August 2021 Wrap-up

August TBR Pile (20/29):

Book of the Month Club: TBD
Bookworms: Already read August’s selection
Friend Book Club: We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker
MMD RC: Laundry Love by Patric Richardson ✓
Kid Read Aloud: The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum ✓
Foundation: The Currents of Space by Isaac Asimov ✓
Foundation: Pebble in the Sky by Isaac Asimov ✓
Foundation: Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov ✓
Foundation: Forward the Foundation by Isaac Asimov ✓
Foundation: Foundation by Isaac Asimov
Foundation: Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov
Foundation: Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov
Foundation: Foundation’s Edge by Isaac Asimov
Foundation: Foundation and Earth by Isaac Asimov
Added: Dating-ish by Penny Reid ✓
Added: Marriage of Inconvenience by Penny Reid ✓
Added: Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan ✓
Added: Lumberjanes Vol. 14 ✓
Added: Lumberjanes Vol. 15 ✓
Added: Lumberjanes Vol. 16 ✓
Added: Lumberjanes Vol. 17 ✓
Added: Lumberjanes Vol. 18 ✓
Added: Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon ✓
Added: Cursed Objects by J.W. Ocker ✓
Added: Four Hundred Souls edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain
Added: Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert ✓
Added: World Travel by Anthony Bourdain and Laurie Woolever ✓
Added: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo ✓
Added: The Sinful Lives of Trophy Wives by Kristin Miller ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 5368 pages
Pages Remaining: 457,793pages

Current Read - A Woman of Intelligence by Karin Tanabe; Four Hundred Souls; Roar by Cecelia Ahern

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (0)

UnRead Shelf Progress

Starting Number: 283
Books Read: 0
Books Acquired: 0
Books Unshelved: 0
Finishing Number: 283

September TBR Pile:

Book of the Month Club: TBD
Bookworms: The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
Friend Book Club: We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker
MMD RC: TBD
Kid Read Aloud: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Foundation: Foundation by Isaac Asimov
Foundation: Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov
Foundation: Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov
Foundation: Foundation’s Edge by Isaac Asimov
Foundation: Foundation and Earth by Isaac Asimov
Nonfiction: Four Hundred Souls edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain
Historical Fiction: A Woman of Intelligence by Karin Tanabe
Short Story Collection: Roar by Cecelia Ahern
Horror: The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
Horror: Bird Box by Josh Malerman
Science Fiction: A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
Romance: In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren
Romance: The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare

Movies watched

F9 - That was terrible…
Jungle Cruise - Fun family film
Jolt - Not good at all
The Suicide Squad - Much better than the first Suicide Squad movie that we must not mention
Tower Heist - Pretty good heist film
Exchange - Quirky indie comedy set in the 80s. Loved it!

TV Shows watched

American Epic - Great historical music documentary series
Watch the Sound - Another great music documentary series
Rick and Morty S5 - The turkey episode killed me
Star Trek: Voyager S4
Hustle S6 - Getting closer to the end of this series
Below Deck: Mediterranean S6
Bachelor in Paradise - Loving the total mess of this show.
Making It S3 - We did not call the ending, but still enjoyed the show.
Lower Decks S2 - So funny!
Holey Moley S3 - Our silly show
Ted Lasso S2 - This season is giving me life.
Archer S12 - Oh how we have missed this show.

Comments -

Next up on the TBR pile:

Forward the Foundation by Isaac Asimov

Title: Forward the Foundation

Author: Isaac Asimov

Publisher:

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 359

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual - NPR Scifi

As Hari Seldon struggles to perfect his revolutionary theory of psychohistory and ensure a place for humanity among the stars, the great Galactic Empire totters on the brink of apocalyptic collapse. Caught in the maelstrom are Seldon and all he holds dear, pawns in the struggle for dominance. Whoever can control Seldon will control psychohistory—and with it the future of the Galaxy.

Among those seeking to turn psychohistory into the greatest weapon known to man are a populist political demagogue, the weak-willed Emperor Cleon I, and a ruthless militaristic general. In his last act of service to humankind, Hari Seldon must somehow save his life’s work from their grasp as he searches for its true heirs—a search that begins with his own granddaughter and the dream of a new Foundation.

