Well, I've finally done it. I say finally because long ago I decided I wanted to move, but I have just now finally done it. And this move is not to say I don't love Homeschool Blogger and fully embrace all that they stand for and do! They're wonderful people. My new Blog Home is just easier for me. So...

...kindly visit the new Treasured Chapters of Life and Family. (Clicking on this title will redirect you.)

This is a sticky post. Check below for new Treasured Chapters in our life!

Please check out my new website: www.write4homeschool.com. If you have high schoolers at home, this might meet your Language Arts needs. If you do not have high schoolers at home, or if you find the site is not a good fit, will you please pass a link to my site on to other homeschoolers? I would so appreciate it!

I'll admit. I've never done the Tagging Thing before, but my friend Courtney at Life on Courtney Lane tagged me with 7 Random Things About Me, so I'll humor her and likely bore you with my 7 issues that may someday lead me to a therapist's couch:

First, we must put the rules in play:

1. Link to the person that tagged you and put the rules on your blog...

2. Share 7 weird or random facts about yourself...

3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and link to their blog...

4. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a note on their blog...

OK, so you know I'm a little quirky because...

1. I'm very particular about how my dishwasher is loaded. Sometimes my dear husband loads it, and I always go behind him and reload it. It's not that I'm ungrateful. And I always do my reorganization on the sly so that he doesn't feel unappreciated. It's just that no one else seems to have any inkling about how to correctly load a dishwasher.

2. My favorite childhood character was Winnie-the-Pooh. What child doesn't love loveable ol' Pooh Bear? Other children, however, probably don't get labeled by their dear parents with the unfortunate nickname of "Pooh". I did. And I'd cringe when Mom and Dad would address me as such. My friends would do a double take and, laughing uproariously and mockingly, ask, "Why did your parents just call you poo?"

3. Even though I grew up in the wilds of Africa, I HATE bugs, especially spiders and cockroaches. Spiders make me break out in a sweat. Literally. Once when Mark was out of town, I discovered a big, hairy, tarantula-like one (I'm NOT kidding) in the baby's room. It took my dear husband at least a half hour on speaker phone to convince me to stop panicking long enough to beat the ugly, nasty critter. Thankfully, my eldest boy who is also the man of the house in Mark's absence rescues me from most killer insects now.

4. I've always wanted to try my hand at waitressing, I mean serving or whatever they call it now. If I was a waitress or server or whatever, I would make sure that if my customer asked to hold the tomatoes, the tomatoes would be held. And if my customer requested a beverage sans lemon, the beverage would be served sans lemon. I would make great tips.

5. Chick-fil-A is my favorite restaurant (fast food at least), and our new one just opened today. We took the kids this morning, and they broke in the playground. I love Chick-fil-A because it appears to be the last remaining establishment in America where service is not dead. I have recently begun a campaign in my home to encourage my little people to respond to "Thank you" with "My pleasure" because, well, it is simply my pleasure to hear such pleasant speech.

6. I am addicted to curriculum and all educational materials.

7. I bungee jumped on spring break in Panama City in 19 90 something. Someday I want to sky dive, but I'll probably wait until the kids are self-sufficient.

So now comes the tagging part. And I know this will be painful for some of you; don't feel obligated! At least check out some of my friends' blogs, though:

Mama Knucker Hatch at Our Golden Apples
TeacherMommy at Diapers and Dragons
Mare at Mare's Musings
Mitzi at The Road Less Traveled
My wonderful sister-in-law at Phoenicie Konnection
Nikowa at Knowledge House Academy
and...although I think she's already done this: Crossview at Crossview Academy

I've never posted about her. Realistically, I've begun many posts about her but just never quite got them finished or published. In fact, this very post has taken days to get down. It's been hard to find the words. And, although the moments of our family life I record here are precious to me, sometimes the details have seemed so insignificant when compared to what Jennie has endured the last couple of years. Two and a half years ago, Jennie and her husband John received the crushing news that would change their lives: stage four cancer. And for two and half years, John has steadfastly stood by her side as she fought with courage, strength, and an unwavering faith which seemed to grow with each passing day.

