What's Been Going On: Monday, 16 May - Wednesday, 18 May, 2022

First half of the week is done! I always enjoy it when I get past Wednesday. I usually have all my volunteer work done, or close to done; the errands are done; I can spend the next four days relaxing and being not-quite so busy. Because the first half of the week is always just a blur of exhaustion and constant motion around here. Not necessarily something I planned, just how it works out. Homeschooling is awesome, but it definitely adds a ton of work and takes up most of my day! I envy the people with kids who are more self-motivated and can do their work without Mom prodding them with a stick every two seconds. If I weren’t directing every moment of my  daughter’s day, she would spend it all drawing unicorns in the margins of her papers (ASK ME HOW I KNOW THIS… :D).

Anyway, here’s what I’ve been up to so far this week!

 

Monday, 16 May, 2022

Up and at ‘em! I scooped the litterbox, had coffee, edited and posted Monday’s post, then edited and posted my review of The Kissing Bug by Daisy Hernández over on my book blog. I got dressed, emptied and refilled the dishwasher, and got my daughter downstairs to start school.

We started with On This Day in History and geography (New Zealand), then did a unit of math. We read through two books about camping (my daughter’s choice; she LOVES camping), and she took notes about what she felt was important, for a writing assignment. We discussed her writing assignment, and then she came up with a topic sentence for her writing. We read more of our book about fair trade, and then we read a book of random facts, which she really liked.

After lunch, I chopped some onions and a red pepper. I did 40 minutes of volunteer work, partly while my daughter watched an episode of Horrible Histories. We took our books out to the swing and started reading: A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: The Poetry of Mister Rogers, Wild Girl by Helen Skelton, Not One Damsel in Distress by Jane Yolen, Why Is Art Full of Naked People (this is such a fun book about art!), and then we did our 30 minutes of Read Harder/silent reading.

My son and I gathered a bunch of boxes and bags for Goodwill and loaded them into the car, then we dropped them off and went next door to Sam’s Club, where I bought toilet paper, garlic, and soap (and something else, but I can’t remember what!). We dropped off books at the library, then went home.

I emptied and refilled the dishwasher, took out the recycling, started the pasta boiling, took out the trash, and hauled the cans to the curb. I did 30 more minutes of volunteer work, had dinner, and did my Duolingo. My son and I went on a 3-ish mile walk.

I showered my daughter, showered myself, put her to bed, read my book, and my husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

 

Tuesday, 17 May, 2022

Gratulerer med dagen! This was Norway’s national day. Lots of big celebrations there!

I had coffee, then emptied and refilled the dishwasher. I chopped and sauteed a batch of onions, peppers, and garlic, then got some taco-spiced lentils into the Instant Pot. I wiped down the counters, swept the kitchen floor, took out the compost, and got dressed. After starting a load of laundry, I ran the dishwasher and put the blankets back on the couch. I swept the living room and kitchen (again!) and wiped out the bathroom sink, and then it was time for school.

We started with On This Day in History and geography (Nicaragua), and then it was on to math, spelling, and writing. I emptied and refilled the dishwasher, switched and hung the laundry, folded the laundry already hanging and put it away while my daughter did her math problems.

Part of the fun of homeschooling is you can arrange your schedule to make it work for you, so off we all went to buy my son a MUCH-needed pair of shoes. As luck would have it, the used bookstore is right next door, and my daughter came home with a stack of books from a series about fairies that she really likes, and they were all from the discount rack! Talk about a stroke of good luck. I came home with A Day Apart: Shabbat at Home by Noam Sachs Zion and Shawn Fields-Meyer, and God Was In This Place and I, I Did Not Know: Finding Self, Spirituality, and Ultimate Meaning by Lawrence Kushner.

At home, we had lunch, then took our books out to the swing. We read more poetry by Mister Rogers, more social justice in shopping, a story from Not One Damsel in Distress, more Wild Girl, and then we took our books inside, since it was getting cool. We read our art book, and then it was time for 30 minutes of Read Harder/silent reading.

I dozed for a few minutes afterwards, then got a batch of cilantro lime rice into the rice cooker. I did around 50 minutes of volunteer work, and after dinner (homemade Chipotle bowls), I walked 3-ish miles with my son. I put dinner away, showered, put my daughter to bed, read my book, and my husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

 

Wednesday, 18 May, 2022

After coffee and 40+ minutes of volunteer work, I made out my grocery list, got the dishes into the dishwasher, wiped down the counters, got dressed, and scooped the litterbox. And then school!

We did On This Day in History and geography (Niger), then math. And then it was time for my daughter to edit her essay. She was really upset by the idea of the process of editing (“Isn’t it already perfect???”), and this took the rest of the morning, but she did a great job! Here’s what she wrote:

            “There’s lots of rules to follow when you go camping. You should bring food and clean the             crumbs. Place them in Ziploc bags and keep away from animals. Bring water and don’t forget to take      bug spray. Check the weather and don’t go if it’s going to rain. Bring a nature guide book. Never             feed animals. If you follow the rules, you might have a fun time and you’ll be safe.”

Not bad for a first attempt at writing an essay! Writing is going to be a BIG focus for us this upcoming year, so I’m pleased with where she’s starting.

We had lunch and did a little bit of reading afterwards, but I have a really obnoxious sore spot on the side of my tongue that rubs against my teeth when I talk, and I had pretty much  reached the limit of what I could take, so we spent the last part of our afternoon watching educational videos (one about the problem with stuff, and a bunch from the YouTube channel HomeschoolPop, which we both enjoy). When my husband came home, I made my daughter read her essay out loud for practice, and then my son and I went for groceries.

SO much fruit this week! Bananas, apples, plums, marked-down mandarins and marked-down nectarines. This was the biggest grocery trip I’d done in a while, so it cost a bit more than normal. We hit up all three stores, and at home, I put the pizza in the oven and put the groceries away.

After dinner, I did my Duolingo, and my son and I went on a 3-ish mile walk. Check out the parents taking their babies out for an evening swim! There are three sets of parents and babies at the pond: two duck families and one Canadian goose family. The babies are ridiculously fluffy and adorable!!!

 

At home, I showered, then crawled into bed and finished reading The Big Tiny: A Built-It-Myself Memoir by Dee Williams, then started reading A Beginner’s Guide to Paradise: 9 Steps to Giving Up Everything So You Too Can: Move to a South Pacific Island, Wear a Loincloth, Read a Hundred Books, Diaper a Baby Monkey, Build a Bungalow, and Maybe, Just Maybe, Fall in Love by Alex Sheshunoff. My husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

 

And that’s it! It was 61 degrees yesterday, today is going to be 87. That’s okay, as long as I can get outside in some aspect, I’m happy, even if I sweat half to death. Over 70 degrees, though, and I have to bring my water bottle with me when I walk. My old body needs that extra hydration when it gets warm out! I’ll likely have a phone call at some point today with my daughter’s counselor. He’s feeling better and never tested positive for COVID, fortunately, so we’ll be seeing him (masked!) tomorrow. We’re going to try to work out some strategies to deal with her stubbornness without her there. Wish me luck…

I hope you’re all having a wonderful week so far!!!