FHE at our house last night! Fifth Mondays are Family Game Night. We drew these games out of our "choice bag" and enjoyed chocolate chip cookies and Aye, Aye, Nephi, Quick Pix Geography, Uno Attack (PMM loves that one!) and Mormon Mouthful, which is probably the most hilarious game we own! Try saying these "samples" until you "hear" what they mean:

Will Four Herd Would Rough


More Own Nice Prom Mess


Brick Kim Hung Hewn If Her City

ROFL!!!

I have a pet theory that polyglots excel at this particular game; we have "ear training". What do you think?

This is Tallman!!!!! Doesn't he look excited to get his picture taken!

I am really enjoying William Zinsser's American Places. I was looking forward to it, hoping for good writing, since Zinsser's most famous book is On Writing Well. I haven't been disappointed. He has chosen several places or sites he thinks are "iconic" or part of the American mythic experience, and visits them, sharing his impressions, interviewing the people who care most about the sites (docents, guides, park rangers) and trying to make sense of the place in our American life. He has a few odd comments so far that have widened my eyes, and one oddball opinion that had me stalking about the room, muttering (he was discussing Mount Vernon and said he was glad it was in the hands of archaeologists, sociologists and historians, since they are NONJUDGMENTAL---I'm sorry, that's patently ridiculous. You find me a nonjudgmental social scientist and I'll eat my blog.) I have found myself very moved by his descriptions at times, even almost to the point of desiring to see these places myself. This is astonishing, for I am about as rooted in place as one can get. I'm a prairie girl, I love to read about other places, but prefer to stay put under my wide sky. However, I'm feeling a tug to go see the Civil Rights Memorial, Appomattox Court House, Yellowstone National Park. YELLOWSTONE? Ack! I'm a terrible tourist. LOL There's even a chapter on Disneyland, later. Haven't read that one yet. May even skip it. :-) But the next chapter I am set to read shows Zinsser's basic good taste--it's even in Kansas! Abilene! There we go. I've even BEEN there. :-) Prairie. It's all good. :-)

What I Wish I was Still Reading:
84, Charing Cross Road, Helene Hanff. I finished this last night. HOW did I ever miss this book earlier in life? Sheer delight. My only complaint: I wish it were four times longer.

Up Next: American Places, by William Zinsser

Last Night: Watched "March of the Penguins" with the family. We all enjoyed it. I kept thinking as I was watching this story of penguin love and devotion, that if all things testify of Christ, surely there is a message in the story of these birds for the family in our day. If a PENGUIN family is worthy of such sacrifice, just to produce one chick, then what does that tell us about the value of an ETERNAL family? Perhaps I should complain less about the sacrifices I make for my own family; at least I don't have to go for months without food. :-) I wonder if I am the first person for whom watching "The March of the Penguins" created a desire to do genealogy. LOL

Calandria: Shall try to get Tallman to let me take a picture. He is camera-shy. He has a bunch of kits for building robots downstairs, and a bunch of assorted electronic components; I think he primarily uses the kits at this point. He has a bit of a "mad-scientist" thing going on in the basement so I rarely go look. ;-)

Chilly, rainy day. I hab a code. (cough, cough) Zealously taking zinc caplets. :-)
Tallman built two robots this week.

This one skitters along the ground or climbs a rope hand-over-hand. He has another one that runs all over the kitchen and changes direction every time it runs into something (like my foot) or hears a noise. Wild.

What I'm Reading Today:

Chocolate Chips and Charity: Visiting Teaching in the Real World

What I'm Worried About Today:

My talk tomorrow, on the Preach My Gospel book, not to mention teaching my Sunbeams, with NO voice. Fun!

Thought For the Day:

"She is too fond of books, and it has turned her brain . . . " Louisa May Alcott

And THIS is my 5yo, the Perpetual Motion Machine, or PMM for short. PMM never stops moving, talking, dancing, jumping--we'd have given up on him long, long ago if he weren't so cute. He pretends to be a dinosaur about half the time. T Rex days are bad days. :-)
I hope you don't want to see a picture of m. Ha ha, fat chance. :-) Maybe another day.

Here is my next son, Cheery. He recently competed in a Pinewood Derby. This is Cheery and his car. He is 9, loves to laugh, loves art, and loves his dwarf hamster, Samuel the Hamsterite.

Well, if I'm going to start this, I'd better post something. It's been a hectic week here, with dh gone most of the week, a break-in at church, school, one child sick, activities. I'm tired just remembering it all. :-) But we've had some fun. A little about my three wild Indians. I have a 12 year old son, Tallman, who is of a scientific and engineering bent. :-) The above pictures are a recent creation of his. He also keeps snakes--three at the moment--and is obsessed by his Palm device. He happens to be 5'11", too. He's a lot of fun, even if he is very expensive to keep. ;-)

I don't think I really like blogs. Really. I'm not sure I "get it." But I like to try new things and so here we are.