An Old English Project

When I was in Jr. High, we had a group project(let me tell you how much I hate group projects another time) in which we had to make a revision of a children's book and update it with big words and current issues. My partner and I picked Green Eggs and Ham. We didn't have much time in class, so I told her I would take it home and finish it. It was supposed to be typed, but my typewriter ribbon broke that night, so I turned it in with my own handwriting. My teacher told me that she shouldn't accept it since it wasn't typed, but she took it anyway. The next day, she pulled me aside and said that she was sorry that she had chewed me out because I was the only one in the class who had done the assignment correctly. Everyone else had to redo theirs.

I stumbled across this little gem of mine while I was sorting through things today(You would have thought I wouldn't have had to sort through so much since I did so 6 months ago, but that wasn't the case).

Anyway, here it is, for your reading pleasure:

Green Eggs and Ham(Revised)

Sam, the pretentious door-to-door salesman, meandered up to the door and knocked ceaselessly until it was opened. And old phogey answered the door and was about to slam it in Sam's face when Sam stuck his foot in the door and elucidated,"I am Sam!" The old man was wholly astonished and perturbed at Sam's impudent intrusion. Sam opened his box and thrusted a plate of green eggs and ham in his face. "Do you like green eggs and ham?" he queried.

"I do not like them, Sam I Am. I do not like green eggs and ham. They're full of fat and cholesterol. I'd rather eat green vegetables."

Indefatigably, Sam started running around the room with the plate. "Would you like them here or there?"

The old man responded," I would not like them here or there. I would not like them anywhere. I do not like green eggs and ham. They're not good for you Sam I Am."

Sam pulled some pamphlets out of his briefcase,"Would you like them in a condo in Beverly Hills? It even comes with your own pet mouse."

"I do not like them in a house. I do not like them with a mouse. I do not like them here or there. I do not like them anywhere. I do not like green eggs and ham, they're not salubrious for you Sam-I-Am."

"Would you eat them in an alley in a cardboard box? Would you eat them if there was a gorgeous fox?"

"Not in a box, not with a fox, not in a house, not with a mouse. I would not eat them here or there. I would not eat them anywhere. I would not eat green eggs and ham. They are full of lipid products, Sam-I-Am."

"Would you, could you in a Porsche?"

"I would not, could not in a Porsche."

"Would you eat them in the dark, on a train, or in acid rain? Could you, would you if I gave you a bruise? Could you, would you if I took you on a cruise?"

"I would not, could not with a bruise. I will not, will not on a cruise. I will not eat them in acid rain. I will not eat them on a train. Not in the dark or in a car. I do not like them in a box. I do not like them with a fox. I will not eat them in a house. I do not like them with a mouse. I do not like them here or there. You cannot bribe me anywhere. I do not like them anyday, so please Sam, please just go away."

"You do not like them, but don't you see? Look! They are 95% fat free!"

In final despondency, the antiquated man replied, "Sam if you will quit dyssin' me, I will try them you will see. The old man grabbed the fork and took a bite, throroughly masticating, then yelled with delight,"Say! I like green eggs and ham! I do! I like them, Sam-I-Am!"

Sam beamed and grinned from ear to ear. Maybe his family wouldn't go hungry this year. But what Sam didn't know was that the crochety old man was tired of the door-to-door salesman disturbing him, and he had been planning revenge on the next one that came to his door. The old man reached for his. 22 calibur pistol and blew poor Sam away. The moral of this story is: if you are a door-to-door salesman, don't bother irate old men.

I am Thankful

I'm thankful for my family and that they are always with me no matter where we end up. I'm thankful for the roof over our head- the one currently(even though it's not ours) and the one we are heading back to(even though it's not a big, fancy place). I'm thankful that we could spend the last six months meeting new people and giving the kids some fun opportunities. I'm thankful that we will be able to go back to see our old friends and enjoy the traditions we had living in Pullman.

I don't like moving. I hate packing up all our things, but I'm thankful for things to pack.

This Thanksgiving, we were blessed to spend it with family. I didn't have to make a turkey or anything at all. Everything was taken care of. We went to Mark's aunt's house and got to see his cousins- one of whom we haven't seen for several years- and we got to meet his new wife. The dinner was lovely- the traditional turkey, of course, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, gravy, salad, rolls, cranberry sauce, baked artichoke hearts, string beans, pumpkin pie, etc.

Mark's cousin, Bree did most of the cooking and prep!



Kyrie drank 3 Capri Suns!


Jayden didn't want to sit and eat, but he had fun running around and screeching. I think I burned the calories consumed tonight by getting up and down to try to keep him out of trouble and to quiet him down when he got too loud.

Look! A quiet second! It won't last long!

Getting started...


The olives on the fingers routine. I think this is the first time I've ever seen the boy eat olives. He said he enjoyed them!


After dinner, the kids played card games with Grandma and Daddy. Mommy chased Jayden some more. He did fairly well considering he didn't have a nap today. The tryptophan kicked in quickly tonight and the kids fell asleep quite hastily! Maybe I need to make turkey for dinner every night!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

My Little Angel, Kyrie

Kyrie didn't get to go Trick-or-Treating because she was sick, but she did get invited to a carnival the week before by our neighbor friend. Her mom took some great pictures of the girls. You can't really tell in these pictures, but Kyrie has glitter all over her face and arms(she had her sweater off when she was inside). Kyrie had a blast that night, and I'm glad that she got a chance to dress up and have a good time since she was so sick the following week! Kyrie and her friend have a great time together, and we'll miss her a lot when we go back to Pullman next month.

Free Time

Kyrie is finally well enough to be playing at her friend's house today. After recovering from the flu, she ended up with an ear infection. Poor thing couldn't catch a break!

Mark told me that he would watch the boys- not too hard of a job for him this afternoon since Jayden is probably napping, and he's playing Lego Batman on the Wii with Isaiah. But still, it's nice to be able to get out of the house for a while by myself.

It's pretty wet and yucky outside(hello, Seattle Fall!) so I packed up my laptop and headed to the library. Among the few usual websites I like to play on, Facebook is a big escape for me. Particularly, Bejeweled Blitz. This game is a big time sucker for me! It deceives me into thinking that a game only lasts a minute long, so that's not too bad, right? But it's kind of like Pringles- "Once you pop, you can't stop!"

A few of my friends are able to get as high of scores that I do, and once they beat my high score, I feel compelled to keep playing until I get back on top. It is very satisfying to get the 5 in a row gems that blast all the ones that are the same color, or the star gem- created by making an L or a T match of gems and clear out a whole row. When you really get going, the game makes a sizzling sound, and then you get a speed bonus time and the lights start flashing and gems start exploding left and right!

After a week of play, the game resets, and everyone goes back to the same points. Then it's back to playing again so that my score will soar high above the rest!

I've even incorporated the game into Homeschooling! Kyrie has Math Minutes where she has a bunch of problems and she has to see how many she can get done in a minute. Well, a minute of me playing Bejeweled has turned into a very effective and entertaining stop watch. ;)

Isaiah, the Slow-Eater, Tiny Bite Taker

We've been reading this book for Isaiah's Language Arts the last couple of weeks. I just found out tonight that my husband's grandma was friends with the author of this book, by the way. If you haven't had the pleasure of reading this book, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle is an eccentric lady who has all sorts of cures for childhood ailments like selfishness, kids who won't pick up toys, kids who talk back, and the category that Isaiah falls into- slow eater, tiny bite taker. I swear, the boy would graze all day if we let him. It's good to eat relatively slow and take small bites, but in our fast-paced American society, we usually like to get it done!

So after reading this chapter today, I decided to play a little joke on Isaiah. Mrs. Piggle Wiggle's cure for the slow-eater, tiny bite taker was to gradually make the plates smaller. The first day the meal serving was on a plate the size of a saucer, a cup like a small after-dinner coffee cup, and they were given a small fork and a little spoon. The next meal was served on a plate like a doll plate, had a doll cup, and a very small fork and spoon. Each meal gradually got smaller until the plate was the size of a small penny, the cup would hold a small drop, and a fork like a needle, a spoon like a pin. Even with the small servings, the boy still would only eat a portion of it until he got so weak that he couldn't even sit up, and Mrs. Piggle Wiggle told him it was his turn to take the pony out for a walk, but he couldn't stay on and so he finally ate to get his strength back and was able to get back on the pony.

I actually skipped the saucer size plate and headed straight for the doll size plate- just to get a laugh out of Isaiah. He enjoyed bringing the story to life. I gave him a bigger size portion later. I think he might always be a slow eater, but he's a pretty good boy.

Sleep Talking

I don't know if Kyrie is always like this in her sleep, or maybe when she is just sick with a high fever, but she has been talking in her sleep.

Tonight she sat up and asked me to help her stand up. So I did. I asked her if she wanted help getting to the bathroom. "No."
"What do you want,then?"
"What's 10 +10?"(by the way, she's in 3rd grade Math, and certainly knows the answer to this. ;))
"20"
She points to my finger. "I need 20 of those."
"20 fingers?"
"I need 20 fingers."

Then she lay down again and she looked at me and smiled. "Never mind," she says."I love you." Then she closes her eyes and starts mumbling incoherently.

Fever is down to 99 degrees now. I hope we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel!