Amy Scott's Thoughts

What I’m Reading & What I’m Loving – October 2020 October 31, 2020

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,What I'm Loving — Amy Scott @ 9:27 am

What I’m Reading:

Mr. Malcom’s List by Suzanne Allain – A friend raved about this book and let me borrow it. It’s a Jane Austen inspired novel. It was a light, quick read, but enjoyable. According to the book cover and a little internet research, it’s being made into a motion picture.
The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine N. Aron, Ph. D – This book was mentioned in Introverted Mom by Jaime C. Martin. I can related to the highly sensitive person. I like that Aron explained how being a HSP is a neutral trait and displays itself in positive and negative ways. Being “sensitive” is often seen as a flaw, but it isn’t. I appreciated her perspective on HSPs.
My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult – I watched the movie when it came out a long time ago, but a friend told me I had to read the book. It was certainly an thoughtful book on ethics and life with cancer.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green – Same situation as before. I’ve seen the movie, but my friend said I should read the book. Two books about kids with cancer in a row might have been a bit of a downer this month. But they were both written well and I found them thought-provoking and honoring to those who struggle with cancer as well as those who support them.
Love Finds You in Sun Valley, ID by Angela Ruth* – My last Love Finds You book in my home library. After processing my personality and two novels about cancer, I needed something lighter to focus on.
Cold Tangerines by Shauna Nieguist* – In an effort to re-read my home library, I plan to re-read all my books by this favorite author of mine.
*Books I’ve read before, but not in the last calendar year.

What I’m Loving:

My MOPS & MOMSnext craft – We did a watercolor craft this month with washable markers, watercolor paper, a ziplock bag, and water. It was so easy and so fun. I turned mine into a print with a quote from L.M. Montgomery from Anne of Avonlea. I put it up in my closet by my dresser and it makes me happy (and thoughtful) every time I look it. I’m not super crafty, so this project turned out way better than my expectations.

Card Boxes – I love giving cards. October is prime card month with plenty of birthday cards and thank you cards necessary. I absolutely love the stash of cards I have on hand. They are best!

My card box stash! From birthday to thank you to all occasions to blank, I love always having a card ready to go!

New Toys – Thank you to birthday month for an influx of new toys! My kids are happy campers and you can find them creatively playing with all their new items. Keeping these boys occupied means I can actually be a productive human – until the new toy needs assistance (which happens often with LEGOs or solar robots).

Fall Family Scavenger Hunt – It’s no surprised that I love playing this game with my family. Since I’m not seeing a lot of church families right now in-person, this activity created a sense of community. We were all competing and being silly/creative together. It’s been an intense competition (for me anyway) and it’s kept us active and engaged in a project.

Seeing Friends – I am doing my best to follow all the local guidelines and keep community at the same time. This means outdoor gatherings and keeping my social circle small. This month, I got have a lunch and a cider date with my two forever friends. I also gathered with my MOPS & MOMSnext steering team (outdoors and distanced) to hang out and catch up. We’ve continued to enjoy outdoor forest school with other homeschool families. These times of connection are so important. Distance doesn’t mean isolation.

Apple cider with Christa was just what I needed on a beautiful October afternoon.

Honorable Mention:
Waterfalls – It was so much fun to visit 7 waterfalls this month. We didn’t set out to make this a theme to our month. It just happened, but it was so much. We’ve been enjoying getting outside and enjoying the October sunshine as much as possible.
Hallmark Christmas Movies – I gave Hallmark movies a break for a few months. Now that Hallmark is airing their new Christmas movies, I’m back to recording every new movie. Yep. I’m that girl.

Leave a Comment

On Tuesdays… October 27, 2020

Filed under: Coronavirus Chronicles,Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 2:21 pm

On Tuesday, I have less words (which will probably be a benefit to you). I use them up on Monday and Tuesday is a recovery day. Mondays are marathons and Tuesdays are tranquil. I am thankful for Tuesdays. We all need Tuesdays. A day to reflect, to slow down, to recover, to give yourself grace, a buffer, margin.

