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
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Compositions
Teaching Resources
Blogs I Read
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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
-
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
