April 2022 Wrap

April TBR Pile (18/27):

BOTM: TBD
Bookworms BC: The Necromancer’s Lament by David Balog
Friend BC: Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey ✓
Currently Reading Buddy Read: TBD
Jane Austen Rereads: Sense and Sensibility
Fantasy: Gilded by Marissa Meyer
Fantasy: The Lighthouse Witches by CJ Cooke
Fantasy: A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross
Horror: Ramses the Damned by Anne Rice and Christopher Rice
Horror: Dead Silence by SA Barnes ✓
Romance: If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy ✓
Romance: Beautiful by Christina Lauren ✓
Romance: Beautiful Secret by Christina Lauren ✓
Romance: Beautiful Boss by Christina Lauren ✓
Science Fiction: A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor
Middle Grade: The City of Gold and Lead by John Christopher ✓
Middle Grade: The Pool of Fire by John Christopher ✓
Middle Grade: When the Tripods Came by John Christopher ✓
Middle Grade: The White Mountains by John Christopher ✓
Middle Grade: The Dragon in the Library by Louie Stowell ✓
Read Aloud: City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda ✓
Added: Girly Drinks by Mallory O’Meara ✓
Added: The Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart ✓
Added: The Horse and His Boy by CS Lewis ✓
Added: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Fleming ✓
Added: The Second Story by Neil Patrick Harris ✓
Added: The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 5102 pages
Pages Remaining: 412,546 pages

Current Read - Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (5)

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
Kalikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel
Crossings by Alex Landragin
The Girl and the Goddess by Nikita Gill
The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

UnRead Shelf Progress

Starting Number: 323
Books Read: 1 (Magic for Liars)
Books Acquired: 5
Books Unshelved: 0
Finishing Number: 327

May TBR Pile:

BOTM: TBD
Bookworms BC: The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan
Friend BC: Thick and Other Essays by Tressie McMillan Cottom
Currently Reading Buddy Read:
Jane Austen: Sense and Sensibility
Fantasy: A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor
Historical Fiction: The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
Science Fiction: The Disasters by MK England
Poetry: What Kind of Woman by Kate Baer
Poetry: Blood Dazzler by Patricia Smith
Middle Grade: A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus
Middle Grade: The Minor Third by Neil Patrick Harris
Middle Grade: The Fourth Suit by Neil Patrick Harris
Middle Grade; The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Movies watched

Death on the Nile - Very very beautiful and I always enjoy Agatha Christie’s stories.
Metal Lords - A very relatable and realistic portrayal of teenage years. We loved it!
Destination Wedding.- Terrible. Couldn’t get through it.
Rim of the World - Kids loved it, I thought it was cheesy and the tone was all over the place.
The Outfit - J’s pick for a serious drama. This is a great play put on screen. I really loved it!
Uncharted - Silly no-stress action film. Very enjoyable.

TV Shows watched

Severance S1 - Very trippy. Can’t wait for season 2.
The World According to Jeff Goldblum - Our fun silly show.
Once Upon a Time, Happily Never After - So incredibly weird! But I absolutely loved it!
Hustle S8 - We finally finished the series!
Last Week Tonight
Are You Afraid of the Dark S1 - I started rewatching the original series. Still love these episodes.
Shadow and Bone S1 - Finished the season and cannot wait to see how they deal with season two.
Starstruck S1-2 - My random pick. It’s a less vulgar version of Fleabag and I really enjoy it.
Minx S1 - My new favorite show! I absolutely adore the exploration of feminism in the 1970s.
Slow Horses S1 - We are very into this spy thriller show.
The Righteous Gemstones S1-2 - Finished season one and started in on season two. This family is just so wacky we can’t resist.

Comments - Overall a very good showing for reading and media this month. I finally read a series that J has been pushing for years. I finished my contemporary romance and I buddy read some decent middle grade with Arthur.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec

Title: The Witch’s Heart

Author: Genevieve Gornichec

Publisher: Ace Books 2021

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 359

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spring TBR

Angrboda’s story begins where most witches' tales end: with a burning. A punishment from Odin for refusing to provide him with knowledge of the future, the fire leaves Angrboda injured and powerless, and she flees into the farthest reaches of a remote forest. There she is found by a man who reveals himself to be Loki, and her initial distrust of him transforms into a deep and abiding love.

