Judging Others

Armand deals with the quick judgment of others in the novel because he is homeless. From what you have read so far, what is your judgment of him? What does the Bible say about judging others? Use a Bible verse in your reply. Finally, without using names, when is a time that you judged someone unfairly? I gave the example of misjudging the person who would later become my best friend in college. When I first met her, I thought she was a person I didn't want to be around. But when I got to know her, I realized I had been wrong.

Forever in Our Hearts & Forever a Tiger.

Though you were only with us a short time, your impact was profound. You lived a life of pure happiness, never being angry, never complaining, but simply smiling and enjoying the wonder of the world around you. We take great comfort knowing you’re free from any pain and are never cold in heaven. We’re sure your room God prepared for you is beautiful, and maybe, just maybe, it’s your favorite color, blue. We are eternally grateful that we were blessed with the opportunity to know you, and love you. You were our dear friend and will always be a Trinity Tiger. You are forever in our hearts, and we will meet again someday! What a glorious reunion that will be in heaven! We miss you!

Christmas Break

Over Christmas I was able to travel to Austin and San Antonio. I love the Riverwalk at Christmas and was able to enjoy some time there. I wasn't the only one who had that idea! It was pretty busy that night, but well worth it. I was also able to see some beautiful houses in the King William District. The houses date back to the late 1800's and were home to prominent German merchants. I am also blessed with the opportunity to go home each Christmas and visit my parents, along with the church I grew up in. It's a beautiful, small church.

Grown-Up Rules by 5th Graders

Shortly before Christmas I read parts of the picture book, "The Secret Knowledge of Grown-Ups" to the 5th graders. The book takes ordinary rules grown-ups love to tell them such as, "Brush your teeth" and "exposes the truth" behind them. One such rule was, "Drink your milk." The reason behind the rule is that there are atomic cows around the U.S. providing milk for the whole nation. If we don't drink milk, the atomic cows will explode, creating quite a mess.

Below are some of the rules and explanations the 5th graders came up with. Enjoy!

*Grown-Up Rule #27: Clean your room.
Official Reason: So it is not messy.
THE TRUTH: It is good to keep your room clean. But the truth is so your clothes don't come alive. Years ago the Roanoke mystery happened because of the villagers house were messy and the clothes suffocated them. Then, threw them in the sea. Scientists are discovering way to keep your clothes from coming alive, but in the meantime, keep your room clean.

*Grown-Up Rule #3: Brush your teeth.
Official Reason: It keeps your teeth from rotting.
THE TRUTH: The real reason is...so that your teeth don't fall out and turn into sweet teeth. Sweet teeth are tiny teeth monsters that only want sugar. They jump into your mouth while you are sleeping and take out a regular tooth to make room for themselves. When you awake, all you want is sweets. The only way to cure a sweet tooth victim is by making him or her eat only vegetables (preferrably green vegetables) for a whole week.

*Grown-Up Rule #4: Do your homework.
Official Reason: You get good grades.
THE TRUTH: If you don't do your homework, the papers will run off. Then form a gang and beat you up for no reason at all. They they will do your homework and get the answers wrong. Then they take over the world. But when you do your homework, they die of lead poisoning.

*Grown-Up Rule #10: There are no monsters under your bed.
Official Reason: Not to scare you.
THE TRUTH: The monsters do exist! At night they come out of the bottom of your bed and chew your shoes, shirts, and pants. They are always super quiet so you can't hear them. At day they spy on you because if you have been bad they will eat you at night and you will not notice until you feel the squeezing of the mouth but only if you believe they exist.
(In 2011 Bob McDougal went to sleep and in the morning he was gone with nail streaks on the floor.)

*Grown-Up Rule #5 Don't drink a lot of soda.
Official Reason: It will rot your teeth.
THE TRUTH: Yes, soda is bad for you if you drink a lot, but the real reason is that parents can't get enough of it! When they take a little sip they want more for themselves because it's so good.

So, be careful. Your kids are investigating the "real" reasons behind your rules!

Veteran's Day 11/11/11

God bless our soldiers! They have given so much in order that we may have freedom. Please share your "Thank You" to them by commenting below.

UH versus Southern Miss

Last Friday the Varsity team traveled to the University of Houston to see Cougars take on Southern Miss. It was a great game, going all 5 games, with the Cougars pulling it out in game 5, winning 15-13. You'll find a few pictures from the game, including our close view of the action and some of the players who posed with us. Finally, you'll see a video I'd like the Varsity players to watch. Notice the amount of talking, movement, and their approach to the ball.

Carolina Creek

So, how was camp? We had a great 3 day, 2 night excursion to Riverside where we were able to do teamwork, try cool adventures like blobbing and the zip line, and learned about our iDentity in Christ. Let me know the best thing about camp, or what you learned from this experience.

Abide with God

It is so important to spend time abiding with God, not just once or twice a year, but often. Your assignment was to spend some time talking to God and thinking about what the ONE thing was that He wants you to work on. Maybe you need to smile more and whine less. Perhaps you need to start treating your sibling with more respect. As I told you, my abiding time showed me that God wants me to be content with my life and what I have. I struggle with that and often want more possessions (clothes, furniture, etc.) and I complain about why I don't have certain things in my life. But, I've learned I need to be content and focus on all of my blessings instead. It's a work in progress for me! Please comment what your abiding time with God revealed.

P.S. The verse in the picture is my confirmation verse (and my brother's and Grandfather's) and it is my favorite Bible verse.

Books of the Bible?

If you're looking for a way to help your child memorize the books of the Bible, check out the website below. It has several different resources for you. There are also videos on youtube of people singing the songs for the Old and New Testament. Enjoy! http://sundayschoolsources.com/books-of-the-Bible.htm

Important Book

Whether or not you enjoy reading, books play a very important part of your life. Of all of the books that you've read, what is the one that has had an impact on you? Maybe it's a fond memory because your Mom or Dad read it to you. Perhaps you related to the character and connected strongly with him/her. For me, that most important book was "The Poky Little Puppy." I remember reading it over and over and feeling so sorry for the puppy. I think I wanted to help him each time, though of course I could never change the events. To this day, I treasure that book. Please tell me what your most important book is, justifying your answer.

My Summer Vacation

For the first time in several years, I didn't travel out of state, but for a long time I've been wanting to spend time in San Antonio and Austin. I lived in Austin for four years (college), but I hadn't visited Mt. Bonnell since my freshman year and I never had seen the bats. I decided to finally cave and check them out. They're not nearly as smelly as the bats we have residing under the Waugh bridge along Buffalo Bayou. That's just my opinion. :) In San Antonio I enjoyed the Riverwalk and the view from the Tower of the Americas in Hemisfair Park. Check out the pool on the top of the hotel! I'm not a water person, but that's pretty cool!

Summer Critters

Spending time in Weimar, at the farm near Flatonia, and in San Antonio and Austin this summer I came across several Texas "critters." My nieces and nephews insisted I take a picture of the snake killed in my parent's backyard, and I figured I'd share. I'm not a fan of snakes, but they are on the move in this drought. The last picture was my table-side visitor as I enjoyed dinner on the Riverwalk. I did cave and provided some chips. :)

Summer with my Family

My brother and his family drove down from Indiana in June and we spent a week together at my parent's house. In the first picture you'll see that my youngest niece, who is 5, wanted to copy my drawing as I worked. I love her expressions! Thought I'd also share some pictures from the farm where my Mom grew up. There we spent some time on the tractor (yes, I drive it), in the 1951 Chevy pickup, and trying to stay out of the heat!

5th Grade Literature Circle

Now that you have completed your project, what are your thoughts on your Literature Circle novel? Please comment and share your opinion. Make sure you justify it by giving evidence to support how you feel. Don't forget to post your first name underneath and rate it on a scale from A-F.

6th Grade Literature Circle Review

What was your opinion of your Literature Circle novel? Please give your honest judgment and justify your opinion. Please also rate it on a scale of A-F. Remember to post your first name under your comment.

Sting Ray and more of our trip

Here you will find pictures of us pulling in the nets from fishing, checking out what we found in the water sample under the microscope, and viewing the sting ray that we caught.

A Lesson on Crabs

Here's a brief video about a crab from our marine biologist.

A Fishin' We Will Go

Today we went on a field trip to Galveston. Our first stop was the Seagull II Harbor Tour. We did some dolphin watching, practiced our knowledge of ornithology (bird-watching), found some baby jellyfish detected under the microscope, and did some fishing. Here is a video of some of our catch!

Literature Circle...First Impressions

So, you've just read a tidbit of your book so far, but as they say, first impressions are everything. What are your first impressions of the novel you are reading? In your comment, please post the name of the novel and don't forget to add your first name at the bottom so I know who wrote it. :)

Capitals Song

Cartoons teach, too! Here's the Animaniacs video on YouTube with the full 50 States and their Capitals. Enjoy!