What's Been Going On: Thursday, 5 May - Sunday, 8 May, 2022

Happy belated Mother’s Day to the moms out there! It was a lovely weekend around here. Sunny at least one of the days, and still cool, but I got to read outside on my swing!!!! That alone makes life like 84% better. I hope your weekend was also as delightful!

So, even though it was still like 50 and rainy here on Friday, by Tuesday it’s going to be in the upper 80’s. Oh, Midwest, you just can’t give us a lovely, gradual warm-up, can you? But I’m not complaining. I will read outside as I slowly bake to death in hellfire temperatures if that’s what we’re offered here. I just like being outside. : )

I love the second half of the week. It’s always so much more relaxed: my volunteer work is done, the grocery shopping and major errands are done, and it feels like things are so much less hectic. (Maybe it doesn’t seem that way, but it definitely feels like it!)

Here’s what I was up to the second half of last week!

 

Thursday, 5 May, 2022

After coffee and breakfast, I wrote and posted Thursday’s post, then got some beans in the Instant Pot. I got dressed, and then it was time to start school!

We began with On This Day in History and geography (Mozambique), did a unit of math, and did spelling and language arts. We read one-and-a-half chapters of Be the Change, and then it was time for lunch.

I scooped the litterbox, got the dishes into the dishwasher, and started a load of laundry. We watched an episode of Horrible Histories, read two chapters of our history book, and finished that half chapter of Be the Change. We read one Hans Christian Andersen story, read some fashion history, and then did our 30 minutes of Read Harder/silent reading. We did our 15 minutes of journal writing, and then my daughter opened a package my childhood friend sent her (our daughters play together via FaceTime from time to time!). She was super thrilled to receive a Calico Critters toy and a dissecting frog (not a real frog, of course!).

My friend, who also does ceramics, also sent me these! The clown, while absolutely terrifying, is a LONG-running joke between us. The lemon is in my kitchen now, where it brightens everything up. :)

 

While my daughter dissected, I chopped up some sweet potatoes and got them into the air fryer, then I blended the beans into refried beans. I looked for some library books on the library’s website, and then it was time for dinner, sweet potato and refried bean burritos.

I did my Duolingo, showered, then put dinner away. I picked up my knitting and got to work, and then I logged in to the virtual book talk with Riva Lehrer, artist and author of Golem Girl. Even being in virtual community with so many other Jewish women felt extremely calming, and I deeply enjoyed her talk. I read for a bit after the talk was over, and my husband and I watched an episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

 

Friday, 6 May, 2022

After coffee, I wrote out my Friday post and got dressed and ready. We started our school day with On This Day in History and geography (Myanmar), then did math, spelling, and a whoooooole lot of language arts.

We stopped for a quick early lunch, and then we were off to an appointment with the counselor, followed by my daughter’s yearly check-up with her doctor. All is well! We celebrated by going to Trader Joe’s and picking up some fruit leather along with a few sides for dinner. At home, I loaded and ran the dishwasher, and we watched an episode of Horrible Histories. I did some computer stuff (including applying to be a paid book reviewer. Just a few books a month and so the pay isn’t high. I don’t think I’ll get it, but since you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, I had to try, right?).

I brought in the fake chicken from the garage freezer and brought up toilet paper from the basement, then got our dinner going. After dinner, I biked for 30 minutes, showered, and did my Duolingo, then pulled out my knitting. Virtual Shabbat services were lovely as always, and then I hung out on the computer for a bit and also wrote a book review. My husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed

 

Saturday, 7 May, 2022

After coffee and some computer stuff, I got dressed and headed off to the Science Surplus store alone. My daughter had decided that she wasn’t sure if she could keep herself from having a tantrum there (like last time), so she and my husband went to the garden center instead. I needed their pack of dry erase markers for our schoolwork, and then I also picked up something I’ve been eyeing there for years: a mortar and pestle. There have been so many times when I’ve thought, “You know, a mortar and pestle would come in *really* handy right now,” and it turns out, it does! My onion powder *always* ends up in hard clumps (I once ruined an entire food processor trying to save the bottle of onion powder), and I was able to grind the entire bottle down in minutes! Check this out:

 

Since I was out, I also stopped by Walmart; my daughter’s math assignment Monday calls for toothpicks and we had none. I of course also brought home something from the marked-down baked goods shelf! : )

At home, I emptied and refilled the dishwasher, then took out the compost and recycling. After lunch, I grabbed my foldable chair and went outside to read in the sunshine the rest of the afternoon. I finished reading The Matzah Ball, and then went in to make tostadas with some leftover refried beans. I started reading The Girls in the Wild Fig Tree by Nice Leng’ete, and after dinner and Duolingo, I went for a 4-mile walk.

 

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

 

Sunday, 8 May, 2022

Happy Mother’s Day! My daughter had the idea to bring me breakfast in bed, so I was surprised with this:

 

After breakfast, I made coffee (I’m the only coffee drinker in the house, so no one else knows how I make mine), I did some computer things and wrote part of a book review. I did a few outside things, like sweeping up where my husband and daughter had planted their flowers Saturday, and then it was time for lunch.

I ran across town and picked up a decent-sized bag of yarn from Freecycle:

 

And when my daughter finished lunch, she and I were off to the library. She got more Judy Moody and Rainbow Fairy books, and I got a stack for myself:

 

It was still a little cool out (mid-60’s, but cloudy and breezy), but I didn’t care, because my husband had brought my swing out of the garage, so I threw on some sweatpants, brought out a blanket and pillow, and my daughter and I spent the rest of the afternoon swinging and reading! I finished The Girls in the Wild Fig Tree and started reading The Kissing Bug.

We ordered Indian food for dinner, and while my husband went to pick it up, I chatted with my mom on the phone. Dinner was awesome (I miss the days of the Indian buffet, but alas…), and I did my Duolingo afterwards, then showered my daughter. I showered myself, and I finished reading The Kissing Bug. My husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before going to bed.

 

And that’s it! We may actually have some record highs here this week. I’m just happy we’ll be able to do our afternoon schoolwork outside on the swing. We’ll drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and put up a sheet on the canopy for extra sun protection, but it’ll be so nice to be OUTSIDE!!!

Nothing on the schedule this week, with the exception of the counselor on Friday, so it’ll be just the usual. Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead! : )