Summer camp has been a part of our family life since I married Jeremy. He is a part of the directors’ team for our Assemblies of God network. He makes kids camp happen for hundreds of kids every summer. Before having kids, I tagged along and went to camp with Jeremy. Now I stay home and keep the kids alive while he is away. After a two year break (thanks COVID), summer is camp is back! Not only that, Owen is now old enough to be a camper! WHAT?!?! How did this happen? I’m also super nostalgic because camp this year is at the same campground I went to as a kid. I love that Owen is making childhood memories in a place that I also have childhood memories!
We were in summer camp prep mode this weekend. We went shopping down in Portland, OR to pick up more shorts and t-shirts for Jeremy. His camp commitment is a full seven days, so he needed to stock up on essentials. We stopped by Crumbl Cookie and visited a spray park. Jeremy left on Sunday to direct the first week of camp (Sun-Wed) and the boys and I held down the fort at home. Then Owen took off with our church for the second week of camp (Wed-Sat). Being home with two kids is one thing, but being home with one kid is completely different. Graham misses his brother a lot, but we’re making it. Graham wrapped up swimming lessons today and we got McDonald’s as a special treat. Graham is doing all the menu planning this week. He loves deciding what our next meal will be. No surprise, last night was mac and cheese. Tonight is biscuits. Tomorrow, we plan to get pizza. We are living our best carb lives here.
This whole week has felt a bit strange. We, obviously, miss Jeremy a ton while he is away at camp! Now that I have two elementary-aged kids, being on my own with them is less intense than the baby/toddler/preschool years. The dynamic of having one kid being gone is new and certainly an adjustment. Keeping Graham distracted is actually a good distraction for me. I miss Owen, but I’m not too worried about him now that he is actually away. I was more anxious leading up to his departure. Jeremy has kept me updated, so I at least know Owen is eating and having a good time.
We have two more days until we’re all back together again! Almost to the finish line of this long week. I’m hoping the rest of summer camp goes well for Jeremy and Owen… and that Graham+Mom camp continues to go well, too!
Spray park in Wilsonville, OR
Crumbl two weekends in a row! I’m living the dream!
New flashlights from Grandpa & Grandma.
I went a little OCD and labeled everything in Owen’s suitcase. Everything is ziplocked to keep things clean, dry, and easy to find. And yes, that’s a lot of crackers, but he is so picky. I wanted something I knew he would eat at camp.
Ready to go! Once he puts shoes on….
Cousins ready for camp!
We wrapped up our summer school books this week! Now we have two weeks off before starting school at the end of August. I planned our first quarter yesterday afternoon. Feels good to have it all written down in the official planner!
A representation of some of the books I enjoyed most this month!
I’m combining my Bookish Thoughts and Top Picks this month. July has been a different reading month, so this blog will be a little different than my usual. For the first time in 2022, I let myself re-read books. I have a huge “To Be Read” pile this year. I haven’t let myself re-read books, not when there are so many new books calling my name. But… Illness hit our house and I needed to simplify my reading life. I wanted to get lost in a story and not have to put any thought into how it was going to end. I finally finished The Glenbrooke Series which I started last year and stopped midway through. Robin Jones Gunn is my ultimate comfort reading author. I re-read Roseanna M. White’s British Historical Fiction because it’s my favorite of her writings. I plan to re-read her The Secrets of the Isles Series in August in preparation for the final book of the series being released in September (Worthy of Lengend). I re-read Sweet Right Here by Jenny B. Jones before her next A Lost Story Bookshop release at the end of August (First to Fall). I re-read The Caraval Series and Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber to refresh myself before The Ballad of Never After releases in September. I’m so excited for new books coming my way soon! I didn’t love being sick this month, but I did take advantage of the extra down time. Books and the characters in them become dear friends to me. Revisiting my “friends” felt like a sweet treat!
The Book List for July 1 Star = I did not like it. 2 stars = It was okay. 3 stars = I liked it. 4 stars = I really liked it. 5 stars = It was amazing.
