Never Forget

Girders in the shape of a cross, preserved from the wreckage of the World Trade Center, stand over the site of the attack.

Photo and caption borrowed from Moments of Silence Mark 9/11 Anniversary on msnbc.com

Today in School

Bryan wanted to try on Dad's uniform. Looks pretty good! Could use a haircut, though, don't you think? JT is learning to use a compass.
Luci's lesson plans called for her to be cute. She passed!

Some School Stuff

Our favorite way to store crayons. (Don't worry, Nana--it's a plastic jar.)
I found several learning games at Wal-Mart this week. They were cheap, so I got several. They are all simple, colorful, and perfect for preschoolers and Kindergartners. Here's one:


Luci having fun "doin' my skoo-work."
Showing off her folding skills. I handed Luci about 10 kitchen washcloths that just came out of the dryer, and Luci folded them and put them away. Can you tell she's proud of her work? I think she has chocolate on her mouth. (Takes after her mother!)
JT today. Cute, cute boy. Bryan kept busy on the computer most of today--he's in the background.

I Will Survive...Homeschooling!

The Homeschool Song, lifted with permission from Laurie's blog. This is much more fun to read if you sing it to the tune, I Will Survive! That has the added bonus of making your kids think you have officially "lost it" and they will give you a wide berth, which is nice since homeschool moms don't get much quiet time.

I Will Survive (the first year of homeschooling)
Originally written and produced by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris
Originally performed by Gloria Gaynor
Mercilessly altered with apologies by Natalie Criss
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

First I was afraid
I was petrified.

Kept thinking I could never teach

'Cause I'm not certified.

But we spent so many nights
Reteaching homework that was wrong.
I grew strong,
so now I teach my kids at home!

We study math
and outer space.
I just kept on despite the fear
with a big smile across my face.
I bought a set of
Base Ten blocks.
I bought books with answer keys.
My parents think we're nuts,
but they don't even bother me

Come on,
let's go walk out the door.
We're on the road now,
'cause we're not home much anymore
My friends would laugh
and say we'd be unsocialized.
I heard one mumble
that I'd give up by July.

Oh no, not I!
I will survive!
As long as I know how to read
I know we'll be alright.
I've got all my life to learn.
I've got energy to burn.
and I'll survive.
I will survive.

It took all the strength I had
not to fall apart.
Decided to attend
a play date at the local park,
and I met oh so many moms
who offered eagerly to help.
They used to cry.
Now they hold their heads up high,

And so do we!
My kids are cool!
They're not those chained up little people
stuck inside at school.
So if you feel like dropping by
and just expect us to be free
you'd better call ahead first
'cause we're probably busy.

One of Those Days

Today I took the kids to the Army base to get our ID cards renewed. 75 miles away. One way. My card expires next week, Bryan's at the end of the month, and JT has never had a card, but he's eligible. So, off we trotted this morning. Early.

We get to the office and the lady tells me we need our Sponsor. That's the military family member--and John was not with us. Frantic, I get Bryan to call John, who just happens to be in Huntsville today--usually he's not--and he was only a few miles from us. Good! The last few times I've been in this office, John has been overseas and the pile of papers I always carry with me have sufficed. I had no idea he was actually needed here. John said he was glad that *somebody* needed him!

While we are waiting for John, Luci demonstrates to the entire assembly of soldiers that she understands the nature show we saw the other day--a DVD from Netflix which shows animals on the Serengeti giving birth. She tells, rather loudly (of course), how JT was born--"JT! That baby was bornded like when Mommy popped you out!" Now we have about 10 troops deciding they never want to have kids.

JT now has a migraine--he's eaten things with corn syrup the past few days, and it's showing. He is pale. He is upset that we are breathing, but we have no intention of stopping.

John gets there, our number is called (finally!) and we discover that when Daddy entered the information on the kids that Bryan's eyes are listed as green (they're blue), JT's eyes are listed as blue (they're green) and, according to Daddy, Bryan was born in a totally different year. And now JT is looking as green as his eyes.

The cards are in hand, John is on his way with TVA business, the kids and I are on the way to the commissary for groceries. Luci, surprisingly, is the best behaved of the bunch. JT is not looking well. After a very quick trip, we head to the PX for lunch and then to the car. JT got sick in the parking lot (thank goodness it's not in the car). I give JT Nyquil (not Feingold approved, but it works for him), then buy a bucket at the PX for the long trip home. Thankfully it's not needed.

Next time, how about I call you to come along for our adventure? Any takers? John definitely does not want to be in on our shopping/errands trips.

Please Vote

Here is a survey, being taken by Costco Connection. It is asking,

Should parents be certified to home school their children?

Yes or No

I don't care how you vote, but please do vote. If you know me well, you know that I am a certified teacher--I was one of the last groups to get a permanent teaching certificate in the state of Texas. College degree in education, taught for 7 years (Kindergarten for 2 and 3rd grade for 5). But none of that helped me teach my own kids in my own home. I had more paperwork in public school, and dealt with crowd management--I'm pretty good at that. But none of that prepared me to teach my own kids. Teaching in a classroom is more like trying to hit 30 bulls-eyes with buckshot. Homeschooling is like “Extreme Tutoring.”

I voted NO. Because certification isn't what is needed. A passion for your own children's education is what is essential. I have quite a few homeschooling friends who didn't make it to college and are teaching their children much more than any public or private school could.

I guess I really do care how you vote.

Homeschooling Truths

These are from GreatHomeschoolTshirts.com.

Oh, Good Grief

Last night, Luci and I saw Mina from Sprout's Good Night Show make a penguin. It involved a toilet paper roll. This morning, I'm looking up the directions on the internet, and told Luci to "go get the toilet paper roll off the bathroom counter." Here's what she came back with: And here's the penguin we made with that newly-empty t.p. roll:

Luci's Weekend

We got a pool--it seemed plenty big until JT got in.
Splash! Luci got some new clothes and had to wear all of them one hot morning,

on the way to get the newspaper. She was quite

sweaty when she got back into the house.

JT Gets It--

This will be big in history, won't it?

No matter who wins, this is big!

JT's comments this morning.

Luci's from *Southern* China....

So maybe that explains the accent... she called this Star Wars character toy "BUBBA Fett" (he's Bobba Fett). And when she asks for a stamp, that word has 3 syllables!

Some other shots from this week:

JT and Troy figuring out a way to play air hockey when the game's out of order.
Can't catch me!
All tucked in for a nap. This lasted maybe 30 seconds. Bryan wrapped her up well!Where Luci does all her art work while the boys work on school lessons.

Just in from the AP Wire:

All of the Wal-Marts across Alabama are sold out of ammunition, as of this afternoon. A reliable source said that one of the purchasers commented that while Russia may have invaded Georgia, they sure as heck ain't aget'n into Alabama.


Thanks for sending me the funny, John!

The First Supper

Really, it was lunch, not supper.

John was gone on his trip when the table got here last Friday, so the official first meal happened when my Soldier Boy got home on Sunday. A good Feingold stage 1 meal of pot roast and gravy, rice and green beans. Not too adventurous, but good.

Hooked on the Internet--or, Webbed by the Web

Yesterday I was here at the table with the kids, teaching their lessons, looking on the internet on my "must go" sites that I visit every day. With my back to the window. Tropical Depression Fay was hitting us, according to my favorite weather site. The radar showed we were getting some serious rain. Really? Wow! So I turned around, looked out of the window, and by golly, they were right. DUH.

Low Carb Pizza that Tastes Good! Really!

And it has No Soy in it whatsoever.

This is from the Kimkins website.

Crust:
8 oz grated Parmesan cheese
3 eggs
1/4 tsp baking power
2 TBS olive oil
2 TBS grated Mozzarella cheese

Mix these well, spread in a greased pan. This will fit a 10x13 pan or a 12 inch pizza pan.
Bake for 12 minutes at 450* Remove from oven, loosen crust from pan if necessary and add your favorite low-carb toppings. Bake again until your cheese on top is bubbly.

What the crust looks like after baking:
Yum! Mine had 1/4 cup sauce spread all over it, plus mozzarella cheese and Sargento's pizza cheese, plus black olives.

The cooled-down extras ready to be put in ziploc baggies and into the freezer. Freezes well!

A New Table!

First, the old, broken behemoth had to go. No, not Bryan--the huge table. John had to take it apart to move it. We ordered the new table in May. It had to be finished and put together, and we expected it to be delivered in July. This big table had to be moved. (July 20)
Next came the cold, metal table borrowed from church. It was the beginning of August, and still no new table. :( After some calling, the furniture company tracked it down--the new table was in Canada and had to walk here on its own, so it would take awhile. No, really the company that made it takes a 3 week holiday in July/August. Wow! Where is that?! I want to work there, too! The borrowed table meant no more meals in our laps in the living room, and school could begin. (August 1) And lastly, the New Table! Luci was not sure about getting a new table until she found out she could run laps around it.
Nice! Next, the hutch gets moved back into the dining room and I can use the bottom of it to store our daily-use homeschool books. Then that tacky plastic shelf in the corner can go. We also have a leaf that we can put in when needed, making the table nearly 6 ft long.

John's Haircut

John asked me to trim his hair before he left for Georgia today on an Army Reserve trip (no, not that Georgia--he's somewhere north of Atlanta). He never, ever asks me to trim his hair because I might mess it up. So here's what I came up with!

photo from Times-Online UK.

Why are they calling this "Olympic Shocker" ??

I think most of us knew ahead of time that my little He Kexin was really 2 years too young to be in the Olympics. Read article from Times Online--UK here. Kexin's still my favorite because I think she and Luci look an awfully lot alike. And to know that someone who is two years too young to be there can get the same scores, well, that's something, isn't it?

Photo from Fox News.com

Some Luci-isms

Luci, are you awake?

Not yet!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you like that new food?

I like it not so very much a lot.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While we are doing lessons, we hear this from Luci, who is in another room:

Mama, it going to es-plode! (we still haven't found what exploded)

Sure, It Was Beautiful...But.....

Oh, My Goodness. What a difference between Freedom and Not.

The opening ceremonies at the Beijing Olympics were spectacular, but the human cost! I'm not talking about the computer-added graphics of fireworks or lip-synching 9-year-olds. I'm talking heat stroke, many injuries including paralysis for one performer, and Depends.

Zhang Yimou, the director, said that "only North Korea could have done it better." Wow, there's company you want to keep, huh?

Here's what Zhang said, in an excerpt from this article from Associated Press:

In the most extreme case, Beijing organizers revealed last week that Liu Yan, a 26-year-old dancer, was seriously injured during a July rehearsal. Shanghai media reported that she fell from a 10-foot stage and may be permanently paralyzed from the waist down.

Zhang, the ceremony's director, visited Liu in the hospital and has told Chinese media that he deeply regrets what happened to her _ but he has also defended the training schedule his performers endured.

He told the popular Guangzhou weekly newspaper Southern Weekend that only communist North Korea could have done a better job getting thousands of performers to move in perfect unison.

"North Korea is No. 1 in the world when it comes to uniformity. They are uniform beyond belief! These kind of traditional synchronized movements result in a sense of beauty. We Chinese are able to achieve this as well. Through hard training and strict discipline," he said. Pyongyang's annual mass games feature 100,000 people moving in lockstep.

Performers in the West by contrast need frequent breaks and cannot withstand criticism, Zhang said, citing his experience working on an opera performance abroad. Though he didn't mention specific productions, Zhang directed Tan Dun's "The First Emperor," starring Placido Domingo, at New York's Metropolitan Opera in 2006.

"In one week, we could only work four and a half days, we had to have coffee breaks twice a day, couldn't go into overtime and just a little discomfort was not allowed because of human rights," he said of the unidentified opera production.

"You could not criticize them either. They all belong to some organizations ... they have all kind of institutions, unions. We do not have that. We can work very hard, can withstand lots of bitterness. We can achieve in one week what they can achieve in two months."

Yes, I think that we, as Americans are quite often too soft and wimpy when it comes to our work ethic.

But, come on, Mr. Zhang, a little insertion of human rights would be a good thing.

Shame in the Eastern culture is a terrible thing. Well, here I sit, firmly in the West, and I am ashamed of my daughter's homeland.

And that's just what they show the public--the private, unseen injustices are so many. More on the orphanage system later.

Geography from a Three-Year-Old

The boys are doing a study of World Geography. They are putting a book together showing the continents--Luci has her own book, too. We got to Europe this morning, and Luci helped out. Here's how the conversation went: Mom: What is this next continent?

Boys (really bored): Europe.

Luci (excitedly, and pointing at each of us): You're-Up, You're-Up, You're-Down, I'm-Up!

Bryan's Mad at Me, and It Isn't Patriotic, but...

My girl won!

He Kexin

Karen R's probably mad at me, too....

I took this photo myself, with my camera pointed at the TV. Don't tell NBC.

JT's really truly awful Riddle

Q: What's the difference between chopped meat and pea soup?

A: You can chop meat, but you can't pea soup.

Cho Dan Bo

JT is now a Cho Dan Bo--or maybe that's his new rank in Tang Soo Do--I am not sure exactly how to word that. John and I got to see JT advance this morning, and wow! he did well. Here's a little video (about 1 minute long) showing JT doing his staff work. The young man to the left of JT is Tyler...a good friend of JT's. They are really enjoying getting to advance together and work towards that next level...Black Belt!!

Here's what Luci and Hannah and Sawyer (Tyler's sister and cousin) do during the test...read books and do push-ups.

The Best Thing We've Ever Done

Three years ago, a little bundle of girl was handed to us. What a day! This is the best thing we've ever done--give a little girl a family. And in return, she is exactly what we needed.

I had a special little item for Luci that we got while we were in China, all saved for our Gotcha Day. Luci found it! So I found another gift: a fairy princess dress. She likes this better than the little bento box and chopsticks, anyway (it is very similar to this one). And it fits her fairy tale life.

I made Chinese food for supper, and we had a special pie for dessert. I asked everyone to say something about Luci. (For the boys, I specified that it had to be nice.)

John said that Luci is such a thankful child. John walked into the house with balloons and Luci said, "Thank you, Daddy!" several times. She says thank you quite often during the day, without any prodding at all. It is so sweet.

JT: "Luci's the cutest person in the whole wide world."

Bryan: "I'm glad we got you. Without you we wouldn't be in this house."

Me: I said that Luci meant hope for our family. We'd been through a lot, losing a baby and then searching for a child to be in our home. Searching for a place to build a new home and finding this perfect place, this happy house. Her story, and why we searched for her are stories full of hope.

Here are some highlights from today: Bryan presenting Luci with her gift.
Princess dresses are more appropriate for this child than that old bento box!

Three great kids!

What Lu Min Jie had on three years ago.
The pacifier was tied around her neck, and this outfit was so big! The sleeves and pants legs were rolled up more than half their length.
Kalyn and Kathy came over today. The girls had a lot of fun trying on different clothes. It was pretty funny, and not always G-rated. It was not hard to imagine them as teens, trying on each other's clothes. I'm so glad we know Kalyn and her family!
Kitty Kalyn
Her true character:

silly!

Kexin and Luci

I think Luci will look a lot like Kexin when she grows up.

Inspiration for Olympic Prayer Band Arrested

I got this email this morning....

Pastor Zhang “Bike” Mingxuan, known for traveling across China on a bicycle to evangelize, was arrested by Chinese police just two days before the Olympics began. Pastor Bike was the inspiration for the recent partnership between The Voice of the Martyrs and China Aid Association to create the Olympic Prayer Band.

Learn More about the Olympic Prayer Band here

Pastor Asks for Prayer BandEarlier this year, Pastor Bike pleaded with VOM staff to ask Christians to pray for persecuted Christians in China during the Olympics. The pastor voluntarily preaches the gospel openly in China despite being persecuted. He has asked for his identity to be revealed to bring continued attention to the persecution of Christians in Communist China.

Thanks to Pastor Bike’s inspiration and the commitment of concerned Christians across the United States, more than 800,000 prayer bands have been circulated. On Aug. 6, Pastor Bike was arrested while trying to deliver medicine to his ailing wife. His wife and another pastor were also arrested. We have also learned this week that Chinese officials are opening a full investigation of the Olympic Prayer Bands that were distributed to house church members within China. Despite this increased pressure from Chinese authorities, Chinese Christians continue to ask for prayer and to make their plight known.

Order your Prayer Bands today!As the Olympics goes on, the harassment of Chinese evangelists continues to increase. Please help remind others to pray for persecuted Christians like Pastor Bike by ordering your prayer bands today!

More about Pastor BikePastor Bike, president of the Chinese House Church Alliance, rode his bike more than 10,000 miles, visiting 24 Chinese provinces to introduce nonbelievers to Jesus Christ.