Celebrating Thankfulness - #141-160

The definite highlight of last week was going out with my daughter on Friday for a movie, dinner, and shopping.  Amber has swim team practice every night and week-ends are almost always busy.  Practice was held early Friday morning instead of Friday evening, so we took the opportunity to have a fun late afternoon/evening out together.  We went to see "In Time," ate at Panera, and shopped all evening at Kohl's.  We had such a wonderful time!  We talked and laughed and just enjoyed each other's company.  I kept thinking the whole time how grateful I am that my daughter and I are still so close when she's almost 15.


141.  I am so thankful for my teenage daughter and our close relationship.  I can't even think about her leaving for college without starting to get misty-eyed.


142.  Hot showers on cold mornings.  Every morning I feel blessed to have the luxury of very hot, running water... and I try to never forget that it is indeed a luxury.    

143.  Movie theater popcorn.

144.  Even though I sometimes wish that we had a wood-burning fireplace, I am very grateful for our gas fireplace that we can just turn on.

145.  I am so thankful for our dog, Hershey.  She is always willing to jump in the car to take our daughter to very-early-morning swim team practice and she is almost always right by my side when we are at home.  She's usually napping, but she's there!

146.  I am so grateful that, so far, my mother's congestive heart failure is able to be managed with medication and attention to her diet.

147.  The new caramel sundae at Burger King.  I was so disappointed when McDonald's stopped serving caramel sundaes quite a while back...and now they're at Burger King!

148.  The stores are starting to put out Christmas decorations!  

149.  My large-capacity gas-powered clothes dryer.

150.  My large-capacity electric powered clothes washer.

151.  Wireless internet service in our home.

152.  I am thankful for my middle son's interest in playing the electric guitar and the fact that he learned to play "Joy to the World" just for me.

153.  A new cake-pop maker that I purchased on the delightful shopping trip with my daughter.  I can't wait to make cake pops for Christmas.


154.  My reading glasses - even though they make me feel a little old.


155.  Longaberger baskets - even though my husband and I don't buy them anymore, I treasure the ones we purchased in the early years of our marriage and I love the way they look in our home.


156.  Yummy, yummy pumpkin caramel latte scented soap from Bath and Body Works.


157.  My very pretty planning pages from Mom's Toolbelt.  I love organizing my customized planner with the pretty pages from this subscription website.


158.  Singing Christmas carols at church...soon.

159.  Highlighters.

160.  Post-it notes.  What did I ever do without them?


To read more lists of thankfulness, visit the lovely blog, A Holy Experience, for Multitudes on Monday.  

Thank you to digitalart at Free Digital Photos for the picture of the popcorn and movie ticket.

Week in Review - Clam Dissection, Hands-On Science, and Snuggling by the Fireplace

This week marked the first pretty cold week that we've had here in our part of Ohio.  With temperatures dipping into the 30s at night and highs in the low 50s during the day, we've been enjoying our fireplace quite a bit during our school days!  I had to smile when I discovered Mason on the couch by the fireplace listening to his assigned book on tape - he just wouldn't find that level of comfort if he went to school outside our home!  By the way, he has a lollipop in his mouth, not a thermometer!


We had another very busy week after a very busy week-end and I must admit that I'm starting to really look forward to our week-long Thanksgiving break!  


Last week-end, Amber and I attended the Million Dollar Quartet.  Wow - what a fabulous show!  Amber and I are both big Elvis and Johnny Cash fans so we didn't stop smiling through the entire performance.


The rest of the week-end was jam-packed.  Saturday evening, the children attended a friend's Halloween party.  Then, on Sunday, Amber and Mason participated in the Mile Meet.  Yes, they each competed in the 1650 Yard Freestyle (one full mile).  They both did very well and they both achieved personal best times!

• Amber - 18.23.63 (AAA time standard, 2/23)
• Mason - 19.58.88 (BB time standard, 7/12)

Amber and I spent the remainder of Sunday running a few errands and we went to see The Three Musketeers.  It wasn't the best movie I've ever seen, but it was very entertaining.  Sunday marked the third week-end in a row that we've missed church due to swim meets.  I'm SO looking forward to going to church this Sunday!

The highlights of our school week centered on hands-on science.

Mason made his volcano erupt with vinegar, baking soda, and red food dye.  Erupting the volcano made an exciting ending to the chapter on volcanoes and earthquakes.

As part of the science chapter, Mason also was assigned the task of designing his own invention.  He was supposed to design an invention that would help learn more about volcanoes in some way.  Bob Jones Science Level 6 has many activities in each chapter and students are not expected to complete every single activity.  I almost skipped this one but when Mason read about it in his book, he became very excited, so I decided we would complete the invention activity as well.

Mason made his invention out of duct tape - one of his craft materials of choice.

His invention will instantly freeze lava to stop the flow when it is on a destructive path.  As well, the lava can be frozen so that scientists can study it instantly.  I thought his invention was very creative!

Duncan is very excited to be working through a chapter on work and simple machines.  He conducted an activity to explore the impact of the position of the fulcrum on the effort needed to lift a load.  

When we finished the activity, Duncan asked if he could continue experimenting for a while longer on his own.  I just love it when my kids are interested enough in a science lesson to want to investigate further when we're done!

Amber and I worked together on her first dissection in Marine Biology.  We worked through a clam dissection.  I was so proud of the two us because we found everything we were supposed to find, except for the heart and gut, which were listed as organs that MAY be able to be found.

To bring this Week in Review to a close, I will end with five random statements that relate to our school year thus far:

• Duncan finished all of the levels in his typing program and earned the Advanced Touch Typist Award.  He was SO proud of his award!  He printed out two copies - one for his bulletin board and one for his portfolio.
• My boys and I all really like the current history read-aloud, Sign of the Beaver.  
• We all watched The Great Inca Rebellion this week for a history video.  While it was very good, it was a bit too gory for my 10 year old.  
• After dissecting a clam with my daughter this week, I have decided that I don't feel quite comfortable with animals that don't have eyes.
• I definitely need to make a meal plan for next week.  I was floundering every day trying to figure out what to make for our big lunch!  

That was our week in review!  To read about what other bloggers were doing in their homeschools this week, visit the Weekly Wrap-Up at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

Respond to Literature With a Comic Strip

My daughter (9th grade) is taking Latin I with a private tutor this year.  Amber and I both adore the tutor (she is a retired teacher), and Latin has become Amber's favorite subject.  In addition to learning the Latin language, Amber is learning about the culture and history of ancient Rome.

Recently she read Famous Men of Rome from Memoria Press.  As an assignment, Amber had to choose her favorite mini-biography and create a comic strip, complete with pictures, about the story.  I thought this was a wonderful literature response idea!

Amber chose to write about the first Christian emperor, Constantine.  I love how she captured the essence of the information about Constantine from the book in comic strip format!  The assignment definitely took time, thought, and creativity.  I especially like Amber's cute little drawings as she so rarely draws anymore.

While Amber created her own template, free comic strip templates are readily available at Donna Young's extremely helpful website.

My younger boys will both be doing book reports this year and I plan to make a comic strip book report one of their assignments.

Ten Books I Plan to Read for Christmas

I love to read and I love Christmas.  Therefore, I was so excited when I came up with the idea last Christmas season to read as many Christmas-themed novels as I could during the months of November and December. My very favorite Christmas-themed novel from last season was An Amish Christmas by Cynthia Keller.  I've been collecting Christmas-themed novels throughout the year and putting them in a big, pink shoe box.  Here is a peek at 10 of the books from the shoe box.

1.  Baby, It's Cold Outside by Susan May Warren

I just bought this book based on a positive review from Kris at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

2.  Grace by Shelley Shepard Gray

I stumbled across this book when I was purchasing the book above and found a new copy at a reduced price.

3.  Candy Cane Murder by Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine, and Leslie Meier

I adore cozy mysteries and Joanne Fluke and Leslie Meier are two of my favorite cozy mystery authors.  I am sure I will enjoy the short holiday stories by both of my favorite authors and am looking forward to reading one by a new-to-me author, Laura Levine.

4.  An Amish Christmas by Patricia Davids

I snagged this one from PaperBackSwap based on the lovely cover image, the title, and the positive reviews.  When my teenage daughter opened the package, she remarked, "Oh, this one will have a happy ending."  Yes, that was just what I was thinking!

5.  The Diva Cooks a Goose by Krista Davis

I've read one book in this series and will be skipping over two books in order to read this Christmas-themed cozy mystery.  I prefer reading books in series order but I know I enjoy this series.

6.  A Christmas Journey and A Christmas Visitor by Anne Perry

Anne Perry has written a lot of Christmas-themed novels and this novel includes her first two in her Christmas series.  I have never read anything by Anne Perry before so I hope I enjoy these books.

7.  The Christmas Knight by Michele Sinclair

I adore Scottish Highlander romances so a Christmas-themed Scottish Highlander romance is perfect for me!

8. Highlander for the Holidays by Janet Chapman

I've read all of the books in Janet Chapman's Highlander series and am looking forward to her newest book - a Christmas-themed Highlander romance.

9.  All I Want for Christmas Is You by Lisa Mondello

I love reading books on my Kindle and this Christmas-themed romance is free right now.

10.  A Lancaster County Christmas by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Suzanne Woods Fisher is a new author for me but this book came highly recommended on Amazon and it seemed like a book I would enjoy so I added it to my Christmas reading list.

So, do you have any great Christmas-themed books to recommend?  I would LOVE to hear your suggestions!


For more Top 10 lists on a wide variety of topics, visit Top 10 Tuesday at Oh Amanda.

Celebrating Thankfulness - #121-140

At this time of year I'm so thankful for autumn - my VERY favorite season.  I love everything about autumn and look forward to the season all year.  When we lived in Phoenix for 3 years, I missed the changing seasons so much, I absolutely ached for the crisp days and changing leaves of autumn.  Since we moved back to Ohio almost 15 years ago, I've never failed to appreciate the beauty of the seasons, particularly autumn.

121.  The fabulous colors of the changing leaves that greet me every time I leave my house.
122.  Cooler temperatures and the crispness in the air that means fall is here.
123.  The anticipation that fall brings for the wonderful holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas.
124.  Hot soup on a cold day made in the crock-pot.
125.  Honeycrisp apples.

126.  Finding glitter in completely random places a full week after my daughter wore her glitter-fairy dress to a Homecoming dance.
127.  My Kindle - I'm loving it more every day.  I didn't think I would like reading books on an e-reader...but I really do!
128.  The 1/4 cow in our freezer.
129.  Generic Allegra for my seasonal allergies.
130.  Wearing sweatshirts again - they are much friendlier to my chubby body and they always make me feel like I'm being hugged all day.
131.  Target - the only store I that I actually enjoy.
132.  My mother-in-law moved in 2 doors down from our house.  It's wonderful to have her so close to us.
133.  My new Scrabble Onyx Edition that my husband surprised me with...for no reason at all.  I've wanted one for years, ever since I saw my best friend's copy of the game.  I adore the black tiles!
134.  My 10 year old son loves to play Scrabble and is a REALLY good player.
135.  Malley's Chocolates.
136.  My daughter singing hymns with the residents of the assisted living center and commenting to me that the old hymns are better.
137.  Singing and learning the old hymns with my boys in their Bible classes this year.
138.  Pumpkin chocolate chip bread from Great Harvest Bread.
139.  Cheap medium-point Paper Mate blue pens.  They're my favorite pens...and they're cheap.
140.  Wearing flannel pajama pants all day long.

Visit Multitudes on Mondays at Ann's utterly beautiful blog, A Holy Experience, to read many more thankfulness lists from bloggers.

Thank you to Ben Wilson at Free Digital Photos for the lovely picture of autumnal leaves.

Fall Travel Swim Meet

Amber had a wonderful week-end at our swim team's Fall Travel Meet!  The highest award that swimmers with our USA swim club can earn is the Super Swimmer Award.  To earn that award, swimmers have to swim almost ALL of the different events offered at USA meets.  Amber swam three events at the Indy Travel Meet that she doesn't usually swim:  the 200 Yard Breaststroke, the 200 Yard Individual Medley, and the 100 Yard Breaststroke.  Breaststroke is definitely NOT her favorite stroke but it was great seeing her stretch herself and swim events that she rarely swims.

The highlights of the swim meet for Amber were making 4 personal best times, scoring points for her team in every event in which she raced, taking first place in 4 events, and taking second place in one event!

Girls  14 and Under 100 Yard Freestyle

• Time - 53.77
• Placement - First Place, 1/56
• Time Standard - AAAA

Girls 14 and Under 100 Yard Breaststroke

• Time - 1:21.97
• Placement - 12th, 12/47
• Time Standard - BB
• Personal Best Time!

Girls 14 and Under 50 Yard Freestyle

• Time - 24.71
• Placement - First Place, 1/48
• Time Standard - AAAA

Girls 14 and Under 500 Yard Freestyle

• Time - 5:18.54
• Placement - Second Place, 2/38
• Time Standard - AAA
• Personal Best Time!

Girls 14 and Under 200 Yard Freestyle

• Time - 1:59.03
• Placement - First Place, 1/44
• Time Standard - AAA

Girls 14 and Under 100 Yard Butterfly

• Time - 1:00.42
• Placement - First Place, 1/27
• Time Standard - AAA

Girls 14 and Under 200 Yard Breaststroke

• Time - 2:59.66
• Placement - 12th, 12/34
• Time Standard - BB
• Personal Best Time!

Girls 14 and Under 200 Yard Individual Medley

• Time - 2:23.59
• Placement - 4/76
• Time Standard - AA
• Personal Best Time!

Mason had an awesome week-end as well!  Mason is also trying to earn the Super Swimmer award from our swim team this year so he competed in a few events that were new to him, the 200 Breaststroke and the 500 Freestyle.  Mason just aged-up to the 13-14 division and the competition is quite a bit harder than in the 11-12 division.  He did so well at the swim meet, though!  

Highlights of the meet for Mason were scoring points for his team in EVERY event in which he raced and 8 personal best times!

Boys 14 and Under 100 Yard Freestyle

• Time - 57.51
• Placement - 11/31
• Time Standard - BB
• Personal Best Time!

Boys 14 and Under 100 Yard Breaststroke

• Time - 1:17.92
• Placement - 7/22
• Time Standard - BB
• Personal Best Time!

Boys 14 and Under 50 Yard Freestyle

• Time - 25.99
• Placement - 4/28
• Time Standard - A
• Personal Best Time!

Boys 14 and Under 500 Yard Freestyle

• Time - 5:40.18
• Placement - 6/29
• Time Standard - BB
• Personal Best Time!

Boys 14 and Under 200 Yard Freestyle

• Time - 2:07.63
• Placement - 12/38
• Time Standard - BB
• Personal Best Time!

Boys 14 and Under 100 Yard Butterfly

• Time - 1:08.34
• Placement - 11/27
• Time Standard - BB

Boys 14 and Under 200 Yard Breaststroke

• Time - 2:54.03
• Placement - 9/26
• Time Standard - B
• Personal Best Time!

Boys 14 and Under 200 Yard Individual Medley

• Time - 2:29.87
• Placement - 11/50
• Time Standard - BB

Movies Watched in June - September

I haven't done a movies post in quite a while but I have watched quite a few movies since my last movies post back in early June.  I have really enjoyed most of what I've seen.  My very favorite movie that I've seen over the last few months is Limitless.  I liked Limitless so much I even bought in on DVD when it was on sale at Target! 

• X-Men First Class ***** - My daughter and I both LOVED this movie.  It's out on DVD now so I highly recommend renting it!  Even if I hadn't really liked the movie, it would have been worth watching just for the brief scene with Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) in a bar.  Great action movie!
• Super 8 ***** - My daughter and I went to see this movie when we were on a mini-vacation in Niagara Falls.  We weren't sure what to expect since the previews were fairly vague but we LOVED this movie.  The movie completely captured the 70s in the details.  The acting on the part of all of the young actors was tremendous as well.  Highly recommended!
• Justified Season 2 - Hands down, this is my favorite television show right now.  I can't wait for season 3!  Justified is an amazing police drama set in the backwoods of Kentucky.  The acting is tremendous, particularly from Timothy Olyphant and Walton Goggins.  
• Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows Part 2 ***** - While my daughter and I adored this movie, both of us had mixed feelings about parts of it, particularly the ending fight scenes.  We definitely would have liked to have seen the fight scenes we read about in the book instead of the intense focus on a battle between Harry and Voldemort.  But, overall, we liked the last installment in the Harry Potter movies very much.  
• Winnie the Pooh Movie *** - As much as my daughter and I wanted to love this movie, there was little new material in the film.  It was also EXTREMELY short.  Of course, I would have loved the shortness of it if I had taken very little people to the movie!
• The Lincoln Lawyer *** - My husband didn't like this movie but I thought it was OK, not fabulous, but definitely worth watching.
• The Adjustment Bureau *** - I liked this movie fairly well.  While I was entertained, my main thought at the end of the movie was that there was a great deal of running in the film! 
• Captain America ***** - My daughter and I really like superhero movies so we were primed to love Captain America, and we did.  The movie is also over-the-top patriotic and we both loved that aspect of the film.
• A Knight's Tale ***** - A Knight's Tale is one of my very favorite movies of all time.  Love the plot, love the music, love the actors and I always enjoy watching it one more time.
• Unknown ***** - I never figured this movie out and was shocked at the ending...but then everything finally made sense.  Highly recommended! 
• Cowboys & Aliens **** - I took my daughter and her friend to see this movie and we all really liked it.  It was a weird combination but I thought it really worked.  Just seeing Harrison Ford as a rugged, old cowboy was definitely worth the price of movie admission.
• Friendly Persuasion ***** Friendly Persuasion is a classic that makes me cry every time I watch it.  The movie is definitely family-friendly as well.  Watch it with your kids and prove to them that old movies are fabulous too!
• True Blood Season 3 **** - OK, I definitely have a love-hate relationship with this show.  I am uncomfortable with the amount of swearing, sex, and violence in the show but I really like the characters and have read all of the Sookie Stackhouse books.  
• The Closer Season 6 - Great show - I've watched every season and have never been disappointed.  Kyra Sedgwick is so perfect in her role.
• The Help ***** - My daughter cried all the way through this movie.  Somehow, I managed to hold it together better than she did but I was misty-eyed through much of the film.  The movie was absolutely excellent.  I have the book...I have to read it.
• The Company Men *** - I liked this movie although it is a bit slow and sad.  I enjoyed the actors and the exploration of a difficult topic.
• Hanna **** - My daughter and I were riveted to the television screen when we watched this movie last night.  The cinematography is quite unique and mesmerizing at times.  Hanna is definitely a violent, action-packed thriller.  Even with a few loose ends left at the end of the movie, my daughter and I both liked it.
• Contagion ***** - Intense.  Disturbing.  Fabulous acting.  I took my daughter and a friend to see this movie and we all thought it was incredible.  We also couldn't wait to wash our hands after the movie...and use antibacterial gel on them as well.  Highly, highly recommended!

I'm always looking for good movies to watch.  Have you seen any great movies lately?

Photo courtesy of www.freedigitalphotos.net.  The movie theater image was created by Salvatore Vuono.

Ten Things for Parents to Take to a Swim Meet

Amber is swimming the 100 Butterfly at the 2011 Central Zones Championship.

In the month of October alone, my husband and I will be spending at least 22 hours at swim meets.  Swim meets are long, the stands are often uncomfortable, and it's often hot in the stands...but we love to see our children swim.  With three children swimming year-round on a USA swimming club, we go to more than our fair share of swim meets.  Over the years we've learned a few things about packing for a swim meet and I'll share them in the following list of Ten Things for Parents to Take to a Swim Meet.

1.  Something to do in between races - At a swim meet, you can easily find yourself with chunks of time between your child's events.    Swim parents bring lots of different things to entertain themselves at swim meets:

• iPads
• books
• Suduko books
• magazines/newspapers
• laptops
• knitting/crocheting/cross-stitch

My personal favorite is my Kindle and other books.  My husband likes to play Suduko.  We've already pre-ordered the Kindle Fire, so pretty soon, he'll be playing Suduko on it.

2.  Pens, a highlighter, and a black Sharpie - You will need a few pens to write down your child's times and placements.  You will also need a highlighter to mark your child's races in the heat sheet.  Finally, you will need a black Sharpie so that when your child can't find the one he put in his swim bag, you will have one to loan him.  Most swimmers write their events on their hand at the beginning of the swim meet with a Sharpie.

3.  Information about swim times - Swimmers are usually working towards particular time cuts in particular events.  For example, my daughter's big goal right now is Junior National time cuts and my youngest son is working towards BB times.  We have found it very helpful to bring the time standards with us to the meets so we know right away if our swimmer has reached a goal time.  We bring:

• National Age Group Motivational Times
• Junior National time cuts
• Speedo Champions Series time cuts
• Team records
• List of our children's best times in each event

Mason is swimming the 100 Free during the Central Zone Championship.

4.  Snacks and drinks - While there is often a concession stand at swim meets, we prefer to bring our own snacks and drinks.  Whatever we don't eat, our swimmers will!


5.  Tylenol - The combination of intense chlorine smells, heat, and loud cheering can lead to headaches.  I don't get a headache at every meet but I've had enough of them over the years that I always bring Tylenol.


6.  Cash - You will need money for admission, a heat sheet, concessions, and sometimes for parking.

7.  Layers of clothing - The temperature poolside can vary tremendously, even during the same swim meet.  Temperatures usually run on the hot side, though - even in the middle of winter.  Dressing in layers is smart for swim meets.

8.  Stadium seat or camping chair - There will not be room at all swim meets for a stadium seat or a camping chair but, for those meets where there is enough room, a bleacher chair or camping chair can make the day a lot more comfortable.

9.  Cell phone - Communication is much easier between your swimmer and you if both of you have cell phones.  Parents are rarely allowed on deck so it's easiest to communicate via cell phone.  Plus, you need to text the grandparents to let them know how their grandchild is doing at the meet!

10. A good attitude REGARDLESS of how your child performs - While most swim parents are very supportive, I have seen quite a bit of bad behavior at swim meets on the part of the parents.  Your child needs you to be supportive regarding his or her performance, even if he or she does not perform well.  When parents put performance in swimming, or any sport, ahead of their relationship with their children, they are chipping away at the bedrock of trust, love, and security that a parent-child relationship should be based upon.  (For more on this topic, please read my article, "Encouraging Our Young Athletes")

To read more Top 10 lists from bloggers all over the web, visit Top 10 Tuesday at Oh, Amanda.