In the early morning hours of October 19, Jennie finished her earthly battle and went on to begin her new and everlasting life with her Lord. I find such joy in picturing her in her perfect, cancer-free body running and dancing. In fact, just this morning I said to my husband, "I wonder what Jennie's been doing in Heaven over the last week." She is, I'm sure, discovering the indescribable peace, joy, and love that only comes from our Father; she is being blessed as she blessed us here.

Jennie was beautiful inside and out. While I won't dwell on her outer beauty (you can see that for yourself in the pictures), I do remember being in a doctor's office with her and hearing the nurse practitioner tell her she looked great--too good to be so sick. Jennie was a woman characterized by grace, loyalty, and integrity. She was known for her honesty and candor. She didn't waste her words frivolously and always meant what she said. She had a wonderful sense of humor and a contagious laugh. She was known to become so overcome with laughter she would laugh until tears streamed down her face. And you couldn't do anything but laugh with her. (If such a thing can be captured on film, see my slide show from last Thanksgiving in my post called "Top Ten..." ) 

Jennie was full of life and fun, and I have wonderful memories of her. There was the midnight ER visit in New York City, the phosphorescent bay in Puerto Rico, and many family gatherings where we two sisters-in-law stuck together and shared many laughs. I loved Jennie, and she made a huge impact on me and on so many others. In fact, she and John both touched our lives in a way that sparked a huge and continuing period of spiritual growth for Mark and me. And they touched lives everywhere they went...on the phone, through visitors, in hospitals. One of Jennie's doctors told me just the other day how impressed he was with Jennie, her faith, her sense of humor, and her positive outlook on life. Jennie's positive attitude impacted many; often she comforted the very people who came to comfort her.

She was a bright spot in our lives, and I consider it an honor to have called her my sister. Jennie, I love you and will miss you!

She'd disown me if she knew I was putting this in writing. But it is a chapter in our lives, and, although the secondary character will likely change, one day this chapter will be a book all on its own, so it simply must be recorded.

My daughter has her first crush. The boys were teasing her with a sign that said, "Alex loves                    ". I told them to stop. Then I started in with a little teasing of my own until she actually admitted it to me. Then I stopped because you just don't tease a girl about it if it's really true. Plus, I am a little bit of an expert on schoolgirl crushes. Thankfully, she's waited until the ripe old age of 8. I had my first crush around 6 years of age.

So we had a special moment. I disclosed the name a couple of the many names of my first crushes, and we giggled a little about that. Then I said, "You know, I really like [his] parents. Maybe I should invite the family over for dinner some time."

"No! You don't have to do that!" she said emphatically.

Good. She passed the test. This means she's still just at the "take a quick peek at him during Sunday School" stage...the stage where I want her to stay for a really, really, really, really, really, really long time.

It's no secret that sometimes I can be a little bit of a control-freak teacher slash mama. But I'm the first to admit that I need to relax a bit. Today I took a step toward that reform, and the results were amazing. Typically when we have a homeschool field trip, the kids are handed a clipboard of activities they must complete during said field trip. So they enter the aquarium, the zoo, the whatever with a sparkle in their eyes but with a hint of a sag in their shoulders...probably the weight of the clipboard. Today for our trip to the botanical gardens, I set no agenda. I had no "Identify this..." sheets or crossword puzzles printed out. I didn't have 4 clipboards neatly sitting out on the counter for the kids to grab on the way out. We would just go and experience. Then the amazing stuff started happening. Jacob came up with the idea of taking the clipboards along, and the other kids agreed that would be an awesome idea. Who knew?

We got to Athens and enjoyed a little time at Grandma and Grandpa's prior to our field trip, and there we received a little lesson in horticulture. The kids helped Grandma harvest some tomatoes and peppers, and Grandma gave me several plant clippings to bring home and kill with my black thumb.

As we headed to the botanical gardens, I anticipated little enthusiasm. After all, this is a garden, not a science museum or the space center or Epcot; it's just a pathway surrounded by plants. But I under estimated my children. They skipped through the garden with interest and excitement, stopping every few minutes to sketch a leaf or a flower.

