What's Been Going On: Monday, 29 August, 2022 - Wednesday, 31 August, 2022

Another super busy week!

It’s toasty here again. Not surprising; it’s usually gross this time of year. The highs the next few day are going to be in the upper 80’s, which is actually cool compared to what I’m seeing from other people around the country. Eek! If you’re in the path of this awful heatwave, be careful. Stay cool, and keep yourself hydrated.

School is going well; some days are better than others, but so far (knock on wood), we’re having more good days than bad days, and that’s not nothing. Our afternoons are pretty great; we get all the intense, harder subjects out of the way in the morning, so afternoons are spent with a pile of science, history, and geography books, and we read, read, read! I love it, and my daughter does, too.

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

 

Monday, 29 August, 2022

I got dressed, had breakfast and coffee, then posted my review for A Place at the Table by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan over at my book blog. I finished writing and then posted Monday’s post. I did thirty minutes of volunteer work, got a batch of lentils in the Instant Pot, filled and ran the dishwasher, scooped the litterbox, and then it was time for school.

We started our day with On This Day in History, geography (Paraguay), and a few paragraphs about Henry Hudson. Math…did not go well. My daughter moaned, complained, and dragged her feet for two hours through math she knows how to do. Afterwards, we did a unit of Language Arts and then some spelling.

After lunch we read A World of Wonders by J. Patrick Lewis, chapter 1 of 10 Rivers That Shaped the World by Marilee Peters (the Awash River), chapter 4 of Around the World in 100 Years (Columbus. Ugh), pages 77-94 of Before Columbus, and chapter 5 of History Smashers: The Mayflower. My daughter wrote out her spelling words and her vocabulary, and then started on her math worksheets while I went into the kitchen.

I emptied and refilled the dishwasher, sauteed an onion, and made a lentil loaf and a salad. The loaf went into the oven, and I took out the recycling and compost, then I sat down to do more volunteer work while my daughter moaned and complained her way through her math. My husband ended up coming upstairs and she let him help her (she was refusing my help; she often sees me as the bad guy in this situation since I’m the one ‘making’ her do this work). I ended up getting my remaining hour and a half of volunteer work done while she was doing her math. (Math took up about FOUR HOURS of our day. Actual math work: ~30 minutes. Moaning and complaining about doing the work: 3.5 hours. Not even joking.)

After dinner, I filled and ran the dishwasher, took out the trash and recycling, put dinner away, replaced the trash bag, and hauled the cans to the curb. I did my Duolingo, then went on a 2.1-mile walk with my husband and daughter, who definitely needed to get outside!

I showered, then finished reading The Outside World by Tova Mirvis, and started reading Hitler’s Furies by Wendy Lower. My husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

 

Tuesday, 30 August, 2022

After breakfast and coffee, I got dressed, then brought in the frozen butternut squash from the garage freezer. I made a batch of butternut squash tomato soup in the Instant Pot, took out the compost, swept the kitchen, emptied and refilled the dishwasher, and got a batch of bread dough started in the bread machine. I wrote out the day’s math and language arts worksheets (we don’t own a printer), and it was time to get school started.

We started with On This Day in History, geography (Peru), and a few paragraphs about the beginnings of slavery in the US. Math went super fast today and there were no issues whatsoever! We did a unit of language arts and spelling, and then it was time for lunch.

I got the dough into rolls to rise, and then we got back to work. We read pages 1-23 of Atlas of Adventure by Rachel Williams, chapters 5 and 6 of Around the World in 100 Years, chapter 2 of 10 Rivers That Shaped the World (the Tigris and Euphrates), and finished Before Columbus. We read chapter 6 of History Smashers: The Mayflower, and my daughter did her spelling practice, and then school was done EARLY!!! (The rolls had baked somewhere in here.)

We tidied up our school stuff, and then it was off to the library, where I grabbed a book that was on my ebook list (but was no longer available as an ebook through my library), plus another book on my list. I read almost all 20 pages of my daily bit of Come and Hear while we were there. At home, I relaxed for a few minutes on the computer, then blended the soup, and my son and I were off on a 4.1-mile walk.

We ate dinner, I did my Duolingo, put together the worksheets for the next day, and showered. I put my daughter to bed, read my remaining pages of Come and Hear, then continued reading Hitler’s Furies. My husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

 

Wednesday, 31 August, 2022

After coffee and breakfast, I made out my grocery lists, emptied and refilled the dishwasher, got dressed, and then we started school.

We started with On This Day in History, geography (the Philippines), and a few paragraphs about the Pilgrims. Math was so-so this day; she dragged her feet and complained during the lesson, but got through the work just fine. Language Arts went swimmingly; I was really pleased with her explanatory paragraph about Nasreen’s Secret School. We did some music practice; I’m teaching her the recorder, and she loves it so far!

We paused for lunch, then spent the afternoon doing art together. I started out trying to draw one thing, but it didn't work out at all; I'm no artist, and I'm still very much in the learning stages of figuring out how to draw at all. But then I tried something else, and ended up with some flowers and a slightly lopsided gnome. I don't hate it. : )

My daughter worked on making a giant piece of art: turning our living room into a jungle. She has such big ideas. : )

My husband was a little later than normal, so my daughter and I ran over to the library to pick up a book they had in for me (the last ebook on my list! The ebook wait is something like 258 days, so I opted for the physical copy). While we were there, we also picked up a bunch of new science books, a science video, and a bunch of other books for me. A super awesome library trip!

My husband got home not long after we did, so my son and I took off then. We hit up three different grocery stores (we got marked-down apples and tomatoes; potatoes were finally on sale – one type – and at a slightly more acceptable price – another type; clementines were finally both on sale AND in stock!), and returned books at a different library, then came home to put everything away and cook the pizza. I ate dinner, wrote out this post, then did my Duolingo. I showered, finished reading Come and Hear on the porch read my regular book in bed, and my husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

 

And that’s it! I’m up SUPER early this morning with a stress-related headache. It’s another busy day here; along with school and all the usual jazz, I’m going over to watch my nephew tonight while my sister-in-law has parent-teacher conferences at her school. He and my daughter will play, masked, outside, so we’re still being safe and taking precautions, and I don’t mind helping out. It’s nice to be able to lend a hand. Wish me luck for a good day in our schoolwork, though; I never know what kind of day I’ll get around here!

Have a wonderful end of the week, friends! : )

What's Been Going On: Monday, 22 August - Wednesday, 25 August, 2022

Hello, hello! School is going well here so far!

We’ve had a few blips in the road; math and Language Arts were a little tough the few days, not gonna lie. My daughter was a little resistant, and of course, the work is a little harder this year. Third grade writing is a lot more intense than second grade, and I have big expectations for her. But we’re hanging in there, and Wednesday went SO well, even the tough parts. I think we’ll eventually get into a smoother pattern altogether, but there were bound to be a few bumps in the road in the beginning no matter what.

It’s been hard finding time to squeeze everything in. I’ve basically been in constant motion from the moment my feet hit the ground, and I don’t get a break until usually 7:30 or 8pm. It’s exhausting, but it’s worth it. It’s good work. : )

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

 

Monday, 22 August, 2022

 

After getting dressed, I had coffee and breakfast, then finished and posted Monday’s post. I posted my review for Idiot’s Guide: Foraging by Mark Vorderbruggen over on my book blog, then scooped the dishwasher, and emptied and refilled the dishwasher. I did a half hour of volunteer work, and then it was time to get all the pictures done for the grandparents and various social media outlets.And then, school!

We started our day with On This Day in History, geography (Pakistan), and a new brief reading from a daily history book (Leif Ericson). For math, we covered G3M1L8, then moved into Language Arts, covering G3M1U1L1. This took for-ev-er, and my daughter didn’t have the greatest attitude about it (third grade work is a lot more intense and writing/thinking-heavy than second grade, so she really has to step up her game here, and it’s HARD for the kids to make this transition!). We took a break for lunch, worked through it a little, and had it conquered by the time her plate of leftovers was empty.

We read twenty pages of Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann, and we measured out, on the driveway and in string, what a 16-foot tapeworm (that apparently enjoyed making their homes in the intestines of certain indigenous children’s intestines) looked like. We read Fossils by Peter Mavrikis, then read 25 pages of Fossils by Ann Squire. We read (and loved!) North Pole, South Pole by Nancy Levinson, then dove into the first chapter of History Smashers: The Mayflower by Kate Messner, where we took turns reading. I walked my daughter through her spelling; she wrote out her words afterwards. Then she copied some definitions of vocabulary into her vocab notebook, and we cleaned up the living room.

 

And off to the library, which was the carrot I was dangling in front of my daughter all day. It worked out, because I ended up having two interlibrary loan books in. After we checked those out, I picked up a prescription at Walgreens, and then it was home to write about my day and do another 30 minutes of volunteer work. I reheated dinner, and we had leftover black bean soup and grilled cheese for dinner, and I did my Duolingo, took out the recycling and the trash. My husband and daughter and I went on a 2.5 mile walk with my husband and daughter (crowded streets this night! Lots of people out for a walk with their doggos). I hauled the cans to the curb, showered, and read my book; my husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed. Slightly better sleep this night!

 

Tuesday, 23 August, 2022

After getting dressed, I had breakfast and coffee, then posted my review for In Pain by Travis Rieder on my book blog. I did thirty minutes of volunteer, filled and ran the dishwasher, and got our school books ready, then it was time to begin!

The morning was full of math and Language Arts, followed by spelling practice. We broke for a quick lunch, I got some beans in the Instant Pot, and then it was back to work! We read more of Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann, finished Fossils by Ann Squire, then read half of Fantastic Fossils by Rob Stone. We read another chapter of History Mashers: The Mayflower, my daughter wrote out her spelling words and read to my husband, and I headed to the kitchen, to empty and refill the dishwasher.

 I made an Instant Pot full of enchilada rice with black beans, read twenty pages of Come and Hear out on the porch, then went upstairs to read but ended up dozing a bit instead. My son and I walked four miles, I had dinner, put the rest of dinner away, and I wrote out the pages for the next day’s math and Language Arts. I did my Duolingo then showered and put my daughter to bed. I read my book, my husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects, and I had another awful night of sleep. Eurgh!

