Today is Thread the Needle Day.  So pull out those lacing cards or beads!  If you don't have any, you can make some by punching holes in cardboard or heavy cardstock and let the little ones push shoestrings through the holes.  It's also a good day to do any needle work-sewing, cross-stitch, embroidery, needlepoint or punch needle.

For the older kids, on this day in 1897, Jack London, author of "Call of the Wild" joined the Klondike Gold Rush which provided the inspiration for his story.  Start one of his books today or watch the movie "The Legend of White Fang: A Legend is Born".  Some other books Jack London wrote include: The Sea-Wolf, Klondike, Call of the Wild and White Fang.....

Today is the last day of Christine's Cooking Camp.  Today the boys will be making a yummy chocolate cake.  Cameron doesn't particularly care for chocolate cake but I do!

Later Gators

Today is Cousin's Day so if you have some, maybe you might give them a call or send them a letter.  If you are close enough, how about a visit?

It is also Amelia Earhart Day....what can you find out about her today?  Visit this website to learn about and see pictures of Amelia.... www.ameliaearhart.com 

Today I have a few prayer requests:

*My friend, Vera, who has thyroid cancer and is having surgery today to remove it.  Also, prayers for her husband and children.

*A special couple who have already faced many heartaches and battles over the last year or more are now struggling in their marriage.

*Teens in general-specifically ones in our area, who have spent most of their summer alone with parents away or working.  Help them find stability and nurturing in us.

I'll leave you with this quote from Mrs. Earhart:

"Never interrupt someone doing something you said couldn't be done."

Today is National Hot Dog Day.....can you guess what we're having for lunch?  It's also Vanilla Ice Cream Day...can you guess what's for dessert tonight?

Cameron is home with a fever today so no camp for him.  Bummer-they were going to make some yummy stuff! But, my children don't get sick very often so I take these occassional fevers a bit more seriously.

Homeschool-wise, I have been and will continue to be, working on schedules and putting all the pieces together.  I got the PE schedule last night so that helps a bit.  Now I need to fit in Science and Music Co-ops, Bookclub and Museum Day.  Once I have all of that in the schedule, I can look at field trips.  Hopefully, we will also be able to attend Mass at least once per week, maybe Wednesday or Friday-but that will depend on Isaac.  He has been doing very well with his behavior at Mass but he's 3 so that is always subject to change!

Happy Home Schooling

Today, I have to call the Dr. to get Alex's anti-Malaria medicine for his trip to Jamaica! 

Cameron has cooking camp.

Alex has Drivers Ed.

Isaac has a free day.

I have laundry, errands and other things to do.

Xavier and Zach both have work.

Full day ahead

This was a wild weekend.  It started on Thursday when my dear hubby overslept and we both decided he need to take a few vacation days to rest and work on some home projects.  He had purchased a nice screened in gazebo for my deck (we have NO backyard shade) but has not had any time to put it up.  So Thursday and Friday he worked on that.  It is very very nice!  Isaac and the dog have a hard time figuring out how to get in and out but they'll get it eventually.

Saturday, we left for Louisiana-a 4 hour drive each way for a day trip.  We traveled with another dear family.  Some dear friends-Godparents to the other twin (one is our Goddaughter) have had a VERY rough year and now their middle child has just graduated and was leaving for Marine bootcamp today, Sunday so we had to go give him a great send-off.  It was a nice drive-we had great weather and I even did some stitching in the car.  Just over the Texas border at the Louisana Tourist/Restroom stop, we even met another friend from church that was on her way into Louisiana herself! 

We had a great time visiting with our friends and their family.  We had some great conversations, awesome Louisiana food (boudin and cracklin's rocked!).  The little guys and gals loved the pool, jumping castle playhouse thing and HUGE waterslide.  Our friends thought ahead and even had a "portapotty" brought in, but only the bravest of brave used it-the "spring peeper" frogs immediately took it over!  The kids had fun trying to collect frogs from the port-a-potty, but thankfully, none made the return trip to Houston with us!

Saying goodbye to Matthew was kind of hard.  He's an 18 year old manly man who's wanted to be a soldier since 2nd grade.  He will be a great one.  He was actually glad to hear that Kyra was in the Navy and he hopes when she gets her new orders, she will be assigned his group-  Matthew knows Kyra is a no-nonsense kind of girl!  Matthew will be added to my military prayer list.  I hope you will add him to yours!

Today, Sunday, is another of our Goddaughter's birthdays-Miss Sofia.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SOFIA!  We are so sorry we had to miss your party, but we hope you like your birthday present and will wear it for many many years to come!  Ladybugs rock, don't they!?!  Your smile is such a blessing to the world-but especially to your Padrino and Madrina!  We are so thankful for you and we know you are such a blessing to your family.  Next time I see you, there will be birthday hugs and kisses !!!

Today we went to 8 am Mass. Another dear friend, Vera, was recently diagnosed with thyroid cancer and is having surgery this week so she was annointed after Mass.  Of course we were there to lend our prayers and support to her and her family!  Afterwards we had a nice quiet breakfast then came home and rested.  We did make a run to pick up some needed items but other than that it has been nice and restful.

I will try to write more about the week tomorrow.

Have a blessed evening!

Well, this is one activity I don't think I'll join in on.....but I'll throw it out there for everyone, just incase you have some handy!

It's PEACH ICE CREAM DAY!!!  Yep.....it's peach season, so whether you make your own from scratch with hand picked peaches fresh from the tree or purchase a gallon from your local grocery store-it's time to dig into some cold, sweet goodness of PEACH ICE CREAM!!!!!

It's also YELLOW PIG DAY and to honor those yellow pigs? Cameron made bacon, eggs and toast for breakfast.....I think that's as far as I want to go with Yellow Pig Day.....

Have a PEACHY day!

Ok, only one of MY sons would come home with THIS find on Be A Dork Day:

Yes, that's right....a NERD "energy" drink!  The red writing on the front of the can states "enhances brain focus and memory retention".  Ok, if that is the case, why aren't elderly people everywhere downing this stuff like water? HMMMM?  I mean come on, most days my dear dear husband can't remember where he put his keys/wallet/glasses/shoes and on a good day I'm lucky if I can remember what my children's names are!!!  Seriously, a NERD drink.......does that mean only nerds drink it or does it mean you'll turn into a nerd if you do drink it?  I don't know, I'll leave that up to you.  I just thought it was too funny that he comes in drinking this on Be a Dork Day.......although I should probably mention that this son is the one who loves computers, has a job at a computer repair center and will be leaving for college to get a computer degree in a few weeks...(hello, do I detect "geekiness/nerdiness"?-look I can say this cause he's my son and actually he celebrates his inner geek daily....and he's big enough to swat you across the room without even thinking too hard about it if he feels you are making fun of him......)  Remember one of my first blog entries about the Geek and Freak?

Today's special "day" is about the start of the Atomic Age.  Unlike many  historical eras where we are not completely sure of an exact date when they started, the Atomic Age has an exact date.....July 16, 1945, when the United States detonated a nuclear weapon at its test facility in a remote area of New Mexico.  If you have older children who might be interested in this, watch the History Channel's "Modern Marvels-the Manhattan Project."  On this program, scientists and engineers relate their trials, triumphs and dark doubts about building the ultimate weapon of war in the interest of peace...

Some questions for older children might be:

*What were the negative impacts of the Atomic Age?

*What were the positive benefits?

*Do you think humanity has learned from it's past actions?

*How could the technology developed be put to a use that benefits all of mankind without any negative impact to the environment?

*Do you think that eventually another country would have developed Atomic energy, if the United States hadn't?

*What do you think about nuclear regulation?  Should a few countries regulate what other countries use/develop?

Ok people, think deep thoughts.....

We'll be enjoying some yummy vanilla tapioca pudding with our lunch!  Cameron has been quite inquisitive about it already!

Today is also BE A DORK DAY.....somehow, I'm thinking my family celebrates this day a lot as well.......and of course now that they have "official" permission to celebrate, I'm sure they'll just run with it!

Yesterday, Cameron started Story of the World.  We read the Introduction together and then we talked about the differences and similarities between Historians and Archeologists.  Then I let Cameron go work on a dig project that we purchased several months ago just for this.  He spent a long time working on it and was happy with the "Egyptian" artifacts he found.  Then we talked about what kind of "things" from his lifetime might archeologists of the future find.  He came up with "Monster" drinks-a big hit with teens, cellphones, Bluetooth things, DVD's and video games.  We won't do anything today, but tomorrow we'll be working on our Family History and I'll have a real dig for him, complete with some of the items from his time that he mentioned.

Last night, as part of Isaac's Little Saints curriculum, I ordered some music CD's:  Handel's Messiah; Bach's Brandenburg Concertos 1-4; Children's Classics Peter & the Wolf/ Saint-Saens Carnival of the Animals/Britten's A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra; Mozart Symphonies 40 & 41.  Cameron will benefit from them as well since he will be doing Music Appreciation.  I'll just enjoy them because I really enjoy Classical music!

While Cameron's curriculum is pretty straightforward, with a few exceptions like History and Science which do require some prep work, Isaac's curriculum requires tons of prepwork, so this week I'll be working on the first 4-6 weeks of Isaac's stuff.  There are 3 learning games per week and 3 art projects per week to prepare, as well as books to gather.  I've purchased the music for the first 3 weeks-YEA!

So have fun eating Tapioca pudding and celebrating you Inner Dorkiness!

These are our newest fishy friends (well not these actually....but 2 just like them).  They are called Glofish but are part of the Zebra Danio family.  We wanted something colorful that would also be a good companion to Dragon our Beta. Our two are named Tiger and Lightning-one is red and one is yellow (like the above picture, however the store salesman tried to tell us it was green.....don't think so).  They are quite active and seem to be enjoying  the tank.  We also got a rock formation and Dragon is enjoying exploring it's nooks and crannies.  At this point they all seem to be getting along.  Zebra Danios are usually kept in schools of 5 or more but we'll be adding them 2 at a time -it's much easier on the tank/filter/current inhabitants.

Isaac really likes them and even Leo the dog has poked his head up to see what all the commotion was about!  They really are eye-catching and really do keep everyone interested!

Welcome fishies!

This week will bring some small changes to our summer.  Today Cameron will be starting Story of the World volume 1.  He's been so excited about it!  We'll also do a few math drills each day.  Tomorrow, Isaac will participate in a craft camp at Mrs. Christine's Art House.  The following week it will be Cameron's turn with Boys Cooking Camp!

It's been a long weekend and a very busy couple of weeks so this week I'm looking forward to some nice quiet evenings where everyone gets to bed at relatively normal times!

Today, celebrate all things French!  Of course, in our house that would mean FRENCH FRIES, but I'm sure there is a lot more great French food out there! 

Bastille Day commemorates the 1790 Fête de la Fédération, held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789; the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille was seen as a symbol of the uprising of the modern French nation, and of the reconciliation of all the French inside the constitutional monarchy which preceded the First Republic, during the French Revolution.

Since Bastille Day is celebrated during the Tour de France, French riders traditionally work harder to gain a victory for France today (so maybe some bicycling is in order?).

New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Milwaukee all have Bastille Day festivities.  So have some fun and Vive la France!

Today is also Pandemonium Day!  Pandemonium Day is a day of sheer bedlam, and utter chaos. If ever there was a wild and whacky, unorganized day, today it that day.

Everyone has a day like this once in while. Its a day when all sort of unexpected things occur. Its a time when everything is happening at the same time, and at a very fast pace.

Celebrate and embrace Pandemonium Day. Don't let today, or any other day shake you up. If Pandemonium prevails, just go with the flow in a calm, cool manner. Sanity will return soon enough.....we hope.

edHelper.com even has some Pandamonium Day activities!

(actually, I think we celebrate Pandemonium Day a lot at our house.....!)

So read Charlotte's Web or Stuart Little.......next best thing....watch the movies!

Today is also "CHEER UP THE LONELY DAY" so let's get with it!

On a different note:

I was able to pick up at a curriculum sale/swap PILGRIMS OF THE HOLY FAMILY and CHILD-SIZE MASTERPIECES Level 1....I was finally able to sit down and look at my finds and I have to say I'm really pleased.  The PILGRIMS OF THE HOLY FAMILY is basically a Catholic Scout Program...starting with age 10.  There are 74 different Achievements in five categories-Technology, Woodsmanship, Science, Humanities and Religion.  I was really looking for something like this that we could do as a family without the "problems" we've had with scouting programs over the years.  We will start this next year when Cameron turns 10-so I have some time to really look into it more.  The CHILD-SIZED MASTERPIECES is perfect for Isaac for this coming year!  Cameron has taken Art Appreciation for the last 2 years and this year will be starting Music Appreciation.  This program will really help get Isaac started in Art....while refreshing Cameron's memory on the subject.

Today we leave for our Archdiocesan Youth Conference.  Usually I stay home for this but the Youth Minister who Xavier chaperones for put him in a private suite at the hotel so that the younger boys and I could hang out and swim and be with dad.  This means we'll also get to be there for the Sunday Mass, where Alex will be commissioned by the Cardinal to be on the Archdiocesan Youth Council for the coming year.  Should be an interesting weekend.....