As we sauntered along the garden path of bright, cheery blooms and blossoms, it dawned on me that my children are also blooming. Thankfully, a love of learning is being cultivated. I'm so happy to see it because I've had a few anxious moments here and there through the last few years of homeschooling, worrying that a couple of my students (ahem) would never make the choice for learning (at least willingly). Of course, there will be more of those moments in the future, but it's a relief to see some growth!

I tried to explain to the children the significance of the Cacao Tree to me...having grown up in Cote d'Ivoire, I often saw the Cacao Tree in the landscape. Naturally, the kids really didn't care about those details. Alex did inform me, however, that this tree would require Midge Flies for pollination. I do not know anything about Midge Flies, but I learned a couple of years ago never to argue animal or science trivia with my daughter; I never win.

Although I'm very used to being a Married Single Mom, I always miss my husband when he's traveling. This past week he wasn't far--just downtown--but he may as well have been a few states away since he was actually staying downtown. So when he called me yesterday afternoon to see if I wanted to come down for the night, I at first jumped at the chance. But then I remembered: Oh yeah, I have 4 kids. I was a little hesitant to go becuase there was no suite this time, just a little room. Plus, I wanted to watch the debate. The kids, however, were chomping at the bit to go. I expressed my concern about them actually getting any sleep since we'd have the news going until 11:00.

"Oh, but Mom, we LOVE to fall asleep with the TV on!"

Now, who's going to fall for THAT? Well, yours truly did because 2 hours later we were on our way downtown. We had a lovely evening--dinner at a Japanese steakhouse, which coincides well with the fact that we will be studying Japan next week. Then we tried to settle them down for bed. Of course, it didn't help that their beds were right in front of a picture window on the 42nd floor. "This is a great place to play I Spy!" one of them said. And falling asleep with the TV on? Right. Didn't happen. Three of the four did finally get to sleep, and the last one gave in once the TV was turned off. Didn't last for long, however. One or the other was up at some point during the night.

A sleepless night but a fun outing. I'm sure we'll trade sleep for a change of pace the next time the opportunity arises.

You may have already received an email from me, but if not...will you kindly help us out in our Webkinz mock elections (or at least let your children help us out)? We're only in the primary stage right now, so we will need your help later on as well to elect a president. For now, please help us weed out the lesser nominees! Below you will find a bit of information on each nominee. Hopefully, this will help you make your decision. Naturally, if you are a girl, you should select one of the nominees with the Girlz Party; and if you are a boy, please select a nominee who is with the Boyz Party (not sayin' which one is the donkey and which is the elephant--they're my children; I could never put the donkey on one of them!). Please leave your votes in the Comments or email them to me at mkpierce@bellsouth.net.

Voting ends on Monday, October 6!

Girlz Party Nominees

Eunice - A unicorn whose favorite food is a lollipop, Eunice is ready to lead as President! A former Vice President of the Girls' Club, Eunice led with honesty and integrity. When not working hard, Eunice may be found playing on the playground with her alley cat friend Tina.

Goldie - A fan-tail goldfish, it's no surprise Goldie loves swimming. What may be a little known fact, however, is that her favorite food is chocolate cake. Goldie's past experience as the head of the Girls' Club highlights her abilities as a leader. "I've always wanted to be the president!" exclaims Goldie enthusiastically. Goldie also enjoys carrying other peoples' groceries. Her associate, a Magical Retriever, concurs that Goldie's energy and leadership qualities make her an excellent candidate.

Boyz Party Nominees

Snappy - Near a lake in the summer? Snappy loves to swim in it! Near a lake in the winter? Snappy likes nothing better than to slide on his back on the ice. Always generous, Snappy gives food or water from inside his shell to hungry or thirsty people. Snappy loves to cook and eat, and his personal favorite is a pie shaped like a turtle shell!

Spooky - Running on the slogan WaHaHaHa, Spooky is a bat who loves to travel, loves pretzels, and loves to tell jokes. In addition, he enjoys trick or treating and is the head of the Trick or Treating Club. This year on Halloween, he says, "I'm going to be a bat...'cause I am one!" Interestingly, he has always wanted a gumball machine--perhaps to hold the gumballs he will get on Halloween night.

We have recently been fielding a lot of questions from the kids about heaven. As recently as last year (prior to my read of Alcorn's Heaven), I pictured heaven as a boring eternity of harp-strumming atop a white, fluffy cloud; therefore, I don't consider myself a heaven expert. So we decided to, as a family, read Alcorn's version for kids. It has been a fantastic experience with the kids. Our reading has sparked many deep, provocative discussions, and the kids have been asking great questions. What's more, they can't get enough of the book. Jacob is especially interested in it, and tonight he requested that I pleeeaaase read another chapter. He even offered to give up room time to hear another chapter, so I of course obliged; it's not often that room time is sacrificed. (Room time is theoretically supposed to be a QUIET 1/2 hour before bed during which the kids lay QUIETLY in their beds and read or look at books; it need not be said that this is not necessarily what transpires in the boys' room!)

Two thumbs up!

Dear Whack-O Homebuyer,

My realtor just informed me that you decided NOT to come see the house. You had previously inquired about the possibility of us fixing a pothole in the road at the end of our street. (And would you like us to put in a Kroger at the corner of Main and Oak for your shopping convenience?) Although a pothole or two is typical for a non-county road like ours, we informed our realtor that we would be happy to entertain such an "improvement" as part of an offer.

When I talked to my realtor today, she relayed your surprise that we had not gone ahead and fixed the potholes. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe we ever had an offer on the table? In fact, you never even came to SEE the house. So it should not need to be said that we had not even gotten as far as to find a pothole-filling person to fill the pothole. At the end of the street.

Secondly, my realtor explained that you were a bit taken aback because you chatted with a neighbor who told you that we did not contribute financially to the "road pool" when the gravel road was initially paved by all of the residents of _____ Drive. Let me explain this to you very simply:

This neighborhood has been here for over 20 years.
In 1999, the residents who lived here at the time pooled their money to pave the gravel road.
In 2005, we built our house here.

Do you understand that? I think you read too many political blogs because you're making ridiculous requests, claims, and assumptions.

By the way, I was also told where you've decided to buy. I know the neighborhood well: your bathroom will likely look right in to the bathroom window of your neighbor; your room will probably have a nice view of your neighbor's backyard; and you'll pay a hefty annual HOA fee to share a pool with a thousand other residents and their children. Oh, and the HOA will tell you what flowers to plant when and where. And what color to paint the house. And lots of other great things. So enjoy!

Sincerely,
An I'm-Not-Bitter-But-Simply-Incredulous-Homeseller

So there I was, risking my life, perched precariously atop the little red wagon, waving a broom frantically above my head, reaching desperately for the roofline...all in an effort to recapture Manny the Praying Mantis. Manny has been in our lives for about 3 days now. He resides in an oversized jar which is, at all times, generously stocked with grasshoppers. He seems to feel quite at home; at least it would seem so by the fact that he was not shy about ripping the head off one of said grasshoppers and quickly consuming it. A pretty cool event to observe!

Manny's caretakers are very sensitive to his need for exercise and fresh air and daily allow him to roam outside of his jar. Today, however, something must have gone terribly awry because I glanced outside the laundry room to see my first born risking her life, perched precariously atop the little red wagon, waving a broom...well, you know the story: I assumed the risk, and Manny was indeed recaptured. Tragedy averted.

As the boys were wrestling Manny back into his glass dwelling, I overheard Jacob say, "Now Manny, you don't get any more playtime today!" They're so very skilled at meting OUT the punishment!

My Bloggy Brain has been sorely out of touch lately. I guess it's been tougher than I anticipated switching from vacation mode back to school mode. But I think we're finally back into the swing of things around here. We have a few projects going on anyway to, you know, at least to give the impression that we're hard at work.