 

Wednesday, 24 August, 2022

 

I woke up when my husband left at 5 am, but after reading a few pages of my book, I managed to fall back asleep. I woke back up at 6:30, got dressed, and then it was time for breakfast, coffee, and 30 more minutes of volunteer work. I made out my grocery list, then posted my review for I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day on my book blog. I filled and ran the dishwasher, then it was time for school.

 We did a unit of math, and a unit of Language Arts. The first two days of the week, there was some foot-dragging, whining and complaining, the usual spiel. On this day, I figured out a trick for getting through to my daughter with math that I don’t know how long is going to work, but I’m going to run with it as long as I can, because there was ZERO whining or complaining this day, and Language Arts went off without a hitch as well! SO enjoyable when that happens.

 And then it was music time. I played the recorder for YEARS as a kid; I played at religious services, I played in recitals, I played with a madrigal group. It wasn’t the usual Hot Cross Buns nonsense; the recorder is actually a beautiful instrument when played properly, and I figured my daughter is old enough to start learning, so we began her musical adventure with the recorder. She’s just starting to get comfortable holding it and figuring out how her fingers need to cover the holes (and where on her fingers need to be covering the holes!). She did so well and she really enjoyed it. I was so proud!

 We had a quick lunch, and then it was art time! My daughter made a few different drawings; I finished one I’d started earlier in the year. The text on the right comes from Amos 5:24: But let justice well up like water, righteousness like an unfailing stream.

My son and I left for groceries when my husband got home, and we stopped by three stores. We got some marked-down cheese, marked-down milk, and marked-down bagels. We also dropped off some books at a neighboring library. At home, I put the groceries away, baked the pizza, and finished the last few details of my drawing. We ate dinner, I worked on this post, did my Duolingo, then put together the next day’s math and LA. I showered, read my book, and my husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

 

And that’s it! I’m absolutely loving the way our Wednesday school is structured. I missed having time to do art and music last year, so I knew I had to pick at day where we got that in there. We’re still doing math and Language Arts on that day, so we can get all the work done throughout the school year (and maybe even finish a little ahead of time!), but our afternoons are free for the arts, and my daughter loves that as well. It’s nice to have a little bit of a mid-week breather!

 

I hope you’re all having a lovely week as well. : )

What's Been Going On: Monday, 15 August - Wednesday, 18 August, 2022

Happy Thursday! We’ve got a two-day heat wave passing through, and then things settle back into the comfortable 70’s, so that’s nice. We’ve been busy cleaning, organizing, and getting ready for the start of school Monday. Quite a few places around us have started already; my nephew went back on Wednesday. My daughter’s former school doesn’t start until the upcoming Wednesday, but we’ll get a head start on them and get the full week in when we start on Monday. Her grandma is already looking to the ‘not’ back to school photo! 

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

Monday, 15 August, 2022

After another terrible night of sleep (but thankfully the last of that string!), I had coffee, then finished writing and posted Monday’s post. I did 30 minutes of volunteer work, edited and posted my review of The Book of Elsie by Joanne Levy over on my book blog, got dressed and ready, and then my daughter and I were off to Walmart, where we bought cat food, cheese, and a marked-down pie. 

At home, I emptied and refilled the dishwasher, made an Instant Pot full of cauliflower potato soup (hadn’t made this in a while, had all the ingredients, and it sounded good!), made a batch of oatmeal rolls, then made a batch of fried rice with some leftover rice I had in the fridge. Good call there, because it was SO good!

After lunch, I took on the compost and got the rolls on trays to rise, then I read on the porch: two chapters of The Explosive Child, and I started reading A Place at the Table by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan. I did another 30 minutes of volunteer work, had dinner, did my Duolingo,  took out the garbage, went on a 4-mile walk alone (sniff!), took the garbage and recycling to the curb, and put dinner away. After a shower, I put my daughter to bed, finished reading A Place at the Table and started reading Give a Sh*t by Ashlee Piper. My husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

Tuesday, 16 August, 2022

I scooped the litterbox (you’re welcome, kitty!), then had coffee and edited and posted my review for Outdoor Kids in an Inside World by Steven Rinella. I did 30 minutes of volunteer work, got dressed and ready, filled the dishwasher, then hung out on the computer until my son was ready, and it was off to his school, where he finally fully signed up for classes! Success! He won’t start until next month, but it’s a relief knowing he’s in.

After he finished there, we stopped by Five Below for a charging cable, and then it was home for lunch. I did my last 30 minutes of volunteer work, then read out on the porch, finishing The Explosive Child and reading all of When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed. My daughter and I stopped at the library for more books for her; I also came home with two books, both of which are from my TBR list and one which was also on my ebook list! I prefer to read nonfiction on paper if I can, so I was happy to grab a paper copy of this.

At home, I filled and ran the dishwasher, then reheated last night’s soup, since it was a soup and grilled cheese night. After we ate, I did my Duolingo, and my son and I went on 3.2 mile walk. I showered, read my book, and my husband and I watched one Unusual Suspects before bed.

Wednesday, 17 August, 2022

After coffee, I made out my grocery list, posted my review for Pressure Cooker on my book blog, emptied and refilled the dishwasher, took out the compost and recycling, then deep-cleaned the kitchen, including scrubbing out the sink and scrubbing off the stove top. I started a load of laundry, tidied and swept the living room (with my daughter’s help on both!), then it was out to read on the porch. I was delighted to get a phone call from the library; I won the summer reading program’s gardening kit! My daughter covered herself in mud (don’t ask…), so I hosed her down in the shower before lunch. 

After we ate, we went to the library so I could pick up my prize:

And then we got our first stack of books for school!

At home, my daughter and I started our first foray into the We Interrupt This Broadcast book, reading about and listening to the broadcast of the Hindenburg Disaster. (Surprisingly rough to listen to!). My son and I went for groceries after my husband got home; we stopped by three stores, did a library return, and I picked up my husband’s prescription from Walgreens. Two stores were out of items they had advertised, so I may try to hit them up on another day. C’est la vie.

I put the groceries away, filled and ran the dishwasher, cooked the garlic knots and pizza, and worked on this post while they cooked. We ate dinner, I did my Duolingo, showered, put my daughter to bed, then read my book. My husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

And that’s it! We’re collecting more books for school today at a library a few towns away. Monday will be here before we know it, and we’ll be ready! I’m excited. Have I mentioned that? I’m really looking forward to this school year. If it were up to me, we’d start today! My daughter would never let me get away with THAT, though. : )

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

What's Been Going On: Monday, 8 August - Wednesday, 10 August, 2022

Hello, slightly cooler weather! Yesterday was a little toasty, but Tuesday was absolutely beautiful out (Monday was also cooler, but it rained most of the day). We’ve got a string of cooler days for a bit, and it’ll be so nice to have the AC off and the windows open for a bit. I appreciate the air conditioning, but I really love having the windows open.

It’s been a nice week so far; nothing too intense, which I can always appreciate! Hopefully things are chill where you’re at all well; with school starting soon, life is going to get a little crazier around here. : )

Here’s what I’ve been up to the last few days!

 

Monday, 8 August, 2022

After coffee, I wrote and posted Monday’s post, then I edited and posted a review for Koshersoul by Michael W. Twitty over on my book blog. I got dressed and ready, emptied and refilled the dishwasher, then made a batch of taco-spiced lentils in the Instant Pot. I made a batch of guacamole, and then it was off to my son’s school, where he met with a counselor who was infinitely more helpful than the last. He’s got his four classes picked out; now it’s just a matter of figuring out which class to schedule when. I read my book in the car while we waited.

At home, we had lunch, then I did an hour of volunteer work, then I sauteed a batch of onions, garlic, peppers, and zucchini, then I took the compost out. I tried to lie down, since I had a bit of a headache, but my daughter was chatting with her cousin on her kindle, and napping was impossible, so I had an extra cup of coffee, which helped. I messed around on the computer for a bit, then made some rice in the rice cooker and tidied up the kitchen table and various other things in the kitchen. There’s always something to clean, right?

After dinner (homemade Chipotle bowls), I did my Duolingo, and my son and I went on a 2.5-mile walk. I put dinner away, showered, then put my daughter to bed (we started reading Tilly and the Bookwanderers by Anna James). I read my book, and my husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

 

Tuesday, 9 August, 2022

After coffee, I posted my review for The Survival List by Courtney Sheinmel on my book blog. I did an hour of volunteer work, got dressed and ready, then my daughter and I ran to Aldi to grab a few things we were out of that couldn’t wait, like milk and tortillas. At home, I scooped the litterbox, filled and ran the dishwasher, and started a load of laundry. Then I folded and put away TWO very large baskets full of laundry.

After lunch, I emptied and refilled the dishwasher, made some refried beans in the Instant Pot, and then my daughter and I read out on the porch until my dad and his wife showed up. We visited with them for a good long while outside, and after they left, I took my daughter to the library – she had won the $50 Target gift card that was a prize for their summer reading program! What a sweet deal! She was absolutely thrilled, and both of us came home with a few extra books. : )

At home, I tidied various things around the house and blended the beans. We had dinner (burritos made from leftovers!), then I did my Duolingo, and my son and I took advantage of the nice cool weather and walked 4 miles. I showered, started reading both The Explosive Child by Ross Greene and As If On Cue by Marisa Kanter, then my husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

 

Wednesday, 10 August, 2022

After coffee and breakfast, I got dressed, emptied and refilled the dishwasher, then took out the compost, trash, and recycling. I did a bunch of research on the computer for something I’m considering writing, then read to my daughter for a bit.

After lunch, I hung out on the computer, watching some music videos performance videos with my daughter and helping her with her drawing (mostly just encouragement; she gets really down on herself when things don’t turn out the way she wants them to). When my husband got home, my son and I got gas, returned library books, then hit up three grocery stores. Grocery shopping wasn’t bad this week. No huge deals, but nothing super expensive either, so these days, that’s a win!

I put the groceries away and cooked the pizza, then worked on this post for a bit. After dinner, I did my Duolingo, showered, and then did some work on the computer. I put my daughter to bed, read my book, and my husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

 

And that’s it! Today, we’re having a picnic with my mom as a belated birthday celebration for me, which should be fun. We’re going to a local forest preserve, so after we eat, we’ll walk around. It’s only supposed to be in the 70’s today, so hurray for not sweating half to death!

