3D Plagues

The kids have taken up playing punch-balloon-volleyball-four-square in the foyer.  Basically, the balloon cannot touch the floor.  There are many four-square rules associated with the game because four-square is the favorited game played at recess. This is not a quiet game.  Ever.  There is nothing like making up your own rules and then arguing over the rules that were made up.  

We bought them a basketball to have an extra one when we go to the SWU courts.  Josiah remembered he had seen some sidewalk chalk, so they moved their game outside for a while, but the weather has gotten much cooler lately.  This is the 'real fall' that we were told we would have.  It was 36° this morning - cold enough that Henry went back inside to get his hoodie for school.  He was really trying to hold out until December, but it was necessary to cave.  

The kids did their service project at the end of this week at AIM (Anderson Interfaith Ministries).  They were tasked with packing 1000 Thanksgiving meals.  They completed that in an hour's time, so they were given more bags to fill.  Caroline said she never wanted to see another can of corn again.  Josiah had fun asking the third graders which bag of rice or box of potatoes they wanted every time they reached his spot.  

This last week of school was filled with many tests and quizzes.  While rough for a time, the no homework for the week-long break made it worthwhile.  Caroline worked on her 10 Plagues of Egypt project for a week.  She had to represent all the plagues in some sort of 3D fashion.  She chose clay.  Josiah was happy to assist and they worked every day on a new plague.  There were frogs.  

Lice

Locust

Death of livestock

A lamppost with no light to represent darkness.

Water turning to blood

Boils

Josiah made the angel of death with blood on the doorposts

Caroline was happy with the end results and the clay baked well for the most part.  After a few heads fell off (frogs), they learned to use toothpicks as dowels.  

Henry had his first debate this week.  His side had to argue that the American Revolution cannot be biblically backed up.  It was interesting, because when Josiah did debate in CC, they never allowed them to use the Bible because they never wanted one team to have to argue against the Bible.  Henry said it went well overall.  His role was to talk about how it could not be backed up because it goes against you shall not murder.  

Josiah finished his week of school listening to his science teacher's friend from NASA.  This man used to buckle in the astronauts on the launchpad.  He worked on over a hundred launches, ten of them as the seatbelt-buckler.  I inquired further as to all the duties of his job.  He came on after the Challenger explosion as a safety inspector.  Josiah enjoyed his talk very much.  This science teacher is Josiah's favorite teacher by far.  He spent his life as a chemical engineer and his retirement as a school teacher.  Whenever Josiah is homesick for Texas, he says that he would like to move back, but he would bring Mr. Arledge with him.    

We had our Thanksgiving Program one evening at school.  It was only the 5th grade and lower, but Caroline came along to sit with her friends who had younger siblings.  I had no idea how things would go because earlier that day I had one kid in my class who completely fell apart.  She cried for 45 minutes because she did not get the blue playdoh scissors.  It was so bad that she had to leave the room for over an hour before she was calm enough to rejoin us.  So, that was our morning.  I assumed all the kids had a nap before coming to the program in the evening, because they rocked it.  They smiled, they sang, some lip-synced, a few did the hand motions, but it was enough that you could tell we practiced.  

Thanksgiving Break is upon us.  I have an entire list of things to do that, if completed, will have us completely unpacked and settled.  The kids have no such lists, but they are looking forward to spending time with grandparents.    

Raking Until the Painting Pays

We've had a rainy week here, but Josiah still managed to squeeze in raking the front yard.  The kids needed a way to earn money and I'm not about to pay for things they're already supposed to do inside the house.  We do have a very large yard now, so it seemed to be the place where they could earn some bank.  Josiah jumped on the chance.  At the beginning of the week, he got home from school, changed his clothes, and got to raking.  He worked steadily for a little over two hours raking all the grassy areas of the front yard.  He was focused and insistent on doing it himself.  Why?  Because he did not want to share any of the earned income.  Before he began, he already had a portion of the money spent....on a Fortnite battle pass.  He knows I'm not keen on using money for anything video game related, so now he can buy it himself.  

This past weekend, he was planning on finishing the job by using our new blower for the flowerbed areas.  The blower is battery-powered and Josiah drained the battery twice in his quest.  He still did not finish, so when the rain stops, we're getting the electric blower out to finish the job.  Both boys helped Todd with the leaves in the back.  

