Life Right Now #31

As I look outside my window: It’s still pretty overcast and a bit rainy today. I love the cooler weather this past week, especially since our AC is broken.

Right now I am: Sitting in limbo for the coming week.

Thinking and pondering: About grief, processing, and what to do next…

On my bedside table: Love and Death Among the Cheetahs by Rhys Bowen; Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

On my tv this week: We’ve watched a few episodes of The Orville, Battlestar Galactica, and The Boys. Other than that, I haven’t watched much of anything.

Listening to: Just the usual podcasts.

On the menu for this week: Dependent on travel plans, this is what I think we will eat.

• Monday - Bangkok Coconut Curry Noodles

• Tuesday - Baked Fish with Lemon Butter and Capers

• Wednesday - Broccoli Beef

• Thursday - Chicken and Noodles

• Friday - Leftovers

• Saturday - Baked Chicken Parmesan

• Sunday - Swahili Fish with Coconut Rice

On my to do list: So many little things, but I can’t do anything until I get more infromation.

Happening this week: Possibly…

• Monday - Zoo Visit

• Tuesday - Grocery store visit

• Wednesday - Apple Orchard Visit

• Thursday -

• Friday -

• Saturday -

• Sunday -

What I am creating: Nothing right now, but I want to make some Christmas cards soon.

My simple pleasures: Chocolate cookies, iced tea, smell of the rain, snuggling under my covers in bed

Looking around the house: Things are pretty situated right now, but I’m certain I have tons of things I could clean.

From the camera:

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Title: The Poet X

Author: Elizabeth Acevedo

Publisher: Quill Tree Books

Genre: YA Fiction

Pages: 384

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook; Monthly Theme - September

Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking.

But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers—especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about.

With Mami’s determination to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself. So when she is invited to join her school’s slam poetry club, she doesn’t know how she could ever attend without her mami finding out. But she still can’t stop thinking about performing her poems.

Because in the face of a world that may not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to be silent.

Another amazing book by Elizabeth Acevedo. If I was a 14 year old girl, this may have been my favorite book read for the year. It’s such an amazing coming-of-age story featuring a multidimensional young woman. I loved reading every page of this book. It’s a beautiful story with a lot of heart. I definitely liked this one more than Acevedo’s Clap When You Land and I really liked that one also. Just a beautiful story.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Last Curtain Call by Juliet Blackwell

Title: The Last Curtain Call (Haunted Home Renovation #8)

Author: Juliet Blackwell

Publisher: Berkley 2020

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Pages: 336

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library

Mel Turner can’t resist the chance to bring the Crockett Theatre, a decrepit San Francisco Art Deco movie palace, back to life. But there’s a catch for Turner Construction: Several artists are currently squatting in the building, and they aren’t the only ones haunting the once-grand halls of the historic theater.…

When one of the squatters is found dead, the police department has a long list of suspects to investigate. Meanwhile, Mel and her fiancé, Landon, are remodeling an old house for themselves, and Mel finds being on the other side of a home renovation project more challenging than she expected. 

When Mel discovers that the former owner of the Crockett Theatre died under mysterious circumstances, and that there just might be a connection to the ghost haunting her own attic, the case takes a new turn—one that could bring down the curtain for the last time.

Yeah! I’m so excited that Juliet Blackwell wrote another Haunted Home Renovation book. I really enjoyed this series and Mel’s world of construction and ghosts. (Although, I must admit that I enjoy Lily’s series more than Mel’s.) This volume is a delight with the theater setting. I enjoyed the ghostly mystery involved. I was less enamored with the human murder and the human characters. Too many shifty people in this book. And I’m still not convinced that Landon is the best choice for Mel. (Seems to echo my uncertainty with Lily and Sailor) Overall I did really enjoy this book.