Since I won't be on the computer for the rest of the weekend....here's you fun dates :

*12-DIFFERENT COLOR EYE DAY.....*read Dr. Seuss's EYE BOOK", *Keep track of all the different colored eye's you see today.....it's also PECAN PIE DAY .....yum

*13-COW APPRECIATION DAY...*watch THE STORY OF MILK.....*watch HOW CHEESE IS MADE...*Chikfila is celebrating Cow Appreciation Day on the 11th....come dressed as a cow and eat free!"

The 13th is also "BARBERSHOP MUSIC APPRECIATION DAY", "EMBRACE YOUR GEEKNESS DAY", "FOOLS PARADISE DAY", and last but not least..."GRUNTLED WORKERS DAY" (as opposed to "dis-gruntled.....)

Have a great weekend!

So if you have one, take it on a picnic.  My boys will be taking their frogs they made the other day....Bolt and Mr. Sprinkles the Firefighter Frog...

A good movie for today would be Brother Bear or Jungle Book

It's also "Don't Step on a Bee" Day....so enjoy some honey at your picnic and try not to step on any bees!

Bake away my friends, bake away!

Sprinkles, colored sugar, chocolate dipped, frosted, cutouts......so many ways to enjoy that sweet sugary goodness!

**Also note, this is Anti-Boredom Month*****.....what are YOU doing to support the cause?

Well we missed Arthur and the Invisibles today.  We got there 10 minutes early and they were sold out again......by bus loads of day care children and their chaperones!  My boys were of course disappointed and since we had seen WALL*E last week and they had no other G rated movies to go see, we headed off to run a few errands.  We stopped by Little Flower Catholic Bookstore to pick up Alex's books for Theology III class.  The boys got to play in their children's area and were quite unready to leave after I was done.  I ended up carrying Isaac out of the store!  Since we didn't get to see the movie....again...I stopped at Starbucks and treated all three of us to nice cold frappacinco's.....a VERY rare treat for us indeed!

We'll spend the rest of the day doing some laundry and cleaning.  Hopefully I'll get to do some sewing as well.  I've got lots of things to do....just gotta buckle down and do them!

Hope you're having a grand summer!

Today is Cherry Pit Spitting Day!  The Guinness World Record for comptetitive cherry-pit spitting is 93 feet, 6.5 inches!  Of course today we'll be trying to beat that world record......

Also today, we'll be doing the following:

*playing Click-Clack Cherries....and talking about pendulums

*using cherries to "paint"

*we're making a homemade cherry pie for supper tonight

.....if you have the game Hi-Ho Cherrie-o! this would be a good day to break it out (unfortunately, we don't have that game yet...)

We also have 2 doctors appointments on tap for today (well checkups)

Here's hoping you have a CHERRY of a day and that it won't turn into the PITS...

******End of the day report*****The cherry pie came out TOTALLY AWESOME!!!  Fresh out of the oven with vanilla ice cream.....it made all the grumpy gusses smile again!  Definitely a keeper recipe!

 "There's a sucker born every minute"

July 5, 1810-April 7, 1891

Founder of the Barnum and Bailey Circus....which eventually became the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus.....today known as the Ringling Brothers Circus!

We are fortunate here in Houston, the Circus comes here every July.  Cameron and Isaac have never been so this year we are planning on taking them.

Mr. Barnum was quite an interesting man.....adept at mathematics but detested physical labor, he was a great haggler, often having many enterprises going at once.  He was the first to move a circus by train.

Things to do today:

*watch "Biography: Ringling Brothers"

*read "Twenty-one Elephants" by Phil Bildner

"website: P.E. with Circus Fit

*Purchase Circus tickets!

Today, the United States of America is 232 years old.  We made our annual T-shirts yesterday...they came out great!  Denise is our resident pro and all of hers came out the best, I think...but everyone's was different and very creative!  We wore our shirts to First Friday Mass this morning...we were very Patriotic.  Here are some things to do today (at least for our family):

*Read the Declaration of Independence-out loud

*Make an American Flag and Pinwheel

*Make a Berry Patriotic Shake

*Attend Mass

*Watch "The Patriot" and "Independence Day"

*Watch fireworks

*List things that you think makes the United States of America a unique and special country to live in

Today is the national celebration of our Nation's independence. As we celebrate let us remember to pray that God will strengthen and bless America and make our nation a haven of liberty and justice for all — born and unborn.