Once they heard they would get paid for yardwork, both Caroline and Henry were quick to say they wanted to blow the leaves off the carport roof.  Caroline got to do it this weekend.  Todd does not like heights, so he's more than happy to let them be the roof cleaners. 

Josiah has started painting again.  He likes landscapes and always enjoys painting mountain scenes.  This weekend, we watched a Bob Ross episode where he painted a seascape.  The next morning, Josiah was on it.  

Caroline did a 360° trick behind the foyer wall.  She did it very smoothly and it cracked me up.  

Caroline wanted to help make pumpkin bread this evening.  She wanted to do all the steps by herself, including opening the can of pumpkin.  She said she wanted to figure out the can opener without any help.  So I sat back and took pictures of the attempts.  

Eventually, I showed her the way.

The kids have noted that this is the last full week of school before Thanksgiving break.  (There is a service day the Friday before Thanksgiving week, so technically they don't have to go to class.)

And this guy is still cute.  

Spirit Week

It was Spirit Week at school.  For Mellow Monday, Caroline took the opportunity to wear sweatpants and she enjoyed their comfort all day long.  In the preschool, nearly all the kids came in their pajamas.  They took their leisurewear seriously.  That afternoon, Josiah had two new friends over to make yet another movie.  It was titled The Batman and Robin and they worked for two hours taking clip after clip.  By the end, Josiah compiled their 60-some videos into a 10 minute movie.  What happens is that the movie gets sent to all the kids at school and then other kids express interest in making one, so each week has been a new movie making project. 

While they were making a movie, Caroline hung out with a friend from her class and Henry rode off with a friend from school who lives in the neighborhood.  Both groups tossed the football, though Caroline and her friend did it volleyball style.  Henry came back with a bloody knee after making a dive for the football, narrowly missing his friend, and landing on the concrete.  

T-shirt Tuesday was next, then Wednesday-Twin Day.  Caroline and all the girls in her class dressed up as faces of a die.  Caroline was #2.  Sadly, no one took a picture of the group, so I don't know what the rest looked like.  

On Thursday, our school celebrated Reformation Day, when Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany.  The Catholic Church was charging people for forgiveness of their sins and Luther said, nope, not what the Bible says.  And so began the Protestant church in protest.  The upper school taught the lower school about the Reformation.  In the preschool, we dressed as princes/princesses or peasants.  In my class of seven girls, we were all princesses.  Since Reformation Day is also Halloween, we walked to the retirement home next door and the residents passed out candy to the (preschool) kids.  

We missed out on our usual Halloween tradition of in-house trick or treating.  That evening, Todd and I had to do a biometric screening for our health insurance.  It was at his university and we just stayed there and ate dinner.  While we waited for the dining hall to open, the kids played basketball.  

The week closed out with Yeehaw Friday.  Josiah could not find his cowboy hat and he did not hear the end of it at school.  His science teacher said he was very disappointed that he didn't show up in a cowboy hat.  Coming from Texas, expectations were had, but not met.  (The science teacher is Josiah's favorite, so he was just messing with him.)  Todd found all the cowboy hats at his office in a box labeled 'hats.'  After school was over, Caroline and I made a Target run just to get Henry a plaid 'western' shirt.  At first, I could only find gingham.  When Caroline saw it, she asked if he was going on a picnic.  We kept looking.  We found the requested blue plaid shirt and he wore it that evening to the school's Barn Dance.  Both boys were very eager to get there and did not agree that arriving nine minutes late was considered fashionable.  They could not get out of the car fast enough.  At pick-up, they both said they had a very good time.  Henry was challenged to eat 20 sausages and he proved his capability.  They danced, they talked, they have shared very few details.  For instance, when asked, 

Who did you dance with? 

It was answered with, I don't know.  

Did you not look them in the face?  

Needless to say, details are sparse, but fun was had.  

Saturday morning, Caroline and I were finishing up her homework on the patio when we looked up and saw a grey fox walking down the street.  We really live among the animals here.

We also received the kids school pictures this week.  They turned out really well.  I was even more grateful for the pictures of their classes so I can finally put a face to the kids names. 

We are currently on the countdown to Thanksgiving Break T-minus 26 days.