Wishing you all a great week! : )

What's Been Going On: Monday, 1 August - Wednesday, 3 August, 2022

Good morning! It’s been such a calm, relaxing morning around here that I almost forgot about this post! Nothing much going on, but I got dinner into the Instant Pot, then sat down for a few moments before getting dressed and went, “Wait, it’s Thursday! Oh my goodness!” So here I am, doing up this post before we head off to the library (of course!).

It’s been a pretty quiet week here so far. We’re just soaking up the last lazy days of summer; school will start for us on the 22^nd, so we’re literally counting down the days. We’ll make a trip to a library or two a few days before school starts to round up the books we’ll start with, and then the real fun will begin. : )

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

 

Monday, 1 August, 2022

After breakfast and coffee, I edited and posted Monday’s post, then finished writing and posted my monthly book blog update. I got dressed and ready, and my daughter and I hopped into the car for a quick Freecycle pickup across town, an unused Burt’s Bee’s product which I had just run out of. Talk about good luck!

At home, I emptied and refilled the dishwasher, took out the compost and recycling, and then it was upstairs to go through my daughter’s closet. We went through everything, and weeded out two garbage bags of too-small clothes, which I’ll put up on Freecycle soon. We finally went through the new-to-her clothes I had gotten from Freecycle earlier this year and figured out what fit now, and what stayed in the bag for later. PHEW! This took until lunchtime, a late lunch on this day!

After lunch, I chopped and steamed a cauliflower, then chopped some zucchini and carrots to steam after the cauliflower. I helped my daughter go through some of her books that I’d weeded out; she decided what to keep, and the rest (which was most of them) will go to a local organization that collects books for low-income schools and schools in other countries (and recycles the unusable books) whenever I get some boxes.

I did an hour of volunteer work, prepared dinner (a curry with jarred sauce and tofu), then FINISHED homeschool prep for the year and loaded it onto a Google doc, so I’ll be able to access it from my phone wherever I’m at (like the library). I ate dinner, took the garbage out, and my son and I did a 3.3 mile walk. We hauled the cans to the road when we got back.

I put dinner away, did my Duolingo, showered, and read my book. My husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

 

Tuesday, 2 August, 2022

I filled and ran the dishwasher, then had breakfast and coffee. I got dressed and ready, posted my review for What I Like About You by Marisa Kanter on my book blog, started a load of laundry, and then it was time to run my son over to his school, where he met with a counselor (he’s got to go back today, to another office which wasn’t open on Tuesday). It didn’t take very long; my daughter and I read our books in the car while we waited for him.

We ordered lunch from a local nacho place, picked it up, and ate at home. I emptied the dishwasher, took out the compost, and made a large batch of breadcrumbs from all the bread ends that had built up (and toasted my hand a little! Not too bad, fortunately, and it’s all better now). I did another hour of volunteer work, picked up a prescription from Walgreens, picked up a library book that had come in, and finished going through a cookbook from a different library.

After dinner, my son and I did a 3.3 mile walk. I did my Duolingo, put dinner away, showered, put my daughter to bed, and read my book. My husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

 

Wednesday, 3 August, 2022

After coffee, I edited and posted my review for Refugee High by Elly Fishman on my book blog. I made out my grocery list, got dressed and ready, filled and ran the dishwasher, took out the recycling and compost, then wiped down the countertops.  

I switched the laundry and read with my daughter, then spent some time on the computer and helped my daughter with some things in her room. After lunch, I took out the compost, emptied and refilled the dishwasher, then swept the kitchen and living room. I read two chapters of Jesus and John Wayne out on the porch, and then it was time to leave for groceries!

We hit up three stores and returned books to two different libraries. No really great sales, and egg prices are back up again, sigh. At home, I put the groceries away, loaded the dishwasher, and cooked our pizza for dinner. After we ate, I showered, did my Duolingo, and read on the porch. I read upstairs, then snuggled with my daughter, who was having a rough night and was really down on herself. My husband and I didn’t watch anything; it was too late, so we just went to bed.

 

And that’s it! I’m going to run my son over to his school, and my daughter and I will visit a local library this afternoon. She’s blown through all of Raina Telgemeier’s books and wants something similar, so fingers crossed we’ll find that!

Wishing you all a great week and weekend!

What's Been Going On: Monday, 25 July - Wednesday, 27 July, 2022

Good morning! Quiet week around here so far, which is nice. I appreciate a good quiet week now and then. And check this out: my garden has produced ONE ZUCCHINI!!! Master gardener certification, here I come, haha!

The end of summer and the beginning of school are creeping up on us quickly. The first of several shipments of books for my daughter’s Language Arts curriculum arrived here this morning, and I spent yesterday getting together a list of books about various groups of Indigenous Americans (and written BY members of those groups!). I’m excited and looking forward to learning right along with her this year. I’ll do more prep this afternoon. Even that is enjoyable for me, although I’ve added a bunch of books to my own want-to-read list based on stuff I’ve found!

