Hoodwinked

Yesterday we borrowed Hoodwinked from the library. I really enjoyed it and thought it a well written story. It's a different take on the Little Red Riding Hood story. Completely different. All the kids liked it too, even the big ones. To read a review, click here.

CathSwap and Other Used Book Resources

Of course, the first place to go for buying and selling used curricula and books is CathSwap.

Other resources for used books and texts:
Bookfinder
Homeschool Swap
Home Schooling Unlimited's Free Classifieds
Homeschool Used Curriculum Sites
Schoolbookauction.com.
Homeschoolbid.com

Addendum: Mary Margaret reports that amazon.com's policy is similar to eBays: "Solutions manuals. Manuals or teacher's editions that provide answer keys to student textbook editions are prohibited."
I think that our best bet is to stay with the homeschool exchanges.

One Last Hurrah

Shooting sports are over for the year. Teen Son and Teen Daughter had their final competition this last weekend. And it was a big one. The one that they work so hard for this past year.

It was the MYHEC (MI Youth Hunter Education Challenge) competition, a two-day event. Each of the 180 kids from all over Michigan had to compete in eight disciplines: 3-D archery, shotgun, rifle, muzzleloding, wildlife identification, orienteering, hunter safety trail, and hunter safety exam.

They had loads of fun competing alongside their teammates. The most fun for me was seeing all of their hard work pay off. Teen Son came home with two medals and Teen Daughter came home with a whopping seven medals. Their teammates did equally well. In fact, the senior team took away the gold as the overall best team.

Now I'm going to sit back, relax, and enjoy my last week of summer before we start school.

Used Textbooks at amazon.com

Since eBay has put the nix on buying and selling textbooks, maybe amazon.com is a source to be explored:

The Amazon.com Books team is gearing up for another successful Textbooks season. This will be our biggest back-to-school season yet!

New Textbooks:

* From now through October 7th, customers can save up to 20% off campus bookstore prices on new textbooks sold by Amazon.com.

* In addition, customers can also save an extra $15 when they spend over $150 on new textbooks sold by Amazon.com.

Used Textbooks:

* Through our extensive network of third party sellers, we are able to offer customers millions of used textbooks at up to 90% off list prices.

Addendum: The ban at eBay is on teachers' editions and answer keys. See the link in the blog entry below (August 27th).

Free Catholic CD's

I received the following email recently from Catholicity:

RE: Free Catholic CDs from the Mary Foundation

Have you heard about the easiest way to improve your spiritual life, help convert a friend, or reach souls in your parish?

In a matter of minutes, you can have FREE life-changing talks by America's most dynamic Catholic speakers speeding to your doorstep direct from the world's largest producer of Catholic CDs and audio tapes. You can order online right now:

Secure Ordering

THE BEST CATHOLIC SPEAKERS
Our speakers include the beloved Scott Hahn, Father Corapi, Christopher West, and Marcus Grodi. Our talks include "The Mass Explained", "Marriage and the Eucharist", and the world's most popular "everyday" Rosary CD. For a description of each recording or to read what listeners are saying, visit:

Audiotapes.html

AVAILABLE EVERY DAY ONLINE OR BY MAIL
This is not a "special" offer. The Mary Foundation offers these CDs every day, no strings attached, with free same-day shipping. All we ask for is a nominal donation to support expedited online handling, but you can easily avoid this fee by mailing in your request using this simple print-out form:

Requestform.html

HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?
For the past fifteen years, regular folks like you have done the real work of the Mary Foundation by personally helping us give away millions upon millions of Catholic tapes and CDs all over the world.

These CDs could easily cost more than $10 each, but we use a creative approach, the latest technology, and huge production volumes to make it effortless and affordable for you to change your life and the lives of the people you love most--your family, friends, co-workers, and fellow parishioners.

So your life will indeed change if you take less than five minutes to order online or mail in your request today:

Secure Ordering

May the Mother of God, Mary, our namesake, guide you as you make what may turn out to be the most important evangelization decision of your life. Thanks for taking the time to read this message.

With Christ,

Timothy Harrison
Managing Director
The Mary Foundation

Teacher Manuals Banned on eBay

eBay prohibits textbooks for homeschool teachers

PopeStNick5 - Theology of the Body: A New Translation

To read past library recommendations, or to join the email list, visit: Pope Saint Nicholas V.

Check to see if this title is already in your library's catalog. If it is, put a hold on it and check it out. If not, fill out a patron request form right away. This can usually be done online at your library's website.

Title: The Theology of the Body: A New Translation Based on the John Paul II Archives
Author: Pope John Paul II, translated by Dr. Michael M. Waldstein
Publisher: Pauline Books and Media
Date Published: August 2006
ISBN: 0819874213
Price: $29.95 (available September 2006)
Comments: See Catholic Press Wire to read about the new discovery that lead to this translation.


From the publisher:
John Paul II
Translated and introduced by Michael M. Waldstein

In this new critical translation of Pope John Paul II’s magnum opus, internationally renowned biblical scholar Michael Waldstein presents John Paul II’s magnificent vision of the human person with meticulous scholarship and profound insight.

In this vision, John Paul II presents a catechesis centered on the human person, understood within the mystery of Christ. Going back to the biblical “beginning” as recorded in Genesis, the pope discusses the bodily dimension of human personhood, sexuality, and marriage and celibacy in the light of biblical revelation.

Complete with a new introduction and new footnotes, this edition has been crafted with a penetrating eye to the past twenty years of study since John Paul II gave his Theology of the Body talks.

TRANSLATOR PROFILE
MICHAEL WALDSTEIN is Chancellor and Francis of Assisi Professor of New Testament at the International Theological Institute, Austria. Together with his wife, Susie, he is a member of the Pontifical Council for the Family. Prof. Waldstein earned a B.A. at Thomas Aquinas College, California, a Ph.D. in Philosophy at the University of Dallas, an S.S.L. in Scripture from the Biblicum in Rome, and a Th.D. in New Testament and Christian origins at Harvard Divinity School. Before his present appointment, he was Associate Professor of New Testament at the University of Notre Dame. He and his wife have eight children.

KEY FEATURES

A foreword by Cardinal Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna.
A preface by Christopher West.
The catecheses of Song of Songs and Tobit: a comparison between the delivered text and the longer original pre-Papal text.
A comprehensive index of words and phrases.
A scriptural index.
A reference table for other versions of the papal texts

Babe: The Gallant Pig

Speaking of English literature, Sparky and I are currently reading Babe: The Gallant Pig. Babe gets out of being Christmas dinner by becoming a sheep-pig. Too funny. But it goes way beyond that. It's a sweet story of a character who is brave and loyal to the bone. He doesn't hesitate in obeying his master or in honoring his foster mother. He doesn't stop to think of himself when he rescues the sheep from rustlers or from wild dogs. What a joy to share this with Sparky.

High School Literature Course

A lot of great suggestions were left in the comments when I asked what you would include in an American/English high school literature course. Make sure that you check out the comments here. Marcia Neill, director of St. Michael the Archangel Academy, came in late with an excellent list. I was happy to see that my two high schoolers have already read several of the suggested books.

Below is what I came up with for my teen daughter and teen son. Teen Daughter is 9th grade, so her list is for 9th and 10th grade. Teen Son's list is for 11th and 12th grade. I haven't worked out the order that they will be read yet. There are 9 books for each school year - one per month. During the summer they can choose their own reading. Both teens are avid readers and make good choices on their own.


Daughter, 9th and 10th grade:

Huck Finn by Mark Twain
Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
Short Stories of O'Henry
Beowulf by Anonymous
Animal Farm by George Orwell
The Little Flowers of St. Francis
Call of the Wild by Jack London
Love Poems by Emily Dickinson
Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson
Withering Heights by Bronte
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Emma by Jane Austin
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington

Son, Grades 11 and 12

The Iliad by Homer (Lattimore translation)
Apology by Plato (Rouse translation)
Confessions by St. Augustine (Pine-Coffin translation)
Inferno by Dante (Sayers translation)
The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
The Four Loves by C. S. Lewis
Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Murder in the Cathedral by T. S. Elliot
Ballad of the White Horse by G. K. Chesterton
Edgar Allen Poe: selected stories and poems
Collected Stories by Flannery O'Connor
The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder
Here Comes Civilization by William Ten
The Quest for St. Aquin by Anthony Boucher
Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

I'll also give them a few math and science titles in addition to the above. I haven't decided on those yet. In the upcoming days . . .

Danny's Novena, Day Nine

Click here for the prayer.

Pro-Life T-Shirts

American Life League has cool T-shirts for only $7.95 to commemorate its second annual Pro-Life Memorial Day (Monday, October 2nd). Shirts can be ordered through September 20, 2006. Note that the shipping and handling charges are a bit high, but still a deal. Shirts, hoodies, and hats that we've ordered in the past were well made.

Danny's Novena, Day Eight

Click here for the prayer.

Starry Sky Ranch

My friend Kim has a great blog and I just realized that it's not in my blogroll. Oops, sorry Kim! Go check out Starry Sky Ranch. If you like scrapbooking, or want to learn more about scrapbooking, go immediately to Starry Sky Ranch. Kim has a whole primer on the subject, just scroll down to August 21. Kim also likes to blog about lapbooking, Charlotte Mason, Montessori, and her great kids.

Danny's Novena, Day Seven

Click here for the prayer.

The Danny Davis Foundation

When choosing a college to attend, Franciscan University in Steubenville was Danny's top choice. Unfortunately, it was just out of his reach financially. After scholarships, loans, grants, savings, he was still $2,000 short. In the end, he chose to attend Michigan State University instead.

I know in my heart of hearts that if Danny had attended FU he would still be alive today. For this reason, I plan to start a scholarship fund in Danny's name that would award $2,000 scholarships to financially strapped FU students.

This is still in the dream stage. It'll be a few years before I can pull it together, but it will happen.

Danny's Novena, Day Six

Click here for the prayer.

Holy Hormones Batman!

You may be middle age and peri-menopausal/menopausal if:

When you see your best friend you say, "Hey Stranger" or "Hi Dear" because you can't remember what the heck her name is.

You wear layers of clothes so you won't embarrass yourself when you start stripping in a hot flash.

You say things like, "Put the trash down the hamper" and "Bring the dog in from the oven."

You buy pregnancy tests by the gross.

You've plucked a long black hair from your chin or nose recently.

Your girlfriends and you debate the value of HRT versus tofu.

You're not sure what your hair color is this week.

You wear Birkenstocks, not because they're fashionable but because they're good for falling arches.

You're losing your nouns and find yourself saying things like, "Honey could you get that thing in the shed for me? You know, the thing that's red with wheels."

You know what progressive lenses are.

Your husband never knows if he's going to wake up to Dr. Jekyll or Mrs. Hyde.

You're so emotional that you sob everytime a long-distance commercial comes on.

You subscribe to the Minnie Pauz newsletter.

You clip coupons for Poise pads.

Your kids have asked you, "Mom, are you getting shorter?"

You get in the car and then can't remember where you're going.

You not only know what "the big squeeze" is, you've had it done to you.

You've taken to wearing pantsuits.

You keep your underclothes in the freezer.

Your favorite CD is Menopause the Musical.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, don't worry, you're no where near menopause. Just go about your life blissfully, it'll come soon enough.

Danny's Novena, Day Five

Click here for the prayer.

Dannys Novena, Day Four

Click here for the prayer.

The Sloan Ranger

Our dear old friend Lloyd Sloan is a bit of a radio personality in St. Louis. He even has his own merchandise. Very cool. You can buy it here. You can listen to him here, from 5 to 7 P.M. Central, Mon. through Fri. In fact, give him a call. His is a call-in show and the more the merrier! Local callers: 314-454-0400. Toll free: 1-877-920-WGNU (9468).

Seven Habits

Head over to the other Maureen's blog, Trinity Prep School, to help her hash out the Seven Habits of Highly Effective New School Years. What do you do to make sure that your new school year is effective?

Along the same lines, Joan Stromberg wrote an excellent cover article for Heart and Mind magazine: The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Homeschoolers. It was quite inspiring. I have some back issues left over from conferences if anyone is interested. Or you can check Heart and Mind's website.

Danny's Novena, Day Three

Click here for the prayer.

Talking While Eating

I think that the stress at work must be getting to my husband. Last night he scolded Buster, "Stop chewing with food in your mouth!"

Danny's Novena, Day Two

Click here for the prayer.

Teen Party

Imagine 25 teenagers converging in your backyard ready for food, drink, and a good time. That was my house last night. The kids from our Teen Wednesday club were invited for a We're Not Going Back to School party, and it was a blast.

Our friend Chuck grilled hot dogs and hamburgers and tended the bonfire. The kids brought pop, snacks, and dessert, as well as music. They played Red Rover and held a Twister tournament. (They somehow convinced me to join the Red Rover game - I know some of you would pay good money to see that.) Marshmallows were roasted and the conversation flowed. There were also a few teenager antics - stealing hats, girls chasing boys with the whip cream intended for the pie. All in all the kids were great.

It's refreshing to sit back and watch teens have good, clean fun.

Danny's Novena, Day One

NOVENA TO GOD THE FATHER

(pray for 9 days or 9 hours straight)

God, my heavenly Father, I adore You, and I count myself as nothing before Your Divine Majesty. You alone are Being, Life, Truth, and Goodness. Helpless and unworthy as I AM, I honor You, I praise You, I thank You, and I love You in union with Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Savior and our Brother, in the merciful kindness of His Heart and through His infinite merits. I desire to serve You, to please You, to obey You, and to love You always in union with Mary Immaculate, Mother of God and our Mother. I also desire to love and serve my neighbor for the love of You.

Heavenly Father, thank You for making me Your child in Baptism. With childlike confidence I ask You for this special favor:

I come to you humbly with all my love. Please use all the love in my heart, and the Love of Your Most Sacred Heart to have mercy on Danny and lead him to Your Divine Kingdom. I pray all of this in Jesus’ Most Holy Name. Please have Mercy on my family and all of the families of the individuals who are joining in on this awesome gift of prayer You have given to us.

I ask that Your Will may be done. Give me what You know to be best for my soul, and for the souls of those for whom I pray.

Please give me Your Holy Spirit to enlighten me, to correct me, and to guide me in the way of Your commandments and holiness, while I strive for the happiness of heaven where I hope to glorify You forever. Amen

Novena for Danny

August 22nd will mark the third anniversary of the death of my nephew Danny. He had just turned 22 when he died of a heroin overdose.

Danny was like a son to Rob and me. Rob was very much a father figure to Danny. The day Danny died was the hardest, saddest day of our lives. I remember receiving the news. I remember gasping for air and struggling to breath. But I don't remember much after that, including the drive from Michigan to Missouri to attend the wake and funeral. I couldn't tell you if we left right away and stopped in Indy to spend the night, or if we left the next morning to drive straight through. It's as though God gave me amnesia to protect me from the sadness of the day.

The hardest part was, and continues to be, sharing the news with my children. Danny was like a brother to them as he lived with us during his sophomore year of college, as well as vacationing with us over many summers. One night, weeks after the funeral, I found myself at 2:00 A.M. holding my sleepless, 9-year-old daughter in my lap as she sobbed uncontrollably over the loss of her beloved Danny. I found myself angry with Danny for his overdose, wanting to shake my fist and scream out, "You knew how much she loved you. She was your favorite. How could you do this to her?"

We had no clue that Danny suffered from addiction. This was a young man who attended Mass with us, who joined the March for Life in Washington, DC, who was in the middle of George Weigel's biography of Pope John Paul II when he died. In fact, my last email from Danny, just days before his death, expressed how much he loved the book and loved JP2.

Let this child's death be a lesson to us all. As parents we can never sit on our laurels, we must forever keep vigil. Even the best kids can fall into the deepest pits. We can do everything right and still lose them to the world.

Danny was introduced to heroin by someone who called himself a friend. It only took that one experiment to create an addict.

I'd like to ask you to join me in a novena for Danny's soul. This request comes from Danny's mom, Sue. I'll post a reminder each day beginning in the morning. And please also pray for Sue. A mother's loss is unimaginable.

Shooting for the Gold

The state 4-H shoot in Port Huron went great. Teen Daughter came home with a bronze medal in muzzle loading and Tween Daughter got a bronze in 3-D archery. Teen Son did his personal best in 3-D archery and would've easily aced a gold medal in the county shoot with his score. However, the competition is a lot tougher at the state level. I'm proud of them all.

The best part was camping with all the other 4-H'ers. I've yet to meet a bad 4-H kid or parent. I'm sure there must be one or two out there, but they haven't crossed my path.

From the Mouths of Babes

Some years ago, when Tween Daughter was Toddler Daughter, I would whisper in her ear during Mass, "Listen for the bells, Jesus is coming."

I thought myself genius. After all, not only was this effective in quieting her down during the consecration, but I was teaching her a deep theological point -- that bread and wine become Jesus' Body and Blood.

However, God in His infinate wisdom always humbles me.

One day we went to a different church. It was a holy day and we couldn't get to Mass at our own church. This particular church didn't ring the bells during the consecration.

Toddler Daughter caught this and took it upon herself to let the rest of the congregation know that Jesus was there. As Father elevated the Body, she exclaimed, loudly for everyone to hear, "One Jesus down, One to go!"

Yet More Reading Lists

First an administrative note. I'm leaving later today for the state 4-H shoot. So if you leave a comment, it may take a day or two to show up.

Now to those lists:

MacBeth's Opinion This is one of my favorite online reading lists. Actually, it's more like an online bookstore. She links to amazon.com which I like so that I can read the reviews. Then I head over to my library website to put the books on hold. (Don't worry, I've talked to MacBeth about this and she doesn't mind at all.)

4Real Learning Preschool through 8th grade.

Living Math This is similar to MacBeth's website except that it focuses solely on living math books. Click on the sidebar to find the many booklists. I highly recommend looking into using math literature in your homes.

Tip of the Day

If your four-year old shoves a bead up his nose, for no apparent reason, a toothpick works nicely for getting it out.

I know this because that's what I used last night. In the past (yes, sadly, this was not the first, or even the second or third time, I've had to do this), I learned quickly that a tweezer only sends the bead higher up into the nose. With a toothpick, I could slide it into the hole of the bead and then maneuver it out.

This is what I went to college for.

Even More Online Reading Lists

Even more online reading lists. Keep in mind that these are not Catholic lists, so use your good judgement.

Five in a Row Great reading list for grade school, whether you use the Five in a Row curriculum or not.

Before Five in a Row Literature list for preschool.

Beyond Five in a Row For upper grade school years.

Sonlight Books and The Well Trained Mind Sonlight books arranged by TWTM's four-year history cycles.

Tomorrow, I'll have yet more online reading lists.

Quote of the Day

"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."
—Marcus Aurelius

More Online Reading Lists

More cool reading lists online:

100 Good Book List Reading list for adults. Provided by the Classical Christian Education Support Loop.

1000 Good Book List John Senior's reading list for primary school through high school. Provided by the Classical Christian Education Support Loop.

A Child's Reading List Provided by Eagle Forum. Sorted by reading level within genre.

Reading Your Way through History Alicia Van Hecke's terrific chronological reading list. A must see for Catholic homeschoolers! (Note: This website is currently under some serious construction and may be down momentarily.)

Seton Home Study School Seton's list of great books, for K to 8th grade, to supplement their Catholic home study school. Scroll down and click on "reading lists."

I'll have even more for you tomorrow.

Mom With a Message

My friend Mary Jo has a new website: Mom With a Message. If you ever need a speaker on the topic of chastity, contact Mary Jo.

Online Reading Lists

Continuing this thread on books, here are a couple of online reading lists that you all may enjoy:

The Ultimate Reading List – Classics That Endure
June 1997 Education Reporter.

Ten Books Every Student Should Read in College

One Book Meme, Part 2

Mike also tagged his son Michael III. However, Michael doesn't have a blog. So, for today, Michael is a guest blogger:

1. One book that changed your life.
Algebra for Dummies by Mary Jane Sterling

2. One book that you’ve read more than once:
My freshman algebra textbook (read it my freshman year, my sophomore year, my junior year...)

3. One book you’d want on a desert island:
How to Build Wooden Boats: With 16 Small-Boat Designs by Edwin Monk

4. One book that made you laugh:
One of the top 10 best books ever written (after the Bible), Dave Barry's Book of Bad Songs

5. One book that made you cry:
My sophomore algebra textbook

6. One book that you wish had been written:
How to get into college when you Don't Know Math

7. One book that you wish had never been written:
My Geometry I textbook

8. One book you’re currently reading:
Procrastination: Why You Do It, What to Do About It by Jane B. Burka, Ph.D. and Lenora M. Yuen, Ph.D.

9. One book you’ve been meaning to read:
Said freshman algebra textbook... (see Question 8)

One Book Meme

Mike Aquilina is making me fill out this blog meme thing. I'm afraid that mine won't be nearly as heady as his survey. The last seventeen years have been spent reading children's books. In fact, last night I sat down to read Augustine's Confessions when Princess Rose sat on my lap and begged me to read Miss Spider's Tea Party. It wasn't long before other children were begging for their own books to be read. I suppose Augustine will have to wait another decade or two.

1. One book that changed your life.
The Bible.

2. One book that you’ve read more than once.
The Spear by Louis de Wohl. I try to read it every Lent. That is, if I can hide away long enough from little children who have their own agendas.

3. One book you’d want on a desert island.
The Survivor's Handbook.

4. One book that made you laugh.
Winnie the Pooh. That Winnie is just a hoot!

5. One book that made you cry.
The Magic Treehouse series. I breaks my heart knowing that publishers allow such dribble to be put into print. Sad.

6. One book that you wish had been written.
How to Learn Latin While Sleeping.

7. One book that you wish had never been written.
Barney's Special Day. Is it not enough that we have to tolerate Barney on video? We have to read about him too?

8. One book you’re currently reading.
Miss Spider's Tea Party.

9. One book you’ve been meaning to read.
Confessions by St. Augustine.


Okay, now I'm suppose to tag some other bloggers. So, I tag all the bloggers at Love2Learn, except for Nancy. She hates memes (I can't blame her).

What Your Eighteen-Year Old Needs to Know

Along the lines of our high school lit discussion, here is a great post from Catholic Darwin.

High School Literature

Someone emailed me almost a month ago and asked:

What you recommend for a high school English/American literature reading list? I have my own ideas and I would definitely drop a few I had to read. I remember being assigned Truman Capote's In Cold Blood during my senior year English class. I just didn't even read it. I didn't think I could bear the violence of it. What would be your top 10 books for the high school list?

I hate to admit that I haven't responded to her query as of yet. Every time I try to come up with a top-ten list, I make additions or deletions. The thing is that I need to come up with some sort of list for my own homeschool.

Teen Son is heading into his Junior year and I can't have him graduating from high school without having read such greats as Plato's Apology, or Augustine's Confessions, or The Iliad. But then those aren't really American or English literature.

How important is it to read American and English authors? And what time period? I remember Anne Carroll once saying that there aren't any 20th-century authors worth reading. But that would include Flannery O'Connor and quite a few others that I'm partial to.

Would you include any of the popular school fare? Titles such as The Great Gatsby, Catcher in the Rye, Lord of the Flies, East of Eden, etc.

So, help me out here. What are your thoughts? What titles should absolutely be on a list of American/English literature for high school?

Farewell to Lambs

Teen Son and I were out at the fairground this morning feeding the sheep, Mario and Luigi, one last time before they're picked up by their new owners. As I patted their heads and told them goodbye, a sad feeling came over me. Perhaps you shouldn't name animals intended for the dinner table.

Day Three At the Fair

Another great day at the fair. Sparky showed a sheep in the pee wee division (5 to 8 years old). They don't place, but instead everyone gets a participation ribbon. The idea is to get them use to showing in the arena and being judged. They were all so cute and the judges so sweet in helping them present their sheep. The amazing thing is that none of the sheep got loose, a first I think. Usually, there are several sheep running around the ring with little children chasing after them. Actually, I'm a little disappointed that we missed the comedy of the sheep this year.

Teen Son showed his sheep in the senior division. It was his first year and he was up against kids who have been showing their whole lives. Yet, he did pretty good. He struggled during the showmanship portion when Mario (or was it Luigi) just didn't want to behave. In true 4-H fashion, the judge offered some words of wisdom to help him out. The sheep behaved better in the market class and placed 4th and 7th. Today they'll be auctioned off and hopefully Teen Son will make a little profit on the sheep project.

Princess Rose participated in the fashion revue in the evening. The little 5 to 8 year olds were so cute up on the stage. Princess Rose had practiced walking the stage at home. Then right before stepping on the stage, the teen girl, who was helping the little girls, told Princess to make sure to stand in the center so the judges could see her. Well, that's what Princess did, she stood the whole time in the center and didn't walk a step. It was so funny. I think she really enjoyed watching the older girls model their sewing creations as much as participating.

Today, we take a break and stay home. It's been raining off and on all morning and hopefully that'll cool things off for tomorrow. No competitions tomorrow, just enjoying the rides.

Day Two At the Fair

Today is a complete blur, but from what I remember it was a good day. Here are some tips if you have to be out in the 100 degree heat for 8 hours. Put some ice in a baggie, wrap it in a bandana and then tie it around the back of your neck. Works great. Also bring a spray bottle with water. Not only does it feel good, it's fun to spritz your friends.

My parents along with my sister and her kids came up from St. Louis today. So that was the highlight of the day of course. They skipped the fair -- a bit too much after 9 hours of driving -- but we still got to visit after getting home and have the rest of the week to enjoy one another's company.

The kids came home with loads of medals and ribbons for shooting sports. I'm really proud of all of them.

Tomorrow is sheep. Yep, these city folk are showing sheep. Teen Son has a friend who raises sheep for 4-H and was invited to join him this year. This has meant lots of chauffeuring to and from the country for working with the sheep. But I think that it has been worth it. Teen Son has had loads of fun and learned quite a bit. He's also worked with his little brother Sparky. Sparky is to young to officially show sheep, but he can participate in the Pee Wee division. It'll be interesting to see tomorrow how it all works out.