Haunted Home Renovation

• #1 If Walls Could Talk

• #2 Dead Bolt

• #3 Murder on the House

• #4 Home for the Haunting

• #5 Keeper of the Castle

• #5.5 A Haunting is Brewing

• #6 Give Up the Ghost

• #7 A Ghostly Light

• #8 The Last Curtain Call

Next up on the TBR pile:

I'm So Busy Videos

Weird coincidence, we’re doing a unit study on Mary Anning this week and next.

Definitely looks like something I would watch

I’m always up for some Agatha Christie. I can’t wait for this one!

This may be delightful

Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland

Title: Deathless Divide (Dread Nation #2)

Author: Justine Ireland

Publisher: Balzer + Bray 2020

Genre: YA Horror

Pages: 553

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook

After the fall of Summerland, Jane McKeene hoped her life would get simpler: Get out of town, stay alive, and head west to California to find her mother.

But nothing is easy when you’re a girl trained in putting down the restless dead, and a devastating loss on the road to a protected village called Nicodemus has Jane questioning everything she thought she knew about surviving in 1880s America.

What’s more, this safe haven is not what it appears—as Jane discovers when she sees familiar faces from Summerland amid this new society. Caught between mysteries and lies, the undead, and her own inner demons, Jane soon finds herself on a dark path of blood and violence that threatens to consume her.

But she won’t be in it alone.

Katherine Deveraux never expected to be allied with Jane McKeene. But after the hell she has endured, she knows friends are hard to come by—and that Jane needs her too, whether Jane wants to admit it or not.

Watching Jane’s back, however, is more than she bargained for, and when they both reach a breaking point, it’s up to Katherine to keep hope alive—even as she begins to fear that there is no happily-ever-after for girls like her.

Yes! This was such a great follow-up to Dread Nation! We fall right back in with Jane and Katherine but time and circumstances have changed situation. I loved seeing what was happening out west after spending the first book in the east and in the middle of the country. I loved that we retained a few of the favorite characters and even added some new ones. I was along for the ride from page one. The book may not have ended with a happily ever after, but it definitely had a resolution to one of the big storylines. Loved every second of this series.

Dread Nation

• #1 Dread Nation

• #2 Deathless Divide

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W4: We finished Math 1A!

What We Studied

Literature and Poetry

Our read aloud this week was Home Price by Robert McCloskey. I had never read it, but the collection of stories appeared on many a First Grade reading list. Overall we really liked the six stories of Homer’s adventures in and around Centerburg, Ohio. I liked the story about doughnuts the best.

For poetry, we read I am Someone Else: Poems About Pretending

• Homer Price by Robert McCloskey

• I am Someone Else: Poems About Pretending collected by Lee Bennett Hopkins

Math

Arthur officially finished Singapore Math 1A this week. It was mostly a big review for him, but review is always a good idea before moving forward. We are going to do some math projects next week before starting 1B. I also bought 2A and 2B as I imagine that 1B will not last for the rest of the year. On Friday we read a fun measuring book and made a poster.

• Me and the Measure of Things by Joan Sweeney

Social Studies

I rearranged our schedule a bit and we covered History Quest Ch. 3 Civilizations Begin and Ch. 4 Sumer this week instead of breaking it into two different weeks. So we covered Mesopotamia and Sumer including cuneiform, King Sargon, ziggurats, and the Epic of Gilgamesh. For our night reading, we read Lugalbanda retold by Kathy Henderson which is a translated and retold version of an ancient story. Arthur loved making a cuneiform tablet and a ziggurat out of Legos.

• Technology of the Ancients: The Mesopotamians by Wil Mara

• Picturing the Past Mesopotamia Iraq in Ancient Times by Peter Chrisp

• Ancients in Their Own Words Mesopotamians by Michael Kerrigan

• Lugalbanda retold by Kathy Henderson

• Hands-on History Mesopotamia by Lorna Oakes

• Lost Cities by Neil Morris

• Sunset of the Sabertooth by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House night reading selection)

Science

We did some free exploration early in the week. We also did a bit of review of animal classifications. On Friday, we did a mini unit on growing food in the cities using Heroes of the Environment Ch. 1 . Arthur is now convinced that we need to create an entire backyard garden. First we need to replace the deck and re-landscape the backyard. Maybe in two years…

• Watch Me Grow by Deborah Hodge

• Grow! Raise! Catch! How We Get Our Food by Shelley Rotner

• The Children’s Garden by Carole Lexa Schaefer

Art

Beyond doing some projects relating to our nature play, we did a mini study of Leonardo da Vinci on Friday. We read some books about him, looked at his works, modernized the Mona Lisa, and watched a few NOVA episodes about his works (S39E4 and S46E21 in case you were wondering). Arthur decided to recreate the painting in question from the NOVA episode. He drew and colored then cut it out, pasted to a cream piece of cardstock, and then added it to a yellow paper “frame.” Very inventive!

• Neo Leo: The Ageless Ideas of Leonardo da Vinci by Gene Barretta

• Leonardo da Vinci biography by Mike Venezia

• Steal Back the Mona Lisa by Meghan McCarthy

• If da Vinci Painted a Dinosaur by Amy Newbold

• Fly Kite Fly: A Story of Leonardo and a Bird Catcher by John Winch

Music

Our Classics for Kids composer for the week was Johannes Brahms. Arthur liked his music, but prefers Beethoven. There were only four Brahms episodes, so on Friday we read a book about musical instruments and the orchestra.

• The Story of the Incredibly Orchestra by Bruce Koscielniak

Nature Play Day

We had another fun nature play day with our friends. We made some cotton swab paintings, baking soda and vinegar creations, a large collaborative drawing, and sun prints outdoors. We also created some animals tracks in the play sand and read a few books about animal tracks. We wrapped up our morning with a few Doreen Cronin books and an epic snack lunch!

• Step by Step by Loreen Leedy

Unit Theme

We picked author Doreen Cronin for our weekly theme. We checked out almost all of her books and read them throughout the day. I found some fun little puzzle pages to go with some and some ELA pages to go with others. Arthur’s favorite was Diary of a Worm.

• Duck for President

• Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type

• Click, Clack, Moo: I Love You!

• Click, Clack, Ho, Ho, Ho

• Click, Clack, Surprise!

• Click, Clack, Quack to School

• Giggle, Giggle, Quack

• Dooby Dooby Moo

• Duck Stays in the Truck

• Pool Party

• Click, Clack, Boo!

• Diary of a Worm

• Diary of a Spider

• Diary of a Fly

• Boom Snot Twitty

• Click, Clack, Peep!

• Click, Clack, ABC

• Smick!

• Rescue Bunnies

• Bloom

• Bounce

• Stretch

• Wiggle

Misc. - Random picture books read

• P is for Pterodactyl by Raji Haldar and Christ Carpenter

• Maybe Something Beautiful by F. Isabel Campoy

• Finding Shortest and Longest by Amy Rauen

• Bug in a Vacuum by Melanie Watt

• Ol’ Mama Squirrel by David Ezra Stein

• Over and Under the Pond by Kate Messner

Highs

• Finished The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd S1 podcast and started S2. Arthur is really enjoying this old-style radio play.

• Arthur requested multiple NOVA episodes to watch throughout this week. We watched one on the Secrets of Stonehenge, one about an Ice Age Death Trap, one about the last extinction (ice age), and two about Leonardo Da Vinci and his works.

Lows

• Grocery store weeks really throw off our schedule. Because of COVID, I don’t take the kids to the store with me. Which means that I need to leave with J and he needs to be somewhat available to monitor the kids. So mornings are my only real option. I rush out and hit multiple stores to stock up for two weeks. Add in that we don’t get takeout that often and I make three meals a day plus snacks, I’m buying a lot of food each trip. This takes up the entire morning, meaning no real school work is done. Arthur is not independent enough to do things without me monitoring…

Next Week

We are going to read Encyclopedia Brown next week (the first volume). I’m certain Arthur is going to love the mysteries. We are going to spend a week doing math projects instead of starting the next textbook. For history, we are going to switch gears and start A River of Voices (U.S. History) and then do a continent study for Africa. Our science unit includes starting the Blossom and Root Book Seed: Mary Anning. I foresee some dinosaur and fossil related activities for the next two weeks. Our weekly theme will be apples. I can’t wait!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - All Time Low feat. Blackbear "Monsters"

This song gets stuck in my head all the time now…

Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power

Title: Burn Our Bodies Down

Author: Rory Power

Publisher: Delacorte Press 2020

Genre: Young Adult Horror

Pages: 352

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Monthly Theme - June

Ever since Margot was born, it's been just her and her mother, struggling to get along. But that's not enough for Margot. She wants family. She wants a past. And she may have just found the answer: A photograph, pointing her to a town called Phalene. Only, when Margot gets there, it's not what she bargained for.

As soon as they see her face, everyone in town knows who Margot belongs to. It's unmistakable--she's a Nielsen. And when a mysterious girl who could be Margot's twin is pulled from a fire, Margot realizes that her mother left Phalene for a reason. But was it to hide her past? Or was it to protect Margot from what's still there?

The only thing Margot knows for sure is there's poison in their family tree, and their roots are dug so deeply into Phalene that now that she's there, she might never escape.

I was so incredibly excited for this book. I absolutely loved Wilder Girls and hoped that this would be another great horror novel. Instead, this book just dragged and dragged with whiny characters and no real direction. I was thoroughly bored for the first 70% of the book. I could not connect at all with Margot and really despised her mother. Even after showing up in Phalene, I was completely bored. The entire relationship, or non-relationship, between Margot and Tess was completely thrown in for no real reason. I just didn’t get it. And then we get to the last section of the book and everything went weird, but not in a good way. I love good gore horror, but this just seemed like a giant punch in the gut. Nothing was nuanced or interesting. The book ended and I just didn’t really care.

Next up on the TBR pile:

2020 Soups and Stews from Around the World - July and August

Week 25: Kharcho (Beef Stew) from Georgia

Decent but not a punch of flavor like we love.

Recipe used from Natasha’s Kitchen

Week 26: Paplou Soup (Fish Soup) from Oman

I liked this but needed more broth. Possibly simmering it on the stove longer…

Recipe used from International Cuisine

Week 27: Prawn and Sweet Potato Curry from Jamaica

This might be J’s favorite so far. Very spicy (I did add more spice than the recipe called for)!

Recipe used from Olive Magazine

Week 28: Fish Chowder from Australia

I liked this basic fish chowder. More subtle flavors. This would be great in the dead of winter.

Recipe used from Recipe Tin Eats

Week 29: Mang Cua (Crap and Asparagus Soup) from Vietnam

This was oh so yummy! A nice light broth filled with crab, egg, and asparagus. I will definitely make this one again. The quail eggs were a nice touch.

Recipe used from A Taste of Joy and Love

Week 30: Cawl Cennin (Potato Leek Soup) from Wales

A lovely basic leek soup. I enjoy the simple recipes sometimes.

Recipe used from All Recipes

Week 31: Bariis Maraq (Beef Stew) from Somalia

This was okay, but not amazing.

Recipe used from Epicurious

Week 32: Dovga from Azerbaijan

This was pretty good. I think with a little tweaking, this could be really great.

Recipe used from Golubka Kitchen

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown

Title: A Song of Wraiths and Ruin (A Song of Wraiths and Ruin #1)

Author: Roseanne A. Brown

Publisher: Balzar + Bray 2020

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 480

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook

For Malik, the Solstasia festival is a chance to escape his war-stricken home and start a new life with his sisters in the prosperous desert city of Ziran. But when a vengeful spirit abducts his younger sister, Nadia, as payment to enter the city, Malik strikes a fatal deal—kill Karina, Crown Princess of Ziran, for Nadia’s freedom.

But Karina has deadly aspirations of her own. Her mother, the Sultana, has been assassinated; her court threatens mutiny; and Solstasia looms like a knife over her neck. Grief-stricken, Karina decides to resurrect her mother through ancient magic . . . requiring the beating heart of a king. And she knows just how to obtain one: by offering her hand in marriage to the victor of the Solstasia competition.

When Malik rigs his way into the contest, they are set on a heart-pounding course to destroy each other. But as attraction flares between them and ancient evils stir, will they be able to see their tasks to the death?

I absolutely loved the premise of this one. I loved the focus on West African myths. I loved the world building in this one. I just could not get behind the characters and the plotline. The characters are so incredibly whiny. They are directionless for most of the book. And then for the last strike, the two main characters fall in love in an instant. I just cannot with the silly young adult romance. Once we get into the story, the constant secrets and betrayals just felt super boring and predictable. I got to the end of the book and it just wasn’t worth it to me. I think I’m down with the series.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• Two mediocre books in a row has me in a blergh mood. Here’s so hoping the next one is better.

• We’re finishing our first math text tomorrow… next week I have to organize some math projects as an in-between.

• Iced water is so incredibly good. I can’t get enough lately.

• Hoping the library processes my returns today. Seriously, I have so many that were turned in but haven’t been processed yet. My numbers are way too high right now… seriously process my books already.

• Yesterday’s snack lunch was a great idea. Need to do it again today and maybe tomorrow.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Thief of Shadows by Elizabeth Hoyt

Title: Thief of Shadows (Maiden Lane #4)

Author: Elizabeth Hoyt

Publisher: Grand Central 2012

Genre: Romance

Pages: 385

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual - NPR Romance; GR Random

A MASKED MAN . . .

Winter Makepeace lives a double life. By day he's the stoic headmaster of a home for foundling children. But the night brings out a darker side of Winter. As the moon rises, so does the Ghost of St. Giles-protector, judge, fugitive. When the Ghost, beaten and wounded, is rescued by a beautiful aristocrat, Winter has no idea that his two worlds are about to collide.

A DANGEROUS WOMAN . . .

Lady Isabel Beckinhall enjoys nothing more than a challenge. Yet when she's asked to tutor the Home's dour manager in the ways of society-flirtation, double-entendres, and scandalous liaisons-Isabel can't help wondering why his eyes seem so familiar-and his lips so tempting.

A PASSION NEITHER COULD DENY

During the day Isabel and Winter engage in a battle of wills. At night their passions are revealed . . . But when little girls start disappearing from St. Giles, Winter must avenge them. For that he might have to sacrifice everything-the Home, Isabel . . . and his life.

Yes! We are back to another great and steamy historical romance. I absolutely adored Isabel and Winter as main romantic characters. They have such a great feisty relationship and I was here for every single second of it! The steamy scenes were definitely worth the wait. I was all in for their dance around each other until they consummated their relationship. Beyond them, I loved the background storyline dealing with the missing girls. I love how this series has another story along with the main romance. My only issues was Lady Margaret. She was just a bit too naive and flighty for me in this book. I hope her and Godric’s story is better than the bit we saw in this book.

Maiden Lane

• #1 Wicked Intentions

• #2 Notorious Pleasures

• #3 Scandalous Desires

• #4 Thief of Shadows

• #5 Lord of Darkness

• #6 Duke of Midnight

• #7 Darling Beast

• #8 Dearest Rogue

• #9 Sweetest Scoundrel

• #10 Duke of Sin

• #10.5 Once Upon a Moonlit Night

• #10.7 Once Upon a Christmas Eve

• #11 Duke of Pleasure

• #12 Duke of Desire

• #12.5 Once Upon a Maiden Lane

Next up on the TBR pile:

September 2020 Life Goals

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

• Read 20 Books - So close! I ended up reading 17 books.

• Send out Exchange Cards ✓

• Walk 30 miles on the treadmill ✓

• Start homeschooling! ✓

September’s Goals:

• Get a Notary for the Trash Cans

• Preplan the next four weeks of homeschooling

• Check out the new note taking app

• Read 15 books

• Organize my end of year reading plan

• Plan Saturday art projects.

Next up on the TBR list: