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Fly Him to the Moon – Solar System Mobile

March 15, 2009 By Laura 3 Comments

rocket-12-june

…..but PLEASE bring him back.  We would miss him terribly!

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Our boy, {J} is frequently on creative missions. In fact, more days than we could ever count, he has jumped out of bed in the morning and gone straight to the school room, to gather all of the supplies he needs.  He’s on a mission to build just “what I had an idea about when I was laying in bed last night before I went to sleep!”

On this day recently, it was a mobile of the solar system.

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All of the planets are not there, because there wasn’t room, he said. But he can tell you what we do have here….

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He also made Venus….but he threw it out because he didn’t like how it came out. He has standards. lol

He works so diligently, building and creating all kinds of things, all of the time.  He’s a very quiet worker, with a lot of stamina. It may take hours to complete whatever it is he is making.  Or days.  But he doesn’t mind. He works joyfully. He’s in it for the long haul, until the project is done, and he can take a step back, and look at it with a grand sigh of approval.   If he has to stop mid-project,  for some reason out of his control….like having to go somewhere, do some schooling, or something else….there is little else he can think of, but getting back to that project!  If we’re out somewhere, and he ‘gets an idea’, …oohhhhhh boy!   The pressure is on (us!) until we get him home!  He needs to get RIGHT to it. It’s important!

We just love his creative  imagination. His deep desires and ability to bring ideas to some form of tangible fruition.

We don’t know what it means for him in the big picture. Where he is going in life, or to do what. But it’s got to be a good thing!

We’re curious, but we don’t need to know now, really. Like all of our children…..it’s a fascinating privilege to watch him ‘get there’.

There is really nothing else we’d rather do, in the whole-wide-universe.

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Filed Under: Crafts & Creations, Elementary Homeschooling, Elementary Homeschooling SCIENCE, Homeschooling, Kids Arts and Crafts, Kids Arts and Crafts, Life In General, The Big Picture Tagged With: elementary-solar-system, elementary-solar-system-mobile, homeschooling, homeschooling-elementary, kids-arts-and-crafts

The Breakfast of Champions – All Stars Game Day

March 14, 2009 By Laura 7 Comments

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Last Sunday was {A’s} All Star Game Day.  But late the evening before, when we started to feel a little pressure, it occurred to {A} and I……..we need Wheaties for breakfast tomorrow morning!  I mean….it’s the ‘Breakfast of Champions’ right?  It’s necessary before a big game like that!!  Thankfully, Daddy-Boy embraced our sense of urgency, and ran out and got a box!

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As excited as she was for the day, it was all a little bitter-sweet, because it was supposed to be a big family day for us. But…the little ones were just not well enough yet, after their bout of fevers and all, to go.  So Daddy stayed home with them, and I went so I could take a few photos. It was hard though….not letting the trio come.  They have been SUCH FANS all year, of not only {A}, but her whole team!!  All season, the 3 of them knew every single player by name…..and even knew their numbers by heart!!  The girls loved them, and would always be willing to shoot and play some on-on-one with them after the games.

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She got her jersey when she got there…..even had her own number on the back!

All in all, the day was great.  They called out the players by name to center-court, one by one, just like they do at the big pro-championship games, as the crowd cheered for every player.  Then the game was ON!!   It was a whole different vibe, with all the best players playing each other!  TENSE!!!   But fun and exciting to watch at the same time!! So tense and fun.. I wasn’t taking as many photos as I normally would.  I’ve only got one game shot to show here, because in all of the other shots, there are lots of other players I shouldn’t put on the blog, without their parents permission. But here’s one, with a little blur help.

playing-basketball

At half-time, they had half-court shooting contests…..for a$1 a shot to raise money for the program 8

{A} was off the court for the end of the game.  It was a really great game, with really great players who ‘brought their game’.  In the end her team lost 23-26. But she was smiling anyway…..knowing she played well, and she was an ‘All-Star’!!

After the All-Star game, {A} and her team had one last scrimmage on their regular practice night, and the whole team all signed her basketball.

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{A} is a little sad another season is over.  But she has re-directed her attention and energy to some serious training for the next basketball season.  She’s a serious, serious player, with a real passion for this game of basketball. It seems it will be THE MAIN GAME for this family, if the trio’s enthusiasm for this sport is any indication!  Practicing shooting hoops, dribbling, blocking, game chit-chat and future-planning regarding basketball is a regular part of any given day around here!  Even I am starting to play!!  (I’m not bad either….beat my husband today, who can PLAY.   My own Daddy, who was visiting, was mighty proud, and impressed.  : )

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And so the SUN goes down.  But with all of her hard work that she plans on doing this spring, summer and into fall….another HOOP season will be here before we know it!  Until then….you won’t have to hear us talk QUITE so much about basketball. : )

What sport is big in your family??  Are any of your kids really passionate about a particular sport?  How about YOU??  Are you passionate about a sport of your own, or about any of your kids sports?  (In other words…do you scream your head off from the sidelines, like me? : )

Tell the truth, now. lol  And then have a fabulous day!

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Filed Under: The Big Picture

A Big Surprise!

March 13, 2009 By Laura 13 Comments

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I’ve got great news today, and I hope you all find it all as exciting as I do!  2 GREAT SURPRISES, actually!

Some of you may have noticed, that since our family blog here was born, almost a year ago, that it seems “I”, Laura, have been the one running the show here.  But the truth is, my husband, Michael, has always been a big ‘behind the scenes’ contributor. He sees it as his blog too, because it certainly is his, and our whole family’s.  He’s just….quieter.   He always has ideas, his own important input into this post or that (that he wants said,…or not said…lol), he’s the ‘proofreader’ too (any mistakes yet, Honey?) , and the one that won’t let me us quit bloggin’, when I think I just don’t have time for it anymore.  I know…I have been all over the place with the direction, or demise, of this blog.  (Because I’m complicatedly simple, and simply complicated. Ask anyone who knows me. (Well, maybe you shouldn’t ask anyone. )  But some think that’s what makes me FUN and EXCITING! : )  (Right, Honey?!)    Now, our oldest daughter has also contributed some to the family blog, with her own posts-and also doesn’t want to let the blog go.

So here’s Surprise #1!:   Michael has decided he wants to become even more a part of the blog here!  He thinks it would be a great idea to start posting about his various projects, sometimes.  What projects, you ask??  Oh, he’s always doing something.  He is Handy with a capital H!  (If you are a regular reader here, you may also know this is a blessed genetic-trait of his family’s….or maybe, a learned behavior….passed down from at least his grandmother, to her son (Michael’s father), to him.  Genetic or learned behavior…whatever, it’s just a blessing!!  Together, collectively, they have probably saved millions of dollar$, by being ‘Do-It-My-Selfers’.  I kid you not! So some posts of his may be a ‘To-Be-Continued-Documentation’ of a project, and others may be ‘Step-By-Step-How-To’s’ of a project. It just depends.  He’s finished the inside of half of this (dream of ours) house all-by-himself (from plywood floors, and walls that were just studded and insulated), and we’ve still got 1/2 to go!  So home projects will likely be part of the deal. But his projects skillfully and talentedly cover the whole big picture of trades. So WHO KNOWS what’ll come up here. You may find your own husbands fighting you for the computer chair in front of our blog! lol.  So as his own projects come up, they’ll be coming up here at Our House of Joyful Noise, too.  We’re going to just wing the whole dang thing here, and see where it goes.  Wanna join us?

Here’s Surprise #2!:  Michael has wasted no time in asserting his newfound roles around here on this blog. He has demanded that we start having REGULAR GIVE–AWAYS to our blog visitors!!   How’s THAT for cool??   The only thing is, we haven’t quite figured out all of the logistics of that one, quite yet;  like how we will determine who to give a Give-Away surprise to.  But we DO know that the Give-Aways will be at least monthly. And then, randomly whenever we feel like it! Basically, it could be any day. : )  We also know that it’ll always be something new and exciting to give away!! We’ll probably start off with small things but fun/lovely gifts, and let it grow from there.  (I’ve got some BIGGIES in mind!) We’re going to just wing the whole dang thing here, and see where it goes.  Wanna join us?    AFTERALL,……

WHO…doesn’t LOVE Give-Aways?!

WHO… doesn’t LOVE ANYTHING THAT IS FREE?!

