China Unit Study

Wow!  China!  I can honestly say that I have learned more about China over the past several weeks than I have in a lifetime.  I am so pleased that my children have a much greater understanding of China than a great deal of the U.S. population.  More importantly, they have a heart for the people of China which I believe is every bit as important to their education.

Here is a sampling of our reading for this unit: 

God's Adventurer: Hudson Taylor by Phyllis Thompson

Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze by Elizabeth Foreman Lewis

Eric Liddell: Something Greater than Gold by Janet and Geoff Benge

Mission to Cathay by Madeleine Polland

The House of Sixty Fathers by Meindert DeJong

We read all of these books aloud together, which was quite an undertaking,

but well worth the time and effort.  

We also watched videos:

Chariots of Fire (to complement our reading on Eric Liddell)  *Netflix

China From the Inside: Power and the People (a look at communism in modern-day China)  *PBS Home Video

Modern Marvels: The Great Wall of China  *Netflix

My children built a replica of The Great Wall of China for their project.  The wall itself is constructed entirely of Legos.  It is approximately 40 inches long.  My daughter sculpted and painted the landscape and added sprigs of greenery, rocks and sand to add a realistic touch.

One of the interesting things that we learned about in this unit was Calligraphy.  The essential elements of this art are called the Four Treasures of the Study.  They are the ink brush, ink, paper and inkstone.  We received  a Chinese calligraphy kit in our Sonlight Eastern Hemisphere curriculum package.  Our friends, Sam and Susan, who are Chinese and own Buffet City, were kind enough to join our family for an American-style holiday dinner and then demonstrate this ancient art.  Sam and Susan both learned this very intriciate skill as schoolchildren in China.

Sam writing 'China' in calligraphy.

Susan grinding the inkstick with water on the inkstone.

Sam, David, Sarah and Susan
The characters say "Happy Family"

My favorite observation about this study came from my son who noted. "When I think about China, I don't think of the Great Wall, I think about Sam."   To me, that is the greatest measure of success.  We have acquired a good foundation of knowledge while establishing a personal connection with our international friends. We are, indeed, a Happy Family!

The Legend of the Christmas Rose

This story draws on the legend of the Christmas Rose, an actual flower—Helleborus niger—that blooms in winter conditions.  A fun way to combine our study of botany and the celebration of the birth of our Saviour!

A little girl, the sister of three grown shepherds, desperately wants to see the newborn baby. Despite being forbidden to go, she follows her brothers, who, having heard from heavenly angels the news about the baby, take their prize lamb as a gift. Suddenly she realizes she has no present for the baby. When she begins to cry, an angel appears waving a small white flower, and soon the ground is blanketed with the little flowers. The little girl carries these to Jesus, who is pleased and touches them, turning them pale pink.


This version of the tale is written by William H. Hooks and is published by Scholastic, 1999.  The book is out-of-print, but can still be found with a little effort.  Start here to find it!

Here is a photo of Helleborus niger:

Finally, for your listening pleasure;)

Merry Christmas to All!!!

Christmas Cookie Contest!!!

Announcing my first annual Christmas Cookie Contest!!! 

Win a plate of my legendary homemade Christmas cookies and candies!

Open to anyone who lives within 30 minutes of the Temple/Belton area.

Tell me why you should receive this highly coveted tray of treats.

Submit your entry of 50 words or less

via e-mail at luvnachos@gmail.com or message me on facebook.

The winner will be selected by a highly qualified, impartial judge.

Entries due by 12:00 a.m. CST on Wednesday, December 14, 2011.   

Cookie tray will be awarded on Wednesday.

Ready, Set, Go!!!


Congratulations to Misty Herrington,
winner of the Christmas Cookie Contest!!!
Thank you to all those who entered!!!
Merry Christmas!!!

Homeschool - Las Vegas-Style

My husband had a conference at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada this week and we decided to join him.  We always struggle a bit with this location as it is IMPOSSIBLE to shield our children from the constant barrage of worldly (often downright sinful) influences of the city, but we always go with a clear plan of action to avoid any unnecessary situations.

My mission this trip was to make it the most educational experience possible.  With some online research in advance, I was able to find some really neat opportunities for learning.  I brought some of our regular reading curriculum to supplement our 'field trip'.

We started our first day with a visit to Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat.  These beautiful gardens feature white lions, white tigers, leopards and panthers.  The Dolphin Habitat houses a large family of Bottlenose Dolphins.  The dolphin habitat is designed for observation and educational purposes.  The kids enjoyed the experience and did learn several interesting facts from the brochure that was provided and the short narratives given by the trainers.  David was disappointed that there wasn't a show or animal performances like at Sea World and Sarah wished that the cats were available for viewing during the nocturnal hours when they would be more active (it closes at 6 p.m. and we missed it the evening we arrived).

Later that day, we visited the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art to see A Sense of Place: Landscapes from Monet to Hockney.  This exhibit featured more than 30 world-class artworks.  A complementary docent tour provided additional background information and helped us learn to observe intricacies such as lighting and perspective when observing the paintings and photographs.  A particularly interesting work of art titled Montagne Sainte Victoria by Vik Muniz was composed from powdered pigments which were then photographed.  This work of art was also recreated completely from flowers and other plants in the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens---It was remarkable!

Floral version of Montagne Sainte Victoria by Vik Muniz

The last lesson took place at BODIES...The Exhibition at The Luxor Hotel & Casino.  Sarah felt the exhibit was 'disturbing' while David found it to be 'cool'.  The exhibit featured over 200 actual bodies and specimens, dissected and displayed in a respectful manner.  The revolutionary polymer preservation process retains the look of the original anatomical specimens, but appears rubber-like.  We toured eight of the nine rooms which were divided according to systems such as Skeletal, Muscular, Circulatory, etc.  We saved the ninth, the Reproductive System and Fetal Development Room for another day, based on age-based recommendations that were provided.  There was an emphasis on making healthy lifestyle choices, for example, by showing a healthy lung and a smoker's lung side-by-side.  We learned that for every pack of cigarettes that a person smokes, he takes 3 hours and 40 minutes off his life!  At the end, David and I got to touch kidney and lung specimens---WOW!!!  David wished for more hands-on experiences while Sarah wished to get the heck out of there ASAP!!!  There are wonderful teacher's guides, available upon request, for free here.  We are going to use these at home as a follow-up to our trip.

Upon our return, we resumed reading one of our Chinese literature selections titled Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze.  We happened upon an ancient piece of advice befitting much of what we had observed in Las Vegas:  "He Who Rides on a Tiger Cannot Dismount."  Indeed, we decided that bad choices entrap us.  They are like a tiger, who once mounted, will become angry and dangerous to dismount.  We vowed to pray for those in that city who were ensnared by sinful choices and to be vigilant ourselves.

Our mission to make our trip one of educational value and fun times was achieved.  We had a great time of learning, fun and relaxation.  If you have the opportunity to make a trip to Las Vegas, don't hesitate!

We had fun too!!!

SpongeBob Squarepants 4D Special FX Ride at the Excalibur Hotel

Loving Baseball!

Rejoice!!!  It's World Series time and the Texas Rangers are one game away from winning it all!!!  There is NOTHING better than baseball!!!  Okay, so maybe I'm exaggerating just a bit.  One thing is for sure...I LOVE BASEBALL!!!

I do come by it naturally.  Growing up in Milwaukee, I spent many hours of my youth at Milwaukee County Stadium watching the Brew Crew.  Those were the days when we still had double-headers and Opening Day was an official holiday---or maybe just a good excuse for skipping school;)  I was a teenager when I discovered that I did love a man in uniform...a baseball uniform, that is;)  What sweet memories!

Fast forward to the mid-'80s, when I met the man of my dreams who (of course) loved baseball too.  Never mind that he was a Rangers fan...he promised to love the Brewers too, so what's a girl to do?  Our courtship included many happy times at the ball park.  Many evenings spent watching the Texas Rangers at Arlington Stadium and eventually a couple of  'Baseball Road Trips'.  We traveled to see the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, Midland Angels, San Antonio Missions, Tulsa Drillers, Oklahoma City 89ers, and the El Paso Diablos.  We almost made it to see the St. Louis Cardinals, but that's another story for another day.  Perhaps the best memory was our 22-hour straight drive to Milwaukee to watch Nolan Ryan pitch his 300th win.   We even had cameos on WFAA-TV (ch. 8) out of D/FW and an ESPN MLB promo!!!

Wrigley Field - It's magic!

Terry making his sign for Nolan's 300th win in Milwaukee

Representing Texas at Milwaukee County Stadium - July 31, 1990

Today, my baseball journey is better than ever because we have discovered that our son is completely and totally OBSESSED with baseball.  Oddly enough, we were not the parents that had our son equipped with a glove and a bat before he could walk.  We didn't even get him started in tee ball or machine-pitch.  In fact, we waited until he was 10 years old to get him into organized Senior Midget Fall Ball.  We gave him the opportunity to try almost every sport first and then he chose baseball.  PRAISE THE LORD!!!  Lucky for me because it's the only sport that I understand;)  It's the sport that my husband will never get tired of.  Even my dear daughter finds sitting on the sidelines somewhat tolerable (she's 13, after all).

I have to admit that I had feared organized ball because of the stories that I had heard about out-of-control parents, tyrannical coaches and all the nasty political machinations that seem to go with the territory.  It is my opinion that each of these issues do play out in Central Texas at every game...just sayin'.  However, we were blessed to find Alliance Baseball.  Their mission is to bring integrity back to baseball.  What an amazing experience we have had.  This is an organization which will make a lasting impact on the game and I am proud that my son is a part of it.  BTW, Alliance 10U earned bronze medals after a 10-2 season.  This group came a long way in a short time. 

Still love a man in a baseball uniform---my little man, #9 (front, left)

So, for now, we're ALL ABOUT BASEBALL!  GO RANGERS!  GO ALLIANCE!

God Bless America and God Bless Baseball!!! 

Cake Nerd!!!

My daughter and I went to a great cake show in Arlington, TX, last weekend.  It was hosted by www.sweetsensationscakeclub.com.  This show was actually a Day of Sharing, meaning that a few very special cake gurus generously shared demonstrations of their masterful techniques.  Three amazingly talented decorators were there:  Megan Rountree, Nikki Jackson and the Bronwen Weber.

My cake hero is Bronwen Weber.  She has competed over 20 times on Food Network's Challenge.  She has won more than any other contestant ever!!!  She is an amazing talent, but what was even more fun to learn was that she has a keen sense of humor AND the ability to make it look so easy while she's decorating.  Her message was "Don't be afraid of the cake" and believe it or not, I needed to hear that.  Cake is scary sometimes!  Also, I learned that I am a 'Cake Nerd'...didn't know that there was such a thing, but I'll claim it;)  She made a Skull Cake for Halloween.  I took dozens of pictures and there really was no way to capture the skill with which she carved and sculpted the cake---WOW!!!  Bronwen's Best Hint: Use chopsticks for detail work.

Megan, a recent finalist in TLC's Last Cake Standing, demonstrated a Turkey Cake.  It was beautiful!!!  Look at the pictures.  She is darling and very talented.  Best Hint from Megan:  CK Confectioners Glaze to give fondant details a shiny appearance.

Nikki, recently competed on Food Network's Best Cake Artist in America.  She hinted that the editing of that show was to blame for her not-so-stellar portrayal.  Still not convinced about that;) I will say that she and her helper husband were very charming.  She showcased a Shopping Bag Cake for Christmas.  Best Hint from Nikki:  Try substituting 7-Up for the water when you make a chocolate cake from a mix.  Can't wait to try it!

Back to reality.  My daughter has a birthday this week.  I hope I'm up to the challenge!

Birthday Boy!

My boy had a birthday in September.

This year, he wanted birthday cookies instead of a cake.

Since it was practice day, of course he wanted baseball cookies!

Here is the often-requested recipe for my Rolled Sugar Cookies. There's really nothing special here. I got the recipes out of the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, 1981.

Happy Baking! Hope you love these!



Journey to Japan

We just finished our 2 week-study of Japan.  One of the books that we read together was Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr.  It is the true story of a young girl who lived in Japan from 1943 to 1955.  It is the story of her battle against leukemia that resulted from the bombing of Hiroshima which ended WWII.  Her courage made her a heroine to the children of Japan and even throughout the world.  We learned to make origami cranes like the ones in the book.  It was a little tricky, but we figured it out!!! 

Of course, we had to celebrate our study with a meal so, we took a trip to Nami to sample some Japanese cuisine.  The kids decided it was pretty cool and it may be our new favorite place for lunch!

Welcome to our World!

This has been an exciting year of new beginnings for our family.  We have embarked on a learning journey through the amazing world of homeschooling.   Sarah, 12, and David, 10, are flourishing as we take this path.  We are using Sonlight Eastern Hemisphere curriculum as our foundation.  We have studied Oceania, Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica, Japan and Korea so far.  We are LOVING our journey.  We welcome you to follow us as we take on the world!

Find our Sonlight curriculum at http://www.sonlight.com/core-f.html