The Kids Are Bloggin'

The big kids have both been working on their blogs; practicing keyboarding, writing, and publication designing. They've both chosen their first loves...animals and Legos. Check them out!

Lego My Lego Contraption by Reeves

The Animal Hugger by Embree

For Granddaddy...

Too many times we wait until it's too late to tell the ones we love just what they mean to us. I want to do that for all those I love...starting with my Grandfather who gave us all a scare last week. Some will be posted here. Others will be sent privately. Others won't be words, but deeds for those who are so close in my everyday life that I take them for granted.

Hi Grandaddy,

I am sorry I can't be there with you now. I want to say a few things to you and I hope that you will understand and accept my thoughts in words. I know you are surrounded by people who love you so very much, people whom you love. All of our thoughts and wishes are for your quick recovery and comfort. Our concern for you comes from a lifetime of love that you have shared with all of us. I want to say thank you for that lifetime. Thank you for always being so happy to see us when we visited you. Thank you for visiting us, for laughing with us, for teaching us. I have never seen you show anything but compassion for every person you've ever met, and even when you were angry with us as kids, you were still gentle and loving. I think I can speak for all of your grandchildren when I say that we all know you love us unconditionally. We all value the lessons you have taught us, and we all hold our own special memories of our time together. What I believe about the world and God and love...so much of that came from being your granddaughter. Thank you for being the special person you are. Thank you for being the best grandfather I could have every asked for. Thank you for being you. I love you so very much and strive to be the kind of person I see in you.

Love, Jeannie

This note, I sent to be read to him last week. My aunt requested I print it here for him to read again now that he is home.

Very interesting...Sunday links

A few links for your reading pleasure:

Food (lots of food...must have been hungry this week)
This looks divine as is...trying to think up a vegan alternative.
Winter salads for the anti-lettuce crowd...though I bet no one in my family but me will eat the second one!)
And some winter soups for the hide-my-veggies crowd.
This for dessert...this I can finagle into vegan.

Articles
...on attention issues
...on parenting
...a shout out to this Lexington blogger and her field trip to Georgetown

Homeschooling ideas
...the periodic table (for those of us studying Chemistry)
...a very silly video recommended by Reeves (again, for the Chemistry students)
...Yosemite (for those of us studying the National Parks...or planning to visit)

Asthetics
...LOVIN' this bookcase!
...and really LOVIN' these (I bet my grandmother has some of these in her storage building!)

Happy reading...stay warm...

have a great week!

The week that was...January 15-21

I don't have pictures to share of all of the fun we had this week. I try not to stand over everything we do with a camera because things tend to come out posed or staged when I do. Instead, I try to just get the camera out a few times a day and capture ordinary moments.

This week...

• we hosted new Georgetown College students at a reception in our home
• attended a Martin Luther King Day celebration
• finished a round of steroids and antibiotic for Reeves' cold and croupe
• started antibiotics for Brice's cold and ear infection
• I began a new semester at the college and gave a lecture on creative dramatics to a regional group of children's librarians
• we played at Miss Nina's house
• got lots more snow
• missed guitar and gym&swim because of the weather and sickness
• and had some friends over to play chemistry games. 

Have a great week! 

And here is one of my occasional rants... (spoiler: it's political)

A GOP Study Group proposes cutting:

• Public Broadcasting (No one needs PBS when we have Cartoon Network), 
• National Endowment for the Arts (We've cut the arts from education, why not from our cultural persona as well? Oh yeah, we have Cartoon Network), 
• National Endowment for the Humanities (Wonder if the National Endowment for Lobbyists is to be cut?), 
• Title X Family Planning (Abstinence only, I guess, but don't ask for assistance if you have a child. Just reserve a spot on Dancing with the Stars to help pay your bills)
• Even Department of Energy grants to states for weatherization. (Guess we don't need that last one...didn't see any cuts for drilling programs. Should be plenty of oil to cover all the energy leaks...in our generation at least.)

That's all that matters right?
Oil
Money in our trust funds
Opposing Obama on EVERY issue...period (Thanks Mitch! So proud you my senator)

Oh, and let's just totally repeal the Health Care Law, because things were just fine the way they were...at least for me and mine. Those who don't have health care can just get a gig on Dancing with the Stars.

Rant over...back to being nice.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/20/house-gop-gets-specific-on-cuts_n_811557.html

Very interesting...Sunday links

A few things to share that caught my eye this week...

recipes:
- make your own chai concentrate and control the sugar!
- vegan mujaddara - the weirdness actually sounds appealing. wonder if i can get the kids to go for it?

art:
- thatched wallpaper - gotta try this...at least on a set in my next play!
- beautiful stitchery - wish i'd thought of it!

articles:
- princesses...pro or con?
- with loved ones in the hospital this week, i found this very useful in the moment.

thoughts:
- important and important ...happy MLK day!


and thoughts of someone very special tonight

the week that was (january 8-14)

january 8

a little leftover christmas...still a few other reminders hanging around the house, but we are still really enjoying our poinsettia

 january 9

a tickle...reeves is very patient with his little brother and spends a little time each day playing with him

 january 10

strong man...all those vanilla steamers he's been enjoying

 january 11

snowed in...it seemed like days and days of snow...public schools were out most of the week but we forged ahead...we'll be enjoying summer early!

 january 12

newton's cradle...always a fascinating activity...studying newton and the enlightenment in history

 january 13

sign of a genius? if so, mom is pretty smart too...but she's not taking a picture of her pile!!

 january 14

brice the builder...diggers and beans are taking over the classroom bathroom

note: there are no pictures of embree this week because I find myself taking pictures in the mornings before the day begins...when she is still nestled in bed. 

...and that's the way it was...see you next week!

Very interesting...Sunday Links

I'll just get this one out of the way first. I'm sorry to use the term "porn" on a family blog, but the photos and short film on this blog post make my heart race.

I bought grapefruit yesterday just to try this recipe.

A few good ideas for school: career exploration and physical activity.

Articles about two things I spend a great deal of time pondering: education and prejudice.

Something fun from Sesame Street (what can be wrong when Big Bird is around?).

And, finally, something to ponder this week.

Be courageous...fearless...have a great week!
Namaste.

Our Wonderful Week

I am not a professional blogger. I don't post daily...sometimes not even weekly. I don't get paid by advertisers or have a huge following. But those of you who read this blog are very important to me...to us. I have been trying to think of a way to regularly post and include the fun we have in our family. So, I've decided to try to post a weekly update with pictures from a meaningful moment each day of the week. To improve the liklehood that I can continue throughout the year, pictures will likely be unedited and captions will be short, but the loving intent will be there. Other posts will still show up when I have time...I can't resist a good rant now and then.


Until then, here's...

Our Wonderful Week for January 1-7, 2011

January 1

Relaxing by the fire on New Year's Day - The Farm

January 2

Winter walk - The Farm

January 3

Sleeping the morning away - The Farm

January 4 

First day back into our lessons

 January 5

Sorting marshmallows

January 6 

Reeves' Lego creation contest entry (build a car, geekdad blog)

 January 7

The boys, back together after a long holiday

January 7 (Bonus) 

End of the week treat: Voyage of the Dawn Treader in 3D!

Have a wonderful week!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Here's to joy beyond measure 

in the little things each day.

Happy 2011!