WHO …doesn’t just LOVE WINNING…ANYTHING?!

WHO….doesn’t LOVE getting a SpEcIaL PaCkAgE on their porch step, or a SuRpRiSe in their mailbox?!

Some of you actually DO know us pretty well. And some of you only know, what we have decidedly shared with you. So the GRAND MAJORITY of you don’t know all there is to know about us, now, do you?  : ) Oh, there is lots more to us. And we always have lots up our sleeves!!  So we hope you’ll join in on the fun, come along for the ride, and help us get this PaRtY StArTeD!!   Are you ready??!!


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Our first give away is …..

a MYRIAD OF HOME & HAND MADE GIFTS!! (Made just for you, with LOVE!!)

Details: A package full of all kinds of  things that’ll make you smile! (Well, we assume!) Some things you may have seen here before. Some things you have not. And some things we haven’t even had the idea for yet! : )   (But don’t worry…..we have faith in our ability to have good ideas, and you should too!)  It’ll be a great package, filled with lots of surprises, and delivered right to your home! How fun will THAT be to open!  It’ll be like Christmas!!


How To Win:
In future Give-Aways, there will be different rules of how to win. But while we get our creative ducks in a row with all of this excitement, we’re going to go with the ‘name picked from a hat’ route this round! Ok…it may be a bowl, or a jar…we’ll keep you posted on that if it’s important to you. lol  SO…..every time you leave a comment in the month of March, your name goes into the….whatever. And guess what?…..If you have left comments already this month….we’ll grandfather them in!  We’ll go back and put your name in, for every comment you have already left this month. (There aren’t many posts, with our blog break. But lots coming!)  And guess what else?  We’ll even let anyone  go back and leave comments for any posts from the beginning of March. SO….the idea is…..the more times your name goes into the, whatever, the higher your chances are for being drawn! (That’s right….just like raffle tickets. )

Deadline & Drawing Date: Comments count closes March 31st @ 9 p.m. EST. Winner announced here on the blog, sometime on the morning of April 1st!  (We’ll only post your User Name, in case you’re worried. : )

We’ll get much more creative than this in terms of how to win!  Promise! We just have to come up with some cool new ways to WIN!!  And we surely will!! But we’re sure you’ll love the prize!

Any questions?? Let us have them! Otherwise….

READY–SET–GO!!!!

XOXO ~   The ‘Our House of Joyful Noise’ Family!

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Filed Under: The Big Picture

A Quiet Dr. Seuss Day Celebration

March 2, 2009 By Laura 12 Comments

We just wanted to share with you a peek into our quiet Dr. Seuss Day celebration.

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”

~  Dr. Seuss


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Earlier today, we celebrated the 105th birthday of Dr. Seuss.  It was a much quieter celebration, than our usual fanfare, because most of our kiddos (6 years old triplets) are a bit under the weather.  Low grade fevers, little coughs and headaches, and a big dose of the ‘Quiets’.  That’s just who they are today. Actually, 1/4 is recovering, 2/4 are pretty down and out by this time of the day, and 1 was out playing in the new-fallen snow.   But late this morning and early afternoon, they were up for a little quiet fun and reading. We did some Dr. Seuss – themed face painting for them, for the occasion.

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Dr. Seuss was a man of wise words.  One of my personal favorite quotes from him is:

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”

That’s one I try to keep in the forefront of my mind, because we need to remember it frequently!  It’s so hard for us to understand why some people are the way they are.   So what to do?  Well,  another Seuss quote comes in handy as well:

“Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.”

Enough said there. lol


We’re blessed in that all 4 of our kids truly do love reading. They just love books, and always have. And we know that will take them a long, long way in life.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

The little ones are quite beyond their grade level in reading, so the Dr. Seuss books are at this point, way too simple for them.  They are reading chapter books now. But today, as we celebrate this gifted author and artist, for his great contributions to children’s literature, we honor the value of his non-sensicals, that are so cleverly woven with his words of wisdom, which even an adult can gleam advice from.   So we all enjoyed his books today, none-the-less.


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It was the perfect activity, for a day that called for quiet and rest.


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Here’s another great quote, that simply must be a Pro-Life declaration!:

“A person’s a person, no matter how small.”


