Name Meme

Jamie tagged me for this Name Meme. If anyone has a moment, could you please point out where the word 'meme' came from, or what it means??

Copy the questions from my post and paste them in a new post on your blog. Erase my answers and put yours in. Use the first letter of your name to answer ALL of the following questions. If the person before you has the same 1st letter pick a new one. You CAN NOT use anything twice, and you CAN NOT use your own name for the boy/girl question. After you are done, tag 5 people...

1. What is your name: Suzanne (Suzie for short)
2. A 4 letter word: Ship
3. A boy's name: Samuel
4. A girl's name: Savannah
5. An occupation: Seismographer
6. A color: Sunburst
7. Something you wear: Sweaters
8. A Food: Strawberries
9. Something found in the bathroom: Shower
10. A place: Saskatchewan
11. A reason for being late: Sleet covered roads.
12. Something you shout: Stop!
13. A movie title: Scarlet and The Black
14. Something you drink: Smoothie
15. An animal: Squirrel
16. A song title: Simply Red (I owned the single on cassette - not sure why! They pretty much sing the title and their band's name over and over ... until it ends.)
17. A verb: Saute

With all the tagging going on, the majority of the blogs I read have been tagged already. So, if you happen upon this post and want to play along, please do!

Snow Day Boredom?

When the day looks like this outside the kitchen window .... this mom tries to employ her creative genes to keep the kiddos busy. Schoolwork first, then on to crafts and playtime.

Zeke (above), now 6 years old, practicing hand-writing.

Dash finds a spot to read his gospel passage. This wouldn't be my first choice for comfort in reading, but it works for him, I guess.

Angelina practicing piano. Notice the bare feet - and to think it's -2 degrees plus a nasty wind chill outside!

Graham, and the other kids, enjoy the colored rice. This time, I added a variety of different magnets and metal objects that he can find. It's messy - completely out of my comfort zone! - but his entertainment is key to sanity on snow days. I made the rice a couple years ago. It started out in four separate colors - red, blue, green and yellow. One day it was mixed together; which does make for easier storage.

Colored Rice

Ingredients Needed:
1 cup uncooked rice for each color (I used Minute Rice, which is less expensive)
3 to 4 drops of each bottle food coloring (I used the liquid coloring in squeeze drop bottles, but also read that the paste colors can be used if you prefer brighter colors)
1 tsp. rubbing alcohol per color

To color the rice: In a quart sized jar, add the dry rice and 1 tsp. rubbing alcohol. Cover and shake to coat. Drop on the food coloring, mixing/shaking between drops. Keep adding drops until you get the desired color. Pour the colored rice onto a cookie sheet that has been covered in foil or waxed paper. Let dry in a warm airy place (out of the reach of kids and pets). The drying takes about 1 hour.

Repeat the steps to make additional colors of rice. I store our rice in glass jars, but ziploc bags would work just as well. While the colored rice is non-toxic, I wouldn't recommend eating it!

IDEAS: mosaics, hidden magnets, scoop and pour with spoons and funnels,

Wordless Wednesday - In Imitation

Poetry

The sound of my kids voices retelling their favorite poems is such a thrill to me. The inflection of their voice adds to the words, bringing them alive and carrying me or whoever is listening into the tale. My start with poetry memorization wasn't as loved!

As a young girl of about seven or eight years, my mom MADE me memorize a poem. I believed it to be pure drudgery and would have rather spent the time reading the book from which the poem was selected in the quiet of my room. I can actually remember standing, shoulders slumped, while going through the poem line by line. The poem itself was titled 'Gathering Leaves' by Robert Frost. It was quite short (compared to those my kids are memorizing... shhhhh, don't tell them!) and when I had it memorized, she recorded me on cassette tape to memorialize the feat.

Gathering Leaves
by Robert Frost

Spades take up leaves
No better than spoons,
And bags full of leaves
Are light as balloons.

I make a great noise
Of rustling all day
Like rabbit and deer
Running away.

At the time, I didn't see the point in memorizing a poem. But since parts of the poem have stuck with me all these years, I've realized that there is worth. It brings a happy picture into my mind each time I think of even the title, and I remember the rhythm of the words.

Although my knowledge of his work is small, Robert Frost has become one of my favorite poets. 'Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening' has been memorized by both Dash and Angelina, and I look forward to Zeke's turn. The poem has been illustrated in this book... the pictures are stunning and completely capture the words written.

Silent Sunday

Statue of Saint Therese

Outdoor garden on the grounds of St. Mary, Star of the Sea, Catholic Church - Key West, FL

Freaky Friday

There's a Mouse in My House!

5:30a Dash quietly walks into our bedroom and whispers to his dad: "Dad you've got to see this," sounding somewhat excited, "While I was downstairs doing some homework (by the TV, I might add), I saw a mouse!"

I'm thinking: "Doing homework?? Right," in a somewhat sarcastic and unbelieving tone.

Eric: Doesn't say a thing, but gets up immediately.

I'm thinking: "Hey he got up right away! I'm going to have to remember this buzzword for future reference."

5:45a Eric comes back to bed.

I ask: "So??"

Eric says: "What."

I reply: "What, you don't think I heard the word mouse??"

I'm thinking: "Gee whiz, how can any woman not hear the words 'there's a mouse' and not be immediately in-tuned!"

Eric says, while chuckling: "Dash set up cheese leading up to a milk jug. He says its an age old trick."

I'm thinking: "Wow, my 11yo knows an age old trick. Right," in a somewhat sarcastic frame of mind.

6:ooa Hubby and I both decide to get up. He goes to exercise downstairs and I start my shower.

Zeke: "Mom! Hey, Mom!" (while I am in the shower) "Did you know there's a mouse downstairs?"

I replied: "Yes."

I'm thinking: "Do I need to hear this right now? Thank goodness I already know or I'd be a little creeped out to find out in the shower while bare-footed!"

Zeke: "I've gotta go tell Eva." Who still happens to be sleeping, but hey this is BIG news!

Bottom Line: We haven't seen the mouse, since it's first viewing. Where there's one, there are usually more. How did it get into my house!?! Where are my shoes? Get my shoes on, now. We'd better buy some great traps. I have a lot of paper in the schoolroom and the toy room is an absolute disaster. Eric's office still has boxes. Where is that mouse hiding? What is it chewing on right now?? I can handle it as long as I have my feet covered! Ugghhh - Freaky Friday.