Questions for me to answer.

Andrea at Harvest Academy tagged me over a week ago to answer a few questions. It is very flattering to be tagged since I don't comment very often on blogs. I tend to read and then move on without adding to the conversation. I guess the shy side of me comes out and I just don't think my opinion or thoughts are that exciting anyway.

These are her questions for me.

• What are your top 5 favorite books?

It is too hard to pick books. How about authors?
Jane Austen - I never get tired of rereading her novels.
Elizabeth Gaskell - Even named Molly after one of her heroines.
Chaim Potok - He may be writing about Jewish characters and communities, but each of his stories makes me think about myself and my own struggles with doing what I know if right.
Shannon Hale - I can't say her works are life changing but they are fun "mind candy" to snack on.
C.S. Lewis - Narnia is great and all but I actually really enjoy reading his other books too. I don't do it often because they are a lot of work to get through. I have to really decipher and work at these but the insights are worth the effort.

• What is one of your favorite scriptures?

Mosiah 3:19 - It is a seminary scripture and everyone has heard it many times. But It took on special meaning while on my mission and has been helpful ever since. In the margin of my scriptures I wrote "bloom where you are planted" next to it.  I reread this scripture all the time to remind myself that when I am struggling it is usually my attitude that is making things difficult. I need to be more submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love and willing to submit my will to the will of the Lord. Then my struggles seem to vanish and I progress or bloom in whatever the situation.

• What is your favorite homeschool curriculum that you have used?

This is actually really hard to answer. We tend to use curriculum as a jumping off point or a guide but study from many different sources. But when I look back there are a few things we have used from the beginning that just seem to work well for me. Singapore math has been with us since I started homeschooling. I think it must progress though the concepts and explain things in the same way my brain works because I can see why they teach this or that before going on to this other idea.

I also love Story of the World. It has been my go to History curriculum for years. It has been a little frustrating to have to find my own way through modern history this year since the 4th volume is a little too advanced for my kids. But we will most likely go back to it and rotate through the series again use it as the framework for our history studies for the next few years. I have learned so much from this series. Having never studied history sequentially I never saw how everything that was going on in the world was all linked together. It has been so good to finally put pieces of many years of history study together to understand better the story of how we got to where we are.

But I almost always talk about Five in a Row. It was what gave me confidence in teaching my children. I started to use this curriculum when Sophie was only 4 years old. She was ready for more than just reading and playing so we jumped into "doing school" by rowing a new book each week. I learned a lot about how to bring out the important aspects of books and to look at children's books as only the beginning of our studies. I think this is a great place to start for homeschoolers. It is a natural transition from just reading books to your child to doing school work.

• What led you to homeschool your children?

When Sophie was tiny we lived just down the street from a middle school and I used to push her in the stroller past the school yard in order to get the park. The language and dress of those kids was such a turn off. It brought back all those memories of how ugly kids can be to each other. Those middle school years are hard and from what I could see there it was worse than even I remembered it.  I don't remember actually sitting down and talking about homeschooling with my husband we sort of both agreed that it was what we wanted to do. Some people are worried about socialization when kids are homeschooled. I would worry more about socialization if I sent them to school.

There is also the fact that despite getting good grades and being at the top of my class each year I still didn't get a very good education. Most of what I learned and remember the most, I learned at home from my mom and the many, many books, movies and such that we had around the house. Those are the things that stayed with me, not the memorized facts that I crammed in for the test that was coming. So I figured I could save them the boredom and drudgery of school by just creating a learning environment at home and hopefully instilling in them a love of learning. I think so far we are doing pretty well.

Those are just a few of the reasons that led us to homeschool. But really the best reason is that I get to stay home with my kids, play, read, and learn right alongside them. It has been wonderful (at least on the good days).


• If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be?

There are many places that would be really interesting or fun to see. It is hard to pinpoint just one. I don't think there is any one place that stands out above the others. Any place can be fun if you have people to enjoy it with. My family loves cruises. It really doesn't matter what the destination. We have so much fun on the boat we almost don't care to get off when the ship is in port. Days at sea are some of our favorites!

• If you had one day all to yourself, what would you do?

This idea seems so foreign to me that I can't even think what I would do. Most likely I would sleep as long as I could, lay in bed and read a good book. Take a long shower or soak in the tub.  Sip a cup of hot coco while I read some more.  Take a walk or hike to get fresh air. And then return to watch a good long costume drama with no interruptions.  Then go to bed early so that this day could end. I am sure by the end of the day I would be bored and weary of being by myself and not doing anything except my own pleasure.

• What is your favorite food group?

Fruits and Vegetables? bread and grain? meat and dairy? no... I think my favorite is always that little one at the top of the pyramid that says "eat sparingly". Who can pass up the sugar, salt and fats. I have no will power when there is chocolate around, or chips and salsa or warm bread with butter and honey on top. Oh.... those always sound so good. But I need to stick to my green smoothies and stay away from the top of the pyramid if I plan to ever get these extra pounds off.

• What is something that your child(ren) did recently that made you laugh out loud?

I have made each of the kids their own mix of songs and burned them on a CD. Henry's includes the Herman's Hermits song I'm Henry the VIII, I am, I am. He puts that CD on every chance he can and always makes us listen to that song over and over again.  It makes me giggle and smile every time I hear him sing it to himself.

I am choosing not to pass on the tag. I know I am a party pooper. I don't forward emails either. I am just that way.

Memory Lane

Liz at My Ice Cream Diary posted a few of her Senior pictures today and dared others to post theirs. Since I dug out my box the other week I knew where to find mine. I thought I would take a look at them again and see how embarrassing they would be. Would I be willing to share them? They actually aren't too bad. These are the pictures that made my husband tell me I needed to grow my hair out again. He loves seeing pictures of me in high school because I had long hair through most of it. I chopped it about chin length a month after these pictures were taken. When they were finally printed and ready to hand out everyone commented on how different I looked. I don't know why a few inches made that big a difference.

So without further ado here is my 17 year old self, big grin and all.

My mom made this great suit for me. It is blue with green stripped plaid skirt and jacket and it went so well with my blue felt hat that I just loved. I don't know what ever happened to that hat. Did I take to college? I can't remember. I don't remember wearing again after high school.

Here is my thoughtful, studious pose.
I must really have liked plaid. Here I am wearing another wool plaid skirt. I know I took some pictures in jeans and more casual dress but I didn't pick them. I remember changing my clothes a number of times and taking tons and tons of pictures. I was so tired of smiling and posing. My eyes even started twitching.

This is the picture that hung in my parents house for years next to all my siblings senior pictures.

I actually don't mind this one except for my hands. Something has always bothered me about my hands in this picture.

Just to complete the Senior picture show. Here I am on Graduation day.


Yeah the pictures are dated. But they actually aren't too bad. I was never too extreme in my styles and the photographer was good about doing pretty classic poses. Can you guess what year this was?

Liz, thanks for the trip down memory lane.

Top Ten Tuesday - Things I Want

My symphonic band's Christmas concert is coming up and we have a number of fun Christmas songs that we are playing. One member of our band arranged a version of "I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas". This song always makes me laugh. If you don't know this song here is one version.

Over the years there have been things I have wanted and only that item will do. But I have hopefully gotten a little better about distinguishing between real needs and wants.

I was talking to my Mom yesterday about gifts that each one of us may want or need. She likes to get all her shopping done early and since where she lives there isn't much shopping she does a lot of it online. She doesn't like to wait until the last minute. My husband and I have also been talking about making a list of all the things we need or want personally or for the family. So today I am sitting down and just listing a few (Lets see if I can come up with 10) realistic wants that I wouldn't mind finding under the Christmas tree with my name on it.

1. A new food processor - This was one of the things I told my mom I needed since I just killed mine last week. I had a very tiny little chopper and burnt the motor out trying to chop up basil leaves for pesto. Luckily I did the pine nuts and garlic first so they were allready chopped up. The leaves did alright in the blender but a good food processor would be nice. Especially now that I know how much better fresh made pesto can be. It isn't difficult but I do need a food processor to make it as well as a bunch of others. I don't have much space so a small one would be nice.


2. Glass measuring cups - I have a glass 1 cup measuring cup but I would love to have a 2 and a 4 cup measuring cup. I have a plastic 2 cup that has a crack and if you don't poor the liquid in right after pouring then some leaks out. Plus I want to be able to just put it in the microwave to warm up the liquids.


3. Earrings - I have never been a material girl that wants fancy jewelry. Where would I wear them? But I am still wearing the earrings I bought in china town in NY while on my mission or some that I bought myself in college. I keep looking for a nice pair and haven't found any that I really like and want to spend money on. Maybe I need to check out etsy to see what I can find. But once I start, I know, I will sit here for a long time just looking and looking at all the beautiful things on there.
A necklace to match would also be nice.

4. Beans Cookbook - I have been going through my food storage recently trying to figure out what we need more of. Those big #10 cans of beans just always seem to sit there. I really need to learn how to use them and get my kids to eat them. Here is one cookbook that was recommended to me and it has been on my amazon wish list so I wouldn't forget about it but that is as far as I have gotten. So if there are any better recipe books for dried beans, I would love to know about it.


5. Bed Pillows - After Sophie's sickness, all over my bed, last week I have taken a good look at my bed pillows. I ran them through the washer and dryer and now they are lumpy. The kids usually end up with the hand me downs from us so maybe all of us could use new pillows to sleep on. Maybe this year instead of pajamas for the kids they will all receive a new pillow with a case that actually covers the pillow and will stay on. Some pillow cases just never stay put and half the pillow sticks out of one end.


I am only half way through my list and I can't think of any more realistic wants at the moment.

How about a few dream ones or at least a lot more expensive ones.

6. Camera - I got a new camera for my birthday about 2 years ago so I should be happy with the one I have but about 3 weeks ago my camera was dropped or bumped and the little door that holds the batteries in is broken. It won't stay shut. I went online to see if you can just order that part and couldn't find anything. The camera works find as long as I hold that flap shut. This is difficult when you are trying to use the zoom or change settings at all. I have rubber bands wrapped around it holding it shut most of the time but it just doesn't do the job that well. But the camera does still work so I haven't asked for a new one yet. I guess I get what is coming when I let my kids take pictures.


7. A new couch - I have wanted a real couch for years. When we got married we bought a futon because that way it can be a bed for guests when they come. The futon has come in handy and has had many different guests sleeping on it. Living in the bay area you get a lot of people that pass through. But I would really like to have a nice comfy couch to lounge on.

8. I pod Touch - This is what my Mom said she wanted but I too have had a secret desire for one or these for awhile. I really have no need for one. I don't even have a cell phone or any mp3 player for that matter. With little item I could read and answer my email while sitting in the park or look up a map for a place I can't seem to find. Or have a game the kids can play while waiting in line someplace. No it certainly isn't a need. But it would be a fun toy to have. Very low on the priority list!

9. Kitchen Aid Mixer - I know many people that consider this a must have. And believe me I would love to have one. It is even somewhat of a realistic want. I just don't have space for it. I will have to stick to my little hand mixer and my hefty muscles to stir and mix my breads and cookies.


10. 24 inch iMac - We have been using our powerbook for about 5 years now. It was supposed to be temporary. The laptop wasn't supposed to remain our main computer. When our PC died we didn't want to replace it with another PC we love Mac but didn't have the funds for it. We still don't, which is why it is a dream wish. Working on a laptop has been nice. We take our computer with us when we go on trips but working on a laptop means we are a bit hunched over and if you sit too long at the computer you notice your back really starts to hurt. So maybe one day one of these will make it to our house. A 2nd computer would really be nice!


So this year I am not expecting any Hippopotamus' but if you plan to get me anything here are a few helpful hints and what I have my eye on. Now I need your lists too so I can get my shopping done.

My ABC's

Cocoa tagged me for this one. I thought I would participate and fill in my answers to these ABC's.

A. Attached or single? Most definitely attached!

B. Best friend? Mahnk of course

C. Cake or pie? Pie although it is the "a la mode" part that I enjoy the most.

D. Day of choice? Everyday is about the same. My kids keep me busy every day of the week, holidays especially.

E. Essential item? My computer. I don't know how people homeschooled without it.

F. Favorite color? Violet

G. Gummy bears or worms? Not a big fan of either. I don't go for candy unless it is chocolate.

H. Home town? Grew up in small town in The Mother Lode. Now live in big town in Bay Area.

I. Favorite indulgence? Netflix. We consider this one of our extravagances. We don't do cable or satellite and love having a movie to watch and not have to go anywhere except the mailbox to get one.

J. January or July? January. I much prefer cooler weather.

K. Kids? Yup, got me a few.

L. Life isn’t complete without? Family

M. Marriage date? One year and a month before Sophie was born.

N. Number of brothers and sisters? Two brothers, three sisters. I am in the middle

O. Oranges or Apples? yes! either or both would be great!

P. Phobias? I don't think I have any actual phobias but I really don't like snakes and lizards. I won't touch them but they are alright behind glass.

Q. Quotes?
"Humility is like underwear. You have to have it but can't show it off." I don't know who actually said this one. It just makes me laugh.

"Life is what happens to you while you are making other plans" John Lennon

R. Reasons to smile? My kids, and my husband make me smile, giggle and laugh all the time. Sophie and her horse games, Ian and his Bardar Language and Henry with a shark in his tummy. Who wouldn't crack a smile at these guys.

S. Season of choice? I have almost always answered Autumn, when asked this question. I love the colorful leaves and the crisp wind. I love breaking out sweaters and long sleeves again. But after our lovely spring and learning so much about the flowers, trees and birds in our neighborhood I really look forward to Spring coming again.

T. Tag 5 people: You, You, You, You over there, and...... You.... but only if you want to.

U. Unknown fact about me? I can't bend the tip of one my fingers due to a accident doing dishes when I was little.

V. Vegetable? I actually really love broccoli. It is great raw or steamed and tastes great mixed in many casseroles.

W. Worst habit? Snacking when I'm bored (Cocoa I am with you on this one! It is hard when you are home all the time)

X. Xray or ultrasound? I have had both. Ultrasounds are much more fun!

Y. Your favorite food? Most anything that isn't good good for me. Warm bread, soup, tacos, pizza, ice cream are just a few that come to mind.

Z. Zodiac sign? Scorpio

Me in 1978

I had to dig out an old photo of me for an upcoming activity and I found this one tucked in my photo box. This is me when I was about 2 or 3. On the back of the photo my mom wrote "Sarah wants to be beautiful". I remember sitting under this hair dryer a number of times when I was small. It seems so strange to think we didn't have just a small little hand held blow dryer like we do now. I had forgotten that those are a new convenience. My mom must have been very patient to go to all the trouble of putting all those curlers in my hair. At 6 years old I am lucky to get Sophie to even run a comb through her hair.

Here are 10 things that I remember from my early years.

1. Green carpet. - The house my family lived in must have had green carpet. I must have spent a lot of time on the that green carpet the first 2 years of life. It is the only thing I remember about the house we moved out of when I was 2. It does seem strange to remember carpet but when a shaggy green carpet is hard to forget I guess. The house that we moved in to that you can see in the picture is the same one my parents still live in. New furniture, flooring and drapes, thank goodness.

2. Popcorn in the house - When I was young we had horses. Our Neighbors also had horses and we would go riding together. One of my older sister's friends who lived up the street had a pony named Popcorn. A little black and white shetland pony. One day when Mom wasn't home we lead Popcorn right into the house and she ate dinner right off the table with us. Sophie loves to hear this story. She thinks it is so funny that a horse was in the house.

3. Sam chopped down the apple tree - My Dad has tried a number of times to plant fruit trees. When I was very small there were two new little seedlings that my dad planted in the front yard. My brother, who is just older than me decided one day cut one of them down. Nobody knows exactly how he did it. Or maybe I just don't remember.

4. Waiting for the bus - I was the 4th of 6 kids. We are all at least 3 years apart in age. My older siblings went to school and caught the bus right at the end of our long driveway. Before I was old enough to go to school I would go down and wait with them. I remember walking across this small board to cross the mud out in the pasture at the bottom of the hill so I could stand in the field and talk across the fence to the other kids from the neighborhood that were also waiting for the bus. Finally when I was 4 almost 5 I got to start Kindergarden. I rode the bus to school everyday for years after that.

