Homeschool W34: Candy Math Makes the Day Sweeter

What We Studied

Literature and Poetry

We started reading The One and Only Bob. I really like Bob as a character, but I think The One and Only Ivan was better told. We’re halfway through the book and things have gotten very intense.

• The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate

• Rainbow Soup by Brian P. Cleary (poems)

• Clark the Shark: Tooth Trouble by Bruce Hale (Arthur Read)

Math

Another week of review and games. Arthur progressed in his Khan Academy lessons. We review some concepts. Arthur and Quentin both did some math with gummy bears and then with Skittles. They definitely enjoyed eating our manipulatives afterward.

Social Studies

We covered two more lessons about the American Revolution: Loyalists and Assistance from France and Spain. Getting close to the end of the war!

• Mary Geddy’s Day: A Colonia Girl in Williamsburg by Kate Waters

• Fight for Freedom by Benson Bobrick

• Revolutionary Friends: General George Washing and the Marquis de Lafayette by Selene Castrovilla

Science

See unit theme

Art

Nothing formal, but Arthur had some fun drawing sea creatures. I grabbed a few “how to draw” books from the library and he’s been doing that during free time.

Music

We progressed with our study of American folk music. We covered the early years 1920s-1950s including the country side. We started with The Carter Family and the Weavers; not huge fans. Arthur did not like Johnny Cash or Jack Elliott but did like Bill Monroe. Guess he falls on the bluegrass side which is fine by me. For movie night, we watched O Brother Where Art Thou? J and I love the Coen Brothers and this is one my favorites. We talked about the fact that the movie is a version of the Odyssey and enjoyed the music. I didn’t think he liked it, but afterward Arthur told me he was going to watch it again.

Unit Theme

Our ocean study focused on exploration, fish, and sharks this week! We learned about Marie Tharp, Sylvia Earle, and Jacques Cousteau. Then we moved on to all the different species of shark! Arthur’s been loving the YouTube channel Brave Wilderness for great animal encounter videos. We found some that apply to the ocean!

• Water Sings Blue: Ocean Poems by Karen Coombs

• Oceanography: The Study of Oceans by Susan H. Gray

• The Undersea World by Tamra B. Orr

• Ocean Anatomy by Julia Rothman

• Life in the Ocean: The Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Early by Claire A. Nivola

• Marie's Ocean: Marie Tharp Maps the Mountains Under the Sea by Josie James

• Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea by Robert Burleigh

• Ocean Speaks by Jess Keating

• DK: Fishy Tales (Arthur read)

• Goby Fish and Snapping Shrimp by Kari Schuetz

• What's It Like to be a Fish? by Wendy Pfeffer

• DK Oceans

• Nat Geo Ocean Animals

• Manfish by Jennifer Berne

• The Ocean Calls: A Haenyeo Mermaid Story by Tina Cho

• Brilliant Deep: Rebuilding the World's Coral Reefs by Kate Messner

• Nat Geo Kids: Sharks (Arthur read)

• Sharks by Valerie Bodden

• Sharks Have Six Senses by John F. Waters

• Slickety Quick: Poems About Sharks by Skila Brown

• Smart About Sharks by Owen Davey

• DK Eyewitness: Shark

• Great White Sharks by Nico Barnes

• Hammerhead Sharks by Nico Barnes

• Blacktip Reef Sharks by Grace Hansen

• Nurse Sharks by Grace Hansen

• Basking Sharks by Nico Barnes

• Whale Sharks by Nico Barnes

• Mako Sharks by Nico Barnes

• Zebra Sharks by Nico Barnes

Misc. - Random picture books read

• Norman The Slug with the Silly Shell by Sue Hendra

• There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Shell! by Lucille Colandro

• Iced Out by CK Smouha

• Fish is Fish by Leo Lionni

• Shark Dog by Ged Adamson

• The Ocean Story by John Seven

• Shark Dog and the School Trip Rescue by Ged Adamson

• I'm a Shark by Bob Shea

• How to Spy on a Shark by Lori Haskins Houran

• The Three Little Fish and the Big Bad Shark by Ken Geist

• Perfect Square by Michael Hall

• Blue on Blue by Dianne White

• Follow the Moon Home by Philippe Cousteau and Deborah Hopkinson

• Misunderstood Shark by Ame Dyckman

Highs

• We had a lovely park playdate with three other coop families on Tuesday. The weather was perfect!

• On Thursday, we went to the zoo. Haven’t been there in a few weeks and it was nice to go when the weather was nice. We had to check in with Marshall the rhino. He’s getting so big! He’s about 18 months old now.

Lows

• Apparently everyone went ot the zoo on Thursday along with at least 8 buses full of school kids. it was crowded and people were not masking. I really dislike going when it’s so crowded. Hopefully next time we go it will be less people. The kids were super whiny the entire time (tired, warm weather, lots of people, probably contributed) and make me regret trying to go and do something fun. It was a long day…

Next Week

We should finish our read aloud next week. Guess I need to line out our next couple. We are going to continue covering the oceans (rays, dolphins, and whales), folk music (getting to the 1960s!), and the American Revolution (ending the war). I think we need to pull out some board games for math to supplement our review. Plus we have two park playdates scheduled.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Architects "Animals"

Really you need to check out Architects’ entire new album, For Those That Wish to Exist, but I’ll just highlight one of their songs today. Plus a bonus version…

An orchestral version from Abbey Road.

Life Right Now #16

As I look outside my window: It’s drizzly and cooler than yesterday. Thinking I should open the windows and get some cool air circulating.

Right now I am: Prepping a smoothie for J who’s going to a sale thing with a friend today.

Thinking and pondering: How much cleaning do I want to do today? It might just be a lazy day…

On my bedside table: The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary; Cursed

On my tv this week: We’ve been alternating between Star Trek: Voyager and Hustle with a splash of MythicQuest.

Listening to: Not much of anything this week. Where has the week gone?

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Chorba Frik

• Tuesday - Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken, Broccoli, and Bacon

• Wednesday - Leftovers

• Thursday - Texas Cheese Fries

• Friday - Chicken Pad Thai Nachos

• Saturday - Baked Potato Soup

• Sunday - Lemon Butter Garlic Shrimp and Asparagus

On my to do list: The one thing on my list today that I really want to get through is to finish putting away the laundry room.

Happening this week: A very light week comparatively…

• Monday - Normal day

• Tuesday - Park Playdate in Council Bluffs

• Wednesday - Grocery and library

• LoThursday - Park Playdate

• Friday - Normal day

• Saturday - Normal day

• Sunday - Normal day

What I am creating: Possibly my December Daily 2020 album if I find some time this afternoon.

My simple pleasures: A nice cozy blanket, strawberry smoothies, neat and orderly piles.

Looking around the house: I was a cleaning machine yesterday and got so much done. I’m much less twitchy now when looking around the house. I still need to finish the laundry room and put away the shoes, but the rest of the first floor is looking very nice.

From the camera: Love to see him reading independently!

The Black God's Drums by P. Djèlí Clark

Title: The Black God’s Drums

Author: P. Djèlí Clark

Publisher: Tor.com 2018

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 114

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

In an alternate New Orleans caught in the tangle of the American Civil War, the wall-scaling girl named Creeper yearns to escape the streets for the air--in particular, by earning a spot on-board the airship Midnight Robber. Creeper plans to earn Captain Ann-Marie’s trust with information she discovers about a Haitian scientist and a mysterious weapon he calls The Black God’s Drums.

But Creeper also has a secret herself: Oya, the African orisha of the wind and storms, speaks inside her head, and may have her own ulterior motivations.

Soon, Creeper, Oya, and the crew of the Midnight Robber are pulled into a perilous mission aimed to stop the Black God’s Drums from being unleashed and wiping out the entirety of New Orleans.

Another great novella from Clark! This time we’re thrown into a alternate history where the Civil War hasn’t really ended and New Orleans has been carved out as a free neutral city. From there, we get a fast-paced adventure story starring an orphan protected by a goddess. I love how Clark creates the most imaginative worlds and populates them with fascinating, complex, realistic characters. I sped through this story anticipating a large showdown and the book does not disappoint. Pick this one up for a big dose of fun fantasy.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Shadow and Bone (Shadow and Bone #1)

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Publisher: Square Fish 2013

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 413

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Modern Mrs. Darcy

Soldier. Summoner. Saint. Orphaned and expendable, Alina Starkov is a soldier who knows she may not survive her first trek across the Shadow Fold―a swath of unnatural darkness crawling with monsters. But when her regiment is attacked, Alina unleashes dormant magic not even she knew she possessed.

Now Alina will enter a lavish world of royalty and intrigue as she trains with the Grisha, her country’s magical military elite―and falls under the spell of their notorious leader, the Darkling. He believes Alina can summon a force capable of destroying the Shadow Fold and reuniting their war-ravaged country, but only if she can master her untamed gift.

As the threat to the kingdom mounts and Alina unlocks the secrets of her past, she will make a dangerous discovery that could threaten all she loves and the very future of a nation.

Welcome to Ravka . . . a world of science and superstition where nothing is what it seems.

Well… I didn’t hate it. But I didn’t love it either. There’s some interesting world building that’s hidden in here, but not quite fleshed out at much as I would have like. The characters are typical YA Fantasy tropes, but I don’t completely despise them. I would have liked a bit stronger of a female lead. I would have liked to get to know the Darkling a bit better. Seriously, a few more conversations with him would have gone a long way. I would have liked more action sequences. We only got a bit at the very end. I could have done with less training montages. Despite what sounds like a very negative review, Bardugo kept me wanting to turn the page and find out the next happening in the series. I will be picking the next one up soon. Hoping to read them all to then watch the television show…

Funny story: The last night I was read this, I stopped right after Alina and Mal crossed the Fold. My Kindle said I was 60% of the way through, so I stopped for the night. Turns out, I actually only had the epilogue chapter left and the rest of the pages were filled with previews for two other Bardugo books. Felt very silly sitting down to read the last 40% of my book and it was only three pages.

Shadow and Bone

• #1 Shadow and Bone

• #2 Siege and Storm

• #3 Ruin and Rising

Next up on the TBR pile:

Sunny Videos

Amazing! I definitely don’t have the time to do this, but oh man, I am tempted.

You know I will watch this!

Oh goodness, I need this in my life right now!

This looks very interesting. I can’t wait to see where this goes.

Listen to Ryan Reynolds. Don’t Aviation and Mint!

One of our favorite YouTubers out there…

Still Life by Louise Penny

Title: Still Life (Inspector Gamache #1)

Author: Louise Penny

Publisher: Minotaur Books 2008

Genre: Mysteries

Pages: 314

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Modern Mrs. Darcy; Seasonal TBR

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surêté du Québec and his team of investigators are called in to the scene of a suspicious death in a rural village south of Montreal. Jane Neal, a local fixture in the tiny hamlet of Three Pines, just north of the U.S. border, has been found dead in the woods. The locals are certain it's a tragic hunting accident and nothing more, but Gamache smells something foul in these remote woods, and is soon certain that Jane Neal died at the hands of someone much more sinister than a careless bowhunter.
Still Life introduces not only an engaging series hero in Inspector Gamache, who commands his forces---and this series---with integrity and quiet courage, but also a winning and talented new writer of traditional mysteries in the person of Louise Penny.

Okay, don’t throw anything at me, but my overwhelming feeling about this book was boredom. I was thoroughly bored. Police procedurals/murder mysteries are really not my genre. I rarely find one that I love, but do find a whole lot more that I hate. This one I didn’t hate, but I certainly didn’t love. The actual murder itself was fairly pedestrian. The characters in Three Pines weren’t that interesting to me. I definitely did not get the urge to up and move there. Inspector Gamache was okay, but he’s not Poirot. My biggest complaint is the writing. The beginning chapters are a muddled mess narration wise. We begin hearing the inner workings of one character and suddenly Penny switches to another character with little to no warning. I seriously had to back up and reread paragraphs to caught the practically non-existent transitions. Also, the writing can be overly flowery and descriptive. So many unnecessary sections thrown in. I just got really really bored with it all. At this point, I’m not sure if I will be continuing the series…

Inspector Gamache

• #1 Still Life

• #2 A Fatal Grace

• #3 The Cruelest Month

• #4 A Rule Against Murder

• #5 The Brutal Telling

• #6 Bury Your Dead

• #7 A Trick of the Light

• #8 The Beautiful Mystery

• #9 How the Light Gets In

• #10 The Long Way Home

• #11 The Nature of the Beast

• #12 A Great Reckoning

• #13 Glass Houses

• #14 Kingdom of the Blind

• #15 A Better Man

• #16 All the Devils are Here

• #17 The Madness of Crowds

Next up on the TBR pile:

Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark

Title: Ring Shot

Author: P. Djèlí Clark

Publisher: Tor.com 2020

Genre: Horror

Pages: 192

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

IN AMERICA, DEMONS WEAR WHITE HOODS.