Our schedule this October has been vastly different than years past. Even with a slower October, I’ve been surprised at how full our month has become. We’ve celebrated Graham and Owen’s birthdays. Each boy got to chose their own adventures on their birthday. We had two special birthday meals – one with each side of the family. That’s a total of four birthday celebrations (just for our kids alone). We’ve celebrated family birthdays and we’ve celebrated a few friends’ birthdays, too. The amount of dessert I’ve eaten this month is impressive!

The Fall Family Scavenger Hunt has filled in a large amount of our time as we race to complete missions and earn points. This hunt has included many of our favorite autumn traditions, but it’s also inspired us to visit places we probably wouldn’t have gone to this month (Rainbow Falls State Park & Mt. St. Helens to name a few).

These October days have been full of celebration, tradition, friends, and family. Everything has been on a smaller scale this year. I’ve appreciated the smaller gatherings. There is less pressure to make things big and impressive. The focus is on spending time with loved ones and doing things we enjoy. October is always my favorite month of the year and this October has been no exception. 2020 can’t take the autumn magic away!

Sunday morning hot cocoa with Owen. This week Owen asked to go back to church and attend Jeremy’s elementary class. I dropped Owen off with Jeremy for the 2nd gathering. Graham and I spent some one-on-one time together. This will be our new Sunday morning normal until Graham’s class reopens.

Family walk for the scavenger hunt – I love the amount of colors and patterns in this photo!

I snapped this photo on a chilly evening walk. I’m still trying to get outside everyday and get my exercise. Super cold, but worth it!

Lunch date with my forever friend, Maggie! We finally could meet up now that you can eat indoors with people outside of your household.

October has been a waterfall month! Winston Creek Falls makes waterfall #7!

Spur of the moment trip to Mt. St. Helens to get points for the Fall Family Scavenger Hunt. Such a cold adventure, but beautiful!

Dressed up in a costume for MOPS & MOMSnext last night. Chef Amy!

Making clouds in school this morning. Owen always picks science as his first subject of the day.

Leave a Comment

Pumpkin Day October 21, 2020

Filed under: Coronavirus Chronicles,Family Time,Parenthood,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 11:00 am

Pumpkins have to be my favorite thing about fall. They are my favorite way to decorate, my favorite flavor, and my favorite scent. I look forward to the pumpkin patch every year. In fact, most years you will find our family at the pumpkin patch multiple times in October. We go with friends, family, school, MOPS & MOMSnext… if there is a pumpkin patch outing, we’re there.

Because of COVID-19, we only visited one pumpkin patch this year. In a way, this created some pressure. Which pumpkin patch? We usually go to a variety of pumpkin patches and usually the location is determined by who we are going with. This time it was completely up to us. We finally settled on a pumpkin patch right down the road from us. We pass it every year and the boys always ask about it, but it’s never on the list of scheduled patches to visit. It was important to Jeremy and I to support a local pumpkin patch, so the one closest to our house seemed like a great choice.

In his need for independence, Owen grabbed the wagon and pulled it for almost the entirety of our visit. Graham (true to his nature) took the longest to select his pumpkin. I picked a pumpkin and Jeremy carved it. We did a “Team Parent” pumpkin this year. There were three challenges involving pumpkins for the Fall Family Scavenger Hunt, so we were able to accomplish those during our pumpkin day. Graham scrubbed the pumpkins clean when we got home and helped set them in the sun to dry.

Graham wanted a jack-o-lantern with a big nose this year. Jeremy made a traditional jack-o-lantern for our pumpkin. Owen wanted a spooky pumpkin. He decided to make his pumpkin look like it was saying “Boo!” I’m thankful that is his idea of spooky at this point. Owen did all the cutting of his pumpkin with supervision and guidance this year.

Every year, I am thankful for pumpkins! They make me happy. They bring joy to my world. Little things can make a big difference. For me that means pumpkins! Pumpkin day was a good day. Pumpkin season is a good season.

Taking his time to find the perfect pumpkin

Fall Family Scavenger Hunt: Visit a pumpkin patch

Fall Family Scavenger Hunt: Carve pumpkins

Fall Family Scavenger Hunt: Take a picture of the inside of a pumpkin

Comments (1)

Graham turns 5! October 20, 2020

Filed under: Family Time,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 1:10 pm

Yesterday my youngest, Graham, turned 5! I am now a mama of a five and seven year old and it blows my mind. How did they get so big? I love who these big kids are becoming and it eases the sorrow that they didn’t stay little forever. But let’s be real, the little days were hard work. I have fond memories from the little days, but I am thankful for each new season. Big kids are cool, too!

Birthdays this year were a pick-your-own-adventure kind of a celebration. Graham decided he wanted to go to a new waterfall, so we selected Snoqualmie Falls to visit. The waterfall was impressive and the boys loved watching the powerful water. We even felt the mist from the falls spray over us. We went to lunch in Bellevue and then Graham went birthday shopping. We enjoyed our time in The LEGO Store and The Disney Store. Graham’s original birthday request was to go to a playground, so we stopped in Olympia on the way home for some park playtime. We grabbed pizza and cake for dinner. Spur of the moment, we invited Nana, Papa, Grandma, and Grandpa to join us for dinner. Having his grandparents end the day with him was the perfect birthday wrap-up for Graham.

It can be hard to single out Graham’s specific interests. True to his little brother role, so many of his interests follow Owen. He wants to be like his brother and keep up with his brother. Graham’s favorite toys right now would be LEGO sets and Hot Wheel cars. He asks to pull out board games often. He likes to take the pieces and play his own imaginative games with them. Frequently, the Candyland characters are dancing around the house on their own mission apart from the actual game. Graham loves time outside – it might be jumping on the trampoline, following a new trail, or playing sneaky-spy in the yard. He is also our most adventurous eater. I’m fairly sure he can handle spicy food better than me!

Jeremy asked Owen to describe Graham in five words yesterday. Owen wasn’t sure so we turned it into an activity for the whole family. Jeremy said fun, Owen said brother and friend, I said smart, and Graham said silly. These are all accurate! I’ve been surprised by how smart Graham is as I’ve had a chance to be his schoolteacher since March. He knows way more than I realized. I enjoy being a part of his education so much. Having extra time at home with him for his last year of preschool has been a blessing. Owen and Graham are best friends right now. It’s so sweet to watch their brother-friendship unfold. Graham is fun and silly. His goofy ways add so much joy to our family!

Showing off his new color changing Hot Wheels car

It was so cute watching Graham walk around the mall with Wall-E in hand!

Leave a Comment

Autumn at It’s Best October 15, 2020

Filed under: Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Parenthood,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 3:04 pm

October is autumn at it’s best (in my humble opinion). In October, the chill is a novelty and I bundle up in layers and with blankets. In October, the rainy days are a welcome excuse to snuggle in and be cozy at home. October leaves are brilliant shades of yellow, orange, and red. While leaves are actively falling, the trees aren’t bare yet. October sunshine is my favorite of all. It washes the world in warm light, but doesn’t carry the heat of summer. October activities are some of my favorite traditions. October foods are some of my favorite flavors. October is simply the best. In the words of Anne of Green Gables – “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” Overquoted, yes. True, also yes.

We had a minor wind event this weekend. We lost power briefly on Sunday night. This happened about 15 minutes after we put the boys to bed, so of course, the power outage completely derailed the boys’ ability to fall asleep. Graham was scared, despite having a lantern light up his bedroom. We moved him into Owen’s room for the buddy system approach, but that also led to extra excitement. The power outage became a grand adventure at that point. The power returned around 10:15pm. The kiddos were still awake at that point. Needless to say, no one fell asleep early on Sunday night.

Monday morning was a tired one. We did a pajama day for school (which is becoming a tradition on nights when we go to bed late the day before). Instead of going to forest school on Monday, both kids took long afternoon naps. My biggest hardship with forest school is Monday is marathon day. Between school in the morning, forest school in the afternoon, and MOPS & MOMSnext in the evening, it’s a big day. I’m finding that I would prefer Mondays to a mellow transition back into our weekday routine, instead of a marathon. When the kids asked for rest on Monday, I listened and we made it a mellow Monday. To make up for missing forest school, we took a family walk on the property behind our house (we have permission to explore this land). We followed our favorite trail to the local beaver dam and explored animal dens looking for signs of activity. We talked about the sights, sounds, and smells as we wondered in the woods. It was a lovely day for exploration as the cool, crisp sunshine filtered through the half-bare trees.

Our family is keeping busy with the Fall Family Scavenger Hunt with our church. One of the challenges we completed this week was to visit a local state park – Rainbow Falls. The boys had never been there, so it was fun to let them run and explore a new place. Our family has a thing for waterfalls which made this outing even better. The drive out to the falls was beautiful. Blue sky, sunshine, fall color all around. The boys loved seeing a new waterfall and throwing rocks into the river. We rounded out the outing by following a trail by the river for a short walk.

I know at some point the weather will turn and we’ll feel “stuck” inside. I know at some point all the leaves will fall and the trees will be bare. I know at some point pumpkin season will be over. But we aren’t there yet. I intend to revel in every blue sky, every crisp walk, every seasonal treat. My joy for this season is amplified as I share my favorite things with my family and see them enjoy them too. This is autumn at it’s best!

Another weekend, another birthday celebration. The boys got to have dinner with my side of the family.

Uncle Andrew came through for us when we needed a real sword for a scavenger hunt challenge. Auntie April also let us photograph her VCR and record player!

Supporting the Seahawks (for a challenge)

Checking out one of the many beaver dams

Always ready to follow a new trail. Also, this picture is blurry because it was an “action” shot.

Leave a Comment

Owen turns 7! October 9, 2020

Filed under: Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Parenthood,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 2:21 pm

Yesterday, our oldest son, Owen, turned 7! My youngest, Graham, will be 5 in a little over a week and I’m truly shocked to have “big” kids these days. It seems like the days of little “littles” are behind us. Each year I love to see who they are becoming. Every new season of development comes with so much joy and excitement.

For Owen’s 7th birthday, we had an epic day full of adventure and celebration. Our day started at Top Golf (which was first for all us, but Jeremy). It was fun to get out of the area and try something new. We had a special lunch at The Cheesecake Factory before exploring the historic waterfall highway at the Columbia Gorge. The whole day was full of yummy treats and awesome adventures. It’s been a long time since we had a full day of outings away from home. We are all super tired today after the big celebration, but we all had such a great time yesterday. It was worth it!

What can I say about Owen to document this moment in his childhood? The first thing that comes to mind is that he loves science. It’s the first subject he decides to do at school everyday. He is always asking me if we can do extra science experiments. He loves space, geology, nature, and geography. His birthday gifts this year included LEGO sets, STEM kits, and a globe.

Owen is creative and imaginative. He is often drawing pictures or diagrams and explaining them to us. He loves to keep tabs on the weather and is often updating us on the forecast – even if it’s for a city in Alaska or Iceland. He is getting old enough that he is requesting more independence. It might be with a chore, a school lesson, or assembling a LEGO set – he wants the chance to do it on his own.

One of my biggest blessings right now is extra time with Owen during his first grade year. I never set out to be a homeschool mom, but now I find myself sitting at the table with him each morning working through our schoolwork. I love learning/teaching alongside him. I love getting to see what makes him excited. He is growing up so much, but he also still brings stuffed animals to snuggle at the table during school or on a drive into town. He also still calls me for extra snuggles at bedtime. He is getting so tall! The taller he grows, the more comical our snuggles become, but I am thankful for all the snuggles I can get!

Owen is a big brother who includes Graham in his play and the two of them are often running wild together. My boys are blessed with a father who includes them in his hobbies. The boys are often outside with Jeremy doing activities such as golfing, hunting, or gardening. On rainy days, you might find them inside playing LEGO video games together for a minutes. I love this little family of ours and for the friendship that we share.

Some of Owen’s favorite things include: Papa Murphy’s cheese pizza, Swedish fish, and the color yellow. He is the reason we are always buying a gallon of milk at the store. He would wear pajamas all day, everyday if we let him. We love this 7 year old so much and we can’t to see what the next year ahead holds for him!

The official birthday morning photograph

Top Golf gave Owen this super yummy sundae with a special birthday message!

Chocolate cake at The Cheesecake Factory

Jumping from rock to rock at Horse Tail Falls

Leave a Comment

Welcoming October October 4, 2020

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Coronavirus Chronicles,Getting Creative,Homeschool Adventures — Amy Scott @ 5:44 pm

We are always excited for the arrival of October. It’s birthday month for my boys and it’s fun to make it a month long celebration. October is also prime-time for my favorite autumn activities! Our church is doing a Family Scavenger Hunt through an app for the entire month of October. The app features missions with all kinds of challenges and activities – many of them are seasonal as well. We’ve had a blast working our way through the missions. This game will be a highlight for our family all month long!

As we continue to find our homeschooling groove, I’m loving the routine that we’ve created. We had forest school on Monday. We learned how to make outdoor shelters. Monday night, we had a fantastic guest speaker at MOPS & MOMSnext. I’ve been nervous to see how MOPS & MOMSnext would pan out this year, so this meeting was a boost in confidence. Tuesday, we dropped of a meal for a MOPS family recovering from surgery and then we picked up a brand new trampoline for the boys. This newer, bigger, upgraded trampoline was a combined birthday present for the boys from my parents and Jeremy & I. The boys are thrilled with more bouncing space!

Friday was our field trip to the corn maze. It was neat to see Owen following the map of the maze closely and tracking our movements. Saturday morning, I joined my mom to watch a conference via Zoom for our church ladies. It was an amazing time to see ladies online, worship, and hear a great message. Saturday afternoon, we had a small, family-only gathering to celebrate the boys’ birthdays. The kids ran wild, outside in the sunshine playing with their cousins. This is our 5th year of joint birthday parties and the theme was space. I always enjoy making a theme come to life. Today has been a combination of working on scavenger hunt challenges and playing with new toys. I’ve spent a good portion of my day assembling LEGO creations for Graham. Owen would prefer to build his own creations without assistance.

October is off to a great start and we have so many exciting adventures still ahead this month. The next big adventure this coming week is the celebration of Owen officially turning seven! It’s crazy how fast he is growing up. I’m so thankful that during this homeschool season, I get a little extra time to watch this super cool kid grow!

Monday Forest School: This week we learned how to make shelters!

Upgraded to a bigger trampoline since we now have big kids!

It’s always an adventure following these boys through a corn maze. Every year I’m pleasantly surprised we make it out as quickly as we do. This is probably because my boys (Jeremy included) follow the map. I just follow my gut which means when I’m wondering the maze, we get extra quality time in it!

Celebrating these two boys with an out of this world birthday party!

Some of the pictures we’ve collected during the Fall Family Scavenger Hunt!

Leave a Comment

What I’m Reading & What I’m Loving – September 2020 September 29, 2020

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,What I'm Loving — Amy Scott @ 3:30 pm

What I’m Reading:

Wool & Shift by Hugh Howey – These books belong to a friend and I have a final book in the trilogy to go. It’s one of those post-apocalyptic series about people living underground in silos after a nuclear explosion made the outside world unsafe. It’s been a while since I’ve read any science fiction. I’ll be intrigued to see how the series ends.

Blueprint Homeschooling by Amy Knepper – Another friend recommendation, this books breaks down planning for your whole homeschool year.

Introverted Mom by Jamie C. Martin* – I read this book a few years ago and thought that it would apply more if I was a homeschool mom since the author is a homeschool mom. Well, now I’m homeschool mom, so I thought I would give it a re-read. It was a good reminder of how I am wired and how I need to take care of myself so I can take care of my family.

Rhythms of Renewal by Rebekah Lyons – This author is new to me, but my mom bought a copy of the book and asked if I’d like to read it. Just like Introverted Mom, this book spoke to lessons I’ve already wrestled with, but also that I deeply value. It was a refreshing reminder.

The Motive by Patrick Lencioni – This book is a staff read that Jeremy came home with. I’m not a huge fan of business books, but I’m always curious about what our church staff will be processing together. This book was about servant leadership and I appreciated that it was a quick and direct read.

Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy* – I’m slowly re-reading my entire home library. I’m especially looking for books that I’ve only read once and might want a chance to ponder again. This prequel obviously wasn’t written by L.M. Montgomery, it’s interesting to see how another author envisioned the beginning of Anne of Green Gables.

Love Finds You in Martha’s Vineyard, MA, Love Finds You in Sisters, OR, Love Finds You in Pendleton, OR by Melody Carlson* – As you know from previous posts, I read Love Finds You books like I watch Hallmark movies. They are simple, sweet, and a good way to relax.

Love Finds You in Victory Heights, WA by Tricia Goyer & Ocieanna Fleiss* – I enjoy reading local stories. This novel takes place in Seattle during WWII.

Call of the Wild + Free by Ainsley Arment – This was a recommendation from a friend and I had to wait to get a copy from the library. While I might be a bit structured for this movement, I did find this book to be inspirational and encouraging. My boys certainly have a wild + free lifestyle right now.

Welcome Home: A Cozy Minimalist Guide to Decorating and Hosting All Year Round by Myquillyn Smith – I don’t read a ton on home décor, but if I do, Myquillyn is my favorite author. I enjoyed this seasonal approach to decorating and hosting. I will reference this book in future seasons!

*Books I’ve read before, but not for over a year.

What I’m Loving This Month:

Between the start of homeschooling and over a week stuck inside due to poor air quality, this month as been quieter. The things that I’ve been enjoying this month are my tried and true favorites.

Victoria – I watched all three seasons as they aired, so I thought I would revisit them. I love British, period dramas, so one episode of Victoria most days is a favorite way to relax!

New Books – While I did re-read books from my home library, I also read more new books than usual this month! I love borrowing from friends and the library. In the case of Welcome Home, I love adding a new book to my home library from time to time.

Journaling – I completed a journal this month and started a new one. A fresh journal is always so inspiring! My new journal was a gift and on each page is has a Bible verse with my name inserted into the sentence to make the verse personalized to me.

Baking – As I mentioned last month, I love the arrival of all the pumpkin goodies. I’ve made pumpkin bread and pumpkin muffins this month. I’ve also been creating other autumn treats as well. I’ve made candy corn blondies and seasonal sugar cookies. I don’t love how my frosted pumpkins turned out, but I learned from trial and error. I’m confident for better results in the future.

Comments (1)

On to Autumn September 26, 2020

Filed under: Coronavirus Chronicles,Homeschool Adventures,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 3:36 pm

We are officially done with summer and on to autumn. While I eagerly anticipate this transition every year, I found myself slightly sad at it’s arrival. The official arrival of autumn was a mile marker – 6 months of this new world. Two entire seasons spent completely differently than I would have planned and now on to a third. We are adjusting well to our new homeschool schedule, but there are times where I’m walking on the driveway and the lighting reminds me of walking to meet Owen at the school bus. Small moments of remembering “this time last year” make me pause. While I might have been slightly less anxious for autumn this year, I am still glad that it is here.

This last week the bad air fully cleared out and we were able to enjoy what I would call our most “normal” week of homeschool yet. This week was more along the lines of what I envisioned our homeschool experience would look like. On Monday, we joined a few homeschool families for “Forest School – an outdoor learning experience. We learned about apples and made apple cider. On Tuesday, the boys got to join Jeremy for an evening hunting experience. They chased elk in the wilderness and had a blast being a part of the hunting crew. Wednesday, was a quieter day after a late night out, so we declared it a pajama day and put a fake fireplace on the TV while it rained outside. Wednesday was all of about quiet and cozy. Friday, we visited our local children’s museum for the first time since January.

I love that were able to connect outdoors with other homeschool families. I appreciate that I am not teaching forest school, so my boys are learning for other adults in our community. I love that the boys got to spend time with Jeremy doing something that he loves. The boys were able to stay out late on Tuesday and have the flexibility on Wednesday to be extra restful. We were able to do a family outing on Friday and enjoy hands on learning . These experiences are what I hoped for when we committed to a different school year.

The beginning of autumn as been beautiful and adventurous! Autumn is season full of traditions and celebrations. I am so excited for all that lies ahead – the corn maze, birthdays, pumpkin patch, all the goodies and treats! Autumn is full of so many good things!

A beautiful first day of autumn! So thankful for blue skies and fresh air!

A cozy, fake fireplace on a quiet, rainy morning

Pajama day and learning about light wavelengths

Friday Field Trip: Hands on Children’s Museum

Leave a Comment

Hazy Days September 17, 2020

Filed under: Coronavirus Chronicles,Family Time,Homeschool Adventures — Amy Scott @ 2:26 pm

The last week has a memorable one! Washington state has been socked in by smoke thanks to fires burning across the west. One of the main reasons we’ve handle staying home due to COVID-19 so well is our property. The boys can run amok outdoors. They have plenty of space to play. The smoke this week has made the air hazardous. Being outside has not been an option. We have been trapped indoors and we are feeling a little crazy as a result.

To combat the bad air, we’ve been running box fans around our house with air filters attached to them. You can literally see that they are working has they’ve slowly changed color over the last week. I’m sensitive to air quality and have felt quite yucky all week as a result.

Our plans for the week shifted as a result of the smoke. Jeremy wasn’t able to go hunting due to fire danger. The land reopened on Tuesday and he went out for a short period of time. He decided to not go out the next day because the smoke was too bad. The boys and I planned to start “Forest School” with some friends on Monday afternoon, but the bad air quality had me feeling too poor to participate. MOPS & MOMSnext kicked off on Monday night and I was the guest speaker for the evening. I knew that if I was out and about on Monday afternoon, I would feel even worse. It was hard to miss the first forest school gathering, but it was the right decision.

While the smoke dominated the landscape of our week, I am happy to report some non-smoke related news. MOPS & MOMSnext had a great kick off. We had 16 ladies attend which was more than I expected. I had fairly low expectations so it was nice to be pleasantly surprised. We have a great guest speaker lined up for our next meeting, so I’m hopeful that we keep the positive forward motion.

This week was our first “full” week of school. Due to Labor Day weekend, we’ve had two weeks of school with just three days. This week we did a full four days for the first time. (We accomplish 5 days of schoolwork in 4 days.) It felt good to do a full week, but I am thankful for the change of pace tomorrow. I’m glad it will coincide with the smoke clearing. I’m thinking we might head outdoors for our own version of forest school to make up for missing Monday. Each week of homeschooling establishes our our new normal. I’m enjoying the feeling that comes with settling down and finding our groove.

And on a completely lighthearted note, we found my favorite pumpkin bread mix at Costco. I’ve already started to eat my weight in pumpkin treats this season. Jeremy also harvested his little pumpkins last night and I’m reveling in their cuteness.

It has been a challenging week, but there have been many good and wonderful moments to keep me going. I am eagerly awaiting the clearing of the air. Until we are back to good air quality, you will find me sitting in front of a box fan with an air filter taped to it waiting for the orange haze to disappear. These are strange times!