First Blog of the Year

Hello!! I am now in 9^th grade! And this is the first blog of the year! Exciting, isn't it?

This is my fifth week of school now. I have to say, high school is MUCH harder than middle school. It's a lot more time-consuming and more intense as well. But I suppose that is to be expected. It's still hard for me to believe that I'm in high school already. Wow, time just slips away!

Some of the subjects I have now include Classical Literature, Ancients History and Geography, and Reading Comprehension. I didn't have these last year. I also have science, math, handwriting, and theology.

In classical literature, I am just finishing up a segment in which I was to read “The Magician's Nephew”, the first book of the Narnia series. Then I had to answer in-depth questions on it. Here are some examples, WARNING: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS.

Question 16: In Chapter 3, Digory and Polly realize that the Wood between the World is like the tunnel in the attic between their houses. Explain the similarities (write a paragraph).

Answer 16: Digory and Polly realize that the Wood between Worlds is much like the attic between their houses. It has nothing going on in it, no one really goes there, but once there, one can reach any of the houses. The Wood never has anything going on in it, but one can reach all the other worlds by it.

Question 28: What did Aslan command them to do?

Answer 28: “Love. Think. Speak. Be walking trees. Be talking beasts. Be divine waters.

Question 32: In Chapter 11, Aslan chooses the Cabby as the first king of Narnia. The Cabby has shown some character traits that are the opposite of the Seven Deadly Sins listed in your text. Use your imagination: What good character traits did the Cabby have?
Answer 32: Selflessness, charity, and obedience.

This is what I've been working on for the past two weeks. I'm actually finishing it today!

In the Ancients, right now I'm working on a lot of different things. I have one 'program' which is called “the Greenleaf Guide to Ancient Literature.”  First I was studying the first four books of Daniel. Now I'm working on Genesis. I've only just started that today. I also have a book called Understanding Scriptures in which I'm also studying Genesis as of right now. Then I also have writing assignments for it and questions to answer.

In Reading Comprehension, I have a new passage to read every day. Then I have to answer questions on it to see that I understand what I've been reading. After that is vocabulary from the text that I must match words to their meanings, and finally I have to write 1-3 paragraphs. And this is only for one subject! One of my shorter subjects, none-the-less!

See what I mean? High school is intense! Well, at least it gives me something to write about. And I have interesting subjects for the most part, so that's good. Ah, I think I shall end the blog here, but don't worry I'll have more for me to write about and you to read next time! Bye!

1st Day of School

Grade 9 (me) & PK (baby)

Good Bye School and Hello Summer!!

written May 19, 2014

Hello! This is my last blog of eighth grade!! :D SO excited for summer! :) I'm actually finishing a whole week earlier then scheduled! I had to work ahead because I'm going to a “camp out” with my Best Friends for two nights! I'm SUPER excited! It's going to be how I welcome in my summer! ^_^

The day after I come back from the camp out, my Grandma comes! And then the week after, we're going to the beach! This is going to be SO MUCH FUN! :D

Now, I am very proud to say that I finished my Research report on cats in Ancient Egypt! :) I promised to attach it to my blog when it was complete, so here it is! Tell me what you think:

 https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BypPK1qIEGuTZ1ZEcl9uQzZsbzA/edit?usp=sharing

Ah, it's nice to have that over with! I hope you liked it.  I've been working on it for a long time. I think it turned out great!

Wow. So this is it. The next time you'll hear from me, I'll be in high-school. HIGHSCHOOL! Can you believe it?? I can't. Ninth grade, oh wow. Well, Everyone, have a great summer!!! Until next YEAR, bye!!!

Photo Gallery

Mother's Day

peek-a-boo

nail art

yum!

 

2 for 1

Written May 2

Happy Friday everyone! This week, I did things a little differently. I was getting tired and bored of the normal schedule, so I tweaked it. Instead of doing one day's worth of every subject each day, I only did one or two subjects each day, but did the whole week's worth of work for them. Like, today, all I had was writing, the blog and my report. Yesterday I did history and Wednesday was math and something else... It was a nice break from what I normally do in school. Ah, I am SO excited for school to be over! My older sister comes home for the summer today, actually, lucky her. I'll be done soon enough though. :)

On Monday, a lady came over to give me a test. It was unlike other tests, which see if you know what a person in your grade should know. Instead, for each subject, the problems kept getting harder as you went along, until you couldn't go any further. This figures out where a student is, their weaknesses and strong points. It was a very interesting experience.

The rest of the week was pretty normal, besides having the change in schedule, of course. Today though, two of my friends are coming over! It's gonna be so fun! :) My uncle is also coming to visit. So I have two friends, my uncle, and my sister coming, all today! Pretty cool, huh? I'm looking forward to it. So, I guess this is it for this week's blog. You can tell—as school dwindles, so does the length of the blog! Haha! Well, until next time, bye!

Written April 25

 

Hello and Happy Friday to all those reading my blog! Well, school is REALLY winding down! I've had only a few subjects a day! This week I had math, writing, handwriting, and history. In writing, I have started on the report. I have my introductory paragraph and my outline.

Here is my introductory paragraph:

“Cats are beautiful and useful creatures. They have been respected and loved throughout history. There was even a time when these felines were practically worshiped. In Ancient times, Egyptians had a great love and respect for cats, elevating them to a sacred level, and worshiping cat gods and goddesses.”

And here is my outline:

“I. Cat Gods and Goddesses

    A. Bastet

        1. Worshiping

            (1). Sacrifice

            (2). Temples

            (3). Celebrations

        2. About Bastet

    B. Other cat gods and goddesses

        1. Sekhmet

        2. Mafdet

II. Death of Cats

    A. Death for Death (kill a cat and die)

    B. Natural death and mourning

        1. Shaving eyebrows

    C. Mummification

        1. Basics

        2. Process

        3. Gifts left in tombs

III. Respected and Sacred

     A. Reasons for respect

         1. Hunting and killing

            (1). Vermin

            (2). Dangerous snakes

         2. Beauty and Cleanliness

            (1). Symbol of grace and poise

     B. Signs of Respect

         1. Sphinx

         2. Statues of Cats

         3. Relics and Objects

            (1). Jewelry

            (2). Mirrors

         4. Tomb paintings”

So, I'm excited to begin the essay, and hopefully, having the outline, it won't be too hard!

In math I'm working on Mean, Median, and Mode. Mode is the number which appears most often in a number sequence. Median is the middle number, and Mean is when you add all the numbers together and divide it by the number of numbers. Like, 50, 40, and 2-- add them together: 92 is your answer and you divide it by three because there were three numbers. 30.66 would be your answer!

Well, since school is wrapping up, there's really not as much to talk about in the blogs...hopefully I'll have more to write about next week, but that's all for this blog! Till next time, BYE!

Sorry, no pics this time.

Finished Early!! Spring Break!!!

Hello everyone! Another week's come and gone! This week I worked ahead, so I am currently writing this on Thursday! I get a long weekend and I can't wait till I finish school! Truth be told, I simply got bored today, since I finished school around noon, and wanting to be productive, I started the next day's school, knowing I could quit at anytime. But I just kept working! So now, after this, all I have to do is finish my reading for the week!

This week was pretty average, although I did have science class. Because of all the snow days earlier in the year, we had science on Wednesday, and we will have it again on Monday, and again next Wednesday! This time in lab, we made a lung model. We took a 2 liter soda bottle and cut it in half horizontally. Then, we took a Zip-lock bag and fit it over the larger opening of the bottle and taped it in place. Next, we inserted a balloon into the mouth of the bottle, and wrapped the mouth of the balloon around the bottle's. Now, whenever I squeeze the bag, the balloon gets crushed, and when I let go, it inflates! It was really fun to play with! We also watched a video from the point of view of a camera in a patient's throat, to see the vocal cords in action. I also had my science test today. I hope I did well!

This week I finished my religion book! Another topic done. Complete. Summer!!! I am so excited for summer, and every time I finish a subject, it brings me closer to no school and warm weather!

I started writing my research report on Cats in Ancient Egypt! My first step was the thesis statement. Here it is!

“In Ancient times, Egyptians had a great love and respect for cats, 

elevating them to a sacred level, and worshiping cat gods and goddesses.”

Soon I will have the research report done and be ready to share it with all of you! Exciting, isn't it? Well, I had a pretty short week, so that's all I have to write about in this blog. Prepare for some pictures! Until next time, bye!

Eucharistic Procession at Lenten Youth Pilgrimage

Baby made a giraffe!

Baby drew a girl and took a photo of her picture.  :-)

"Mother Mary" playing Mary Memory

dwindling

Hello again, everyone! It's the end of another week and the start of another blog! I hope everyone had a good week and will have an even better weekend! Wow, it's hard to come up with things to write about with all my school subjects dwindling. I'll start off with writing about last weekend—I went over to my friend A.'s house for her birthday party. There were really cool games that went along with the Warrior Cats theme. We had pizza, cake, and snacks. During the length of the party we listened to music. Then I got to stay for a sleepover after the awesome party. It was a great weekend.

Now that we're caught up, on to this week! Research is getting a lot more intense, but thankfully I picked a topic that I like, so I actually really enjoy composition right now. Right now I'm working on taking notes. I've chosen to share with you one of the many articles which I am using as sources, and a few note cards I've taken on it. Click on the links below to see them.

article:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BypPK1qIEGuTV2lMcm00dlhFMDQ/edit?usp=sharing

note cards:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BypPK1qIEGuTLWRBX3VMeE5nWkE/edit?usp=sharing

In science, I am learning about blood and the heart and such. Did you know, the heart is kind of like a house? It has four 'rooms' [chambers], four 'doors' [valves], four 'big hallways' [vessels], and four 'small hallways' [vessels]. Pretty cool, huh? Did you know that there are different components of blood? Plasma, which makes up more than half of the blood and is carefully controlled by the kidneys, red blood cells, which transport oxygen from the lungs to the tissues and give the blood it's red color, white blood cells, which are responsible for protecting the body from agents of disease, and platelets which aid the process of blood clotting. Blood clotting keeps us from bleeding to death when we get cut!

Well, that's pretty much it for this week, but in next week's blog, I can tell you about the Lenten Youth Pilgrimage which I am going to this Saturday! So, until next time, BYE!

A few pics of baby this week:

 

 

 

Hello Again

Hello again loyal readers!

I trust that everyone had a good week? It seems only a few days since writing my last blog, but I guess that's better than it seeming like the week will never end! Speaking of last weeks' blog, here is the answer to the triangle question. If you didn't read the last blog, the question was:

“Did you know that the angles of any triangle always adds up to 180 degrees? It's true! So if you know the measure of two angles, you add those numbers together, and subtract the sum from 180, and you'll know what the last angle measures! See if you all can figure this out, using that method: A triangle measures 180. One angle is 30 while the other is 58. What is the measure of the third angle?”

The answer is 92 degrees! Did you get it right? What went wrong? You can check your work by adding the three numbers together: 58, 30, and 92, and seeing if they have a total sum of 180. If so, perfect! Did you like that little challenge? If so, you're in luck. Now that you know the method fairly well, here are two more questions that will be answered on the next blog!

Question one: There is a triangle with an angle of 20 and another angle of 73. What is the measure of the third angle?

Question two: A triangle has three angles, one of which measures 89 and the other measures 13. What is the measure of the third angle?

Extra challenge:

Here's a newer concept: A right triangle is a triangle with a right angle. A right angle ALWAYS measures 90 degrees. So if you have a right triangle but only one other angle measurement known, you can still figure it out. Here's an example: An angle in a right triangle is 54 degrees, what does the last angle measure? The way you would do this problem is to add 54 and 90 [remember, that's always what a right angle measures] and then subtract that sum [144] from 180. The answer is 36. Now you try:

A right triangle has a missing measurement. One of the measurements is 43. What is the third angle's measurement?

Alright, the answers will be in the following blog!

Composition is really getting intense in the research. I was working for at least 2 hours on the source cards and highlighting and filing. It's coming along really well, though. Next week I will start note cards and the project will really start to come together!

This week was my science lab. I enjoy going, and the experiments are really cool—although, this week we had a gross experiment. You can see them by reading my lab reports in the link below.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BypPK1qIEGuTUnZYcGpqbkF6SkU/edit?usp=sharing

We didn't take many pictures at all this week, and I only have one to share with you:

If you're wondering what it is, I got to destroy my vocabulary book. YAY!

Well, that's about it for this week! Remember to try the challenges! Until next time, bye!

Slow Down Mr. Time! Another Blog!

Time needs to slow down! Happy Friday once again to everyone reading this! I hope your week was awesome and your weekend even better! Every Friday, I tell you all about my week, this time, I’m giving you all a little challenge. For whoever's up to it, email me with something interesting that happened in your week, nothing long, just a snippet to keep me up to speed, as I do for all of you in each of my blogs!

