The Twelve Days of Christmas Blog Challenge - Day 8

For the eighth day of The Twelve Days of Christmas Blog Challenge, the prompt is to write 8 minutes about my opinion on New Year's Resolutions.

It goes on to say, "Some people swear by New Year’s Resolutions, others think they’re somewhat pointless. You have eight minutes of writing to outline what your thoughts on this annual tradition may be. And if you do make resolutions, why not share them?"

When I was younger, I used to do New Year's Resolutions. I thought it would be kind of fun to do - like predictions for the future. Would they come true? How many actually happened by the end of the year?

As a young adult, I didn't do resolutions because I saw them as predictions that often times didn't come true. So, why bother?

As an adult, I look at resolutions more as goals now. If I'm committed to the resolution - or goal - then I'll try to make it work. It has to be of value and meaningful to me, or else it is simply just an item on a "to do" list...a task...a chore.

In August 2012, I created a Bucket List that had a a wide variety of goals on it. My father had died in January 2012, so I felt a greater need to think carefully about what I wanted to do in the life that is given to me.

How could I make the best use of my time? What did I want to accomplish in the remaining time that I had?

I've also done different goal-setting activities and challenges in the past: 3 in 30 (where I worked on three specific goals for 30 days) and 52 Books in 52 Weeks. I also set nature goals which I did well on during 2015, but not so well on in 2016.

As I look at 2017, my overall goals are to:
- re-visit the Bucket List and determine what I want to realistically accomplish this year;
- re-visit hobbies that I enjoyed in the past and that I have taken a break from during the past year or so; and
- create a more realistic list of nature goals.

Collectively, these resolutions - or goals - would be meaningful guideposts as I enter into a new year.

3 in 30 - Update #2, 3, and 4

The goals that I have for the 3 in 30 challenge for March include:

1. Do several homeschool field trips and activities. 

In mid-March we went to a bluebird house-building workshop at one of the local state parks.

Sophia making a Peterson bluebird house.

There was a 45-minute presentation with slide show about blue birds followed by about 45 minutes of building a bluebird house.

A volunteer helping Olivia build her bluebird house.

We volunteered at the nursing home on the Friday before St. Patrick's Day and made Shamrock Shakes for the seniors and their family members.

Sophia transferring the shakes to individual cups 

for the seniors and their families.

About 30 people participated in the event.

Olivia adding crushed chocolate 

to the top of the shakes.

We enjoyed making and serving the shakes; and doing the special event for the seniors and their families.

The finished shakes before they are served.

We also went to a local co-op and took a class about saving money. We learned about special member discounts, demonstration days, coupons, and free items that the co-op provides to members and visitors. When we went shopping afterwards, the girls each picked out a free piece of fruit since they are 12 years old or younger. Plus we used our membership discount and bag discount.

Today we are volunteering at the nursing home again. Sophia is going to play the harp for about 45 minutes while Olivia and I serve the residents angel food cake with strawberries and a beverage.

In the evening, we are going to a Seder meal at church. We volunteered to do the shopping for the event and did that on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning. We're looking forward to seeing how the meal and potluck come together.


2. Finish 30 Days of Lists. I started this challenge in September and did about 15 days worth of lists. This month, I would like to complete the remaining 15 days.

I did not work on this project at all this month. Although I wanted to complete it, it wasn't a top priority given other activities that needed my attention this month.

3. Do one cleaning/de-cluttering project each week.

I had four areas that I wanted to concentrate on during March. These are some of the last areas that I need to do in the entire house. (During 2012 and early 2013, I've been focused on organizing, de-cluttering, and simplifying the home. It's been a long-term project, with each month having small goals to get to the final result.)

During March, I worked on three areas of the home:

=> the fabric bins in my office - which I wrote about in the first update of the month.

=> the linen/towel/medicine closet. This was a multi-hour project, yet the result was worth the time investment.

Before (top two pictures and picture below): 

This is what happens to a closet when you neglect it for a long time.

It is much easier to find things now, and only the items that we will use are in the closet.

  

After pictures - What a relief to have this project done!

=> a section of my office that had lots of items that needed to be put away.

Before - A section of my office that I needed to go through.

The remaining bin and decorative box hold photographs while the other box has files that don't fit into the file cabinets I have now. At some point, I need to go through my file cabinets and recycle the items that I don't need any longer. That will free up space to file the items in this box.

After - A lot more free space in my office

once I put away, recycled, or donated items.

Even leaving these few items in place in my office, I feel like there is now significantly more floor space and a less cluttered look. It feels good to get this done.

3 in 30 - March Goals - Update #1

The goals that I have for the 3 in 30 challenge for March include:

1. Do several homeschool field trips and activities. Some I'm thinking about during March include:
=> Go to a place of worship that ties into Sophia's Sonlight curriculum about the Eastern hemisphere (e.g., Clouds in Water Zen Center),
=> Participate in the 4-H Food and Bread Show (this supports home economics and public speaking/communication activities with homeschooling),
=> Go to the Minnesota Woodworkers show so Olivia can see chip carving (which she is interested in), and see if there are any classes where she can learn how to do this type of carving,
=> Do an activity at the co-op (e.g., CSA Fair, Saving Money While Saving the Planet class),
=> Attend the bluebird house-building workshop,
=> Go to Vertical Endeavors for indoor rock climbing,
=> Go to the African Violet Show,
=> Visit the Raptor Center,
=> Volunteer twice at the nursing home - once before St. Patrick's Day and the other before Easter, and
=> Help with and attend the Passover Seder at church.
It would be great to be able to do all of these. However, even doing a fraction of these activities would be fun.

All of these activities are in the second through fourth weeks of March. 

We signed up to do the grocery shopping for the Passover Seder, and have received the shopping list from church. 

Sophia and Olivia picked the recipes they want to make for the Food and Bread Show. I went shopping for the ingredients that we didn't have on hand. We reviewed the food pyramid and how each of the recipes they selected fit into the food pyramid. 

Sophia made Maple Fudge Candy on March 7th, and I was in the kitchen with her to make sure she made the recipe correctly. 

2. Finish 30 Days of Lists. I started this challenge in September and did about 17 days worth of lists. This month, I would like to complete the remaining 13 days.

I did not work on this project.

3. Do one cleaning/de-cluttering project each week. The four areas that I want to concentrate on during March are:
=> the fabric bins in my office;
=> the linen/towel/medicine closet;
=> the "to-do" projects in my office; and
=> the items in one section of my office which need to be put away or donated so there is more space.

I went through each of the fabric bins and bags in my office this past week. It had gotten to a point where I had so many bags and loose fabric that were not in bins. This was because I would work on sewing or quilting projects, and then didn't put the leftover fabric back in the appropriate bins.

So, during this multi-hour task, I grouped the fabric by color and/or project; and labeled each bin or bag. 

Left side: Before organizing the fabric.

Right side: Fabric grouped by type and/or color, and all bins are labeled.

Left side: Before organizing another area that had bags of fabric.

Right side: The bins are labeled with the type of fabric/clothes in them.

These bins and bag have projects that I want to do (e.g., memory quilt, sensory quilt).

In the process of going through the fabric, I donated four bags of fabric and one bag of clothes that I didn't want. 

Cooper (the puppy) sitting by four bags of fabric 

that I donated to the local thrift shop.

It is such a great feeling to have everything organized now, and this project finally off my "to do" list. Because everything is in its proper bin and labeled, I was able to easily find fabric for the Embroidery Journal Project I'm currently working on. 

Last year, I embroidered 12 12" x 12" squares of fabric that represented activities that happened during each month. This year, I am sewing the squares together along with 23 pieces of 12" x 12" fabric for a quilt that will be five squares wide and seven squares long. 

I now have the fabric selected, ironed, and ordered. The next step is to cut it out and sew the squares together to create the top of the quilt.

3 in 30 - Updates #3 and #4

During February I set three goals for the 3 in 30 challenge. Here's how I did on them:

1. Take Sophia and Olivia on two field trips for homeschooling. 

I had anticipated taking Sophia and Olivia to Vertical Endeavors for indoor rock climbing and to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts during the third week of February. 

We ended up not going to Vertical Endeavors because we wanted to get some other homeschooling work done instead and didn't want to spend 1 1/2 hours driving to and from Vertical Endeavors that day.

Then, when we were supposed to go to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, there was a major ice and snowstorm, so we opted to reschedule that for another time when the weather is better and it is safer to drive.

So, we went to the local elementary school's Arts and Academic Fair and Book Sale on the 22nd. 

One of the exhibits at the Arts and Academic Fair.

The girls enjoyed themselves and liked seeing the variety of projects that students created.

Another exhibit at the Arts and Academic Fair.

On Saturday, February 23rd, the girls went to Courage Center's warm-water pool for swimming through the Valley Friendship Club. 

The warm water pool at Courage Center.

They had a fun time swimming, and want to go back again so they can swim in the warm water pool.

2. Do one cleaning/de-cluttering project each week. The four areas that I want to concentrate on during February are:
=> the linen/towel/medicine closet;
=> the fabric bins in my office;
=> the "to-do" projects in my office; and
=> the items in one section of my office which need to be put away or donated so there is more space.

I made no progress on this goal. These truly are pressing projects that I want to complete. So, I will be rolling them over to March. Hopefully things will settle down by then with Cooper (the new puppy who we adopted on February 7th).

3. Get federal and state income taxes done. 

I totaled each of the areas that are needed for taxes (e.g., medical, dental, small business on Etsy, mortgage payments) and entered the information onto the multi-page form provided by the CPA. I brought the form and the paperwork to her on February 26th. 

It's such a relief to have my part of the taxes done. Now it's just a matter of waiting for her to complete the taxes and electronically submit them. This should be done by 7th of March.

3 in 30 February Goals - Update #1 and #2

During February I set three goals for the 3 in 30 challenge. Here's how I am doing on them:

1. Take Sophia and Olivia on two field trips for homeschooling. The field trips will be happening during the third week of February. We will be going to Vertical Endeavors for indoor rock climbing; and to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

The latter field trip will be with my Mom who will be on the "white glove" tour which allows visitors who have vision impairments to touch various pieces of art work while they are being described by a docent.

This week I talked with the docent who will be doing the tour at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. She wanted to know if we all wanted to wear white gloves and do the tour...not just my Mom. Needless to say, I jumped at the opportunity. 

Sophia and Olivia are even more excited to go the MIA because now we will get to touch some of the artwork that we've enjoyed seeing, but haven't had the opportunity to touch since the MIA is a hands-off museum. 

2. Do one cleaning/de-cluttering project each week. The four areas that I want to concentrate on during February are:
=> the linen/towel/medicine closet;
=> the fabric bins in my office;
=> the "to-do" projects in my office; and
=> the items in one section of my office which need to be put away or donated so there is more space.

I have not made any progress on this goal. We adopted a puppy last week, and the majority of my time is focused on getting Cooper acclimated to his new home and homeschooling. 

Montague (the golden retriever) and Cooper (the puppy) 

spending some time with Bailey (the pony).

The plus side of having the puppy is that I have been taking walks each day - anywhere between 30 minutes to one hour. Perhaps I should change this goal to an exercise one instead...at least I could say I made some progress on it then. 

The dogs on their first walk together.

3. Get federal and state income taxes done. 

This week I grouped all receipts, paperwork, and tax statements together by category (e.g., mortgage payments, medical, dental, business). I also began totaling some of the categories (ones that begin with letters A-D are done; categories that begin with letters E-Z remain). Then I need to enter the totals onto the form for the CPA so she can complete the taxes.

3 in 30 - February Goals

My 3 in 30 goals for February are:

1. Take Sophia and Olivia on two field trips for homeschooling. We will be going to Vertical Endeavors to do indoor rock climbing one day; and visit the Minneapolis Institute of Arts another day.

The former field trip is part of a homeschooling day which is nice. Other homeschoolers from around the area who enjoy rock climbing will be there, so it should be a fun way to connect with others with similar interests.

The latter field trip we are taking my Mom on. We have requested a "white glove" tour which is a tactile tour of the museum. A docent accompanies us to explain various pieces of art. My Mom will be wearing white gloves so she can touch the different pieces of artwork that the docent will be describing.

My Mom's eyesight is failing and she is struggling with the loss of vision, and how that impacts her life. Hopefully, this tour will be a positive and inspiring one for her; and educational for the girls and I to see how we can better help my Mom cope with major changes in her vision.

2. Do one cleaning/de-cluttering project each week. The four areas that I want to concentrate on during February are:
=> the linen/towel/medicine closet;
=> the fabric bins in my office;
=> the "to-do" projects in my office; and
=> the items in one section of my office which need to be put away or donated so there is more space.

3. Get federal and state income taxes done. I want this done this month so that any refund can be quickly received.

3 in 30 - Update #4

This month for the 3 in 30 challenge I'm working on the following three goals:

1. Start working on and continue hobbies:

- Try at least one new recipe per week. 


We tried one new recipe this week - Currant Buns - from Olivia's Five in a Row Cookbook.  This ties into the book The Tale of Peter Rabbit. They turned out well and we would make them again.

- Write in my nature journal at least once a week.

I wrote in my nature journal once this week. The focus this week was on squirrels since that tied into what I was having Sophia and Olivia learn about and do for their nature journaling assignment.

Squirrel that was at one of our feeders.

- Continue keeping some form of a daily/weekly journal.

I have continued writing each day in my Artist's Way journal. What I haven't done are answer the weekly questions that are in the accompanying book. I read the book and did the questions back in 2005. I feel like answering them again would be repetitive.

So, I am going to pick and choose which questions I want to focus on this time around. I'm going to begin doing that next month now that I am in the habit of writing each day.

- Grow African violets. Get first one on the anniversary of Dad’s death.


This was completed during the first week. Pictures of the African violets are on 3 in 30 - Update #2.

2. Do 4 interesting and/or memorable homeschooling activities this month that aren't part of the core curriculum.

=> See the Terracotta Warriors exhibit at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. 

This was completed during the second week. Pictures from the exhibit are on 3 in 30 - Update #2.

=> Watch one movie from the American Film Institute's Top 100 Funny Movies.

This is something that I changed to be a personal goal. I completed it last week and wrote about it on 3 in 30 - Update #3.

=> Watch one movie that has received an Academy Award for Best Picture.

This is also another goal I changed into a personal goal since I thought it would be better to have more active, hands-on activities for homeschooling.

Even though it isn't a homeschooling goal, it still is one of my goals for this month. At this point, I still have not received "Wings" that I requested at the beginning of the month from the library.

It is coming from another library from out of the county, so it will take a while. Thought I would have it by now. Perhaps this is a movie that I'll be watching in February instead.

=> Visit the ice castle at Mall of America.

This was completed last week. Pictures from the ice castle are on 3 in 30 - Update #3.

=> Visit Richardson Nature Center.

This was completed last week. Pictures from the nature center are on 3 in 30 - Update #3.

=> Go swimming. The girls went swimming on January 19th. They had a lot of fun swimming; and it was a welcome break from the cold weather that had begun earlier that day.

3. Volunteer with seniors twice during January.

We did not have an opportunity to volunteer with seniors this month because there was a two-week isolation due to the flu at the care center. The last two weeks of January have been busy, so we haven't had a chance to volunteer.

Over the next few days as well as the first week in February, we will be making some table and window decorations as well as examples of projects that we will be doing with the seniors. (This is in preparation for the February 9th and 16th sessions we have with the seniors at the care center.)

3 in 30 - Update #3

This month for the 3 in 30 challenge I'm working on the following three goals:

1. Start working on and continue hobbies:

- Try at least one new recipe per week. 

This week we tried a few new recipes:

=> Cheesy Garlic Rolls - from Eat Your Way through the U.S.A. We are studying about Wisconsin now and this is one of the recipes that tie into the state's culinary tastes. Both the girls made the rolls. These were very good - especially hot out of the oven.

=> Carrot Cake - from Eat Your Way through the U.S.A. We are studying about Wisconsin now and this is one of the recipes that tie into the state's culinary tastes. Olivia made the cake, and it turned out great. With three cups of grated carrots, it had a lot more carrots than other carrot cake recipes we've tried.

=> Tangerine and Watercress Salad - this is a Japanese recipe and ties into Sophia's study on the Eastern Hemisphere. Sophia made the salad (with a blend of lettuces rather than watercress) as well as the dressing. It was a healthy and refreshing addition to our dinner.

=> Oatmeal Scones - this recipe came from Wabibito (an e-magazine that I reviewed). We enjoyed having the scones for breakfast.

=> Buttermilk Cornbread - this is recipe from Olivia's Five in a Row Cookbook and ties into the book When I was Young in the Mountains. This version of cornbread turned out a bit more crumbly than other recipes we have tried in the past. The flavor was good...it just was rather crumbly.

=> Korean Egg Casserole  - this is a recipe that Sophia tried to tie into her study of the Eastern Hemisphere. It is supposed to cook in a special pot on the stove, but we didn't have one so we baked it in the oven and then in the microwave instead. It took much longer to cook and get the eggs to be firm and water to evaporate.

We've never made egg casserole with zucchini so this was an interesting difference - and healthier - change from other egg bakes that we've made. There were also scallion, red pepper, and onion in the egg casserole. The flavor was very good, and we enjoyed the egg casserole for breakfast.

- Write in my nature journal at least once a week.

I did a back-entry for January 8th about a walk I took with Gretel and Montague. This was important for me to do because Gretel died unexpectedly on January 12th from (most likely) a heart attack. She would have been five years old on January 23rd.

It was the last walk we took together, and it was such a wonderful one. She had a great time exploring a new trail - running eagerly from side to side of the trail and sniffing new scents. Her enthusiasm and excitement during the walk never waned. It was a walk I will always fondly remember.

I also wrote in my journal on January 15th about bird migration. Sophia, Olivia, and I watched Winged Migration as well as read  How Do Birds Find their Way. We each wrote and illustrated things that we found interesting about bird migration.

I now have three entries in my nature journal for January, so I am right on schedule with this goal.

- Continue keeping some form of a daily/weekly journal.

I have continued to write two pages each day in my Artist's Way journal. This has been very helpful to do given that it was the one year anniversary of my father's death on January 5th and Gretel died on January 12th. Lots of things to process and think about...and writing helps me clear my mind so I can focus on other things during the day.

- Grow African violets. Get first one on the anniversary of Dad’s death.

I completed this goal during the first week of January; and have been enjoying caring for the three African violet plants.

2. Do 4 interesting and/or memorable homeschooling activities this month that aren't part of the core curriculum.

=> See the Terracotta Warriors exhibit at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. 

During the second week of January, Sophia, Olivia, and I went to see the Terracotta Warriors exhibit. I wrote about that last week. (Please go HERE to see pictures from the exhibit.)

=> Watch one movie from the American Film Institute's Top 100 Funny Movies.

I ended up watching this movie by myself. I think this goal is a more personal one versus a homeschooling one. So I have changed this goal with another one (listed below).

I enjoyed this movie (which was in black and white); and laughing throughout it. I needed to watch something funny after a particularly difficult weekend.

=> Watch one movie that has received an Academy Award for Best Picture.

I am still waiting to receive this movie from the library. It is coming from a library from outside the county in which I live, so it is taking a bit longer than normal.

As with Some Like It Hot, I think this is more of a personal goal versus homeschooling goal. I rather focus on active, hands-on activities that are more memorable for the girls versus a passive activity (like watching a movie). Therefore, I added another activity below in replacement for this one.

=> Visit the ice castle at Mall of America.

We visited the ice castle at the Mall of America today - January 18th - for Olivia's 10th birthday.

The sun behind some thin clouds 

with the ice castle below it.

This is something that she wanted to do this month, and we couldn't have asked for a better day to see the ice castle.

Sophia and Olivia by one of the ice sculptures.

It was a beautiful, warm day outside (39 degrees); and was wonderful for spending time outdoors to explore the ice castle.

The girls are sitting in a miniature ice cave.

We learned about how the sun affects the colors of the ice and how the different shades of blue and aqua in the ice are a result of the sun on various thicknesses of ice.

Looking up towards the sky.

It was fun to go through the different passageways and see the ice formations tower over our heads.

Sophia and Olivia in one of the passageways.

Although the ice castle wasn't a "castle" in the sense that one may envision a castle, it nonetheless was a very interesting trip and fascinating to see the way water freezes and melts to create unique sculptures.

A wall of ice.

While we were at the Mall of America, the girls went on a couple of rides, checked out the new doll of the year at the American Girl store, and had lunch.

That's a big hot air balloon for a doll.

Saige - the new American Girl doll of the year - is in the basket.

We also stopped by the Lego store so they could take a look at the giant Lego sculptures as well as the wall of Legos.

The girls standing by the wall of Legos.

You can reach in each bin and take as many as you want.

 => Visit Richardson Nature Center. 

We went to the nature center on January 18th since Olivia enjoys wildlife and it is her birthday.

Olivia by a tank with two turtles in it.

We enjoyed seeing the snakes, turtles, toad, barred owl, and red-tailed hawk. We sat in room that had a wall of windows that overlooked many feeders and feeders. There were so many birds and squirrels that we watched while we sat in the chairs there.

A woodpecker was one of the many birds 

that we saw at the nature center.

=> Go swimming in an indoor pool.

Both the girls enjoy swimming, and with the weather so cold outside indoor pools are the only place in Minnesota where they can swim at this time of the year. We'll be going swimming on January 19th.

3. Volunteer with seniors twice during January.

The care center where we will be volunteering had an isolation in force during the first half of January. There was a flu outbreak there, and so they were restricting the number of visitors and volunteers during this time period.

I talked with the Volunteer Coordinator after the isolation was lifted, and we are set up to volunteer twice during February - the 9th and 16th - doing baking one day and painting on another.

The remaining two Saturdays in January are booked for us, so we are unable to volunteer this month. Trying to volunteer during the week - at this point - may be a possibility...but it would be a last-minute decision based on everyone's energy level and schedule.

So, in lieu of actually volunteering with seniors, we will be planning our two sessions in February.

Also, we will make some table and/or window decorations for the 9th.

Origami boats with felt sails that are filled with candy hearts.

These table decorations I made back in 2008.

We may make some to bring to the care center on the 9th.

We are doing a pre-Valentine's Day theme on February 9th, so all the decorations will be pink and red.

Red and pink window star that I made for Valentine's Day 2012.

I'm thinking of making window stars in a variety of patterns 

for the care center.

We also will be determining what painting projects we'll be doing on the 16th. We will create examples to show the seniors so they can choose what they want to do that day.

3 in 30 - January Goals & Check in #1 & #2

This month for the 3 in 30 challenge I'm working on the following three goals:

1. Start working on and continue hobbies:

- Try at least one new recipe per week. 

During the first two weeks of January, I have been trying to use up what is on hand in the refrigerator, cupboards, and freezer. My goal is to gradually transition to a real foods/whole foods diet this year using the Get Real weekly plan.

One of the recipes I tried this week as a way to use up what was on hand was oven-baked fish from my Betty Crocker cookbook. The fish fillets were covered with an equal mixture of cornmeal and crushed corn flakes; and seasoned with salt, pepper, onion flakes, and dill weed. They were baked in a 500 degree oven for 15 minutes. Everyone liked the recipe.

- Write in my nature journal at least once a week.

After a long break of not writing in my nature journal, I started again on January 4th. I wrote about what I saw and felt on a walk with Sophia, Olivia, and the dogs (Montague and Gretel).

I will be writing again on January 12th since January 11th we spent the majority of the day at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (see below for more information).

- Continue keeping some form of a daily/weekly journal.

Since January 1st, I have been writing two pages each morning in my journal like I use to when I did The Artist's Way in 2003 or 2004. I plan to re-read The Artist's Way and follow the weekly activities that the author recommends.

- Grow African violets. Get first one on the anniversary of Dad’s death.

On January 5th, Sophia and I picked out three African violets in memory of my Dad. We picked out two ruffle-edge African violets and one that has plain edges.

Three African violet plants on the kitchen window sill.

When I was a child, my Dad had quite a few African violets that were either growing under lights in the basement when we lived in Minneapolis, or in the east-facing windows when we moved to Plymouth. I remember the care he took in making sure that no water touched the soft leaves of the African violets (otherwise they would get brown spots).

I like having the bright color in the kitchen on the window sill; and seeing them each time I'm preparing meals, washing dishes, or coming in and out of the door leading outside.

2. Do 4 interesting and/or memorable homeschooling activities this month that aren't part of the core curriculum.

=> See the Terracotta Warriors exhibit at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. 

On January 11th, Sophia, Olivia, and I went to see the Terracotta Warriors - the special exhibit at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Unfortunately, pictures couldn't be taken in the exhibit - only outside where there were a few replicas or smaller versions of what was found in the emperor's tomb.

Olivia standing by four horses and chariot.

It is a smaller version of what was found in China's first emperor's burial tomb.

The terracotta army was discovered in 1974; later, Chinese archaeologists excavated three pits containing more than 7,000 terracotta warriors with horses and chariots, all designed to protect the First Emperor in the afterlife.

Replica of one of the warriors.

His tomb was an elaborate subterranean palace, a parallel world that would enable his rule after his death.

This was another set of horses with a chariot.

We spent the majority of our time in the Asian/Eastern Hemisphere section of the museum. Because Sophia is studying the Eastern Hemisphere this year, the art that we were seeing complemented what we had been reading.

One of the pieces that we were all fascinated by was the Yamantaka Mandala created by Tibetan Buddhist monks. It was created to honor the 1.2 million Tibetans who have lost their lives to political/religious persecution during this century.

Sophia looking at a mandala made by Buddhist monks.

Normally the sand mandalas aren't preserved, but this one was thanks to a special process and materials used.

In a book that we just started reading (Daughter of the Mountains), there were mentions about a prayer wheel that Buddhists use.

As we were looking around at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, sure enough - there was a prayer wheel. It was interesting to see an example of one close up and bring to life an aspect of the book that we had been reading.

Buddhist prayer wheel.

After our visit to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, we headed over to United Noodles which is in a different part of Minneapolis. It is the largest Asian grocery store in the Midwest.

Sophia and Olivia at UniDeli - the deli at United Noodles.

We had some California rolls from the deli. They were very good.

California rolls from UniDeli.

=> Watch one movie from the American Film Institute's Top 100 Funny Movies.

This year I picked 12 movies to watch from the list, starting at #1 and moving my way down the list. I thought it may be fun for Sophia and Olivia to watch these as well so that when someone references them, they know what they are talking about and can comment about the movie as well.

So, Some Like It Hot is the first movie on the list that I've never watched. It has Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon, and Tony Curtis in it; and was released in 1959. I checked it out of the library and have it at home. We'll be watching it this weekend.

=> Watch one movie that has received an Academy Award for Best Picture.

This list goes back to 1928 and has quite a few movies that I haven't seen yet. The first one is called Wings and received an Academy Award for Best Picture in 1928.

The story is about two young men who fall in love with the same same girl. After the United States enters WWI, both join the Air Corps and become aces. They remain friends, but the relation to the girl threatens their friendship.

Since I have never watched this movie, I'm not sure if it is appropriate for them. The IMDb (Internet Movie Database) gave Wings a PG-13 rating because of violence. I don't let Sophia and Olivia watch PG-13 movies, so I'm not sure yet that this one would be appropriate. (Though it probably pales in comparison to what is out there these days on PG-13 movies.)

The Best Picture category is considered the most important of the Academy Awards, because it represents all the directing, acting, music composing, writing, editing and other efforts put forth into a film. For this reason, I am hoping that Wings is one that the girls can watch. I'm still waiting to receive the movie from another library in the MN-LINK system (it is coming from another library out of the county that I live in).

=> Visit the ice castle at Mall of America.

Olivia wants to see the ice castle that was created at the Mall of America. There has been rain this week which has been unusual for January - so we will see the condition of the ice castle next week when we go there. Hopefully, it will still be as impressive as it looks in pictures.

3. Volunteer with seniors twice during January.

The girls and I attended a volunteer training session at a local care center at the end of December. We have looked over the scheduled activities as well as thought of ones that we would be interested in doing (e.g., painting, cooking/baking, gardening, bird watching/caring for the wild birds).

Our next step is to contact the Volunteer Coordinator and let her know what days we would like to volunteer and what we will be doing. During January, we are thinking of doing a session with painting and doing an indoor picnic.