Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Disclaimer

So we are up to our eyeballs in projects and I had just bought a new 24 pack of crayons that morning to finish up said projects... When we stop working, go to soccer practices and come home to find only 10 left. Hmmmm... After a thorough search they are nowhere to be found. Until the next day...

*****Disclaimer*****

The photo below is disgusting and disturbing. A prime example of life in the Trueman house!

In the middle of projects up to our eyeballs!

The good about having the kids on the same class teams... they are working on the same things.
The bad about having the kids on the same class teams... they are working on the same things!

Last week was a CRAZY busy week and then we had to throw in 4 projects! 
2 for ELA and 2 for Science!

I told the kids when all was said and done that they had to write a note and put it on their bulletin boards that:
IT TAKES AT LEAST 3X LONGER TO FINISH A PROJECT THAN THEY THINK IT WILL!!!

Once they finished their ELA poetry projects we dove right into their Science Skeletal System projects. 

The good about them both picking the same system... they could pretty much use the same information.
The bad about them both picking the same system... you had to change each one up enough to make it different and not the same.

We went a bit overboard, but they turned out amazing! 
Alyssa's


 Ball and socket joint in the shoulder
& hinge joint in the elbow 


 vellum overlay of the tendons and ligaments in the knee and hand


Xander's

Ball and socket and hinge joints

muscles, tendons and ligaments in the arm and foot

 It was exhausting, but hopefully well worth it when WE get an A+!



Poetry Projects

At the end of a long, the kids will say VERY LONG, poetry unit 
Alyssa and Xander had to create a poster to display their poetry

Xander's life poem-

Xander
Intelligent, Daring, Athletic, Happy
Brother of Alyssa
Son of Paul and Lisette
Lover of challenging soccer games, tasty hamburgers and loud rap music
Who feels happy with my friends, angry when proven wrong and sad when I fail
  Who has been to sunny California, the awe-inspiring
Ground Zero and the tropical Bahamas
Who needs my friends, inspirational rap music and tasteful tacos
Who fears failure, losing my friends to others, and disappointing my family with my actions
 Who gives effort to my work, time to sports, and thought to my words
Who would someday like to sky dive, fly an airplane, and travel to all the fifty states
Resident of Charlton Massachusetts
Trueman


Life Poem 
by Alyssa Trueman

When I was five years old I feared the dark.
I used to be afraid of the mischevious darkness,
That would sweep the last bit of light with its dark broom,
But now I don't mind the light in the dark dustpan.

I used to be afraid of the stretched finger, 
Set upon the light switch that would race so fast,
To finish a mock in my defeat,
As finally the switch turned off,
But now the darkness is suffering from my defeat,
And winning the race and sleeping with joy.

I used to be afraid of the hand that would grasp the door,
Giving me no hope,
In the face of the army that would defeat the light,
But now I have no fear of the dark,
I am the one fighting back.



Then they had to read one of the poems at a poetry reading for their class and another and ALL OF THE PARENTS. Xander didn't want me to go at first. Then he found out some of the other moms were coming so it was okay.  I don't know why he had a problem the only time he looked up was when he was finished reading-
can you see the look of relief on his face?

I didn't get a photo of Alyssa, but I did record her poem-



NYC part 2

One more day in the city, well really just a morning and we were off and running to Rockefeller Center and then Central park again...

They had all the eggs on display from

They were huge and beautifully done! And best of all a total surprise! 
Every time we go to NYC there is always something really fun to see!








One more stop for a family picture and then it was time to go back get our stuff, a couple more slices and hit the road! Another fun filled and adventuresome trip to NYC. 




Friday, May 2, 2014

NYC Spring 2014

Once our washing machine overflowing and water leaking through the ceiling
pouring down into the basement crisis was cleaned up we hit the road for NYC!

 We had a few hours before Paul joined us so off to Central Park it was!




 We were so excited to see that Spring had arrived!

After climbing trees, scaling rocks and appreciating the beauty it was time for dinner!
Mmmmm Halal guys! Our favorite!

Next day... a bit more of the same with some shopping and
 standing in line for theatre tickets thrown in. Did I mention Xander hates waiting in line for theatre tickets? But we were able to score 2 tickets at half price to Rock of Ages. The perfect birthday present for Paul! 


Before our trip to the theatre just outside our hotel was the red carpet line for the premiere of the latest Spiderman movie. 
The kids were pretty excited about being so close to Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. 
Alyssa got some close up pics of Andrew on her ipod.

Always a MUST is a stop by the fountains for a pic of the kids
2014

2006
Oh my babies are so big now! Okay on with reality...


Then it was off to dinner at Ray's pizza for the perfect slice! So crunchy and yet soft. 
Mmmm total goodness!

The lightning for pics was really bad and I kept taking selfies by accident. We had a fantastic night just the two of us, listening to 80's rock and being thoroughly entertained. Sooo many memories!


Roller Skating 4/22/14

Kickin' it old school!
Over Spring break we went roller skating. 
My friend Ann kept telling me that we had to skate too. I was hesitant, it had been sooo long, but hey that was what I did EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT for years so I thought okay I can do this!
And do it we did! And we had a lot of fun too! We skated more than the kids!


 It's really hard to get still pictures of the kids!

Of course the arcade was a hit, so was laser tag. 

But really the BEST part of the day was a stop by Kimballs for ice cream. 
Chocolate chocolate truffle is my fav!
 The first of the season with many more to follow!

Monday, April 28, 2014

Easter Morning (4-20-14)

Looks like the Easter Bunny doesn't mind if you're a teenager! 
Good thing too, because the kids look forward to their Easter surprises. 

 This year Bunnito joined our family. You might remember his cousin Poquito we adopted in LA-

~Props to Paul for setting up their first ever photo shoot!~


Black or white or color? It's hard to decide!




"WHAT?! No Easter basket for me? 
 If I ever catch that dang Easter bunny running through our yard..."