Homeschool W18: A Rough Transition, But We Made It!

What We Studied

Getting back into a homeschool routine was very difficult this week, but we did it! We managed to finish a majority of my planned curriculum and worked in a impromptu field trip;

Literature and Poetry

This week’s main literature selection was Trickster Tales from Asia and Polynesia. The collection coincided nicely with our history chapter. The boys made a ton of connections to the movie Moana and really loved some of the stories. We also read a ton of picture books and some poetry. The boys are digging the silliness of our current poetry collection from Jack Prelutsky.

• Voices on the Wind: Poems for All Seasons selected by David Booth

• Trickster Tales

• Hooray for Hat by Brian Won

• The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson

• The New Kid on the Block by Jack Prelutsky

• Kit Flying by Grace Lin

Math

We fell into a routine of taking Monday to focus on logic puzzles and I’m really love the change. We will keep this in our regular routine. Beyond those, Arthur started Singapore Math 3B with a unit on mass and weight. We’ll be finishing that particularly chapter next week.

• Logic Liftoff

Social Studies

Still plugging along with our History Quest Middle Times. Chapter 16 was all about Polynesia. We learned about how and when various island groups were settled. The text focused then on three different cultures: New Zealand, Hawaii, and Rapa Nui. Arthur really got into the few travel videos I found detailing the Maori culture.

• DK Timelines of Everyone

• When on Earth

• DK History

• DK Timelines of Everything

• Oceania by Martha London

• Myths, Legends, and Sacred Stories

• DK Explorers

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 science, I decided to start our health unit this week. We are starting with a week long study of emotions and then moving onto other aspects of social emotional learning. I’m sure we will also through in some basic anatomy and probably hygiene afterwards. And I we started to do some simple yoga to tide us over during these super cold months.

• DK How Do I Feel? A Little Guide to My Emotions

• The Crayons' Book of Feelings by Drew Daywalt

• Big Feelings by Alexandra Penfold

• Visiting Feelings by Lauren Rubenstein

• Exploring Emotions: A Mindfulness Guide to Understanding Feelings by Paul Christelis

• This Makes Me Happy by Courtney Carbone

• This Makes Me Sad by Courtney Carbone

• This Makes Me Angry by Courtney Carbone

• This Makes Jealous by Courtney Carbone

• This Makes Me Scared by Courtney Carbone

• This Makes Me Silly by Courtney Carbone

We kicked off the spring semester of coop with the theme of Famous Nebraskans and Iowans. As the first two weeks will act as our open house meetings, I made stations instead of our usual structure. Each station featured a person with biography and a related activity. Everyone who came seemed to really enjoy the activities. Next week we are continuing the theme with six new people. For this week, we covered:

• Shawn Johnson East - gymnast, learned to do a summersault

• Malcolm X - Civil rights activist, made protest signs

• J. Sterling Morton - founder of Arbor Day, planted herb plants to take home

• Norman Borlaug - agronomist, learned about what kids eat around the world

• Evelyn Sharp - WWII pilot, made paper airplanes

• Hartley Burr Alexander - iconographer, drew our own versions of the Nebraska State Capitol building.

• Basic geography and maps of Nebraska and Iowa

Art/Music

I am determined to bring back art and music this semester. Our science will be slightly lighter in the spring and I think we can find some time. This week we studied the woodcuts of Hokusai. (Arthur covered him last year, but this year Quentin is joining in.) We did a big overview of his life and them focused on three pieces to study and appreciate. I chose one piece for each day that we did art. We studied the piece for a few minutes and then made our own drawings. They could be copies or something inspired by the piece. While drawing (I set a 20 minute timer to help my routine and schedule focused kids), we listened to nature sounds (ocean and forest) to keep us in the mood. I really enjoyed this technique and will be carrying it through to the next weeks.

• The Story of Paintings: A History of Art for Children by Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom

• Hokusai: Genius of the Japanese Ukiyo-e by Seiki Nagata

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. I gave Quentin the same pre-test from August to see progress. He has made a ton of progress, but it doesn’t necessarily show on the test. I did notate the progress I have seen and changed a few of the tests to make them more challenging for him. His biggest stumbling block is fine motor control. Writing is still a mountain that we are working to climb. Now that we have covered all the letters, we are focusing on sounds and moving into beginning reading. Q already knows so many words, so we are going to focus a bit more on phonics so he can figure out ones he doesn’t know. For math, we did a lot of puzzles, games, and practice sheets. We also covered a mini unit on diversity and the hijab and the months of the year.

ELA

• The Magic of Letters by Tony Johnston and Wendell Minor

• The Alphabet Tree by Leo Lionni

Math

• Lollipop Logic Book 1

Other

• The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad with S.K. Ali

• What Color is My Hijab? by Hudda Ibrahim

• Under My Hijab by Hena Khan

• Please Try to Remember the First of Octember! by Theo LeSieg

• The Months: by Sara Coleridge

• A Year with Friends by John Seven

• Jump into January: A Journey Around the Year by Stella Blackstone

Field Trip

We didn’t have a field trip on the schedule, but a friend suggested a trip to the zoo on Wednesday. The temperature high was going to be 50 degrees, so perfect for walking around. We ended up visiting the desert dome, aquarium, gorilla house, and butterfly house (plus a pit stop at the okapis who were outside). It was a fun day reconnecting with a friend and her son. The boys had a ton of fun. I want to incorporate more mini impromptu activities with them this semester.

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies. We didn’t watch one big documentary, but we did watch some more PBS Eons videos while I was doing a workout. Eventually we will finish them all. Arthur requested them instead of a NOVA episode. My work here is done!

Misc. Picture Books Read

• The Artists by Canles Porta

• There’s an Alien in Your Book by Tom Fletcher

• The Dinosaur that Pooped the Past by Tom Fletcher

• If I Had a Little Dream by Nina Laden

• Max and Marla are Flying Together by Alexander Boiger

• Just in Case You Want to Fly by Julie Fogliano

• Memoirs of a Goldfish by Devin Scillian

• Let's Go to the Hardware Store by Anne Rockwell

• Letter for Leo by Sergio Ruzzier

• The Tickle Test by Kathryn White

• Hungry Bunny by Claudia Rueda

• Ellie in Concert by Mike Wu

• I'm My Own Dog by David Ezra Stein

• First Snow by Bomi Park

• Pinduli by Janeell Cannon

• Ducks Overboard! A True Story of Plastic in Our Oceans by Markus Motum

• The Love Letter by Anika Aldamuy Denise

High

• Restarting coop was a treat. We missed our friends and it was nice to get some social interaction again. Can’t wait for next week!

Low

• I had a big dentist appointment on Tuesday morning (2 1/2 hours!) and ended up punting on school after that. My entire mouth was sore and I was grumpy. We ended up making up the time, but I still feel like we wasted an entire afternoon.

Next Week

• Covering Mali Empire for History

• Reading Trickster Tales from Africa and the Near East

• Finishing 3B Unit 6 for math

• Focusing on reading for Quentin

• Choosing a new artist to study for art time

• Completing W2 of Famous Nebraskans and Iowans for coop

• Visiting the SAC Museum for coop field trip

• Maybe taking a hike at Platter River State Park?

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lumberjanes Vol. 20

Title: Lumberjanes Vol. 20

Author: Shannon Watters, Kat Leyh, Brooklyn Allen, Alexa Bosy, Kanesha C. Bryant

Publisher: BOOM! Box 2021

Genre: Comics

Pages: 144

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

THE END OF SUMMER IS HERE. Jo, Mal, Molly, April, Ripley and the scouts of Miss Qiunzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet's Camp for Hardcore Lady Types are running out of time to fight back against the mysterious force known as the Grey! And even if they succeed, they will have to deal with their biggest challenge yet - saying goodbye as summer finally comes to an end. The team of Kat Leyh, Shannon Watters, Alexa Bosy, Kanesha C. Bryant and returning series co-creator Brooklyn Allen conclude one of the most important and acclaimed comics of the century by taking Friendship To The Max one last time. Collects Lumberjanes #75 and Lumberjanes: End of Summer #1.

And so we come to the end of the summer at camp and one last big adventure. At the end of the last trade, all the inhabitants of Roanoke cabin had set out one last activity before summer ends. We get to see those various activities, but also everyone both in camp and in the forest must come together to save the area from a malevolent gray mass. We get to see all our favorites. This was such a lovely way to end the series. I’m going to miss all characters, but especially Ripley!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #1

As I look outside my window: Clear and bright. After the snowstorm on Friday afternoon/evening, the sun has come out. Yesterday was still very cold, but it’s going to warm up today. I’ll miss the snow, it has been very pretty.

Right now I am: Getting ready to dive back into curriculum planning for the week. I finished 80% of it yesterday but still need to tackle Quentin’s preschool and our health unit.

Thinking and pondering: Should I go to the library today? I’m comfy in the house, but I should at least drop off books and grab our holds. But then I would have to finish cleaning off the van. And if I’m out, I should probably stop at the grocery which means that I need to make a list. So many things!

On my bedside table: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen (it’s been years since I reread her novels); Far Sector by NK Jemisin

On my tv this week: We finished watching Around the World in 80 Days (with David Tennant!) and continued with The Great S1, It’s Always Sunny S15, and The Witcher S2.

Listening to: I caught up with a ton of politics podcasts. I also spent some time listening to Octane and Alt Nation.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Chicken Pad Thai Nachos

• Tuesday - Lemon Butter Fish

• Wednesday - Leftovers

• Thursday - Fettuccini Alfredo with Chicken, Broccoli, and Bacon

• Friday - Blackened Salmon

• Saturday - Sausage, Potato, Spinach Soup

• Sunday - Chicken Shawarma Fries

On my to do list: Randomly the student loan was locked again. I swear they just do it every few months. I need to call and get it unlocked so we can pull tax information for this year. I really really hate dealing with them. Beyond that, I have all the usual house stuff on my list.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Normal school day

• Tuesday - Possible hike at Platte River State Park

• Wednesday - Normal school day

• Thursday - Coop

• Friday - SAC Museum Field Trip

• Saturday - Home day

• Sunday - Home day

What I am creating: I dove back into my 2021 Memory Planner (hadn’t started at all), and have managed to complete January through March’s spreads. I’ve got some momentum going and really want to keep it up. I have April’s photos printed (except one annoyingly), but I need to get May’s around.

My simple pleasures: A good book, a decent night’s sleep, watching the falling snow and not having to be anywhere.

Looking around the house: Nothing has really changed from last week. I did finish taking down all the Christmas decorations, but I need to put those tubs away in the garage later.

From the camera: Current state of my desk. Messy, but I’m actually doing a project!

How Zoologists Organize Things by David Bainbridge

Title: How Zoologists Organize Things: The Art of Classification

Author: David Bainbridge

Publisher: Frances Lincoln 2020

Genre: Nonfiction - Science

Pages: 256

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Seasonal TBR - Winter

Humankind’s fascination with the animal kingdom began as a matter of survival – differentiating the edible from the toxic, the ferocious from the tractable. Since then, our compulsion to catalogue wildlife has played a key role in growing our understanding of the planet and ourselves, inspiring religious beliefs and evolving scientific theories. The book unveils wild truths and even wilder myths about animals, as perpetuated by zoologists – revealing how much more there is to learn, and unlearn.

Long before Darwin, our ancestors were obsessed with the visual similarities and differences between the animals. Early scientists could sense there was an order that unified all life and formulated a variety of schemes to help illustrate this. This human quest to classify living beings has left us with a rich artistic legacy, from the folklore and religiosity of the ancient and Medieval world through the naturalistic cataloging of the Enlightenment to the modern, computer-generated classificatory labyrinth.

Now this is a book I can get behind. We are treated to a journey through time focusing on the classification of living (and sometimes nonliving) things. We get to learn about the major players in the various time periods. But what really made the book a winner for me was all the illustrations. Most of the book is taken up with illustrations from various scientists and time periods. We get to visually see the evolution of classification throughout the centuries. I spent very long periods of time just looking at all the little details within the illustrations. Lovely!

