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| Disclaimer: This is NOT Florida! |
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Picture Post
I'm behind in posting pictures so here goes....
There are more pictures, but for some reason Blogger is not cooperating tonight! That's it for now. See you soon!
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| Exclamation Cookies...to show our excitement for the first day of school! |
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| They were shortbread cookies dipped in chocolate! |
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| My kindergartner - Olivia! |
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| Amelia - 2nd Grade |
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| Nathan - 5th Grade |
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| The girls were playing "Pin the Tail on the Donkey"...Amelia fell asleep in the mask! |
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| Universal for Nathan's Bday weekend - Bubba Gumps! |
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| Our day begins! |
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| City Walk, Universal Orlando. |
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| Emeril's and Margaritaville! |
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| Islands of Adventure |
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| Hard Rock Cafe - The Colosseum |
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| Hogwart's |
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| Dr. Seuss in the shrubs. |
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| Dr. Seuss Trees |
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| Daddy and his girls. |
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| The Rump. |
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| Sinbad's Lost World |
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| Sinbad's Lost World |
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| Hogwart's Express |
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| Inside Ollivander's. Nathan got a Harry Potter wand! (that's not him) |
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| Too hot to do anything but play in the water in Toon Town. |
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| Nathan's sword for the Fraternus Challenge |
Autumn/Fall Thematic Unit
If you're looking for something fun and different to do with your kids, check out this seasonal thematic unit with SchoolExpress! I've been a subscriber to their newsletter for over a year and I love it!
Last year, we did a quick unit on Pumpkins! The kids seemed to enjoy it and we learned some interesting facts that we didn't know. As a matter of fact, after learning more about pumpkin vines, we realized that we had some growing in our backyard! Apparently, after carving our pumpkins several years ago, Dan had thrown out all the seeds and "guts". Fast forward to last year....some of those seeds had sprouted! Imagine that! We never got any pumpkins out of it....but it inspired us to plant and nurture some of our seeds THIS year!
Anyway, check out this FREE Autumn/Fall thematic unit by clicking here! Be sure to download it by 10/1/11! And don't forget to sign up for the SchoolExpress newsletter (you can do that by clicking HERE)!
Enjoy!
***Just so you know, SchoolExpress did not ask me to review this item or promote their services in ANY way! I'm simply sharing this with you because I LOVE this company and the services they offer!**
Monday, September 19, 2011
She's Alive!
I thought I would post an update.....for the two or three of you that still read this blog! I'm sorry I've been so bad about posting, but, our lives are very busy right now. Just to quickly update you....
1. The girls are playing soccer! Their practices are at different times...and different days! Thankfully, their games are on Friday nights so Dan and I can each watch a game and have them covered. Nathan has choir practice on one day and they all have Rosary Club on Wednesdays. It's been a chore to keep up with shin guards, cleats, song sheets and rosaries.
2. We are still getting used to the homework situation. Nathan and Amelia have homework every night! Olivia (Kindergarten) only has it about 3 nights a week. I have to make sure that I check each back pack every night just to make sure I'm not missing something. Also, if there is a school notice that goes out...I usually get the same notice THREE times! Therefore there is lots of paper flying around here!
3. I've had a set back at Weight Watchers.....but I'm working on it! Enough said!
4. Dan's Godmother passed away recently. She was 80 years old but in bad health. While her death was expected, she and Dan were very close. RIP, Jule!
5. While I hesitated for several months, I finally gave in and read "The Help". It was a good book but it seemed to drag on and on. I'm told the movie is really good and so I plan to see that as soon as I can.
6. Dan gave me my Christmas/Birthday present a few months early! I am now a proud owner of a brand new Nook! I mulled over the Nook versus Kindle thing for several weeks and finally decided on the Nook. So far, I'm very happy with it! Since I can read magazines and newspapers (as well as library books), I've decided that by purchasing this new gadget...I'm also decluttering my house! If you could see my bookshelves....you'd know what I was talking about. Anyway, it was very reasonably priced, although, I did not purchase the one with all the bells and whistles! It's less bulky than carrying around a book and so far, the machine itself keeps track of what page I'm on....so no more bent, shredded, folded or missing book marks!
7. Spiritually, I've been in a bit of a dry spell lately. It's funny how sometimes I feel like an outsider looking in on my life. I could give anyone advice on what to do during the "desert" experiences that all of us inevitably have......but I can't seem to think of a single thing when it's actually ME in the arid dryness! My wonderful friend, Judy from Benmakesten, had some words of wisdom for me recently and she really helped me to see how the enemy can slip in...unnoticed! It is during these times when I truly identify with the Footprints in the Sand poem! I know that right now, when He seems so far away from me, it is the time when He is holding me the closest!
I promise to be better about posting! I have lost of pictures that need to upload and I have some homeschooling materials that I'd like to put up for sale! I hope to get back to regular posting soon! Thanks for hanging in there...I miss you guys!
1. The girls are playing soccer! Their practices are at different times...and different days! Thankfully, their games are on Friday nights so Dan and I can each watch a game and have them covered. Nathan has choir practice on one day and they all have Rosary Club on Wednesdays. It's been a chore to keep up with shin guards, cleats, song sheets and rosaries.
2. We are still getting used to the homework situation. Nathan and Amelia have homework every night! Olivia (Kindergarten) only has it about 3 nights a week. I have to make sure that I check each back pack every night just to make sure I'm not missing something. Also, if there is a school notice that goes out...I usually get the same notice THREE times! Therefore there is lots of paper flying around here!
3. I've had a set back at Weight Watchers.....but I'm working on it! Enough said!
4. Dan's Godmother passed away recently. She was 80 years old but in bad health. While her death was expected, she and Dan were very close. RIP, Jule!
5. While I hesitated for several months, I finally gave in and read "The Help". It was a good book but it seemed to drag on and on. I'm told the movie is really good and so I plan to see that as soon as I can.
6. Dan gave me my Christmas/Birthday present a few months early! I am now a proud owner of a brand new Nook! I mulled over the Nook versus Kindle thing for several weeks and finally decided on the Nook. So far, I'm very happy with it! Since I can read magazines and newspapers (as well as library books), I've decided that by purchasing this new gadget...I'm also decluttering my house! If you could see my bookshelves....you'd know what I was talking about. Anyway, it was very reasonably priced, although, I did not purchase the one with all the bells and whistles! It's less bulky than carrying around a book and so far, the machine itself keeps track of what page I'm on....so no more bent, shredded, folded or missing book marks!
7. Spiritually, I've been in a bit of a dry spell lately. It's funny how sometimes I feel like an outsider looking in on my life. I could give anyone advice on what to do during the "desert" experiences that all of us inevitably have......but I can't seem to think of a single thing when it's actually ME in the arid dryness! My wonderful friend, Judy from Benmakesten, had some words of wisdom for me recently and she really helped me to see how the enemy can slip in...unnoticed! It is during these times when I truly identify with the Footprints in the Sand poem! I know that right now, when He seems so far away from me, it is the time when He is holding me the closest!
I promise to be better about posting! I have lost of pictures that need to upload and I have some homeschooling materials that I'd like to put up for sale! I hope to get back to regular posting soon! Thanks for hanging in there...I miss you guys!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Tid Bits
It's been awhile since I've done a "favorites" post. I've not had much time for blogging lately. The kids are well into the routines of traditional school, but I'm finding it hard to get back into the swing of things. It's a lot to keep track of, but we're managing to keep our heads above water! This is a good thing! The bad news....I have over 1000 posts in my Google Reader (AGAIN)! How does this happen?
I refuse to just press the "delete all" button because I'm afraid I might miss something very important! So, I'll spend my free time during this holiday weekend (read that....at night when everyone is in bed) catching up on what you all are doing!
In the mean time, I wanted to share with you a couple of quick links that you might find helpful or interesting:
1. I receive regular emails and updates from the wonderful website called CurrClick. Today, I saw a really nice copy work packet on pumpkins (right in time for fall) for only 50 cents! You have got to go check it out! They have a product preview on most items so you can look at the material before you purchase it...you can even turn the pages! If you look through their index....you could be there for hours! Lot's of free stuff too!
2. Lacy over at Catholic Icing has a wonderful post up today on "creating schedules" with a link up called "Well Ordered Days: Honoring God in the Details"! I am not an organized person...never have been and that's probably not going to change much. However, I think it's important to have routines and I even believe that it's beneficial to make lists (even if you never use them)! I do want to honor God in my state in life. I really enjoyed reading about the schedules that these other moms have. Thank you Lacy! If you have a schedule that works for you....go link it up!!
3. If you are a member of Catholic Mothers Online, you need to see Angie's post about blog hackers! Please make sure you have the correct coding for linking to CMO! It only takes a minute and it could save you a headache later on!
4. I tried a new fruit smoothie the other day....and I'm hooked! Since being back on Weight Watchers (I've lost a total of 20.6 lbs thank you very much!), I've been struggling to get in all of my fruit/veges servings in a day. These smoothies have helped me to do just that! Although it's 8 points to drink the entire bottle.....it is well worth it! My favorite so far is the Green Machine! You have got to try these!
5. Last week, I watched the movie, "Karol: The Man Who Became Pope" on EWTN! I can honestly say that this was one of the BEST movies I have ever seen! Truly! The sequel called, "Karol - The Pope, The Man" was also excellent! This is a great family movie (although, there are some parts that show the brutality of the Nazi regime) and I think it is a great way to learn about the life of Blessed John Paul II!
6. Another family movie that I can recommend to you is Soul Surfer! This is the true story of a young lady who was the victim of a shark attack while surfing and lost her arm. We rented this through the "on demand" feature from our cable company. You usually get access to the movie for 48 hours. I can't tell you how many times we watched this movie in that time frame! My girls LOVED it! You will really enjoy it!
7. As long as we are on the subject of t.v./movie programming, I have a few others that I would highly recommend. The National Geographic channel aired an awesome interview with former President George Bush this week. It's called "George W. Bush: The 9/11 Interview". In this interview, President Bush recalls the events surrounding that fateful day. It is scheduled to re-air on Saturday, September 3rd at 10pm. You can also catch the entire episode on YouTube, but I believe you have to watch it in several parts. Excellent!
8. And lastly, the Discovery Channel is airing a series called "Rising: Rebuilding Ground Zero". I've watched the first three episodes and it is very well done and worth watching. While they obviously make reference to the awful events of 9/11, the focus of this series is truly on the REBUILDING! It's awesome and I think this would be appropriate for all family members. It's a testament to the resiliency of the American spirit. To me, it's the epitome of patriotism.
O.K. I'm done for now. Enjoy your holiday weekend!!
I refuse to just press the "delete all" button because I'm afraid I might miss something very important! So, I'll spend my free time during this holiday weekend (read that....at night when everyone is in bed) catching up on what you all are doing!
In the mean time, I wanted to share with you a couple of quick links that you might find helpful or interesting:
1. I receive regular emails and updates from the wonderful website called CurrClick. Today, I saw a really nice copy work packet on pumpkins (right in time for fall) for only 50 cents! You have got to go check it out! They have a product preview on most items so you can look at the material before you purchase it...you can even turn the pages! If you look through their index....you could be there for hours! Lot's of free stuff too!
2. Lacy over at Catholic Icing has a wonderful post up today on "creating schedules" with a link up called "Well Ordered Days: Honoring God in the Details"! I am not an organized person...never have been and that's probably not going to change much. However, I think it's important to have routines and I even believe that it's beneficial to make lists (even if you never use them)! I do want to honor God in my state in life. I really enjoyed reading about the schedules that these other moms have. Thank you Lacy! If you have a schedule that works for you....go link it up!!
3. If you are a member of Catholic Mothers Online, you need to see Angie's post about blog hackers! Please make sure you have the correct coding for linking to CMO! It only takes a minute and it could save you a headache later on!
4. I tried a new fruit smoothie the other day....and I'm hooked! Since being back on Weight Watchers (I've lost a total of 20.6 lbs thank you very much!), I've been struggling to get in all of my fruit/veges servings in a day. These smoothies have helped me to do just that! Although it's 8 points to drink the entire bottle.....it is well worth it! My favorite so far is the Green Machine! You have got to try these!
5. Last week, I watched the movie, "Karol: The Man Who Became Pope" on EWTN! I can honestly say that this was one of the BEST movies I have ever seen! Truly! The sequel called, "Karol - The Pope, The Man" was also excellent! This is a great family movie (although, there are some parts that show the brutality of the Nazi regime) and I think it is a great way to learn about the life of Blessed John Paul II!
6. Another family movie that I can recommend to you is Soul Surfer! This is the true story of a young lady who was the victim of a shark attack while surfing and lost her arm. We rented this through the "on demand" feature from our cable company. You usually get access to the movie for 48 hours. I can't tell you how many times we watched this movie in that time frame! My girls LOVED it! You will really enjoy it!
7. As long as we are on the subject of t.v./movie programming, I have a few others that I would highly recommend. The National Geographic channel aired an awesome interview with former President George Bush this week. It's called "George W. Bush: The 9/11 Interview". In this interview, President Bush recalls the events surrounding that fateful day. It is scheduled to re-air on Saturday, September 3rd at 10pm. You can also catch the entire episode on YouTube, but I believe you have to watch it in several parts. Excellent!
8. And lastly, the Discovery Channel is airing a series called "Rising: Rebuilding Ground Zero". I've watched the first three episodes and it is very well done and worth watching. While they obviously make reference to the awful events of 9/11, the focus of this series is truly on the REBUILDING! It's awesome and I think this would be appropriate for all family members. It's a testament to the resiliency of the American spirit. To me, it's the epitome of patriotism.
O.K. I'm done for now. Enjoy your holiday weekend!!
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