Their union produces three unusual children, each with a secret destiny, who Angrboda is keen to raise at the edge of the world, safely hidden from Odin’s all-seeing eye. But as Angrboda slowly recovers her prophetic powers, she learns that her blissful life—and possibly all of existence—is in danger.

With help from the fierce huntress Skadi, with whom she shares a growing bond, Angrboda must choose whether she’ll accept the fate that she’s foreseen for her beloved family...or rise to remake their future. From the most ancient of tales this novel forges a story of love, loss, and hope for the modern age.

All the shades of Madeleine Miller’s Circe wrapped up in Norse mythology. I very much enjoyed following Angrboda’s story as she comes to terms with who she is, loves, suffers, and eventually accepts the events of Ragnarök. We slowly meander through Angrboda’s years for the first part of the book. I enjoyed getting to know her and Loki and Skadi and Gerd (and then the children). The action picks up in Part II arriving at a crossroads before the last section of the book. I loved how Gornichec weaved multiple characters and versions of stories into a cohesive sequence of events. I loved that she focused on a “side” character from Norse mythology while still allowing appearances from the well-known characters. It was a bit weird watching the MCU’s Loki series while reading this book. Two versions of Loki with an interesting contrast. If you are a fan of Norse mythology or of Miller’s work, this would be a great follow-up.

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Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

The weather has finally gotten good enough to put our patio furniture out. We read our read aloud outside yesterday. Loved it!
Starting a brick of a book three days before it’s due was not the best decision. Think I can knock it out?
People’s inability to understand simple statements is boggling sometimes. Seriously, not sure how I can be more clear…
I finished planning our Kansas road trip for next month. Now on to working on the retreat and Indiana summer trips.

Next up on the TBR pile:

When the Tripods Came by John Christopher

Title: When the Tripods Came (Tripods #0.5)

Author: John Christopher

Publisher: 1988

Genre: Middle Grade Scifi

Pages: 160

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

When it comes to alien invasions, bad things come in threes.

Three landings: one in England, one in Russia, and one in the United States.

Three long legs, crushing everything in their paths, with three metallic arms, snacking out to embrace—and then discard—their helpless victims.

Three evil beings, called Tripods, which will change life on Earth forever.

And with this book, we finally get to see how exactly the Tripods invaded Earth and eventually dominated the human population. This was very much a War of the Worlds type adventure following one family as they slowly realize what is happening and try to escape. The book opens with a bit action sequence and keeps the pace throughout. I read it in one setting on the edge of my seat waiting to see how it all comes to be. We get to travel with Laurie’s family as they escape to what will become The White Mountains. I really enjoyed this prequel. Good middle grade science fiction that doesn’t seem too dated for our current times.

The Tripods

Next up on the TBR pile:

Beautiful by Christina Lauren

Title: Beautiful (Beautiful #5)

Author: Christina Lauren

Publisher: Gallery Books 2016

Genre: Romance

Pages: 400

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spring TBR

After walking in on her boyfriend shagging another girl in their place, Pippa Bay Cox ditches London for the States to go on a drunken road trip with Ruby Miller and some of her Beautiful friends.

Scaling the career ladder is the default way to deal with heartbreak—and to just deal—for Jensen Bergstrom. Absolutely buried by his drive and workload, he rarely takes time for himself. But when his sister Hanna convinces him to join the gang on a two-week wine tour, he has a rare moment of cutting loose. Of course, it’s only once he’s committed that he realizes the strange girl he met briefly on the plane is coming along, too. She might be too much for him…or he might realize his life has become too small and needs her to make it bigger, crazier.

With this circle of friends there’s always something going on: from Chloe and Sara’s unexpected personality swaps to Will’s new domestic side to Bennett’s text message barrage and George’s own happily-ever-after. In short, their adventures in love, friendship, and hilarity are nothing short of Beautiful.

The last book in this series and I must admit that Christina and Lauren disappointed me. This one was just not sexy at all. They seem to have completely lost all the steamy momentum from the other books. Pippa and Jensen were sweet but not sexy at all. I loved the appearances from some of the other characters in this series, but overall I kept waiting for the steamy scenes and there just weren’t that many and the ones that were there weren’t that good. Oh well. Not everything is going to be a winner.

