pass along this or any other helpful info without any extrinsic benefit, but as a little caveat or disclaimer, there is a referral reward. If someone does sign up, you can tell them who referred you and if they get 10 referrals, they would get an IPOD shuffle...(leebenvic(at)gmail(dot)com)...Thanks!
Posted 5/9/2007 at 11:16 AM
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Today J7ds went to see the optometrist on base and at least at first, he was excited to get to wear glasses. He has astigmatism (like his Mom), otherwise he has a very mild prescription, 20/30 in one eye, 20/25 in the other. I was encouraged when the optometrist told me the glasses might help him read better because the letters will be more in focus as the glasses correct the astigmatism...Can they also help him to write neater as well?? We went to Walmart right after the appt to pick out his frames and he was so excited, telling me he wanted to get a leash and clip on sunglasses for it. I really wonder how long the glasses will last since he is "all boy" and I imagine he'd be fairly rough with them...
Ben took a lower level Navy foreign language reading exam in Korean (excerpts from Korean newspapers) today and managed to pass it! Next time, he will try the oral listening portion. He wants to brush up his listening skills by listening to Korean news broadcasts. We figured out that his lifespan can be broken up into thirds spanning about 14 years each. So far, he spent about 14 years or 1/3 of his life in Korea during his childhood and 2/3 of his life in the States.
Tomorrow , to comply with Florida education laws, J7ds will have a year-end portfolio evaluation by a certified teacher who in our case, is also a homeschool mom in our homeschool group. I've heard it shouldn't be bad...we've just never had to do anything like this in previous years in CA (filed a private affidavit) or at overseas bases, so it's a bit nerve-wracking for the first time...(5/9/07 Update: Thank God, it went fine...He needs to work on his penmanship...)
Posted 5/8/2007 at 10:20 PM
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The Spelling Man and a New Lawn Mower - Sometimes with timing and logistical issues, we aren't able to attend many homeschool conferences. This evening while making dinner (udon with veggies, tofu, fishcakes, and kimchi), I was listening to an excellent downloaded homeschool conference lecture ($3.50, 1 hour) by Andrew Pudewa (from IEW) "Teaching Boys and Other Children Who Would Rather Make Forts All Day" about how to best motivate kids to learn. J4ds walked in the kitchen, recognized the speaker's voice and asked, "Is this spelling?" (I've also heard very positive feedback from an IEW Yahoo group about this presentation, The 4 Deadly Errors of Teaching Writing.
Today we finally broke down and bought a gas powered lawn mower, since our better-for-the-environment manual reel mower just wasn't cutting it, ha ha, get it? I was getting concerned that the housing office was going to issue us a your-grass-is-too-long "ticket" pretty soon...While Ben was mowing the lawn, the 3 younger J's found and caught a frog and put him in a covered bucket with air holes and then found the now prevalent love bugs to feed it. J7ds asked me, "Mom, do frogs eat love bugs?" I don't know...Go look it up...or I suppose we'll find out...(Somewhat under duress from Mom and Dad , they let him go a couple hours later...)
Posted 5/6/2007 at 8:46 PM
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| Ben ("Dad") has had a number of dental problems lately...He had an abscess in his gum near a bridge and now he is waiting his turn for a root canal and possibly an implant. It has been quite painful for him at times...I'm hoping and praying he can get these problems fixed soon...
Posted 5/4/2007 at 9:33 PM
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What a Job - This morning, Ben was showing the kids photos from this website, Best of the US Navy (Photo) CD Collection and as they were looking at this one of a very muddy Navy SEAL trainee, J9dd was asking about what SEALs do. Ben explained that during their training, they have to exercise A LOT, even in the mud and they are food and sleep deprived...She asked quizzically, "Why would anybody want THAT job?"
She had been thinking about different jobs in the military after writing an essay for the Military Appreciation Month Essay contest , which she won first place in her age group. She wrote about wanting to become a cook or rather ...ahem...a "culinary specialist"...
Posted 5/4/2007 at 9:42 AM
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| eBay Apprentice -
Posted 5/3/2007 at 6:2 PM
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Military Cadence Alarm Clock - One of the many unique aspects of living on-base here has been the fact that our place is within earshot of the track and field. This means that almost every morning (including weekends) at about 5:30 am, we can hear the faint and not-so-faint sounds of troops running and singing their military cadences. It actually is a great exercise motivator...It helps me roll out of bed earlier...If all of them can do what they are doing, I can at least wake up and do something, like go out for a morning walk...Someone needs to invent an alarm clock that emits these early morning cadences...It would be a best seller .
Here are some cadences I've heard recently:
"We are Navy Rescue Swimmers...We save lives in the deep blue sea..."
and another group:
"I love PT (physical training), how 'bout you? Left, right, left, right," etc.
Posted 5/3/2007 at 5:49 PM
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Monday, we went roller skating with the Girl Scouts...
Ben stopped by for a few minutes after work:
Here is J9dd skating limbo (sorry it was really dark in there):
(I don't know what happened...the photos of J12ds didn't come out...)
Posted 5/2/2007 at 8:48 AM
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Dad's Home - J9dd's sign on the door yesterday:
Posted 4/30/2007 at 11:18 AM
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Saying Goodbye to #6 - There are various memorials all over town...This one is on our block...
This was a unique one made out of plastic cups in a chain link fence at a Catholic school
Posted 4/30/2007 at 11:15 AM
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This book (below) caught my eye on the New Release shelf at the library...
To Catch a Predator website
Perverted Justice.com
Posted 4/28/2007 at 9:13 PM
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This may seem strange and obscure, but J4ds has a favorite sign that we pass almost every day on the way to swim team practice:
Every day is one of the three older kids' designated days, where they get unique privileges (e.g. getting to sit and study in the recliner and having J4ds as his/her "apprentice" for the day), make "kid-type" command decisions (e.g. pick the snack at the grocery store), or special duties (from "Mom's" never-ending honey-do list). This was J9dd's day and J4ds wanted to sit and do math with her.
I hope this doesn't break any copyright laws or anything...The kids were really excited to check out and watch our library's (Southwest Branch Library) new Bill Nye the Science Guy dvds...and J7ds took a photo of it...
Posted 4/26/2007 at 8:42 PM
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Mealtime Themes - I read advice somewhere that occasionally it's good to do something educational during mealtimes, esp when it's just me and the kids, so their conversation doesn't naturally degenerate to topics dealing with "grossology"... (Enjoyed your photos of the San Diego museum exhibit, zojoandcompany! I think it's coming to our area soon, to Mobile, AL)
Sometimes we play a history trivia game, I read aloud or we listen to an audio book, or listen/watch Spanish or Latin tapes. Yesterday, we tried listening to a Daily Audio Bible broadcast online. I have the bible on cd somewhere, but this format is nice because I don't have to change the discs, I can just click on it everyday, 20 minutes a day to read through the bible in a year...
Posted 4/26/2007 at 4:25 PM
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| Vicki's Nephew Darren and Susan's Upcoming Wedding - J9dd will be the flower girl and J7ds will be the ring bearer...
Posted 4/26/2007 at 2:55 PM
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Kitchen Critters - Yesterday afternoon when we came in from running our usual Wednesday errands, I immediately noticed something was amiss...I had an empty peanut butter jar soaking by the sink and the lid was off and half the water spilled out and the Tupperware sandwich keeper was wide open and half a peanut butter sandwich was gone...At first we thought it was a hungry human intruder, until we saw the screen window holes. We are suspecting a squirrel because our yards are quite overrun by them. We didn't know if it was still in the house or not...I'm pretty sure the sandwich keeper was sealed...I wonder how he opened it up...Then my imagination got the best of me and I thought, maybe it WAS a human intruder who put little holes in the screen so we'd think it was a squirrel..., except nothing else was missing other than half a peanut butter sandwich.
I used to think squirrels were cute and enjoyed them at parks but after living here, I realize they are glorified rats...They always get in our garbage can and tear into the bag and trash ends up everywhere...They pillage the bird feeder...The other day, our neighborhood had an Easter egg hunt and squirrels had taken candy filled eggs before the hunt started and they were eating the candy and throwing down the empty shells and trash at us...No kidding!
As if that wasn't enough, last night we had a little movie night and saw a Night at the Museum dvd. It was late and I had just left the Tupperware thats-a-bowl on the kitchen counter with some remaining popcorn and kernels. Well, this morning, I was still half asleep until I took a peek into the bowl to see my friend, Mr. Cockroach here greet me! I know, it's embarrassing to admit finding a cockroach in one's kitchen...I'll be the first to admit that housekeeping is NOT my forte but I don't think we are teeming with them, this is only the 2nd one I've seen so far. I've never seen such large cockroaches before...The first one has a funny story behind it...Many months ago, it was in my oven mitt and just as I was about to put it on to get something out of the oven...something dropped out! eeeekkk!
Speaking of housekeeping, I really like organizing but not cleaning...First the kids clean, then I clean up after them, then Ben has to clean up after me...
Posted 4/26/2007 at 11:58 AM
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2 Brothers, 2 Lost Teeth -
Posted 4/26/2007 at 11:56 AM
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This has been an emotionally draining week...Yesterday, our computer has a program which flips through old photos during the screen saver and this one cracked me up. It was when J4ds was about 1.5 years old and we were traveling in Sardinia and here he is laying on the beach "studying" a travel book. I need to send it in to a travel magazine or something...
Posted 4/24/2007 at 4:53 PM
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Coach Dom's Memorial - It was a very moving and beautiful "celebration" of his life...I was overcome with emotion and choked up twice...once while admiring the photo collages of his life up (and the Powerpoint photos), especially the ones with him and his kids and then when we sang this song, one of my favorites, I Can Only Imagine...Sometimes I complain to Ben and J7ds that they take too many photos, use up too much (computer) memory...and yet, it is the photos that outlast us and help us relive those precious memories of our lifespan...At the service, they gave everyone a special momento to take home, a family photo card (similar to photo Christmas cards) of Coach Dom, Susan, and the kids.
On a side note, They are Mariners fans and one of the photos of the family in Seattle Mariners shirts, reminded me of when J12ds used to like to wear his Mariners jersey (given to him by Uncle Gary and family in WA) to baseball practice last fall and Coach Dom would give him an extra pat on the back in support of his beloved team.
I can only imagine
What it will be like
When I walk
By Your side
I can only imagine
What my eyes will see
When Your face
Is before me
I can only imagine
{Chorus}:
Surrounded by Your glory,
what will my heart feel
Will I dance for You Jesus
or in awe of You be still
Will I stand in Your presence
or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah,
will I be able to speak at all
I can only imagine
I can only imagine
When that day comes
And I find myself
Standing in the Son
I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever
Forever worship You
I can only imagine.
Posted 4/24/2007 at 1:20 PM
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In Her Shoes - While I was thinking about Coach Dom's passing, I was feeling sad for his wife (my friend Susan) and their 3 young children. I try to imagine being in her shoes...One day having a stable, loving, Christ-centered, homeschooling family and the next day, suddenly becoming a single mom and a widow. I have complete faith that God will provide for Susan and the kids. Philippians 4:19 "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." If anyone can, I know Susan can. She reminds me of Eleanor Roosevelt's quote, "A woman is like a tea bag - you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water." There are plenty of successful single moms out there and it is comforting to know that she has a network of family and friends nearby to help her. It is a different outcome than one may have hoped for or dreamed about and yet Proverbs 16:9 says, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps."
Life changing events like this remind me not to take God's free gift of salvation, His love and everyday blessings for granted. I need to count my blessings and realize what a privilege it is to spend each day, each moment with my husband and children without complaining and losing my patience and my temper... I don't deserve any of it and yet, God lavishly bestows them for a time.
Posted 4/23/2007 at 9:48 PM
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| J4ds' cards - This morning during our study time, J4ds was busy making cards. I came by and asked him who the cards are for...He said one is for Coach Dom (see previous post) and one is for #6 (the Blue Angel pilot who died in a crash on Saturday). Coach Dom's reads, "I hope (you are) ok Coach Dom. Love, J4ds."
Posted 4/23/2007 at 10:36 AM
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J7ds' Pedometer -
This is J7ds outside our front door after he wrote a note on the board. First, I had to remind him that we can't disclose and broadcast where we are going in case bad strangers see it and take advantage of the situation...Then, I took a picture of it since he was so excited about getting a pedometer. Here is a translation of his note (sorry, we're still working on his spelling, punctuation, and penmanship...) "We are going to Walmart to get the pedometer. My mom said to erase it." Here is what I overheard him tell his dad (currently on a trip in San Diego) over the phone: "Dad, Dad, I got a p'momder with my own money! It was $2. And today I took twelve thousand and eighty-eight steps."
Last year my sister N. and her daughters started wearing pedometers and she gave me one. I had read that they are good (i.e. easy and painless) incentives to exercise and walk more. Another friend from Sigonella, Sicily days, Ken I. always wore one too. Anyway, I have a feeling they are far from accurate (especially these $2 cheap ones we get), but we just use it as a relative gauge and try to increase our number every day. J7ds likes to watch me write down the number in my journal, and you know, he's a numbers guy, so he likes to write his number down in his journal everyday too...I'm wondering how many days it will last until it gets lost while he's playing football at the playground...J9dd bought one too and of course they have a little competition going of who took the most steps...Yesterday afternoon, J7ds asked me, "So, mom, shall we go take a walk?" P.S. The photo below was from another day with his pedometer...
Posted 4/23/2007 at 7:55 AM
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Funny Baby Carrier T-shirt Photo - Is it real or...just a t-shirt???
Posted 4/20/2007 at 9:18 AM
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K9 Free Home Internet Filter - Someone on a homeschool e-mail list mentioned this site (I found it on Yahoo Groups NotebookingNook and the person who shared it found it on a MOMYS list (Mothers Of Many Young Siblings)). I decided to try it out so we'll see... J12ds really likes this one online game called Runescape. The other day I was almost flabbergasted when he revealed to me that, on it, he chats with strangers about the game. What??!! So what personal information have you been disclosing to them??! He tried to reassure me that it's all quite anonymous...I'll have to check it out further...I need to rea
Wednesday, August 9, 2006
Random Thoughts
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J9's Native American Picture Writing with Draw Write Now (she also narrated it and took the photo & video)
Posted 4/19/2007 at 1:3 PM
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Fundraiser Community Event for our friends - see also this article in a local paper, The Pelican, page 24, (Volume 23, Issue 17, April 20-26, 2007)
Posted 4/19/2007 at 11:54 AM
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A Call to Prayer for Virginia Tech Tragedy
Other thoughts:
- I wonder if he played too many violent video games...
- Not to blame his parents at all, as I can't imagine what they are going through, but the former roommates said no one ever visited him, even his parents. I just wonder why
Posted 4/18/2007 at 6:23 PM
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Cozi.com Shopping List - I read about this in a family magazine and thought I'd try it. The free feature I was most interested in was the one where you can store your shopping list online and if you forget your list while you are at the store, you can call or text message Cozi and it will give you a voice or text message with your shopping list to your cell phone. For whatever reason, sometimes I end up rushing out the door without my list and hope this helps...
Posted 4/17/2007 at 10:0 PM
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A Weird Way to Prepare for Hurricanes - In a quasi home inventory, I started to make a list of favorite homeschool resources we have collected over the years that I would ideally like to either take with us or get replaced in the event of a hurricane or other disaster.
Speaking of weather happenings, we have a weather alert emergency radio lantern from Sam's Club hooked up in my bedroom all the time. (Can you tell I've never been in a hurricane before?? , well, we had tsunamis when we lived in Japan, does that count? I've never had to be evacuated though...) The other night it was raining and the alarm kept going off several times in the middle of the night due to "marine warnings". I wish the thing could distinguish between land and marine warnings...I really didn't need to know that I shouldn't be in a boat at 3am...I just want it to tell me when a big hurricane is within 200 miles, so we can jump in the car and start driving to California ...OK, Ben will want me to stop joking around and saying that...
Posted 4/17/2007 at 9:50 PM
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| Recall: Listerine Agent Cool Blue Plaque Detecting Rinse - Thanks to my friend Janet K. from Iwakuni, Japan days for letting us know about this recall. (She and her husband are both dentists, her husband is a Navy dentist). We have a bottle of the Bubble Blast flavor up in our bathroom and didn't know about the recall, so it was helpful info...
Posted 4/17/2007 at 6:31 PM
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| I've been in a bit of a groggy fog today after driving Ben to the airport early this morning at 4:30am. He took a taxi the other morning during the unsuccessful attempt, so he really couldn't do that again. At least he arrived ok this time...It's funny how nothing ever happens when he's around, but as soon as he leaves town, the unusual happens...like J11ds and J7ds were folding laundry in my room, played "baseball" with their (clean) underwear, and somehow J7ds managed to lock all of us out of my room! Fortunately, right before I was going to call Maintenance or someone for help since I couldn't unlock it with a paper clip, J11ds managed to unlock it. Then the "maintenance required" light goes on in the van after we just took it in a couple weeks ago...
Posted 4/16/2007 at 9:58 PM
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| I ran into a homeschooling neighbor at Walmart today and she told me she was shopping for printer ink, lamenting how much ink a homeschooling family needs to use. I was telling her that we have had success with refurbished inks. We bought some at an Amazon.com Marketplace (3rd party seller), TFP International (TFP = The Fine Print). The ink we purchased came out to about $12 including shipping, much cheaper than the $20-30 new price, even from Sam's Club or Costco.
Posted 4/16/2007 at 9:49 PM
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| Ben has an upcoming work-related trip to San Diego. His original flight was cancelled due to severe weather problems in the connecting airport, Dallas/Fort Worth and then the subsequent flights were booked, so after many hours of waiting in the airport and trying for various flights over two days, he will have to depart 3 days later early tomorrow morning.
Posted 4/15/2007 at 9:26 PM
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| I have a heavy heart after hearing about my friend here S.'s husband D.'s medical condition. They are friends we met through Lillian's family and from Perdido Fall Baseball and the homeschool group. They have 3 young children about our kids' ages. D. has been suffering from a rare disease which required him to seek medical treatment at John Hopkins in Maryland. Recently he is experiencing life-threatening and severe complications. He is in the ICU on a ventilator and dialysis. S. is up there with him and the children are here in Pensacola staying with family and friends. Please pray for a miraculous healing for D. and peace for the rest of the family during this time.
Posted 4/15/2007 at 9:13 PM
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Friends from Sigonella, Sicily Days - Last Friday we went to visit our friends from Sigonella days, the Z.'s and also the G.'s who stopped by while on a road trip from Illinois, near St. Louis, MO.
Posted 4/15/2007 at 8:54 PM
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Friends from Sigonella, Sicily Days - Last Friday we went to visit our friends from Sigonella days, the Z.'s and also the G.'s who stopped by while on a road trip from Illinois, near St. Louis, MO.
Posted 4/15/2007 at 8:9 PM
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| Navy widens language bonus program Navy Times article - Thanks to our friend Rich Q. who gave Ben this article.
Posted 4/12/2007 at 10:5 AM
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Reading to Siblings, a Latin Table Blessing, Pirate Party, and the NFL:
This morning the 2 younger Js shared a tender moment when J7ds read to his little bro.
Here is J4ds reciting a table blessing in Latin from a program we are trying to start called Latina Christiana
Benedic, Domine, nos et haec tua dona quae de tua largitate sumus sumpturi per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
I bought the program used off of Ebay after borrowing at my friend Lillian's set. It's kind of funny at first because the teacher in the dvd has a southern accent (I think they are from Kentucky), but it really doesn't matter since Latin isn't spoken in everyday speech. We like the way she says "largitate" with a southern accent...kind of like "large-ih-tah-tae"
Last weekend we went to our neighbor's Pirate themed birthday party:
Our friend's (the birthday boy's) grandfather, Edd Hargett played in the NFL (a few decades ago) for the Saints and in college for Texas A & M. Here he is with J4ds.