5. Running to catch the school bus. - Having the bus come right at the end of the driveway was nice. We didn't have far to walk. Some mornings we would be running late and have to run down the hill to the bus. One morning I remember running across the lawn and jumping down the little rock wall to the drive way and falling right on my face. I picked myself up and ran the rest of the way to the bus and got on. Someone pointed out that I was bleeding. I had a big road rash on my face.

6. Skinned knees - I must have been really clumsy when I was small I always seemed to have skinned knees. My knees are scared up now. I remember tripping over a dog and reopening the scabs on my knees. Falling while roller skating was common too. We loved roller skating down the driveway except for all those acorns that always covered parts. But that just added to the fun.

7. Lois - We had a black dog which just showed up at our house one day and didn't leave. It was the best dog. We had such fun with that dog. She would follow along on our riding trips and patiently let us ride her at times. She could jump right over the 4 ft high fence. She was with us a long time. I was in High School, she was old by then, when she had to move on. I sure hope to see this dog up in heaven.

8. Karen drew on my dolls and animals - My younger sister, when she didn't like something that had happened or that I had done she would retaliate by getting a marker and drawing all over the faces of my dolls or all over my stuffed animals. My mom was a miracle worker and got the marker out of some of the animals. I have a killer whale that I remember Karen drew all over, that Sophie now plays it. Sophie loves to hear me tell this story as well. So far she hasn't taken after her auntie. I spent years playing with dolls that had black scribble all over their faces.

9. David ? - He was the older neighbor boy that would come and play at our house. He went riding and swimming and everything with us. He just had to climb over the fence and he was at our house so he was always around. He even has a hand print in cement in the back of house. I thought I was going to marry him. He must have been very patient with 4 year old me who had a crush on him.

10. Living in a swim suit - I don't remember exactly when or how I learned to swim. With a pool in the backyard you just swim. I do remember learning to jump off the diving board. That was quite a step in my life. Summers were spent in the pool. I don't remember taking my swim suit off most of the summer. We would go swimming off and on all day long all summer. I think we even slept in our suits some nights after a late night swim.

It sure sounds like we spent a lot of time out of doors when we were kids. We were always building tree houses and digging animal grave yards. I often feel like my kids are getting short changed. They don't have any real unsupervised outside play. This is something I struggle with. I know I loved it when I was a kid. I am sure my mom didn't love how dirty we were and how much mud and dirt we brought into the house. But it sure was fun!

4 Things about me

Four (paying) jobs that I have had in my life:

• Marketing Specialist/Artist for a .com - Made Powerpoint presentations, updated website, went to trade shows.
  
• Hertz Rental Car - I don't even remember what the position was called but I did a lot of paper work and a lot of driving around.
  
• Waited Tables at the Brick Oven in Provo, UT.
  
• Telephone Surveyer (I was actually really good at this for some reason)

Four places that I have lived:

• California - Born and raised
  
• Utah - College
  
• New York City - Mission
  
• Costa Rica - Exchange student

Four Countries (I’m changing it to cities) that I have been to on vacation:

• London, England
  
• Paris, France
  
• Venice, Italy and up in the Italian Alps
  
• Mexico, Cruise to a number of ports. I have also visited Cancun

Four of my favorite foods:

• Chocolate - I go for it in just about any form.
  
• Bread - Another that I can take in any form or flavor. But best right out of the oven with a little butter.
  
• Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream but any Ice Cream is good for me
  
• BBQ - Chicken, Steak, Hamburgers, Hot dogs. Everything tastes better off the grill

Four places I would rather be right now:

• On a Cruise where someone else does the cooking, cleaning and even makes my bed. I don't even care where it is bound
  
• England - Two trips to England and still so much to see!
  
• In a house that I could call my own
  
• Curled up in bed watching a good BBC Costume Drama (Pride and Prejudice, Wives and Daughters, Jeeves and Wooster)

Four people that I am tagging (as with all tags, you are free from obligation to respond):

• If you read this and you would like to participate consider yourself tagged.

And be sure to check out the gal who tagged me–Kristiana at La Scuola d’Argento.