Inspired by the Olympic short track speed skating, the boys took to the ice today and raced their own short track.

Jim introduced the boys to a new sport last weekend…yet another way to redeem the cold:

broom ball!

We headed to Menards last week and picked up a bunch of straw brooms.

The boys immediately took to the ice and began whacking the ball.

Unfortunately, you get what you pay for with straw brooms. One by one, the metal handles began to snap in half. In a family full of bam-bams, I don’t know why this surprised me.

So we resorted to making snowballs

and taking the dog for a walk.

Meanwhile, I learned that Menards sells broom handles–wooden ones. Hopefully these will prove to be more durable!

Peter’s newest act of hospitality is serving up specialty coffee drinks.

Over the past couple days, he has made hot chocolate with steamed milk (no coffee for the younger ones, please)

as well as lattes and mochas.

It is quickly becoming my late afternoon treat!

Jim brought the kids and me to his high school for a wrestling alumni event. We found his name on the wall showing the number of pins he had during his high school tenure.

We got to meet some of his coaches and former teammates, then they had all the wrestlers gather on the mat.

There were guys spanning graduating years 1969 to 2013–it was quite a sight!

Since we are on the topic of Molly…

telepathy = the supposed communication of thoughts or ideas by means of other than the known senses

This is what we’ve affectionately named Molly’s newest behavior. When she wants to go outside, or eat, or go for a walk…or whatever else her doggie heart desires, she simply stares at me.

First, she comes near to get my attention.

Then she makes her way to the back door (or the front door, or the fridge, or her kibble bowl)…and proceeds to stare at me.

No bark, no whine, no bells, no scratching. Just staring.

Molly turned 5 on Monday. We celebrated with new bones and a walk through the polar vortex.

Derek and I typically like to break from schoolwork in the late morning to take Molly for a walk, however, on this special day, the rest of the 9-and-under crew joined us.

The snow drifts were fun and treacherous at the same time.

The birthday dog loved every minute of it.

Once we were past the snow drifts, our pace picked up quite a bit–it was a race against frostbite!

Ruthie’s sherpa came to the rescue.

Almost home!

In honor of the birthday doggie, we grilled steak. On the deck. In minus twelve degree weather.

We’re crazy like that sometimes.

Or if you prefer the more scientific name for these dried balls of fur, feathers and bones: owl pellets.

We learned in our science class this year that owls eat animals such as rodents and birds whole, digest the soft parts, and regurgitate everything else into a big pellet. I’m sure some farmer is rolling in the dough right now after collecting balls of owl puke from his barn floor and selling them to homeschoolers. But, hey, we had a blast dissecting and investigating them!

Every scientist needs a magnifying glass.

And tweezers.

(Note to self: sanitize the tweezers before plucking eyebrows next)

The pellets were packed with bones of all shapes and sizes.

Not only was it fun to discover them, but also to try to figure out what animal the owl had eaten.

Peter and Jeremy’s pellet contained big, thick femur-like bones. They think the owl had eaten a rat. Yum.

Meanwhile, Derek found two intact skulls which according to the field guide appeared to be from voles. Double yum.

This was a great activity for these guys–allowed them to see (and feel) firsthand what we’ve been learning about.

Time may pass by, but relationships (and children) grow.

This was then (13+ years ago)

And this is now

This is not set up. This is an honest slice of life in our house during school.

Interpretive Dance

I should add that Jake and Derek are not normally present when we listen to geography songs…today was an exception. So they could be entertained by Ruthie’s interpretive dance. I’d say they were entertained, wouldn’t you?

Blessed is the one who considers the poor!
In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him (Psalm 41:1)

I saw this idea years ago and tucked it away in the recesses of my brain. The kids and I finally completed it this week.

We filled bags with things like deodorant, toothpaste and tissues.

We also tucked in a pamphlet that teaches about Jesus.

Meeting physical needs and spiritual needs.

When we were done filling the bags, we asked God to use them to bless the people who receive them, and even to lead us to those who need them. We intend to keep a couple in the car at all times so when we are out and about and see a homeless person, we have something on hand to give them.

I like this activity for a couple reasons. It encourages us to consider others and imagine what life is like for the poor; it also gives us a compassionate mission when we are in the car–we are no longer just trying to get from one place to another!

Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him. (Proverbs 14:31)

The girls in the Giere clan are way outnumbered, thus, we must seek out special ways to celebrate their sugar-and-spice-girlyness. This year, we had a tea party. An American Girl tea party.

The girls were to bring their own special dolls. Since Ruthie is not exactly into dolls (yet?) she brought her Fisher Price wild-haired doll. I’m sure if dolls could talk and interact, dolly would have been a bit self-conscious of her appearance. But she (and Ruthie) were blissfully unaware. The dolls had their own seats at the table, along with their very own tea cups.

The food was actually quite tasty, and beautifully presented.

We had a chance to walk around the store–a first time experience for Ruthie and me. When we found a doll named Ruthie, Ruthie was beside herself with excitement.

In her excitement, she plopped wild-haired dolly face down, backside sticking up on the luxury camper display table. There she laid for several minutes before we realized she was missing. Thankfully, no one swiped her and we were able to retrieve her with not a hair missing from her head.

We found the Lego Store next door and stopped by to say hello to a Friend.

Thanks, Mom, for the special treat and the opportunity to do something girly together!

Ever the entrepreneur, Jim proposed a money-making opportunity to Derek.

When the forecast called for over a foot of snow, he offered to partially subsidize Derek’s purchase of a snowblower so Derek might earn an income clearing neighbors’ driveways and sidewalks.

This decision was made in a matter of minutes. Once the snowblower was purchased, the on-the-job training began.

He was a natural. Of course, once his younger brothers heard of the money-making opportunity, they were eager to help for a portion of the profit.

So off they went, walking the wintery neighborhood looking for customers. They had a 100% success rate, as every single door they knocked on hired them to clear their driveway! He also learned that while he was working on one driveway, neighbors were calling the house he was at to find out if he could make his way down to their driveways next. Talk about instant word of mouth references.

Derek blew the snow off driveways…

while Peter and Jeremy shoveled the front walks…

A good fraction of the snowblower is already paid off, after just a half day of work.

Guess which Johanik family member is in all his glory, juggling several experiments at a time in the -16 degree Fahrenheit weather?

We have 2-liter bottles, paper plates, plastic wrap, and plastic cups filled with water and salt water scattered around the deck. His scientific mind is constantly asking questions and trying new things.

I’m just trying to stay warm by the fire.

Here is a video recap of our time on the slopes. Derek, Jim and I contributed to the downhill video, at times shaky, but gives an idea of the beauty of the environment!

We are honestly just so grateful that God allowed and provided the time away as a family. Great memories!

When the forecast predicts a high of single digit temperatures, that is usually bad news. But we make the most of it.

God has given us a large pond in the backyard. When the temperature is cold, the pond freezes. We like to think of it as redeeming the cold–taking something bad and making it good.

Jim even sets flood lights up so we can hold night games.

Jeremy got facial hair for Christmas.

He really played it up. Everywhere I turned, he was doing something with his facial hair on.

I’m not sure which he enjoys more–the making or the giving.

Sometimes you don’t appreciate a really good thing until it’s gone. We experienced bea-u-ti-ful weather every day while in Colorado: sunny, relatively warm, no wind; until the last day when we were engulfed in a cloud and faced constant snowfall. Expert skiers enjoy the fresh powder layer, along with the challenging elements.

The rest of us have a hard time maneuvering through what feels like a brick wall of powder snow hitting the skis, the ice patches and wind, all the while skiing blind because of foggy goggles and the aforementioned cloud. Even going up the chair lift took perseverance, as ice would accumulate on any exposed flesh.

We survived the challenge, and not only learned to enjoy the less-than-ideal conditions, but expressed our thanks many times for the perfect weather we had been given all week.

There were definitely snippets of beauty throughout the day!

Mom and Dad even braved the wind and snow and tackled the mountain on snowshoes. We had fun embarking on ‘Grandma and Grandpa sightings’.

God protected us on the long drive home, and now (thanks to our unofficial navigator) we found our way back!

After getting a little help from Derek putting his skis on,

Jeremy made his way up the high chair lift with Jim and me.

And stood on the top of the mountain!

He had a great day, skiing blue runs and learning to control his speed. Then at the end of the day, he loosened up in the sauna with his brothers.

Fast forward in your mind 60 years. Can’t you just see it? Three old men sitting in the sauna comparing aches and pains?

Ruthie has been asking to go to school for several months now. This week, she finally got to experience school. Ski school, that is. She loved everything about it. She didn’t want her bear, Zyla, feel left out, so she brought her along and tucked her into her coat.

Ruthie learned to snow plow and stop while on the bunny hill, so we decided to let her try the chair lift and practice her skills on the bigger hill. She did great!

The thing she enjoys even more than skiing is the free hot chocolate provided by the “Steamboat Ambassadors” at the end of the day.