Posted 4/11/2007 at 1:41 PM
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| Outsourcing a Class or Two - We are looking into some educational options for homeschoolers in our area. One is a weekly "blended school" science program at the local zoo for the older 3 Js in the fall and maybe a couple of online classes for J12ds this summer (writing and keyboarding, and later computer classes). To prepare, I've been filling out reams of forms and paperwork and yesterday we took the kids in for their school physicals and shots. They were real troopers getting their immunizations, nobody cried and later they celebrated with kids meals at Sonics...(was that bribery or positive reinforcement?) We didn't realize before that J7ds had trouble reading the eye chart, so he'll get to visit the optometrist soon. He was actually excited about the possibility of getting glasses, like his big sister...
Posted 4/10/2007 at 10:31 PM
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| Happy Easter! Christ has risen indeed!
Posted 4/8/2007 at 2:40 PM
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| to you
Posted 4/7/2007 at 10:41 PM
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Mark Schultz - Walking Her Home - I was cleaning up in the kitchen today and heard this song on the radio...I think it's about the songwriter's grandparents who were married for 60 years. It reminded me of my parents and especially of Ben's maternal grandparents. Halabuji (sp?) (Grandfather) was so faithful to his wife of many years, even (or especially) during her years of declining health in a nursing home, he would visit her everyday, sing and read to her, and take care of her so joyfully and tenderly...We have friends in CA and it also made me think of Jim's older brother who passed away last week and the brother's wife of 65 years passed away today, just a few days after her husband during the evening after she heard about his death.
After I asked Ben to listen to it, we were thinking of other tearjerker songs and this is another one for me, this one about a father and his growing-up daughter:
Bob Carlisle - Butterfly Kisses
Posted 4/7/2007 at 7:33 PM
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| We have been trying out this program called Joost, free internet TV from the makers of You Tube. We didn't want to promote even more electronic screen use around here by paying for cable and then feeling obligated to watch it, but since this is free, we figured we'd try a National Geographic or other documentaries once in a while...
Posted 4/6/2007 at 2:39 PM
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| Time Magazine Article Local vs. Organic - I was thumbing through this Time magazine the other day at the library and enjoyed that issue's last page commentary (sorry I can't find it online at the moment)...The author was mentioning that she wanted to make better consumer choices...that instead of wasting so many fossil foods transporting, for example, bananas from Ecuador, which her family loved, she would substitute them with some locally grown apples. I started to think about that...We also eat a lot of bananas (probably from Ecuador) (J7ds' favorite) and we like red grapes from Chile (esp. the ones from Sam's Club)...but I've been slowly trying to substitute those with Florida oranges . I'm starting to look at the package labels more carefully...The frozen tilapia I bought from Walmart came from China. Yikes...I suppose the environmentally prudent thing to do would be to TRY to buy locally, when possible and sacrifice/substitute/do without those products from far away...Although I suppose an argument can be made in support of globalization, world trade, etc. Well, of course there will always be some items that are just not available locally-coffee, international foods (e.g. Asian seasonings/spices), etc. I don't think we're ready to forego all of those yet...
Posted 4/6/2007 at 1:22 PM
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Some of the kids were thinking of submitting something for an upcoming Military Appreciation Month Contest coming up. For J7ds' level, he can draw and either copy an existing or make up his own unit insignia logo. He wanted to copy his dad's. (Do you get it? It's a ram, because the program is called RAM, Residency in Aerospace Medicine ) J9dd has to write an essay about "What job would you want to do if you were in the military?" She's thinking about either an Army veterinarian or a Navy cook...She also loves to draw, so she also worked on J7ds' project, just for the fun of it.
Photo: L to R, J9dd's drawing, J7ds' drawing, and the real thing. I think J7ds needs to color his in with markers...
Posted 4/6/2007 at 10:21 AM
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When we're up to it, we try to ask the same questions on every birthday. Here are J12's answers:
I like to...play video games
Mothers are...They read a lot.
My favorite food is...pizza.
My favorite place is ...home.
Daddies are...busy and enjoyable.
Today I feel...happy.
The best thing about my home is...the electronics.
I love to...play computer games.
My father...is learning how to fly.
My mother...is reading me questions.
I wish people wouldn't...interrupt me. (said as J4 starts to be silly and tickle his biggest brother during the interview )
When I grow up, I...don't know.
I wish I could...fly.
My favorite song...none.
My favorite meal...I already said pizza.
My favorite sports...basketball and football
My favorite book...I don't know.
My favorite movie...I haven't watched any recently.
My favorite TV show...We don't get cable.
My favorite color...red.
Posted 4/4/2007 at 3:58 PM
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| This morning the kids ooh'ed and ahh'ed over these Robert Krampf's Science videos...We tried the one predicting orange slices and it worked! (Ours was 12).
Posted 4/4/2007 at 3:35 PM
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Newsweek Article: US Troops' Last Letters: 'If You're Reading This...' The letter no family wants to receive.
I picked up this magazine at the library today. It's a very sobering article and really puts life in perspective...
Posted 4/4/2007 at 3:32 PM
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Even though it's a bit early, we had a birthday cake with neighborhood friends this afternoon for J12ds:
 
Auntie Nancy and family sent J4ds a belated b-day box full of goodies, including a new suit, which he can wear to upcoming cousins' weddings in CA:
Posted 4/3/2007 at 6:52 PM
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Here is J7ds' latest "poker face" or at least eyes!
J4ds likes this Spanish song of colors and vowels from La Clase Divertida (a program we're borrowing from my friend Lillian). He was singing it really loudly like this the other day when we were waiting for our oil change in the waiting room...(The loud, "I know!" is J7ds in the background "talking" to his spelling cd as he's correcting it...)
Posted 4/2/2007 at 11:18 AM
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Examining Roadkill - On the way home from church this morning, there was a dead opossum in the road and her baby. We turned around and took a photo of them. I found a website where teachers and students study roadkill. Some people even dissect them...I guess we're not quite at that stage yet...
Posted 4/1/2007 at 5:6 PM
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| I was reading this newsletter from Family Life and came across this article entitled Guarding Our Daughter's Moral Purity, A Nervous Father Interviews His Daughter's Date by Dennis Rainey. I was trying to imagine Ben having to do this for J9dd in 10 years or so...
Posted 4/1/2007 at 2:57 PM
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My friend Lillian asked me for my recipe...I hope I don't offend any Korean culinary purists with all my short-cuts and easy modifications, but I've included it below, in case you are interested. It was also funny to discover more friends around here than we thought (Lillian, Cary, Susan E.) who actually like kimchi!
Chapchae (Vicki's modified super-easy version) (Vermicelli Noodles with Vegetables)
large package of chapchae dang myun or Korean sweet potato vermicelli noodles
sesame oil
sugar
salt
pepper
garlic powder
sesame seeds
soy sauce
onion, chopped
shredded carrots
broccoli slaw mix
Any shredded/diced/chopped veggies
any seafood/meat (shredded/diced/chopped), omit if making vegetarian version
eggs 4-6
1. Boil noodles as directed on package, about 5-10 minutes, until al dente. Drain and rinse in cold water and place in large bowl. Season the noodles: Drizzle a few tablespoonfuls (~4+) of sesame oil until it is mixed in (you can always add more later). Also add sugar (~2 T or to taste) and liberally add salt, pepper, garlic powder, sesame seeds to taste. (Optional: you can use soy sauce in place of some of the salt, but if you use too much it may discolor the noodles and make it too watery).
2. Chop/dice/shred veggies or meat, if necessary. Stir fry them all together in olive oil, sprinkle with salt and garlic powder, until veggies are limp. Scramble eggs, add 1/2 t of sesame oil and a bit of salt, then fry to make a thin sheet, slice. Add cooked veggies/meat/eggs to noodles and mix well. You may need to add more seasonings (sesame oil, sesame seeds, salt, pepper, sugar, garlic powder, etc) to taste.
Note: if you use beef and/or shiitake mushrooms, you may want to marinate them in a teriyaki sauce with a bit of sesame oil before step 2.
You can save time and do both steps 1 and 2 concurrently.
Posted 3/30/2007 at 4:36 PM
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| My friend, Mrs. Zojoandcompany, e-mailed me this info about how to survive a crocodile attack...It could come in handy someday, esp. living in FL...
Posted 3/30/2007 at 3:40 PM
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I was showing the kids some of our old photos from a trip to Naples, Italy and Pompei of real mosaics. They are realizing how intricate and time consuming it is to fill in each space with (in their case) colored eggshells...This project is perfect timing...maybe I can salvage the eggshells from upcoming Easter eggs...
Posted 3/30/2007 at 10:0 AM
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J9dd drew an Arctic coloring book for her baby brother...He must be just a tad spoiled...He wanted another one with fire engines instead...
Posted 3/29/2007 at 10:57 AM
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Unfortunately, this is NOT our puppy...J4ds is with his friend M. and his family's new puppy, Fisher.
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Monday, August 7, 2006
Northern Route
| J4ds has been into watching Star Wars, Episode II over and over lately (not all day or all in one sitting, just over the last few weeks ) It made me think about how I've been a stickler for subtitles during home dvd movie viewings. Back during my (Vicki's) college years, I was spending a year abroad studying in Japan and teaching conversational English on the side. I had one student who insists she learned a whole lot of English just from studying movie subtitles. I think it can only help and can't hurt for kids to also see and read the words. Sometimes we play a little game with J7ds and pause the movie before the speaker says his line and let J7ds read it.
Posted 3/25/2007 at 9:49 PM
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We went fishing on base tonight (and caught and released this one...) We looked it up at home and it looks like it was a Sheepshead fish.
Some swim team kids and coaches who were in town for their spring break went to a bowling party on Wednesday.
Here is Ben doing a card trick he learned on You Tube...J9dd is taping him.
Posted 3/24/2007 at 9:35 PM
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J7ds: "I wish they had a Where the Red Fern Grows, episode 2."
It's sort of heartwarming when a child (or anyone for that matter) reads a book that they wish would never end...I was reading in a book about homeschooling teens that audiobooks can play a great role, especially in a reluctant reader...So, I've been picking out different ones from the library for us to listen in the car and this one was a winner...except it's tough driving around with tears in my eyes after the dogs passed away... We struck out a couple of times with duds, one time the cd was old and we couldn't hear it well (Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories) and another time, the kids didn't care for the voice of the reader who was also the author (Wrinkle in Time). This week, we'll try listening to Redwall.
Posted 3/23/2007 at 1:25 PM
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| At work, Ben gets a lot of public health info like this infant sling recall...He wanted to spread the word in case family and friends happen to use this sling...I've heard about a lot of benefits of this type of sling...I never cared for them, but practically lived in my Baby Bjorn baby carrier...
Posted 3/23/2007 at 9:21 AM
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Ben's M9 Pistol Training from yesterday
He also showed us some videos they showed in class about gun mishaps, search "accidental gun discharge" on You Tube or click here.
Posted 3/21/2007 at 10:25 AM
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Whew, thank God, J11ds and J9dd survived 2 days of testing...J7ds didn't have to test this year because our homeschool group doesn't start testing until 3rd grade. It was J9dd's first time ever and J11ds's third. It was very organized and well-run...and according to the kids, they served great snacks (including sandwiches, fruit, and Chex mix). We're "testing the waters" (ha ha), trying to figure out how to best comply with Florida's education regulations for homeschoolers (which are very different from California's) and this was one option at least for the older two...J7ds will need a portfolio evaluation from a certified teacher...
On an unrelated note, I am so relieved that the 12 year old boy scout was found ALIVE in the mountains of North Carolina.
Today, Ben spent the day doing pistol training...
Posted 3/20/2007 at 8:57 PM
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| Yes, in a way, the "cheapest" bird (in a zoo or science museum) gets the worm (yearly membership)...This year we didn't do it right...Last week, we found ourselves at the Exploreum in Mobile (while waiting around to meet up with Ben's cousin) and ended up buying an $100 yearly family membership, justifying that we will hopefully save money in the long run after another visit or two...I had read about this other idea and next year I want to try it...Get a membership at an out-of-state zoo/science museum (just find the least expensive one out there) and use the ASTC Reciprocal program. I found one we could have bought for $50 in Idaho. Plus, sometimes it's better to have an out-of-state one because "Science centers and museums located within 90 miles of each other are excluded from the program unless that exclusion is lifted by mutual agreement." You can apply either online or via snail mail and they always send the card in the mail. There is also a zoo Reciprocation List here. (Compare this zoo in San Jose with a $60 family pass (2 adults, 4 kids) to San Diego Zoo's rates ($90/couple, plus $24-28 per child). Anyway, it's another instance where a little forethought and pre-planning can save a chunk of change... And speaking of the green you will save...Happy St. Pat's Day!
Posted 3/17/2007 at 2:33 PM
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This morning a bird got caught in our birdfeeder. J7ds took a video.
Posted 3/14/2007 at 9:48 AM
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| The other day J3ds and I saw this at the commissary...The design is made out of soda boxes!
The other night J9dd accompanied Ben to a classmate's wedding (I know, I'm such a party pooper and never got around to arranging a babysitter...good thing we have a daughter  who likes to go out and get all dressed up!)
J7ds took this photo of his sister reading outside...
And this photo of a cardinal visiting near our backyard birdfeeder...
And here is one more he took of his sister's Playmobil castle:
One day, J7ds decided he wanted to learn how to sew, so we started a little project. Hopefully he will become a self-sufficient bachelor and do his own hems someday...or maybe a surgeon...
Here is J3ds folding laundry for me...We've been trying to use cloth rags instead of paper towels to help the environment...(Does that make up for driving 2 gas-guzzling vans?)
We added photos from the Gulf Coast Exploreum in Mobile here.
Posted 3/13/2007 at 10:5 AM
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This morning while I went to my echocardiogram appointment (It sounds like everything is fine, thank God...) and Ben had a late start morning due to his PRT (twice-a-year fitness test), I came home to find them NOT doing homework, but watching airplane crash videos...:-) like this or this. (Ben has been studying crashes and accident investigations lately). Anyway, later on we found this video...Sounds like a good art project someday...and probably the only good use of french fries!
Posted 3/12/2007 at 11:34 AM
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Today we went to Mobile, AL (about a 1.5 hr drive) and met up with Ben's cousin from NY, Tim and his wife Judy. They are in Mobile for a week on a short term church missions work project with Habitat for Humanity. We met them at their hotel and had dinner at the Waffle House so they could have some good ol' Southern grits . Before meeting them, our family went to the Gulf Coast Exploreum to see their exhibit on Pompei, which I thoroughly enjoyed, except I think the admission prices to the "real Mc Coy" in Italy were actually cheaper...
On another family note, Congratulations to Ben's cousin, Hoon and family on the recent birth of their second son, Baby "O"!
Here are some photos from the Exploreum:
  
Posted 3/11/2007 at 10:32 PM
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OK, I think I'm ready to come out of my "shell", a.k.a. Xanga posting writer's block secondary to umm... a monthly hormonal funk...
Here is a video of J7ds...His current obsession is reciting lines from the movie Facing the Giants:
The other day, we went on a field trip with the homeschool group to the National Museum of Naval Aviation here on base. The first photo is of the kids with the O's and E's. #2 is with my friend Vicky P. who designed some of the museum exhibits. The 2 younger J's and Vicky are back in time in a 1950's kitchen. #3 is J9dd before she rode in a simulator.
  
Now here are some photos taken by budding photographer J7ds. (#3 & #4 with friends Susan, Lillian, and Michelle)
    
Last week we went to the kids' end-of-basketball parties. Here they are with their coaches:
  
The 2 middle J's party was held at Chuck E. Cheese downtown by the mall. We hardly ever make it over that way and the one day we needed to go there, there were severe storms and rumors of tornados elsewhere. (It was the same day the 8 students died in a tornado in Enterprise, AL). Beforehand, we (ok, just I) debated whether to skip it due to the weather or try to "weather it out" ...We were already out in town to get the 2 middle kids fitted for upcoming CA weddings and we heard some conflicting information, the coach told us that the party was still on since the storm was supposed to end an hour after the party would be over and Ben and store clerks told me that they heard that the base and city workers were sent home early because of the weather...Thank God, everything worked out ok, despite driving home in a bad storm...I think next time I will be a weather wimp and stay home...
Posted 3/8/2007 at 10:59 AM
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Don't forget to try to look for the lunar eclipse tonight!
Happy Birthday to the kids' cousin (Vicki's niece) T. The other day, J7ds and I had this conversation:
me: Next year, (your cousin) T. might have to move far away (from home in CA) to go to grad school.
J7ds: Really?? Will they have a football team?? Mom, do they let women play in the NFL?
Posted 3/3/2007 at 11:52 AM
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August 9, 2006: Random Thoughts - More Random Thoughts:
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Route and Travel Journal Templates/Writing Prompts
- It's 10am already...so much for our early morning start...
- Here is our 2 week tentative (driving/camping with occasional hotels) route: Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, Zion National Park, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Capital Reef National Park in Torrey, UT, Canyonland National Park (Moab, UT), Arches National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park (Estes, CO), Madison WI, Chicago IL, Warsaw IN, St. Louis MO, Memphis, Millington TN, Pensacola FL.
- Travel Journal Templates/Writing Prompts: While we were waiting at AAA yesterday, I browsed 2 books: Kids Trip Diary and Kids Travel Fun Book by Loris Bree. I'm too cheap to buy the books (and we really don't have the room)...but I really like journal template questions/writing prompt for kids so I took notes on these:
- Draw something you see as you travel. Write a few words about it.
- Tell something that happened today that interested you. You can have a lot of fun writing about your own travel experiences and adventures. Some hints: When did this happen? Where were you? What were you doing? What and who did you see? How did you feel? Tell about colors, numbers, movements, and actions.
- What made you smile today? What did you do that was fun or did that you are proud of?
- Draw your own map and label your stops.
- Daily Trip Diary: Date, weather, Today we are in ___, What we did today, Things I liked best, What I saw or heard that was funny, Some foods I ate, What I bought today, draw something I saw today, my picture is about_.
- Whew, thank God, everything fit in the van...
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I know this is old news, but did you know that kimchi is one of the world's healthiest foods, according to this article? (...along with soy, olive oil, lentils, and yogurt).
I wasn't sure if I should mention to the kids how this boy escaped from a kidnapping using a safety pin. Would it be possibly helpful information someday or overly scare them? I casually brought it up this morning (not at night to avoid scary dreams) and it has helped that we have seen the Safe Side Stranger dvd before. I knew there had to be a good reason I'm terrible at sewing so some seams are attached with safety pins!
Posted 2/28/2007 at 2:14 PM
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Our neighbors T and D delivered their 3rd son over the weekend. We brought them an easy meal today:
Crockpot Cashew Chicken Fun Play Dates.com
Notes: I couldn't find the exact recipe I used online, so adapting the above link to the recipe I used, it substituted the broth, water, and cornstarch for a can of golden mushroom soup, added 1/2 t ginger, 1 C shredded carrots, 1 C chopped celery, 1-8 oz can water chestnuts, chow mein noodles (topping), omitted green onion, pea pods. Served over rice. The recipe I used was from Cindy Rushton's new Crockpot e-Cookbook, which we purchased during the last half-off sale. (More info about that cookbook is here.)
This is very similar to a recipe from my friend here Lillian. The kids devoured the one she made for us the other day. It goes well with vanilla ice cream, which I forgot to buy this time... Shhh...don't tell the kids, but I substituted olive oil for the butter in the 2nd cake for our family and they ate it just fine tonight. I've been having a "don't ask, don't tell" food policy lately, sneaking in the TVP with no complaints...I've learned that if I state it contains a healthy substitution outright, they won't go near it...Will the Lord forgive me if that is too deceptive? I know...enough people are afraid of my cooking surprises...I once gave the kids and my friend Katrina (from Sigonella, Sicily days) a brownie made with spinach ...Not to worry, I usually give full disclosure soon after a bite is taken...
Posted 2/26/2007 at 10:28 PM
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| Does anyone know how I can convert raw measurements with my tape measure into a boy's suit size? J9dd and J7ds have been asked to be a flowergirl and ringbearer (respectively, of course) in my nephew D. and S.'s wedding in CA in a few months and I need to give S. their dress and suit sizes. I can figure out J9dd's dress size from her other dresses, but I need to get the suit size...I'm wondering if there is some kind of chart online or do I need to go downtown or somewhere near the mall to a tux shop and get him measured?
Posted 2/26/2007 at 11:1 AM
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Booster Antenna.com
Evdo Mobile Wireless Internet Coverage, works with cell phone provider
Our friends J. and T. and family from Iwakuni, Japan days have an interesting upcoming travel plan. T. will retire from the military soon and they plan to temporarily live in their RV for a few months, exploring the National Parks all over the USA and eventually heading up to Alaska where they plan to build a log cabin (and possibly stay in the RV until it is completed). They are also homeschooling and their 3 boys are around the ages of our older three, so this should prove to be an exciting learning environment. I would love to do something like that someday...Anyway, we e-mailed them the above links about Evdo mobile wireless internet coverage (I think it's like getting your own wi-fi hotspot using your cell phone provider) which might work in their RV setup. Ben's classmate told him about it and it's something we're considering to replace our home DSL. If you have set this up successfully, please let us know since we're not so tech-savvy about it yet...
Speaking of RVs, I read a library book recently about cooking in an RV and found a great recipe, see below. We don't have an RV, but I thought it would have good ideas and recipes adaptable to tent camping. I liked this one because it is a way to use up cooked oatmeal. Everytime I make a big batch of oatmeal for breakfast, we invariably have leftovers and no one around here likes to eat leftover oatmeal.
Porridge Muffin Recipe (modified from Cooking Abroad Your RV)
1 2/3 c flour
2 T brn sugar (unfortunately, I had to add more sugar than this in order for my kids to eat it)
2 t baking powder
1 1/2 c milk
1 c cooked oatmeal
2 eggs
1 T olive oil
Combine dry ingred, beat together wet ingred, pour into dry ingred, and mix just until everything is moistening evenly. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full and bake 425F for 20-25 mins.
Posted 2/25/2007 at 3:0 PM
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Matthew 5:45..."that you may be sons of your Father in Heaven."
This morning was the second time this week that J9dd pointed out the prevalent fact that men seem to be mentioned more or favored over women in the Bible. She asked, 'Why does it only say "sons" and not "sons and daughters"'?! There is that somewhat delicate balance of teaching your daughter that she can grow up and reach the sky, her highest God-given potential in a world of "equal opportunity" versus the implied semantics versus the church history of custom and tradition of subverting women, mostly mentioning men in the Bible, only counting men in their census, etc. It brings back some memories of DaVinci Code that we read and our church in CA studied together...I don't buy those conspiracy theories...I told J9dd that in certain contexts it was safe to assume they meant sons and daughters.
Posted 2/23/2007 at 2:59 PM
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Please pray forthe kids' "Halmoni", Ben's mom in CA...She was walking to church this morning when a car hit her while making a turn. Thank God, it wasn't life threatening and didn't involve any head injuries...So far it looks like she has a broken arm and bruised internal organs. Thank you for praying for her recovery...Below is a photo of her from last Christmas with nephew J. and J3ds. Ben commented that it's in moments like these that make you stop taking your loved ones for granted.
Posted 2/23/2007 at 1:52 PM
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J7ds arranged his Mardi Gras beads in rainbow "Roy G. Biv" order. I think he wanted to make it like the Italian bead screen that he saw in our friends, the Zach's, daughters' room doorway.
Posted 2/22/2007 at 11:43 AM
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Sunday, August 6, 2006
Saving the Oceans
Sunday, August 6, 2006
Last Week
Friday, August 4, 2006
Almco Group
Vicki's cousin Bruce B.
retired from the military and now works as a contractor, mostly in
Iraq, helping with the reconstruction...The company is Almco Group and his name is mentioned here...
Thursday, August 3, 2006
CA State Parks Foundation Link
CA State Parks Foundation LinkIf you live in CA, you may find it helpful, like we did, to join this and
pay $25 to receive 7 entrance passes to State Parks and Beaches
(usually a $10 entrance fee). We've used the passes to go to Crystal
Cove and Huntington Beach State Beaches. You also get a one year subscription to Sunset magazine.
This
evening, we went with Vicki's sister Nancy and kids T, J, K, and niece
Dawn and her husband Matt to roast turkey dogs and make s'mores at the
firepit at the Huntington Beach State beach...
Wednesday, August 2, 2006
Ben Trains for Water Survival Test
In Florida, Ben will be doing the Flight Surgery portion of his training (Aerospace Medicine Residency)
for the next 6 months. Soon, he'll have to take a Water Survival Test,
so he's been practicing at the pool in Costa Mesa. Yesterday for the
first time, he swam the 25 meters across (1 lap) in one breath. He'll
also have to swim a mile with a flight suit on in under 80 minutes and
escape from a crowded helo dunker blindfolded, see this or this. He's
been playing a lot of games with the kids to see who can hold their
breath the longest. We used to play that in Europe and hold our breath
in the long tunnels.
Wednesday, August 2, 2006
J3ds and the Dentist, Part II
Our little guy, J3ds has to go back to the dentist today. Last year, he underwent the filling of cavities under general anesthesia. A couple months ago, he fell while running in new flip flops and broke off his fillings. I am really hoping that the dentist can do it without general anesthesia this time...I think I mentioned last time that the local pediatric dental anesthesiologist (from USC) charges a whopping $500/hour which was not covered by our dental insurance...
He got in some trouble this morning...When I came downstairs this morning, he was already raiding the candy goodie bag he received at our friend from church, S.'s Cars (the movie) themed birthday party last night.
P.S. He did great at the dentist, sat really still, and didn't need anesthesia!
Wednesday, August 2, 2006
News Article: Boy Nearly Buried Alive in Sand Hole
News Article: Boy Nearly Buried Alive in Sand Hole My
friend's friend was a passerby when this incident happened and said
that the boy was blue when they dug him out...We've seen some people
who bring industrial size shovels to the beach and dig REALLY big holes.
Monday, July 31, 2006
Extraordinary Asian Americans Book
I (Vicki) really should be clearing out closets and packing boxes, especially since the house is so eerily quiet and still...The kids are having a sleepover at their cousin's house, the K.'s. Today we saw the movie Over The Hedge at the dollar theater in Irvine with Elizabeth and kids.
I checked out the book below from the library, just to read the chapter on Michael Chang, after we met him at a recent Corona Del Mar beach party with Jenny, Ho, and Ellen. The chapter about Yo Yo Ma was also interesting...When he was 4 years old, his dad would have him practice 2 bars of Bach a day...inch by inch it's a cinch, I suppose...
Monday, July 31, 2006
Free e-Book for Military Families
Monday, July 31, 2006
Online Housing Search
We've begun to explore
Pensacola housing rental options remotely and online although we pretty
much decided we won't confirm anything until we get there. We've
received different recommendations/offers from friends of friends and
friends that live in the area. Since we know nothing about the area, I
compared an older part of town to a newer subdivision by comparing the number of sex offenders. The older area had 226 and the newer one had 22...within a 5 mile radius...hmmm...
Monday, July 31, 2006
Video of J6.ds
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Links to Promote Reading...
Friday, July 28, 2006
Mapping Out the Road Trip
Today we had to drive around
in a lot of Friday afternoon traffic getting our van fixed up for the
trip (I (Vicki) "blewed" the fuse in the van...I suppose that was when
I tried to use a car vac in the lighter plug...ugh!) and getting
"Grandma's" (Vicki's mom's) car up to par (repaired a cracked
light/lense, smog check, etc) so Grandma doesn't have to deal with all
that after we leave...and we went to the library to look up various US
travel books...
Regarding our upcoming drive from CA to FL, we're trying to decide if we should
- take
a very scenic (i.e. more National Parks) and highly relational route
(visiting some family and friends along the way and with possible lower
summer temperatures) going NORTH (towards Chicago), then EAST, then
SOUTH (Ben's leaning) or
- just
take the straightest path from here to there (EAST) so we don't add
DAYS of driving in the car with 4 kiddos, we can just get there and get
settled (Vicki's leaning) and take the northern road trip on the way
back in 1.5 years or sometime in the future...
Friday, July 28, 2006
Carjacking Near Denny's and Growers Direct
Daily Pilot Articles: 2 carjackers threaten to kill woman in lot and Carjacking suspects arrested
This news hit close to home...it was off Newport Blvd. in Costa Mesa,
right next to Denny's (Grandma takes us to Kids Eat Free Tuesday
nights) and Growers Direct, where we buy our produce every week...
Friday, July 28, 2006
6 + 4 = 1 Tenuous Existence LA Times Article
Friday, July 28, 2006
Those Confusing English Verb Tenses...
I (Vicki) had the following conversation with our youngest 3 year old son this morning:
J3ds: Look Mom, I BLOWED up the guitar (an inflatable guitar toy).
Me: Yes, good job, you BLEW it up.
J3ds: Yup, I BLEWED up the guitar...
Our Used Books or Items For Sale or Swap
(Pre-Moving Sale!
Everything Must Go! :-)
Knowledge Quest Maps
List Of Some Favorite Links
Please visit our family blog at http://www.xanga.com/leebenvic.
For security purposes, we recently started replacing our children's names on this blog with more non-descript initials. <BR>
J.12.ds = our oldest son, age 12. He likes computer/video games, Basketball, Football, and Lego.<BR>
J.9.dd = our only daughter, age 9. She likes drawing, crafts, stuffed animals, and reading.<BR>
J.7.ds = our middle son, age 7. He likes photography, animals, bugs, and nature.<BR>
J.4.ds = our baby son, age 4. He likes fire trucks, Bob the Builder, enjoys saying hi to people in uniform.<BR>
<BR>We'll be in Pensacola, Florida for about 2 years while Ben works on his second residency in Aerospace Medicine (He is also a Family Medicine Physician). Most of our extended family live in Southern CA. After Pensacola, Ben will probably have to be deployed on a ship for 6 months...Hopefully we can be stationed on the West Coast near family while he's away.
We are an Asian-American (Ben is originally from South Korea and Vicki's grandparents are from Japan), military (US Navy) family who enjoys anything "children-related", home schooling, Bible study, Tupperware Home Business, attachment parenting, traveling, swimming, camping, fishing, reading, journal writing, scrapbooking, digital photography, computers, casual get-togethers with friends, simple/frugal living, trying different kinds of ethnic food, learning about different cultures, languages, etc.
Our current homeschool methods include a somewhat relaxed, Charlotte Mason/Classical style using a mix of resources: Thomas Jefferson Education, Ruth Beechick, Cindy Rushton, Sonlight (for Literature, History), Story of The World (for history by Susan Bauer, author of The Well Trained Mind), Institute for Excellence in Writing IEW (for writing and spelling), BraveWriter.com, Math-U-See, Elementary Apologia Science, Handwriting Without Tears, Start Write, Audio books/cds (Jim Weiss, Classical Kids, Audio Memory, etc.), Tae Kwon Do, Awana, Girl Scouts, swimming, and of course, everyday life learning lessons...
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"Parenting consists of long days and short years." (author unknown)
"I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble." (Helen Keller)
"The secret to success is making very small, yet
very consistent, changes." Slogan of Messies Anonymous
Some Links, In Random Order:
List Of Some Favorite Links
Shop for
Tupperware� products online
Harbor Trinity Church
Power To Change/
Forza Per Cambiare
Visit Us @ My Space!
Some Links From Our Time Living in Sicily, Italy 2002-2005:
What Time Is It In Italy?
Church, Chiesa Battista Calvario
Chapel, NAS Sigonella
Base, Naval Air Station, Sigonella
Ben's Work, Naval Hospital Sigonella and Flight Line Clinic
Swim Team, Sigonella Swordfish
European Forces Swim League
Sigonella Homeschool Support Group
Other Links:
Homeschool Blogger.com
Our New Homeschool Blogger.com Blog
Some Favorite Links/Bookmarks
Friends' Web Sites
The Bible for your Palm or Pocket PC
Evangelism Resources
The Daily Meme.com
Learn Spanish: A Free Online Tutorial
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spoon buddies
cooling off in the sprinklers
All day J3ds kept pestering us, asking when we're going on the
train...by the time we finally did, he slept through most of it! Here
he is leaning on 
My favorites were the elephants and lion.