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

 

Monday, 25 July, 2022

After coffee, I wrote and posted Monday’s post, then edited and posted a review of several graphic novels over on my book blog. I emptied, filled, and ran the dishwasher, then got dressed and ready.

And then we started to had out the door to go to the library, but we realized very quickly that both my purse and my daughter’s carseat had gotten left in my husband’s car, which was in Chicago. Bummer! Instead, I did some dinner prep, then settled down for thirty minutes of volunteer work. I hung out on the computer for a little bit, then it was time for lunch.

After we ate, I did more dinner prep and took out the compost, then we read out on the porch, where I finished Outdoor Kids in an Inside World by Steven Rinella. When my husband got home, my daughter and I were finally able to make our library run, and we also stopped by the Dollar Tree, where I bought a new litterbox scoop to replace the one that broke.

We went home and I got the rice in the rice cooker. We had dinner – a lovely chickpea cauliflower curry – and then my son and I went on a three-mile walk. I put dinner away, did my Duolingo, and showered. I put my daughter to bed (we started reading A Picture for Marc by Eric A. Kimmel, about the artist Marc Chagall, a PJ Library selection), read and finished The Length of a String by Elissa Brent Weissman, then began reading Pressure Cooker: Why Home Cooking Won’t Save Us by Sarah Bowen, Joslyn Brenton, and Sinikka Elliott. My husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

 

Tuesday, 26 July, 2022

After coffee, I scooped the litterbox with my new scoop, then did an hour of volunteer work. I posted my review for Abby, Tried and True by Donna Gephart on my book blog, filled and ran the dishwasher, then got dressed and ready.  And then we were out the door on an adventure to a food co-op a half hour away, in search of bulk nutritional yeast, which I haven’t been able to find in AGES. And they had it!!! To say I was excited was an understatement. It’s a little bit of a pain to get to that store; there’s only on-street parking, which I loathe, but it’s worth it. Nutritional yeast is awesome!

At home, we had lunch and I took out the compost, then my daughter and I ran out to pick up a new-in-package set of sheets from Freecycle. I prepared dinner, Velvety Vegan Alfredo and a batch of green beans, and my son and I went on a four-mile walk. Everything is in bloom at the local flower garden!

I hung out on the computer while the pasta boiled, and we had dinner (I added spinach to the pasta sauce. I prefer that to broccoli), then I did my Duolingo, put dinner away, and showered. I had a BUNCH of computer issues and struggled to fix those, then finally went upstairs to read my book. My husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

 

Wednesday, 27 July, 2022

After coffee, I finished up my volunteer work for the week, then I made out my grocery list. I filled and ran the dishwasher, got dressed and ready, and had a quick breakfast, and then my daughter and I were out the door to the library…where we turned in our summer reading sheets and promptly forgot to pick up my interlibrary loan. DRAT!

At home, I did a bunch of homeschool prep, had an early lunch, and attended a Zoom webinar with author Menachem Kaiser, about his book Plunder, which is on my list but which I haven’t gotten to yet. I emptied and refilled the dishwasher, then did a ton more homeschool prep. My son and I left for groceries (whew. $$$$$); we hit up three stores, returned books at one library, and picked up my interlibrary loan at our local branch.

At home, I put the groceries away, threw together the salad, and cooked the pizza. We had dinner, I did my Duolingo, then I showered and read outside for a bit. I put my daughter to bed, read my book, and my husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

 

And that’s it! I’ll be doing more homeschool prep this weekend, along with catching up on book reviews again (four behind this time, plus I need to write all my monthly updates, eek!). Always so much to do!

Wishing you all a wonderful rest of the week! : )

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

Another toasty one coming up today! One of my weather apps is claiming that we have a chance for thunderstorms at some point in the day, so we’ll see. We could definitely use the rain!

It’s been a fairly quiet week here; not too much going on, and that’s been nice. I’m almost done with a house project; I’ll talk more about that below. One (almost) down; 48239473298432 to go! That’s how these things work.

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

 

Monday, 18 July, 2022

After coffee and breakfast, I edited and posted Monday’s post, then posted my review for Empty the Pews by Chrissy Stroop and Lauren O’Neal on my book blog. I did a half hour of volunteer work, emptied and refilled the dishwasher, scooped the litterbox, got dressed, and then loaded up the car with a bunch of bags and boxes. And then we were off!

We stopped first to pick up a can of air freshener from Freecycle (it was a few streets over; I wouldn’t have gone out of town for that!), then we stopped by Goodwill to drop off our pile of stuff. Feels so good to have all that out of the house! And then we were off to Ikea – again – and this time the paper I bought actually made it home with us. : D We also grabbed lunch from their café by the doors and ate in the car.

On the way home, we stopped by Sam’s Club to renew our membership (for whatever reason, the website refused to let me do it online; what a pain), and while we were there, I grabbed a bag of pancake and waffle mix and a container of Buffalo seasoning. At home, I chopped sweet potato and zucchini and got them into the Instant Pot to steam, then cooked a batch of mushrooms and made some tahini sauce. I did another half hour of volunteer work, got the rice in the rice cooker, then read outside for a while, and my daughter and I observed her nature spot in the yard. We had dinner – grain & veggie bowls with tahini sauce – and then my son and I went on a 4.13 mile walk, where we came across this totally stripped-down bird skeleton. Check this out!

 

At home, I took the garbage and recycling to the curb, did my Duolingo, and showered. I put my daughter to bed, read my book, and my husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

 

Tuesday, 19 July, 2022

After breakfast and coffee, I did an hour of volunteer work, then I lay down for a bit, because my head was threatening a nasty headache. When I felt better, I got up, filled and ran the dishwasher, then read on the porch while my daughter played outside. She wanted to go for a scooter ride around the block, so I followed her; she ended up falling off – just a few scrapes, nothing major – but we returned home so I could bandage her up.

After lunch, I spent a little time on the computer, and when my husband got home, I had to go renew the tags on the car. At home, I sautéed some onion and garlic and put together a baked pasta dish, then read out on the porch for a while (and put the pasta in the oven when it was time). My son and I had an early dinner, and then we went on a 3.37-mile walk. I showered, showered my sweaty daughter, then put her to bed. I read my book, and my husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

 

Wednesday, 20 July, 2022

After coffee, I made out my grocery list (I feel bad for the people who make up the sales flyers; even that must be getting to be a tough job, what with the lack of actual sales…). I started a load of laundry, filled the dishwasher, and took out the compost and recycling. I scrubbed off the stovetop, then ran both coffeemakers (the old one and the used one my mom gave me) on a vinegar cleaning cycle, followed by several just-water cycles.

I posted my review for Meet Me in Outer Space by Melinda Grace on my book blog, then I switched the laundry, and folded and put away one of my husband’s loads of laundry.

So, he usually does his own laundry, which is great, but he doesn’t fold it. And then he fills another laundry basket with his dirty laundry, and he’ll wash that…and then he doesn’t fold it. And then he’ll fill another laundry basket with his dirty laundry and eventually wash…but he doesn’t fold it, and then… You get the picture. Eventually, he runs out of baskets, and then he just throws his dirty laundry on the floor. It’s gotten to the point where, not only have I not had any laundry baskets at all for my laundry (whereas he’s been using FOUR AT A TIME), our bedroom floor has been entirely carpeted in dirty laundry and his “clean laundry” has sat in baskets stacked up to the top of his dresser, FOR OVER A YEAR. When our room is clean, it’s possible for me to do yoga or work out in there, but lemme tell you, doing downward-facing dog and having a pair of your husband’s dirty underwear six inches from your face is…unpleasant at best.

I got fed up with his ‘floordrobe’ and decided to tackle in on this day. The clean laundry had been sitting in baskets for so long that it all smelled stale again, so this meant probably hauling four VERY FULL, VERY HEAVY baskets of laundry down two flights of stairs (which my back just looooooved…). As of right now, I have at least one more load to wash. I don’t mind doing this; I’m a bit resentful that if I don’t, it won’t get done, as evidenced by the fact that those baskets have been there for over a year now.

I farted around on the computer a bit (days like this, I *have* to sit for a bit after I do a bunch of stuff, to let my back rest so it doesn’t go completely out), then tidied more stuff in the kitchen and took out more compost. I switched the laundry and started another load, then swept the upstairs and downstairs. (Lots of dust and whatnot on our bedroom floor, now that the floordrobe was off the floor!)

After lunch, I switched the laundry, started another load, then folded and put away another load. I rested on the computer for a bit, then tidied some more random things. When my husband got home, my son and I headed out.

We dropped off two books at our local library, stopped by a local grocery store, then visited the library in that town, where I returned my books and checked out a bunch more. We went to Aldi, then returned to our local library, since I’d received a message that I had a book in (actually a cookbook my son had requested). And then it was home to put the groceries away!

I cooked the pizza and made up the salad; after dinner, I showered, did my Duolingo, switched the laundry again, and read on the porch a good long while. I read inside, and my husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

 

And that’s it! I’ll tackle the rest of Mount Laundry today, but my goodness, our bedroom looks SO much bigger without half of it being taken up by stacks of overflowing laundry baskets and sweaty t-shirts and underwear all over the floor. WHY ARE MEN LIKE THIS??? Does your husband do this? I can’t even imagine doing this and thinking it’s funny to inconvenience everyone else. Can someone start up a finishing school for guys, in order to teach them that this kind of behavior is not okay??? YEESH.

Wishing you a lovely day! Stay cool out there, and I hope you don’t have a floordrobe to tackle!

What's Been Going On: Monday, 11 July - Wednesday, 13 July, 2022

Thursday already, and the weekend is in sight!

It’s been a pretty good week here so far. Nothing major going on, but other than some crummy sleep for various reasons, things have been mostly good. Calm. That’s the way I like it! (Phew.  Just had a moment where I thought the cat had erased my entire post. He’s sitting on my lap and keeps putting his head on the little track pad. Thankfully, his technological mischief didn’t extend that far! And now he’s off to sleep in the sun on the couch, by his own choice.)

Our temps are going back up; today is supposed to be in the low 80’s, but it’ll be in the 90’s in a few days. Drink your water and stay cool!

Here’s what I’ve been up to the past few days. : )

 

Monday, 11 July, 2022

After coffee and breakfast, I wrote and posted Monday’s post, then posted my review for The Way I Say It by Nancy Tandon on my book blog. I got dressed and ready, emptied and refilled the dishwasher, then did 30 minutes of volunteer work. And then it was off to Ikea!

We browsed and picked up a few little things (one of which didn’t make it home with us! I must have dropped it on the way out, since I was carrying a bunch of stuff. Hmph. Fortunately, it wasn’t expensive at all, but it was something we need, so we’ll be going back next week. Good thing it’s close by!), then grabbed lunch to go from their little café by the checkouts and ate in the car. So fun!

At home, I treated the skirt I’d dropped mustard on (whoops! Thank goodness for Fels Naptha), peeled potatoes and got them cooking in the Instant Pot, took out the compost, and did another 30 minutes of volunteer work.

I read for a bit, finishing Half a World Away by Cynthia Kadohata and starting Abby, Tried and True by Donna Gephart, then I made mashed potatoes, cooked the Ikea veggie balls, and filled and ran the dishwasher. We had dinner, then I did a four-mile walk on my own. I did my Duolingo, showered, and read, finishing Abby, Tried and True. My husband and I watched one episode of Mormon No More before bed, and I slept terribly due to nerve pain on this night. 

(Disclaimer: I enjoy watching programs like these to get a better understanding of why and how people leave various groups, and it actually helps with my volunteer work, which is with an organization that provides support to people who leave various religious groups, some of them high-control. I have nothing against any churches of any sort! Find God wherever you can. :) )

 

Tuesday, 12 July, 2022

After coffee, I posted my review of Unmasked by Paul Holes on my book blog. I scooped the litterbox, then did 30 minutes of volunteer work. My daughter and I did a unit of math, then we had a bunch of snuggle time, since she was stressed and anxious about various things. She hadn’t slept much the night before, so that definitely played a part in her big feelings.

We had lunch, I emptied and refilled the dishwasher, then I chopped and sauteed some onion, garlic, mushrooms, and peppers. I brought up the waffle iron from the laundry room, then listened to a bit of the January 6^th hearings while I knit, then I made a batch of waffles. My daughter wanted to go outside, so we went out and read for a while. I made some scrambled eggs, and my son and I had an early dinner so we could go walk. The section of the trail we walked on is absolutely covered in riverbank grapes (which is the most common kind of wild grape in the state). They’re edible, but they’re apparently much better after the first frost – when the birds have usually stripped them all clean! So while we may not get to eat any, they’re still awesome to look at!

 

We walked five miles this day! At home, I showered, then put my daughter to bed, and read. My husband and I watched one episode of Mormon No More before bed.

 

Wednesday, 13 July, 2022

After coffee, I made out my grocery list (ugh), then did a little over 30 minutes of volunteer work (I was kind of on a streak and didn’t want to stop!). My daughter and I did a math lesson, then I got dressed and ready, emptied the dishwasher, took out the compost, and then we were off to the library! I came home with some books to read to my daughter, then I found a really cool book called Outdoor Kids in an Inside World: Getting Your Family Out of the House and Radically Engaged with Nature by Steven Rinella. Getting outdoors more has been a goal of mine, so I figured reading a chapter per day of this would be a good idea!

At home, we had lunch, then I read the new PJ Library book to my daughter (all about hakarat hatov, recognizing the good), then we read outside a little (I read the introduction to Outdoor Kids, then continued reading What I Like About You). When my husband got home, my son and I went for groceries.

Two stores, and the sales were pretty terrible today, but I did come home with four pounds of kiwi for four dollars, which is exciting! We also stopped by the library in the next town over, where I returned a stack of books and grabbed a bunch more. At home, I put the groceries away, then my daughter and I went outside to start a new project.

We have a little square of flowers and greenery outside – some of it is stuff we planted, some of it is stuff that planted itself. We’ve decided to start observing this little bit of our property every day and note the changes. We’re going to try to do it at the same time every day, probably more in the morning, and see how it changes throughout the year. Today, we noted that we’ve got some kind of coneflower growing, along with goutweed and perennial sow thistle, and we also identified a grass funnel-web spider. We were so in the zone that my daughter noticed some ants by the garage and we followed them back to her old basketball hoop, where they had a zillion eggs underneath! Super cool. She made a bunch of observations in her nature notebook before we went back inside.

I baked the pizza and mixed the bagged salad (first time I’ve seen this under three dollars in ages!!!), and we had dinner. I worked on this post, showered, then read and finished What I Like About You. I started The Joy of Less: A Minimalist Living Guide by Francine Jay (and after reading the first few pages, moved a few things out of my bedroom!), and my husband and I watched the final episode of Mormon No More (I totally teared up at the wedding!). I had a tough time falling asleep and was awake for hours after this.

 

And that’s it so far! Today, my daughter and I are meeting my sister-in-law and nephew at a park/forest preserve for some socializing-in-nature time. I’m not sure what else will get done today, but that’s an important one, so I’m okay if that’s all that happens! This weekend, I need to get caught up on book reviews. I’ve been reading SO much that I’m incredibly behind AGAIN. (Seven, if I combine the two graphic novels I read into one review! EEK.)

Have a great rest of the week, friends! : )