What's Been Going On: Monday, 18 April - Wednesday, 21 April, 2022

 So far, so good this week! It’s actually been pretty calm here, which has been a nice change. Definitely something we all needed.

The weather is still gross. Rainy and cold, so cold I lost feeling in my feet the other day (my body really doesn’t seem to respond well to that damp-chill kind of cold, when it’s both cold AND rainy). We have a few nice-ish days coming up and then back to the cold. I swear, whoever said that April was supposed to be a halfway decent month was a filthy liar...

Warmer days are coming soon. Likely not until the end of May, but they’re coming. I just have to keep reminding myself of that! (She says, gazing at the rain-streaked window and sighing.)

Here’s what I’ve been up to so far this week.

 

Monday, 18 April, 2022

After coffee, I finished writing and posted Monday’s post, then edited and posted my review for Free: Two Years, Six Lives, and the Long Journey Home by Lauren Kessler on my book blog (highly recommended!). I got dressed and put a batch of chickpeas into the Instant Pot, then brought in a yogurt bowl from the garage freezer to thaw on the counter for lunch.

We started our school day with On This Day in History and geography (Malta), then did a unit of math. We read more of the outdoor science book, read some Egyptian mythology (I’ve never read any of this before, so I’m really enjoying this right along with my daughter), and read more about food history (the book we’re reading is called There’s No Ham in Hamburgers: Facts and Folklore About Our Favorite Foods by Kim Zachman, and it’s a LOT of fun!).

After lunch, we worked on spelling and Language Arts, read more Filipino children’s stories, did two chapters of history (my poor daughter. She hates history. Tough luck there, kiddo!), then finished our biography of Walt Disney. We did our 30 minutes of Read Harder/silent reading (I started reading The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Music History by Michael Miller, a book I borrowed off my son’s shelves; my daughter was finishing up a Geronimo Stilton book. I let her read whatever she wants during this time), then did 15 minutes of journal writing.

I headed to the kitchen to start chopping things for dinner, what would become Greek Quinoa Buddha Bowls, except I used brown rice because Aldi was out of quinoa. I got the rice in the Instant Pot, scooped the litterbox, unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher, took out the garbage and recycling, took the cans to the curb, and replaced the garbage bags. And then it was time to sit down for an hour of volunteer work.

After dinner, I did my Duolingo, did a 36-minute Yoga with Adriene video (love her!) which was pretty painful for my left hip, then showered and put dinner away. I headed upstairs to read, and my husband and I watched one episode of Deadly Women before going to bed.

 

Tuesday, 19 April, 2022

After coffee, I read for a little bit, then got dressed and tossed a batch of chickpeas in the Instant Pot. (Lots of chickpeas this week. I think Passover week is always like that around here. Yay for kitniyot!)

We started out our school day with On This Day in History and geography (Marshall Islands). We did math (measuring!), then worked on spelling and Language Arts. We read more outdoor science, Egyptian mythology, and food history.

After lunch, we finished the book on Filipino children’s stories, read an interesting book on paleontology and archeology, read half of a fiction book on the Underground Railroad, and did two chapters of our history book. We did our 30 minutes of Read Harder/silent reading and 15 minutes of journal writing, and then it was off to the kitchen with me!

I made a large bowl of Chickpea Salad, took out the compost, and filled and ran the dishwasher. I sat down and did about 20 minutes of volunteer work, but then bailed to go for a chilly walk with my husband and daughter. Our friend the heron was back at the pond!

 

At home, we had dinner; I did my Duolingo and showered (I was feeling stiff enough from the 3-ish mile walk that I figured I’d count that as my exercise), and put dinner away. I hung out on the computer for a bit, and then it was time to put my daughter to bed (where we skipped reading our regular novel to read – her choice! – a book about the history of water purification). I read my book, and my husband and I watched an episode of Deadly Women before going to bed.

 

Wednesday, 20 April, 2022

After coffee, I made out my grocery list (nothing good on sale this week), and got dinner – Slow Cooker Veggie Curry – in the crockpot. This is the second time I’ve made this, and…it’s just not inspiring, at all. I’m going to have to jazz up the leftovers with some jarred curry sauce, I think. I got the chickpeas (SO MANY CHICKPEAS) in the Instant Pot (I added them to the crockpot when they were cooked!), unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher, and got dressed.

We started our day with On This Day in History and geography (Martinique). Math, Language arts and spelling came next. My kiddo was a little grumbly, but she got all her work done. We finished reading the outdoor science book, and then it was time for lunch.

Back to school! We finished the story about the Underground Railroad, did two chapters of history, and read a little more Egyptian mythology. I left my daughter working on her spelling words and headed out for groceries.

I didn’t spend much this week, because we really didn’t need much. I did buy a mess of marked-down clementines, though, so that was nice! I also hit up the post office for stamps and stopped by the library to return a bunch of library books.

At home, I put the groceries away and returned my father’s phone call; he had called when I was driving. My grandmother, who is in a nursing home, isn’t doing well; she isn’t expected to live more than six months at the most. It’s sad, but not entirely unexpected.

I did a whole bunch of volunteer work at this point, probably a little over an hour or so, just because I got caught up in it (working on addiction treatment resources in Tennessee now). After dinner, I did my Duolingo and put dinner away, then headed upstairs to change and do a 20-minute PopSugar arms and abs workout. It was the first PopSugar workout I’ve ever done; I liked it, but I think I need to hit up the 30-minute ones, since the 20 felt too short! I showered and worked on this post for a bit, then I settled down with my book. My husband and I watched one episode of Deadly Women before bed.

 

And that’s it! Nothing huge so far this week…which is good. Tomorrow we go back to the counselor; I’m reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally hoping my daughter doesn’t explode like Old Faithful again, but I’ll have a bag with me just in case. *nervous laughter* Wish us luck!