What's Been Going On: Thursday, 1 September - Sunday, 4 September, 2022

Good morning! Happy Labor Day, if you’re in the US. It’s gray and cloudy and cooler today, a nice change from the higher temps we’ve had lately. We’ve got the A/C off, which is so nice! I think the temps go up later on in the week, only briefly, but cooler weather is coming!

This weekend has been so much busier than I expected. There’s been almost no time to read or get anything done that I’m not able to get done during the week, which is disappointing and makes things a little rougher, but I’ll manage. I do need to get our math and Language Arts pages written out at some point today, though!

Going on a picnic with my sister-in-law for lunch today, so that will be nice.

Here’s what’s been going on around here!

 

Thursday, 1 September, 2022

I was awake this day at 4 am because of a stress headache, so I read for a little bit, then got up and filled and ran the dishwasher. I had coffee, then posted my monthly book blog roundup, finished and posted my Thursday post, scooped the litterbox, did a few things on the internet, and then I got dressed. And then it was time for school!

We started off with On This Day in History, geography (the Pitcairn Islands), and a few paragraphs about the Puritans. We did a level of math and a unit of Language Arts, then spelling, and it was time for lunch.

After lunch, we read Fossils by Sally M. Walker, chapter 3 (the Nile!) of 10 Rivers That Shaped the World, chapters 7 & 8 of Around the World in 100 Years (John Cabot and Amerigo Vespucci), pages 3-24 of Exploration and Conquest by B. & G. Maestro, pages 27-40 of Atlas of Adventures, and chapter 7 of History Smashers: The Mayflower.

After lunch, I lay down for a little bit but couldn’t sleep, so I got up and emptied and refilled the dishwasher, then took out the compost. I packed our bags, and it was off to my nephew’s to watch him while my sister-in-law, a teacher, attended a school function. Usually the kids run off and play together, but they stuck by my side and chatted to me the entire night, so no reading done for me! (They did, however, run off to play the moment my sister-in-law returned. Of course!)

At home, my daughter and I had a quick dinner, I did my Duolingo and showered, and then I read for a little bit. My husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

 

Friday, 2 September, 2022

After breakfast and coffee, I posted my monthly goal update post and got the dishes in the dishwasher. I got dressed and ready, and we started school.

We tackled On This Day in History, geography (Poland), and a few paragraphs about Roger Williams. We fit in a unit of math, a unit of Language Arts, spelling, and chapters 9 & 10 of Around the World in 100 Years (Ponce de Leon & Balboa) before leaving for my daughter’s counselor. After her appointment, we stopped by the Dollar Tree to pick up some multiplication flashcards and a tiny frozen pizza to share, then ran into the library to grab a book that was in.

At home, we ate quickly, then got back to work! We read chapter 4 of 10 Rivers That Shaped the World (the Rhine), pages 4-24 of Fossils, Rocks, and Minerals by Marcia A. Lusted, pages 40-53 of Atlas of Adventures, we finished Exploration Conquest, and we read chapter 8 of History Smashers: The Mayflower. My daughter did her spelling and one of her math worksheets, and then she was done for the day!

I sauteed some onion, garlic, and green pepper, then made a batch of waffles. I took out the compost and recycling, swept and tidied the living room, shook out the crumbs from my chair blanket, and went through my homeschool curriculum list. I figured out what we’re doing next, then ordered a bunch of books via interlibrary loan and figured out what I needed to grab from various libraries. I scrambled a bunch of eggs, and it was time for dinner!

I did my Duolingo, showered, and knit while watching YouTube. I joined my synagogue’s virtual services when it was time, then finished my log cabin blanket! My daughter has been sleeping with it ever since. : )

 

I read for a bit, and my husband and I watched one episode of What We Do in the Shadows and one Unusual Suspects before bed.

 

Saturday, 3 September, 2022

After coffee, I wrote two book reviews. I had breakfast and hydrated, got dressed, spent a little bit of time on the computer, then went on a 3.1 mile walk with my son.

After lunch, I got the dishes in the dishwasher, then ran out to a nearby library to grab one book, then I swung home and picked up my daughter. We picked up books from our local branch, then drove a few towns away to grab books from there as well. My daughter had wanted to play there, but she wasn’t comfortable with the unmasked kids in the play area, so we went home instead. Poor kiddo. We did stop by Trader Joe’s on the way home to grab items for our picnic the next day.

At home, I roasted a batch of tomatoes for sauce and tidied the living room. I got the dishes in the dishwasher and ran it, then boiled the noodles for spaghetti and blended the sauce. We had dinner, I did my Duolingo and showered, and I put my daughter to bed. I read Good Talk by Mira Jacobs, then began reading Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker. My husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

 

Sunday, 4 September, 2022

After breakfast and coffee, I filled and ran the dishwasher. I got dressed and ready, packed our lunches, and then it was off to a forest preserve 35 minutes away to meet up with some new friends!  We met on a local parent safety group; they’re as COVID-conscious as we are, and my daughter is the same age as her oldest son (they’re also pandemic schooling!), so we met up for a masked playdate in the preserve. SUPER nice people and we had a really great time!

