Family Time | Amy Scott's Thoughts

Welcome March! March 11, 2024

Filed under: Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Travels — Amy Scott @ 2:19 pm

March is here! It’s been a bit of mix. Some big days and some very quiet days. A major theme of March so far has been rescheduling. Our co-op crew has been sick and it has greatly altered our plans this last week. We had plans on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday all be cancelled and/or rescheduled. Last week looked like a very full week, until it wasn’t. It’s all good, though. We don’t mind the extra time around the house. We love being home just as much as we love being out and about.

What is there to share if all we’ve done is reschedule life? Well, at the beginning of the month we purchased a new-to-us minivan! We’ve had a silver Dodge Caravan for the last 8 years and it’s been a good vehicle for us. As we started to talk about replacing it, we decided to look into another Dodge Caravan because we like them so much. We were able to purchase a newer model with fewer miles. Our new van is black and has been named Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon. We are marveling at new-to-us features like doors that open automatically, seat warmers, and a back-up camera. Our old van was low-tech, so there has been much to learn about this newer model. I hope Toothless will be a beloved addition to our family for many years to come. Now I need to relearn what vehicle to look for in the parking lot!

The other big adventure we had this month was a trip OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry). We’ve attempted to visited multiple times and it felt like it was impossible to make it actually happen. We were thrilled to finally have this family field trip! Highlights of our visit were the main exhibits about tyrannosaurs and animal survival skills. The physics lab was one of Owen’s favorite places and Graham thanked me over and over for the planetarium show we watched. Super fun, super educational. I know I’ve said it before, but I love field trips! They are my favorite!

That’s the update for the first half of the month! The latter half will be full of all the things… reschedule plans, St. Patrick’s Day, Jeremy’s birthday, Easter – so many fun times to look forward to with family and friends! However, the quiet start to the month does have me wondering… Will it be as full as I expect? Probably not… But I will be thankful for the opportunities that come and be grateful for pauses to rest when things don’t pan out. Spring is just around the corner and I am cautiously optimistic for what’s ahead!

Owen’s final diorama in this science curriculum! Graham will start the diorama fun next fall.

Chasing away the daylight savings yawns with laughter at Kung Fu Panda 4!

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February Field Trips February 21, 2024

Filed under: Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Travels — Amy Scott @ 12:37 pm

February has been a full month. After a super quiet January, our pace of life has picked up! Our calendar this month is a mix of playdates, family dinners, church commitments, dental appointments, well checks, and my personal favorite – field trips! Oh, also add in low-key celebrations like the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day. It seems there has been something going on every day!!!

Let’s chat about our field trips! I love field trips. They are one of my favorite parts of homeschooling. Life is a full of learning opportunities and so many adventures can be classified as a field trip. On Friday, we took off for the Tillamook Creamery. This is an annual adventure for us! We love watching the cheese being packaged and processed. We tried the cheese samples, had lunch, and got ice cream. The boys enjoyed racing to see how fast they can milk a cow (a display cow, not a real cow). The Tillamook Creamery is always a good time!

After Tillamook, we made our way up the Oregon Coast. We stopped in Cannon Beach to visit Haystack Rock. The tide was out so the tide pools around the rock were exposed. We saw some small fish and sea anemones. It was a cold and windy walk to Haystack Rock, but our kids come alive at the beach. They didn’t mind the chilly weather and had fun exploring around the tide pools.

Our last stop on the way home was to see a dead fin whale that washed up on Sunset Beach. I didn’t know much about fin whales until this last week. They are the second largest whale and they rarely wash ashore because they stay out in deeper waters. Owen recently wrapped up a whale unit in science, so this seemed like a good chance to see a whale up close. The boys got to see the baleen and see the size of the large whale. The sight was a bit more gruesome than I expected as the whale had been cut open and certain parts had been harvested. It was kind of gross, but still educational!

Yesterday, we joined our homeschool co-op for a field trip to the Washington State Capitol. Jeremy took the day off to join us. His presence was so appreciated! It was our family’s first visit to the Capitol and it didn’t disappoint. Through a co-op connection, we were able to explore parts of the building that usually aren’t open to the public. We even got to go on to the senate floor and take a picture (the senate obviously wasn’t in session at the moment). We had a short class on what is a bill and the process of getting a bill to become a law. After our time with the senate staff, we went on a guided tour which showed us the rest of the building. One of the highlights of our visit was the fact that it was Potato Day. Washington potato farmers set up a baked potato bar and offer baked potatoes to anyone who would like one. They also gave away reusable bags and potato recipe cards. Jeremy did a little research and they say about 1,600 potatoes are given out on Potato Day. It made for a crowded visit, but it was also a fun bonus to the experience!

We have some more field trips planned this spring and I am so excited for them! Getting to experience learning outside in the world is so valuable. We are making memories as a family and I love that we get to explore the world alongside our kids. We’ve had so many conversations as a family about what we learned this last week, what we enjoyed the most, and clarifying what we experienced. I’m so thankful for these opportunities. Field trips are one of the best parts of homeschooling!

Co-Op Book Club: Making Christmas snow globes for the chapter in *The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe* where Father Christmas visits.

Co-Op Book Club: Christmas one week and Easter the next! Talking about how Aslan’s sacrifice on the Stone Table is an allegory for Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.

Heart-shaped mini-waffles for Valentine’s Day!

Mini-tulips and more mini-waffles! Loving the spring vibes!

Washington State Capitol Field Trip – the WA State Seal

Washington State Capitol Field Trip – learning about the doors and the history on them

Washington State Capitol Field Trip – the Senate Reception Room which is original to it’s 1928 completion

Washington State Capitol Field Trip – Potato Day!

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Books, Board Games, and Life at Home February 5, 2024

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Tasty Treats — Amy Scott @ 11:33 am

January turned out to be a much quieter month than we anticipated. Between the winter weather and Graham coming down with a cold, we had a lot of time at home in January. As a homebody, the extra time at home was no hardship. A majority of our free time in January was spent playing board games and reading books (well, books for Owen and I – he is flying through The Hardy Boys right now and I’m making the most of Kindle Unlimited and the Skyward series). Our family has an obsession with The Quest for Eldorado board game at the moment. The game says it’s 10+, but our 8 year-old, Graham, has picked it up fairly easily. I would even say that Graham has probably won more times than me at this point. And yes, I am a little bitter about that. Just kidding, but kind of, not really. Ha!

Life has picked up with the calendar turning to February. On February 1st, Jeremy took the day off as comp-time for working at a conference in January. We wrapped up our school day quickly while Jeremy was at a morning dentist appointment. When Jeremy arrived home, we set off for a spur-of-the-moment trip to Portland, OR. (Yay for a flexible homeschool schedule!) We planned 3 different visits to Portland in January, but each time we had to cancel (twice due to weather, once for illness). The original Portland plan was to visit OMSI – Oregon Museum of Science and Industry – but we are now waiting for March when their next exhibit opens. The other part of our Portland plan was to visit a few bookstores and we were able to make that happen on Thursday! I loved wondering Powell’s Books and spent the last of my Birthday money. I’m already looking forward to my February book blog. So many new books to share!

This weekend, I was able to reconnect with a friend over coffee. Our family was also able to have dinner with friends we haven’t seen in a while. It was a good weekend to catch up with friends! Our February calendar is filled with dinners, playdates, field trips, and a marriage conference. The month is booked with just enough margin to hopefully stay sane. I would like to believe that March will be the month it all balances out, but Easter is in March this year. Between Easter prep, making sure Jeremy’s birthday doesn’t get lost in the Easter prep, and Easter itself, I have a feeling March might be a bit full as well. But since March is still a ways away, I will choose to focus in on this month, this week, this day. When I look at the big picture, the calendar can seem daunting, but then I remind myself that I can only in live in this moment. One day at a time!

These guys found Squishmallows on sale while we were running errands. They couldn’t resist! The love of Squishmallows is strong in our house.

Attempting to make a beaver dam out of pretzel sticks and chocolate frosting for co-op book club.

Jeremy and Owen picked up my free birthday Crumbl cookie for me while I stayed home with a sick Graham.

Tillamook frozen pizza taste test! It was a hit with 3/4 Scotts. Our family is very fond of Tillamook!

A lovely way to start the day last Monday!

After years of talking about it, I got Corelle Winter Frost White dishes. I love that they are a simple white and thin for easy storage.

We got the pasta bowls in addition to the regular set. Our snowflake dishes have pasta bowls that we now can’t live without, so I needed to make sure we had a non-seasonal version.

Adding a little sabotage to Eldorado. Jeremy wins too often! The boys and I made these joke cards for a good laugh.

One of my favorite places with my favorite people!

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A Chill(y) Birthday January 18, 2024

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Tasty Treats — Amy Scott @ 2:07 pm

Well, we didn’t get as much snow as I had hoped for this last weekend, but we did experience quite the deep freeze. Our snow from last week stuck around thanks to the cold temps, but we only had a few inches. Those inches just camped out for the weekend since it was too cold for them to melt off. It was a wild weather week, but thankfully, yesterday was the end of our wintery conditions.

This last weekend was my birthday weekend. My actual birthday was Sunday, but I’m all about making birthdays bigger than a single day. We had a family outing planned on Friday and a family meal planned on Saturday. Both were cancelled due to the weather. It’s good thing I’m an introverted homebody. While I was sad to see those plans go, I was also very okay with a quiet weekend at home.

Things really started to freeze on Friday, so Jeremy pulled the boys on sleds up and down the driveway behind our minivan (until the sleds cracked due to too much gravel poking through – oops!). Saturday, we took a freezing walk to our local beaver dam only to come home to no power! With the high that day being 21F, we were a little nervous about being without power. Jeremy fired up our generator and we were able to make a hot dinner using our Instant Pot and electric kettle. After we got dinner cleaned up as best we could, the power came back on! Thankfully, it was only out for a couple hours so the house didn’t have time to get too cold.

I’m not a confident winter weather driver. The little bit of snow that came in on Saturday evening was enough for me to stay put come Sunday morning. I didn’t want a white-knuckle drive to church on my birthday. Instead, I had a lovely day around the house. I made snowflake waffles in our mini-waffle maker. I enjoyed plenty of time to read and walk. We played multiple board games together as a family. Our newest board game is The Quest for Eldorado and it’s the current family favorite. Jeremy picked up a Costco mac and cheese and chocolate cake before the weather moved in on Thursday. I was able to have my favorite foods for dinner on my birthday! Food is always a big highlight of my celebrating process! It was a pretty chill way to kick off being 38, but that’s okay. It was cozy and wonderful!

On Monday, we were able to get out of the house for a little bit. We had dinner with Jeremy’s parents and introduced them The Quest for Eldorado. We improvised to make the game work for 5 players. It was a little silly with Jeremy’s token being a giant hiker from our national park board game, but it worked! The big conversation on Monday was the freezing rain coming in on Tuesday. With most of our homeschool co-op being concerned about freezing temps and road conditions, we ended up cancelling co-op this week. The freezing rain did come in Tuesday evening, so Jeremy had a late start to work yesterday while we waited for the ice on the roads to melt.

What wild, winter weather we’ve had this last week! Even now, we still have snow on the ground. The rain is doing it’s best to make it disappear and I’m feeling torn. I’m always sad to see the snow go. I’m also ready for things to warm up. It’s been so cold!!! We even reached a new record low for our house on the hill – 12F! It was a very chill(y) birthday weekend, but it was perfect for me! Now I look forward to rejoining the world this coming weekend!

Always following these guys down trails! Friday’s adventure was looking for animal tracks and identifying birds.

Warming up after a walk with our new game.

While we didn’t get a lot of snow, I am thankful it lasted so long!

No power! As you can see, Graham was in shorts, so we didn’t freeze!

Such pretty birthday waffles! They fit the theme of the weekend so well!

It’s not truly a birthday celebration without chocolate cake!

I introduced Jeremy to *The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes* after the boys went to bed on my birthday. Now we’re re-watching the whole *Hunger Games* saga.

One of these things is not like the other! Haha! We had to improvise to make *The Quest for Eldorado* a 5 player game!

Even though we didn’t have book club with our co-op yesterday, we still read the chapter and sampled Turkish Delight!

Graham is studying the solar system in his science right now. Love being alongside him for these hands-on activities.

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Hello 2024! January 10, 2024

Filed under: Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 4:28 pm

Hello! Welcome to the first post of 2024! It’s been a pretty quiet start to the new year, but I still have plenty to updates to share. We rang in the new year asleep in our beds. It’s been years since we’ve attempted to stay up to midnight. Our neighbors set off loud fireworks that sometimes wake us up at midnight, but this year we slept through them (or they set them off early this year because we definitely heard them earlier in the evening).

We spent the first day of 2024 taking down our Christmas decoration. It’s always a bit sad. The house feels bare after all the festive décor is packed away. After taking down Christmas, I did a quick tidy of all the drawers and cabinets in the house. Unseen spaces need to be maintained so they don’t get out of hand. I am good at keeping tabs on my spaces, but it felt good to make sure everything was neatly in place. I was also able to purge a few unnecessary items. Jeremy spent quite a few hours over Christmas break organizing the garage and sorting through his closet. Our combined efforts gave our whole house a fresh feeling for the new year.

Soon it was back to school and everyday life commitments. We fell back into our routine fairly well. We had a great first week back at school. Our weekend was spent running errands and enjoying down time around the house as a family. We got quite a few new games in December and we played them all together. We also pulled out a family favorite, Wingspan, and played it a couple times over the weekend.

Our homeschool co-op met for the first time this week. I’m teaching a class this session, so Monday afternoon was a prep day for my Tuesday afternoon class. I’m leading a book club for the elementary school students. We’re reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis as a class. For our first class, we read chapter one together. We watched a short movie clip of Lucy finding Narnia and discussed the start of the story together. Our hands-on activity was decorating snowflake sugar cookies together. So much fun! Now the students will read a couple chapters at home and come back next week ready to dive into chapter four with me.

The exciting news of the day is we have snow on the ground this very moment! Our first snow of the season! We live on a hill so our snow totals are a bit more than the rest of the area. I was surprised our local school district didn’t even have a late start today. Our yard totally looks like a snow day; complete with a small snowman that the boys created before daylight! It’s been fun to watch the kids go in and out throughout the day. We’re optimistic that the forecast will bring more snow our way over the next couple of days. I’m 100% on board with being snowed in! Here’s hoping!!!

Back to school and back to science projects!

Jeremy created this clock in stages over Christmas break. It’s now complete and operational. He’s so crafty!

Owen got a new camera for Christmas. He wanted his first picture to be of him and his brother in matching Pokémon shirts.

This photo is now proudly hanging on Owen’s wall.

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Wrapping Up Christmas December 29, 2023

Filed under: Family Time — Amy Scott @ 3:40 pm

Christmas has come and gone! Time moves oddly during the holiday season. In many ways, it moves quickly and slowly, all at the same time. It seems that we are racing toward Christmas and staring down a nice, long vacation. What day it is and what time it is seem less relevant. And then suddenly, Christmas has passed and real life is right around the corner. Eek! Our family has a way of making Christmas into a multi-day event. Our Christmas vacation has been filled with friends, family, fun, and food (so many favorites). Thankfully, our holiday break isn’t quite over yet!

The Friday before Christmas, our family took off for the coast. My forever friend, Maggie, was staying at the beach and we scheduled one more get-together to say good-bye. Maggie and I met for lunch at Pig’N Pancake (an Oregon Coast favorite). While Maggie and I ate lunch, ran errands, and grabbed one last Starbucks red cup together, Jeremy took the boys on their own adventures which included climbing the Astoria Column and flying gliders off the top. When our families met up, we took a walk to the beach and then watched the kiddos swim in the condo pool. It was a lovely day, even thought it meant good-bye for awhile. We love this family and we are excited for their new season in a new state.

Christmas was spread out over three days! Christmas Eve Eve (or Christmas Adam, if you prefer), was spent with the Scott family. We enjoyed good food, gifts, and games together. A family Bunco tournament and Christmas Plinko were just some of the shenanigans. The Scott family excels at games. Christmas Eve was a meal and gifts with my parents and sister. Christmas Eve evening, the boys opened their gifts from us and each other. Christmas morning, the boys opened stockings and then we took off for GG’s house where we had another gift exchange and meal. We sure do pack a lot into three days! We are so blessed by our families and the memories we’re able to make together at Christmastime.

We have a Day-After-Christmas tradition of shopping in Portland, OR. We often receive gift cards/cash at Christmas and we’re obviously eager to spend it. I enjoy the family outing and the time together as much as I enjoy the actual shopping. While there was plenty of frivolous shopping (mostly done by the kids), we also snagged sales on jeans, water bottles, and hand soap. I know, I know! We know how to have a good time in the big city. Ha!

Now that Christmas has wrapped up, the rest of our break is continued time with family and friends. Yesterday, my forever friend, Christa, and I got together for lunch while she’s on her holiday school break. After lunch, Jeremy and I took the boys to see Migration in theaters. We don’t go to the movies very often, so this was quite the treat for the boys. Owen got an ICEE since chewy candy is a no-go with him metal mouth and Graham ate through a whole bag of Sour Patch Kids. A movie about birds seemed perfect for our young ornithologists. Based on all the giggles I heard, the move was a hit.

Today, Jeremy spent the day with his family on a golf outing and the boys and I have enjoyed a much needed, restful day around the house. As an introvert, I needed some recharge time after going here and there and everywhere! Now, I’ll be ready and rested fore more good times this weekend. There are a few more festivities before we return to routine. Happy Almost New Year to you all!

One last lunch date while Maggie was a Washingtonian!

So fun to swim with friends in December! I’m so glad these kiddos will have childhood memories together!

Christmas break building – lots of Pokémon sets and LEGOS to put together!

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Merry & Bright Moments December 21, 2023

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Family Time,Tasty Treats — Amy Scott @ 2:55 pm

We officially made it to Christmas vacation! Woo hoo! We wrapped up school on Thursday and celebrated with treats from Starbucks. On Friday, I hosted book club at my house. I made gingerbread cookies and had all the fixings for hot cider and hot cocoa. We do a Christmas book exchange each year at book club. This year, I walked away with Skyward by Brandon Sanderson. He’s been super popular with my friends, so I’m excited to read a new author and see what the hype is about.

Over the weekend, I was able to wrap most of our Christmas presents and I officially finished the project yesterday! It feels good to have all the gifts ready to go and under the tree. To kick-off Jeremy’s Christmas vacation, we went out for Chinese food and then drove around locally to look at Christmas lights on Sunday evening.

Monday, I had a Starbucks peppermint hot chocolate and a catch-up with a friend. Jeremy’s parents invited us over for dinner and a game that evening. Tuesday, we visited the Oregon Zoo for Zoolights. It’s been years since we’ve been so it was neat to see the changes they’ve made. Wednesday, we wrapped up our Christmas shopping and I did some Christmas cookie baking. Today was the big cookie decorating day! It’s just not Christmas without cookies!

We’ve watched some Christmas movies (A Muppet’s Christmas Carol and Journey to Bethlehem) and we’ve been listening to A Drummer Boy Christmas by For King + Country on repeat. These merry and bright moments have been the perfect lead up to a festive and fun weekend ahead. Christmas is always a marathon of celebrating for our family. Why celebrate only one day when you can celebrate over three? Ha! We’ve been having a Christmas-y good time this week and the main event(s) are still yet to come. Happy first day of winter and merry Christmas to all! May many merry and bright moments find you this Christmas season!

Gingerbread cookies, cider with whip cream and caramel sauce, hot cocoa with peppermint and marshmallows. Yum!

Driving through Borst Park Lights in Centralia

Christmas cookies are always so fun to decorate. The trees are my favorite. I think next year I should just make a forest of festive firs as my Christmas cookie contribution.

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Hello Holidays! December 5, 2023

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Travels — Amy Scott @ 2:19 pm

We are in full swing with the holiday season! So much goodness to share! My last update was right before Thanksgiving, so I’ll pick up there… even though Thanksgiving feels like forever ago now. Can anyone else relate? Our Thanksgiving was quieter than years past. Between illness and multiple family members recovering from surgery, our gatherings were small. We got together with Jeremy’s parents and aunt and uncle on Thanksgiving day. The day after Thanksgiving, we had another meal with my parents and sister. Since my dad wasn’t cleared for turkey lifting this year, Jeremy had the honor of making the turkey. He did a fantastic job! Jeremy was super domestic this Thanksgiving. He made multiple pies, side dishes, and a turkey. Jeremy is a great cook and he was the MVP (or MVC – most valuable cook) this Thanksgiving!

Last week, we had our first Christmas party – even though it wasn’t December yet! We wrapped up our homeschool co-op for 2023 and we see our group again in 2024. For our Christmas party, we did a potluck and had various Christmas activities for the kids. There were activity pages, coloring sheets, and a paper snowflake station. We had classic Christmas music in the background while we played, munched, and chatted. The kids brought small gifts for a group gift exchange. I read a version of T’was the Night Before Christmas that was formatted for a left-right game. Each kid started with their own gift and then had to pass accordingly when they heard the words left and right in the story. Our co-op is such a blessing to our family. It was fun to kick off the Christmas season with them.

To kick off December, we joined my forever friend, Maggie, and her family for Snowflake Lane in Bellevue, WA. Snowflake Lane is a parade they put on nightly from the day after Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve. My favorite part is they make it snow as a part of the experience. The snow is really bubbles, but it’s still magical! This was probably our wettest experience at Snowflake Lane, but the rain didn’t spoil the affect. We met up early for Starbuck treats and hung out inside before claiming our spot on the parade route. With Maggie’s family moving across the country soon, it was fun to do one more Snowflake Lane with them before they go.

December has certainly been a merry and bright month and we’re not even a full week into it. On Saturday, we decorated our annual gingerbread house! It’s always a mess, but so much fun. We are no way professional with our decorating skills, but the quirkiness adds to the charm. We also started our Advent season on Saturday, instead of Sunday. Lighting a candle and taking a few minutes to focus on Jesus as the center of the Christmas season is always a special moment each week. Owen read the devotional for us as we talked about hope and Emmanuel – God with us!

Sunday evening, Jeremy and I saw For King + Country in concert at Moda Center in Portland, OR. A Drummer Boy Christmas is by far my most listened Christmas album. I’m a huge fan of all their music, but I loved that it was a Christmas concert. For King + Country sang a mix of their Christmas music, but also popular hits and songs from their new album. Our seats were in the nose bleed section, but that didn’t diminish the experience. It was a super fun date night. We were also able to leave a bit early for the city and do some Christmas shopping before the show. A major highlight of the day was picking up two more Billy bookcases from IKEA. Book reorganization is right around the corner. I’m excited to see if my vision can come together like I hope!

That’s all for now! We have a big week ahead as we prepare of our Christmas musical at church this weekend. Lots of Christmas memories to make still ahead!

Jeremy and his tasty Thanksgiving turkey!

Making one last set of Snowflake Lane memories with our friends before they move.

Starting the Advent season with the hope of Emmanuel

Quite the view at Moda Center – For King + Country – A Drummer Boy Christmas Concert

For King + Country – A Drummer Boy Christmas Concert

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Happy Thanksgiving Eve November 22, 2023

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Tasty Treats — Amy Scott @ 12:14 pm

Happy Thanksgiving Eve! We wrapped up school for the week just a few moments ago. As I sit down to update you on the last couple weeks, I can say I’m feeling the thankful vibes. There have certainly been some highs and lows over the last two weeks. Life is never perfect, but there is still space for gratitude even in the imperfect moments. God is good!

I last updated you on Owen’s ortho “install” day… He was a trooper when it came to getting a mouth full of metal. What followed installation day was a long weekend. Owen essentially went on hunger strike because eating was painful. Not only did his mouth hurt, but he was getting dizzy from lack of nutrition. It was hard to watch him feel crummy. We intentionally planned a low-key weekend and it was very necessary. After four rough days, Owen reached a turning a point and we were so thankful! At his first ortho check, they were please with his progress and he might be finished turning his palate expanders sooner than I expected. You can also see how his teeth have moved already. No wonder his mouth hurt!

After a quiet, recovery weekend, Owen felt well enough to join our co-op for an Operation Christmas Child packing party. We’ve done OCC boxes for years as a family, but this is the first time we’ve done one as a group with a packing party. Members of our co-op all brought items and we combined them to fill 10 boxes. Owen and Graham filled one box together and we paid the tracking fee so we can see where our shoebox ends up. It was a neat experience to do this with our co-op and the boys took to heart the activity. They were so intentional about the items they placed in the box. It was sweet to watch.

On Thursday, my dad had pacemaker surgery. I accompanied my parents so I could wait with my mom and be a support however necessary. A special part of the day was that one of the prep nurses attends our church and was able to pray with our family before surgery. It was such a comforting moment. Thankfully, the surgery went well. The day was mostly defined by waiting – waiting for the surgery to start, waiting for it to end, waiting for Dad to be released. We are so grateful that it was as uneventful as possible. Jeremy and the boys brought my mom and I lunch at the hospital. Jeremy also picked up my favorite mac and cheese from Costco and had dinner waiting for me when I got home. It was reusable red cup day at Starbucks, so the boys got our annual red cup and a cranberry bliss bar for me. I felt very loved!

Our weekend plans were again fairly low-key. With my dad recovering from surgery, we didn’t want to wander too far from home. On Friday, I went to my book club, which is always a highlight of my month. I missed last month, so it was top priority to make it to this one. Saturday, our dinner plans with friends were canceled due to illness in their family. We opted to decorate our house for Christmas since we had a full free day suddenly. Our family is very okay with Christmas in November. We often decorate based on what works best with our free time and not the actual calendar date. Within a week of Thanksgiving feels acceptable to me. I chuckle when I think of all the different “acceptable” timelines my friends and family have. Some have very strong feelings about when it’s appropriate to deck the halls. Sunday was church with kid’s choir practice. We only have a few weeks until our performance, so it’s crunch time! Owen is doing well with his solos, even with a mouth full of metal.

My final highlight was going to see The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes with my forever friend, Christa, last night. I don’t often go to the movies on a “school night” (or ever… I make it only once or twice a year). I felt a little wild and crazy. That’s silly, I know. Christa and I read the book together when it first came out during the early COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020. We zoomed to discuss our thoughts on the book because we couldn’t see each other in-person. Since we read the book together, it only made sense that we would see the movie together, too! Christa’s son works for the movie theater and he came with us so we could an awesome deal on tickets – free! I felt so special! It was a fun outing and worth the weekday late night.

As you prepare for Thanksgiving tomorrow, I wish you all an amazing day – no matter how great or small your celebration. There is always something to be thankful for even in the highs and lows. This month has had it’s intense moments, but through it all God has been faithful to me (and my loved ones). I’m full of gratitude for the how this month has gone, including the things that haven’t quite gone as planned. Nothing is wasted and I can see God’s goodness as I reflect this Thanksgiving Eve.

A third round of forest animal sugar cookies. This time for a family baby shower. I wasn’t able to attend, but it was so sweet to visit with my aunt and grandma when they came to pick them up from my house.

A quiet weekend means time to bake. Pumpkin scones sounded comforting!

Packing an Operation Christmas Child box at co-op.

Decorating their mini trees for their rooms. Each year they get a special ornament and this year it was Pokémon themed. Pikachu for Graham and Eevee for Owen.

Graham had another visit from the tooth fairy! Since he isn’t into “help” pulling his teeth, this last tooth hung on by a thread for days!

Loving all the festive vibes! Garland, plaid tablecloth, green velvet pillow covers, wooden block messages, and the Fisher Price nativity set (you can just barely spy it on the bookshelf).

Owen created this cool tide pool in science this week!

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November News November 9, 2023

Filed under: Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 1:35 pm

The big news of the week is orthodontia is officially a thing in our household. Owen got his metal-mouth “installation” today. He has braces on his top teeth and both an upper and lower palate expander. The process for orthodontia has changed since I had braces as a teen. They start so much younger these days. While I understand the reasons, I can’t help feeling like Owen is too young for all this. Poor kiddo (and poor empathic mama – apparently, I’m super tender when it comes to my kiddos being uncomfortable). I’m doing my best to reconcile that Owen is now in the double digits and has a mouth full of metal. Suddenly, he seems way more like a tween! Thankfully, he’s not acting like a tween yet! Praise the Lord!

I could ramble on about all the feelings ortho triggers for me, but my family and friends have listened to me lament for months now, so I’ll spare them hearing it again. Let’s focus on happier things. Last Friday was our first family home day in what felt like forever – well, it wasn’t forever, but our last home day was a sick day, so it was nice to be home and healthy. I declared it “Cider Day” since we had a full day to enjoy a crockpot warming with apple cider. Home days make the best cider days! Jeremy was able to do some yard projects. I did a few chores. It was a good day to wash the sheets, take a walk, read a book, and play a game. Owen and Jeremy made homemade bread. The combo of the bread baking with the simmering cider smelled amazing!!! I realize that most people don’t celebrate a day fully spent at home like it was a holiday, but it certainly felt like that to me. As introvert who needs plenty of margin in my calendar, Cider Day definitely filled up my cup in more than one way!

Saturday, I met up with my forever friend, Maggie, for a red cup at Starbucks and then an early dinner. As kindred spirits, Maggie and I take red cups at Starbucks quite seriously (I say “seriously” because I am an Enneagram 1, but my dear Enneagram 7 friend would probably have found a more festive word). Red cups are a celebration in a cup and the kick off to the holiday season. It’s always a special treat to get red cups together. With a major move in Maggie’s future, I’m soaking up our time together. It’s always sweet!

Sunday, as you all know, was daylight savings. Falling back used to be my favorite day ever. It was right up there with Christmas. The older I get, the harder time changes are on my body. I just don’t adjust well. And as a parent, retraining my family schedule twice a year is no fun. I’m all for getting rid of daylight savings! But I digress… Sunday was still an enjoyable day even though I was a bit off. We had family come over for a game day and tacos. It was a great way to wrap up an awesome weekend.

The last adventure of our week was a field trip to our local veterans museum with our homeschool co-op. We got an educational guided tour by a museum volunteer. At first, I wasn’t sure how my kiddos would handle the content – war isn’t an easy topic. We had some good and thoughtful conversations on our drive home. I realize that our country isn’t perfect, but this field trip gave us an opportunity to discuss our history and why we honor veterans. Homeschooling is a blessing in moments like these because I get to walk alongside my kiddos as they process heavy stuff. On a bright note, they loved getting to take pictures in the museum’s collection of vehicles. It was the highlight of the field trip.

Okay, that’s the November news… thus far! Each month is always an adventure. Each month certainly has it’s highs and lows and November is no exception. We’ll see how things unfold in the coming weeks.