This morning's project is all over the dining room table: a 3 ft. long, 600 piece puzzle of the world. In between lessons, the kids have been hard at work trying to assemble it and hopefully learning more about the geography of this great planet while they're at it. Michael had a grand idea for making it easier:

"Since this puzzle is 600 pieces, if we had 600 kids each kid could have a piece to put in. That would make it so much easier."

Yeah. 600 kids. That would make things so much easier.

Our other project is our plants unit study. If you'll remember, I bought a science textbook this year so there wouldn't be so much work. However, I'm just never satisfied with the curriculum as is. So we went through the Plants unit from the textbook as an intro. Now we're doing lapbooks, experiments, plant studies and dissections, and hopefully a trip to the botanical gardens. No, this ain't just A Beka; I gotta go add all that work on top of it all. But the kids are having fun. We have our lapbooks started, and we have our first science experiment taking over the kitchen: four stalks of celery divided among four glasses of colored water.

One of our other projects was presented last week at our first Book Club. Book Club was actually Alex-inspired. She suggested it back in Kindergarten. We took last year off but picked it up again this year. All four of them gave book reports last week. Yes, I said all four. Even Audrey created a visual for her book called "Ten Little Ducklings." I of course helped her present:

Me: What was your book called?
Audrey: Little Ducklings
Me: How many ducklings?
Audrey: One?
Me: No. How many?
Audrey: Two?
Me: No.
Audrey: Three?

OK, so she enjoyed painting her poster more than she cared about the book. No matter the project, she's all about "doing school." 

Even as we're focusing on school, hopefully we won't stay so out of touch as I feel we have the last couple of weeks. And hopefully, my blog brain will rise from incognito, or the rest of my memoirs are destined for this same type of mundane recording of our happenings.

Thursday (9/4) - We had a perfect day at Epcot today! And the kids loved it; in fact, they preferred it over Magic Kingdom. Surprising, but they just loved the space ride, Test Track, and Soarin'! The boys were the only ones brave enough to do the full version of the space thing, and the G force nearly did their daddy in, but they were begging to go again. They did get to do the Test Track a couple of times, but Soarin' was too busy for repeat rides. I'll have to admit, Soarin' was a pretty cool ride, although I would have made a couple of changes: With the "wind" in my face (which, incidentally, is wind created by my husband's company's fans), I really did feel like I was hang gliding; however, I would have liked a little more swooping and turning and maybe some ocean spray on my feet when we soared over the surf. Anyway...with the task of collecting mask charms at each country, the kids quickly walked around the "world" with few complaints, and we had a wonderful lunch in Morocco followed by dessert in France. Yummy! With the exception of Soarin', off-season, homeschool vacations win again because there was barely a crowd!

Friday (9/5) - A great day to take it easy. However, Hurricane Hanna brushed the state of Florida, so we woke up to light rain, wind, and overcast skies. Not a good pool day. But we had fun in the hotel. We rented a couple of movies for the kids. After one of the movies, the kids participated in a children's craft and made clay animals. And Alex and I had projects of our own: one became more my project than anyone else's. I thought the kids would enjoy trading pins, but I wasn't able to drum up as much enthusiasm as I thought, so I took over the new hobby. Hey, I'm at Disney: I can act like a kid and enjoy it! Our second new hobby was inspired by Steven Barrett's book Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World's Best-Kept Secrets. Alex and I explored the hotel, on the prowl, looking for hidden mickeys. And we found all but two of the little mouse profiles hiding at our resort. We enjoyed ourselves and have tucked the book away for our next visit. Our day ended with dinner at the Boma Restaurant, which was supposed to have quite an offering of African food. We didn't find the buffet to be worth the money, and except for a few North African dishes like couscous and hummus, there wasn't a whole lot of African fare.

See the hidden Mickey at the bottom of the shield?

Saturday (9/6) - Today was a beautiful, sunshiny day. Perfect for the pool. And that's what we did all day, although we did sneak in another craft: the kids enjoyed making wooden giraffes, a great keepsake to take home. The kids also requested to take part in a nightly African drum parade through the lobby of the resort. Noisy but cute.