At home, I emptied the dishwasher and ran it on a cleaning cycle, then farted around on the computer for a bit and picked up some crocheting. I started off trying to make that earwarmer for my daughter, but quickly realized I did not like the pattern (seems like she’s missing part of it?), so I just started another giant colorful blanket. Good, mindless crocheting. I listened to a podcast while I crocheted the afternoon away.

After a dinner of leftovers, I did my Duolingo and showered, then I continued to crochet. I did go try to read, but hadn’t gotten more than a few pages in when my daughter needed to talk, so I put my book down and snuggled with her. My husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

 

And that’s it! Only a four-day schoolweek this week, which is nice. Tomorrow we can sign up for the kids’ fall reading program (my daughter is already excited!), but today, we picnic at the park with the creek running through it. It’s cooler today; I don’t know if the kids will get in, but at least they’ll have the option. Should be a fun day.

Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead!

What's Been Going On: Thursday, 25 August - Sunday, 29 August, 2022

What a whirlwind of a weekend! I needed that, though, and I think I’m going to keep needing all of these weekends. School weeks are intense; we get a lot done, but there’s just not a lot of time leftover for anything else after schoolwork is done. I’m just really going to have to lean in to those weekends, both for relaxation and for getting other things done.

It really was a nice weekend, though. We’re supposed to have a warm, dry fall here, so my days of reading out on the porch should continue at least a little while longer, for which I’m grateful. When it gets colder, I’ll switch out our comforter for the super soft fuzzy one and read upstairs under a pile of blankets. : )

Here’s what I was up to the past few days!

 

Thursday, 25 August, 2022

I got dressed and had coffee, then posted my review for As If On Cue by Marisa Kanter on my book blog. I edited and posted Thursday’s post, then made a batch of black-eyed peas curry in the Instant Pot and took out the compost. I scooped the litterbox, brought in the containers of mini naan we’d bought on markdown at the grocery store a few weeks ago, and then it was time to start school.

We started off with On This Day in History, geography (Palestine), and a little bit about Roanoke. Our morning was full of a unit of math and a unit of Language Arts, and then I had my daughter do some cursive practice. She’s pretty artsy, and I think she’ll like cursive. I won’t make her do seven years of penmanship practice like my school did, because it’s just not as necessary in today’s society, but I do think it’ll make writing a little easier for her than it is now.

After lunch, we read pages 22-35 of Fantastic Fossils by Rob Shone; pages 41-61 of Before Columbus; all of The Best Book of Fossils, Rocks, and Minerals by Chris Pellant; the first chapter of Around the World in 100 Years by Jean Fritz; and chapter 3 of History Smashers: The Mayflower. (Some of these we take turns reading; others, I read all of.) My daughter did spelling and then wrote out her words; she also copied down a few words into her vocabulary notebook.

After school, I had some paperwork to fill out, so I did that, then filled and ran the dishwasher. I made a batch of rice in the rice cooker, went on a three-mile walk with my son, did my Duolingo, showered, put dinner away, then put my daughter to bed. I read my book, and we went to bed without watching anything this night.

 

Friday, 26 August, 2022

After getting dressed, I had coffee, made a quick Friday post, emptied and refilled the dishwasher, made a batch of taco-spiced lentils and a batch of guacamole, and took out the compost and recycling. And then, school!

We started with On This Day in History, geography (Papua New Guinea), and a little bit about Jamestown. We did a unit of math and a unit of Language Arts, and I got a message in-between that my daughter’s counselor’s son was sick. COVID test was negative (so far; we know how that can go), but we rescheduled just to be safe. Wishing his son refuah shleimah, a speedy return to full health! We did spelling and then had a quick lunch break.

After lunch, we finished Fantastic Fossils; read pages 62-76 of Before Columbus; read all of A Moment in Time by Thomas Hegbrook; chapter 4 of History Smashers: The Mayflower; chapters 2 and 3 of Around the World in 100 Years. My daughter wrote out her spelling words and a single vocabulary word (she writes out the word and definition), and then it was off to the library! My husband joined us, so they went off to play, while I sat and read my twenty pages of Come and Hear, followed by more of my regular book.

At home, we had dinner and I virtually attended an early Shabbat service at New York City’s Central Synagogue (the cantor was on FIRE!!! He has an amazing voice, but he just absolutely knocked everything out of the park on this night!!! There was also a beautiful baby who was receiving her Hebrew name; she shares a regular name with my daughter, and it’s not a common name, so that made me smile!).

I put dinner away, got the dishes into the dishwasher and ran it, then showered (and gave the shower a good scrubbing while I was in it). I read, put my daughter to bed, read some more, and my husband and I watched one episode of What We Do in the Shadows before bed.

 

Saturday, 27 August, 2022

After coffee and breakfast, I got dressed, emptied and refilled the dishwasher, and took out the recycling. I mowed the front half of the lawn, then lay down for a bit; mowing always makes me feel so awful!

I wrote out a book review and two blog posts, then it was time for lunch. Afterwards, I took my books out to the porch and read out there allllllllllllllllllllllllll afternoon, which was wonderful. My husband and daughter left to go camping in a nearby forest preserve, so I got the dishes into the dishwasher, tidied the living room, and organized my reading list, which needed it. My son and I drove across town to pick up dinner, then we came home and ate it, watching a documentary on Syria he had recommended.

We paused halfway through to go on a 2.1-mile walk, then finished our documentary. I did my Duolingo, showered, and spent the rest of the night reading, beginning The Outside World by Tova Mirvis (which is excellent so far!).

 

Sunday, 28 August, 2022

Despite having the entire bed to myself, I still woke up before 7 am. Not a problem, though. More time to get stuff done!

I got dressed, had coffee, and then cleaned up my daughter’s room, listening to a podcast to pass the time. Fortunately, it only took an hour this time. I stripped her bed and changed her sheets, then started a load of laundry. I folded and put away another load, then sat for a bit to give my back a rest. I shredded and bagged a giant zucchini (six cups!), saving the seeds to dry and use next year.

I filled and ran the dishwasher, then my son and I were off to Walmart to purchase socks and underwear for him. At home, we cooked the frozen pizza we’d bought for lunch, and after we ate, I hung and dried the laundry. I was in the middle of chopping and freezing the sale peppers I’d bought this week when my husband and daughter returned home. Their trips never last too long!

After taking the peppers out to the garage freezer and taking the compost out, I cooked a batch of onions, garlic, and peppers, then I had to run out: I’d forgotten to pick up cheese from Walmart, and I had some books that needed to go back to the library anyway. No biggie. I also got gas along the way. At home, I made up a batch of eggs for a breakfast casserole and brought the tater tots in from the garage freezer, and then it was time to relax with my books out on the porch.

I threw the casserole in when it needed to go in, then returned to the porch for a while, but came in when it started to look like rain, but I kept reading. After dinner, I worked on this post, did my Duolingo, put dinner away, then showered and showered my daughter. After putting my daughter to bed, I read my book, and we went to bed without watching anything.

 

And that’s it! Busy week coming up as always. I *think* we should have enough library books to get us through the school week. There’ll be a bit of a learning curve to see what we can realistically cover in our schedule, but I’m sure we’ll figure it out (the books from our home library, I’m not worried about; they automatically renew after three weeks, for up to nine weeks. The books from other libraries, however, are still due after three weeks, and I don’t want to abuse my borrowing privileges from those libraries, since they don’t have to lend to borrowers outside their town; they’re generous and they choose to, so I don’t want to ruin this for everyone!).

Wishing everyone a lovely, productive week! Remember to take time to breathe. : )

What's Been Going On: Thursday, 18 August - Sunday, 21 August, 2022

Welcome to the new school year!!!

We start in fewer than two hours and we have everything we need; I just need to sharpen our pencils and take that super cute ‘NOT back to school’ photo for the grandparents. I’m more enthusiastic about starting school than my daughter is; I’ve been itching to dive into that pile of children’s nonfiction we started collecting last week and I’m super excited about all the fun things she’s going to be learning this year. We have a strategy in place for dealing with math stress; I can foresee Language Arts causing some drama (LOTSof writing this year, which is a huge change from the last few years), so we’ll figure that out as we go along. We may need to make some change, and that’s FINE. We’re learning how to do that.

Here’s what I’ve been up to the past few days! (Not sure what's up with the format here; Blogger is being a little weird this morning!)

Thursday, 18 August, 2022

After breakfast and coffee, I edited and posted Thursday’s posted, then posted my review for The Choice by Dr. Edith Eva Egar over on my book blog. I got dressed and ready, then it was off to another local library to pick up books for school. We stayed and played a little bit, then we stopped by the grocery store, where they still had no potatoes that were advertised as being on sale. Oh well! 

At home, we had lunch, and then it was up to my daughter’s room for a loooooooooong discussion about her frustration, which had erupted during lunch. We came up with some solutions together, and came up with a plan for handling her frustration during math this year. Fingers crossed! I threw together this rustic Italianvegetable bake, took out the recycling and compost, and emptied and refilledthe dishwasher. I hung out on the computer for a few while dinner baked, then after dinner, it

was time for a 2.25 mile walk with my son. I put dinner away, did my Duolingo and showered, read my book, andmy husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

Friday, 19 August, 2022

After coffee and breakfast, I wrote and posted Friday’s post, scooped the litterbox, and got dressed. I emptied and refilled the dishwasher, took out the recycling and compost, then took the popsicles we’d bought on Wednesday out to the garage freezer. I spent a little bit of time on the computer, then read on the porch while my daughter played outside. I finished reading Give a Sh*t by Ashlee Piper.

We had an early lunch, then it was off to the counselor. Afterwards, we stopped by Aldi to see if they had gotten in any mandarin oranges yet, but nope. We came home, I chopped veggies for the salad, made the dressing, and took out the compost. I read out on the porch, starting The Ravine by Wendy Lower, then warmed dinner and mixed the salad. We ate, I did my Duolingo, showered, and did some knitting while watching YouTube. I joined virtual Shabbat services when it was time, read my book, and my husband and I watched one episode of What We Do in the Shadows and one Unusual Suspects before bed.

Saturday, 20 August, 2022

After coffee and breakfast, I got to work and banged out five book reviews (I’m going to keep up writing these on the weekends; it’s too hard to try to get anything written during the week!). I got dressed and ready, filled the dishwasher, and read my twenty pages of Come and Hear by Adam Kirsch out on the porch while my husband and daughter worked on one of their projects outside. It started to rain, so I came in nand read two chapters of Le Petit Prince.

I tidied and swept the living room, went through a pile of magazines my mom had given me, then took out the recycling. And after lunch…*drumroll, please* I FINISHED LE PETIT PRINCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! One more goal to check off my yearly goal list!

I made the sauce for dinner, relaxed on the computer for a bit and chatted with my sister-in-law. I cooked the macaroni and put the macaroni-and-tomato dish together, baked it, and cleaned up the kitchen. After dinner, I did my Duolingo, biked 30 minutes (big enough chance of rain that outside exercise didn’t look promising!), showered, and put my daughter to bed. I read my book, and my husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

Sunday, 21 August, 2022

I had breakfast and coffee, then worked on this post a little. I got dressed, folded and put away three loads of laundry, and started a load, then filled and ran the dishwasher. I read out on the porch, finishing my daily twenty pages of Come and Hear. I got up to plant some walking onions in the back garden, then had lunch outside, reading and finishing The Ravine. 

I threw a batch of black bean soup in the Instant Pot, emptied and refilled the dishwasher, took out the compost and recycling, and hung and dried the laundry. Then it was off to an absolutely awful trip to Walmart. Crowded, shelves looking as though they hadn’t stocked in WEEKS, it was terrible. But we got litter and contact lens solution and cat food, and a few extras. At home, I blended the soup and showered my daughter, then baked the garlic bread, and we had dinner. I did my Duolingo and showered, then read outside, starting The Sum of Us: How Racism Affects Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee. I put my daughter to bed, continued reading, and my husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed…where I had a terrible night of sleep.

And that’s it! I’m up early today to get stuff done before we start our schoolwork. Wish us luck for this year!!!

What's Been Going On: Thursday, 11 August - Sunday, 14 August, 2022

Greetings, friends, and welcome to, what is for us, the last week of summer break! How did this happen? I'm not ready for our long lazy days to end already. I need at least five or six more months of not having to wake up to the alarm, of reading out on the porch, of trips to the library and the forest preserves whenever we feel like it. I'm not ready for schedules, schoolwork, assignments!

But it's happening, and I'm actually looking forward to everything my daughter will be learning about this year. Fingers crossed that this school year goes smoother than the last. I have some strategies up my sleeve to get us through the tougher parts now, so I'm really hopeful.

Here's what I was up to the past few days!

Thursday, 11 August, 2022

After coffee and breakfast, I did a bunch of stuff on the computer. I emptied and refilled the dishwasher, made some enchilada sauce, then finished writing and posted Thursday’s post. I got dressed and ready, spent a little more time on the computer, and then it was off to Trader Joe’s to grab some stuff for our picnic lunch. We also stopped by the Dollar Tree for some tape and notecards

At the forest preserve, we had a picnic with my mom, then walked around for a bit. It’s always nice to spend time with her! At home, I put together the enchiladas, made out of leftovers from our homemade Chipotle bowls earlier in the week, then cleaned up. I relaxed and did some computer stuff while the enchiladas baked. After dinner, I did some other various things on the computer, showered, and read to my daughter, then played my guitar for a bit. My husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

Friday, 12 August, 2022

After coffee, I wrote and posted Friday’s post, got dressed and ready, then spent the morning playing guitar with my daughter (which helped distract her from the rotten mood she was in). We had an early lunch, I emptied and ran the dishwasher on a cleaning cycle, and then it was off to her counselor.

Afterwards, she and I read outside on the porch. I ran to the library to pick up a book from interlibrary loan, then did a few things on the computer. I showered and wrote a little bit (I ended up just having a peach and a slice of cheese for dinner; no one in the house was very hungry this night), and then it was time for synagogue services, back with my local synagogue (I’m still virtual; I’m trying to figure out if I feel comfortable enough to maybe try attending in person. I don’t know yet). I read my book for a bit, and my husband and I watched one episode of What We Do in the Shadows and one Unusual Suspects before bed.

Saturday, 13 August, 2022

After coffee and breakfast, I filled the dishwasher, got dressed and ready, then messed around with my guitar for a few. My husband and daughter and I went to the Dollar Tree and Half Price Books (I didn’t get anything), then came home  for lunch. I spent a bit of time on the computer, then put chickpeas in the Instant Pot and chopped and roasted a bunch of veggies for dinner. I dozed a little while the veggies were roasting (I had a headache and hadn’t slept well), then ran the dishwasher, took out the compost, and got the rice in the rice cooker. I emptied and filled, then ran the dishwasher again. I made hummus and some tahini dressing, then played my guitar for about twenty minutes. 

We had dinner - bowls of brown rice, a kale/arugula mix, roasted vegetables, hummus, and tahini dressing - I did my Duolingo, and my son and I went on a 2.5 mile walk. 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.

Sunday, 14 August, 2022

After getting dressed (another crummy night of sleep!), I had breakfast and coffee, emptied and refilled the dishwasher, and took out the compost. We had a slow morning where no one did much of anything, so I took care of some things on the computer. After lunch, my son and I went on a 3 mile walk, and then I sat down to work on this post a bit. 