Beautiful Bastard

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W30: Recovered and Back to Work!

What We Studied

Thankfully everyone got better from their cold and we had a normal week. I took one picture of us doing school that didn’t involve the chicks. Oh well. Enjoy some baby chickens pictures.

Literature and Poetry

We started and finished a read aloud that I had never actually read before. It’s a delightful little adventure book that we knocked out in a few days.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Fleming
I’ve Lost My Hippopotamus by Jack Prelutsky
Hello Earth! Poems to Our Planet by Joyce Sidman

Math

Another week of math games, puzzles, and review

Logic Countdown
The School of Numbers

Social Studies

We covered the last chapter of History Quest Middle Times about Elizabethan Times.

DK Timelines of Everyone
When on Earth
DK History
DK Timelines of Everything
Bard of Avon: The Story of William Shakespeare by Diane Stanley
Shakespeare's Theatre by Andrew Langley
The Tudors: Kings, Queen, Scribes, and Ferrets by Marcia Williams
Good Queen Bess: The Story of Elizabeth I of England by Diane Stanley

Arthur Independent Time

To allow for one-on-one time with Quentin, I have added an hour of independent work time for Arthur. Each week, he will have a mix of packet work (mostly grammar and math review), independent reading time, and special projects. Many of his projects will be aligned with our literature selections (some taken from B&R Language Arts curriculum) and history.

Science and STEAM Coop

For coop and our mini science unit, we’re focusing on plants and gardening.

DK Trees, Leaves, Flowers, and Seeds

Art/Music

None this week

Quentin

I have scheduled at least four 1-hour time blocks for one-on-one time with Quentin. I bought Blossom and Root’s Early Years Volume 2 curriculum to use as our base. I love the variety of activities and some of the bigger projects included.

ELA

Biscuit and the Lost Teddy Bear by Alyssia Satin Capucilli (Q reads)
Biscuit Loves the Park by Alyssia Satin Capucilli (Q reads)
Biscuit and the Garden by Alyssia Satin Capucilli (Q reads)
The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle by Beatrix Potter
The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher by Beatrix Potter
The Tale of Tom Kitten by Beatrix Potter
High Five May 2020
High Five June 2020
Our Universe: Earth by Marion Bane Bauer

Math

Lollipop Logic Book 1
Tinkeractive PreK Math

Other

Smart Start Beginning Coding Grade 1
Tinkeractive PreK Science

Field Trip

There wasn’t a field trip this week.

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies.

Misc. Picture Books Read

My Little Pony, Pony Life: Royal Bake-Off by Katie Chilson
Over in the Meadow by Ezra Jack Keats
There's a Tiger in the Garden by Lizzy Stewart
There's a Hole in the Bucket by John M. Feierabend

High

For Earth Day, we had a little coop party at a member’s house. Mostly it turned into free kids’ play, but sometimes that’s what we really need.

Low

The chicks had to be returned on Saturday. The kids really wanted to keep them…

Next Week

Taking a curriculum break with multiple outings
Starting the next Chronicles of Narnia book
More math games, puzzles, and review
Wrapping up the Middle Times for history

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Jukebox the Ghost feat. Andrew McMahon "Wasted"

Such a great song and a great collaboration.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #14

As I look outside my window: Clear and bright out there but pretty chilly today (high of 50 degrees) and very very windy. Seriously, I would love it if the wind slowed down a bit. We even gotten a few roof shingles from the neighbor blown into our yard. So windy!

Right now I am: Enjoying a donut. I bought a few yesterday and we drilled it into the kids’ heads that they could have only one this morning. They actually listened so I get my donut.

On my bedside table: Anatomy by Dana Schwartz; A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus

On my tv this week: J and I rewatched Loki S1 with the kids. They loved it of course. He and I then finished S1 of The Righteous Gemstones and Slow Horses.

Listening to: I’ve been doing a huge shuffle of the music on my Apple Music account. Very random and I love it.

On the menu for this week:

Monday - Italian Beef Sandwiches
Tuesday - Leftovers
Wednesday - Leftovers
Thursday - Swahili Fish Stew
Friday - Orecchiette with Sausage and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Saturday - Bangkok Coconut Curry Noodles
Sunday - Spicy Stuffed Black Bean Sweet Potatoes

On my to do list: Hmmm… I’m at a bit of a loss. I’ll need to check my big to-do list.

Happening this week:

Monday - Standing Bear Lake Hike
Tuesday - Giraffe’s Can’t Dance @ The Rose Theatre;; Bookworms Book Club
Wednesday - Joslyn Art Museum; Friend Book Club
Thursday - Coop
Friday - Home Day
Saturday - D&D
Sunday - Currently Reading Zoom for Poetry Month

What I am creating: Nothing right this second, but I might work on my April Memory Planner pages later today.

My simple pleasures: Hot chocolate, warmer temperatures, an engrossing book

Looking around the house: Picking up and vacuuming the first floor yesterday has made me feel so much better. Today I need to work on the kitchen and breakfast area.

From the camera: We had a lovely week taking care of two baby chicks. We named them Sunshine and Shadow. We’re definitely doing this again next year.

The Second Story by Neil Patrick Harris

Title: The Second Story (Magic Misfits #2)

Author: Neil Patrick Harris

Publisher: Little, Brown Books

Genre: MG Fantasy

Pages: 336

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Growing up in an orphanage, Leila was bullied for being different. She turned her hardship into skill by becoming an escape artist--a valuable trait when you belong to a group of magical best friends. But when a famous psychic comes to town, Leila and her pals can't escape the big mystery heading their way. Whether chasing mad monkeys or banishing ghosts from haunted hotels, these six friends will do their best to keep their home of Mineral Wells safe--but can they protect themselves?

Join the Magic Misfits as they discover adventure, friendship, and more than a few hidden secrets in this delightful new series. Whether you're a long-time expert at illusion or simply a new fan of stage magic, hold onto your top hat!

Another super fun middle grade adventure. Arthur read this one and immediately put it into my hands. I had to read it right then and there. I loved that this volume shifted the main focus from Carter to Leila. We get to learn about her backstory and her own internal thoughts. Plus we get another great mystery involving magic (real or not?). We even get a few appearances from previous antagonists. And finally we learn more about the Emerald Ring. Arthur and I will both be continuing this series.

The Magic Misfits

#1 The Magic Misfits
#2 The Second Story
#3 The Minor Third
#4 The Fourth Suit

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart

Title: The Paradox Hotel

Author: Rob Hart

Publisher: Ballantine Books 2022

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 336

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spring TBR

January Cole’s job just got a whole lot harder.

Not that running security at the Paradox was ever really easy. Nothing’s simple at a hotel where the ultra-wealthy tourists arrive costumed for a dozen different time periods, all eagerly waiting to catch their “flights” to the past.

Or where proximity to the timeport makes the clocks run backward on occasion—and, rumor has it, allows ghosts to stroll the halls.

None of that compares to the corpse in room 526. The one that seems to be both there and not there. The one that somehow only January can see.

On top of that, some very important new guests have just checked in. Because the U.S. government is about to privatize time-travel technology—and the world’s most powerful people are on hand to stake their claims.

January is sure the timing isn’t a coincidence. Neither are those “accidents” that start stalking their bidders.

There’s a reason January can glimpse what others can’t. A reason why she’s the only one who can catch a killer who’s operating invisibly and in plain sight, all at once.

But her ability is also destroying her grip on reality—and as her past, present, and future collide, she finds herself confronting not just the hotel’s dark secrets but her own.

Such a twisty, head-turner of a novel. Right away I had hoped that this book would be great based on the hotel as a character aspect. I do so love it when the setting becomes it’s own character within the novel. This one does not disappoint. From the beginning I knew bad things were going to happen but understanding the how’s, why’s, and who's. was the big draw for me. We’re thrown into an unknown situation with a narrator who may or may not be unreliable. From there, we follow January as she tries to unravel the mysteries within the Paradox Hotel and what exactly is going to be the sequence of future events. This science fiction book involves some science but never gets bogged down in the technical talk. We get enough to attempt to understand what is happening within the hotel. But the more immediate mystery is a murder that only January can see. All of the characters kept me guessing as to their motivations and endgames. January was a treat to follow even if I didn’t quite love her ending. I ended up really enjoying this time travel adventure.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Can I Get Some Videos?

Definitely looks like something I would watch

On our shortlist! And I do so appreciate their music choice. Worlds Apart is my favorite Journey song!

We even get some Guns N’ Roses for this one! Music directors are on point lately.

Spring Bucket List Update #1

After taking a bit of a break from bucket lists in 2021 (seriously, that year was a trash fire), I’m back this year. We have a variety of projects that we want to accomplish this coming year and I want to make some intentions for each season. For spring:

Check off 150 hours of our 1000 hours outside project - 20/150 so far
Two Lincoln Excursion Days
Three State park Visits
Read 50 books - 17/50
Day trip to Des Moines
At least 6 zoo visits
Design board for future kitchen renovation
Monthly bingo/trivia nights
Do a donation drop
Take the kids bowling or mini golfing
Log 50 miles on the treadmill
Make homemade cinnamon rolls
Plan out curriculum for next year - in progress
Plan out the Bookish Retreat! - in progress
Plan an Indiana trip for summer complete with Indianapolis mini trip - in progress
Weekend trip to Kansas
Plan a redo for our homeschool space / playroom
Do a Closet Cleanout for Me
Do a Closet Cleanup for the Kids
Work on a Craft Project

Up Next on the TBR:

The Pool of Fire by John Christopher

Title: The Pool of Fire (Tripods #2)

Author: John Christopher

Publisher: 1968

Genre: Middle Grade Scifi

Pages: 204

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

After being held captive in the City of Gold and Lead—the capital, where the creatures that control the mechanical, monstrous Tripods live—Will believes that he’s learned everything he needs to know to destroy them. He has discovered the source of their power, and with this new knowledge, Will and his friends plan to return to the City of Gold and Lead to take down the Masters once and for all.

Although Will and his friends have planned everything down to the minute, the Masters still have surprises in store. And with the Masters’ plan to destroy Earth completely, Will may have just started the war that will end it all.

We finally get to see the conclusion of Will’s adventure in the revolt against the Masters. The third book starts right up with the plot and keeps going until the end. We get to revisit the city of the Masters and find out more about how they operate. We reconnect with Beanpole and Henry while learning more about the the other cities of the Masters. I loved how the big confrontation happened and was right there with all of them. My only issue was the very pessimistic ending of the story. It felt really realistic, but very sad. Not quite sure what I feel about all of that. Now, I need to read the prequel.

The Tripods

#0.5 When the Tripods Came
#1 The White Mountains
#2 The City of Gold and Lead
#3 The Pool of Fire

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #7

Reading: Beautiful by Christina Lauren. I finally made it to the last book in this series. They are definitely my current comfort reads.

Watching: While J was gone last week, I started watching Starstruck and Minx and I am addicted to both.

Listening: Sad that the new Coheed and Cambria album isn’t out yet, but I have been listening to the three singles a lot lately.

Making: Made chocolate cake for D&D on Saturday and we’ve almost eaten the entire thing. I may need to make a new variation this weekend.

Feeling: I had my permanent crown put on Monday and am still feeling slightly sore today.

Planning: I need to finish planning out our May Kansas trip. We have lodgings and tickets for one event. I need to get our list of restaurants and other events set.

Loving: We rented two chicks for this week and are having so much fun with Sunshine and Shadow! The boys are learning so much about chickens and caring for them.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W29: Blergh! We All Caught a Cold.

What We Studied

After such a long time not getting sick (and avoiding COVID), the boys and I all caught a cold and had some not-so-great days. We managed to finish some school work, but had to skip coop and the coop fiend trip the gardens. Not fun being stuck inside for days on end.

Literature and Poetry

We did manage to finis our current read aloud and work through more poems.

The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis
I’ve Lost My Hippopotamus

Math

Arthur is finished with the textbook, so we are exploring more math problems and puzzles until August. We pulled out the spring tangrams packet for Tuesday’s lesson.

Logic Countdown
The School of Numbers

Social Studies

We covered the Scientific Revolution (focusing on Gutenburg, Copernicus, and Galileo) and the Reformation this week. Arthur got really interested in Copernicus’s journal and wanted to create his own scientific journal.

DK Timelines of Everyone
When on Earth
DK History
DK Timelines of Everything
Marguerite Makes a Book by Bruce Robertson
Nicolaus Copernicus: The Earth is a Planet by Dennis Brindell Fradin
Martin Luther: Here I Stand by Geraldine Elschner
The Life and Times of Martin Luther by Meike Roth-Beck
I, Galileo by Bonnie Christensen
Starry Messenger by Peter Sis
Recentering the Universe: The Radical Theories of Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, and Newton by Rob Miller

Arthur Independent Time

To allow for one-on-one time with Quentin, I have added an hour of independent work time for Arthur. Each week, he will have a mix of packet work (mostly grammar and math review), independent reading time, and special projects. Many of his projects will be aligned with our literature selections (some taken from B&R Language Arts curriculum) and history.

Science and STEAM Coop

We had a light week for science. I had planned on focusing on spring and growing to align with coop and our trip to the botanical gardens. But as we had to skip those, part of our science went with it. We did do a mini spring unit with a ton of books. And we wrapped up what we learned from coop last week about bees with some more books and videos.

The Thing About Bees by Shabazz Larkin
Give Bees a Chance by Bethany Barton
Bee and Me by Alison Jay
The Bee Tree by Stephen Buchmann
The Secret Life of Bees by Moira Butterfield
What on Earth? Bees by Andrea Quigley
Finding Spring by Carin Berger
Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner
Mouse Loves Spring by Lauren Thompson
Hail to Spring by Charles Ghigna
Weather in Spring by Jenny Fretland VanVoorst
Trees in Spring by Jenny Fretland VanVoorst
Birds in Spring by Jenny Fretland VanVoorst
Spring by Amy Culliford
Crinkle, Crackle, Crack It's Spring! by Marion Dane Bauer

Art/Music

None this week

Quentin

I have scheduled at least four 1-hour time blocks for one-on-one time with Quentin. I bought Blossom and Root’s Early Years Volume 2 curriculum to use as our base. I love the variety of activities and some of the bigger projects included.

ELA

Biscuit Takes a Walk by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (Q Reads)
Biscuit Loves the Library by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (Q Reads)
Biscuit and the Little Llamas by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (Q Reads)
Biscuit Feeds the Pets by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (Q reads)
The Tale of Two Bad Mice by Beatrix Potter
The Tale of Benjamin Bunny by Beatrix Potter
The Tailor of Gloucester by Beatrix Potter
High Five April 2020

Math

Lollipop Logic Book 1
Tinkeractive Math PreK

Other

Smart Start Beginning Coding Grade 1
I Spy on the Farm
Tinkeractive Science PreK

Field Trip

On Monday we met friends at the park for some playtime. It was chilly, but the sun came out and the kids had fun. I enjoyed chatting with some friends.

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies.

Misc. Picture Books Read

Nerdy Birdy by Aaron Reynolds
Big Choo by Stephen Shaskan

High

Getting our chicks on Saturday was so much fun! We are renting two chicks from a family farm program. We are interacting with them and caring for them. We named ours Shadow and Sunshine. The boys are loving this program!

Low

Getting sick obviously. I had a headache all week and it really affected everyone’s mood and motivation.

Next Week

Starting a new read aloud (even I haven’t read this one)
Covering Elizabethan Times for history
Continuing our math review
Taking care of our chicks for hands-on science

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Catch Your Breath "Shame on Me"

One of those songs that I caught on Octane and completely fell in love with.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #13

As I look outside my window: Um… it’s currently snowing on Easter in the middle of April. This weather is terrible. It was 90 degrees when we dropped J at the airport on Tuesday, but then dropped and has been hovering between 30 and 50 degrees since then. I do not like.

Right now I am: Ready to start dying some eggs and decorating cookies!

On my bedside table: The Pool of Fire by John Christopher; The Second Story by Neil Patrick Harris; Beautiful by Christina Lauren

On my tv this week: While J was gone, I finished Shadow and Bone S1 and Starstruck S1. I also started Minx S1 (my new favorite show) and started a rewatch of the original Are You Afraid of the Dark episodes.

Listening to: Mostly the usual podcasts. Nothing exciting this week at all.

On the menu for this week:

Monday - BBQ Pork Sandwiches
Tuesday - Fancy BLT Grilled Cheese
Wednesday - Cajun Stuffed Chicken
Thursday - Bangkok Curry Noodles
Friday - Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
Saturday - Leftovers
Sunday - Orecchiette with Sausage, Sun-dried Tomatoes, and Lemon

On my to do list: I finished my primary ballot but need to go drop it at the Election Commission this week. I also need to go inside Costco and cancel my membership (it’s a waste of money for us really). I also need to finish planning our Kansas trip and officially secure the retreat lodgings.

Happening this week:

Monday - Dentist appointment (permanent crown!)
Tuesday - Errands Day (grocery, pet store for crickets, library run)
Wednesday - Home Day
Thursday - Coop
Friday - Earth Day Party with Coop Friends
Saturday - Home Day
Sunday - Home Day

What I am creating: Nothing at the moment. I finished my March Memory Planner pages and have yet to start on April’s pages.

My simple pleasures: Laughing until I cry (seriously, who says “squabbing the deck”? All I can picture is someone scrubbing the deck with a defrosted plucked chicken. Too funny.

Looking around the house: Easter has exploded in the living room. Need to clean this up later… And the boys really need to finish cleaning their play room.

From the camera: We rented chicks for the week from a local farm. Shadow and Sunshine have been delightful so far! We are keeping track of their weight, giving them toys, and tempting them with different treats. Strawberries were not a hit, but popcorn and hard boiled eggs were.

Girly Drinks by Mallory O'Meara

Title: Girly Drinks: A World History of Women and Alcohol

Author: Mallory O’Meara

Publisher: Hanover Square Press 2021

Genre: Nonfiction - Food

Pages: 384

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spring TBR

Strawberry daiquiris. Skinny martinis. Vodka sodas with lime. These are the cocktails that come in sleek-stemmed glasses, bright colors and fruity flavors—these are the Girly Drinks.

From the earliest days of civilization, alcohol has been at the center of social rituals and cultures worldwide. But when exactly did drinking become a gendered act? And why have bars long been considered “places for men” when, without women, they might not even exist?

With whip-smart insight and boundless curiosity, Girly Drinks unveils an entire untold history of the female distillers, drinkers and brewers who have played a vital role in the creation and consumption of alcohol, from ancient Sumerian beer goddess Ninkasi to iconic 1920s bartender Ada Coleman. Filling a crucial gap in culinary history, O’Meara dismantles the long-standing patriarchal traditions at the heart of these very drinking cultures, in the hope that readers everywhere can look to each celebrated woman in this book—and proudly have what she’s having.

Overall a very entertaing romp through history and alcohol. I do so enjoy O’Meara’s writing style. She approaches a May Roach style with her dy wit and small asides. There were many historical stories and facts that I already knew going into the book. And yet, I learned more through the pages. And I enjoyed my time reading through the chatpters. My favorite ones were the early chapters about prehistory and the ancient world.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Beautiful Boss by Christina Lauren

Title: Beautiful Boss (Beautiful #4.5)

Author: Christina Lauren

Publisher: Pocket Star 2016

Genre: Romance

Pages: 115

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spring TBR

One Player tamed. One nerd girl satisfied. And one more major life decision to make. When Will fell for Hanna, her quirky sense of humor and fierce dedication to her career were part of the attraction. (Not to mention her coy newbie attitude toward sex and her willingness to let him teach her everything.) But when the job offers start rolling in for her—and oh, they do—Hanna has trouble deciding what she wants, where they should live, and how much she should burden Will with the decision. Magic between the sheets is only one part of a relationship...getting on the same page is quite another altogether.

Meh. Will and Hannas are not my favorite couple, but at least they aren’t Chloe and Bennett. This is yet another story where Hanna just acts so incredibly young and I am annoyed by it I am not a fan of that dynamic. This story wrapped up some of their particular plot line. But I’m definitely ready to move on to the last book in the series.

Beautiful Bastard

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

J is gone on a work trip this week (first time since before the pandemic) and it’s kinda nice having some time to myself.
I’ve watched more television than usual, but I guess I’m just making up for lost time.
I really don’t want to read the book club book, but feel like I have to…
Thinking I need more contemporary romance next.
Maybe plan a Lincoln excursion for next week?

Next up on the TBR pile: