Merry Saturnalia!!!

Saturnas Caravaggio

Our Saturnalia tree is bedecked, beribboned, and gaily festooned with sun and star symbols in honor of this day. (Next, year, I have every intention of throwing a Merry Saturnalia Bowling Toga Party in honor of the Roman god, Saturn, but as one of my nearest and dearest friends is newly pregnant and spewing her guts out most of the day, I think we'll wait until she can join in without the threat of unexpected vomit. ;))

Spawn has been duly crowned the tiny Lord of Misrule for the season and Fat Nugga, crowned Lady of Misrule. Saturn help us all. ;) 

We haven't taken pictures of our tree yet because it won't be finished until the evening before the third feast day. (We celebrate Saturnalia, Yule, and Christmas...because 3 holidays are better than 1! =D) On Christmas Eve, Santa will send out PJ the Elf, his location scout, to get the lay of the land, and deliver pajamas to all the good girls and boys for them to sleep in after they get home from their big family dinner. When the coast is clear and everyone's tucked in for the night, Santa will arrive to deliver gifts, stuff stockings, put the star on top of the tree and, unbeknownst to Spawn, he'll also be setting up Spawn's Polar Express O-Guage Train Set that Poppy gave him last Christmas. =D I think I'm more excited than Spawn! =D 

I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures to share. In the mean time, have fun making merry and please chime in below in the comments to share your family's holiday plans and traditions!

Chrissi, Cyber School Mom

Happy 10/10/10!!!

Ordinarily, I would ignore celebrations like 9/02/10 Day, but I do love numbers and it made me a special kind of giddy when Spawn asked what today's date was and I got to say "Ten, ten, ten." =D

So... 

Happy 10/10/10 Day!

I took tons of great pictures this weekend from Spawn's two buddies' birthday parties. Of course, the camera flashed "Memory Car Full" just as birthday boy #2 started to open OUR gift. :p CS Dad has to cajole the camera to give those pix up, so I'll have them up in a few days. =D

Chrissi, Cyber School Mom

First Day of School Questions

Technically, these are First Month of School Questions because Spawn and I have been sick with hayfever for so long, but it's still September, so it counts. ;)

This questionnaire is the same one I use every year to gauge the changes in Spawn's attitude and favorite things from year to year. Enjoy! I sure did! =D

1. What are you good at doing? I’m good at playing video games and building with Legos.

2. If you had ten dollars, how would you spend it? I would spend it on more Legos and a new video game from Lego Universe.

3. What are you afraid of? Bugs and heights, even pinching bugs.

4. Who is the best person to talk to when you’re upset? Mommy. Daddy, he scares...he scares the heck out of me. Especially when I’m sitting on the toilet, he scares me.

5. What is your favorite movie? Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and G-Force.

6. What is your favorite joke? Knock-knock! Who’s there? Banana! Banana who? Banana opens doors so you don’t have to!

7. Who would be a good president? Why? Me! Because I want to have kids eat chocolate forever! AND – even all sugary stuff! Except bananas and fruit, but not grapes!!!!! (Mommy, there should be 5 exclamations points! (Where?) After “grapes”!)

8. How do you show your family you love them? HUGS!

9. What do you want to be when you grow up? I want to be a Lego Designer! And the President of the Whole World!!! (Mommy, 3 exclamation points...or 4.)

10. What's your favorite book? Lego books!

11. How do you remember important things? I don’t.

12. Who is your best friend? Mommy! But not Daddy!

13. What is your favorite toy? Legos! And Wii!

14. What is your favorite kind of car? Red ones!

15. Which is your favorite shirt? My red Lego Batman shirt. Boom-boom-fi-uh-powuh!

16. Where is your favorite place to go on vacation? Knoebels!

17. What is your favorite color? Red!

18. Who is your favorite Disney character? Mater. Besides, I like him. There’s all these crazy Pixar shorts of him, like Monster truck kinds, Mater the Greater, Firetruck Mater, and his greatest adventure yet, the UFM. UFM stands for Unidentified Flying Mater.

19. What is your favorite pet’s name? Lola.

20. Who is your hero? Jack the Bumper King from Knoebels!!!!!!!!!!

These questions were actually asked on Sept. 30^th at 10:00 PM before bedtime because Spawn was sick the first few weeks of school with hayfever and chicken pox.

Chrissi, Cyber School Mom

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

Scholastic's October Book Club Sales! =D I swear - the best books all year are in this month's fliers!

As many of you may already know, we are not traditional homeschoolers. We use an amazing PA cyber charter school: PA Leadership Charter School.

Because we use a cyber, we enjoy many of the benefits of homeschooling as well as many of the benefits of public-schooling. Amongst which are the savings offered by buying in large numbers from Scholastic. Spawn's having a heck of a time narrowing down his choices to fit his $20 monthly book-buying budget, though. =D

The one book I'm absolutely certain I'll find on his list:

Phineas and Ferb #4: Thrill-o-rama!

The best part? I get to view the fliers for every grade level, so I can choose more challenging books for my advanced reader. I love to shop ahead for Christmas and Winter Solstice, too, to surprise Spawn.

I'll let you peek in the box when it arrives at the end of the month, too. ;) Check back often to see what Spawn finally chooses!

Do your kids have any favorite Halloween/October/autumn/Samhain books that you think we might enjoy? Please feel free to share your favorites in the comments!

Chrissi, Cyber School Mom

Sweet Blog!!!

I can't rightly recall if I've plugged this one before or not, but one of my BFF's (also known as Spawn's godmother), Bibi, has this sweet blog called 1001 Sweets.

Nobody bakes a Tarheel pie like Bibi! And she's finally back to bloggin'! Woo!

Note her boyfriend, Ian (pronounced EYE-in), thoroughly enjoying the pumpkin pie cheesecake that should be mine. ::grumble,grumble:: Is October not the month of my birth? Is October not nearly upon us? The moon is in Libra! The pie shall be mine!

Chrissi, Cyber School Mom