School continues to wind down, welcoming in the fact that summer is approaching quickly! On Monday, I finished geography for the year! That makes me done with Poetry, Vocabulary, and Geography! Which subject will end next?? My days are getting shorter as well as easier as time progresses towards summer break, as I only have the following subjects left on my agenda:

Science

Math

Religion

Composition

Handwriting

Literature

History

Reading Comprehension, Grammar, and Blogs (which are only on Fridays)

I love the end of the school year!

In science, I am learning about the body still, and this week was focused on the digestive track. Unfortunately for me, this is the lesson I despise most, as it not only grosses me out, but I’ve learned it year after year, and it gets old. There are a few interesting things though, like this fun fact I learned: When one starts coughing uncontrollably while eating, people usually ask if it “went down the wrong pipe.” Actually, this is usually the case. WE have two “pipes” - one for breathing, the larynx, and one for swallowing, the esophagus. While swallowing, the larynx closes, however, occasionally food will get into it, triggering the cough reflex in attempt to remove it. This is also why you cough around smoke; the smoke enters the larynx, because it is in the air, but being thicker and polluted, the body tries to get it out by coughing. I suppose not all school is boring; I found this rather interesting.

Math is also somewhat enjoyable right now, as it's going over one of my favorite subjects, polygons and lines. If I had to pick a favorite unit, it would be this. It also helps that we did this many times in school, so it's almost like a review. Did you know that the angles of any triangle always adds up to 180 degrees? It's true! So if you know the measure of two angles, you add those numbers together, and subtract the sum from 180, and you'll know what the last angle measures! See if you all can figure this out, using that method: A triangle measures 180. One angle is 30 while the other is 58. What is the measure of the third angle? Good luck!

I'm still researching in composition. I wish I could find some books on the topic at the library, but the only book on the history of cats in ancient Egypt is in reference (can't check it out), and it's Uptown. So I'll have to be content with the web, which isn't a tragedy, because I can print things out and highlight. I'm learning a lot about the subject! 

Now that I’ve told you about school, it's time to throw something fun in this blog! On Tuesday, for my friend's b-day party, my friends and I met at the mall for a few hours! It was the most fun I’ve had in a while, and I hope to do it again! We only bought a few things, but we browsed the mall for a long time, and then met at the cafeteria for a late lunch and presents. Then, for a perfect end of the get-together, we all got frozen yogurt.

Well, that's all for this week, I hope y'all enjoyed reading this blog! Don't forget to do the challenge if you're interested! You can also email me with your answer to the triangle question, and I’ll tell you if you're right! Till next time, bye!

Photo Gallery

 

 

 

 

Winding Down, a Play, and a Ball!

Hello everyone! This week went by pretty quickly! It's already Friday again, so I get to write another blog, keeping you up to date with my school life.

I'm excited to say that I am finishing subjects, winding down for the year! I recently completed my poetry course as well as my vocabulary! I only have eleven more pages in my reading comprehension, and I am on my last project in writing. Speaking of which, I am starting a big research report! My subject right now, vaguely, is “the history of cats in Ancient Egypt”! I think I’ll enjoy writing on this subject more than other because one, I really like cats, and two, the Ancients never fail to capture my attention. I've been researching websites on the matter and printed them out to read and highlight things that are important or of interest. I'm excited to progress in this subject!

Some subjects are the same as always: Math, History, Grammar, and Science. I also have a new book I am reading called “Story of a Soul” which was written by Saint Therese, the Little Flower. On the matter of science, I had my lab on Wednesday! It was really fun, and we did three experiments. You can view these in the attached documents.

 https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BypPK1qIEGuTOFVVR242V0R3WGc/edit?usp=sharing

Another highlight of this week pertains to theater. Last night, I went with my mom and my older sister ---who is home from college for spring break this week--- to a play called Barnum. It is about the life of P.T. Barnum.

There is one more fun thing which I did this week, and that is my Cotillion Graduation Ball on Tuesday. This was longer than most and there were no lessons, just dancing and food. I had a great time! The students' parents were invited for the second half of each class and were taught some dances which they then did with their children. I dressed up more than usual for this, wearing my sister's prom dress and a new jewelry set that I bought. It was a really fun night even if my feet were super sore from all the dancing!

Well, that's it for this blog. But of course, I have pictures for you all! So, until next time, bye!

spring!

our plum tree

counting...

Hello everyone, and happy Friday! The week is over and the beautiful mini summer (weekend) awaits. This week has really worn me down, and I am counting the days until break. But I did have a few interesting things to write about. One of which is, last weekend, my cousin and my aunt visited, and we all went to see my sister's play. She was the lead! She did really well!

my cousin, my sister, and me before the show

Olive Garden!

my sister - after her awesome performance!

This week was my last week of poetry! I had to write an essay on a poet, and I chose Emily Dickinson. Here is my report:

 https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BypPK1qIEGuTNkZIUk5sQTkxXzQ/edit?usp=sharing

In math, I have begun a section on angles and lines. It's cool because I learned some of it when I was in fifth grade, which makes things a bit easier, and coincidentally more interesting. In science, I am learning about the human body; right now, working on muscles and bones. It's pretty interesting. Did you know that the eye is a muscle? There are two kinds of muscles - smooth, which are involuntary, like the heart, and voluntary, muscles you move on purpose, such as arms, legs, etc. The eye is a smooth muscle, proven when the pupil dilates-the muscle is moving involuntarily. Cool, right??

Well, that's all for this week. Enjoy your weekend! Till next time, bye!

Photo Gallery

I took this pic through the car window 

on the way home from my sister's show

my aunt reading to baby :-)

baby conked out after the busy weekend

new schedule

Written Friday, Feb 28

Hey there everyone! Wow, am I glad it's Friday! This week, we tried a new schedule for school. It has been working really well. To each hour is assigned two subjects. I am able to see what I have to work on and when, and it also allows me to have one fifteen minute break and a one-hour lunch break. I can also see what time school ends for that day, which is really helpful. On Monday, I started late, but I still got done at 4pm! Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday I finished at 3pm, and today I’ll be finished with school at 12:00!

This Wednesday I had science lab for the first time in six weeks! Of course there will be make up classes, but because of the snow, we've not been able to have class. In this week's lab, we learned about bones, muscles, and even a little bit about pigment, explaining colors of skin, hair, and eyes. We did four experiments.  You can view my lab reports for three of them in the link attached.  The other one is ongoing.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BypPK1qIEGuTMzYzWXQweWZ4c1E/edit?usp=sharing

I'm working really hard in handwriting, and my cursive is getting very neat! I'm really happy about that. In the pictures below I’ve added some clips of my improved handwriting! 

For poetry, I am working on memorizing a poem entitled “Dreams.”

Dreams

by Langston Hughes

Hold fast to your dreams

For if dreams die

Life is a broken-winged bird

That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams

For when dreams go

Life is a barren field

Frozen with snow.

That is the poem which I have to memorize. Wish me luck! It stood out to me because I have a special love for dreams.

In writing, I have begun preparation for a big research paper that I’ll write at the end of the year. Right now I’m only reading the lessons and doing a few exercises, but soon I’ll begin planning for my own report! I'll be sure to share it on my blog once I’ve written it.

Now it's time to enjoy the pictures for this week!

Baby said this is a swimsuit & she's water skiing :-)

picture taken by Baby!

I'm doing school, too!

World welcomes teenager to her 16th year with a blizzard, an earthquake, and a party.

Hello everyone! Guess who's 15?? It's me!

I had an awesome birthday. My friend came over to spend the night and ended up getting snowed in and having to stay an extra night! It was really fun. The blizzard was unbelievable. We got about seven inches or so of snow! My friend and I went outside, flung ourselves in the snow, leaving body imprints and marking them as “evidence.” We even made a body-shaped mound of snow! Ha ha! I didn't write a blog last week because I only had school on Monday due to my birthday, the extended sleepover, and the snow!

Mommy & Baby

A. & me

so pretty!

so much!

snow treat!

As if one weird weather wonder wasn't enough, we felt an earthquake that happened in South Carolina that week as well! But the bizarre climate didn't stop there. Heat reached a record high of 77 the next week! That was just the weather.  This week has had it's share of interesting moments and events that I get to share with you today!

In addition to having my friend over on my actual birthday, I had a fantastic birthday party! Last Friday, my best friends came over for a slumber party! We had a blast. We went to see The Lego Movie, which was very good. We played tons of board games, and S. even played and won 32 games of Mario Cart on the WII! I can honestly say I think it was the best party ever!

Other things that have occurred outside of school these two weeks include cotillion and a meeting for the volunteers of this summers' Vacation Bible School.

In school, there's not much new. I've had a couple of tests, but other than that, it's same old, same old.  But as usual, I have a great selection of pictures for you! So, enjoy, and till next time, bye!

Baby wanted to dry Mommy's hair

snow day cookie making 

snowflakes & Valentines

St. Valentine's Day dinner