Non-Fiction:
Waymaker: Finding the Way to the Life You’ve Always Dreamed Of by Ann Voskamp – 4 stars
8 Great Smarts for Homeschoolers: A Guide to Teaching Based on Your Child’s Unique Strengths by Tina Hollenbeck – 4 stars
The New City Catechism: 52 Questions and Answers for Our Hearts and Minds by Kathy Keller/The Gospel Coalition – 4 Stars
The New City Catechism for Kids by The Gospel Coalition – 5 stars
Fiction:
Unfailing Love (When Hope Calls Series) by Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan – 3 stars
Clouds (The Glenbrooke Series) by Robin Jones Gunn – 5 stars
Waterfalls (The Glenbrooke Series) by Robin Jones Gunn – 5 stars
Woodlands (The Glenbrooke Series) by Robin Jones Gunn – 5 stars
Wildflowers (The Glenbrooke Series) by Robin Jones Gunn – 5 stars
Love Finds You in Annapolis, Maryland by Roseanna M. White – 5 stars
The Lost Heiress (The Ladies of the Manor Series) by Roseanna M. White – 4 stars
The Reluctant Duchess (The Ladies of the Manor Series) by Roseanna M. White – 4 stars
A Lady Unrivaled (The Ladies of the Manor Series) by Roseanna M. White – 4 stars
A Name Unknown (Shadows Over England Series) by Roseanna M. White – 4 stars
A Song Unheard (Shadows Over England Series) by Roseanna M. White – 4 stars
An Hour Unspent (Shadows Over England Series) by Roseanna M. White – 4 stars
The Number of Love(The Codebreakers Series) by Roseanna M. White – 4 stars
On Wings of Devotion (The Codebreakers Series) by Roseanna M. White – 4 stars
A Portrait of Loyalty (The Codebreakers Series) by Roseanna M. White – 4 stars
There You’ll Find Me by Jenny B. Jones – 5 stars
Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones – 4 stars
His Mistletoe Miracle (Sugar Creek Christmas Series) by Jenny B. Jones – 4 stars
A Sugar Creek Christmas (Sugar Creek Christmas Series) by Jenny B. Jones – 4 stars
Her Holiday Husband (Sugar Creek Christmas Series) by Jenny B. Jones – 4 stars
Sweet Right Here (A Lost Story Bookshop Novel) by Jenny B. Jones – 4 stars
Caraval (The Caraval Series) by Stephanie Garber – 4 stars
Legendary (The Caraval Series) by Stephanie Garber – 3 stars
Finale (The Caraval Series) by Stephanie Garber – 3 stars
Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber – 4 stars
Finding Love in Big Sky, Montana by Angela Ruth Strong – 4 stars
Finding Love in Park City, Utah by Angela Ruth Strong – 4 stars
Being Love in Eureka, California by Angela Ruth Strong – 4 stars
The first half of July was fairly quiet for our family as Jeremy and I recovered from COVID. I’m so thankful to have that experience behind us. We have rejoined the world again!!! It’s been so nice to get out and about after being home for two weeks. Originally, I thought I would want to do a big outing on the first day I no longer had to take precautions after COVID. It turns out my desire for activity didn’t quite match my energy level, though. Instead of a big adventure, we spent our first weekend of freedom with family. It was a good way to ease back into socializing. We had dinner with Jeremy’s parents one night and dinner with my family the next. We are glad we don’t have to distance ourselves from them anymore.
This last week finally felt like what a normal summer week should be! We visited friends on Monday to meet their baby goats. We spent multiple afternoons in the pool and had two different sets of friends over to swim. We had a lake day with our homeschool co-op friends. To cap off the week, we did family photos with my dad’s entire extended family. After such a quiet start to July, I’ve deeply appreciated the time with friends and family. It was also fun to host pool playdates again. The weather has finally warmed enough that the kids can stay in the pool for more than a few minutes without chattering teeth.
The adventures of this last week have me all excited and hopeful for the latter half of our summer. I won’t lie. I’ve been disappointed with the first half. Between poor weather and illness, we haven’t had the summer of adventures I had hoped for. But I’m optimistic that it’s right around the corner. This week was a good kick-off to what I hope continues to be a summer full of fun! 🙏🤞
Owen loved meeting the baby goats. He loves animals!
Graham didn’t want to hold a goat, but he was brave enough to pet one.
Love this shot of all four baby goats playing on a wood pile.
Summer vibes in the pool!
Love when they can play and I can read. Win-win!
BBQ at the lake with our homeschool co-op
Jeremy was a saint and spent hours in this inflatable boat with our boys and their friends!
Jeremy snapped this unofficial shot of the boys with GG at family photos. We love our GG so much! It was such a special opportunity to capture these moments together.
The photographer sent us this sneak peek! He was a brave man for taking on this many families in one photoshoot.
I debated not posting an update this week. 14 days at home hasn’t produced any exciting stories to share. Thankfully, I am on my last day of needing to take precautions after COVID. I hope to rejoin the world this weekend. I’m also grateful that Jeremy and I experienced fairly mild COVID symptoms. The boys tested negative numerous times and never had any symptoms. We are fairly confident at this point that they avoided the germs.
What does one do for two weeks at home while recovering from illness? My answer should be no surprise – read! I’ve finished 18 novels so far this month. All, but one, are books that I’ve read before. I let myself get lost in stories I already know the ending to. Definitely comfort reading. I took two days off from my usual walks and that was hard for me. I’m addicted to getting 10,000 steps. I’m back to walking an hour a day. I enjoy getting outside in the fresh air and going for a stroll. Quarantine baking has also become a thing in our house again. I made a second cake at Owen’s request and some frozen cinnamon rolls for Graham. Jeremy would say his recovery plan involved plenty of Parks and Recreation since we subscribed to Peacock for the month.
The kids have handled the extra time at home fairly well. We’ve been back to a somewhat normal home schedule this week. I dropped the boys off at church on Sunday so they could participate with Monumental VBA. I felt a bit self-conscience driving in my mask with the windows down, but I was still technically in isolation on Sunday. I didn’t want to spread anything to the boys. Jeremy met us in the parking lot to take them in. They also joined Jeremy for church on Wednesday night. To win the Dad-of-the-Year award, he took them fishing last night and they are out scouting tonight. I’ve appreciated the extra quiet time at home… to read… and bake… and walk… And that sums up life! We did a little bit of summer school this week as well, so it hasn’t been all play. But mostly, play.
One highlight of the past week was Jeremy and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary! Obviously, our plans changed and it was a quiet day around the house. Jeremy’s parents were kind and brought us take-out so we could have an extra special dinner. We’ll have to make up for the missed celebration another time. I joked that there is no one I would would rather “isolate” with more than Jeremy. He is my favorite person and best friend. I can’t say I wanted to have the bonding experience of sharing COVID, but we handled it well. We make a good team and I’m so grateful for the life we get to share together (germs and all).
Well, like I said, my guys are out in the woods having an adventure… I’m going to spend my evening at home with a book and maybe go for a walk. Totally predictable. We’ll see what next week holds now that the great COVID adventure is behind us.
This is how I isolate while sick…
Thankful I felt well enough to walk while recovering.
It might be a dusty, gravel driveway, but it’s one of my happy places.
Flashback to 16 years go!
Owen and Amy’s July reads: Owen has been reading quite a bit during this quiet time at home. I took this picture on Wednesday and he has already added 2 more books to this stack. You can add 9 books to my stack on the right. 7 eBooks and 2 more books that I finished after taking this photo.
Last Thursday, we took off for camping with Jeremy’s family at Schafer State Park. Camping is always an adventure. I’m amazed at how much we pack to have as many comforts of home as possible. I’m not a tent camper at heart (I dream of owning a trailer), but I know my family enjoys it. I tagalong and do my best. The bathrooms at this campground were nice and cleaned often, so that made a world of difference. The boys loved fishing on the Satsop River and Graham was my hiking buddy. It felt so good to finally hit some trails this summer. I was able to read a book and chat with family. It was a great trip until Owen started to feel sick on Friday afternoon. When it became apparent we had a sick kiddo, we packed up camp in a hurry. Poor Owen had a flu bug that lasted through Sunday which happened to overlap with our next family drama.