I read out on the porch and finished As If On Cue by Marisa Kanter, then I threw together a bean and rice casserole for dinner, filled & ran the dishwasher, and took out the recycling. I played my guitar for a good long while, baked the casserole, and read more of The Explosive Child. We ate dinner, I did my Duolingo, showered, and showered my daughter. I read all of I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day, and my husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects (and I slept terribly!).

And that’s it! Volunteer work, errands, and cleaning on the schedule today. I cannot believe August is already halfway over. I’ve still got to get my late kale seeds in the ground; we’ll see if I can make it happen this week! Otherwise, my goals for this week are to get the house more organized before next week, and to soak up the last few days of freedom. How about you?

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

What's Been Going On: Thursday, 28 July - Sunday, 31 July, 2022

Back at Monday again! Oof, what an exhausting weekend! I did get all my book reviews and blog posts written that I wanted to, so that’s a definite plus. And I’m one step closer to the house being homeschool ready. Our local school starts the 24^th; we’re going to start the 22^nd, I believe, so we can start off on a Monday and get the whole week in. I’m not required to keep any records or anything, but just like when my son was young, I’m going to keep a notecard for every day and write down what we do, what we cover (levels, units, pages, etc), just in case. Always helps me feel a little better.

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

 

Thursday, 28 July, 2022

After coffee, I wrote and posted my Thursday post, then got dressed and ready. I made a batch of curried red lentil pumpkin soup in the Instant Pot (I added spinach), and took out the recycling and compost. I filled the dishwasher, and my back decided it was done, so off to the chair I went to do a bunch of homeschool prep.

After lunch, I continued on with the homeschool prep, then read on the porch: ten pages of I and Thou, a chapter of Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristin Kobes du Mez (goodness, John Wayne certainly wasn’t a very nice guy. Some of the quotes from him are just so shockingly gross…), then I finished Pressure Cooker by Sarah Bowen. I did a little more homeschool prep, and then it was time for dinner, which was really good!

I did my Duolingo, and then I went on a 2.5-mile walk with my husband and daughter. I showered, filled and ran the dishwasher, and put dinner away. I did a little more homeschool prep, then started reading The Choice: Embrace the Possible by Edith Eva Eger. My husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

 

Friday, 29 July, 2022

After coffee and breakfast (which my daughter made me!), I got some beans in the Instant Pot, and I wrote and posted Friday’s post. I got dressed and ready, made a batch of guacamole, made some popsicles with my daughter, then sauteed some onions and garlic and took out the compost and recycling.

We had an early lunch, got gas, and went to our appointment with my daughter’s counselor. He thinks she has ADHD, which does not surprise me one single bit. She fits SO many of the behaviors, and honestly, it’s a little bit of a relief just knowing there’s a reason for so many of her behaviors. Our job now is to help her work with her brain, instead of struggling and fighting it all the time. There are plenty of successful people out there with ADHD and I have no doubt my stubborn, feisty kiddo will one day join their ranks.  : )

At home, I ran the dishwasher, then made a batch of black bean burgers (my daughter helped, which was fun). I spent a little time on the computer to rest my back, then headed to the porch to read ten pages of I and Thou and another chapter of Jesus and John Wayne. I came in to cook a batch of tater tots, then we had dinner, and I picked up my knitting. I joined the Shabbat services at Temple Israel in Akron, Ohio this evening; my lovely friend Jocelyn was giving the d’var Torah, and she did an absolutely beautiful job, talking about the importance of finding and using your voice, ‘lest we let our silence speak for us.’ Wise words indeed.

I showered and put my daughter to bed (we finished reading A Picture for Marc), read my book, and my husband and I watched one episode of What We Do in the Shadows, followed by one Unusual Suspects before bed.

 

Saturday, 30 July, 2022

After breakfast and coffee, I got dressed and ready. I wrote three book reviews, filled and ran the dishwasher, and then we were off! My husband had suggested a picnic and hiking at a local forest preserve, so we went to Trader Joe’s to pick up some lunch, then drove to the preserve. Almost immediately after lunch, we saw this guy:

 

Isn’t it so cute?!!?? He was not happy about being handled, but we didn’t keep him out of the water for long, and he scurried off so quickly as soon as we returned him to the water.

We also saw lots of fish (though no pictures of them!), a frog just chilling in the shallow water, and a bunch of fascinating wildflowers:

 

At home, I relaxed for a bit, got some beans in the Instant Pot, took out the recycling and put some stuff in the garage, emptied and refilled the dishwasher, and tidied and swept the living room (my daughter helped by grudgingly returning her toys to her room). I played on the computer for a bit while my back rested, then threw together a bean and rice casserole and got that into the oven. I spent a little more time on the computer (which I’ve been trying not to do on Shabbat, since I do enjoy the peace without it, but today, I was worn out from hiking and cleaning!).

After dinner, my son and I walked 3.3 miles, then I put dinner away and showered. I did my Duolingo, read my book, and my husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

 

Sunday, 31 July, 2022

OOF, what a day.

After coffee, I wrote one book review, wrote out my goals update post, and wrote out most of my monthly book blog update. And then I got dressed, and it was time to tackle my daughter’s room. *cue dread-filled music*

I started cleaning at 9:30 am. Here’s what it looked like before (and to be honest, this was from Saturday, so it was actually even worse than this when I started):

 

I took a short break for lunch, and then got right back to work. By about 3, my husband came in to grab my daughter and take her to the park and to pick up dinner (which was totally fine with me on both counts!). Here’s what it looked like when I finally finished at about 4:40 pm:

Still needs some fine-tuning, but it’s SO much better. The floor is clean, and we’ll be able to go through her clothing this week, weed out the too-small stuff, and figure out what of her bigger stuff fits. We do this every year before school starts, and that time is creeping up fast, so I knew this room overhaul had to get done soon. And yes, this *did* hurt my back terribly, but it’s done. Daughter and I had a conversation about maybe stopping a little earlier before bed each night in order to pick her room up, and what I should do when she fights me over it.

After this was all done (including weeding out five bags of too-young books from her bookshelf, which I’ll have her go through tomorrow to make sure she’s 100% ready to give those up; I don’t want to give away anything she’s not ready to give up), I sat down to work on this post, showered, showered my daughter, and ate dinner. I did my Duolingo, put my daughter to bed (she requested a re-read of What the Witch Left by Ruth Chew), and read my book. My husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

 

And that’s it! Busy week of finishing homeschool prep and getting the house in order. Plus Friday, which is…well, we’ll get there later. :  ) This morning, I need to pick up something from Freecycle, do some volunteer work, and get something made for dinner, though I’m not sure what yet. Busy, busy as always, but I’m definitely going to chill on an icepack for a bit this afternoon, as my back isn’t being as user-friendly as it could be.

Wishing you all a lovely week! : )

What's Been Going On: Thursday, 21 July - Sunday, 25 July, 2022

Good morning, friends! Did you ever have a weekend so stressful that you were glad it was over? That’s what happened around here. Nothing major; everyone is still healthy and in one piece (*knocks on wood*), just those little bits of life that you don’t expect, and that exhaust you. I’ll skip the pleasantries here and get right into it!

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

 

Thursday, 21 July, 2022

After coffee, I wrote out the day’s blog post and had a whole heap of computer issues while doing it, causing me to have to rewrite part of it. Oh, technology… I got dressed and emptied the dishwasher, then ran it on a cleaning cycle. I scooped the litterbox and started another load of laundry, then folded and put away three loads of laundry (two of my husband’s, one of mine and my daughter’s).

I swept and tidied the living room, then I sat for a bit to rest my back. I emptied and refilled the dishwasher, and then it was already time for lunch! Afterwards, I filled and ran the dishwasher, took out the compost, and switched the laundry. And then it was time to read on the porch, where I finished Breaking Hate by Christian Picciolini.

My daughter was in top form this day, behavior-wise (can you hear my sarcasm???), and I ended up having to take away her kindle, which she was not thrilled about. I kept my cool through the whole thing (because her behavior stretched on for a good long while), but phew, it was tough. It was almost a relief when my husband got home and I had to go for a mammogram!

When I got home, I farted around on the computer a bit, then had an early dinner, and my son and I went on a 3-mile walk (would’ve been longer, but I got some, uh, aggressive affection from a neighborhood cat and I wanted to get home to put some antibiotic ointment on it. All is well!). I showered and poked around at the computer a little bit, then I pulled out my knitting and watched the January 6^th commission. This one was…a lot. They all are, but this one was tough to listen to. I hadn’t felt up to watching the first few, but I’m glad worked up to tuning in to the last three. They’ll reconvene in September.

My husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

 

Friday, 22 July, 2022

After coffee, I wrote and posted Friday’s post, then posted my review for Half a World Away by Cynthia Kadohata on my book blog. I emptied and refilled the dishwasher, got dressed and ready, then folded and put away the last of my husband’s laundry. His floordrobe is no more!!!

I tidied up the pile of stuff my daughter and husband had left on the couch, poked around at the computer a bit, and then it was time for an early brunch before we left for the counselor. On the way home, we stopped by Aldi for some hot dogs and ice cream (for a reason I’ll get to), and then we came home…to find that our air conditioner was not working. 83 degrees in the house, on a day in the 90’s. JOY.

But life goes on even when it’s toasty in the house, so I filled the dishwasher and sat down to complete the last bits of Language Arts homeschool prep! I made the list of books we’ll need and sent the list to my husband, so he can order them from Amazon. And then it was off to my daughter’s hearing test. No issues, just a check up because we realized she hadn’t had one in such a long time, and as expected, all was well. She was still REALLY anxious about it, though, and the hot dogs and ice cream were her choice for dinner, a way to give her something to look forward to after the test (my son and I had some black bean and corn empanadas instead). We also had tater tots, which…baking those was HOT.

I had dinner and sat down to an early Shabbat service with Central Synagogue in New York, knit for a bit, and then showered and did my Duolingo. I put my daughter to bed, read my book, and my husband and I watched one episode of What We Do in the Shadows and one Unusual Suspects before bed.

 

Saturday, 23 July, 2022

After breakfast and coffee (and a very warm night!), I read my book. I filled and ran the dishwasher, wiped down the stovetop, and spent the rest of the morning reading. Too hot to do anything else.

After lunch, I took my daughter to the library. We ended up going to the library in the next town over, because ours had closed due to the power being out. She and I both grabbed a book from there, and when we went home, I made a batch of zucchini mushroom pasta in the Instant Pot (this stuff is weirdly good for how simple it is!) and cleaned up the kitchen.

And then the AC guys got there, so my daughter and I went upstairs to read with the bedroom door closed. Every time we left the room, we masked (apparently the guys didn’t seem thrilled about being asked to wear masks in the house, but tough luck, dudes. Our house, our rules. Seriously, why are grown adults such absolute TODDLERS about this???). We ate dinner up there as well, and afterwards, I took my daughter on a 2.5-mile walk, during which my dad called. Apparently, he had COVID last month; the Paxlovid his doctor’s office called in immediately helped, but he’s still got a dry cough. My grandmother, who has both Alzheimer’s and cancer, isn’t doing well, but that’s to be expected.

At home, I showered and put my daughter to bed (we finished reading Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park), and read my book.

And get this. The AC guys had been there most of the afternoon and evening…and hadn’t done anything. They needed a part they didn’t have…so they sat in the driveway for several hours??? We could NOT figure out what the heck they were doing, and my husband was getting extremely frustrated. Finally, when they said they would need to be there until like three in the morning, still might not get the job done, and wouldn’t be able to complete the job until maybe Tuesday, he sent them away and told them not to come back. Massively poor service on their account. My husband ended up calling the guy my sister-in-law and mother-in-law have used for their air conditioning, and he agreed to come over in the morning.

 

Sunday, 24 July, 2022

After another toasty night of sleep, I had breakfast and coffee, then wrote two book reviews. I got dressed and ready, and then I read a bunch of books to my daughter while the new AC guy was here. The first guys said our AC was dead and would need to be replaced, so we were prepared to suck it up and pay for that; this guy said it was just the capacitor that needed to be replaced, that eventually the whole unit will need to be replaced but that this one still has a few more years left in it. WHOA. What he did ended up being about one-sixth of the cost of what the first place was going to charge us. We saved multiple thousands of dollars by going with him!

I continued to read and had lunch, then we went to my sister-in-law’s so the kids could play and my husband could try to temporarily fix something in my sister-in-law’s house before her contractor came (turned out he couldn’t, but he tried!). My sister-in-law has a really great shady yard; it’s why we always go to her house so the kids can play outside. Our backyard is not only a lot smaller, but is also full sun and deeply uncomfortable for adults to sit out in and chat for hours!

At home, I threw together a quiche from the Complete Tightwad Gazette and some potatoes and onions in my microwave cooker thing (that basically just steams them, but it’s SO good!), with the help of my son. I filled and ran the dishwasher, took out the compost and recycling, and then sat down to eat dinner. I showered, showered my daughter, and did my Duolingo, then curled up to read The Length of a String by Elissa Brent Weissman. It follows a girl learning about her great-grandmother’s experiences during the Holocaust, and even though it’s middle grade, it’s an absolute gut-punch of a book. I keep having to set it down and take a few moments, it’s that emotional.

My husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

 

And that’s it! I’m SO grateful the air conditioning was able to be repaired and it’s no longer so steamy in the house (and I can do my various housework chores without sweating like I’m the point guard of an NBA team). Saturday was an extremely long day for all of us, being so warm and trying to figure out what was going on with the first repairmen. I’m extremely glad we figured everything out, and I definitely won’t be taking our AC for granted.

I have an online class today, I have volunteer work to do, I need to make dinner, my daughter and I are going to the library in a bit, the kitchen needs to be cleaned, it’s the start of another busy week! Wishing you all a wonderful week. : )

What's Been Going On: Thursday, 14 July - Sunday, 17 July, 2022

Good morning, all! This weekend actually went by pretty slowly, which is nice. I’ve been staying off social media and the internet it general – for the most part; I’m not super hardcore about it – on Shabbat, and it’s been really nice to have that little 25-ish hour break from…everything. Plus I spent a good portion of the weekend outside, either walking or sitting and chatting with my sister-in-law (which also happened on Thursday), so I feel pretty refreshed. Hopefully your weekend was just as lovely!

Here's what I got up to the second half of last week!

 

Thursday, 14 July, 2022

After coffee and breakfast, I posted my Thursday post, then posted my review for Go Back to Where You Came From by Wajahat Ali on my book blog. I got dressed and ready, then filled and ran the dishwasher and sat back down to write multiple book reviews. I made lunch and packed all our picnic things up, then my daughter and I drove about half an hour away to the most wonderful park. We didn’t get to the playground proper this time; we’ll definitely go back and do that at some point, because it looks super fun, but we met up with my sister-in-law and nephew (and my mother-in-law joined us for a shorter period of time) to spend some time in nature. There’s this fairly shallow creek (the highest it got in the section we were in was mid-calf on me, and I’m tall), and the kids played in here for over four hours. Check out these pictures!!!

 

This was a SUPER fun day for the kids. My daughter was absolutely filthy when we got home, and they had a great time throwing stones, building a worm house out of large rocks, picking up dead crayfish, and rolling around in the water. Super gorgeous place and what a delight to just let the kids be kids. We’ll definitely be going back there!

When we got home, I immediately showered my daughter (creeks are creeks, and as clean as this one was, it still smelled like a creek!), then showered myself – I didn’t get in like the kids did, but I did take my shoes off and walk a good portion of it, plus I’d just been sitting outside all day, chatting with my sister-in-law, so the shower felt really good. My husband made macaroni and cheese for dinner, so we ate and I did my Duolingo. I put my daughter to bed, read for a little bit, then went to bed early with a headache (I hadn’t slept well the night before, so it had been a long day. Fun, but long!).

 

Friday, 15 July, 2022

After coffee, I wrote out my Friday post and emptied, refilled and ran the dishwasher. I put some black beans in the Instant Pot, took out the recycling, scooped the litterbox, then got dressed and ready. I did some random tidying around the house, did some computer things, and then it was time for an early lunch before we headed to the counselor.

My daughter was in top form this day, completely unable to sit down the entire time, so along with some other things (including her speech patterns), her counselor hinted that ADD/ADHD might be in play here. He didn’t even have to finish his sentence before I told him, “Dad has ADD, so this wouldn’t surprise me one bit.” This is something he and I have both suspected since before our daughter was in kindergarten. The counselor said he doesn’t necessarily like to make formal diagnoses this young; they’re just labels and provide a framework towards what we’d be working at anyway, and wouldn’t do anything different in terms of the care he’s providing her. All of which makes complete sense. I’ll likely do some reading on this in the near future; it’s not something I deal with, so learning about it and understanding how her brain works will help me understand and parent her better, and do everything I can so she can be successful in whatever way she chooses in her life. : )

At home, I emptied and refilled the dishwasher, then made a bean and rice casserole. I relaxed on the computer for a bit, then got the casserole in the oven and read for a while. I had an early dinner, then joined Central Synagogue in New York for Shabbat services (their d’var Torah this week was absolutely fabulous and inspiring!). I knit for a bit, ran the dishwasher, showered, did my Duolingo, then read. My husband and I watched the two new episodes of What We Do in the Shadows before going to bed.

 

Saturday, 16 July, 2022

After breakfast and coffee, I emptied and refilled and ran the dishwasher, then got dressed and ready. I read for a bit, and I got up to throw out a bunch of old makeup I haven’t worn or used at all since the pandemic started (thanks, book about minimalism!). I also organized the top two shelves in the bathroom while I was in there. Then my son and I set off on a 4.7 mile walk around the area. We walked the other way down the trail we had gone down last time, which took us by some new and interesting plants, which I can now identify, thanks to the iNaturalist app! Cutleaf teasel and common ragweed here:

 

It was REALLY humid out, so this was a bit of a tough walk for me, but we made it. At home, I ate lunch, dozed for a little bit, then read my book. And then we were off to my sister-in-law’s, so the kids could play together outside. I knit and finished another stripe on my log cabin blanket. We had Chinese food for dinner, which was super tasty; I had the curry tofu with rice, which is always so good.

At home, I showered, did my Duolingo, then put my daughter to bed. I read and finished The Joy of Less by Francine Jay, and my husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

 

Sunday, 17 July, 2022

After coffee, I buckled down and cranked out FIVE book reviews! (I skipped one; Sisters in Hate by Seywood Darby was excellent, about female white nationalists, but I don’t need to call any attention to my Jewish self by putting up a review for that one.) I emptied and refilled the dishwasher, took out the compost and recycling, then got dressed and folded a load of laundry. I started a load in the washer, then came to the living room to work on this post.

I had lunch, then knit while attending a virtual talk on Yiddish. I switched the laundry, and then it was off to the Science Surplus store, where I bought the two maps I needed: a US map, and a world map. I know far too many people who don’t know where the states and countries are (or who reach adulthood not knowing that there’s a state in the US called New Mexico), and I want my daughter to have a stronger grasp on geography than that!

At home, I read Trashed by Derf Backderf, a graphic novel, in its entirety, and then, since my husband spilled my container of yeast all over the floor, it was off to GFS for more yeast, another bag of bread flour, and peanut butter. I was getting a little low on peanut butter, so we were going to take a trip there this week, and like any well-prepared homemaker, I already had one extra vacuum-sealed four-pound bag of yeast on the shelves, but I like to keep extra around, since I do use it frequently! (When the pandemic hit and everyone was scrambling for toilet paper and yeast, I was fully stocked on both. Smooth sailing here!) We also picked up a cheap pizza for dinner for him and me (my husband and daughter had made a cheeseburger pizza from her pizza cookbook; obviously not something Jewish vegetarian me eats!), along with a marked-down cinnamon Danish. : )

At home, I threw the pizza in and we ate, then I filled and ran the dishwasher and did my Duolingo. I showered, then browsed through some virtual Jewish programming scheduled for the upcoming weeks, and I signed up for two programs. Gotta keep my brain active! I started reading Refugee High: Coming of Age in America by Elly Fishman, and my husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

 

And that’s it! My son is going to mow the back part of the lawn this morning, we’re going to do a drop off at Goodwill, we’re making a run to Ikea, and we’ll stop by Sam’s Club on the way back! And there’s all the other stuff in there as well: cooking, cleaning, volunteer work, a walk in there somewhere, the usual. It’ll be a full day, and I’m looking forward to it!

Wishing you all a wonderful week!