In 1915, The Birth of a Nation cast a spell across America, swelling the Klan's ranks and drinking deep from the darkest thoughts of white folk. All across the nation they ride, spreading fear and violence among the vulnerable. They plan to bring Hell to Earth. But even Ku Kluxes can die.

Standing in their way is Maryse Boudreaux and her fellow resistance fighters, a foul-mouthed sharpshooter and a Harlem Hellfighter. Armed with blade, bullet, and bomb, they hunt their hunters and send the Klan's demons straight to Hell. But something awful's brewing in Macon, and the war on Hell is about to heat up.

Can Maryse stop the Klan before it ends the world?

Simply horrifying! And I loved every page of it! I read Clark’s novella The Haunting of Tram Car 015 and was intrigued by his writing enough to seek out his other works. This one is very different than Tram Car; heavy on the horror and racial commentary, while the previous novella was very steampunk fantasy with a bit of social commentary in a very different part of the world. This story reminded me a lot of Lovecraft Country in it’s mixing of racial commentary, history, and Lovecraftian style horror. There is some serious body horror going on in these pages; not for the feint of heart. I also loved that it was told by Maryse in her own language. We get a lot of dialect on the pages including some dialogue in Gullah. Makes me want to know more about the Gullah culture. I was sad when the story ended as I really wanted to spend more time with all the characters (okay maybe not the Ku Kluxes, but the rest).

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W33: Into the Treetops Once Again

What We Studied

Literature and Poetry

We finished reading Nim’s Island and then had a movie night on Friday. The book was pretty good; a slim adventure story. And the movie actually held up. Decent! For a related art project, Arthur had to make his own island map. It’s a little hard to read in places, but he made sure to label everything.

• Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr

• Rainbow Soup by Brian P. Cleary (poems)

• Sea Sheep by Eric Seltzer (Arthur read)

Math

We are officially done with Singapore Math 2! We’re not going to move into 3 until August. Until then, we will be doing some review, catching up on Khan Academy, studying coding again, playing math games, and probably doing a unit on nature math (golden ratio; Fibonacci).

Social Studies

We are back into the American Revolution covering female patriots (Rebecca Stillwell Willets was Arthur’s favroite), spies (love the Culper Ring!), and life during the war.

• Fight for Freedom: The American Revolutionary War by Benson Bobrick

• Great Women of the American Revolution by Brianna Hall

• Founding Mothers: Remembering the Ladies by Cokie Roberts

• Patriots and Petticoats: Heroines of the American Revolution by Shirley Raye Redmond

• If You were a Kid During the American Revoluion by Wil Mara

• Life During the Revolutionary War by Bonnie Hinman

• Revolutionary Rogues: John André and Benedict Arnold by Selene Castrovilla

• A Spy Called James by Anne Rockwell

• Anna Strong by Sarah Glenn Marsh

• The Scarlet Stockings Spy by Trinka Hakes Noble

Science

See Unit Theme

Art

Nothing formal

Music

We started our big unit on American Folk Music! I’m super excited about this one. We started with a short random documentary I found from the 1970s. It’s dated, but does an amazing job of tracing a few folk songs from England to today. From there, we did a few days with Woody Guthrie (not Arthur’s favorite). On the way back from the Treetops, we listened to a Smithsonian compilation album of Children’s Folk Music. They actually really enjoyed it! There is hope!

• Passing the Music Down by Sarah Sullivan

• This Land is Your Land by Woody Guthrie

Unit Theme

Continuing with oceans! We will be in this unit for the entire month of May. This week we studied coral reefs, the open ocean, and the deep. We watched a great episode of Blue Planet about coral seas and an episode of NOVA about Reef Rescue.

• One Night in the Coral Sea by Sneed B. Collard III

• Nat Geo Kids: Coral Reefs

• Coral Reefs by Precious McKenzie

• Coral Reefs by Gail Gibbons

• Nat Geo Kids: Ocean Animals

• Ocean Anatomy by Julia Rothman (I really need to just buy this one!)

• DK Ocean

• Water Sings Blue: Ocean Poems by Karen Coombs

• W is for Waves by Marie and Roland Smith

• Seashells: More Than a Home by Melissa Stewart

• Deep in the ocean by Lucie Brunelliere

• The Deep, Deep Ocean by John Woodward

• Into the Deep by Annika Siems

• Deep Oceans by Ellen Labrecqu

• Exploring the Deep Dark Sea by Gail Gibbons

• Otis and Will Discover the Deep: The Record-setting Dive of the Bathysphere by Barb Rosenstock

• Down Down Down by Steve Jenkins

• Journey into the Deep by Rebecca L. Johnson

Misc. - Random picture books read Lots of ocean themed reading for nighttime.

• The Mermaid by Jan Brett

• Sandy Feet! Whose Feet? Footprints at the Shore by Susan Wood

• A Fish Out of Water by Helen Palmer

• Field Trip to the Ocean Deep by John Hare

• Ocean Animals from Head to Tail by Stacey Roderick

• Little Turtle and the Changing Sea by Becky Davies

• The Specific Ocean by Kyo Maclear

• Gone Fishing: Ocean Life by the Numbers by David McLimans

• Dive In: Swim with Sea Creatures at Their Actual Size by Roxie Munro

• The Nice Dream Truck by Beth Ferry

• Love is by Diane Adams

• Over int he Ocean in a Coral Reef by Marianne Berkes

• Red by Michael Hall

• Hello Ocean by Pam Muñoz Ryan

• The Little Fish that Got Away by Bernadine Cook

Highs

• Our trip to Arbor Day Farm and the Treetops Village on Friday was delightful! It wasn’t too busy even with a few school groups. The weather was cooler but sunny. And the forest was in bloom! We did all the things and wore ourselves out. I even jumped on the trampoline (and fell over a few times). Lots of fun was had!

Lows

• No one showed up to our park playdate on Tuesday. The boys had fun playing at the playground by themselves, but it would have been nice to have some friends. We cut our park trip a little short and I took them to Build-a-Bear to make a new stuffie. (I was planning on going there something this month, but hadn’t told the boys beforehand.) Arthur built a Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon and Quentin made a Chase from Paw Patrol. The day was salvaged but still a bit sad.

Next Week

We are starting a new read aloud (The One and Only Bob!), playing some math games, and doing some review. We will be continuing with the Revolution, the ocean, and folk music. Plus we have a park playdate schedule and a field trip day to find all the Bees of the Heartland down in the Auburn area.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - AJR "Way Less Sad"

Arthur’s current favorite song. He really loves AJR.

Life Right Now #15

As I look outside my window: It’s cloudy, but the rain has cleared up mostly. It’s supposed to be under 70 degrees all week.

Right now I am: Finishing up dinner cleanup and getting ready to put the kids to bed.

On my bedside table: I have two novellas by P. Djèlí Clark sitting on my nightstand (Ring Shout and The Black God’s Drums). I also started reading Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo.

On my tv this week: We watched a few movies (Mortal Kombat was actually not bad!) and continued with Star Trek: Voyager.

Listening to: I’ve been really enjoying my Apple Favorites playlist. So many good songs!

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Chicken with Black Beans

• Tuesday - Baked Potato Soup

• Wednesday - Chicken Pad Thai Nachos

• Thursday - Leftovers/Take out

• Friday - Pulled Pork

• Saturday - Sweet Potato Nachos

• Sunday - Lemon Shrimp and Asparagus

On my to do list: I hope to get the laundry room put together plus do some homeschool planning and take a look at our calendar.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Normal home day

• Tuesday - Park playdate

• Wednesday - Grocery, library visit

• Thursday - Bees of the Heartland scavenger hunt field trip to Auburn, NE

• Friday - Normal home day

• Saturday - The usual

• Sunday - The usual

What I am creating: Lots of recipes today! Beyond brunch, I made a blueberry breakfast cake, lemony lemon bars, pesto twists, gazpacho, and dinner. It was a productive day in the kitchen!

My simple pleasures: Good adventure/horror novellas, a walk in the woods, the sound of rain at night.

Looking around the house: Our laundry room is looking so nice! The washer and dryer are officially in their place (need to adjust a bit this week), the walls are looking good, the door is off, and I’m ready to finish this thing! I have an order coming with a nice bar for hanging clothes, a shelving system, a curtain for the closet, and some new laundry baskets! I’m hoping it have to all organized next weekend.

From the camera: Pretty scraps from my gazpacho making.

The Toll by Neal Shusterman

Title: The Toll (Arc of a Scythe #3)

Author: Neal Shusterman

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Genre: YA Science Fiction

Pages: 640

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Seasonal TBR; Currently Reading - So Good I Didn’t Want It to End

Citra and Rowan have disappeared. Endura is gone. It seems like nothing stands between Scythe Goddard and absolute dominion over the world scythedom. With the silence of the Thunderhead and the reverberations of the Great Resonance still shaking the earth to its core, the question remains: Is there anyone left who can stop him?

The answer lies in the Tone, the Toll, and the Thunder.

What a ride! I was a little scared going into this book after the shocking conclusion to the second book. I should not have been scared. Right away, we’re pulled right back into the storyline following all of our favorite (or hated) characters. I was excited that we get even more Greyson in this book and the introduction to another amazing character, Jeri. I couldn’t wait to see how our beloved characters would take down Goddard’s new order and restore some type of harmony to the world. And then there was the question of the Thunderhead and it’s intentions. I loved that we got to see more inner workings from the Thunderhead. I did not guess it’s ultimate goal until after Anastasia’s first message. From then, I was so excited to see how it all ended. I loved every page of this series. A must read!

Arc of a Scythe:

• #1 Scythe

• #2 Thunderhead

• #3 The Toll

Next up on the TBR pile:

Something is Killing the Children Vol. 2

Title: Something is Killing the Children Vol. 2

Author: James Tynion IV, Werther Dell’Edera

Publisher: BOOM 2020

Genre: Comics

Pages: 144

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Erica Slaughter may have slain the monster terrorizing the small Wisconsin town of Archer’s Peak, but now she sets off deeper into the woods -- because the monster she killed was a mother… and now she needs to kill its children.

EVIL NEVER DIES...UNLESS ERICA SLAUGHTER KILLS IT.

Erica Slaughter may have slain the monster terrorizing the small Wisconsin town of Archer’s Peak, but the horror is far from over. As her mysterious handler arrives in town to clean up her mess and quarantine the townsfolk, Erica sets off deeper into the woods -- because the monster she killed was a mother… and now she needs to kill its children.

Oh goodness, this was horrifying and I loved every page of it. This is not for the squeamish. The pages are filled with horrifying deaths and so much blood. Erica solves one problem, but there are so many other problems out there now. I can’t wait to see where the storyline goes from here.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• I need to put a visit to a local farmer’s market on my calendar. Hoping we can get some good local produce to supplement the meager grocery store offerings.

• Very excited about the free resources available for teacher appreciation week. Homeschool resourcing has become more challenging as we are recalibrating for next year.

• So excited to get my permanent bridge put in today. I might be able to eat correctly tomorrow or Saturday.

• I’m not sure what I’ll be eating tonight for dinner…

• I think my mint plant died… possibly from shock (the temps have been all over the place this past week). The flowers look okay, and the tomatoes seem to have started growing, but I’m concerned still.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Buy Yourself the Fucking Lilies by Tara Schuster

Title: Buy Yourself the Fucking Lilies: And Other Rituals to Fix Your Life, from Someone Who's Been There

Author: Tara Schuster

Publisher: Dial Press Trade 2020

Genre: Nonfiction - Self-help, Memoir

Pages: 352

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Seasonal TBR

By the time she was in her late twenties, Tara Schuster was a rising TV executive who had worked for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and helped launch Key & Peele to viral superstardom. By all appearances, she had mastered being a grown-up. But beneath that veneer of success, she was a chronically anxious, self-medicating mess. No one knew that her road to adulthood had been paved with depression, anxiety, and shame, owing in large part to her minimally parented upbringing. She realized she’d hit rock bottom when she drunk-dialed her therapist pleading for help.

Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies is the story of Tara’s path to re-parenting herself and becoming a “ninja of self-love.” Through simple, daily rituals, Tara transformed her mind, body, and relationships, and shows how to

• fake gratitude until you actually feel gratitude
• excavate your emotional wounds and heal them with kindness
• identify your self-limiting beliefs, kick them to the curb, and start living a life you choose
• silence your inner frenemy and shield yourself from self-criticism
• carve out time each morning to start your day empowered, inspired, and ready to rule
• create a life you truly, totally f*cking LOVE

This is the book Tara wished someone had given her and it is the book many of us desperately need: a candid, hysterical, addictively readable, practical guide to growing up (no matter where you are in life) and learning to love yourself in a non-throw-up-in-your-mouth-it’s-so-cheesy way.

Hmmmm… this book is not for me, but I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad book. I just didn’t get a lot out of the life lessons included in the chapters.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Something is Killing the Children Vol. 1

Title: Something is Killing the Children Vol. 1

Author: James Tynion IV, Werther Dell’Edera

Publisher: BOOM 2020

Genre: Comics

Pages: 128

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

When children begin to go missing in the town of Archer’s Peak, all hope seems lost until a mysterious woman arrives to reveal that terrifying creatures are behind the chaos - and that she alone will destroy them, no matter the cost.

IT’S THE MONSTERS WHO SHOULD BE AFRAID.

When the children of Archer's Peak—a sleepy town in the heart of America—begin to go missing, everything seems hopeless. Most children never return, but the ones that do have terrible stories—impossible details of terrifying creatures that live in the shadows. Their only hope of finding and eliminating the threat is the arrival of a mysterious stranger, one who believes the children and claims to be the only one who sees what they can see.

Her name is Erica Slaughter. She kills monsters. That is all she does, and she bears the cost because it must be done.

I love the horror comics and this one was definitely a winner. Right from the first page, we’re dumped into a very scary situation and it proceeds to get even stranger as the pages go on. The pages are graphics and not for the feint of heart. I can’t wait to see where the story goes.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W32: Impromptu Picnics are the Best

What We Studied

We had three days of outings this week. On Monday, we went to the garden center. On Tuesday, we visited Gifford Farm and got to see the new baby animals. The new baby cows were my favorite. And the slide barn was open so we got to play a bit more. The boys even helped feed the bunnies. On Wednesday, we wen to the park for a playdate.

Literature and Poetry

We started reading Nim’s Island to go along with our Ocean theme! So far, so far. Arthur’s excited to finish so we can watch the movie version.

• Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr

• A First Book of the Sea by Nicola Davies

Math

We finished Unit 11 in Singapore Math. That leaves one more unit to finish the book.

Social Studies

We covered our last chapter in History Quest Ancient Times focusing on Arabia and the rise of Islam. We read some of the tales from the Arabian Nights. We wrapped up the week with a documentary about the ancient city of Petra.

• A is for Arabia by Julia Johnson

• The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan

Science

Our unit theme of oceans takes care of our science, but we did spend most of Monday at the garden center and then planting our purchases. The plants are in a bit of a shock, but they’re slowly acclimating.

Art

Nothing formal

Music

Nothing formal

Unit Theme

We started our month long study of ocean. We began with a review of the ocean basics before moving on currents, tides, ocean layers, the food chain, and the shoreline. Along with our regular books and videos, we started watching Blue Planet. We’ll continue through the first and the second series over the course of the month. We also found a great YouTube channel featuring a man who explores the water.

• The Earth is Mostly Ocean by Allan Fowler

• Ocean by Stacy McAnulty

• Oceans by Cathryn Sill

• Ocean Seasons by Ron Hirschi

• Oceans by Peter Benoit

• Ocean Anatomy by Julia Rothman

• DK Ocean

• Discover the Oceans by Emily Rose Oachs (Southern, Pacific, Indian, Atlantic)

• Oceans by Precious McKenzie

• Bill Nye’s Big Blue Ocean

• How Deep is the Ocean by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld

• Gone Fishing by David McLimans

• Ocean Sunlight: How Tiny Plant Feed the Seas by Molly Bang

• Shells by Cassie Meyer

• A Nature Walk at the Beach by Louise and Richard Spilsbury

• Along the Shore by John Woodward

• Tide Pool by Louise Spilsbury

• DK Shell

Misc. - Random picture books read

• Violet and Victor Write the Most Fabulous Fairy Tale by Alice Kuipers

• Grandpa’s Garden by Stella Fry

• Ocean by Britta Teckentrup

• The Water Dragon by Li Jian

• These Seas Count by Alison Formento

• The Big Beach Cleanup by Charlotte Offsay

• The Three Little Pigs Count to 100 by Grace Maccarone

• Boats on the Bay by Jeanne Walker Harvey

• Blue Floats Away by Travis Jonker

• Where is Spring by Yang-Huan

• Fish Eyes by Lois Ehlert

• Octopus Stew by Eric Velasquez

• What’s Inside a Flower by Rachel Ignotofsky

• Sea Bones by Bob Barner

• Crab Cake by Andrea Tsurumi

• Someday, Narwhal by Lisa Mantchev

• Seagrass Dreams by Kathleen M. Hanes

Highs

• We had such a fun time playing with our new friends. After a year in quarantine, it’s been nice to get out even a little bit. We are still masking up and keeping our distance, but park playdates and other outside activities are on our schedule.

Lows

• I hadn’t planned on spending all Monday doing gardening activities. Arthur enjoyed the gardening, but it pushed back all of our schooling.

Next Week

We’re continuing oceans and Nim’s Island. We’ll be starting an American folk music unit for music and finishing Singapore Math 2B. As for outings, we’ll b doing a park playdate and visiting the treehouses at Arbor Day Farm.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Emarosa "Helpless"

A random find from Sirius XM’s The Emo Project. I’m really enjoying this one…

2021 Desserts and Snacks - March and April

Week 7: Breakfast Milk Tea and Honey Pound Cake

This was decent, although a bit too dense. I am going to have to try it again sometime.

Recipe used from Lady & Pups

Week 8: Apple Butter Crumble Cake

Nice recipe, but a bit too dry and crumbly. Maybe another recipe.

Recipe used from Inside the Bru Crew Life

Week 9: Marble Pound Cake

Delicious! I really really loved the taste of this one, even if it didn’t look very pretty.

Recipe used from Munaty Cooking

Week 10: Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Oh so incredibly good! Definitely making this one again.

Recipe used from Shutterbean

Week 11: Orange and Cardamom Muffins

Definitely landing on our Top 10 for the year! We loved these not super sweet muffins.

Recipe used from The View from Great Island

Week 12: Ina Garten’s Brownie Pudding

As long as you add some ice cream, this is delicious. Definitely cannot eat this plain.

Recipe used from The View from Great Island

Week 13: Maamoul (Arabian Date Filled Cookies)

Did not turn out correctly at all, but the taste was good. If we get a new oven, I’ll try this one again.

Recipe used from Curious Cuisinière

Life Right Now #14

As I look outside my window: It’s a bit overcast today. The forecast calls for high temps until this evening when the rain comes.

Right now I am: Finishing a Sicilian Orange Breakfast Cake in the oven before cleaning up the laundry room from yesterday’s painting.

Thinking and pondering: What should we put on our Summer Bucket List? I completely spaced on a spring list and really want to make sure to get a summer list. I think I need to enlist the help of the kids.

On my bedside table: The Toll by Neal Shusterman; Still Life by Louise Penny; In the Hurricane’s Eye by Nathaniel Philbrick

On my tv this week: We watched some Star Trek and then switched over to finally watching The Queen’s Gambit. I’m very intrigued…

Listening to: Nothing much except a few podcasts and my Apple Music favorites playlist. I love how it updates every week so I get a slightly different mix.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Teriyaki Chicken and Rice

• Tuesday - Grilled Cheese (not sure what kind yet)

• Wednesday - Blackened Salmon

• Thursday - Leftovers

• Friday - Coffee Rubbed Pork Loin

• Saturday - Pizza Night?

• Sunday - Chorba Frik

On my to do list: I need to do a brain dump in Roam today to catch all the little things. I do know that I want to wallpaper the built-ins and make a plan for shelving in the laundry room. The Container Store is having a closet sale and I want to take advantage of the sale prices.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Library and grocery runs while it rains

• Tuesday - Park Playdate

• Wednesday - Normal day

• Thursday - Dentist appointment for me for my permanent bridge!

• Friday - Trip to Arbor Day Farm!

• Saturday - Normal day

• Sunday - Normal day

What I am creating: Mostly lesson plans right now. I haven’t crafted for me in forever. Hoping to do that soon.

My simple pleasures: Finished curriculum folders, nice white walls, a cool breeze

Looking around the house: We are installing the new washer and dryer in the freshly painted laundry room today. Hopefully that means that I can do laundry tomorrow. The room went from a terrible beige to a nice warm white. It even looks good in the dark. Now if I can paint the rest of my interior walls that same color, I would be so much happier.

From the camera: I picked up Ocean by Stacy McAnulty to go along with the rest of the series (Earth, Moon, Sun, and Mars). I loved the illustrations so much!