Sunday (9/7) - We left at 8:30 and were home and unpacked by 5:30. It's good to be home. I guess. I keep looking out the window hoping to see a giraffe saunter by. And I'll miss my personal fireworks show tonight at 10:00. But since we are home now, it's time to avoid restaurants and hop on the treadmill. Oh, and I guess we need to resume our academics.

Sunday (8/31) - After our beach outing, it was time to head to Disney World! We checked into the Old Key West resort and had a relaxing and fun afternoon. We took a water taxi to Downtown Disney where we enjoyed the sights and the shopping as well as the Rainforest Cafe. When we returned to the resort, the kids had a blast at the pool where the castle water slide sent them zooming into the water.

Monday (9/1) - Today did not begin too well because our little Princess woke up throwing up. She has been talking about Disney World for a year now, and I was quite concerned that her magical dreams would be dashed. Besides that, we had to check out of Old Key West by 11:00, and our suite at Animal Kingdom would not be ready until 4:00--5 hours in the car or out with a sick one! We went ahead and checked out, and covered our little one with beach towels. Good thing because we didn't make it far down the road. In the meantime, we called Animal Kingdom, explained our situation, and asked them to do what they could to get us in early. Audrey then wolfed down a very hearty lunch, which I tried to discourage, but she kept insisting: "I still hungry, Mommy!" So I let her pack it away, and that seemed to be what she needed because she perked up and was just fine. Animal Kingdom was, meanwhile, very accommodating and got us into our lovely apartment by 12:30. We enjoyed settling in while the kids hung out on the balcony checking out the zebras, giraffes, and gazelles grazing below us.

Tuesday (9/2) - We headed to the Magic Kingdom bright and early this morning. We are blessed to be here at the same time as some dear friends of ours from church. Their two older kids are our kids' best buddies, so we all had a splendid time at the park together. I think we rode just about every ride, and Mark and I even took turns on Space Mountain. We left around 5:30, came back for dinner, and then headed back to Magic Kingdom for the parade. We left before the fireworks to avoid fighting crowds until midnight, and when we got home, we were surprised to discover we could see the fireworks in the distance from our balcony!

Wednesday (9/3) - Today has been a lazy day. No one stirred in our apartment until about 8:45! We spent the day at the pool where even Audrey couldn't get enough of the slide (as long as we were at the bottom to catch her!). This evening we'll enjoy a spaghetti dinner here with our friends. Their kids, in fact, are here watching a movie with our kids (actually the movie is over now, so they're tearing around in circles through the living areas and out through the balcony). It's a crazy crew here right now!

This is such a fun place. The African decor makes me feel at home, and every once in awhile I even get a whiff of something that reminds me of the Cocody Market--maybe some of the souvenirs or something. We'll try one of the lodge restaurants Friday night to see how authentic their African food is!

She begged to see Tigger and Pooh, but once we FINALLY got through the line, she wouldn't let me photograph her alone, and you can see she was still a bit shy!

After a very late night last night, I wasn't surprised to hear a huge yawn come from Audrey this morning at breakfast.

"Are you tired, Audrey?" I asked.

Jacob thought it was a pretty big yawn for such a little girl too because he said, "Do it again, do it again, Audrey!"

"I don't have any more tired now!" she replied.

We enjoyed one last night and the other today. What do the two have in common? The soleil! Cirque du Soleil was a blast last night, and the kids were totally impressed, especially with the "swinging and the bouncing" (Audrey's words for the trapeze and the trampolines). Today we joined our cousins for an outing to the beach. They took us to a rather remote beach, which was great because we had it mostly to ourselves...even on a holiday weekend!

They never tire of the pool, especially a zero entry one with fountains. Although they had to endure some school this morning (yes, we brought school on our trip!), they were rewarded with an afternoon in the sun and water.

We enjoyed dinner at Salt Islands. I'm not sure what their favorite part of the experience was: the giant fish tank or the giant piece of chocolate cake at the end of the meal.

I don't make it a habit to snap pictures of my children stuffing food in their mouths, but this was a momentous occasion. Alex ate something new: steak. To many, that doesn't sound like such a big deal, but for our chicken nugget, plain pasta girl, any new experiences for her palate are reason for celebration.

Not that it would make a difference...but I may seek out a comment card while we're here. Sometimes it just makes you feel better to complain a little:

It was certainly a relief to arrive at your lovely facility after 8 hours of this:

"Are we almost there?"
"No."
"How many more hours?"
"Four."

"Are we almost there?"
"No."
"How many more hours?
"Three hours and 55 minutes."

And it was great to drive out of the drenching rain to find your facility bathed in Florida sunshine. The kids have already enjoyed your pool and look forward to another day poolside.

And we are thoroughly enjoying your other guests. With all the American kids in school, we are here with just a few other European families. My eldest in fact, the gal who makes a pal no matter where she goes, quickly befriended an English girl yesterday at the pool. Her British accent was so strong, we didn't think Alex would understand a word she said; however, she later recounted all of the details of Emily's life to us.

When my children saw the oversized, plush bunk bed, they claimed that this is the "best hotel we've ever stayed in."

Now let's talk about the king size bed in this room. I'm not sure you need to include a bed in your guest rooms. You may as well just throw some pillows and a comforter on the floor. That would keep expectations realistic. Although we have found so many things with which to be pleased here at your establishment, we are fortunately just staying here for two more nights. I don't think I could endure more than two additional restless nights.

I've already attempted to coerce the children to take over the king bed tonight and let the better half and me have the bunks, but they're not buyin' it.

I still own one of these ancient relics:

Don't ask. It did, however, inspire my science lesson for the day. We're reviewing the senses and this time around learning to name all the parts. Today was hearing. The discussion began by learning about sound waves and the parts of the ear. Naturally, the kids fought over who could be the hammer and who could be the anvil. Naturally, they all acted out both. After building a crude model of the ear using a funnel and some wax paper, it was time for my inspired project.

Of course, my project also required one of these:

When I asked my dear husband to pick up a blank one at Wal-Mart last week, he looked at me like I was from the Dark Ages. (Which I am if you qualify the wonderful '80s as the Dark Ages.) How should I know that they've discontinued even carrying these for the stray old person who may still own a cassette player like mine? It's not like I've been looking for blank tapes, so I didn't know they DON'T still exist. Anyway...I had to rob our stash of mixed tapes. (Yes, we still have some of our old Mixed Tapes even if we don't have anything to play them on. Except for my trusty tape recorder pictured above.)

So I popped in the mixed tape and explained my inspired project to the kids. I opened the door to the backyard and sent them out, a smile on my face, thinking about the joy they would experience as they captured the sounds of nature on tape: a bird tweeting, leaves rustling, a cricket chirping. What did they record? Themselves yelling. Then they came inside and recorded songs from CDs (and, yes, the sound quality is sooo pleasant emanating at high volume from that tape recorder). Then it was on to more of themselves, only this time they were actors and quoted lines from movies they have seen a hundred million times. As the novelty began to wear off, they requested a show...and proceeded to record Word Girl over my mixed tape (Word Girl was itself recorded on DVR--sound AND picture).

So I ask myself two questions at the end of this project:

1. Why did I give the kids a CD player for Christmas when they would have been much happier with a tape recorder?

2. Did I really NOT see this one coming?

In Story of the World, we just finished learning about bards and monks and about how monks spent hours a day for years copying books. How they often drew elaborate and beautiful art in the margins of their books. Although I value the printing press and what it's done for the duplication of books, it is a shame that we've lost some of that beauty and uniqueness in books!

We followed our textbook study with an independent read for Alex of Fritz's The Man Who Loved Books. A cute story about the Irish saint Columba. Then we read Robertson's Marguerite Makes a Book aloud and enjoyed the beauty of the book as well as the story of determination, initiative, and responsibility. Following this, the kids got to make their own quill pens with which they then created their artwork. We began with just some ink a la grape juice concentrate, but upon demand I was forced to bring out the Kool-Aid and food coloring.