Christmas Dinner with Avia

Avia's church held a special dinner a few weeks before Christmas. Since Grace got to pick out her dress first, Juliet got a special hairstyle. Everyone was excited to go, though William was pouting for some reason.

 

He couldn't keep up the pout though, and was smiling before long.

Alice said something funny, and everyone posed around her.  Poor Emily picked a poor spot though, as she is hidden by an antler.

With just a little bit of movement at home, Juliet's hair started to fall, so we put it up in a less tall, but more stable do.

Avia sent me this picture from the event:

I think the kids had a good time, and were glad they went, since Avia left not long after, and hasn't yet made her return*.

later days

*my grandma fell, multiple times, and has been in an out of the hospital, so my mom flew down for Christmas, and is now staying there until she is back to a more independent state.

edit 1-17-23: backdated for continuity.

3rd Week of August

162nd Day of Quarantine

The high today was 88F.  It was warm during the day, but the nights still get cool.

Billy went to Lowes to pick up supplies for replacing our decrepit basement door.

For dinner Billy picked up Wendy's on his way back from Lowes.

Also, I started season 15 of Supernatural.  I'm really not ready for it to be over yet.

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161st Day of Quarantine

The high today was 87F, and it sure felt like it on our way to the DODC.

Today we finished up our last day of our first week of homeschool!  Today had two elements that we hadn't yet encountered.  The first was dictation, the second written narration.

I tried doing all 5 of them on dictation at the same time, and it was awful. There was whining and when I would work with the big girls the little ones were noisy, and next week we will try something different.

It was so much sweeter then, when we did written narration.  I called them in one at a time for narration, and they picked a variety of books.  Even Grace, who gives me minimal oral narration each time she is picked filled up 2 pages about King Alfred and the Cakes. Since today was the first time, I wrote the big girls as well (they had to have a number of sentences greater than or equal to their grade.)  We will work toward them writing their own, but the podcast I listened to recommended starting with oral and working our way up.

At the end of our school day, we walked down to the DODC by the kids' old school for our nature study.  We were looking for "mini beasts."  We saw butterflies and lady bugs and ants and on the way back Alice even found a myriapod!

For dinner we had a microwave Chicken Fettucine Alfredo kit & bueno nachos

And we watched the end of Kim Possible.  We also watched the cartoon movie (which should have followed the end of season three.)  And we watched the live action movie.  It was exciting, as the voice actor for the cartoon made an appearance! Also, the actor who played the grandmother in this was the mother from the Torkelsons, one of my favorite childhood shows.

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160th Day of Quarantine - Alice's 11th Birthday!

The expected high today is 84F.

We are still finding our rhythm and tweaking our school schedule, but now have a good idea as to how it will look each day.

In honor of Alice's birthday (and so that she could spend max time on her new Sims 4 game) we bent the "no electronics until 4pm rule, and they were able to get on right after we finished reading chapter three of Alice in Wonderland.

Billy walked down to the farmer's market and bought some rice and chicken for dinner (from the Thai restaurant.) It was very good.

We sang and ate birthday cake for dessert.

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Today is the 159th day of Quarantine.

The high today was 77F.

The most exciting thing that my children learned from our poet study today was that Shakespeare had twins (Hamlet and Judith.)

Alice and Emily were filling out a map as part of their geography.  I was happy to have a map that Sarah made up (of Canada, none-the-less) to show them what they can strive for.

We had to leave for Ann Arbor around 1, so I left Emily in charge of making Alice's cake.  She did a great job, and apparently Alice was excited about the custom "topper" that I ordered of her Roblox character. = )  Emily "painted" it with acrylic paint markers, and it looks a lot like her old avatar (I saw her changing the avatar on her account 2 days after I ordered it...)

The drive was fairly uneventful, other than several patches of construction.  We waited in the parking lot for a bit, and the kids all caught a quick nap en route.  They have finished some of the inside construction, and taken down walls so it is now a very different path than we used to take.  There was no one at reception when we arrived, and we were scolded for not 'checking in' by the nurse.  ugh.  We ended up waiting for about 20 minutes which is a really long time, considering they no longer even play movies!  (I totally get the toys being picked up, but you would think that a movie on in the waiting room would be virus proof?)

Grace and Juliet both received excellent reports.  Grace even has a few wiggly teeth on the bottom! William's getting in some permanent teeth, and they already have issues.  The problem is the same on both sides, so we will be making 2 more trips for them to cap his teeth until they are fully in place. Once they are fully exposed then they will put on a more permanent solution to protect them.  Not the best news, but not unexpected, and the primary reason we make the drive to go to a specialty clinic for them.

Since the appointment wasn't until 3, we didn't get to leave until after 5 heading home.  Traffic in Ann Arbor was awful (couldn't even make a right turn thanks to the back up.) We also came to a complete stop on 23 as we approached 96 a couple of times.  Nothing too bad.

However, when we rolled into town at 6:15ish, and were due to stop at Wendy's to procure dinner, the line was all the way to the edge of the parking lot, which would have had me stopped out in the main lanes.  I opted to run home, drop off the kids, and then went to a different Wendy's.  They were busy, and slow, but at least I didn't have whiny, hungry children with me.  With all of that, we didn't end up eating until about 7, which is really late for us.

It was also shot night, so once I unloaded, got everyone fed, I made up shots, then toothbrushes.  It was a hurried bedtime, but everyone got to hear a little bit of whatever story they like, then quick kisses.  Unexpectedly, the three little ones did go to sleep, so Billy and I were able to set up Alice's balloon décor uninterrupted.

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Today was the 158th day of Quarantine.

The high was a very cool 77F.

We started off the morning going out to find a "dew orb" that we read about in the big girls' recitation exercise by Shakespeare.

After some whining during math, and general slowness transitioning between subjects, we finished off the evening with chapter 2 of Alice in Wonderland and playdoh play.  The big girls told me that they really enjoyed it, since they don't get to play with playdoh at school anymore. = )

For dinner we had Salisbury steak and mashed potatoes.

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We are looking at the 157th day of Quarantine.

Today the high was 82F.

It was the first day of school!

Billy had a late doctor's appointment and brought back Arby's for dinner.

Billy and I went for a short walk after dinner, a very short walk since the kids stayed home.  Hopefully we will be able to make it a little longer next time.  = )

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Today was the 156th day of Quarantine.

The high today was 81F with a very cool start to the day.

I woke up a little earlier so that I could clean up all of the paint supplies before online church.  The kids worked on their packets and watched the video from Avia's church.

After church I rushed out the door to run the recycling by Sarah's and go pick up my grocery order.  I stumbled on a garage sale after I left Sarah's and bought a few small Christmas gifts for my crew.

The Kroger gas station had small lines when I arrived, so I picked up my groceries first.  This worked out in my favor, since the lines were going by the time I had my groceries. = )

After putting away the groceries, I listened to a few outstanding podcasts from A Delectable Feast about narration and "things."  I planned on shucking the corn while doing this, but ended up with a few cute, albeit messy, helpers. = )

Once the corn was cooking, it was time for baths, then making dinner.  For dinner we had chili cheesed dogs and corn on the cob.

After dinner, Billy helped me measure and mark for the pictures to go back up on the wall.

There are still blemishes and it is not perfect, but I'm glad that there are no longer medium & giant holes in the wall!  This will make being in the room for hours a day so much better!  = )

later days

May 24th, 72nd Day of Quarantine

The high today was a beautiful sunny 86F!

We enjoyed the 9am service this morning, followed by the kids sermon at 10:30.  The kids enjoyed the packets from my mom's church.  The twins made a parade once they finished their banners.

I tried out a new plant identifying app, and it is pretty cool!  I think we will do our best with the field guides, and use them until we get stumped. = )

Emily and Grace set up the slip and slide, and today was supposed to be our first "go outside and play so that you are tired on Sunday night" but it was a weekend.  I was going to skip it, but decided to enforce it.  I was glad I did, as all 5 of them ended up in swimsuits, playing in the water. = )

I spent a good portion of the day on the front porch previewing and notating our nature studies book for this fall.  I made a list of things that I need to acquire.  I also tracked down things that I thought we might still have, if they survived my konmari a few years back. = )  Once of the things was a brick.  I had found several partial bricks in part of the 'wild' in our back yard, but could not picture a full brick.  After scouring the basement with a flash

I also decided that the kids could start working in their nature journals this summer as part of their daily summer chart.

Billy sat out there with me and worked on engineering things on his laptop.
Once I finished with the nature studies, I pulled out the since list, and gathered anything that we already had.  I made a list of the recycling we will need to keep, and the items we might be able to get a dollar tree.  There are a few items that a thrift store would be my go-to, but I have no clue when those will be opening back up. = /  And once they do, I don't know if I will go.  Certainly not with all 5 kids.

For dinner I heated up whatever leftovers I could find, no one seemed particularly hungry after a day of snacking.

I don't know how Billy managed to keep going all day, but it is time for bed and he is still out there working!

later days

May 3rd, 51st Day of Quarantine

The expected high today is 68F.  It's currently sunny, but not particularly warm.

We tried a different method for the kids packets from my mom's church this week.  After they watched the video, they were expected to finish their packets.  This came about, because they were just storing up their packets all week, and never opening them.  So, as I was tearing open 10 in a single day to sort and shred, and collecting quite the pile of undone papers, I thought of this plan.

They really enjoyed today's packet, since it came complete with puzzle!

After church we checked to see if we had any strawberries (we didn't,) and just enjoyed time in the sunshine!

For lunch we ordered pizza from the local parlor, since they are currently the only game in town on Sundays.

Today is bath day across the board, getting ready for tomorrow by gathering the recycling and things that go to Sarah's, and reviewing the Kroger order, etc.

When I went out for a brisk mile around the back yard, it was chilly at the onset, but by my third or fourth pass, I was really comfortable!

For dinner we had teriyaki chicken with reheated rice (since I'd made a pot yesterday and we barely touched it.)

The temperature is supposed to take a dip tonight, hopefully we don't see those terrible temperatures they were predicting.

later days

March 29th, Day 16 of Isolation

The expected high today was 49F.

The day started out wet and chilly, but with no need to dress and hurry out the door, we 'attended' early service this morning.  It was communion Sunday, so we ate the sacrament in our home for the first time ever!  It is a very weird time.

But right after church service, the sun showed up with it's rays of warmth, Emily asked to go on a bike ride.  This was Billy's inaugural ride on the bike I procured for him last fall, so he aired up all the tires that were in need.

It was very windy last night, so while Billy filled up tires, my helpers and I picked up some fallen branches and sticks. = )

Emily rode up to the school with her training wheels, but had me take them off as soon as we got there.  She's now comfortable enough to keep them off!

It was a windy trip! We saw a tiny bit of sun, while we rode around the empty elementary school parking lot. But, by the time we were heading home, the clouds blew in and it started to sprinkle and get us all just a little wet!

There were lots of people out walking and biking and running. Also, a surprising number of people driving?! On a weekday I would expect more traffic, but everything is closed, and even places that are open somedays, tend to be closed on Sunday. Where was everyone going?

For lunch I raided the fridge to heat up leftovers from the week.  Now we have plenty of space for my grocery run tomorrow.

I reviewed lesson plans for the week and update our schedule.  Emily, William, Grace and Juliet all have Zoom meetings this week at one point or another.  This is our last week of school at home, next week it is time for Spring Break II and then back to school*?!

At 7 I chatted with some local moms via Zoom and it is so comforting!  And tonight the president issued an order that the country should continue distancing until April 30th**. 

It's shaping up to be an interesting year.

later days

*In an interview, the governor made some remarks that school would likely not resume this year, in a brick and mortar capacity, anyhow.  But as of right now the official word is that the will resume school on April 14th.  

**but as of the time of this post, nothing official has come from the governor or school district.

February 23rd

The expected high today is 50F. Billy says were it not for the wind, that he would eat on an outdoor patio. I disagree, but will concede that is not bitterly cold.

Alice and the twins went with Avia to church. The others came with us, but we left about halfway through, because my throat was hurting again. With Grace's recent diagnosis, I thought a trip to the urgent care would be prudent. Billy dropped me off while he, Emily and William went to the nearby McDonald's.

The Urgent Care was not terribly busy, and it took me longer to fill out the extensive paperwork than to wait for the test. The in house swab for strep came back negative, but she was going to send it out for a culture, to be sure. I'm glad that it's just a sore throat and hope that I don't hear from them at all.

We are gearing up to go back to school tomorrow. I'm always astounded at how quickly the week passes. Only 6 weeks left until the next spring break. = )

Billy and I replaced my rear blinker bulb before we left for church, since it went out on our way to the museum last week.

I recorded my car light bulbs and gave the tub a QR code, so that I wouldn't have to guess whether or not I had a particular bulb at home like I did yesterday.

We had sad news from Emily's class today, one of her class mate's lost her mother over the break. There was a fundraiser at a pizza place in Old Town, so Emily and I went to get dinner and pay our respects to the family. Emily did get to see her classmate, I am so sad for the family. It was a lively, lovely celebration of life though!

So, for dinner we had pizza.

I think we've prepared all we can for our regular routine tomorrow.

later days

Christmas Eve

Billy went to work on Christmas Eve, but got to leave early, so we went to the 4 o'clock Christmas Eve service.  My children were big fans of the hot cocoa bar!

Year 3 of candles and we managed, yet again, to not catch anything on fire!

Grace and Juliet spread out the Reindeer food that they brought home from school before bed.

Also, since my oven is out (have I mentioned that yet? lol) we had Burger King for supper.  It was a nice quiet evening.

later days

December Things

My mom's friend was upgrading her recliner, and my mom claimed her old one on our behalf.  It's a big green one, very similar to the one we had in Houston.  Everyone was happy, except for William who cried when we took out the old, ugly orange one that was only supposed to be in our house for a week and lasted 2 years!

It snowed.

Then it snowed some more.

Then it cleared.  (And I hid William's treasures.) And then it snowed again.

After our gingerbread house fail, I bought a store made kit.  It went over really well.  They even ate part of it!

Grace also wanted to sew a wrist rest like Juliet did.  She was so excited!

Molly hanging out by the tree.

We got a package that did not belong to us.  It was for 313 and we live at 317.  (309 is our immediate neighbor), and I tried to find the owner in a forum, and asked our neighbor but without success. So, after stressing over it, I contacted UPS who sent someone to retrieve it, but not until 8 o'clock that night!  I have never been happier to be rid of a package.

I looked in my rearview mirror and chuckled when I saw all those reindeer antlers!

Our dishwasher stopped draining, so I ended up handwashing dishes for about a week.  The Thursday after it was fixed, my oven went out.  The repair guy came out Saturday morning, but didn't have the part.  He ordered it to be shipped overnight, but I received a call today that there was some issue at the warehouse and it wouldn't be coming today. = (  So, we'll be having something that can be cooked on a stovetop for Christmas this year.  The ham I bought will taste even better next week I'm sure. = )

My mom signed my crew up to help light the 2nd Advent candle at her church.  Alice did a great, careful job with the flame.  Emily's reading of the verses was lovely.  The other 3 were bored and I stressed trying to coral them from below the stage.  Whew.  She said that she got lots of compliments from her friends after service though.

We had the lovely Galvas family come over Saturday, who also has 5 kids!  The adults played Ticket to Ride, and Emily joined us.  From then on, she's been really excited to play again. William likes the idea of it, but is not quite patient enough to play yet.

Such a lovely December.

later days

New intrests, day dates, and the warm up?

Emily's latest craft time has been spent making pictures that can be combined into animation.  She made 3 in one day, and hasn't come back to it since, so maybe it was just a fleeting interest.  

Grace playing with some of Emily's birthday gifts.

After one of our lunch dates, we spent some time at a vintage arcade/bar.  It was themed so well.  I enjoyed playing pinball and dr. Mario.  Billy enjoyed playing many games I'd never heard of.

Some pictures of my dear ones hanging out at home.

Last Sunday was kid-led Sunday. All 5 helped lead songs, Alice made an awesome usher, and Emily did a wonderful reading of the scripture.

Bedtime selfie:

One Thursday Billy and I had both eaten, so we went on a chilly walk around downtown Mason.  They have this cute little art display tucked in an alleyway.

Alice's friend made an agenda for their playdate:

And I totally got suckered in to buying pre-k pictures of the twins.  I mean, seriously, how could I resist?

Emily and William are my two who always want to come home and play outside after school.  It's much colder than I would want to endure, but they make it work.

This picture is from a while back, it was, what is hopefully, our final heavy snow of the season!

It's nice to be back outside a bit, I know that I have dearly missed the sun the last few months.  I'm ready for a nice, long, hot, summer. = )

later days