Merry Christmas!

I have way too much fun with this every year ...

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/GQtwKEnhyYbACoGl?cmpid=ey_url

Merry Christmas!!  :-)

Book Review - Killing Lincoln

I just got finished reading Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard last night.  It took me about 3 days to finish.  The entire book is broken down chronologically and covers primarily March 4, 1865 - April 26, 1865 in 276 pages.  It is an in depth look into the assassination of President Lincoln.  I have to admit that my knowledge of Lincoln's assassination was very textbook .... He was shot in ford Theater by John Wilkes Booth.  I am ashamed to say that was about the extent of it.  I wouldn't call myself a lover of history; I don't read historical books with fervor.  I wanted to read this book because of a recommendation of a family member and I thought it would be interesting to learn more about this important time in our history.  That being said, I couldn't put the book down.  It really is a thriller.  The battle scenes are so vivid that you find yourself wanting to look away.  Yes I know it is a book.  I kept having to to remind myself that it is a true story.  It is written with details about not only how Booth's plan was hatched but also describes the others that are (or may have been) involved in the plot.  The questions about conspiracy are raised but ultimately not answered.  The truth died with those involved.  Who knew that there was so much to this dramatic, history changing story?  Not me! 

It is very interesting to see the reviews on Amazon.com for this book.  It either gets one star or five.  And it is about 50/50.  If you read the reviews, you quickly realize that people either love or hate Bill O'Reilly and the reviews are more about that, than the book.  That being said, I am sure that there are some inaccuracies in this book.  But, I doubt there are more than any textbook in the public school system.  As with any book, if it being used for school purposes, it is always good to use more than one resource.  Only the Bible is infallible.
Overall:  Great book if you are interested in reading more about this changing time in history.  I'm kinda hoping that he comes out with a kids version because my son would love to read this. 

Christmas is Not Your Birthday

I read this on a blog this week and it really stuck with me.  How many people look at Christmas as their birthday?  We all know that it is the birth of Jesus yet we receive gifts like it was our own birthday. 

Shouldn't Jesus be the one that receives gifts on His birthday?  How do we give gifts to Jesus? 

We decided to have a family meeting last night to talk about what we could do to celebrate Jesus' birthday.  The kids were excited and impressive with their thoughtful ideas.  We ultimately decided to sponsor a child through World Vision. What's a better way to give a gift to Jesus than to help a child in need?

⁴⁴ “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’  ⁴⁵ “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’
Matthew 25:44-45

 ⁵ “And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me.
Matthew 18:5

Does your family have a special way to give a gift to Jesus?

Wednesday hodgepodge

I'm linking up with:                    

1. Do you send Christmas cards? If so about how many will you send this year? How do you display the cards you receive? Or don't you? (gasp!)   We do send Christmas cards.  I have about 75 ... it should be about that amount.  I haven't written them yet.  I always display the cards we receive on a tree that hangs on our basement door.  Then at the end of the year I put the picture cards in a Ziploc and label it to keep.  I just can't throw the picture cards out!

2. When do kids become adults?  Definitely depends on the kid.  Some earlier than others but I don't think that there is a set age.  It depends on their maturity.

3. Does your 'beauty regimen' change with the seasons?  The only thing that really changes is the moisturizer.  Much more moisturizer in the winter!

4. What's something you like to eat that might cause another person to turn up their nose?  Clams?  Ketchup on eggs - only if they are scrambled?  Other than that, I am not that odd with my food.

5. Gloves or mittens?  Gloves or fingerless mittens. 

6. What's the longest queue you've ever been in? Was it worth it? Queue=line but doesn't queue sound nicer?  I would have to say for a roller coaster.  No, not really worth it.  I never understood waiting for 2 hours for a 30 second ride.  I guess I am getting old!

7. Besides Christmas, what is one thing you are looking forward to in the month of December?  I always look forward to going to see the Nutcracker with  my daughter.  It is our annual tradition for the past 4 years.  We go out to lunch and then go to the theater to watch the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet perform the Nutcracker.  We both love it!

8. Insert your own random thought here.  We had such an exciting weekend!  The boys hockey team was in the International Silverstick Hockey Tournament and won the gold!  Now they go to Sarnia, Ontario, Canada at the end of January to compete in the finals against 16 other regional finalist!! They are thrilled and it was such an awesome time!!  Here is the team immediately after the win in the championship game.

My champions!  :-)  I am so proud of them!!  Pure happiness (and exhaustion after 6 games in 3 days) on their faces!

Book Review - Wait No More: One Family's Amazing Adoption Journey

I am so glad that I saw the request on Focus on the Family's Facebook page for bloggers to review this book.  I signed up and completely forgot about it.  What a great surprise it was to receive the book in the mail two weeks later! 

I started to read the book the next day and couldn't put it down.  It was finished in 3 days.  I probably would have finished in one day but my family would have been completely ignored and neglected.  This is the story of the Rosati family and their adoption journey.  What I love about this book is the honesty.  Kelly Rosati does not sugar coat the adoption process or make it sound easy.  She speaks of their struggles and heart-wrenching disappointments as much, if not more so, than the extraordinary triumphs.  The Rosati's story is an amazing view into the ups and downs of adoption from the foster care system.  The plight of the orphan is real.  God does not hold back on His instructions to care for the orphans of the world.  Adoption may not be for everyone but we should all be open to God's plan and purpose for our lives, whether it is adopting a child that desperately needs a family or helping in some other way.  Is adoption for you?   Have you prayed about it?  Are you open to the idea if God calls you to adopt? These are the questions that we should all be asking (myself included).  If one family from every church in this country chose to adopt a child in need of a home... there would be no orphans in this country.  Wow.

It is wonderful to read how God brought the Rosati family together.  A way that no one could expect.  A difficult road that was wrought with tears and sadness but God had a plan.  His plan is always good. 

My recommendation:  Read this book.  Whether the thought of adoption has crept into your mind, you have already adopted, or have never thought of adopting, it is an important story.  A story of one families struggle to stay focused on God's plan in troublesome times; and the beauty of growing closer to God and each other in the process.

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

James 1:27

Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.

Isaiah 1:17

http://family.christianbook.com/wait-more-familys-amazing-adoption-journey/john-rosati/9781589976535/pd/976535?p=1143702&event=ORC



** I received a free book for this review.  No other compensation was given and the opinions expressed here are my own.

Homemade Christmas Gifts

So, I have been searching Pinterest for good homemade Christmas present ideas and I came across this wonderful sight.  The happy housewife is doing 100 days of homemade Christmas gifts and there are some incredible ideas!  Check it out if you, like myself, try to gift homemade items whenever possible.
http://thehappyhousewife.com/home-management/tag/homemade-christmas-gift/
She has compiled ideas from all different blogs.  There is something for everyone on your list! 
Some of my favorites are the vanilla sugar, photo coasters and ice cream sundae set. 
The upcycled bracelets are fantastic too!  http://thehappyhousewife.com/home-management/tag/homemade-christmas-gift/page/3/

I also really like this tutorial for making homemade ornaments.  I haven't tried it yet, but it doesn't look too difficult.
http://genealogy.about.com/cs/holidays/p/ornament.htm

There is still time to make gifts!!   :-)

Reproduction - When do You Teach It?

At the beginning of the year, we started with Sonlight Science (Health, Science and Human Anatomy).  After about two weeks, we realized that it wasn't right for us.  The books are excellent but we didn't like the worksheets.  There wasn't enough hands-on activities and B was having trouble retaining the material.

We tried Apologia's Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology starting in week three and love it.  It has interesting hands-on activities and the notebooking journal has everything from mini-books to crossword puzzles.  The only problem is that it does not teach Reproduction.  The last chapter talks about womb developement and genetics but they skip over reproduction.

I decided that we will take two weeks away from Apologia and learn reproduction from the Sonlight curriculum.  I have read all of the books that he will read and feel comfortable with the material.   It gives him ALL of the information but also stresses God's plan for reproduction.

This year, in the public schools, the 5th graders learn about reproduction.  I know that if I don't teach B about reproduction now, he will hear about it from his friends.  I'm thinking that learning about it from his 10 year old friends ... not such a good idea.  I would much rather that he learned about the birds and the bees from his dad and me. 

When We Don't Do What Is Right ... Or Even Close To It

I assume that the scandal at Penn State has been in the news all over the country.  Here in central PA it has been all over the news, every hour.  In our area, Penn State football is not just looked up to ... it's almost worshipped.  Joe Paterno is highly respected and has had a reputation of having a high moral code and running a tight ship.  That has all changed.

For anyone who hasn't heard, Penn States Jerry Sandusky (former assistant football coach) has been accused of molesting 8 children from 1994-2004.  Two other Penn State officials have been arraigned for charges stemming from the cover up.  A graduate assistant saw Sandusky with a 10 year old boy in the showers in the football locker room.  The graduate assistant told Joe Paterno.  Joe Paterno then told the athletic director.  Joe Paterno did nothing more.  He told the Grand Jury that he was told of Sandusky "fondling or doing something of a sexual nature to a young boy." But he was not aware of the extent of the incident with the 10 year old boy.  Really??? 

Maybe he wasn't told the full extent.  Isn't the information that he was given enough????  I have a 10 year old boy.  This entire story disgusts me.  Nobody did enough!  There should be a sweeping investigation done by the school athletic department and anyone who was aware of the incident, even a little bit,  should be fired. How could 4 grown men (at least 4 that we are aware of) know about the abuse of a child and do nothing!!!  There is the famous quote that goes something like this ... All it takes for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing.  I don't even think that it applies in this case.  They are clearly not good men.  No good man would know about these horrendous crimes and not make sure that the perpetrator was brought to justice.  Or at least notify the police?????? 
Sandusky had a charity called Second Mile for troubled young boys.  This is how he met many of his young victims.

I am also a little surprised that I haven't seen anything about this on Facebook.  Usually when something is in the news, people will be commenting about it on FB.  I checked this morning and there is nothing.  Maybe everyone is surprised and disturbed?

Sorry about the soapbox.  I think that having a 10 year old boy ... hearing this story ... hearing about nothing being done ... really makes you wonder about society.  Joe Paterno may not have legally done anything wrong but morally .... that is a different story.   I pray that the boys and their families get through this and that the evil is stopped.   

Singapore Math 5A

We just finished week 11 of Singapore Math 5A and only have about 5 weeks to go until we start 5B.  I think that B has a love-hate relationship with Singapore Math.  He loves it when he gets it and hates it when he doesn't.  Pretty much the way we all feel about things.  This is our first year with Singapore Math (first year homeschooling) and I think that we are going to use it again next year for B and my other kiddos who will be home. 

Pros:  I like the way that they illustrate problems.  It is very simply explained and it will sometimes give more than one way to figure out an answer.  I remember when B was in public school and he would come home with math homework.  I can't tell you how many times I tried to help, only to be told that I was doing it the wrong way.  In public school there is only one way to get to an answer and it usually is a longer and much more confusing way!  Singapore Math might give several ways to work out a problem and B can pick which way makes sense to him ... which makes much more sense to me!  The way that they break down word problems is also very easy to understand.  Word problems are B's nemesis.  But when he gets them, he can conquer the world.

Cons:  I have heard before that Singapore does not have much review and I would have to agree.  There are some review problems but not much.  The good thing is that this is homeschool.  I can see what he needs more review on and go over particular problems again.  Sometimes I will make up a worksheet with problems that I tweak just to make sure that he gets it.  If he gets something wrong on a test, you can bet that he will be doing those problems again next week.

Overall, I feel that Singapore Math is a very strong math program.  Although it may not be as engaging as Teaching Textbooks, it makes up for that by being very strong academically.   And as long as I put together some extra review questions here and there, we will be staying with Singapore Math for a while.  I feel confident that B is progressing and getting stronger in math every day.

The Birthday Girl

My little baby girl turns 7 today.  I swear that it was just yesterday when I was rushing to the hospital in labor and they told me that she was coming too fast for me to get an epidural.  She was determined to do things her way since the beginning!  :-)  When we moved into the house where we live now, she was only 2 weeks old.  Could we have lived here that long?  Doesn't she still look like this???

It amazes me ever year how time flies by.  I think that it is getting exponentially faster, if that is possible.  My little baby girl (I still call her that ... just not in public .... that might embarrass her!)  has turned into a young girl who has her own opinions, is stubborn, and speaks her mind.  Just like her daddy.  OK, maybe just like me.  The apple definitely does not fall far from the tree!  Her strong-willedness is part of what I love about her.  I pray that when she is older it will help her to stay committed to her faith when those around her cave into peer pressure. 

I pray that the next 10 years or so go very slowly.  I want to cherish every minute.  Happy birthday "baby girl"!  You will always be my baby girl, no matter how old you are. 

The Homeschool Mother's Journal

In my life this week…  Here in Central PA we do things a little differently.  Trick-or-Treat is always on the Thursday before Halloween.  Strange ... I know.  I grew up here so it is normal to me but I have come to realize that it is abnormal.  So, we had trick-or-treat last night.  It was cold but it did stop raining, so that was a plus.  I actually sent my hubby out with the kids and I stayed to hand out candy.  It was much warmer in the house!  I'm not sure if I believe the news but they say it supposed to snow tomorrow!  Snow in October!!  Should be an interesting soccer game tomorrow.  Hoping that it's cancelled ...
In our homeschool this week… Things are going well.  We did several Science experiments and ended with a test today.  B got an A!  He was very excited!!  We still have trouble with word problems but I love to see the happiness when he gets one right.  When he gets one right on his own, it lifts him up and he wants to try more.  It is awesome! 
Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…  I am a newbie so it feels strange to give advice.  But one thing that I have learned is to be flexible.  Everything doesn't have to be done in one day and things can change monthly daily.
Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…  We have two hockey games out near Philly this weekend so we are staying overnight.  My daughters birthday is next week and she has been asking to get her ears pierced for the past year.  In between hockey games we are going to the King of Prussia mall for ear piercing and of course we have to hit the Hello Kitty store.  E loves Hello Kitty. 
I’m reading…  I read Sign of the Beaver (B is reading it now) and loved it.  I am having as much fun reading all the great books as B is!  Now we are reading Carry on, Mr. Bowditch and loving it as well.  Sonlight really chooses awesome books!
I’m grateful for…  Homeschooling ... I am amazed at the change in B.  Not only in his personality, he seems much happier, but also in his feelings about reading.  He is reading White Fang on his own right now and likes it so much that he got Call of The Wild at the library yesterday.  I was looking at some books online and I showed him Where the Red Fern Grows.  He got excited and asked if we could get it!  This is such an amazing transformation from before homeschooling!!!  If you would have told me that B would be devouring books 6 months ago, I would have thought you were crazy. 
I’m praying for…  Our country.  Family members that are going through loss.  A dear friend that is pregnant (for a healthy pregnancy). 
A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

My two hockey players and baseball player.  And yes, both the hockey players wanted black eyes ... a little make up magic.

Just so everyone knew that she was still a princess ... just one that you don't want to mess with ... E including fun knee socks and a Hello Kitty bag with her hockey costume.

This was the same girl that was a fairy princess last year.  Complete with ankle length pink tutu and crown.  She hasn't changed ... it's just her.  A girlie girl that will get down in the dirt to play with sparkly shoes on.  And I wouldn't change her for the world!! :-)

Hockey fights, peace and puppy dogs ...

I just finished taking pictures of the kids.  They were so happy that I not only made them sit for pictures but I also included a wardrobe change.  This face says it all ...

Luckily, I was able to get some smiles and it was not a wasted day ...

This was about 5 minutes later ...

Two of E's favorite things are peace signs and puppy dogs ...

One of the best pictures that I took of all three kids was what I like to call "The Hockey Fight".  It really shows that 'special' relationship between brothers and sisters!

B has gotten pretty good with pictures.  He can have a good smile or a good 'tough guy look'.  Check out the hockey hair. 

C usually has a look like he's up to something.  This is not only in pictures but his normal facial expression. 

My tough hockey players ...

Overall it was a successfull picture day.  Definitely better than any school pictures that we have had taken in the past ... and free! 

Carving Pumpkins

Yesterday we went to pick out pumpkins.  Each one of the kids picked out their perfect pumpkin and we started to carve when we got home.

C definitely looked like he was up to something.  Although, he usually looks like he's up to something ...

Check out this smile!

And here is Princess E.  Why is that the messiest things are always the most fun?

And the completed pumpkins ....

Now it's time to roast some pumpkin seeds ... yum!

5 Things That I Love About Homeschooling This Week - Link Up!

Savannah from Hammock Tracks and I decided to start a blog hop!!  We will be doing it every Friday and it is about the 5 things that you love about homeschooling ... this week.  Please go to the  to the bottom of this post to link up.  We just ask that you:
Link up to your 5 things that you love about homeschooling this week post (not your home page).
Check out the other links, and leave some comments!  
Please link back to one of us so other homeschooling moms know where to link up!!! 
If you like the link up please consider following us! 
We can also be found at Hammock Tracks Community.  Just click on the link in the right hand column of my blog.  Thanks for joining us and have fun!! :-)

Hockey CD - B and I put together a hockey CD for his team.  One of the dad's will play it over the speaker during the game, like they do in the professional games.  We had so much fun doing this.  At one point I was dancing to the music ... yep dancing ... and B said, "Mom, we need to get you out of the house!"  Let me just add that the music we put on the hockey CD is not dancing music.  I guess it's funny to see your mom dance around to Pillar, Skillet and Twisted Sister.  We were looking up hockey songs on iTunes and laughing at some of the funny ones so hard that we were crying.  It is homeschooling that gives us this time together!  Here is one of the kids favorites ...


Constitution - I decided that I really want B to learn about the Constitution.  I don't mean the superficial quick learning.  I want him to really dive into it.  Not just the who, what, and where but also the why and how.  I am looking into some great resources and hope to start it in the second semester!  Love that these decisions can be made on a whim!  Any good resources for the Constitution that you have used?

Library -  B loves the trips to the library!  He loves to go and pick out books, not only for himself but also for his brother and sister.  I'm not sure why but I am not complaining.  He was never a strong reader and used to hate reading but I have not heard him complain about any reading since we started homeschooling.  It is a strange phenomenon that I am so happy about!  Maybe it was just reading in the rigid school setting that he hated? 

School Pictures -  My youngest just had their school pictures taken.  I hate school pictures.  They cost a small fortune and are never good.  C had such a bad picture taken two years ago that it was comical.  It will be one that we pull out for years to come.  He is an adorable kid that they made turn his head into such an unnatural position that it was ridiculous. They also do them twice a year!  The first time the pictures are done you have to pay for them before you see them.  The second time you don't have to prepurchase but they send you all the pictures and you choose what you want.  You have to send back what you don't want.  It seems like such a waste and I hate the idea of giving them back pictures of my kids.  Either way it is ridiculous.  I like homeschool pictures.  They always turn out better and they are much cheaper free!

B's submission - Art -   At first when I asked him what his favorite thing about homeschool was this week, he said, "Everything!"  I asked him to be more specific and he said that he really liked the art this week.  This week we made a shadow box and worked on pencil shading.  Right now he is doing a pencil drawing of a bowl of fruit (plus some peppers for more color - I used what I had).  He has been really enjoying it.

Thanks for reading and please link up below.  Happy homeschooling!!

Top 5 Things That I Love About Homeschooling This Week

Hammock Tracks Home School Blog Hop
I am linking up to Hammock Tracks Blog Hop again this week.  Hop on over and see what the other homeschool blogs have going on.  :-) 

Cooking Together -  The other day B helped me plan a dessert and helped me make it.  We had to double the recipe for the fudge that we were putting on top of Rice Krispie treats.  Little did he know that he was getting a math lesson.  And we had a great time doing it!  Fractions are fun when you add chocolate!  OK ... anything is fun when you add chocolate.
Science Experiments -  B has really enjoyed our Science, especially the experiments.  He always gets excited when he has a blue box in his book that says Try This.  the picture below is where he had one egg in Tupperware with water and another without water.  It was to show why God placed that special fluid between our skull and our brain.  He got to shake it up and run around the room.  As you can tell by the picture, he had a blast doing it.

Rainy Days -After having perfect fall weather last week, yesterday and today have been cloudy and rainy.  Perfect days to not have to wait at the bus stop.  I love the seasons but I am really sick of the rain ...
Time Together -  We spend lots of time together.  There is never a night that B goes to sleep and I think ... I wish we had more time together.  No regrets of lost childhood.  It goes way to fast.  This is evident by the fact that I have a 10 year old who I swear was just 2 last week.
Going Over Every Mistake - Math work has some incorrect problems?  Go over each one together and do them again.  Book review was too short with choppy sentence?  Redo it.  Handwriting was sloppy?  Redo it.  B may not appreciate this ... it was too easy to get lost in the public school system.  There is no way that he is going to get lost in the shuffle and fly under the radar in homeschool.  I will make sure of that! 

Wednesday hodgepodge - #1

This is my first time linking up to the Wednesday Hodgepodge over at From This Side of the Pond.  Every week she posts 7 questions and it is fun to see everyones answers!  Click on the link above to check out what other people are saying ...

1. Have you ever been 'asked' to report for jury duty? Were you chosen to serve? If not, were you happy or disappointed?  I was asked a couple times when I was in college but not since then.  It was easy to get out of it because I was an out of state student.  Strange that I was asked twice in four years but have been looked over every year since ...

2. On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being very), how mechanically inclined are you? Give an example to back up your answer.  I guess that I would say a 2?  I don't know how to change a battery or a tire.  But I can recognize when I have a flat tire.  That's gotta count for something, right? 

3. Beets-cabbage-cauliflower-butternut squash....of the four, which is your favorite fall vegetable?  This is a tough one.  I like all of the above except cabbage.  I love beets pickled or fresh cooked.  Cauliflower is good raw or cooked.  Butternut squash is yummy too.  I would have to say it is a three way tie!

4. What do you recommend to overcome self-pity?  Definitely the Bible.  Realizing that God has a plan for your life and it is good. 

5. Do you enjoy classical music?  I won't put a classical CD on in the car but I enjoy listening to my son and his teacher play the piano.  I do appreciate classical music;  it just isn't my music of choice.

 

6. October is National Book Month...what's on your reading list this month?  I am reading Holy Cows & Hog Heaven by Joel Salatin right now.  It is one that I read before but wanted to read again.  I also ordered a free copy of  God's Story, Your Story: When His Becomes Yours by Max Lucado on my phone. Unfortunately it isn't free anymore.  It has been good so far ... I'm only on chapter 3. 

7. What is your idea of 'cute'?   Like most ... I think dogs and kids are adorable.  Here are some of my favorite cuties.   :-)

 

8. Insert your own random thought here.   Birthday parties are on my mind.  My daughter is having a birthday next month and I just got done planning it.  We went with a place that wasn't too expensive but not as cheap as having kids here for cake.  I remember having birthday parties growing up, usually sleepovers.  Cake and ice cream.  Now kids want their parties at laser factory, Build-a-bear, Bounce houses, bowling alleys, gymnastics places ... I could go on.  Our neighborhood pool offers cheap parties but unfortunately I didn't have any babies in the summer. :-( A pool party in November ... not a good idea.  Last year I decided to let both my boys have sleepovers.  5 kids each and their parties were 2 weeks apart.  My oldest's birthday was first and he was turning 10.  His party was calm but it was hard to get them to sleep.  Not too bad.  After the 10 year old sleepover party I thought, ok, I can do this.  Well ... 8 year olds are a different story.  It was exhausting!  The nerf battles were loud and lastest forever.  Injuries ensued.  I realized very quickly that there is a little big difference between 5 eight year olds and 5 ten year olds!  So, this year there will be no sleepovers and  I will pay for the party away from the house.  No clean up.  Activites planned for me.  Sounds like a perfect party.

Random Thoughts - Weekend Wrap-Up

Happy Halloween!  Ok, it's not Halloween yet but the weather here has been perfect!  After getting ready to build an ark two weeks ago, it's nice to feel the crisp, cool dry fall air.  I can do without seeing rain for a while.  My favorite weather ... wearing jeans and sweatshirts.  Love it!!

My youngest two have off school today for Columbus Day, so B and I took off too.  I'm glad that we have the beautiful weather to enjoy!

I was sweeping in the garage yesterday and had to take a picture of this.  Can you believe that we are a family of 5?  None of the hockey sticks are mine and my daughter probably has one or two (that the boys outgrew).  They are mostly roller hockey sticks for playing in the street.  Some are broken.  Some are old ice hockey sticks.  At least we have extras for the kids in the neighborhood to borrow??  Maybe I can get creative when they are older and make something out of all of them?  Ideas??

Speaking of hockey ... we are officially back in hockey season!  So far the boys team is undefeated!   It should be a great season!

E is knee deep in soccer for another month and then she starts her ice hockey season. 

Game face?

I hope that everyone is enjoying their long weekend ... if you have off today.  My favorite quote from the weekend ... 

B came running into the family room looking surprised and concerned. 

B - "Mom, you need to start homeschooling C!"  

Me - "Why?" 

 B - "He doesn't know who Paul Revere is or what he is known for!!" 

I'm glad that B has such confidence in homeschooling.  Maybe he is learning something after all! :-)