Connor: Blog Of The Day

The Day The Gods Destroyed The World

By: Connor

It started out as an average day on Mount Olympus.  "Well" Zeus said "The humans have offered us no sacrifices in in over 200 centuries."  The rest of the gods agreed and started trying to decide if they would punish the mortals or not.  Athena spoke up "If we destroy them we shall have no one to pay tribute to us." All the gods looked back and forth waiting for someone to speak when suddenly Hades said "I don't care, the only ones who payed tribute to me were the Aztecs and they were slain by Cortez."  Finally Zeus intervened and said "How about this Apollo, you are the god of creativity so I would like you to write one of your famous predictions."    After a few hours of building a human with a hundred hands attached to his fingers he said "You shall go down to earth and type up this apocalyptic story and it shall come true but, if you don't write it than I will make it so you can never leave your computer."  At first the man will not obey and Apollo holds true to his threat. The man with a hundred hands sits down to write the story and has Athena take a picture as proof.  Later the gods read the story and edit it. The story reaches earth and then the humans, not heeding the story, continue not to pay tribute to the gods.  Finally the gods destroy the world and remake it to be exactly how it was when they first controlled Greece. The End 

Avery: Blog Of The Day

HELLO! Hello. Hello. I am Carl... Carl Jones. Now I am going to tell you a little story about and how my life got ruined by scientists. Okay... I was walking outside to get the mail from my colorful mailbox. When I opened it and a giant package, about the size of a gorilla, popped out and landed on my stomach. I pushed the box off of myself and ran inside to get my dolly. She is pink, has brown hair, and says "I love you" when you poke her tummy or her arm. I named her Margret. I set Margret on top of the box so that she could guard it. I ran outback and into the shed. My BIG shed! I grabbed my dolly (with wheels) and rolled it out front. I got the box on the dolly and  set Margret in my pocket. I took the package inside and opened it. Margret... my girlfriend (Yes... my doll is my only girlfriend. And I love her so.) got to play with the bubble wrap. When I opened the box I found an other box. And then another, and another, and another. Finally I got the present! It was a potion. Next to it was a letter. I swallowed the potion and then read to letter.

Dear Carl,

I am a scientist from LA. I made my own potion that will make you grow another arm

No... I have not tested it yet. So you are my test dummy. If you already drank it you might get dizzy.

 But you will love how you can type faster. I heard you are an author/ artist.

So I decided that I will help you out. Have fun.

Oh... and you might get dizzy, throw up and lose some of your memory.

From James

I got a little scared because I might forget my wedding with Margret the next week. I ran outside and started to get dizzy. I fainted and fell to the ground.

     " Hello? Are you dead?", said a voice.

     " I ate the other cookies mama.", I said starting to wake up.

     " WHAT?! I'm not your mom! You are so stupid!"

     " Huh? What!? Sorry about hat... I mean that.", I said standing up.

     " Good. Oh and here's your... hehe... doll.", I grabbed Margret from the lady and ran into the car.

     Suddenly I felt something on my hand. I looked down and saw extra, but small, hands! They were the size of a newborn baby's hand. I got out of the car and ran inside. I got out some scissors and suddenly the tiny hands started grabbing at every thing. I put the scissors down and sat on the ground next to Margret. My hands started poking her.

     " So... what should I where at my wedding? How about a homemade white gown.", said Margret.

     " Huh? What wedding? We are getting married? When?", I asked.

     " Next week? You don't remember?!", Margret grabbed a rolling pen and smacked me in the head with it.

     " It's over. I am leaving!"

     I started to cry. I ran upstairs and wrote in my unicorn diary. I of course wrote about what happened.

     And that is how The hands and a scientist ruined my life.

Yep... One of my fingers came to life to.

Marney: Blog Of The Day

Crazy Girl

By Marney

One sunny day there was a girl up in her bedroom and she was listening to music and she said "I love music".  Then her mom called her and said "time for school" and the kid said "I want to listen to music" and her mom said "no" and then the girl came home.  And she said "I am home now I can listen to music" and she went up stairs and her mom said "dinner" and she went to dinner then she said "you know what I am going to right a book and I am not going to listen to music at all".  Then she went up to her bedroom and started to write and she kept on growing hands on her hand. She was scared and went to show her mom and they both died.

The End

Gabe: Blog Of The Day

The Curse

 One day there was a guy who went into caves. There was a curse in one of the caves so he went in it and when he came out he had tiny hands on his pointer fingers and his thumbs. Then he figured out after a few years how to get rid of them. You cut blood veins going to those hands. So he cut them and they shriveled  off.

 The End

Mason: Blog Of The Day

Mason's Hands

By Mason

One day a boy named Mason was writing on the computer when he realized is fingers had hands. Mason got off the computer and told his mom to take him to the hospital. His mom took him to the hospital and the doctor got rid of the hands on Mason's fingers.

Daddio: 9/30/10 Blog of the Day

Write a story about the following picture:

Mommio: Instant Challenge- Costumed Character

The kids tried another performance challenge yesterday on Nana Day.  Here's the challenge:

Here's a shot of the group cameraman for the day...go Mason!

Here is a little video mid-challenge showing them trying to work together to use all the materials and create a costume for Marney.  I was happy to see them all participating and coming up with ideas. Avery wasn't there for the day and she usually falls into the roll of leader, so it was a good chance for the other kids to try it without her.

And here is a video of Kiki acting out the silent story they came up with. It has something to do with a volcano and a rock crushing a person.

Not so funny- but good team effort guys! Next time, read the challenge carefully. This one said to use "all" the supplies and to make a "funny" story. I am really proud of you though for working together.

Connor: Blog Of The Day

This spider is a big spider called the Darwin Bark Spider. It can be found in Madagascar.  They are able to make webs as strong as bullet proof vests and live near water.  Scientists think the spiders may be helpful to the human race.

Marney: Blog Of The Day

Here are the questions:  What are they? Where do they live? and Why are they special?

They are spiders and they are huge.
They live by the water.
They are special because they have a huge web and they get a bunch of food.

Avery: Blog Of The Day

The Darwin Bark spider is an awesome find. So ya know it is a spider that is not poisonous. But they can still be super dangerous. Just because they are not poisonous, doesn't mean they can't bite hard. Also they are orb weaving spiders. The webs they make are super giant. They are about 82 feet long. They were found in Madagascar. Most times they build their webs between two trees or bushes or above water. The Darwin Bark spider is important because their silk is strong enough to make a bullet proof  vest. The silk is one of the strongest kinds.

Mason: Blog Of The Day

Scientists have discovered a new spider, its name is the Darwin bark spider.  It is found in Madagascar. It builds its web across bodies of water.  It is special because it can weave the largest web ever found, it is 82 ft. And its web could be used to make fake muscles for humans to replace broken muscles. 

Mommio: What To Do With Only Four Kids

So, what do you do for a day with just four kids?  Well, while the older four were away at Joan's Academy on Monday we had a fabulous morning out with Nana.  We went to the library to find tons of letter A books first.  While we were there the kids did puzzles, read books with Nana and filled their bags with books to take home.

Then we headed to McD's to pick up a treat and have lunch together at the park.

 It was a beautiful, cool morning so we played for a long time at the park.  

 We even collected acorns for the letter A!

We got home just in time for the little boys to have a short nap and the two girls to swim, even though it was still only 70 degrees outside.

Then it was off to pick up the big kids at their school where we got to play on yet another playground before heading home for the day.  I think that we are all loving our Mondays!

Daddio: 9/29/10 Blog of the Day

We saw plenty of spiders when we went camping at McKinney Falls State Park.  (I even got bitten by a couple.)  In this article from Scholastic News for Kids, I learned that scientists have recently discovered a new variety of spider that builds huge webs.  For today's blog of the day, I want you to read the article, then post up a report about the newly discovered spider-- write about what it is, where it's found and what makes it special.  If you're feeling particularly adventurous, you can research it on other websites, like Google or Google News.

Daddio: Ava and Her Dad

Avery came to work with me today because we needed to go to the big Round Rock Goodwill store to buy jackets and dresses to use for our zombie prom costumes.  We went right before lunch and got everything we needed for fifty bucks.  Now she's bored and just trying to annoy me.  As I type this, she's standing next to me at my desk and pretending to type.  It's pretty annoying.  She's very good at it.

Anyways, we're having a good time and I'm actually getting work done while she plays games on my phone or sketches or reads. If Nana, Momma or any of the Toes read this, please post a comment that talks about how awesome I am. Here's a picture of her across the desk from me (look at the computer screen!  Whoa!  That blows your mind, doesn't it, dude?).

Mommio: Our Week

Wow- the weekend flew by...on to the next week-
M- 4 oldest- Joan's Academy, 4 youngest- library and park with Mommio and Nana
T- Nana Day, Connor yearly neurology check up, Ava to work with Daddio, yoga class, Connor-Mason-Ava Wii Night
W- school, start Novel Writing Unit, house chores, Max&Jack yoga class
T- school, Novel Writing Unit, homeschool parkday
F- Sea World with Nana
S- yard chores, chemistry with Daddio, Connor-Mason-Mommio-Daddio to Hamlet play in Austin, Nana babysit
S- remodeling/finishing kids bathroom, little boys room and Gabe-Mason's room

Daddio: Another Birthday Update -- What the WHAT?

The Houston game got pathetic in the fourth quarter (congratulations, Popo.  We hope you and Jerry Jones have many happy years ahead of you).  So we decided to go swimming for an hour before the Indianapolis/Denver game.  Here's Gabe at the pool:

And here he is at the hot tub:

We poured Red Bull all over the thermostat, but it didn't send us back in time.  But that's okay because we're having a ball!

Daddio: Gabe's Birthday/Football Marathon!

We're here at the La Quinta watching football all day for Gabe's birthday.  Unfortunately, Houston is losing at the halftime, 10-3 to Dallas, but we're having a good time as you can see from the pictures.  Here's Gabe, hugging the big screen tv:

 

Here's Gabe eating some pita chips and garlic hummus:

Here he is eating pigs in a blanket that we made last night:

And here he is listening to his new ipod that he just got for his birthday today.

Finally, here he is just chilling out in his own queen-sized bed:

Best. Birthday. Ever.

Marney: Family Meeting Minutes

1  Shower every morning because we are not swimming.
2  Fix mom's bathroom after showering.
3 Let mom know if you like the CSA vegetables.
4 Ava is the vice president at her school and Gabe is a treasurer.
5 People that read the blog got M&M's, that was Mason, Gabe, Ava, Me, Dad and Connor.
6 Kiki needs help reading the blog.
7 Dad said he had fun at McKinney Falls.
8 Mom told plans for the week of course.
9 Wii night kids were bad at game night.
10 Tell mom what book you want on Monday from the library.
11 The house is a big mess and we need to clean it.  No more allowance.
*Toes- Leave a comment if you are reading this.  What can we do to keep the house in better shape?

Mommio: CSA Food

So last week we got our first delivery of vegetables from the CSA we joined (Cypress Valley Farms).  We managed to make food using our fresh produce every single day since then...here's how we did it.

Tuesday we made scrambled farm-fresh cheesy eggs with fried yellow squash.  It was fun to make and the kids loved the eggs. Gabe and I both loved the squash and a few others thought it was "okay" so we'll try it again sometime.

Wednesday we had chicken with brown rice and noodle beans (from the farm).  We cut the beans and sauteed them in a little butter and garlic.  Very yummy!  Not a big hit with the kids, but they don't normally like green beans.

Thursday we had ham, baked beans and a yellow squash casserole made mostly with bread crumbs, eggs, onion and cheese.  It doesn't look great but it smelled so good cooking and Daddio, Gabe and I all really liked it.  We even made part of it with Daddio's soy cheese.  The other kids hated this, Gabe is truly the adventurous veggie eater of the kids.

Friday we made meat sauce for spaghetti with onions, mushrooms and squash (white-from the farm).  This was loved by all, but it's nothing new here.  Some of the kids ate it the traditional spaghetti way, and some ate spaghetti tacos- a big favorite here.

Last night we had a leftover night and a few days this week I made myself a salad for lunch using cucumber, tomato and squash from the farm.

The only vegetable I had to buy all week was lettuce- but ours in the garden is starting to sprout so soon enough we will have our own fresh lettuce too.  We are looking forward to seeing the new veggies this Monday at Joan's Academy and hoping the kids will get more on board with trying new things every week!

Mommio: Gabe Is Nine!

Happy Birthday Gabe!

Avery: Blog Of The Day

 The Killer Clown

One dark night there was a clown that set up a map of Pecan Valley on Nana's small kitchen table. He closed his eyes and threw a dart on the map. When he looked at the map it landed on the Jones house! He walked across the street to the house and walked into their back yard. He threw a rock at Mommio's bedroom window and climbed up the wall and hopped onto Mom and Dad's bed. He stabbed Daddio three times in the heart with a steel knife. He gave Mom slimy bloody kiss on the forehead. He walked to the girl's room and got out a giant bazooka. He shot Marney and Kiki with it and left Avery alone. He tiptoed to Max and Jack's room and stabbed Jack in the head and gave Max a slimy, bloody kiss. Next he went to Gabe and Mason's room. Killing Gabe with an ax and giving Mason a kiss. Next he ran to Connor and stabbed his belly 15 times. He walked outside and all the people he kissed (GROSS!) came outside and helped the clown make an army.

The End

Connor: Blog Of The Day

The Evil Dragon

By: Connor

There were three kids named John, Isabelle, and Fred who wandered into a strange, magical place called the Grimm Lands.  The moment they entered something attacked and killed them and before they died they saw the gruesome teeth and giant feet of a red, fire dragon.  This dragon by the name of Mimring flew out to the real world.  Mimring destroyed the ancient European countries and Russia.  This monster destroyed the USA, Mexico and multiple countries but left famous historic monuments intact.  Mimring found that dragons were once worshiped in China.  He ruined every country except Japan.  Soon Mimring flew of to a galaxy far from Earth.  Mimring destroyed everything in his sight when suddenly he was shot down by a big cannon and landed on the galaxy's sun.  Little did they know that this only made Mimring stronger.  Mimring became so powerful that he destroyed the solar system of Earth and the galaxy in which he was.  Mimring then used the sun to escape back to the Grimm Lands.  After a long day of killing mortals Mimring went back to his master the mighty wizard by the name of Jacob.  Suddenly Mimring decided he was sick of doing this dark wizard's biding.  Mimring lifted one gigantic foot and attempted to squash his master.  The dark wizard Jacob used all his evil magic to block the foot but, he didn't notice Mimrings fire breath shooting straight towards him and soon the dark wizard was reduced to a crispy pancake.  Mimring chose to go back to the real world and fix what he had done.  After setting himself up as the humans deities over time, Mimring decided to return to his home and found he was now the most powerful creature in the realm.  Mimring no longer helps the human race rather he waits for two thousand twelve when he will repeat exactly what had done.  The End or is it?

Marney: Blog Of The Day

 McKinney Falls

One night at McKinney Falls a family of 4 came to cabin number 7 and the family of 4 had a big car and it was midnight when they got there right outside of Austin,TX is where it was.   The family of 4 was two girls, a Mom and a Dad. The two girls wanted to go on a walk and the Mom said that they can go on a little walk.  So they were at the girls bathroom and they heard a movement and one of the girls said "Was that you?"   They heard it again.  They were running back to their home and they were home but it kept on moving so they went to bed. When they were asleep they got killed by the thing that was moving near them. Here is a picture the mom got.

 THE END

Gabe: Blog Of The Day

The Creepers

 One day there were these monsters that are inside out. All of there organs are on the outside. Then there was a boy they wanted, his name was Johnny.  Every night they take some kid up in to the giant clock tower and kill them with thoughts. So one day Johnny went to the clock tower and then they got him. But he ate them because he is a monster that eats monsters and he was really furry. So then a boy named Bob came and slayed Johnny.

The End

Daddio: 9/24/10 Blog of the Day

Last weekend, when we went camping at McKinney Falls State Park, we sat around the camp fire at night and told scary stories.  For today's blog of the day, I want you to post up your scary story.  If you feel like it, add more details and make it even more scary!  If you didn't tell a scary story, make one up.  I want some scary stories, kids!

Connor: Blog Of The Day

I think what he is trying to say is that a neighborhood without trees is not good for the environment.  The cypress trees were destroyed to make houses for residents.  The reason it is called cypress street is because the houses on the street were built from cypress trees.  Although it is kind of strange to have lampposts all over the place.  I think the author was also trying to say that naming a street after a tree is good only when that place still has that tree.  I think it is funny that he suggests the name of the street should be lamppost street.

Avery: Blog Of The Day

I think the trees are very very important to everyone! I think that they are important because they protect him from the hot, hot heat and give him shade. The trees are also important because they made the place look very pretty and nice. The street is important because it was covered in Cypress leaves and next to the road were tons Cypress trees (Hey! I rhymed!). What I think the author is trying to tell you that you should be nice to nature and not to mess with it (head bob).

Gabe: Blog Of The Day

I think he misses all of the trees. I think the stumps got covered by big concrete  lampposts. I also think his Aunt saw the people cut the trees down. I think the trees were very, very important to him because they were cool. I think it was a walkway and he loved the walkway because it is surrounded by big beautiful trees.  I think he is trying to tell us that we shouldn't chop down the cypress trees.

Mason: Blog Of The Day

He misses all the cypress trees. The trees were important because they gave him shade from the hot sun. The street was important because the author's family lived there. He is telling you not to mess with nature.

Daddio: 9/23/10 Blog of the Day

When we went camping last weekend, Mason, Ava, Marney, Kiki, Max and I went hiking at McKinney Falls State Park and saw the largest cypress tree in Central Texas:

So for today's blog of the day, I want you to read the following poem by Todd-Michael St. Pierre, called "Cypress Street."  For your blog, I want you to post up about what you think the poem means-- what message do you think the author is trying to tell you in this poem?  What's important about cypress trees and the street that's named after them?


Cypress Street: by Todd-Michael St. Pierre
I took a stroll down Cypress Street
The hot sidewalk beneath my feet.

The one thing that stood out the most
Where trees once stood there were lamppost.
 
I’d never seen so much concrete
No Cypress left on Cypress Street.

According to my Great Aunt Gem
There used to be a lot of them.

They cut them down. They took their wood
A treeless street is plum no good!

Just like a treeless neighborhood
So tell the Mayor next time they meet...
To change the name to Lamppost Street!

Mommio: Camping

We had such a great time camping last weekend at McKinney Falls State Park in Austin- thanks guys for an awesome weekend...I didn't even miss the beach one bit.  We were so busy having fun swimming...

and fishing...

 and making fires...

 and checking out spiders...

 and reading...

 and relaxing...

 and playing games...

and cooking hot dogs...

 and taking walks...

 and SO MUCH MORE!  It made us all this happy...