It took over two years, but COVID finally came to visit our family. Jeremy tested positive on Saturday and went into isolation since the boys and I tested negative. I moved into our playroom on an air mattress and held down the fort while Jeremy recovered. This meant we had to cancel our plans to celebrate the 4th of July at the beach with friends. We also had to cancel hosting a birthday dinner for my father on the 5th. Living through a pandemic has a taught our family flexibility with canceled plans. We are stay-at-home professionals. We were disappointed to cancel such fun plans, but we also knew we could handle the unexpected time at home.
My parents were sweet and bought fireworks for us. We had planned to watch the fireworks on the beach, so we didn’t have any at home. The boys loved the small display and seemed to enjoy the holiday even though it wasn’t the big celebration we had originally envisioned. Tuesday was my dad’s birthday. Owen requested we make a cake and enjoy it in his honor. My parents also delivered pizza. It was like we had a birthday dinner celebration – just in separate houses.
Yesterday morning, I also tested positive for COVID. Even though Jeremy isolated right away after testing positive, I had been in very close contact with him during his contagious period before showing symptoms. I’m not thrilled about starting the isolation timer over again, but it has worked out for the best. I felt crummy yesterday, but Jeremy was starting to feel better. He was able to assist the kids (while trying to maintain a distance). The boys are still negative, so we’ll see if they can get away from this virus or if our family will draw this out.
Thankfully, I woke up today feeling much better. I don’t want to jinx anything, but I feel almost 100%. My plan is to rest today because I don’t want to go backwards. This summer certainly hasn’t turned out the way we expected. We had trips, activities, and outings that I thought we would happily checking off our summer bucket list. Jeremy has some time off in August, so we have hope for summer adventures still to come. September and October are fairly nice in the PNW. The summer bucket list might have to transition to a fall bucket list. We can do our best to make plans, but life happens! We take the disappointments in stride and look ahead with hope.
Our home away from home
Owen the Fisherman
Graham the Adventurer
Family fishing
Photo op with my contagious hubby! Ha!
Happy 4th of July
Missing Jeremy
My quiet time entertainment on the 4th of July. Nothing quite like hanging out on an air mattress in the playroom.
I can see the rain falling as I sit down beside my bedroom window to type. I’ve clicked the thermostat up a few times already today. I’m trying not cringe that the house still needs heating. The term June-uary is jokingly said here in the PNW to refer to a June that feels much more like a January. A chilly June isn’t unheard, but it’s still disappointing. My summer bucket list of outdoor adventures continues to be put on hold while I wait for opportune weather. Owen dramatically asked me, “Will it ever be warm enough to swim in pool?” I don’t know, kiddo!
Here are a few highlights from the last week. The boys wrapped up the activities needed to get a free book for the library summer reading program. Since I was disappointed the selection at the library, I purchased them books of their choosing as a reward. Owen selected the first book in The Boxcar Children series and Graham selected a reader. The boys used the money they earned from selling their train table and play kitchen to purchase new items. Owen went for a video game and Graham got a LEGO set. New books, games, and toys have come in handy as we rest at home and avoid the rain.
We continue to fiddle with how best to use the playroom. We kept it open and empty for a few days, but now we have a card table and some chairs in the space. The card table isn’t my ideal playroom furniture, but it works for now. Graham used the table to build his new LEGO set and Jeremy used it to sort his own LEGOs he might be interested in selling. Every so often, we do a purge and sell of old items. It’s a good practice. It clears out space and gives us some fun money in return. I’m all for the playroom table being covered in LEGOs instead of the dining room table!
We were able to attend a reunion for Jeremy’s family on Sunday. It was good to see many familiar faces we haven’t seen in the last few years due to the pandemic and meet a few new faces as well. Jeremy let his parents borrow an inflatable from the church and the kids had a blast bouncing the afternoon away with the cousins. It was a chilly gathering, but thankfully, it only misted on us for a short time at the start.
Yesterday, I went to a potluck for our homeschool co-op to discuss plans for next school year. I brought pumpkin muffins because I still have pumpkin in my pantry that needs to be used and the weather seriously feels like fall. I’m just embracing the chilly vibes with my pumpkin roll scented Scenty warmers and pumpkin spice muffins. Summer might be the favorite season of many, but I’m always looking forward to fall. I might have gotten a jump start on longing for fall. Oops!
I do realize that summer hasn’t officially started (13 days to go). I’ve always viewed the beginning of June as the start of summer, though. Wrapping up our school year in May gave me high hopes of enjoying some special summer moments before the rest of the PNW was on summer break, but no such luck. Oh well. I might be mad at the rain for keeping my summer plans on hold, but I’m also okay with the cozy vibes inside – books to read and muffins to munch on while wrapped in a blanket. Not a bad trade off. I guess I’ll survive this June-uary just fine.
Summer reading program completed
The joy of selling old stuff to get new stuff
The kids barely came out of this inflatable on Sunday. They had so much fun!
The roof is a totally normal place to take a cousin picture, right?
We very rarely get a picture of us moms! So blessed to raise our kiddos together!
Graham loves all things pumpkin, just like me. He was my taste-tester of the pumpkin muffins and he approved!
We are really enjoying this book of poetry! The illustrations are beautiful, too! The Lost Words brings back to life 20 nature words that were removed from the Oxford Children’s Dictionary to make space for technological words. The purpose of the book is to revive the words and re-wild childhood. If we can’t be outside in nature, this is the next best thing! I might have to get my own copy for our home library.
Each season is full of it’s own surprises. We can make a plan, but there is no guarantee things will pan out. We definitely hold plans loosely these days!
The last few weeks have been fairly quiet for us because our family seems to be catching all the bugs that are going around. Thankfully, we’ve avoided COVID (we’ve tested to be sure), but each boy had a 24-hour flu and our whole family had a mild cold. I thought we might catch something with the mask mandate lifting in our area, but I wasn’t expecting a new illness each weekend. Someone starts to feel under the weather on a Friday and then our weekend plans disappear. (This has been the pattern for the last three weekends). On the bright side, the flu bugs were over quickly and the colds were minor. I’m really hoping we got all of our spring sickness out of the way so we can move on to a social spring now!
We had a surprise power outage on Sunday morning. We were home from church for a rest/recovery day. I had promised a morning of screen time for resting… and then we had no power! Oops! The kids were bummed, but Owen made due with an audiobook that was downloaded on my tablet. Graham was healthy so he took his energy over to play at the neighbor’s house (aka Grandpa and Grandma’s). It was super chilly without power! Owen and I bundled under blankets and had book time instead of screen time. It certainly wasn’t the morning we planned, but we rolled with it!
The biggest spring surprise this week was snow! Lots of snow! We woke on Monday to a spring snowstorm. We took a snowy walk before school and then the boys did some sledding in the afternoon. I’ve never seen snow like this in April. We are used to a spring weather mix, but not inches of snow on the ground. It was crazy. It felt like we should be prepping for Christmas instead of Easter this weekend. We’ve seen snowflakes each day this week and even yesterday, we woke up to a white world again (just not as much as Monday).
Now that we’re feeling better, we were excited to start a spring homeschool co-op on Tuesday. In the afternoon, the boys participated in PE and art classes. They both enjoyed co-op and are looking forward to next time. Yesterday afternoon was spent at the dentist. The boys were cavity-free and Owen walked away with an orthodontist referral. Orthodontics are a new adventure awaiting us… Oh goody!
After school today, we went down to the church to help Jeremy move Easter baskets into the front lobby. Every kid will get to take home an Easter basket on Sunday. Graham had a great time assembling the baskets at a work party a few weeks ago and he was very excited to show us the project he was a part of. Moving baskets and preparing for Easter is one of the ways we serve our community together as a family. Our kids get a front row seat to to the joy of giving to others.
It’s full Easter prep mode here! Jeremy is making sure all the details are set for Sunday. We’ve nailed down plans to celebrate with family. Jeremy and I filled plastic eggs with candy for a small hunt. We’ll hard boil eggs and dye them at some point in the next few days. I have all the elements for Easter baskets ready to go. I’m praying these weekend plans finally pan out! Some spring surprises are fun, but I think I would like a little bit of predictable right now! Just a little bit!
I decided to add the Harry Potter series to our home library. I had a hard time deciding between new paperbacks or used hardcovers. I went for used because I feel like hardcover is more durable. Also, my personal preference is to remove the dust jackets from my books. I think they look more distinguished. Anyone else have very specific book preferences?
Last Thursday was 78 degrees and the boys were in summer mode. Owen made friends with a tiny moth.
From summer weather on Thursday to snow on Monday! What an extreme flip!
Getting some sledding in before the snow melts
Graham’s science lesson called for chocolate chip cookies so he could excavate the chips like paleontologist do with fossils. I was too lazy to scoop cookies so I went the bar cookie route. Graham enjoyed the experiment and kept eating the “fossils” he found!
The boys love stopping into Jeremy’s office to check on the Aerogarden. It’s thriving!
This last week, I got to visit a place that is very special in my childhood memories. Jeremy has agreed to co-direct kids camp for our church network. He has directed/co-directed kids camps for our entire married life. Two summers without kids camp on our calendar has been strange. Now that COVID numbers are coming down and things are opening up, kids camp planning is back on. Jeremy had a camp tour this last Friday and he mentioned taking the boys along for the outing. I also asked to tagalong because kids camp this year is at the campground I attended as an elementary school student – Lake Retreat! Because it was a full camp tour, we got to look inside all the buildings and wander all over the campground. As we walked through the different spaces, I could remember which “cabins” I stayed in. I had memories of lining up outside the cafeteria, eating camp meals, messages in the chapel, and stories by the campfire. The camp is right on Lake Retreat and I remember how high the diving board seemed as a kid. The strangest thing was how small the camp felt to me as an adult. My childhood memory was of this huge, expansive campground. While the campground really isn’t small, it just wasn’t quite as large as my childhood memory made it seem. I guess the walk across camp felt longer for little legs decades ago. It was very special to visit a place for vivid in my memories.
While visiting camp was partially for nostalgia, I also had another purpose for tagging along. This is the first summer that Owen is old enough to attend. It’s crazy to think of him going off to camp. I wanted to get a glimpse of what camp might look for him. Could I picture him there? Owen and Graham both enjoyed the camp tour. It certainly inspired them to want to attend. One of the advantages of Owen visiting camp in advance is he can now picture where this new experience would take place. We’ve haven’t done overnight experiences beyond a night or two at a grandparents’ house. In the aftermath of a pandemic, we’re still processing if summer camp is a step we’re ready for. Seeing the camp in-person was helpful as we process our summer plans. It’s hard to believe that we have a kiddo that is old enough to be a camper!
Okay, visiting camp wasn’t the only highlight of the last week. I’ll try to hit the others quickly. On Thursday, we visited friends and saw quite a few trains on our journey to/from their home. The boys are still obsessed with trains, so it was a very good day! We met Jeremy for dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant (which I find funny since it was St. Patrick’s day). Friday night, I attended book club. I enjoy discussing books with other moms and my book recommendation list is super long now. On Saturday, we had a beaver walk up our driveway and into our front yard! We apparently live in a zoo or maybe Narnia. Saturday evening, we had friends over for dinner and the boys got to do their favorite thing – flashlight tag in the yard. Sunday, our chickens got attacked by an eagle. We missed the drama but my parents saw it happen. A crow attacked the eagle and scared it off before it could harm our chickens. A big thank you to that crow! Between a beaver in the yard on Saturday and an eagle on Sunday… we seriously live in a zoo!
After a few days of activity, I’ve been enjoying some quieter days at home. I’m almost finished with the Harry Potter series. I’m currently on book seven and hope to finish it today or tomorrow. It’s been fun to discuss the books with my friends (and hubby) who are fans. I’m often asked what I think about the books, but it’s also neat to hear what books, characters, and moments other readers like best. Oh, and the very important discussion of what Hogwarts house you think you’d be in! I’m torn between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, but I’m leaning toward Hufflepuff. I’ll have to give my final HP thoughts at the end of the month in my book blog!
Well, that’s all for now! Until next time!
Watching for trains while waiting for Jeremy to arrive at the restaurant.
Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day at Plaza Jalisco!
Past camper and potential future camper
Introducing the kids to carpet ball
Tripe stacked bunk beds!
Enjoying the lake
The beaver and the wildlife photographers
A visit to Dad’s office on Sunday to check out the sprouts in the Aerogarden
Learning about fossils in amber with gummy worms and orange Jell-O
It can be easy and exciting to write about the big adventures and outings. However, life is mostly made up of the “other” days. They might not be thrilling, but each ordinary day is an adventure all it’s own. With the future unknown, I am trying to intentionally savor these days at home. The last two years have greatly changed how we live our day-to-day lives. While many have rushed back to normal, we are trying to hold on to the benefits we’ve found in living differently.
Our mornings are spent at the dining room table doing school. We are one week away from the end of our 3rd quarter. The boys already have their 3rd quarter rewards selected and they are counting down the days until we can celebrate. It is very exciting to see the pages left in our school books dwindling. Some of our curriculum doesn’t end at exactly 180 days of lessons. A few books will be completed before we are officially finished with the school year. (When that happens, I supplement that subject with other worksheets/books.) It’s always a celebration when a textbook is completed. The finish line for the school year is in sight!
Homeschooling has been an unexpected chapter in our family story. It’s been a good chapter, though. Our plans for school next year are still undecided. There is a chance that the boys will be back to public school in the fall. With that in mind, I’m doing my best to enjoy this homeschool season for all that it is. It’s not over yet and I want to make the most of it. Often that means putting thoughts (and, being real here, anxieties) about next year on hold for now. I don’t want to miss this current time at home pondering (or fretting over) future decisions.
After school, we have lunch and then quiet time. This used to be nap time, but the boys have long outgrown naps. Now they are allowed to play on their beds or read books during quiet time. While they might not sleep anymore, the down time is restorative. It reminds me of the “flat on bunk” time I used to have at kid’s camp when I was in elementary school. Sleep is optional, but rest isn’t. This quiet time is just as important for me as it is for the boys. I appreciate the break! I often use it to read, research (aka look things up on Amazon), contact friends (Marco Polo), and do “grown-up stuff” (like make dentist appointments).
When quiet time is over, it’s afternoon free time. If the weather is nice, we’ll walk to the mailbox. I usually start dinner prep while the boys play. LEGO Super Mario is still the toy of choice around here. If the boys have chores, they do them in the afternoon/evening free time. Some of their chores are emptying the dishwasher, taking out the trash, collecting eggs, and helping with the laundry. We have dinner when Jeremy gets home and then usually there is a little time to play on the Switch. Some days wrap up by watching a baking show in the hot tub.
These days can feel a bit like Groundhog’s Day. Wake up and repeat… again… and again. Despite the repetition, these are good days. The last two years have certainly been challenging, but they have also been a gift. This last week Washington State removed it’s mask mandate, so it really has been two years living in pandemic mode. While I don’t view the pandemic as over, I can recognize that things are changing. I don’t know what that means for the future, but I do know that I want to make the most of right now. I am so thankful to the small things that make these ordinary days special. We do have rocky moments (like the fights over LEGOS pieces – a real-life example from 11:30am today). I remind myself that these difficult moments are a chance for us to grow together. It might seem like sibling squabbles are a chance for the kids to learn, but these are growth moments for me as well. How will I respond? Is my attitude helping or hindering the situation? So yes, lots of learning together beyond our school time. These home days don’t make for the most interesting updates, but day-by-by, they are making for a pretty interesting life!
A special stop for fro-yo while running errands
Pizza Friday! This was our second time getting Mini Murph take-an-make kits. The boys love them!
My latest attempt at cake decorating. Used some new tools. Looking forward to trying again since I’m learning a lot through trial and error!
Getting some new dirt into Jeremy’s new raised beds
My latest used book acquisition with the last of my birthday money
A quick visit to Nana & Papa’s house where Owen got to be a firefighter and help put out a burn pile.
Jeremy’s birthday present arrived a little early! He requested (then purchased for himself) an Areogarden for his office at work. After 5 days, he already has sprouts popping up!
Time to make leprechaun traps!
Homemade pizookies for Pi Day on Monday
I had a migraine yesterday, so the boys joined Jeremy for an out-of-town errand and then an afternoon of helping at the church. Jeremy sent me this picture of Graham leading a “Bible study” in the church’s church classroom! Graham has been watching Jeremy in action on Sundays and it shows!
I want to take a moment to say thank to those of you who read this blog and journey alongside my family. These posts feel like writing letters to a friend and it has been so meaningful for me to have this space to share. Especially over the last few years as the world turned upside down and our daily life got smaller, these blogs are proof (mostly to myself) that we are holding on, making it day by day, finding joy despite the trials of a pandemic. As we move toward spring, the world is shifting again. With pandemic restrictions changing in our area, I’m intrigued to see how the future unfolds. While my mind is often pondering what’s next, I am praying that I can stay grounded in the present and enjoy the time that I currently have – right here, right now.
This last week was full of good times and games! We hosted both a play date and a family dinner at our house. Both families we invited over had all boys and our house was filled with wild things running about. There was much laughter and shenanigans. The boys were thrilled to have their friends over and it made my heart happy to see all the smiles. For me personally, it was also nice to catch up with the parents and have adult conversation, even if it was hard to hear at times or was interrupted. Friend time for my kiddos also means friend time for myself. Yay!
Games! So many games this week! On Thursday, Jeremy surprised us by coming home from work with a Nintendo Switch. It was an anonymous and extremely generous gift to our family. To say I was shocked is an understatement. Words cannot even express the excitement our kids felt when Jeremy revealed the box. Friday morning we went on a mission to buy a game and another set of controllers. Over the long weekend, Jeremy and the boys worked on passing levels and battling bosses in hopes of saving Princess Peach. The Super Mario obsession in our house as definitely increased.
On Saturday, Nana and Papa invited us to join them for glow-in-the-dark golf with some of the cousins. We love cousin time! And surprisingly, for glow golf being a local activity, we had never been before. It was a win-win – time with family and a fun outing! I’m not a great golfer (mini golf or otherwise), but this glow golf course was right up my alley. I completed a majority of the holes in three strokes instead of my usual six or more. It was very good for my confidence! After we wrapped up golf, Nana and Papa treated the kids to a few arcade games in the lobby. They loved every moment of the outing.
Saturday night after bedtime, Graham came out of his room saying he wanted to talk. It turns out that he was very sad that the Olympics were ending. We enjoyed watching the Olympics in the evenings as a family. We cheered for Team USA. We marveled at the skill of the athletes. When explaining that the Winter Olympics happen every four years, the kids got wide-eyed. Four years feels like a lifetime right now. Telling them that the Summer Olympics would happen in just two years didn’t help ease the disappointment much. We made sure to watch the closing ceremonies as a family on Sunday. Part of me is slightly glad the games are over – only for the fact that the boys were starting to do more stunts off the furniture in the living room. Watching all the airborne athletes was inspiring them a little too much! Now we’re back to baking shows. The current family show is season two of Zumbo’s Just Desserts.
In closing, I will mention that after almost two years of watching church online, the boys and I returned to church in-person on Sunday. With case numbers going down and our family being fully vaccinated/boosted, it seemed like it was a good time to re-engage with this community. The boys and I enjoyed being a part of children’s church with “Pastor Jeremy” (aka Daddy/Hubby). We are excited to be at church as a family again.
Okay, that concludes all the major and minor life updates for the time being!
Learning to play Super Mario Bros
Good times golfing!
Wrapping up glow golf!
Arcade time
Back at children’s church! The boys did a great job participating and they were thrilled to come home with special treats.
Sunday mac & cheese tradition is still going strong!
When Amazon sends a box that is big enough to fit two kids!
Amy Scott's Thoughts 