Sorry to you all who get my blog by email....

I created some posts that are really old looking and I DID figure out how to back date them, so they are in the proper chronology on the blog. :D

Karate Kids

Photobucket Album

Joseph's Superbowl Menu

Joseph wants to make the superbowl a "special football game for dad". He brought me our menu for tomorrow night before I went grocery shopping this morning.
Here is our awesome party fare menu:
Nachos
Grilled Cheese
Apple Dipper PB+C (peanut butter and caramel)
Pop Corn
Beer

Nasher Homeschool Workshop

The Nasher is always a fun trip. Always. The kids love the sculpture gardens and I am always amazed at the comments they make and the works that appeal to them.
Today, we had signed up for a Homeschool Workshop about the process of making a sculpture.
Here is Caroline paying very close attention to different types of sculptures being described while wearing her glasses from her Recycled Art class. ;)

The guard made me put my camera up after that and I didn't get any more pictures. I don't know what the deal was with that. The Nasher USUALLY allows cameras and I wasn't using a flash. :(
There is a special exhibit there right now of George Segal's Street Scenes.
The workshop was fabulous. I am always amazed at what the Nasher can do for families but not ask for any payment!
After hearing about how Segal went about making his sculptures, the kids made plaster casts of faces (using plastic faces). They were able to bring home the extra plaster casting, the plastic faces, their works of art and they also did some modeling in clay that they got to take with them.
Once home, Joseph was convinced that he was going to do a plaster cast of Caroline. After I convinced him that we probably did not have enough casting material left to do that, he opted to do one of a toy Triceratops. ;)

The Asia Quilt

Joseph's end of unit project was SUPPOSED to be several different activities, but he REALLY wanted to take the "quilt squares" that he did in the student book and make a REAL quilt out of it.
We found fabric for the printer at JoAnn's. Well, HE found it and latched onto it.
So I got to figure out how to make a quilt. Here is our effort. Joseph really likes it because there is a minky fleece backing on it....very very soft and fuzzy.


Here are close-ups of the four countries that he did:








We hand knotted the quilt because I wanted him to be able to help with it and I didn't want this project to go on indefinitely. I am sure I broke all kinds of quilt etiquette rules...I had no clue what I was doing.

Mochitsuki

I am finally getting around to uploading these pictures. I am really missing having my own computer. Did I mention that it has been in the shop for three weeks?!
Last Sunday, all six of us went to the Japanese New Year's Celebration. The kids really enjoyed it last year and they are doing an Asia unit right now, so it fit right in. ;)

They went straight to the First Calligraphy of the Year table...

Caroline is writing her name in Japanese next to "Heart".


Joseph is writing "Dream"



Then it was over to the Origami table. Libby made a paper balloon.


Caroline made a bunny's head


Joseph made a dog


We stood in line to get Mochi...which Joseph STILL loves and asked again this year where you can buy it.
Then we went out to see the Mochi pounding demonstration and get a taste of some "fresh" mochi.


Watching the demonstration


mmmm!






They gave Caroline a HUGE blob of Mochi. It was very difficult to wash off. :p




Playing a game




Joseph and entourage ;) We know the other two boys from Dallas Area Moms.

The pictures of the girls

Here is a link to the website with the pictures that the girls took yesterday. They are SO amazing! Libby and Caroline start at picture #23.
Mazy Photography