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They were somewhat smiley this morning, as quiet as they were. But as you know how fevers go….as they day wore on, they were feeling less and less their best.  I sure hope they feel better tomorrow. Meanwhile, we’ll keeping enjoying the quiet, and  giving cuddles.  Things could be worse!  lol

Thanks for dropping in!  See you again soon, perhaps!

“Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.”

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Filed Under: Elementary Homeschooling, Elementary Homeschooling READING, Homeschooling, The Big Picture Tagged With: Dr-Seuss-Day, Dr-Seuss-Day-ideas, elementary-books, elementary-homeschooling, elementary-reading, Green Eggs and Ham, homeschooling, homeschooling-Dr-Seuss-day, The Cat In The Hat, The Lorax, There's A Wocket In My Pocket, triplets, triplets-reading

Veggie Pockets – Lent Meatless Meal – Recipe

February 27, 2009 By Laura 5 Comments

meatless Lent meal ideas

Here’s a delicious meatless meal for the Fridays of Lent, or for any day, for either lunch or dinner! My kids love most vegetables, so these pocket sandwiches are always a real hit with them! They always cheer when they ask what we are having, and they always ask for 2nd one!

I didn’t take any photos in the early stages, as I usually do just for fun. But I think you’ll be able to follow along just fine without them.

Ingredients:

  • red peppers
  • zucchini
  • summer squash
  • broccoli
  • vegetable oil
  • American cheese
  • whole wheat pockets

~ Naturally, you can use any stir-fry type vegetables your family likes best.

1.)   Wash *all vegetables well, of course.  : )

*How many of each vegetable you use depends on your family size. Use your best judgement. Once it’s all in the pan you’ll get a better idea.

2.)  Clean out red peppers, and dice.

3.)  Zucchini and summer squash:

>>>   a.) Cut off ends.

>>>   b.)  Cut length-wise in half

>>>   c.)  Cut again lengthwise,  cutting halves into half.  Now you have 4 quarters of lengthwise slices. (Aren’t I great at explaining these things?  Maybe I should have taken photos of this part too. lol)

>>>   d.)  Now slice the quartered lengths the short way, about 1/4″ thick.  You will have nice quarter-0f-a-slice pieces.

4.)    Cut up broccoli into medium sized pieces, chopping off ends first. (You will chop it all up later.)

5.)    Get broccoli going in a steamer. (We have a Black & Decker Handy Steamer. But you can steam however you do.)

6.)   Heat a large stir-fry pan at medium-heat, and add 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.

7.)   Add red peppers, zucchini and summer squash to pan, and stir up.

8.)  Cook all vegetables in steamer and pan, to desired tenderness.  (We call it done when fork inserts nicely.   Be careful not to overcook.)

9.)  Remove steamed broccoli from steamer, and put on cutting board.

With a large chopping knife, chop up into smaller pieces, and then add to the pan on stove-top, with other vegetables.

Stir all vegetables together.

meatless Lent meal ideas

So happy to-ge-THERRRRRRRR! (Name that tune!)

meatless Lent meal ideas

For pockets, we use this brand:

meatless Lent meal ideas

10.)  Take a bread disc out, and cut in half.

11.)  Lay some slices of American cheese in the pocket half.  Break slices up to fit nicely.  (Us grown-ups sometimes put some Pepper-Jack in too, for some kick! But it’s delicious just with American.).

12.)    *Fill pocket up with vegetables.

* For the little ones, we don’t overload it, because it’s a wide/big pocket, and a little bit difficult to for little hands to handle. Reminders to eat over plate are a good idea, with these babies!   But what falls to the plate can be eaten up with a fork, after.

**  Us grown-ups really fill it up.  : )

meatless Lent meal ideas

Filled just right for a kiddo.

13.)  When they eat it all up, and ask for another, SAY YES!!  A kid can never eat too many vegetables!   : )

ENJOY!!

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Filed Under: Faith/ Catholic, Lunch, Main Dish, Recipes, Sandwiches Tagged With: Catholic, Catholic-blogs, Catholic-families, Catholic-family, Lent, meatless meals, Meatless-meal-ideas-for-Lent, recipes, veggie-pocket-recipe

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