It’s Christmas Day of course! And it brings our traditional Mommy Christmas Carol for 2011, which is a fun mash-up of Martin-Keller Family memes.
2011: The Most Wonderful DAY of The Year
First of all, the official song isn’t “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” That’s a totally different song, and it wouldn’t have made any sense to make an ornament with misfit toys on it. The real 2011 song is “The Most Wonderful Day of the Year,” performed on the Island of Misfit Toys in the ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer’ Christmas special.
Then again, these aren’t the official misfits from the Island of Misfit Toys, but rather the trio from the “Toys Go Out” series of books by Emily Jenkins. And our version is hand-made, recalling our family Christmas gifts to our cousins a few years ago.
And — as an extra bonus — the Toys have a new book (technically a prequel) that just come out. We’re not sure if Mommy knows about, but she does now … because while it won’t hang in the tree, we did include it as part of the gift!
Toss in a nod to our visit to the Nuremburg Toy Museum in Germany this past summer, and you’ve got our traditional 2011 Christmas Carol Ornament.
The “Diamond Ringers” youth bell choir directed by Karen had holiday double duty today, performing twice in the morning serices and a third time in an afternoon Christmas Concert at Campbell United Methodist Church.
If you missed it, here they are with “Carol of the Bells” from this morning and “Jingle Bells” form this afternoon (in one handy video clip):
As part of the seventh grade science curriculum at her middle school, Jocelyn recently completed a project to create a 3D replica of a plant cell. A big slab of styrofoam, a little fabric, some playdough … and viola!
Aside from using the circular saw to cut the styrofoam and a razor blade to slice the whole for the nucleolus, her parents provided only guidance. Not bad!
Here is her list of cell parts and their function.
nucleus—controls cell functions
nucleolus — makes structures that make proteins
cell membrane — regulates movement of substances into and out of a cell
ribosome — site of protein production
rough ER — makes and modifies proteins
smooth ER — makes lipids and get rid of chemicals and poisons
golgi body — modifies, and directs movement of molecules made by ER
mitochondria — releases energy
cytoplasm — jelly-like substance inside the cell
central vacuole — stores water and plant substances
chloroplast — makes food in plant cells
cell wall — provides shape, protection, and support
Felicia has prepared a Halloween Word Search for her friends in her 2/3 Combo class this year as part of a class assignment. Care to try your luck? But be careful; she’s set more than a few traps (some of them even intentional)!
Although it’s also Booksin Walkathon Week, we are also busily preparing for Halloween, with new homemade costumes and hand-painted yard decorations. Jocelyn is working on a Candelabra costume, and Felicia is going as the Queen of England (not just a princess). Stay tuned for more news – and undoubtedly a few pictures!
“Goodbye, Run-Down and Vulnerable Farm! … Hello, Constantinople!”
Jocelyn has been working on a project this week for her 7th grade Social Studies class, which is focusing on ancient civilizations. The project was to make a real estate brochure promoting the desirability of living in Constantinople during the Byzantine Empire (roughly from 350-565 AD). She especially focused on the Hagia Sophia, one of the oldest churches in the world, and the largest cathedral in the world when it was completed.
In truth, we came up with the idea of extending our stay in Germany even before the USA’s thrilling extra-time victory over Brazil in the Womens World Cup quarterfinal that we didn’t attend. But after that victory, how could we not? … It seemed the US was a team of destiny, and our time in Germany was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be a part of it.
So we sent Karen back home to San Jose, while the “Daytime Trio” stuck it out in Germany for three more days, hastily arranging tickets and hotel for more adventures into the western states of Deutschland. And it was worth it!
Monday in Munich
With our first extra day in Germany, we took advantage of already being in Munich. We hopped the S-Bahn Train to the Marienplatz, where we saw an enticing blend of modern shopping and historic sites stretched across the central downtown square.
Munich was different than most historical German cities we’d visited, with its mix of modern shops and high-end stores standing right next to old churches and municipal buildings built in the 1500s. It was fun to walk around and discover the sites. We also had one of the best meals of the trip, lunch at the oldest beer garden in Munich, the Augustiner Brewery. We capped the day off watching the Rathaus-Glockenspiel serenade and dance for the masses. Very fun!
The museum was a fascinating mix of industry and history, combining the development of automobile technology with the social and historical implications of the famous car-maker. Honest to it’s Nazi sympathizing and thorough in its scope, the history of Daimler-Benz Chrysler was an interesting story. (Up until the 1950s, where our interest waned.)
After Stuttgart, we drove to Heidelberg, which turned out to be one of David’s favorite stops. The beautiful town is nestled in a steep valley along the Neckar River, with historic bridges and a medieval castle in various stages of decay. We had a relaxing lunch, took a steep hike up the hill to the Heidelberg Castle, and strolled across the Old Bridge.
And on Wednesday, Football!
The weather was a bit miserable in Dusseldorf and Moenchengladbach, but that couldn’t put a damper on our spirits. We were in Germany for the WWC Semi-Final between France and the United States of America. It meant so much just to be there!
It was an incredible experience to be part of the Womens World Cup in Germany, and it was even more amazing that I managed to capture the best footballing moment of the trip on video. Uncle Timmy describes what happened much better than I can … but you can also watch it yourself:
From there, we had to make a six-hour overnight drive back to Munich to catch our flight back home, where we would sadly watch the USA fritter away its lead and lose to Japan in penalty kicks in the Final. Our trip was not relaxing — we drove more than 3000 kilometers (more than 1800 miles) — but it was worth every dollar and every kilometer for the memories of a lifetime.
