Getting To Know Us!
I hear, I know. I see, I remember. I do, I understand. ~~Confucius
"Live each day as if it were your last, learn as if you were to live forever." ~ Mahatma Gandhi
"At the end of the day, all you've got is your story, so try to make it a good one!" From the movie, Australia
"Living like no one else, so that we can live like no one else!"~~Dave Ramsey


Our Current Reading List
Favorite Poems and Quotes
"For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.”
“People have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed.”
“I was asked to act when I couldn't act. I was asked to sing when I couldn't sing, and dance with Fred Astaire when I couldn't dance - and do all kinds of things I wasn't prepared for. Then I tried like mad to cope with it.”
“It's that wonderful old-fashioned idea that others come first and you come second. This was the whole ethic by which I was brought up, so 'don't fuss, dear; get on with it.'”
“I decided, very early on, just to accept life unconditionally; I never expected it to do anything special for me.”
“I love people who make me laugh. I honestly think it's the thing I like most, to laugh. It's probably the most important thing in a person.”
“If you ever need a helping hand, it's at the end of your arm, remember you have another hand: The first is to help yourself, the second is to help others.” ~~Audrey Hepburn
"If", by Rudyard Kipling
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream — and not make dreams your master;
If you can think — and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with wornout tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on”;
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings — nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run –
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And — which is more — you’ll be a Man my son!Grab a button!
Compositions
Funnies
One night in bed I couldn't get the girls to stop giggling. I kept telling them to quiet down when I heard Star say, "Girls, we need to be quiet. Try thinking of something tragic!" (age 9)
I was reading Make Way For Ducklings to Pie today and when I read the list of duckling names she exclaimed, "Those are really wonderful names!" (age 4)
Teaching Resources
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Chatter
- Ke, Hai Lian on Liu San Jie
- Ginger on A Change of Plans
- Kirsty on A Change of Plans
- Ke, Hai Lian on A Change of Plans
- Jeannetta on A Change of Plans
- Ginger on Warriors!
- Ke, Hai Lian on Tut Tut
- Ginger on Tut Tut
- Jeannetta on Tut Tut
- Amy on Dresses and Cakes
Blogs I Read
Archives
In The News
Sugar
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Liu San Jie
The Yangshuo Impressions Light Show -
A Change of Plans
Xi’an -> Yangshuo -
Warriors!
A trip to the Terracotta Army. -
Tut Tut
“Friends don’t let friends ride in tut tuts!” ~~Bella -
Dresses and Cakes
Custom made qipaos for the girls and an interesting bakery! -
Xuxu’s Point of View
The “sickie” talks about her photos. -
Babies Everywhere!
Starfish Foster home Baby Room. -
Bus 40 & Oil Paintings
Another bus trip and some amazing art! -
Roughing it
And loving it! -
Wild Goose Pagoda
The Large Wild Goose Pagoda and the Tang walking mall. -
Shu Yuan Men
Art Street! -
A Tale of Two Towers…
The ancient Bell and Drum Towers of Xi An. -
Grocery & Food Fun
Where do we shop? -
Our Day
Photographic essay of our “block.” -
Starfish Babies!
What you’ve all been waiting for! -
Wow! Fireworks!
…and loud ones! -
Chinese New Years Eve Sickies
Trying to sleep through fireworks! -
Little Brag…
So proud of my daughter! -
Insert Creative Title Here
More Pictures, Sickness and VISA issues. -
Picture Day and More Shopping
An excursion. -
Regarding Hangers and Violin Strings
A day of babies, shopping and broken strings! -
We’re Here
Touchdown. -
First Post From China
We are in Beijing. -
Our Xi’an 西安 Adventure Begins
A brief explanation of our upcoming trip to Xi’an, with photos! -
你好! 我叫…
Da, Marmee and Xuxu get Chinese names! -
Music in China
My daughters want to learn the 二胡 and the 古筝! -
Brisbane
Da in Brisbane! -
The Articles of Faith in Simplified Chinese and Pinyin
Updated to the new church translation. -
The Bells
The bells toll this evening, on our piano. -
Security and Internet Safety
An explanation. -
A Military Miracle in Haiti, Can We Provide Another Miracle?
How can I help? -
Continuous Partial Attention
“No, I didn’t un-friend you” or “moving in the right direction.” -
Motion
Motion: 1 a : an act, process, or instance of changing place : movement b : an active or... -
What You Dune For New Years?
The Sand Dunes of Snow Canyon. -
A Few Things…
Utopia, decorating and a contest. -
Painted Ladies & More Art
Painted Ladies, Legion of Honor part II and some fun photos of the kids! -
Angel Island Redo
Angel Island Immigration Station -
God’s Beautiful Creations
California Academy of Science -
Thankful for Beaches!
The Beach for Thanksgiving! -
Legion of Honor Part I
Legion of Honor and the Holocaust Memorial. -
Mouse in Monet’s Garden
Mouse’s dream come true! -
The Bay
A Blue & Gold Cruise and the Bay Aquarium. -
Wicked!!
We came, we saw, we LOVED!! Can’t wait to see it again with pie one day! -
A Crooked Street & A Sailing Ship
Lombard Street, Balclutha and Calamari. -
Cable Cars and Ice Cream
Today we rode every cable car line and ate ice cream at Ghirardelli’s. -
More on Self Government
Nicoleen Peck participates in a BBC episode of The Strictest Families in the World. -
Faith is a Garden
The faith of a child and the Japanese Tea Gardens. -
Feels Like Home
“When I have a little money, I buy books. If any is left over, I buy food and clothes.” -
Flowers and Statues
The San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers and a stroll through Golden Gate Park. -
Mr. Ray and Bubba Gump
Monterey Bay Aquarium and Bubba Gump! -
You Need Them More
National Orphan Sunday -
Star’s Point of View
Photographs showing the point of view of Star (age 9). -
Ferry and Angel Island
Today I am featuring photos by Xuxu (age 13). -
Tutankhamun
The King Tut exhibit presented by National Geographic. -
Cable Cars and Dragons!
Riding cable cars and mixing with the Chinese! -
I Learned to Drive in SF!
Golden Gate Bridge and Pier 39! -
An Ancient Forest and Rescuing Jellyfish
Today we visited the Muir Woods National Monument and Stinson Beach. -
From Bountiful to Desolation
A farmer’s market and a two inch fish. -
Tehachapi
The middle of…..nowhere? -
A New Friend
Today we took our new friend Zhang Yue out to lunch. (The photo is from Henan Province, China.) -
New Blog Look!
A New Look for Island School House! -
An Apostle’s Testimony
The powerful Testimony of Elder Holland given at the October 2009 General Conference. -
Service to Family Award
Amanda de Lange receives the Service to Family Award from the BYU Alumni Association. -
Play Time
Playing with my new camera! -
My Camera is Here!
Da and the girls suprise me! -
The Chosen
We were impressed with the movie, “The Chosen.” -
Religious Freedom
A speech by Elder Oaks that is pertinent to the current political climate! -
Day Trip
An arcade, sandwiches and the Museum of Art! Also, musings on Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and... -
And My Soul Hungered
A beautiful presentation! -
A New Era
My new hobby! -
Teaser!
We are headed to an exhibit from London! -
Sunday Afternoon Memories
A Puzzel from Disney Land! -
Music from The Utah Symphony Orchestra
The list of music from the Utah Symphony Orchestra and a fun video! -
More Evidence for a Global Education & A Second Language
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China Doesn’t Do Anything “Small”
A very cool fast motion video of the 60th Anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China on... -
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival
Happy Mid Autumn Festival!! -
Utah Symphony Orchestra & a Discovery!
This evening I took the three oldest girls to see the Utah Symphony Orchestra with David Cho, conducting and Ralph... -
Charity Never Faileth
A video about Charity. -
Believe in Me
Believe in Me Click on the words above to listen to a beautiful new song for Young Women! -
Navajo Lake
A day trip to Navajo Lake, Utah. -
Some Amazing Kids!
Gustavo Dudamel leads El Sistema’s top youth orchestra. -
Music from the Talent Showcase
A list of the music downloaded from the Talent Showcase. -
Music on My Heart
Orchestra of Southern Utah Talent Showcase and an introduction to Jose Antonio Abreu. -
Happy Constitution Day!
America’s journey to freedom and prosperity portrayed through art and powerful music. -
9.14.09 Philadelphia
Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell and the Betsy Ross house. (And a Philly Cheese Steak! Yum!) -
9.13.09 Mt. Vernon and Harpers Ferry
A day at Mt. Vernon, the “National Treasure” tour, and then visiting Haper’s Ferry with our friends, the Martins. -
9.12.09 March on Washington
I hear, I know. I see, I remember. I do, I understand. ~~Confucius -
9.11.09 Washington D.C.
9/11 in D.C. A very somber day! -
The Making of America
The National Center for Constitutional Studies webinar information. -
Green Smoothie Recipe
The recipe that helps my kids drink 5+ servings a greens a day! -
No Time…
Recipe for Ye Ye’s Chili Beans and Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cake Cookies. -
Homeschool Resources
Free Video Courses for homeschoolers! -
Slowly, but surely!
We’re learning Chinese characters. -
Homeschooling In The News
New Nationwide Study Confirms Homeschool Academic Achievement -
Quotes to Live By
David O McKay on the responsibility of parents. -
Scripture Memory System
An excellent index card system to help memorize and retain scriptures. -
Fall Schedule
Hopefully we have come up with a workable plan for our school year! -
Playmakers Highlights
Photos from the girls playmakers experience. -
More Festival, China Plans, School Curriculum
A back stage tour, more about our trip to China and our curriculum. -
Quotes to Live By
Our greatest desire is that we provide our children with the skills to acquire further knowledge! -
Heritage
Celebrating my biological daughter’s heritage! -
The Most Powerful Sunday Message!
A powerful message about Forgiveness. -
Playmakers
Performance camp! -
The Book of Mormon and Freedom
The Book of Mormon is the key to saving our Constitution! -
Mission Statements
If you can not articulate it, you really do not know it! -
Self Government
I attended a seminar by Nicholeen Peck on Teaching Self Government. -
Henry V & a Few Words From the Management
Henry V at the Shakespeare Festival! -
The Comedy of Errors!
The Comedy of Errors in Cedar City, Utah. -
Family Charters Work!
The girls love working toward a goal, more about China and Da in school! -
Theme Song
We heard My Declaration from the movie Inkheart at the theater in its initial release. I knew I wanted a... -
Characters
I have always been too intimidated to start studying the Chinese characters, until yesterday. We were invited to come over... -
Mouse Loves Rice 老鼠爱大米
A very sweet song from China. -
It Only Took a Spark
Our girls are really kicking in with the family charter in place! -
Where Do We Go From Here?
Up! ;o) I have had a couple of emails from people interested in the book and asking me what the actual... -
Beyond the Cul-de-sac
I apologize for making it sound like we have a big announcement…we really don’t. We are not making an... -
Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew
Today I finished reading Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew and I hope that every single adoptive... -
Today
“Today” ~~A poem I composed on the day our neighborhood children returned to public school. -
Hefei
Our visit to Hefei where we received Star in 2001. -
Mu Tian Yu, The Great Wall
A short email from Beijing about our Mu Tian Yu experience. Photos! -
Mormon Miracle Pageant
The Mormon Miracle Pageant trip 2006. -
Star Needs To Return To China
Many of the reasons we are taking Star for a visit to China!
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Liu San Jie
1 Comment -
Warriors!
1 Comment -
Tut Tut
3 Comments -
Dresses and Cakes
6 Comments -
Xuxu’s Point of View
6 Comments -
Babies Everywhere!
7 Comments -
Bus 40 & Oil Paintings
2 Comments -
Roughing it
6 Comments -
Shu Yuan Men
1 Comment -
A Tale of Two Towers…
3 Comments -
Grocery & Food Fun
4 Comments -
Our Day
2 Comments -
Starfish Babies!
4 Comments -
Chinese New Years Eve Sickies
2 Comments -
Little Brag…
3 Comments -
Insert Creative Title Here
3 Comments -
Picture Day and More Shopping
No Comments -
Regarding Hangers and Violin Strings
4 Comments -
We’re Here
2 Comments -
First Post From China
2 Comments -
你好! 我叫…
3 Comments -
Wicked!!
No Comments -
Cable Cars and Ice Cream
1 Comment -
More on Self Government
1 Comment -
You Need Them More
3 Comments -
Ferry and Angel Island
1 Comment -
Tutankhamun
1 Comment -
I Learned to Drive in SF!
2 Comments -
An Ancient Forest and Rescuing Jellyfish
3 Comments -
A New Friend
1 Comment -
An Apostle’s Testimony
No Comments -
Service to Family Award
No Comments -
Play Time
1 Comment -
My Camera is Here!
2 Comments -
The Chosen
1 Comment -
Religious Freedom
1 Comment -
Day Trip
2 Comments -
And My Soul Hungered
No Comments -
A New Era
No Comments -
Teaser!
2 Comments -
Sunday Afternoon Memories
No Comments -
Music from The Utah Symphony Orchestra
1 Comment -
More Evidence for a Global Education & A Second Language
1 Comment -
China Doesn’t Do Anything “Small”
No Comments -
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival
No Comments -
Utah Symphony Orchestra & a Discovery!
5 Comments -
Charity Never Faileth
2 Comments -
Believe in Me
1 Comment -
Navajo Lake
3 Comments -
Some Amazing Kids!
1 Comment -
Music from the Talent Showcase
1 Comment -
Music on My Heart
2 Comments -
Happy Constitution Day!
No Comments -
9.14.09 Philadelphia
1 Comment -
9.13.09 Mt. Vernon and Harpers Ferry
1 Comment -
9.12.09 March on Washington
2 Comments -
9.11.09 Washington D.C.
1 Comment -
The Making of America
2 Comments -
Green Smoothie Recipe
2 Comments -
No Time…
1 Comment -
Homeschool Resources
1 Comment -
Slowly, but surely!
4 Comments -
Homeschooling In The News
No Comments -
Scripture Memory System
2 Comments -
Fall Schedule
3 Comments -
Playmakers Highlights
2 Comments -
More Festival, China Plans, School Curriculum
3 Comments -
Heritage
4 Comments -
The Most Powerful Sunday Message!
2 Comments -
Playmakers
2 Comments -
The Book of Mormon and Freedom
1 Comment -
Mission Statements
1 Comment -
Self Government
2 Comments -
The Comedy of Errors!
3 Comments -
Family Charters Work!
2 Comments -
Theme Song
1 Comment -
Characters
3 Comments -
Where Do We Go From Here?
3 Comments -
Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew
No Comments