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz

Title: The Plot

Author: Jean Hanff Korelitz

Publisher: Celadon 2021

Genre: Thriller

Pages: 336

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Jacob Finch Bonner was once a promising young novelist with a respectably published first book. Today, he’s teaching in a third-rate MFA program and struggling to maintain what’s left of his self-respect; he hasn’t written―let alone published―anything decent in years. When Evan Parker, his most arrogant student, announces he doesn’t need Jake’s help because the plot of his book in progress is a sure thing, Jake is prepared to dismiss the boast as typical amateur narcissism. But then . . . he hears the plot.

Jake returns to the downward trajectory of his own career and braces himself for the supernova publication of Evan Parker’s first novel: but it never comes. When he discovers that his former student has died, presumably without ever completing his book, Jake does what any self-respecting writer would do with a story like that―a story that absolutely needs to be told.

In a few short years, all of Evan Parker’s predictions have come true, but Jake is the author enjoying the wave. He is wealthy, famous, praised and read all over the world. But at the height of his glorious new life, an e-mail arrives, the first salvo in a terrifying, anonymous campaign: You are a thief, it says.

As Jake struggles to understand his antagonist and hide the truth from his readers and his publishers, he begins to learn more about his late student, and what he discovers both amazes and terrifies him. Who was Evan Parker, and how did he get the idea for his “sure thing” of a novel? What is the real story behind the plot, and who stole it from whom?

Our book club selection for January. I wasn’t convinced that this was going to be my book from the overall impression I got from people who loved it. And it turns out, that I was right about what my review would be. This just didn’t landed with me. I rarely love thrillers and this one felt very obvious and yet very slow and ponderous throughout. Right away I did not care for the main character. I understand that he’s not to well-loved, but I struggled to find anything redeemable about him. So no good connection the characters. From there, we spend way too much time slowly moving through his life. I was thoroughly bored. We don’t even get to the thriller part of the mystery until way after the halfway mark. I just couldn’t deal with the pacing at all. And then the actual reveal is a giant multi-page monologue from the “villain.” The story becomes so convoluted that we needed the villain to monologue for that many pages to explain their actions. I just didn’t really care at that point. Thrillers… just not my thing at all.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life's Too Short by Abby Jimenez

Title: Life’s Too Short (The Friend Zone #3)

Author: Abby Jimenez

Publisher: Forever 2021

Genre: Romance

Pages: 385

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Seasonal TBR - Winter

When Vanessa Price quit her job to pursue her dream of traveling the globe, she wasn't expecting to gain millions of YouTube followers who shared her joy of seizing every moment. For her, living each day to its fullest isn't just a motto. Her mother and sister never saw the age of 30, and Vanessa doesn't want to take anything for granted. But after her half sister suddenly leaves Vanessa in custody of her baby daughter, life goes from "daily adventure" to "next-level bad" (now with bonus baby vomit in hair). The last person Vanessa expects to show up offering help is the hot lawyer next door, Adrian Copeland. After all, she barely knows him. No one warned her that he was the Secret Baby Tamer or that she'd be spending a whole lot of time with him and his geriatric Chihuahua. Now she's feeling things she's vowed not to feel. Because the only thing worse than falling for Adrian is finding a little hope for a future she may never see.

I wasn’t sure how much I was going to love this volume as we meet Adrian for literally five minutes in the previous book. Thankfully, this was much more of a stand alone book where we get to really know our main characters and the characters from the previous book only make an appearance in one chapter. Right away, I really fell for Adrian and his entire outlook on life. And then get to meet Vanessa and everything stars to change. At times, I was a bit annoyed with Vanessa and wanted her to be more honest with Adrian, but thankfully she grew by the end of the book. And Adrian eased up on his control of life and learned to live. I did have two issues with the book: 1. Jimenez does not write steamy scenes at all. They are very perfunctory when I really wanted something more descriptive. 2. The amount of times they randomly left the baby with the Yoga Lady down the hall was unbelievable. They somehow had an amazing support system and didn’t even realize it. Such privilege. Otherwise, I really did enjoy this addition to the series.

The Friend Zone

• #1 The Friend Zone

• #2 The Happily Ever After Playlist

• #3 Life’s Too Short

Next up on the TBR pile:

2022 Reading Challenges

I’m once again going to focus on challenges that appeal to my strange mood reading tendencies. My challenges are mostly homegrown (except for Unread Shelf Reading Challenge) and reflect my want to read off my own TBR (either digital or physical). I want to focus on the books that I will enjoy rather than what everyone else is talking about.

2022 Reading Challenges

• Goodreads Challenge

• Perpetual Books

• UnRead Shelf Project

• Seasonal TBRS: Winter TBR, Spring TBR, Summer TBR, Fall TBR

• UnRead Shelf Reading Challenge

• Kid Read Alouds

GoodReads Challenge (200) - I’m sticking with my usual 200 books for this overall goal. In 2021, I ended with 223 books which is slightly down from 2020’s 230. I still like the 200 number.

Perpetual Books (25) - I’ve done a bit of a culling when it comes to my perpetual lists page. I deleted some of the lists altogether and am focusing on the ones that appeal to be personally. We’ll see how this one goes…

UnRead Shelf (50) - My fourth year participating in this particular challenge. I did not do well at all last year. As always, I have high hopes for this!

Seasonal TBRs - Instead of strict monthly goals, I’m going to focus on seasonal goals. Unlike last year, I won’t be filling my lists with 25 specific titles, but instead use a bit of a goal framework. For example, winter’s list includes 5 Kindle books, 5 fantasy/scifi pics, 5 romances, and 5 nonfiction. I can go anywhere in those categories.

UnRead Shelf Project (24) - Another one that I didn’t quite finish last year. I’m really going to commit to doing the monthly challenge and the topical challenge.

1. January: The Book You’ve Been Putting Off Reading -

2. February: A Title You Couldn’t Resist -

3. March: A Memoir or Biography -

4. April: A Book by an Indie Published or Small Press -

5. May: The Shortest Unread Book on Your Shelf -

6. June: A Book About a Journey -

7. July: Book Set un a Country or Culture Different Than Your Own -

8. August: A Book Chosen by Your Friends or Family -

9. September: A Book that Represents the Reader You Want to Be -

10. October: A Book that Makes You Nervous -

11. November: A Title That Starts with the First Letter of Your Name -

12. December: A Classic Book -

13. A Book in Translation -

14. A Book Bought for the Cover -

15. A Science/Technology Nonfiction -

16. The Most Recently Acquired -

17. A Book About/Of Poetry -

18. A Book About Nature -

19. A Book Made into a Movie or TV Series -

20. A Book About a Season or Phase of Life -

21. A Book About Food or Cooking -

22. A Book Set in Your Hometown or State -

23. A Book About Art or Artists

24. A Modern Retelling of a Classic Book

Kid Read Alouds (20) - Continuing with this challenge again this year. We haven’t some great read aloud choices for the spring semester. And I’m sure that I’ll pick some great titles for the fall semester.

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My rating system:

• 5 stars - loved it, will tell everyone (or almost everyone) to read it

• 4 stars - liked it, would recommend to certain people

• 3 stars - okay book, but maybe not something i would recommend, maybe not a book for me, but I see merit

• 2 stars - disliked it

• 1 star - finished the book, but hated it! will rant to anyone about why I hated this one

2022 Goals and Resolution

Checking in with my 2021 Goals and Resolutions -

House Goals/Resolutions

• Tackle at least one big renovation project - Fail. The cost of supplies prohibited us from doing much

• Lay out a kitchen renovation plan - Fail. We talked a lot about it, but didn’t actually do anything.

Life Goals/Resolutions

• Set a treadmill goal for every month ✓ - I made decent progress, but fell off at the end of the year.

• Complete our 52 Weeks of Desserts and Snack - Fail. We only made 26 recipes. We’re going to continue this into next year.

• Plan and Complete a fun summer road trip ✓ - So much fun! We are doing this every year right after Labor Day.

• Plan and complete a reading retreat ✓ - Finally! We went at the end of September.

Reading Goals/Resolutions

• Set up a book buying budget ✓ - I spent a bit more than I planned to, but still didn’t spend that much.

• Read 200 books / 50,000 pages ✓ - I ended up reading 223 books and 67,000 pages.

• Decrease my physical UnRead Shelves by 50 books - Fail. I really want to get on this in 2022.

• Decrease my ebook UnRead Shelves by 30 books ✓ - I did knock off some duds and some good ones.

Craft Goals/Resolutions

• Complete at least 60% of my currently in-progress projects - Fail. I just didn’t craft at all this year.

• Finish organizing my craft space ✓ - My office is really looking good!

• Organize and use my supplies! (limited buying) ✓ - Defacto success as not crafting meant that I didn’t buy much of anything.

And now on to 2022…

House Goals/Resolutions

• Finish One Home Renovation Project - So many things to do. I just want to finish one project.

• Finish Organizing My Craft Room/Library - Now that we’ve shifted some things around, I really want get everything off my floor and in it’s place.

Life Goals/Resolutions

• Get Back into My Treadmill Goals - I’m aiming for 20 miles a month.

• 1000 Hours Outside - This is a challenge for the kids and I. It’s a national movement, and we want to attempt it this year. It might be tricky during the winter and high heat of later summer, but we are going to try to do our best.

Reading Goals/Resolutions

• Read 200 Books / 60,000 Pages

• Decrease my UnRead Shelf by 50 Books - Going to try to do this again. I’m sitting at 305 physical books at the beginning of this year.

Craft Goals/Resolutions

• Get Back into Crafting!

• Finish 2021 Memory Planner

• Keep Up with 2022 Memory Planner

Next up on the TBR pile:

January 2022 Life Goals

Let’s check in on December’s goals and my progress.

• Read 15 Holiday Romances! - I didn’t read 15 holiday romances, but at least 50% of my 23 reads were those.

• Prep blog for 2022. ✓

• Lay out my reading plan for 2022 ✓

• Clean my craft room before leaving for Indiana ✓

• Get library book down to basically 0 ✓

• Have a fun Christmas holiday! ✓

January Goals:

• Read 15 Books

• Map Out My Year

• Work on a Craft Project

• Get a Jump on Our 1000 Hours Outside

• Plan a Few Trips

• Plan Out Homeschooling for January - March

• Pull Down Christmas Decorations

Next up on the TBR pile:

2021 Reading Challenges Roundup: Completed and Failed

Once again we come to the end of another reading year and a whole bunch of reading challenges. To review, I said way back in January 2020:

“I’m going for mood reading in 2021. I went with challenges that don’t stifle my reading in any way. I want my reading challenges to feel exciting and motivating. “

And that did stay true throughout the year. I really leaned into the mood reading let the rigid idea of reading challenges fall a bit to the wayside. Here’s a quick overview of what happened with the challenges that I did set up:

2021 Reading Challenges

• Goodreads Challenge ✓

• Perpetual Books ✓

• UnRead Shelf

• MMD Summer Reading Guide ✓

• Winter TBR

• Spring TBR

• Summer TBR

• Fall TBR

• Currently Reading Podcast ✓

• UnRead Shelf Project

And now let’s break down all the individual challenges, starting with those that I completed:

Completed Challenges

Goodreads
Goal 223/200 Books 100%

Modern Mrs. Darcy Summer Reading
Goal 20/20 Books 100%

1. I Was Told It Would Get Easier by Abbi Waxman (3/10/21)

2. Still Life by Louise Penny (5/12/21)

3. Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust (4/28/21)

4. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (5/14/21)

5. Daring Greatly by Brene Brown (6/4/21)

6. Broken by Jenny Lawson (6/11/21)

7. A Jane Austen Education by William Dereieswicz (6/16/21)

8. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (6/15/21)

9. The Whispering House by Elizabeth Brooks (6/23/21)

10. For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten (6/29/21)

11. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (6/30/21)

12. Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid (7/7/21)

13. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry (7/14/21)

14. The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley (7/28/21)

15. World Travel by Anthony Bourdain (8/20/21)

16. Laundry Love by Patric Richardson (8/21/21)

17. A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers (9/11/21)

18. The Guide by Peter Heller (10/6/21)

19. Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn (10/23/21)

20. Code Name Hèléne by Ariel Lawhon (11/13/21)

Perpetual Books
Goal 30/30 Books 100%

1. The Robots of Dawn by Isaac Asimov (1/20/21)

2. The Duke and I by Julia Quinn (1/24/21)

3. The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn (1/27/21)

4. An Offer from a Gentleman by Julia Quinn (1/27/21)

5. Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn (1/29/21)

6. Duke of Midnight by Elizabeth Hoyt (2/12/21)

7. Darling Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt (2/19/21)

8. Dearest Rogue by Elizabeth Hoyt (2/23/21)

9. Sweetest Scoundrel by Elizabeth Hoyt (2/26/21)

10. To Sir Philip With Love by Julia Quinn (3/6/21)

11. When He was Wicked by Julia Quinn (3/16/21)

12. Duke of Sin by Elizabeth Hoyt (3/20/21)

13. Duke of Pleasure by Elizabeth Hoyt (3/23/21)

14. Duke of Desire by Elizabeth Hoyt (3/24/21)

15. It’s In His Kiss by Julia Quinn (3/30/21)

16. Robots and Empire by Isaac Asimov (4/7/21)

17. On the Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn (4/16/21)

18. The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After by Julia Quinn (4/17/21)

19. The Stars, Like Dust by Isaac Asimov (6/5/21)

20. The Currents of Space by Isaac Asimov (8/7/21)

21. Pebble in the Sky by Isaac Asimov (8/14/21)

22. Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov (8/25/21)

23. Forward the Foundation by Isaac Asimov (8/31/21)

24. Foundation by Isaac Asimov (9/8/21)

25. Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov (9/15/21)

26. Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov (9/22/21)

27. Foundation’s Edge by Isaac Asimov (9/28/21)

28. The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter (10/9/21)

29. Bird Box by Josh Malerman (10/15/21)

30. Foundation and Earth by Isaac Asimov (10/16/21)

Kid Read-Alouds
Goal 15/15 Books 100%

1. The Very Very Far North by Dan Bar-el (1/16/21)

2. Mathilda by Roald Dahl (1/26/21)

3. Just Beyond the Very Very Far North by Dan Bar-el (2/11/21)

4. Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman (2/18/21)

5. Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar (3/5/21)

6. Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie (3/19/21)

7. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate (4/9/21)

8. Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren (4/23/21)

9. Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr (5/6/21)

10. The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate (5/21/21)

11. Frog and Toad Collection by Arnold Lobel (5/28/21)

12. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norman Juster (6/15/21)

13. Scare Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay Hiedicker (6/30/21)

14. Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis (7/20/21)

15. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis (7/30/21)

Currently Reading Reading Challenge
Goal 12/12 Books 100%

1. Kept me turning the pages after midnight - The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow (2/5/21)

2. Can't wait to give someone else - The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James (5/25/21)

3. Binged in a day - Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh (1/15/21)

4. Makes me feel cozy - Tales from the Hinterlands by Melissa Albert (4/20/21)

5. Read with a buddy - The Widow by Fiona Barton (2/10/21)

6. Takes me to another world - Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust (4/28/21)

7. Reflects the season I read it - A Vow So Bold and Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer (3/5/21)

8. Someone desperately wanted me to read - The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (4/3/21)

9. So good I didn't want it to end - The Toll by Neal Shusterman (5/8/21)

10. Wanted to read so badly, but then it got lost in my TBR - The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham (1/26/21)

11. I picked up randomly in the library or bookstore because it called to me - The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (5/22/21)

12. Everyone is loving on Bookstagram, podcasts, or Goodreads - Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger (3/12/21)

Failed Challenges

UnRead Shelf
Goal 26/50 Books 50%

1. Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam (1/13/21)

2. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (1/14/21)

3. One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London (1/17/21)

4. Sanctum by Madeleine Roux (1/23/21)

5. An Offer from a Gentleman by Julia Quinn (1/27/21)

6. Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn (1/29/21)

7. Duke of Midnight by Elizabeth Hoyt (2/12/21)

8. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides (2/17/21)

9. Darling Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt (2/19/21)

10. Sweetest Scoundrel by Elizabeth Hoyt (2/26/21)

11. The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman (2/27/21)

12. When He was Wicked by Julia Quinn (3/16/21)

13. It’s In His Kiss by Julia Quinn (3/30/21)

14. Outlawed by Anna North (4/6/21)

15. The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner (4/13/21)

16. Lady Mechanika Vol. 5 (4/21/21)

17. Lady Mechanika Vol. 6 (4/23/21)

18. Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn (4/24/21)

19. A Night Like This by Julia Quinn (4/27/21)

20. Still Life by Louise Penny (5/12/21)

21. The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy by Julia Quinn (5/26/21)

22. Portrait of a Scotsman by Evie Dunmore (10/13/21)

23. The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling (10/26/21)

24. In a Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow (10/27/21)

25. Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune (11/5/21)

26. Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead (11/27/21)

Fall Seasonal
Goal 8/25 Books 0%

1. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo (10/8/21)

2. Girls Meets Duke series by Tessa Dare

   • The Wallflower Wager (10/2/21)

   • The Bride Bet

3. The Woods are Always Watching by Stephanie Perkins (10/5/21)

4. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

5. The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter (10/9/21)

6. The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle

7. The Guide by Peter Heller (10/6/21)

8. Portrait of a Scotsman by Evie Dunmore (10/13/21)

9. Well Matched by Jen DeLuca (12/21/21)

10. A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow (10/27/21)

11. The Diabolical Miss Hyde by Viola Carr

12. Lives of the Monster Dogs by Kristin Bakis

13. Underground Airlines by Ben Winters

14. Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey

15. The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

16. Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

17. Code Name Helene by Ariel Lawhon (11/13/21)

18. Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl

19. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

20. A Court of Throne sand Roses by Sarah J. Maas

21. The Witches by Stacy Schiff

22. Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

23. The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George

24. Half Sick of Shadows by Laura Sebastian

25. Rereads

    • Sunshine by Robin McKinley

    • The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert (10/24/21)

Unread Shelf Project Reading Challenge
Goal 11/24 Books 16.7%

1. January: High Expectations - Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam (1/13/21)

2. February: Got for free - The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides (2/17/21)

3. March: Bought on a trip -

4. April: Bought from used bookstore - Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn (4/24/21)

5. May: Bought as a new release -

6. June: Bought in a spending spree - Portrait of a Scotsman by Evie Dunmore (10/13/21)

7. July: Bought for the cover -

8. August: From an independent bookstore -

9. September: Want to learn from -

10. October: Secretly afraid of -

11. November: Published before 2000 -

12. December: Reminds you of childhood -

13. More than 500 pages -

14. Impulse buy -

15. On the shelf longer than a year - The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy by Julia Quinn (5/26/21)

16. Author you've never read before - The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling (10/26/21)

17. Bought because of a recommendation -

18. Given to you that you didn't ask for -

19. Got for a special occasion - Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune (11/5/21)

20. Favorite genre - A Night Like This by Julia Quinn (4/27/21)

21. Bought because of the hype - Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead (11/27/21)

22. From a Little Free Library -

23. Most recently acquired - The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman (2/27/21)

24. Backlist title by an author with a newer release available - Sanctum by Madeleine Roux (1/23/21)

Summer Seasonal
Goal 12/25 Books 40%

1. Daughters of Sparta by Claire Heywood

2. Troy by Stephen Fry

3. World Travel: An Irreverent Guide by Anthony Bourdain (8/20/21)

4. A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot #1) by Becky Chambers (9/11/21)

5. Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid (7/7/21)

6. For the Wolf (Wilderwood #1) by Hannah Whitten (6/29/21)

7. The Guide by Peter Heller

8. Laundry Love: Finding Joy in a Common Chore by Patric Richardson (8/21/21)

9. The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

10. Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian

11. The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley (7/28/21)

12. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry (7/14/21)

13. Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America 1619-2019 (9/17/21)

14. Mara Dyer and Noah Shaw Series by Michelle Hodkin

    • The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #1)

    • The Becoming of Noah Shaw (The Shaw Confessions #1)

    • The Reckoning of Noah Shaw (The Shaw Confessions #2)

15. The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

16. Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May (7/30/21)

17. Into the Heartless Wood by Joanna Ruth Meyer

18. The Whispering House by Elizabeth Brooks (6/23/21)

19. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (6/30/21)

20. Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

21. Black Cobra Quartet by Stephanie Laurens

    • The Untamed Bride

    • The Elusive Bride

    • The Brazen Bride

    • The Reckless Bride

22. The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee

    • The Thousandth Floor

    • The Dazzling Heights

23. Every Hidden Thing by Kenneth Oppel

24. Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey

25. A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark (6/25/21)

Winter Seasonal
Goal 14/25 Books 56%

1. One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London (1/17/21)

2. Still Life by Louise Penny (own)

3. Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh (1/15/21)

4. The Duke and I by Julia Quinn (1/24/21)

5. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (own)

6. Asylum Series by Madeleine Roux

   • Sanctum (1/23/21)

   • Catacomb DNFed

   • Novellas DNFed

   • Escape from Asylum DNFed

7. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah Maas (library on hold)

8. The Ends of the World by Peter Brannen (1/23/21)

9. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers (library on hold)

10. Exhalation by Ted Chiang (1/12/21)

11. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (1/14/21)

12. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari (library on hold)

13. The Once and Future Witches by Alix Harrow (2/5/21)

14. Darling Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt (2/19/21)

15. Underland by Robert Macfarlane (2/3/21)

16. Wellington by Aaron Mahnke (1/16/21)

17. Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips (library on hold)

18. Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl (own)

19. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (own)

20. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson (library on hold)

21. Daring Greatly by Brene Brown (library on hold)

22. The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney (own)

23. Scythe by Neal Shusterman (2/13/21)

24. Lock In by John Scalzi (1/30/21)

25. The Robots of Dawn by Isaac Asimov (1/20/21)

Spring Seasonal
Goal 12/25 Books 32%

1. Foundation by Isaace Asimov

2. Lives of the Monster Dogs by Kirsten Bakis

3. Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust (4/28/21)

4. Lady Mechanika series

   • Volume 5: La Belle Dame Sans Merci (4/21/21)

   • Volume 6: Sangre (4/23/21)

5. Daring Greatly by Brene Brown (6/4/21)

6. The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Dare

7. A Jane Austen Education by William Deresiewicz (6/16/21)

8. The Neverending Story by Michael Ende

9. Experiemntal Film by Gemma Files

10. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

11. The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

12. Broken by Jenny Lawson (6/11/21)

13. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

14. My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

15. Outlawed by Anna North (4/6/21)

16. The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner (4/13/21)

17. Still Life by Louise Penny (5/12/21)

18. Bridgerton Series by Julia Quinn

    • It’s In His Kiss (3/30/21)

    • On the Way to the Wedding (4/16/21)

    • Happily Ever After (4/17/21)

19. Swamplandia by Karen Russell

20. Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies by Tara Schuster (5/5/21)

21. The Toll by Neal Shusterman (5/8/21)

22. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

23. Dear Fahrenheit 451 by Annie Spence (6/15/21)

24. Will Storr vs The Supernatural by Will Storr

25. The Nest by Cynthia d’Aprix Sweeney

2021 Desserts and Snacks Wrap and 2022's Plan

Week 21: Cake Batter Blondies

The kids loved these treats on the Fourth of July. And I thought they were pretty good too.

Recipe used from Sally’s Baking Addiction

Week 22: Mini Apple-Raspberry Cobblers

I also made these on the Fourth of July for the adults. They were good little pies and even better with ice cream.

Recipe used from Food Network

Week 23: Blueberry Muffins

These are the best blueberry muffins that I’ve ever had or made. They are absolutely amazing! These need to go into our regular rotation.

Recipe used from Alton Brown

Week 24: Oatmeal Banana Bread

This turned off very dry and dense. I’m not sure if it was an issue with our oven or the rising agents, but it did not work well at all.

Recipe used from Simply Whisked

Week 25: Blueberry Lemon Upside Down Cake

This was a very yummy breakfast cake. Will make again.

Recipe used from Delish

Week 26: Cranberry Orange Cake

Another good breakfast cake. I best this would be better with fresh cranberries.

Recipe used from The View from Great Island

2022 Plan

2021 did not work out for our plan of making 52 Desserts and Snacks. So I’m breaking all my rules and extending this challenge into 2022. We are going to continue with last year’s plan and just add on.

Winter Bucket List

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 winter:

1. Check off 150 hours of our 1000 hours outside project - We’re doing this informally with a whole group of friends in town. Which reminds me to go and buy our Nebraska state park pass for 2022.

2. Have a birthday day out for my 40th! - I didn’t get to do my birthday day out last year due to the pandemic. I’m hoping that I can restart this tradition in early March. I’m thinking antiques, bookstores, and a good lunch.

3. Weekend trip to Chicago - We been talking about going to the Field Museum for a few years now. I’m going to try to swing this before school lets out for the summer.

4. Read 50 books - Always have to have a reading goal.

5. Day trip to Des Moines - I’ve been wanting to take the boys for a exploration trip for awhile.

6. At least 6 zoo visits - We love the zoo in the winter!

7. Trip to see the frozen waterfall at Platte - Since hearing about it, I’ve wanted to check it out. We’ve seen the waterfall in spring, summer, and fall; it’s time to see it in winter.

8. Movie Month February - We used to do this in January, but that month is just too hectic. Here’s to February and a month of new-to-us movies.

9. Weekly Game Day/Night with Arthur — We have a ton of card and board games at the house. I want to start playing more regularly with Arthur.

10. Make winter crafts — We can’t really spend a lot of time outside, so it’s prime time for crafting. I need to peruse Pinterest for some ideas.

11. Design board for future kitchen renovation - I really want to start thinking about styles and finishes for our future kitchen renovation. It won’t happen for another few years, but I like getting the general ideas down.

12. Make Valentine’s — I love crafting of course, but want to make some cute Valentine’s for this year.

13. Have a monthly (indoor) picnic — Weather doesn’t allow for outside ones of course, but I want to start this as a monthly tradition.

14. Finish one craft project - Seriously, last year as a desert of crafting. I would love to get back into it in 2022.

15. Monthly bingo/trivia nights - We found a fun little bar that hosts trivia and bingo nights. Definitely need to do this monthly!

16. Go sledding - No real snowfall yet, but I’m sure we will have at least one big one this winter.

17. Buy a new Nebraska State Park permit - We loved exploring last year, but the permits run from January to December. Time for a new one.

18. Do a donation drop - We have clothes, books, and random housewares that I would really love to get out of the house soon.

19. Take the kids bowling - Haven’t done it for years, maybe we should try it!

20. Dye my hair purple - I’ve put it off for years due to the pandemic. I would love to get it done professionally for this year.

21. Log 50 miles on the treadmill - Need to get using it again.

22. Learn to knit - A homeschool friend has offered to teach us. I’m so down for this!

23. Replace 50% of my socks - Silly little goal, but a lot of my socks are old and some have holes. I want new cozy socks!

24. Make homemade cinnamon rolls - Been on my random list for years, maybe 2022 is the year!

25. Complete 3 television series - We’ve been working on a few for awhile now. Time to knock them out!

Christmas Bucket List Final

Instead of a separate bucket list, I’m just going to highlight our advent activities for December.

Decorate Mini Tree ✓ (This pic was pre-decoration, but they got it down and started their advent calendars.)

Letter to Santa ✓

Christmas Movies with the Kids x3 ✓

• 8 Bit Christmas - Lovely 80s nostalgia for the parents. Heartwarming for the kids.

• Dr. Sesuss’ The Grinch - Marcus Theaters was having $5 retro Christmas movies.

• The Muppet Christmas Carol - Family favorite!

Make Paper Snowflakes ✓ - Arthur ripped a few, but we managed to make about 6 for the breakfast nook window.

Get New Christmas PJs and Socks ✓

Go See Santa at Cabela’s ✓ - We always have to check out the taxidermy animals and see the aquarium while there. And this year the boys got me to buy them those giant stuffed reindeer. We also ended up visiting Santa at The Durham Museum.

Go See Werner Park Lights ✓

Hot Chocolate bar ✓ - We tried Mint, French Vanilla, and Amaretto. Arthur and Quentin loved the Amaretto best and I really enjoyed the French Vanilla.

Meet the reindeer - We never made it to this activity.

Go for a hike and get pine cones - Ditto

Puzzle Day ✓ - This year’s selection was Christmas cats!

Make Gingerbread Cookies ✓ - Quentin was a big helper coating the cookies with sugar.

Visit Lauritzen Gardens - We never went.

Coop Christmas Party ✓ - No pictures as they feature other kids, but we had a great party right before we left for Indiana.

Decorate Gingerbread Houses ✓ - Always a disaster, but we love it.

Drive around and see the lights ✓

Fantasy of Lights ✓

Botanical Gardens Christmas Display ✓

Cookie Decorating ✓ - We ended up doing this during the coop Christmas Party.

Dinner at Coney Island and Visit to Santa Lights - Line was crazy long so we skipped.

Christmas music dance party ✓ - Always a favorite!

Watch The Grinch ✓ - Always a favorite!

24 Days of Christmas Books

• Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett

• Gingerbread Christmas by Jan Brett

• Catch that Cookie by Hallie Durand

• Five Little Monkeys by Eileen Christelow

• The Wheels on the Bus at Christmas

• The Library Gingerbread Man by Dotti Enderle

• Who Will Pull Santa's Sleigh by Russ Willms

• The Gingerbread Pirates by Kristin Kladstrup

• Dream Snow by Eric Carle

• Snow Globe Wishes by Erin Dealey

• The Dinosaurs' Night Before Christmas by Anne Muecke

• Olive, the Other Reindeer by J. Otto Seibold

• Santa in the City by Tiffany D. Jackson

• Santa's Secrets Revealed by James Solheim

• Comet, the Unstoppable Reindeer by Jim Benton

• A Polar Story in the Snow by Mac Barnett

• Snow by Sam Usher

• The Wild Christmas Reindeer by Jan Brett

• Gingerbread Friends by Jan Brett

• Snow is Fun by Steve Henry

• Little Fox in the Snow by Jonathan London

• Good Night, Reindeer by Denise Brennan-Nelson

• How Santa Really Works by Alan Snow

• Snow Friends by Margery Cuyler

• A Chick n Pug Christmas by Jennifer Sattler

• Mouse's Night Before Christmas by Tracey Corderoy

• The Gingerbread Girl by Lisa Campbell Ernst

• The Gingerbread Girl Goes Animal Crackers by Lisa Campbell Ernst

• Last Stop on the Reindeer Express by Maudie Powell-Tuck

• The Christmas Eve Tree by Delia Huddy

• Martin MacGregor's Snowman by Lisa Broadie Cook

• What the Dinosaurs Did the Night Before Christmas by Refe and Susan Tuma

• Hurry, Santa! by Tomie dePaola

• One Wild Christmas by Nicholas Oldland

• Vegetables in Holiday Underwear by Jared Chapman

• T. rex at Swan Lake by Lisa Carrier and Lenore Hart

• The Nutcracker's Night Before Christmas by Keith Brockett

• Five Busy Elves by Patricia Hegarty

• Snow by Roy McKie

• The Christmas Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood

• Ten Ways to Heart Snow by Cathy Camper

• Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell

• The Littlest Elf by Brandi Dougherty

• The Littlest Reindeer by Brandi Dougherty

• Merry Christmas, Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt

• Peppa Pig and the Christmas Party

• Russell's Christmas Magic by Rob Scotton

• The Great Reindeer Rebellion by Lisa Trumbauer

• 12 Days of Christmas by Kate Toms

• Jingle Bells by Rosie Greening

• The Story of the Nutcracker Ballet by Deborah Hautzig

• There's an Elf in Your Book by Tom Fletcher

• Snow Bunny's Christmas Gift by Rebecca Harry

• If Snowflakes Tasted Like Fruitcake by Stacey Previn

• Winter is for Snow by Robert Neubecker

• The Great Santa Stakeout by Betsy Bird

Other Holiday Movies Watched

• The Man Who Invented Christmas

• A Christmas Wish

• Single All the Way

• Love Hard

• Encanto - We went to the movie theater for this one!

• One Royal Holiday

• The Knight Before Christmas

• A Castle for Christmas

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool Christmas Break 2021

What We Studied

While we didn’t completely stop all schooling, we did take it pretty easy this Christmas break. We did a lot of holiday related activities. Plus, we traveled to and from Indiana to visit a few family members. We are getting back at it today, but easing back in.

Literature and Poetry

We kept reading Scary Stories for Young Foxes: The City, but ultimately didn’t get very far. We were distracted by lots of picture books and the ones the boys got for Christmas. So lots of random reading, but not organized.

• Scary Stories for Young Foxes: The City by Christian McKay Heidicker

Math

We mostly played some math games. Arthur also did some math in his independent packet.

Social Studies

No big unit, but Arthur did complete an entire Map Skills book (Grade 1). It was mostly review, but good practice.

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 packet work and some random building projects.

Science and STEAM Coop

No coop obviously. We did continue watching random PBS Eons videos, picking up some of the ones we missed and those set during the last Ice Age.

Art/Music

Nothing 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

• High Five issues

Math

Other

• Dinosaur Puzzle Book

Field Trip

Other than just traveling to Indiana, we didn’t really have any field trips. We’ve been laying fairly low due to the pandemic.

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies. We didn’t actually watch anything this week, but made up for it by all the PBS Eons videos for our dinosaur unit.

24 Days of Christmas Books - It’s become a tradition. I wrap packages of holiday books for each day of December until Christmas. We have a great group of books this year!

• Christmas is Awesome by Sabrina Moyle

• The Last Christmas Tree by Stephen Krensky

• The Crayon's’ Christmas by Drew Daywalt

• Christmas City by Michael Garland

• Goodby Autumn, Hello Winter by Kenard Pak

Picture Books Read

• Freedom Soup by Tami Charles

• Can I Be Your Dog? by Troy Cummings

• Beware of the Crocodile by Martin Jenkins

• No by Claudia Rueda

• No more Cuddles by Jane Chapman

• The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers

• Give Your Cat a Bath in Five Easy Steps by Nicola Winstanley

• Bear Came Along by Richard T. Morris

• Chez Bob by Bob Shea

• Inside Cat by Brendan Wenzel

High

• Beyond the usual Christmas Eve and Day fun, we loved hosting a Christmas party for the coop before we left. The kids did some art, decorated cookies, played bingo and pin the nose on the reindeer, and did hot chocolate tasting. it was chaotic fun!

Low

• I anticipated that this would happen, but was still thrown off when the boys’ attitudes really fell off a cliff right after Christmas. We had a few really rough days and needed to get back into our school routine.

Next Week

• Traveling to Polynesia for History

• Reading more trickster tales and continuing our read aloud

• Starting 3B for math

• Covering famous Nebraskans and Iowans for coop

• Exploring emotions for health

• Beginning concentrated reading lessons for Quentin

• Discovering Hokusai’s paintings and woodcuts

Next up on the TBR pile:

2021 Wrap-up

Favorite Books of the Year: I don’t usually rank or have categories for my favorites, but this year, I’m going to do something a bit different…

1. Book of the Year: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

2. Kid Read Aloud: The Very Very Far North (and sequel Just Beyond the Very Far North) by

3. YA Series: Scythe Trilogy by Neal Shusterman

4. SciFi Series: Foundation by Isaac Asimov (all 15 books collectively!)

5. SciFi Standalone: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

6. Fantasy: A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

7. Fairy Tale: Tales from the Hinterland by Melissa Albert

8. Horror: Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark

9. Contemporary Romance: People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

10. Historical Romance: An Offer from a Gentleman by Julia Quinn

11. Nonfiction: Underland by Robert McFarlane

12. Collection: The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green

13. Memoir: Broken by Jenny Lawson

Honorable Mentions: The HM category is reserved for rereads that I really loved.

• The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

• The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

Total Books Read – 223 books

Total Pages Read – 67,488 pages

I averaged 5624 pages per month.  My lowest month was April with only 4922 pages.  My highest month was December with 6495 pages.  I hope to read 50,000 pages next year.

Book Rating Stats 

• 5 stars — 65 books

• 4 stars — 97 books

• 3 stars — 43 books

• 2 stars — 16 books

• 1 star — 2 books

• DNFs — 0 books

I think my spread of stars is pretty accurate to how I read and enjoy books. I expect mostly 4 star books with some great and some not-so-great and very few terrible books. Most of those terrible books were book club selections and those “hot” books everyone was reading, but really aren’t for me.

Next up on the TBR pile: