2020 Weekly Photos #42

 Check out what we did this week! 

Saturday - We celebrated Josh!  For birthdays, they get to pick to restaurants and two activities to do and we spend the day celebrating them. 

Our first stop was Domino's pizza.  We really don't have a great take out pizza place and we all love Domino's so this was perfect.  We picked it up at the drive thru window and sat in the car in the parking lot and ate.  We laughed a lot :-)  

After lunch we headed to TreeRunner Adventure Park where Josh and Nate "hung from the trees".  It is a ropes course hung high up in the trees.  They were all strapped in and ready to go!  Nate did one course.  Josh did two.  Josh just loved it and wants to come again.  

Josh even went on the super big Zip line.  He so loved the whole thing and was so confident with every step along the way. 

After hanging out for almost 3 hours outside, we were ready for a treat so we picked up some frappes before heading to our next adveneture. 

Josh's second activity of choice was Sky Zone.  Now, Sky Zone just opened two weeks ago - he was very happy.  We are pretty conservative with doing inside things so this was a stretch.  I honestly did not think it would be quite as busy as it was (and the manager told me the same thing when I commented that it seemed like it was doing well!) but that's ok,  The kids had a great time jumping for 90 minutes and just added more adventure to their day.  Masks and hand sanitizer were used when needed so what else can you do, right? 

Now, Josh told me he wanted real burgers for dinner - not kid burgers but burgers adults would eat.  We talked about Red Robin but didn't really want to eat inside plus we knew the wait would be long on a Saturday night.  Then I remmebered that my brother Jeff said he loves Five Guys Burgers.  I told that to Josh and he said, "Well, Uncle Jeff is an adult so that should be fine." HA!  Let me tell you something . .. . best burger ever.  For real.  And the fires?  Holy Moly - they were "Fair Fries" - the kind you get at the fair!!  Good thing there isn't a five guys closer or I might have to get a burger more often!! 

And yes, we sat outside and ate - it was 32 degrees HA!  We were thankful for this out door picnic area by the burger joint because it would have been SUPER messy trying to eat the amazing burgers in the truck!! 

He was one happy kids after "his" day! I love when the day is a success! 

Sunday was a pretty low key day after our busy day on Saturday.  We did some cleaning/pick  up around the house and enjoyed watching some amazing football games.  (I love down to the wire wins!) 

Monday  - This week brought changes.  Our friends have moved to two weeks of virtual learning so they are here all day.  This time around they actually have lessons they have to attend starting at 8:00.  So, now, my school day begins at 8:00 and goes to 3:00!!!  It actually is not bad - I don't have to do much for the other two except make sure they stay on task when their teachers are teaching via Google Classroom. 

Tuesday - More school.  Nate worked on a portfolio (a project) today. 

He made dough.  The project was on determining whether a chemical reaction happens.  His teacher made Putty on the live lesson since most kids do not have Borax sitting around at home but they made dough on their own.  Nate loves experiments and he is really good at putting his thoughts into words when it comes to explaining the process so he really excels at things like this.  

Wednesday - Just a school day.  We had the mid-week blahs and it was hard to get through the day but we all did it.  There is alot of schooling going on with 4 kids on computers most of the day!  

Thursday - Guess what we did today?  School HA!  Josh and Nate worked hard all day and successfully finished all of their schooling for the week so Friday is a free day.  This is especially a big deal because our friends still have to do school tomorrow.  

Friday - Our Halloween Festivities began! 

Nate had a special live lesson today and got to wear his costume.  He had to give three clues to his classmates and once they guessed, he got to share his web cam and show of his costume.  Activities like this fill his bucket! 

Once Darryl got home, we headed into the next town over for our normal fast food dinner out before going to a drive through trunk or treat at a church.  For this event, Josh was a referee and Nate, a Ketchup Bottle (yes, he has two costumes HA!)  Love these costumes! 

Finally, a friend shared an address of a great Halloween display which wasn't far from where we were so made the extra 10 minute drive and it did not disappoint.  

It was a great week! 

It's Halloween!

 Wow, it's Halloween.  Scary, isn't it?  (See what I did there?!)  October has seemed like a super long month for some odd reason.  I mean, it's not like we didn't actually do things this month because we did!  More then we normally do yet I feel like it will never end!  

Here's the plan for the coming week:

Friday - It's our "eating out" night.  We are going to a drive-through trunk-or-treat too! 

Saturday - Halloween!!  We normally go to my mom's for dinner which is still the plan before we "hit the town" for candy! 

Sunday - Homemade Subs - sub buns, meat, cheese, and veggies!  plus chips and salsa/Mexican dip.  Later, for dinner we will have homemade pizza 

Monday - Roast, Veggies, and Noodles (Yum!) 

Tuesday- Crock Pot Fajitas and Salad (Today is voting day so I wanted an easy dinner!) 

Wednesday - Pork Chops, Parsley Potatoes and Peas (Not my favorite but Darryl likes them!)

Thursday - Coconut Chicken, crash potatoes, and mixed veggies 

October Goal Recap

Quite Honestly, I'm not even sure I should do this post.  As I've said in other posts, school is all consuming right now.  Or maybe I'm making it the top priority this year since we have nothing else going - no field trips or co-op -- just school.  Right now, we are on track to finish most subjects before Christmas giving us a nice long break!  But, I will still share this because it helps me track what I do and don't get done!  

 

1. Scrapbooking - This is my most fun goal yet it is the one that I usually accomplish the least on each month.  Here's my goals: 1) Finish my nieces book.   I just got a new printer so I can finish printing letters and get the book to her.  2) Order April Photos - 2011, 2017, 2018, 2020.  3) File the photos I ordered last month by date so they are ready to scrapbook 4) I'm working on shifting some albums a little based on album color to make them work better.  So, my goal this month is to start with 2001 (the year we got married) and put albums into the correct colors (this is hard to explain).  I also want to make sure that page protectors are on everything and, depending on the year, add the memorabilia to those albums.  Plus, order imprinted spines for at least 5 albums.  This goal is one of those where I'm just going to go one or two yers at a time as I organize so lets see how far I get this month. 1) the graduation book is not done.  I'm still waiting on some letters.  If I don't get them soon, I'm going to finish it as is and send it just to finish it by year end!  2) I haven't ordered April photos but I have uploaded them and sorted them.  I decided to wait to order because I have to sets to still sort and store.  I'm going to wait to order until I catch up on that first. 3) I have not filed the photos I ordered yet!  4) I have not started with the album shift/spine orders.  

2. Reading - I truly love to read.  I love curling up with a good book and a foo foo coffee (I need to put a kurieg on my Christmas list so I can enjoy my foo foo coffee again!) and reading the afternoon away!  Anyway, I used to be much better and setting my reading list goal for the year and for the month and actually accomplishing it!  Well, that's the 1st part of the goal 1) Set my reading goal for 2021 - How many books I want to read, what non-fiction books to read, etc. which means doing some research on some topics I want to study/learn more about.  2) Read - read every day.  This really isn't a hard goal because I usually kick back after my extra kids leave and read for 30 minutes or so until it's time to make dinner  3)Read 1 non-fiction book this month!!1) I sitll need to set my reading goal for 2021 2) I did Read!!  3) But I did not read a non-fiction book!!

3) Cleaning - Last month I created a great calendar to follow to accomplish my goals and it did work - it at least helped me focus.  It broke down the living room and basement into 20 minute (or so) tasks each day.  This month the room of choice is Josh and Nate's bedroom.  It is crowded since we took the bunk beds apart. It's time to be "mean" (ha - not really, I am so not that mom!) and go through all the bins, games, boxes, etc. and clear stuff out.  I'd love to be able to get even a shelf or two out of the room to open it up.  I actually have high hopes of cleaning off a plastic storage shelf and being able to move it back to the basement!  Oh brother.  This did not go well.  I cleaned out the boys closet but that is as far as I got!  I realized that I need a couple of good weekends to accomplish this instead of 20 minutes a day so I decided to push it to November.  I started on the master and got 1 day of cleaning in and never got back! Oh well!  I just haven't had the time during the day to focus on the deep cleaning projects. 

4) Family - This month is Josh's birthday so we will focus on that this month.  Darryl and I also have a weekend away planned.  I also need to go through the boys clothes with them and clean out anything they don't want or have outgrown.  (this kind of goes along with cleaning their room).  Once done with that, I will need to get them some pants/long sleeves.  This is all done! 

5) Homeschool - My only goal in October is to get into our schedule and to finish the month on schedule or ahead of schedule.  Nate has a month portfolio that is due by January - we've set a goal to finish it in October so it's done.  We are right on track and Nate's MATH portfolio is about half done.  

6) Holiday Journal/Planning - It's REALLY time to get this journal out and look at Thanksgiving plans.  I'm hosting this year so I want to start grocery shopping for some things early.  It's also time to start thinking about Christmas.  I actually just ordered a few stocking stuffers.  I need Christmas lists from both Josh and Nate.  I'd like to be at least started by the end of the month.  Finally, I just ordered Nate's Halloween Costume but Josh is undecided so I still need to get his.  Finally, I want to make a plan for taking the boys shopping for their people.  I feel like that is always a rushed pressure and I would instead like that to be done early this year. I've read through my Journal, I'm making the menu for Thanksgiving.  We are all working on Christmas lists.  Josh has his costume.  

7) The Basement - I'm continuing on with my calendar plan - 20 minutes a day or organizing.  I'm transferring everything into see through containers and also transferring everything into easier to carry containers instead of HUGE heavy containers!  I spent about 40 minutes in the basement - I made great progress but have a long ways to go 

8) Piano - This kind of goes with homeschooling - Josh and Nate will start having "seatwork" time which will include piano practice.  I also want to get the piano tuned this month.  I miss our weekly lessons which gave a reason to practice - we are struggling to get this back into the routine! 

9) Photography - Time to read my new book once section at a time and practice :-) Nope! 

10) Spiritual - Read my daily devotional Nope! 

11) Misc - 1) Clean up the yard and fill in the holes 2) Have Josh finish his artwork from last semester 3) Get new tires on Darryl's vehicle Done!  4) Take the AC units out of the windows (I'm glad I put this off - I was still running them at the end of September!) Done! 5) Pick out camping dates for next year so I'm ready to reserve them on time  6) Organize the bathroom cupboard - it just needs to be done and can't wait for the month I deep clean the bathroom!  Done! 7) I have an idea brewing for a vacation next summer but in order for it to happen I have to plan now and begin saving so my goal is to get it all planned so I can start saving for it :-)  8) Clean out the vehicles and set up my new organizing bins in each one (for lysol, wipes, extra bags, etc) 9) Make sure my October flag is hung up :-)  Done! 10) I cleaned the garage last month but there are 4 bins of "donations" that I put out there like 5 years ago HA!  While pulling them down to decide what to do with them, I found a basket and two bins I had been looking for for quite awhile so I've decided I need to go through those bins before I donate them!  

What we are eating - Ham and Cheese Crescent Breakfast Bake

 It's been a bit since I've posted a recipe but this week I made something that was actually really good!  

This is Ham and Cheese Crescent Breakfast Bake and it was surprisingly good.  I love to have breakfast for dinner but was tired of all of our favorites.  I was doubting this one because, in the past, anytime I've added liquid (the eggs in this case) to crescent rolls to bake, the rolls never quite bake but are all spongy.  That was not the case this time.  The crescent rolls were cooked perfectly and the egg just filled in all the cracks.  The filling was perfect too.  I cut this recipe in half, using only 1 regular size tube of rolls, and I still had plenty of filling left.  

I served the breakfast bake with sausage balls (which Darryl said was the perfect combination) and fresh fruit and dip.  I also baked some scones.  

This recipe is a true "keeper".  It would be a great dish to take to a brunch or a ladies event.  

You can find the printable version of the recipe over at Plain Chicken

What I'm reading

 

As school picks up, I don't find quite as much time to read but I did get through a couple of books this month. 

I picked up The Girl in the Gatehouse back in July for a small amount through the "Inspired Reads" website.  I had never ready anything by Julie Klassen and she has quickly become one of my favorite authors.  This book kept me glued to the pages and made me not want to put the book down.  It's mysterious with a little whimsy and a great storyline.  A reminder that appearances are not always what they seem and to not judge others until you know the whole story.  I knew as soon as I finished this book that I wanted to read more books by Julie Klassen. 

Well, imagine my surprise as I skimmed through my list of unread books on my Kindle and found another book by Julie Klassen!  The Tutor's Daughter was another great mystery story that took me most of the book to figure out (that's a good story line).  I really enjoyed how the charaters evolved and the daughter changed her affections from one brother (who she thought was always a friend) to the other brother (who she thought was trouble maker).  

Well, when I finished that book I went out and found another Julie Klassen book, The Bridge to Belle Island.  I'm about half way through this book and it, again, is just a good book.  The mystery stays that - a mystery (I can't solve it yet!) and the characters are well developed.  I also enjoy the fact that even though I'm on book #3 by the same author, all three books were very different.  

That's all for this month - but it was all good reading! 

So lets talk about lunch

 I always hear parents complaining about school lunch - whether you have to pack lunches every day or you take advantage of the free lunch programs at so many schools lunch is always a sore subject! 

When my kids were younger, I tried all of those creative ideas posted on the internet.  

Things like Muffin Tin Mondays

Or making Bento Box style lunches

To creative cutting of sandwiches.

Really, my kids were not impressed by any of them.  I finally figured out that I was creating work for myself when my kids just wanted lunch.  As a matter of fact, I just give my "Funny Lunch Ideas" cookbook away a few weeks ago HA!  

I also used to plan 30 days of lunches with the goal of not repeating things.  Well, considering the fact that my kids like about 5 things that was not successful.  I've finally accepted the fact that lunch works best if I just make them what they like with the goal of trying to offer a slight variety by not serving the same thing every. single. day. 

So even though I get to feed my kids at home for lunch, it is still a struggle to figure out what to give them.  

This is what our lunch menu looks like on a normal basis.  Each of my boys have things they like or dislike so yes, I often make two things at lunch time and that's ok (Plus I make something different for me HA!) 

Week 1:

M: Sandwiches/Wraps (they both like these!) 

T: Bosco Sticks with Sauce/Mac and Cheese

W: Pizza

Th: Chicken Nuggets/Corn Dogs

F: Lunchables (Sometimes "homemade") 

Week 2:

M: Sandwiches/Warps

T: Waffles or Pancakes and Sausage

W: Pizza 

Th: Chicken Noodle Soup/Mac and Cheese

F: Lunchables (sometimes "homemade") 

Some other options I substitute depending on what we are having for dinner:

Spaghetti

Beefy Noodles

Breakfast Sandwich (for Josh)

A frozen "dinner" - Sesame Chicken (A favorite of Josh) 

For myself, I don't tend to like the same things the kids like so I have a few favorites that I make for myself.

Chicken Salad (one of my favorites - I love my homemade version!)

Egg Salad

Leftovers - depending on the week

Chicken Noodle soup or Broccoli Cheese SOup

Or a "protein" box which includes rolled lunchmeat, a hard boiled egg, cheese, and crackers - it always varies based on what is in the house.  

What is your favorite lunch?  Maybe I'll add it to my rotation. 

Weekly Worship - Zach Williams and Dolly Parton ~ There Was Jesus (lyrics)

This was the number one song this week on our local radio station.  I like Zach Williams music normally and this one doesn't disappoint. 

2020 weekly photos #40 and #41

 I was gone last week and didn't get a chance to post my normal Saturday post so I'm going to include that in this weeks post! 

Week #40 - 

Saturday - We took off and got our pumpkins. 

We enjoyed donuts and cider first.  We may or may not have enjoyed cider right out of the jug because we had no cups HA!  It did make me miss my brother, Kel, because he loves cider and donuts! 

Sunday - Mostly football but we went outside for awhile and the kids played a game with Darryl on the swing.  

The swing set was a "hand me down" from my brother Ken.  His kids enjoyed it for years but when they moved, he passed it on to us (plus his kids had out grown it).  I'm guessing it is over 20 years old and it is really starting to show its age.  We aren't sure if this will be the last year for it or not - the wood is really starting to split and the safety of those swinging is sometimes in question.  Who knows, Ken might have to help tear it down next summer when he visits ;-)  (He can't wait to visit now LOL) 

Monday-Thursday were all school focused with a little excitement of this spider showing up.  The kids are convinced it is a wolf spider. I just think it's big and needs to leave me alone!

Friday - Darryl and I took off on a get away to South Haven

This staircase in our cottage was fun HA! 

Week #41 

Saturday  and Sunday - Darryl and I were enjoying time in South Haven.

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were just school focused. 

We may or may not have had fun with this costume. 

Thursday - Josh's birthday! 

Josh got to enjoy his choice for lunch which was Little Ceaser's Breadsticks and Sauce. 

We celebrated with our friends - cupcakes, ice cream and gifts. 

The kids played a game of football.  They usually play tackle but it had rained so they had to play touch football this time. 

Josh picked dinner which was KFC and then he got to pen his gifts and cards. 

Followed by his favorite cake - Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. 

Hard to believe this kid is 12 and almost as tall as me! 

At least he has a ways to go to catch up with his dad! 

Friday - Josh and Nate played with some of Josh's new stuff while I grocery shopped.  Nate had TKD and then we went to my mom's for dinner.  We continued Josh's birthday fun by going to Taco Bell for their Cinnabon Things which was just amazing HA!  

What a great two weeks!  We have some fun planned for this weekend too!