When we studied in Europe, John and I drank a lot of Fanta.
The kids have loved being introduced to it as part of our "studies".
Wednesday, August 28
Monday, August 26
First Day of School
Today was the first day of school for my 4th and 1st(!) grader!
You can see the milieu of first graders outside the school. Gregory looks so old and big and yet so small in that tie.
He also has a very loose front top tooth that he keeps poking through his lips in the pictures.
Thomas had lots of snuggles for his siblings this morning. He's sad to see them head off for another year.
Virtual Trip: Spain
The past week the kids and I visited Spain (virtually of course).
We read these three books.
Gregory is very interested in bull fighting and Clare in flamenco dancing.
We studied Salvador Dali and the kids painted surrealistic dream paintings.
Clare's:
Gregory's:
We made Spanish empanadas and hot chocolate. I attempted to make churros, since I couldn't find them anywhere. The empanadas and hot chocolate were great. The churros tasted good, but were basically a fail.
My empanadas wouldn't stay closed, but the crust was perfect. It's probably the first and only time I will ever make empanadas from scratch, it's an all day job.
The kids and I are really enjoying this project. Everything we've tasted has been delicious.
But we're going to slow down with France since we'll have school too.
Sunday, August 25
Meet the Teachers
Friday was our school's "Meet the Teachers."
Gregory and Clare were so excited to head in and see their new classrooms, collect their supplies, and get back in the swing of things.
Gregory walked into his classroom and sat down at his desk. He was ready to go.
Clare was more excited to see her best friends and catch up after the summer.
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And Ree was sad because she didn't get to meet and greet anyone.
She wants to go to school too.
Saturday, August 24
Sunday, August 18
Summer Reading
We've been reading a lot this summer. Clare and Gregory had to for school, and well, the rest of us tend to read anyway.
I can't quite figure out how to wrap my text around the widget from goodreads, so I will simply designate who enjoys which books up here. I have also starred the books that are extra awesome
John: The MovieGoer and Dad is Fat*
Clare: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane* and The Trumpet of the Swan
Gregory and Thomas: Curious George, Ferninand, Harry the Dirty Dog
Maria: Blue Sea and That's Not My Monster
Me: The Perilous Gard, A True Princess (these are both children's books. I've been stuck in a long novel I'm not enjoying, so I turn to easy reads to pass the time.)
and This Tremendous Lover(awesome spiritual reading)*
Friday, August 16
Family Walk
The weather here has been delightful. A little cool for August, but perfect for doing things with the kids.
We took a family walk tonight down to the nearest shopping center, picked up ice cream at Safeway, ate it at the fountain, and then walked back by way of the playground. It was a great ending to the week.
We took a family walk tonight down to the nearest shopping center, picked up ice cream at Safeway, ate it at the fountain, and then walked back by way of the playground. It was a great ending to the week.
Thursday, August 15
Living Room Camp Out
Today was a fort building day in our living room. Here is what I helped the kids build this morning so I could mop my floors in peace.
However the kids decided to make their own fort a while later and completely rearranged everything into 2 different fort areas. .
(All I can think when I see my living room looking like this is that we must be moving. But happily it is not so)
Then they decided to camp out in their forts using sleeping bags. Hopefully they sleep well tonight. Either way it will be an adventure!
Wednesday, August 14
A Trip Across Europe
My sons came across this old 1998 euromap for travelers.
Having nothing better to do and 2 weeks left until school starts, we decided to take an imaginary trip across Europe, via the rails.
This week we are doing Portugal!
We checked this book out at the library:
I will be trying to use this series in the future, it was a great resource.
Tomorrow we will talk about Our Lady of Fatima, which fits in perfectly with the Feast of the Assumption.
And we explored Portuguese food.
We had a Portuguese breakfast: Rolls with jam, butter and milk.
Then we made these two recipes
Easy Portuguese Cookies from the Azores
(my link won't work for this recipe now)
And
The Pork Chops were very good. Even Thomas ate them. For some reason the idea that "he would smell like a lemon" after eating his dinner appealed to him. While the pork chops did have lemon in them, it was not very strong.
Next week it is off to Spain. Then school starts and we'll see if the trip continues, or waits until next summer. It has given us some things to explore this week which was fun.
Tuesday, August 13
A Rat up my Sleeve
Clare and her rat Mystery are bonding. She is working hard to help her pet not be afraid of her.
She's letting the rat ride around on her in a sweater, so he gets used to her smell.
Poor Mystery is so afraid. Cheesy on the other hand is so easy going. you can see him sitting on Gregory in the background.
Mystery is always looking for a way to escape from Clare and get back to his safe cage.
And finally here is a picture of Thomas touching a rat for the first time (even if it is in the background). It only took him four days to warm up to the little critters.
Monday, August 12
Clare, cupcakes, and cuties!
Yesterday was the feast of St. Clare. Clare made cupcakes to celebrate.
Ree is 21 months today! And she enjoyed a celebration cupcake very much.
Friday, August 9
New Rats!!!
We've been preparing to get pet rats for a long time, and today was the day!
Introducing Cheesy (left) and Mystery (right)
The kids are in love!
Mystery is Clare's and Maria is eating a rat cookie. (safe for human consumption).
And Cheesy is Gregory's. They seem to get along well.
I'm sure there will be many stories as we embark on this new adventure!
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