Picking up just a few hours after the previous book, Prelude to Foundation, we get a slightly uneven story following the rest of Hari Seldon’s life. The first half of this volume was fairly boring. Asimov does a lot of recapping what happened the previous book. This would probably have been okay if I had read these back-to-back. As it was, I was bored for the first two sections. Until the last five pages or so of the second section. And then everything got really good and I gasped out loud. The second half speeds through the major changes in Trantor and within the Seldon family. Things are really coming together with relation to Foundation. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

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Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W4: All About Birds!

What We Studied

A much more normal week for us! We had some fun field trip adventures and focused on our studies.

Literature and Poetry

We started reading The Hobbit! I haven’t read it for years, so it was nice to revisit. We’ve moved our daily read aloud time back and forth from morning to right before bed. I am liking the flexibility. Reading before bed gives us more than 30 minutes back into our “school day,” but it’s definitely not an everyday switch.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
In Aunt Giraffe’s Green Garden by Jack Prelutsky
10 Minutes a Day Spelling

Math

We started Singapore Math Common Core 3A this week. We’re shooting for one unit every week or so. Unit 1 is complete!

Singapore Math Common Core Edition 3A

Social Studies

This week’s History Quest focus was on the Fall of the Byzantine Empire. Arthur actually remembered some things from last year’s study of the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the rise of the Byzantine Empire. So yeah for remembering!

DK History
DK When on Earth?

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. This week, he focused on mostly packet work and did a few tasks for his creative project: Geography of Home book.

Science and STEAM Coop

Photos were taken; not by me as I was teaching. Unfortunately the pictures all had pictures of other people’s kids so I can’t post them on here.

We finished our bird theme this week. For the bigger kids, I had them complete the bird beak adaptation lab and then they made bird feeders with the little kids. Simple and easy but the lab was a lot of fun.

Birds by Paul McEvoy
DK Animal
The Big Book of Birds by Yuval Zommer
Nature All Around: Birds by Pamela Hickman
The Egg by Britta Teckentrup
DK Eyewitness Bird
Bird Watch by Christie Matheson
Bird Builds a Nest by Martin Jenkins
Birds by Kevin Henkes

Art/Music

Our music study was cut this week again. We just ran out of time and other things got prioritized. I need to figure out how to add this back in easily.

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. For ELA, we continued our big overview of the alphabet. Q really wanted to do math on the computer, so we jumped on Khan Academy and he finished the entire first unit. (He really likes math!) For an extra science lesson, we talked about animal classifications.

ELA

Once Upon an Alphabet by Oliver Jeffers
My “b” Sound Box by Jane Belk Moncure
Bobby Baboon’s Banana Be-Bop by Barbara deRubertis
Feathers for Lunch by Eric Carle

Math

The Odd One Out by Britta Teckentrup
Mother Goose: Numbers on the Loose by Leo and Diane Dillon

Other

High Five magazine volume
Our Earth by Anne Rockwell
Many Creatures by Laura Purdie Salas
Feathers and Hair: What Animals Wear by Jennifer Ward

Field Trip

We visited Fontenelle Forest and learned all about the birds housed at the Raptor Rescue. We arrived right at feeding time completely on accident. The worker was great about engaging the kiddos and talking about each bird as he fed them. We even got to see him give an owl eye drops for a detached retina. My favorite was seeing him interact with Charlotte the Peregrine Falcon. She is just gorgeous! We had intended to walk the trails afterward, but the kids ended just spending almost an hour and a half playing at the nature classroom. After, we and another family had a picnic lunch. It was a beautiful field trip.

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies. This week, we watched an episode about birds, specifically peregrine falcons.

NOVA S45 E16: World’s Fastest Animal

Misc. - Random picture books read

Highs

Our one-two punch of Raptor Rescue trip and coop on Thursday really breathed some life into me this week. We are loving our group of coop friends. I’m excited that next week I don’t have to teach.

Lows

I had a dentist appointment that messed up our Wednesday. In fact, we have dentist appointments for the next two weeks. I don’t love that they are spread out right now. Hoping next time, the boys’s appointments are together at least.

Next Week

Continuing The Hobbit
Moving on to Unit 2 in math.
Starting Mammals for science
Western Europe is up next for history
Hoping to add in some music study (or at least listening while working)
Board game morning with coop friends!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Lizzo feat. Cardi B "Rumors"

Oh Yes. This is just a great song. Two goddesses together!

The Sinful Lives of Trophy Wives by Kristin Miller

Title: The Sinful Lives of Trophy Wives

Author: Kristin Miller

Publisher: Ballantine Books 2021

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 274

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Mystery writer Brooke Davies is the new wife on the block. Her tech-billionaire husband, Jack, twenty-two years her senior, whisked her to the Bay Area via private jet and purchased a modest mansion on the same day. He demands perfection, and before now, Brooke has had no problem playing the role of a doting housewife. But as she befriends other wives on the street and spends considerable time away from Jack, he worries if he doesn’t control Brooke’s every move, she will reveal the truth behind their “perfect” marriage.

Erin King, famed news anchor and chair of the community board, is no stranger to maintaining an image—though being married to a plastic surgeon helps. But the skyrocketing success of her career has worn her love life thin, and her professional ambitions have pushed Mason away. Quitting her job is a Hail Mary attempt at keeping him interested, to steer him away from finding a young trophy wife. But is it enough, and is Mason truly the man she thought he was?

Georgia St. Claire allegedly cashed in on the deaths of her first two husbands, earning her the nickname “Black Widow”—and the stares and whispers of her curious neighbors. Rumored to have murdered both men for their fortunes, she claims to have found true love in her third marriage, yet her mysterious, captivating allure keeps everyone guessing. Then a tragic accident forces the residents of Presidio Terrace to ask: Has Georgia struck again? And what is she really capable of doing to protect her secrets?

I grabbed this one hoping for some great soapy neighborhood scandals. For about the first half of the book, that’s what I got. And then secrets start to get revealed and it turns much more serious and confusing. I felt like it turned into a thriller all of a sudden and I was a bit taken aback. And then the “coincidences” and twists started to come and I was bored very quickly. The ending was a bit of a convoluted mess. Definitely not my cup of tea at all.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Six of Crows (Six of Crows #1)

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. 2015

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 479

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone. . . .
A convict with a thirst for revenge.
A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager.
A runaway with a privileged past.
A spy known as the Wraith.
A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.
Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don't kill each other first.

Much better than the Shadow and Bone trilogy. Immediately I fell for all the various misfit members of the crew. I think I really have a thing for misfit found families. Kaz is an enigma, Jesper is delightful, and Inej is tough but likeable. I wanted all of them to find their happy endings. And then we add in mortal enemies and a runaway to round out the crew. I loved seeing all six of them come together to tackle the impossible heist. The action keeps us moving along just waiting on baited breath to see what was going to happen next. I sped through this volume right until the big gasp at the end. I can’t wait to read the companion novel and then maybe I can watch the tv show.

Six of Crows:

#1 Six of Crows
#2 Crooked Kingdom

Next up on the TBR pile:

Getting Back Into the Routine Videos

How about some new Doctor? I’m glad that Yaz is back.

I’m so going to miss Jessica Walters in this. She was the best!

Not sure about this one, but I will watch it just for Billy Porter

Definitely put this one on the watch list

We really need to finish watching Miracle Workers…

Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov

Title: Prelude to Foundation

Author: Isaac Asimov

Publisher: 1988

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 405

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual - NPR Scifi

It is the year 12,020 G.E. and Emperor Cleon I sits uneasily on the Imperial throne of Trantor. Here in the great multidomed capital of the Galactic Empire, forty billion people have created a civilization of unimaginable technological and cultural complexity. Yet Cleon knows there are those who would see him fall—those whom he would destroy if only he could read the future.

Hari Seldon has come to Trantor to deliver his paper on psychohistory, his remarkable theory of prediction. Little does the young Outworld mathematician know that he has already sealed his fate and the fate of humanity. For Hari possesses the prophetic power that makes him the most wanted man in the Empire . . . the man who holds the key to the future—an apocalyptic power to be known forever after as the Foundation.

Oooh. This is a good one. Right away I was sucked into this story following Hari Seldon’s adventures around Trantor. The pace is propulsive. The characters are intriguing. The adventures are illuminating. And the twists caused me to gasp out loud. I rarely gasp out loud at twists, but I did with this book. We get so much information about the state of the Empire and specifically Trantor in this story. It’s a nice bridge from the Robots and Empire books and the Galactic Empire books to the Foundation series. I can’t wait see what happens next.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W3: Lots of Outdoor Fun

What We Studied

I really need to find our groove this fall. I cut back even more to allow for more flexibility. We’ll see how it goes going forward.

Literature and Poetry

We finished reading The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum in alignment the Blossom and Root 2nd Grade Language Arts curriculum. The curriculum doesn’t actual start with The Wizard of Oz, but I reordered everything to align closer to our history this year. I’m really enjoying the spelling curriculum that I bought from The Moffatt Girls on Teachers Pay Teachers. And Arthur has taken to doing one spelling list spread out over the course of the week.

The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
The Road to Oz: Twists, Turns, Bumps, and Triumphs int he Life of L. Frank Baum by Kathleen Krull
I Invited a Dragon to Dinner

Math

We started Singapore Math Common Core 3A this week. We’re shooting for one unit every week or so. Unit 1 is complete!

Singapore Math Common Core Edition 3A
Millions, Billions, and trillions: Understanding Big Numbers by David A. Adler
Mind-Boggling Numbers by Michael J. Rosen

Social Studies

We started History Quest Middle Times this week with Ch. 1 Islamic Innovations. I really loved this chapter. I even learned some things.

OMAR Finds a Home
DK Eyewitness: Islam
DK Timelines of Everyone
The Arab World Thought of It by Saima S. Hussain
Looking Back: The World of Islam Before 1700 by Hazel Mary Martell
Islamic Art & Culture by Nicola Barber
The Arabian Nights

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. This week, he focused on some packet work and started his next creative project: Geography of Home book.

Science and STEAM Coop

Photos were taken; not by me as I was teaching. Unfortunately the pictures all had pictures of other people’s kids so I can’t post them on here.

We started our bird theme this week and I taught the older kids. We talked about birds in general and birds of prey specifically. Then we joined the younger kids and dissected owl pellets. I was so proud of the older kids as they assisted the younger kids in their dissection. This week really solidified the idea of mixing up the age groups some weeks. Next week we are continuing the birds theme with beaks and feathers.

Bird Count by Susan Edwards Richmond
Robin Where are You? by Harriet Ziefert
Animal School: What Class are You? by Michael Garland
The Animal Book by Steve Jenkins
Nature Files: Animal Groupings by Anita Ganeri
Carl Linnaeus: Genius of Classification by Margaret J. Anderson

Art/Music

Our music study was cut this week. We just ran out of time and other things got prioritized.

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. For ELA, we continued our big overview of the alphabet. We covered more counting and some basic math concepts as well as simple map skills. And we had some puzzles to round out the week.

ELA

Ten Apples Up on Top by Theo LeSieg
Once Upon an Alphabet by Oliver Jeffers
The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall
The Wheels on the Bus
Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman

Math

One is Not a Pair by Britta Teckentrup
No Two Alike by Keith Baker
Know Your Numbers: Food by Mary Elizabeth Salzmann
Know Your Numbers: Nature by Mary Elizabeth Salzmann
Know Your Numbers: Animals by Mary Elizabeth Salzmann
Know Your Numbers: Toys by Mary Elizabeth Salzmann

Other

High Five magazine volume

Field Trip

We had a great two event day on Tuesday with our coop friends. In the morning, we visited Heron Haven and explored nature. We saw turtles, frogs, fish, birds, butterflies, and caterpillars. We loved it and will definitely go back soon. In the afternoon, we met some coop friends at the park for playground time and board games. My kids really loved playing with someone else. We’re aiming to schedule two board games days a month.

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies. This week, we watched a great episode about math.

NOVA S42 E7: The Great Math Mystery

Misc. - Random picture books read

Vivi Loves Science by Kimberly Derting

Highs

Tuesday was so much fun! The boys loved the nature walk and especially loved the board games afternoon.

Lows

Some things fell by the wayside this week. I’m reconfiguring our schedule for next week to help this out.

Next Week

Starting The Hobbit
Moving on to Unit 2 in math.
Continuing with our birds theme for coop
Fall of the Byzantine Empire is up next for history.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Our Last Night "You Broke Me First"

Ooof. This song has got me this week.

Life Right Now #26

As I look outside my window:

Right now I am:

Thinking and pondering:

On my bedside table: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo; A Woman of Intelligence by Karin Tanabe

On my tv this week: Nothing super exciting, just the usual current shows and ongoing shows (Hustle, Star Trek: Voyager).

Listening to: I’m finally catching up on my back episodes of Dungeons and Daddies. Plus I’m trying to keep up with my usual podcasts.

On the menu for this week:

Monday - Blackberry Bacon Grilled Cheese
Tuesday - Pineapple BBQ Chicken
Wednesday - Blackened Salmon
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Peanut Sauce Chicken with Broccoli Rice Bowls
Saturday - Mosterdseop
Sunday - Pesto Stuffed Shells

On my to do list: I need to make a few appointments. I imagine that I need to make a bit more progress on my big projects (Road trip and Bookish retreat). I also need to update my big brain dump list.

Happening this week:

Monday - Grocery Day
Tuesday - Field Trip to Fontenelle Forest
Wednesday - Dentist for Me
Thursday - Coop
Friday - Home day
Saturday - Home day
Sunday - Home day

What I am creating: I hope that I can finish one or two bookish retreat crafts this week. No peeks, but I have some good ideas.

My simple pleasures: Alton Brown’s Blueberry Muffins (so friggin’ good), space adventures, cooler temperatures

Looking around the house: Blergh. My laundry room is out of control. Guess what I’m doing today…

From the camera: Yummy ice cream after book club. I got a scoop of lavender lemon and a scoop of mango raspberry habanero. So good!

Laundry Love by Patric Richardson

Title: Laundry Love: Finding Joy in a Common Chore

Author: Patric Richardson

Publisher: Flatiron Books 2021

Genre: Nonfiction

Pages: 186

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Modern Mrs. Darcy; Seasonal TBR

Doing laundry is rarely anyone’s favorite task. But to Patric Richardson, laundry isn't just fun―it's a way of life. After years of running Laundry Camp at the Mall of America for thousands of eager learners, he's ready to share his tips, tricks, and hacks―bringing surprise and delight to this commonly dreaded chore.

Sorting your laundry? It's not all about whites and darks. Pondering the wash cycles? Every load, even your delicates, should be washed using express or quick-wash on warm. Facing expensive dry cleaning bills? You'll learn how to wash everything―yes everything―at home. And those basically clean but smelly clothes? Richardson has a secret for freshening those too (hint: it involves vodka, not soap).

Changing your relationship with laundry can also change your life. Richardson’s handy advice shows us how to save time and money (and the planet!) with our laundry―and he intersperses it all with a healthy dose of humor, real-life laundry stories, and lessons from his Appalachian upbringing and career in fashion.

You would think that a book about laundry would be boring and very dry. But this book is not either! Right away Richardson invites into the fascinating world of laundering. We get practical tips and fun stories. I have been doing laundry for decades at this point and apparently I was doing many things wrong. To be fair to myself, I was taught (like most people) wrong. The volume is slim, but packed with helpful tips and explanations. I actually really enjoyed reading this one.

Next up on the TBR pile:

World Travel by Anthony Bourdain and Laurie Woolever

Title: World Travel: An Irreverent Guide

Author: Anthony Bourdain and Laurie Woolever

Publisher: Ecco 2021

Genre: Travel Memoir

Pages: 480

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Modern Mrs. Darcy; Summer TBR

Anthony Bourdain saw more of the world than nearly anyone. His travels took him from the hidden pockets of his hometown of New York to a tribal longhouse in Borneo, from cosmopolitan Buenos Aires, Paris, and Shanghai to Tanzania’s utter beauty and the stunning desert solitude of Oman’s Empty Quarter—and many places beyond.

In World Travel, a life of experience is collected into an entertaining, practical, fun and frank travel guide that gives readers an introduction to some of his favorite places—in his own words. Featuring essential advice on how to get there, what to eat, where to stay and, in some cases, what to avoid, World Travel provides essential context that will help readers further appreciate the reasons why Bourdain found a place enchanting and memorable.

Supplementing Bourdain’s words are a handful of essays by friends, colleagues, and family that tell even deeper stories about a place, including sardonic accounts of traveling with Bourdain by his brother, Christopher; a guide to Chicago’s best cheap eats by legendary music producer Steve Albini, and more. Additionally, each chapter includes illustrations by Wesley Allsbrook.

For veteran travelers, armchair enthusiasts, and those in between, World Travel offers a chance to experience the world like Anthony Bourdain.

I picked this up because Anne Bogel chose it for the Summer Reading Guide. I was intrigued by the prospect of reading the last work from Anthony Bourdain. Unfortunately the idea of this book far outweighed the actual execution of this book. The book is part travel guide and part rumination on the soul of countries. I enjoyed the ruminations. I enjoyed the essays written by those who new Bourdain. I just didn’t enjoy the parts that were more akin to a travel guide. Overall, the book really just made me want to watch No Reservations or Parts Unknown again.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

I am so hot all the time. The temps really need to get cooler now.
Making my way through the Foundation series. I’ve got a bit of momentum now.
Coop has been great so far. We’re loving our new friends.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert

Title: Act Your Age, Eve Brown (Brown Sisters #3)

Author: Talia Hibbert

Publisher: Avon 2021

Genre: Romance

Pages: 393

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Eve Brown is a certified hot mess. No matter how hard she strives to do right, her life always goes horribly wrong. So she’s given up trying. But when her personal brand of chaos ruins an expensive wedding (someone had to liberate those poor doves), her parents draw the line. It's time for Eve to grow up and prove herself—even though she's not entirely sure how…

Jacob Wayne is in control. Always. The bed and breakfast owner’s on a mission to dominate the hospitality industry and he expects nothing less than perfection. So when a purple-haired tornado of a woman turns up out of the blue to interview for his open chef position, he tells her the brutal truth: not a chance in hell. Then she hits him with her car—supposedly by accident. Yeah, right.

Now his arm is broken, his B&B is understaffed, and the dangerously unpredictable Eve is fluttering around, trying to help. Before long, she’s infiltrated his work, his kitchen—and his spare bedroom. Jacob hates everything about it. Or rather, he should. Sunny, chaotic Eve is his natural-born nemesis, but the longer these two enemies spend in close quarters, the more their animosity turns into something else. Like Eve, the heat between them is impossible to ignore... and it’s melting Jacob’s frosty exterior.

Ohhh I loved this book so much. It’s become my favorite the Brown Sisters books. I immediately loved Eve and wanted to see her succeed at life. And then she gets herself in a bit of a pickle and loved watching her blossom. I actually really liked that the book was focused on Eve and not her sisters as much. They make a few appearances, but we get a very focused story. On the other side, Jacob is a great leading man. I loved getting to know him through conversations with Mont and Eve. I loved seeing how he viewed the world and the struggles that he endured. Hibbert has definitely increased the steam and I am here for every scene. I will be keeping Hibbert on my watch list for new books.

Brown Sisters

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lumberjanes Vol. 18

Title: Lumberjanes Vol. 18:

Author: Shannon Watters; Kat Leyh

Publisher: BOOM! 2021

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 112

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

THEY’RE NOT OUT OF THE WOODS QUITE YET! When April, Jo, Mal, Molly, and Ripley get in trouble with Rosie, the mysterious director of Miss Qiunzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet's Camp for Hardcore Lady-Types, they figure the punishment is gonna be a walk in the park… er, woods. That’s before a super gross, and seemingly-sentient creeping vine starts popping up everywhere and scooping ‘Janes up! And then there’s Rosie’s best friend from long ago: the elegant and enigmatic Abigail, who’s appeared out of the woodwork to join forces with the Lumberjanes once more!

I love these storyline where we get to learn more about the camp’s past. Every once in a while, there’s a small snippet of information or we even get to meet someone from the past. In this volume, we get to revisit Abigail (yeah, loved her character previously) and learn about the founding of the Lumberjanes. I’m sad that the series is coming to an end, but the ladies have been at camp for a very long time now… We’ll see how they wrap up their summer. Maybe we will get more information about the past and why the forest is just so strange.

Homeschool W2: I'm So Tired...

What We Studied

Two weeks of fairly intense field trips has left me extremely tired. While we are loving the fun, we need to better structure our weeks to allow for time to recharge. I am extremely tired going into our third week. We did tackle some great lessons this week and made progress on our projects.

Working on character traits with his emerald glasses

Literature and Poetry

We continued reading The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum in alignment the Blossom and Root 2nd Grade Language Arts curriculum. The curriculum doesn’t actual start with The Wizard of Oz, but I reordered everything to align closer to our history this year. I’m really enjoying the spelling curriculum that I bought from The Moffatt Girls on Teachers Pay Teachers. And Arthur has taken to doing one spelling list spread out over the course of the week.

The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
I Invited a Dragon to Dinner

Math

We spent the week doing a bit of math review and math games. And we started our new logic book: Primarily Logic. I am liking the different type of logic problems from our previous series, Lollipop Logic.

Millions, Billions, and trillions: Understanding Big Numbers by David A. Adler
Mind-Boggling Numbers by Michael J. Rosen

Social Studies

We continued with our map skills and did a review of our last year’s study of ancient history.

Got Geography! poems
If Maps Could Talk by Erika L. Shores
How I Learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz
It’s a Round, Round World by Ellie Peterson
Archaeologists Dig for Clues by Kate Duke

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. This week, he focused on some packet work and a creative project. He made emerald glasses with which to visit the Emerald City of Oz.

Science and STEAM Coop

No photos as I was busy teaching…

The second week of our Math in Nature theme. We had a bit of a hiccup with the older kids leader calling in sick the day before. Totally understandable! But it meant that I had to scramble for a new plan Instead of teaching the littles group, I switched to the older group and found another member to teach the littles. In the older group, we covered symmetry and tessellation. I was proud of my quick thinking and ability to be flexible.

Nature Math by Penny Dowdy
Math Art + Drawing Games for Kids by Karyn Tripp
STEM Quest: Fabulous Figure and Cool Calculations by Colin Stuart
Shapes in Math, Science, and Nature by Catherine Sheldrick Ross
Math Lab for Kids by Rebecca Rapoprt and J.A. Yoder
Math Everywhere Get in Shape: Two-Dimensional and Three-Dimensional Shapes by Rob Colson

Art/Music

We started our music study this year with Fanny Mendelssohn. Our actual lesson was mostly just listening to her work, but we did find a good biography video to watch.

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. For ELA, we continued our big overview of the alphabet. We covered more counting and some basic math concepts as well as simple map skills. And we had some puzzles to round out the week.

ELA

Creature ABC by Andrew Zuckerman
LMNO Peas by Keith Baker
LMNO Pea-quel by Keith Baker
Llamas with Lemonade by Ariana Koultourides
I Spy A to Z by Jean Marzollo

Math

10 Little Rubber Ducks
Animal Numbers by Christopher Silas Neal
Chicka Chicka 123 by Bill Martin Jr.
Mouse Count by Ellen Stoll Walsh
Patterns by Joanna Brundle
Shapes Around Us by Daniel Nunn
Shapes by Joanna Brundle
Shaping Up Summer by Lizann Flatt

Other

High Five magazine volume
Follow that Map: A First Book of Mapping Skills by Scot Ritchie

Field Trip

Our field trip this week was our first with the STEAM coop. It was a terribly hot day, but we did spend a bit over an hour at the OPPD Arboretum exploring nature and reminding ourselves of various shapes in nature. Wednesday was Zoo Member Appreciation Day so we had to stop in to get our ride tickets and special events. It was very hot, but we still enjoyed many animals, carousel, tram, stingray beach, and the splash pad.

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies. This week, we watched the second of the series about A to Z. This episode focused on book making and specifically the advent of the Guttenburg printing press.

NOVA S47 E12: A to Z

Misc. - Random picture books read

Beyond the Dinosaurs: Monsters of the Air and Sea by Charlotte Lewis Brown
Heavy Equipment: Cranes by David Armentrout
Infinity and Me by Kate Hosford
Nick and Nack Float a Boat by Brandon Budzi
N is for Nebraska: A Cornhusker State ABC Primer by Christin Farley
Omaha ABCs by Ashlee Coffey
Snappsy the Alligator by Julie Falatko
Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci by Joseph D’Agnese

Highs

Although it was very warm, I loved our visit to the OPPD Arboretum. We will definitely go back. Maybe in the fall when the colors start changing?

Lows

I’m still figuring out the scheduling aspect. How much is too much to aim for getting done in a day. It’s different from last year in that Q is in the mix and we have weekly activities and field trips (with coop). I overestimated this week…

We spotted three wobbegong sharks at the zoo! (one is not pictured here) We thought there was only one.

Next Week

Finishing The Wizard of Oz
Starting birds for coop and science
Listening to Beethoven for music
Covering A and B for Quentin’s letter work
Diving into the Middle Ages with the Islamic Empire

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Memphis May Fire "Blood and Water"

Another new song being featured on Octane that I am really enjoying.

Life Right Now #25

On my bedside table: Foundation by Isaac Asimov, Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

On my tv this week: We’ve continued our watching of Star Trek: Voyager and Hustle along with starting the new season of Lower Decks. As for our movie nights, we got to Ant Man. I love that movie so much.

Listening to: The usual podcast. I haven’t listened to anything that new lately.

On the menu for this week: Umm… I have some chicken in the fridge. Other than chicken ranch tacos, I have no idea what we are going to make this week. Maybe we should do brats on the grill again or maybe some salmon.

On my to do list: I need to do a bit of cleanup of my big brain dump. From there, I have some small retreat projects and coop projects to prep.

Happening this week:

Monday - Home day
Tuesday - Big day full of a field trip, board game playdate, and trivia night.
Wednesday - Errands probably
Thursday - Coop day, Book club evening
Friday - Home day
Saturday - Home day
Sunday - Home day

What I am creating: I’m working on coop lessons for our birds theme. I have so many ideas, but I really need to pare it down.

My simple pleasures: Smores, good science documentaries

Looking around the house: I probably need to focus on some housework this week. I need to vacuum and do some deep cleaning of the kitchen.

From the camera: We finally visited stingray bay. The boys absolutely loved touching the stingrays.

Pebble in the Sky by Isaac Asimov

Title: Pebble in the Sky (Galactic Empire #3)

Author: Isaac Asimov

Publisher:

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 246

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual - NPR Scifi

After years of bitter struggle, Trantor had at last completed its work—its Galactic Empire ruled all 200 million planets of the Galaxy . . . all but one. On a backward planet called Earth were those who nurtured bitter dreams of a mythical, half-remembered past when the planet was humanity’s only home. The other worlds despised it or merely patronized it—until a man from the past miraculously stepped through a time fault that spanned a millennium, living proof of Earth’s most preposterous claims.

Joseph Schwartz was a happily retired Chicago tailor circa 1949. Trapped in an incredible future he could barely comprehend, the unlikely time traveler would soon become a pawn in a desperate conspiracy to bring down the Empire in a twist of agony and death—a mad plan to restore Earth’s tarnished glory by ending human life on every other world.

Wow! This was such a great adventure style story. We get to see what became of Earth years after Elijah Bailey and Daneel. I needed that interlude to understand what has happened to the Galaxy. We get the very classic scifi trope of a man being transported into the future. Schwartz is a typical 1950s character and is definitely out of place in the future, but not that much out of place. Really the star of the show is Dr. Arvardan and his conspiracy theories about Earth being the birthplace of humanity. I loved how the story unfurled. We get planet, nay Galaxy wide, threats and more insight into the political relationships within the Empire. I have my momentum back and am ready to dive into the next trilogy.

Galactic Empire:

Next up on the TBR pile: