One Week Down…

One Week Down…

The first week of in-person learning is finished and we are embarking on another week of at-home learning….followed by a week in school, then another week out, etc. Eli woke up Tuesday morning slightly excited to go back to school, but with some reservations. Got his lunch all packed – chicken nuggets in his thermos to stay warm (yes, I had him practice opening it at breakfast! Ha!), bag of chips, animal cookies, water bottle, and of course a sweet…

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It’s happening…

It’s happening…

In a little over 9 hours, Eli will be back in a classroom!! *Ahhhhh the crowd goes wild* I am thrilled he gets this opportunity to be back in school with his friends, going to art/music/library/gym specials, being face-to-face (or mask-to-mask) with a real teacher, eating lunch in the lunchroom….hang on. Back it up. That last statement is why I didn’t sleep well last night. In all my glory of rejoicing that Eli gets to go back to school, I…

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Happy New Year…maybe it should just be New Year…

Happy New Year…maybe it should just be New Year…

Here we are – 2021 – and I’m still waiting for Eli to be back in school. *sigh* Part of me guessed the school was going to announce they were remote right after the new year, but it still stung when the announcement came in. 2 more weeks of remote school BUT at least this time we have a teacher who is doing live Google meets 2x a day and lots of hands-on worksheets, instead of just apps to fill…

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Right back where we started

Right back where we started

Homeschool. Sigh. Will it ever end??? Yes, yes it will in fact end TOMORROW to be exact. Not that I’m counting. Wait. That’s a lie. Where most people have countdown to Christmas calendars going this time of year, I’ve had a countdown to “the end of homeschooling a first grader who spun around in his desk chair and loudly told me he was bored while in a live Google meets chat with his virtual teacher and classmates.” That’s the kind…

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Winter Hikes

Winter Hikes

I know I’ve talked about how much we love fall hikes in the cool weather, but winter hikes are just as fun. Granted, they are even better if there is snow on the ground, but hopefully that is yet to come! Covid messed a lot of things up this year, but there are definitely some good changes that businesses and events have made ~ curbside pick up at every store and restaurant, extra sanitization of shopping carts and touchable surfaces,…

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Ninja Foodie (a description for me or a kitchen appliance??)

Ninja Foodie (a description for me or a kitchen appliance??)

Christmas came a little early, thanks to Kohl’s Black Friday online sale. Woke up Sunday morning to an email shouting at me that Kohl’s had the Ninja Foodie Digital Air Fry Oven not only marked down almost 50%, but also an additional 15% off, AND Kohl’s cash back $15 for every $50 spent. Ninja Foodie say what?!?! I’ve had my eye on several Ninja Foodie products for a couple years now. The air fryers intrigued me and I thought it…

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Hot Chocolate Bombs

Hot Chocolate Bombs

Every year right around this time, the hottest toy/gadget/trend seems to make its debut. Remember Hatchimals – the stuffed animal that broke out of an egg when you rubbed the egg? Or how about those Fingerling monkeys that held onto your finger and turned their head when you talked to them? Old fashioned red farm trucks and gnomes have been the decorating trends for the past couple years and continue to be popular, however, this is definitely the year of…

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Dublin Riverboxes

Dublin Riverboxes

70 degrees in November means one thing – GET OUTSIDE!! I know the cold will be returning soon (and with it snow, hopefully!!) but for now, the sun is shining, the skies are a brilliant blue, and this pale family needs some vitamin D! I’m continually impressed with the city of Dublin and all they do to get families exploring the area. We loved the Fairy Trail of fairy doors, so I was thrilled to read they have a new…

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Bribery…I mean positive reinforcement??

Bribery…I mean positive reinforcement??

I’m sitting here typing this blog entry by the glow of twinkling blue, pink, gold, and green lights…Christmas lights. On a Christmas tree. Fully decorated with ornaments. That’s a little peek into how homeschooling went today. It was a 3-day school week last week due to parent-teacher conferences (don’t even get me started on the ridiculousness of no VIRTUAL school for a VIRTUAL conference held at 7pm!) and this week there was no school on Tuesday because the school building…

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Rock Hunting

Rock Hunting

We were blessed with an “Indian Summer” this fall when temperatures went back into the 70’s after being in the 50’s. The sunshine was beautiful, but I’m such a fall/cold weather person that I would have been happy just staying in the 50’s. Oh well! Since we had beautiful weather, we played outside a lot and did a homeschool hike that turned into a Halloween-rock-hiding-hike. So much fun! Did I ever tell you about the time I gave painted rocks…

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