Let there be light

We heavily rely on blackout curtains in our children's bedrooms.  

To the extent that we have an extra pair to hang on our bedroom windows when we have overnight guests and one of our children needs to sleep on our floor. 

Sometime this summer I hung the extra pair on our windows, and never took them down. We actually enjoyed a darker room, and they no doubt kept our room cooler (2-story houses need two A/C units, but that's a rant for another day). 

Yesterday morning I noticed that the sun was back in the same position it was when I wrote this post.  Interesting that one was right around the first day of spring, and now it's near the first day of fall.  

With shorter days, I need all the light I can get to make it through the long winter of dark days.  So, on my list yesterday was to take down the room-darkening curtains and replace them with the valances that match our bedding.

What a difference light makes! 

Never-ending

The cleaning and picking up of toys, laundry, dishes, etc. is never-ending.  Maybe that's why the little steps of progress are so celebration-worthy in my mind!

Things like:

• refilling the hand sanitizer pumps in both front doors of the van,
• cleaning out & rearranging my spice cupboard (aah!), 
• finally putting my GF flour in a canister in the cupboard,
• making our bed again (that was a quarantine habit that got pushed aside during our summer of frequent weekend trips, and our room being a staging ground for packing & unpacking),
• culling our books (yet again!) and selling 7 lots of children's books,
• creating beauty on our front steps with mums (in apple baskets) and pumpkins,
• taking time to water the mums every day,
• creating beauty on our mantle and the top of the bookshelf, as I decorated for fall (high up where little hands can't reach them),
• organizing all the junk outdoor toys in the extra space in our garage, so that everything has a home,
• clearing off the (not one, but) two stacks of books (each a foot tall) on the side table by "my" chair in the living room [I listened to a podcast yesterday where the lady spoke of realizing that she had been "decorating" her bedroom for 6 weeks with a pile headed to Goodwill; I had been "decorating" our living room with stacks of books!], and
• catching up on laundry so I could wash all the bulky items blocking the hallway by the laundry room. 

Little steps are important! What little steps have you celebrated this week? 

Also, I recommend the podcast: A Slob Comes Clean ;) 

Go-to casserole

Every cook needs an arsenal of ready-in-30-minutes recipes made from ingredients she always has on hand.

I cannot count the number of times I have made Chicken Enchilada Casserole in the last year.  Up until recently, I made half a recipe in an 8x8.  Now I sometimes make the full recipe in a 9x13.  Little Miss and I could eat half a pan. :)   

I make it easier (& always in my pantry) by using canned chicken from Sam's.  

Recipe by Jessica Fisher found here. 

What recipes are in your arsenal? I'd love to add more (& more variety) to mine!

Supper Club

Since mid-March, I have been part of a group text with some of my cousins and an aunt.  It began during the height of isolation, when everyone was craving human contact. More often than not the texts were photos of what we were having for that meal, because that was about the only normal thing in life or because we were striving to new heights of creativity.  I'm not sure which. 

The group text continues, at a much slower pace.  My contributions mostly consist of Chick-fil-A drive-thru on days we have errands in town at mealtime. :) 

But I have posted more than usual this week.  One night I picked up dinner at the bar in a village 5 miles away (population: 600).  Twice a month they have steak night.  This was our first time to try it.  Jim declared his steak glorious. His potato was the size of two.  My twice-baked potato was heavenly, and each chicken kabob was enough for one meal.  

Tonight I picked up dinner at the fire department in a village 10 miles away (population: 300).  Grilled pork chop, bun, chips, applesauce, cookie, and a drink. Drive-through only.  We added dill pickles from our fridge.  Price: donations.

I justified the pork chop supper by saying, "Sure, it's not our fire department, but we want it to meet budget, or else our fire department will have to cover their village and will be spread thin."  Later I realized, Jim has a field in their jurisdiction, so they would be first responders to any emergency in that field.  

And, just like a gift that keeps on giving, inside one of the bags holding tonight's dinner was a notice of a pulled pork sandwich meal in two weeks at a nearby church. :) 

My supper club consists of hunting & gathering.

5 weeks

Hip! Hip! Hooray!  We have made it through five weeks of in-person school.  (It could change at a moment's notice, but we're focusing on what's true today!) 

I am thankful for our rural (albeit large geographically) district.  I heard a teacher say she had never been more grateful to work for this district.  Community morale & support is high, from my vantage point, and the administration & teachers are working very hard to make sure our kiddos can be in school in-person.  

Masks, temperature checks, social distancing, no recess, no library, one class at a time in the lunchroom (some eat in the library or classrooms), frequent mask breaks by going outside under a tent or for PE, etc. are the norm. And the students are doing a fabulous job!  One 8th grader's mom reports that as she walks from the bus to their home, she forgets to take her mask off.  It's just life for her.

I would be very interested to know what percentage of students are enrolled in virtual learning this year (financially provided by the district, but outsourced to an educational company).  Two families  I know right near us have chosen to homeschool (traditional homeschool, not virtual learning). 

One goal at the beginning of the year is to do tech bootcamp especially with the younger grades, so they are equipped for remote learning if it's necessary.  

The district has a metrics page, which is updated regularly with 8 statistics regarding cases, symptoms, and absences.  Currently about 3% of both students & staff are absent due to symptoms, positive test results, or exposure.  

We are rejoicing in every day of these past 5 weeks, praying they continue, and secure in knowing God will give grace for any e-learning that occurs this year. 

How are you doing school this year?

Compensating

Little Miss is in speech therapy, and, while she is making huge strides, there are still moments when we don't understand what she wants to say.  She's really good at compensating, and thinking of another way to tell us. 

I ran across this communication I had with Little Guy's speech therapist from four years ago, when he was doing the same thing:

 

I have had my ears open more to how LG makes himself understood, like when you and I didn’t understand him saying “husband” at the end of his session, and so he said, “Mary … lady,” which caused us to think, “Mary is a lady, and her husband is a man; he is saying ‘husband!’”

We were in the car yesterday and I thought he was saying, ‘shoe.’  So I asked, "Is your shoe hurting? Did it come off?"  No, so I guessed, "Two. Are you two years old?"  LG said, “Big tiger behind the fence.”  “Oh!  Zoo!!”

It keeps me on my listening toes!

Book Update

I brought the fall books up from the basement.  It gives me more pleasure than it should to switch out our seasonal books. :) Apples, Pumpkins, Leaves, and Pilgrims ~ Little Miss is having so much fun identifying objects, especially the pictures of hay rides to the apple orchard, since we just went on a hayride (or, as it's called here, a hayrack ride) last week (although not at an apple orchard). 

Of course, her definition of fun is to sit by the bookshelves and empty them onto the floor. I guess it's a good thing that the public library is still basically closed?

We just started another read-aloud: "Summer of the Woods." The cover says "Book 1," so I think we're set for awhile. :) 

Little Guy continues to listen to the unabridged 9 or 10 hour audio version of "Anne of Avonlea" on Librivox, after having listened to the 10 or 11 hour version of "Anne of Green Gables" this summer.  We can't get in the van without his asking, "Can I listen to my book?"  He also persists in asking every time we sit down for a meal (!).  Unlike some of the audio books he listens to, I don't mind hearing this one, so we often skip bluetoothing it to his hearing aids, so I can listen also.

His home Epic! account regularly emails me that he "read" 3-8 books the previous day.  (He always has Epic! read it aloud to him, but still.)

And one day his voracious appetite for books will translate into a desire and confidence (and speed) to read to himself.  I think, given the "big kid" books he's used to and the speed at which Mom and an audio book can read, he's reticent to read to himself for pleasure until he can read similar books at the same speed. Why read Dick & Jane if you can listen to Anne of Avonlea?!

Joy!

"Yes! I'll drive your three to swim lessons, and it would be wonderful for you to bring my son home afterwards!"

"Of course! We'll gladly let your daughter sit with us in outdoor worship, since you're helping in the preschool ministry [which starts at the beginning of the service, yet the grade school children aren't dismissed until midway through the service]."  

To give & receive, to need & be needed.  It's part of God's design, and it's a joy when it works that way.  

After six months of separation & isolation of sorts, as well as being so overwhelmed as to have no margin, it feels good to do what I consider normal things, especially things that serve others.  (Even when masks are involved.)

Normalcy

Townwides are back!!  This weekend there are 32 sales in a town of 800 just 5 miles from us, and next weekend my favorite townwides are proceeding as scheduled in a town 15 miles away.  Of course, there are pork chop sandwiches, lemon shake-ups, and homemade cookies for sale, too. :)

A friend and I shopped as fast as we could from 9-11 AM while Little Miss was at preschool.  I didn't keep track of how many sales we hit or how much I spent.  

What did I find?

• a bag of clothes for LM,
• a winter jacket for her to wear in a couple years,
• an unopened package of kids' undies,
  
• a windbreaker for Little Guy to wear next year,
  
• one toy (Fisher Price binoculars for 50 cents which I already regret, due to the fighting),
• a few paring knives,
• a small lazy susan to use in a cupboard,
• a Melissa & Doug giant floor puzzle,
• a Leapfrog (non-electronic) game I regret buying (after I got home I read the reviews on Amazon & I concur),
• 5 DVDs (Curious George, Toy Story, etc.),
• one book (Sarah, Plain & Tall),
  
• a bag chair, and
  
• a small bookcase to hold DVDs.

My best purchase was a $5 tabletop foosball game!!  

My most obscure purchase was five packs of probe covers for our ear thermometer (@ 25 cents/ pack!). We're going through them like crazy, now that I need to know their temperature regularly, not just when they're sick.

I didn't have a shopping list this time, other than jackets, swimwear, and pajamas for LG & LM.  And, I even forgot to pray as I set out, that God would lead me to good deals & things we need, and give me self-control to say no to things we don't need, no matter how good a deal they are. :)

I had not been shopping in 6+ months (except for Saturday morning garage sales one day this summer with 2 children, and we got rained out).  So this was super enjoyable, especially given the GORGEOUS fall weather: clear blue skies, crisp air, and low humidity!

Wonder what treasures I'll find next weekend at townwides. :)

Aaah!

We may enter a season of e-learning any day now, but for today I am relishing in the quiet. 

I have looked forward to this season for over a year!  2.5 years (until mid-March) of 11-month school 65 miles away for a 3.5 yr old (initially) and with a 7 month old in tow was E.X.H.A.U.S.T.I.N.G.

School has started ... locally ... in-person.  And we are adjusting to our new routine.

7.15-7.40 AM - unload and load the dishwasher; push laundry through

7.40-7.45 AM - pull out for our four minute commute (I hesitate to even call it a "commute!").

Stop by the post office on the way home to pick up mail. (Last year, I could go days without getting the mail, because we just were not in town when the post office was open, or the children were too spent.)

8-8.30 AM - do Little Miss's hair, read books together, etc.

8.30-8.45 AM - take her to preschool
8.45 - 9 AM - on my way home, listen to our pastor's 8 AM Facebook live devotional & prayer time

9-11 AM ~ It remains to be seen how these hours will be filled.  Currently, I'm recovering from sickness + a weekend trip, so there is some catching up to do.  If I only sit in my chair and rest, it will be worth it.  Other ways to use the time intentionally come to mind easily, but the priority is to help me be healthy spiritually, physically, & emotionally and to help me be a better mom when my children are home.

This slot doesn't lend itself to errands or going to the city, as the 30-minute drive there + 30-minute drive back would eat up most of the time, and that's fine with me. :)

11 - 11.30 - go pick up Little Miss

11.30 - 1.30 - lunch, playtime, chores, etc.

1.30- 1.45 - pick up Little Guy

1.45 - 5.15 - afternoon play time
5.15 - supper
6.30 - Little Miss lights out
6.30 - Little Guy read-alouds
7.30 - Little Guy lights out

This is our plan. We'll see how it works out.