What's Been Going On: Monday, 27 June - Wednesday, 30 June, 2022

It feels like this week, and this month, really, has passed by in an absolute blur, but I guess that’s just how summer goes when you’re an adult, eh? Especially when you’re a homeschooling parent (and I’m sure it’s similar for teachers, especially these days). Before I know it, we’ll be back to full days of school, but for now, I’m relishing every bit of the time off and the warm weather that I can.

That’s about all I have this morning, so here’s what I’ve been up to the last few days!

 

Monday, 27 June, 2022

After coffee, I wrote and posted Monday’s post, then posted my review for Unmask Alice by Rick Emerson over on my book blog. I loaded a review onto NetGalley, then did thirty minutes of volunteer work. I threw some beans into the Instant Pot, loaded the dishwasher and cleaned the kitchen, and took out the compost and recycling. And then I cleaned up the cup of milk my daughter had dumped all over the kitchen floor. She was a little more upset about that than I thought was normal, so I started making some plans.

I spent a little bit of time on the computer, and then, after lunch, we drove over to a local wildlife rehab and forest preserve. The inside building is still closed and has been since the pandemic started, but the trails, where they house some of the animals who can’t be sent back to nature, are still open, and it extends further back to include a pond and a sandhill crane enclosure (if you’ve ever heard those things scream, you’ll understand why they’re kept so far away from the other animals). We got to see a HUGE old turtle (I think it was a snapper. Not 100% on that, though) pretty up close and personal, which was awesome. We stood there and watched him for about ten minutes.

 

At home, I did thirty more minutes of volunteer work, then blended up the beans. I did a little bit of homeschool planning, threw together the tostadas, and got them in the oven for an early dinner. I did my Duolingo, and then my son and I went on a four-mile walk.

I took out the recycling and garbage and took the cans to the curb, then I put dinner away and showered. I read my ten pages of I and Thou by Martin Buber on the porch, showered, put my daughter to bed, and read my book. My husband and I watched two episodes of God’s Favorite Idiot before bed.

 

Tuesday, 28 June, 2022

After coffee and breakfast, I scooped the litterbox. I got dressed and ready, then posted my review for Since Sinai by Shannon Gonyou both on my book blog and on NetGalley. I emptied and refilled the dishwasher, and then my son and daughter and I walked over to my daughter’s old school to vote in the primaries. My mom used to take me with her to vote in every single election when I was younger. She provided a very good example in that area, so I always make sure I’m either there at the polls or sending in my vote-by-mail ballot on time.

Back home, I did thirty minutes of volunteer work, then looked through NetGalley and requested a book.  We had lunch, then I completed my last thirty minutes of volunteer work (and thus completing my work on resources in the state of Tennessee!). And then, even though it was SUPER hot and sunny, I went out to the garden to rage-rip weeds out and listen to the January 6^th committee hearing. Yiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiikes, is all I’m going to say. Also, I’ll say that my daughter had similar lack of control as a toddler, throwing things and lunging at people, and, uh, that’s not at all a compliment.

When I had done all I could take (which lasted throughout most of the hearing; I think there were only like five or ten minutes left when I came in – there were a LOT of weeds in the garden!), I cooled down for a bit, then made some Instant Pot Vegan Alfredo Sauce (everyone REALLY liked this. I thought it could’ve used a bit more garlic, but I think that about everything!). I used a bag of frozen cauliflower and the sauce ended up a little thin, but I thickened it with cornstarch, three tablespoons of it, and it was perfect then.

I read outside for a while, then cooked the pasta, sliced five pounds of strawberries, and took out the compost. We ate dinner, I did my Duolingo, then I went for a four-mile solo walk (this made a total of six miles for me this day, plus whatever I walked around the house). My heron friend was out at the pond!

 

I put dinner away, showered, read my ten pages of I and Thou, then started reading Worn Out by Alyssa Hardy, about the awfulness of the fashion industry (this is my latest book from NetGalley and it’s a great one!). My husband and I watched one episode of God’s Favorite Idiot, the last available, and went to bed a little early.

 

Wednesday, 29 June, 2022

After coffee and breakfast, I filled and ran the dishwasher, made out my grocery list, then got dressed and ready. My daughter and I headed across town to pick up her new glasses and they look ADORABLE on her. Perfect fit and shape for her face, and they match her toast-colored hair. SO cute. :)

We ran by the library afterwards, and while I kinda hadn’t expected to come home with anything, I of course came home with a stack of books. One is middle-grade fiction, typically a pretty quick read for me, and another is a graphic novel, so it shouldn’t take me too long to get through this new pile!

I emptied and refilled the dishwasher, then took out the recycling, and it was time for lunch. Afterwards, we read on the porch for a while, and when my son got home, we got gas and hit up three grocery stores. One store had some decent sales (barbecue sauce, which I needed, was only ninety-nine cents per bottle, and from another store, we got marked-down bags of fresh green beans). At home, I put the groceries away, took out the compost, and cooked the pizza. We had dinner, and then my son and I went on a three-mile walk. I did my Duolingo and showered, then I put my daughter to bed and continued reading my book. My husband and I watched the first episode of Stranger Things before bed.

 

And that’s it! I’ve got a bunch of blog post writing to do today, including a bunch of book reviews, so I’m going to try to get all of that done early on, but we’ll see. My daughter said she wanted to get started on third grade math and get ahead of the game, so we’re going to tackle a unit of that, and I REALLY need to wash and fold some laundry. SO behind on that.

I hope you’ve been having a good week so far!!!