Year 8, Weeks 23-33: Same As it Ever Was

     If you know where I got this blog post title (without looking it up) then you're probably as young as I am! Anyway, I haven't written since week 22 and that's because there hasn't been a lot going on. We eventually find our homeschool rhythm and take everything day by day so there isn't much to share. Which, given the state of the world this past year, is a very good thing. I can give you some highlights:

• We celebrated a milestone birthday for Little Toughie. We actually got to have brunch at the restaurant which was the same one we went to last year right before everything got shut down. I made her Mint Cookies and Cream Cupcakes for her to share with everyone at our church's youth group meeting (they were meeting on her actual birthday) and she chose a Junior's Cheesecake Sampler to have with her birthday dinner.
• Little Toughie's birthday dinner has been Mac and Cheese for the past two years because she started a tradition where my husband and I compete a la Beat Bobby Flay with a blind test of the best dish. I won the last two years. Sadly, I lost this year. I'm not sure how that happened. I had a fool-proof plan (ha)! Actually, I do know how I lost and the following week my hubby and I combined our recipes to create the best Mac and Cheese we've ever had. Everybody wins. So, technically I didn't lose. Right? Right?!
• We were in a documentary, sort of. We're in a shot taken a ways from us as we were conversing with the chef. She came to our table to welcome us. We watched it virtually during the world premiere at the 2020 DOC NYC Festival. It's now available on Discovery+ and I hear there will be a sequel to it as things slowly open up and it will show how the industry is maneuvering all of it.
• Speaking of restaurants, Easter was celebrated at a long standing steakhouse that we haven't been to in maybe two years. It's one of those places we only go to about once a year and we were hoping they would make it through the shutdown. Luckily, they did and we were able to enjoy a nice meal indoors.
• I signed up to for Camp NaNoWriMo so that I could edit the novel I drafted during NaNoWriMo. I did not edit much at all. I hit a wall and now have three other novels calling out to me to at least outline. I'm thinking I'm going to have to hunker down during the summer and edit like crazy!
• We took a trip to Orlando, FL. That wasn't the original plan and it was sort of a last minute decision. We were supposed to go to Hawaii, something we had decided on three years ago. We knew 2021 would be milestone birthdays for The Principal and Little Toughie and instead of having parties they opted for a trip. Excellent choice except that COVID happened and just like with everyone else's plans, ours changed too. When we were trying to figure out what was going on with Hawaii we learned that the resort we were hoping to stay at wasn't yet fully opened; the activities, restaurants and pools. The Principal wanted to get our airline tickets while they were still cheap but we decided it would be better to wait until the resort was fully up and running so that we could enjoy all the amenities. He still really wanted to get away and happened to see that flights to Florida were only about $115 total. That's basically how much it costs to fly from Vegas to San Francisco! Hence, we took a trip to Orlando, FL.

Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom

     We just finished Week 33 and have three more weeks left in our homeschool year. It's gone by fast, even with everything that's happened and is still happening. I pray we never waste our time or take any it for granted. I have a friend who recently lost her job. Another battling cancer. If there's anything this past year has taught us it's that we should take stock of what really matters, to put GOD first and to love others as Jesus loves us.

Kindergarten, Week 18

     Week 18 has come and gone and according to our curriculum, we are half-way through our first year of homeschooling and half-way through Kindergarten.  My, how time flies!

     Our week was jammed-packed.  With Classical Conversations, then a Christmas party planning meeting for me, a play-date for my daughter, then my birthday, plus having to help out with a science project; needless to say it was all a blur.

      Let's start with Classical Conversations.  Every week the kids are to prepare a presentation for their group.  This week my daughter shared her experience at Pitfire Pizza (where one of my step-daughters is the GM).  As I mentioned in my last post, there is a pizza making event every week.  On one of those occasions, I snapped pictures of my Little Toughie during the pizza making process.  I loaded them onto my tablet and she shared the pictures, telling the group what she was doing in each one.  The group thought it was pretty cool.  I enjoy that fact that the children get to practice their speaking and presentation skills at a young age and as they continue to do this they will hone those skills.  By the time they reach high school, they'll be able to present anything with eloquence.  I can only imagine how that will permeate their higher education and later, their careers.

     We had a play-date where my aptly named Little Toughie showed she could hang with the boys.  She was playing with twin boys and while running she was tagged just a bit too hard.  She fell, using her nose as a brake. (Gah!)  Her nose was scraped (Pretty good!) but there were only a few tears before she was ready to go again.  I even observed her standing up for one of the twins when another boy at the playground starting calling him a "little girl".  Ever the diplomat, I saw my daughter take her friend by the hand and approach the offender.  I couldn't tell what was being said, but since my daughter is always very animated when she speaks, I could tell that boy was getting a good talking to!  Later, I asked her what she was saying and she said, "I was telling him that it's not nice to say things like that, but he wouldn't listen."  I pray she will always stand up and speak up for herself and for those who can't.

     The rest of the week was filled with a meeting and my birthday plus a science project for my son.  As I type this, I'm waiting for him to get back so that we can finish working on it.  My kids were so excited it was my birthday (I think it was the fact we were all going to have cake, including myself!) and were telling everyone who would listen.  I was getting birthday wishes from people passing out samples at Whole Foods!

     That was our week.  As we head into Thanksgiving, I pray that you are surrounded by loved ones and take a moment (or a few) to count your blessings and share what you are thankful for.