Life Right Now #9

As I look outside my window: It’s bright and sunny and the temps are going to be in the mid-60s today. So much better than the high of 10 on Thursday.

Right now I am: Ready to settle in with my current book

On my bedside table: Lots of Middle Grade Novels for the rest of March!

On my tv this week: We started watching two great shows, one hilarious and one very weird and serious but amazing: Our Flag Means Death and Severance.

Listening to: Just my usual podcasts. But I did find a new podcast called The Rise and Fall of Lularoe. Definitely starting this one next week!

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Honey Lime Jalapeño Chicken

• Tuesday - Coffee Rubbed Pork Loin

• Wednesday - Lemon Dill Capellini Salmon

• Thursday - Leftovers

• Friday - Jalapeño Popper Bacon Bean Soup

• Saturday - Grilled Cheese Night

• Sunday - Mosterdsoep

On my to do list: I need to put some random things away, finish the laundry, clean the kitchen

Happening this week:

• Monday - Home School Day

• Tuesday - Errands morning and then School Day

• Wednesday - Schramm Hike (trying again with a better forecast)

• Thursday - Coop

• Friday - Fire Station Tour; Lit Society

• Saturday - Home Day; D&D

• Sunday - Home Day

What I am creating: I finished February’s Memory Planner pages yesterday. So that means that today I want to work on my birthday insert page.

My simple pleasures: Banana bread, reading a book in one sitting, a bit of quet

Looking around the house: I did a mad vacuum yesterday, but I would love f0r the kids to clean the playroom so that could get vacuumed.

From the camera: During our family game night, Arthur rolled 5 skulls! We were playing HeroQuest and with the wizard’s spell and five skulls, he immediately decimated the dread knight. Amazing!

Fierce Fairytales by Nikita Gill

Title: Fierce Fairytales: Poems and Stories to Stir Your Soul

Author: Nikita Gill

Publisher: Hachette Books 2018

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 176

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Seasonal TBR

Traditional fairytales are rife with cliches and gender stereotypes: beautiful, silent princesses; ugly, jealous, and bitter villainesses; girls who need rescuing; and men who take all the glory.

But in this rousing new prose and poetry collection, Nikita Gill gives Once Upon a Time a much-needed modern makeover. Through her gorgeous reimagining of fairytale classics and spellbinding original tales, she dismantles the old-fashioned tropes that have been ingrained in our minds. In this book, gone are the docile women and male saviors. Instead, lines blur between heroes and villains. You will meet fearless princesses, a new kind of wolf lurking in the concrete jungle, and an independent Gretel who can bring down monsters on her own.

A friend read this one and loved it and it sounded right up my alley. We get a beautiful collection of subversive takes on classic fairytales. Told in verse and in prose, we examine the motivations and histories of many villains and heroines. I especially loved the few centered on Alice in Wonderland. Towards the end of the collection, Gil moves out of the realm of fairy tales to deal with modern feminism. I was absolutely enthralled by this collection. So much so that I think I need to own this in physical form.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Electric Idol by Katee Robert

Title: Electric Idol (Dark Olympus #2)

Author: Katee Robert

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca 2022

Genre: Romance

Pages: 375

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Seasonal TBR

In the ultra-modern city of Olympus, there's always a price to pay. Psyche Dimitriou knew she'd have to face Aphrodite's jealous rage eventually, but she never expected her literal heart to be at stake...or for Aphrodite's gorgeous son to be the one ordered to strike the killing blow.

Eros has no problem shedding blood. Raised to be his mother's knife in the dark, he's been conditioned to accept that he's more monster than man. But when it comes time to take out his latest target...he can't do it. Confused by his reaction to Psyche's unexpected kindness, he does the only thing he can think of to keep her safe: he binds her to him, body and soul.

Psyche didn't expect to find herself married to the glittering city's most dangerous killer, but something about Eros wakens a fire inside her she's never felt before. As lines blur and loyalties shift, Psyche realizes Eros might take her heart after all...and she's not sure she can survive the loss.

I went from a light and frothy romcom to a very steamy thriller romance. Now that’s more like it. I enjoyed the first book in the series and was looking forward to Psyche and Eros’s romance. We get to see more of the Thirteen and their political machinations. I have really enjoyed that part of the series. And then we get to the actually romance. I really enjoyed getting to know Eros and Psyche. They were a great enemies to lovers situation. Their particular brand of romance wasn’t as exciting to me as Hades and Persephone, but still enjoyable. I spend through this volume desperately wanting to see how they would outwit Aphrodite. Overall a very enjoyable steamy romance.

Dark Olympus

• #1 Neon Gods

• #2 Electric Idol

• #3 Wicked Beauty

Next up on the TBR pile:

To Sir, With Love by Lauren Layne

Title: To Sir, With Love

Author: Lauren Layne

Publisher: Gallery Books 2021

Genre: Romance

Pages: 288

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Perpetually cheerful and eager to please, Gracie Cooper strives to make the best out of every situation. So when her father dies just months after a lung cancer diagnosis, she sets aside her dreams of pursuing her passion for art to take over his Midtown Manhattan champagne shop. She soon finds out that the store’s profit margins are being squeezed perilously tight, and complicating matters further, a giant corporation headed by the impossibly handsome, but irritatingly arrogant Sebastian Andrews is proposing a buyout. But Gracie can’t bear the thought of throwing away her father’s dream like she did her own.

Overwhelmed and not wanting to admit to her friends or family that she’s having second thoughts about the shop, Gracie seeks advice and solace from someone she’s never met—the faceless “Sir”, with whom she connected on a blind dating app where matches get to know each other through messages and common interests before exchanging real names or photos.

But although Gracie finds herself slowly falling for Sir online, she has no idea she’s already met him in real life…and they can’t stand each other.

My favorite podcast recommended this contemporary romance as a fun re-envisioning of You’ve Got Mail and this totally is that. Right away we get a strong connection to the fun story and I knew how it would end. But this is all about the journey. I loved diving into Gracie’s life in New York and connecting with her friends and family. From there, of course we need a wonderful meet-cute with Sebastian. I loved him immediately, all straight-laced corporate man. It was delight getting to know them. The book ends with a happily ever after, but that was known in the beginning. This one is all rom-com with no real spice, but still a lot of fun.

Next up on the TBR pile:

I Hope This Finds You Well by Kate Baer

Title: I Hope This Finds You Well Poems

Author: Kate Baer

Publisher: Harper Perennial 2021

Genre: Poetry Collection

Pages: 80

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

“I'm sure you could benefit from jumping on a treadmill”

“Women WANT a male leader . . . It’s honest to god the basic human playbook”

These are some of the thousands of messages that Kate Baer has received online. Like countless other writers—particularly women—with profiles on the internet, as Kate’s online presence grew, so did the darker messages crowding her inbox. These missives from strangers have ranged from “advice” and opinions to outright harassment. 

At first, these messages resulted in an immediate delete and block. Until, on a whim, Kate decided to transform the cruelty into art, using it to create fresh and intriguing poems. These pieces, along with ones made from notes of gratitude and love, as well as from the words of public figures, have become some of her most beloved work. 

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg

Title: The Kingdom

Author: Jess Rothenberg

Publisher: Henry Holt 2019

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 352

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Seasonal TBR

Glimmering like a jewel behind its gateway, The Kingdom™ is an immersive fantasy theme park where guests soar on virtual dragons, castles loom like giants, and bioengineered species—formerly extinct—roam free.

Ana is one of seven Fantasists, beautiful “princesses” engineered to make dreams come true. When she meets park employee Owen, Ana begins to experience emotions beyond her programming including, for the first time… love.

But the fairytale becomes a nightmare when Ana is accused of murdering Owen, igniting the trial of the century. Through courtroom testimony, interviews, and Ana’s memories of Owen, emerges a tale of love, lies, and cruelty—and what it truly means to be human.

I was pitched that this was a young adult version of Westworld, and it definitely is! We get a seemingly perfect amusement park full of technological advancements. I loved the world building in this book. We really get a sense of the park and the different environments we can encounter. Once we establish some of the world, we get to follow Ana as she slowly starts to unravel her own thoughts and feelings. And the lingering mystery of who died and who killed them. The book is completely fun popcorn adventure, but I still loved reading it. The story was highly enjoyable and the characters were fun.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #4

Reading: A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske. I’m really digging this book full of magic, romance and mystery.

Watching: We finally watched Train to Busan and it was amazing! Of course, I had to pick a zombie movie for my birthday movie choice.

Listening: Been rocking my Apple Favorites playlist. Sometimes the mix is a bit strange, but I love it.

Making: I have a video chat scheduled with another coop member to discuss strategies moving forward. We’ll see how it goes…

Feeling: My birthday day out was amazing and felted me feel slightly refreshed.

Planning: I’ve been thinking about what events we want to plan for this spring. Of course, I’m banking on the pandemic to continue to get better. I’m hoping that we can do a couple day trip to Des Moines or KC and maybe a family trip to Chicago.

Loving: I bought myself some great presents on my birthday day out. I think my favorite might be my Frida Kahlo doll.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W24: 5 1/2 Hours Outside in One Day!

What We Studied

Arthur started the week sick canceling out planned zoo day. We did spend all day Tuesday outside and had our usual coop.

**Turns out I took basically no pictures last week. It was a strange week for us (mentally) and I just didn’t get pictures taken. Oh well. I promise we still did things.

Literature and Poetry

While continuing to read Aru Shah, we also started our unit on American Tall Tales. We’re focusing on one character per tale and reading a variety of tales and information while working through a companion packet I found. We’ll be continuing this into next week also.

• Are Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi

• American Tall Tales by Mary Pope Osborne

• The 12 Most Amazing American Myths and Legends by Anita Yasuda

• Davy Crockett Saves the World by Rosalyn Schanzer

• Davy Crockett and the Great Mississippi Snag by Cari Meister

• Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind by Steven Kellogg

• Thunder Rose by Jerdine Nolan

• Johnny Appleseed by Steven Kellogg

• Johnny Appleseed by Reeve Lindbergh

• The Story of Johnny Appleseed by Aliki

• Johnny Appleseed by Rosemary and Stephen Vincent Benet

• Johnny Appleseed Plants Trees Across the Land by Eric Braun

• Outside Your Window by Nicola Davies (Winter and Spring sections)

Math

Arthur’s still sitting with 3B Unit 9 covering fractions. We finished the lessons and did some extra practice. We’ll be wrapping this up next week, but I’m sure we’ll revisit later this spring.

• Logic Countdown

Social Studies

This chapter of History Quest focused on the Inca Civilization. We’ve watched enough documentaries previously, that this was almost a review for Arthur. He still learned a bit about their farming practices, and we still had a good time reading and looking up pictures.

• DK Timelines of Everyone

• When on Earth

• DK History

• DK Timelines of Everything

• DK Explorers

• Where is Machu Picchu? by Megan Stine

• Inca by Lawrence Kovacs

• Ancient Civilizations: Aztecs, Maya, Incas! by Anita Yasuda

• Ancient Incas by Michael Burgan

• Myths, Legends, and Sacred Stories

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

Coop was all about space. The littles group made watercolor salt space paintings and talked about space travel. The other older group finished their lap books about the solar system. At home, we did some review about space.

For our actual health unit, we talking about our senses and how they work. Lots of pointing out examples of using our senses throughout the week.

• My Five Senses by Aliki

• iDiscover the Body by Carolyn Scrace

• My Amazing Body by Ruth Martin & Allan Sanders

• My Body by Martha E.H. Rustad

House down the street had to remove a tree and now has a holiday themed inflatable every month. We stopped by after our park day.

Art/Music

None this week

Quentin

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

ELA

• Nick and Nack Blow Bubbles by Brandon Budzi

• There is a Town by Gail Herman

• Little Penguin and the mysterious Object by Tadgh Bentley

• The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt

• High Five August 2018

Math

• Lollipop Logic Book 1

Other

• I Spy Learn and Go

Field Trip

None this week

Documentary Selection

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

Misc. Picture Books Read

• Snow Dance by Erica Farber (Q read to me)

• This Book is Gray by Lindsay Ward

• The Love Letter by Anika Aldamuy Denise

• Big Snow by Jonathan Bean

• Love by Matt de la Pena

• Eyes that Speak to the Stars by Joanna Ho

• Goldi Rocks and the Three Bears by Corey Rosen Schwartz

• If You were a Panda Bear by Wendell and Florence Minor

• Puppy by Keith Graves

• Negative Cat by Sophie Blackall

• The Great Puppy Invasion by Alastair Heim

High

• We had a park playdate on Tuesday morning and then added another park playdate that afternoon. We basically spent all of Tuesday outside and it was amazing! We added to our outside hours and just enjoyed the break in the weather. For reference, last night it froze and snowed almost 2 inches. A little different from the temps in the 60s this past week.

Low

• Arthur got sick on Monday morning (food related, not COVID related) and we had to cancel our zoo day. We’re hoping to go again this Wednesday, but it really put a damper on our day.
  

Next Week

• Starting 3B Unit 10 for math

• Finishing reading Aru Shah and covering American Tall Tales

• Covering the Renaissance for history

• Diving into the farm for Quentin’s big unit

• Exploring the paintings of Rosa Bonheur

• Taking a break from coop (scheduled week off)
  

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Muse "Won't Stand Down"

Really digging this new song from Muse. And Quentin is a huge fan.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #8

As I look outside my window: It’s still very overcast and cold out after yesterday’s storms. It’ll be cold for my birthday day out, but at least the rain stopped.

Right now I am: Getting ready to leave for my day out.

On my bedside table: Lore by Alexandra Bracken; Gilded by Marissa Meyer

On my tv this week: We’ve watched a few decent movies this past week and started Severance S1.

Listening to: Nothing much except for my usual podcasts.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Chicken and Noodles

• Tuesday - Ham and Cheese Croissants

• Wednesday - Jalapeño Popper Bacon and Bean Soup

• Thursday - Coffee-Rubbed Pork Loin

• Friday - Leftovers

• Saturday - Ranch Cheddar Chicken

• Sunday - Lemon Dill Capellini Salmon

On my to do list: I’m certain that I have a list, but I have completely forgotten what is on the list. Guess I need a refresher.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Regular School Day

• Tuesday - Dentist for kids; Park playdate

• Wednesday - Zoo Day

• Thursday - Regular School Day

• Friday - Schramm Hike Day

• Saturday - Home Day

• Sunday - Home day

What I am creating: After a bit of a break, I’m back to working on my 2022 Memory Planner.

My simple pleasures: German Chocolate Cake, book shopping, a new puzzle

Looking around the house: I should really vacuum the downstairs tomorrow morning.

From the camera: Yummy birthday cake for me.

Clean Air by Sarah Blake

Title: Clean Air

Author: Sarah Blake

Publisher: Algonquin Books 2022

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 320

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

The climate apocalypse has come and gone, and in the end it wasn't the temperature climbing or the waters rising. It was the trees. They created enough pollen to render the air unbreathable, and the world became overgrown.

In the decades since the event known as the Turning, humanity has rebuilt, and Izabel has grown used to the airtight domes that now contain her life. She raises her young daughter, Cami, and attempts to make peace with her mother's death. She tries hard to be satisfied with this safe, prosperous new world, but instead she just feels stuck.

And then the tranquility of her town is shattered. Someone—a serial killer—starts slashing through the domes at night, exposing people to the deadly pollen. At the same time, Cami begins sleep-talking, having whole conversations about the murders that she doesn't remember after she wakes. Izabel becomes fixated on the killer, on both tracking him down and understanding him. What could compel someone to take so many lives after years dedicated to sheer survival, with society finally flourishing again?

A bit of mixed bag with this one. I was intrigued by the post-apocalypse setup and was intrigued by the murder mystery aspect of it. I love good disaster dystopian novel and this one seemed to fit the bill. I enjoyed the world-building and the murder mystery aspects. I was on the edge of my seat to figure out exactly who was killing people in the neighborhood. Those sections were done well. I was less interested with Isabel and her reactions to life and the murders. Her constant cycling through apathy and anxiety left me tired. It felt odd to me to follow someone who is having very PTSD-like symptoms ten years after the inciting events. I had a hard time connecting to her and her actions. I almost wish that we had either focused on the murders or the adjustment to a new way of life. Izabel was not the person that I wanted to follow on this journey.

Next up on the TBR pile:

All These Bodies by Kendare Blake

Title: All These Bodies

Author: Kendare Blake

Publisher: Quill Tree Books 2021

Genre: YA Thriller

Pages: 304

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Summer 1958. A gruesome killer plagues the Midwest, leaving behind a trail of bodies completely drained of blood. 

Michael Jensen, an aspiring journalist whose father happens to be the town sheriff, never imagined that the Bloodless Murders would come to his backyard. Not until the night the Carlson family was found murdered in their home. Marie Catherine Hale, a diminutive fifteen-year-old, was discovered at the scene—covered in blood. She is the sole suspect in custody.

Michael didn’t think that he would be part of the investigation, but he is pulled in when Marie decides that he is the only one she will confess to. As Marie recounts her version of the story, it falls to Michael to find the truth: What really happened the night that the Carlsons were killed? And how did one girl wind up in the middle of all these bodies?

Oh blergh. I went into this book thinking that it would be a spooky suspenseful young adult novel. Unfortunately, we didn’t really get any of the spook except for a few very brief scenes. Instead, we got a very stilted and strange retelling of a criminal case written by a teenage boy. I was not a fan of the voice of the book. The writing was all over the place and not well constructed. I kept getting pulled out of the story every time Michael referred to something that would happen in the future or some realization that he made at a later date. But most of the story is written in a very present sense. Beyond the writing style, I was not a fan of the story and specifically the constant misogyny. Every other page is felt like some character was saying that there was no way that Marie killed anyone because she was a, wait for it… girl. I just could not. I realize that the book is set in 1958, but it was written last year. I don’t think we need to focus on this aspect so much. And finally, we get to ending and I was completely flabbergasted. It’s a terrible ending. Such a disappointment.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• Unexpectedly warm temperatures this week meant that we spent almost all Tuesday outside.

• Really need to reschedule our zoo day.

• Trying to organize my itinerary for my birthday day out. I might have too many stops on my list.

• Speaking of, I’m really hoping that I can squeeze in some clothes shopping.

• I’ve finished 4 books in like 5 days. Crazy reading lately!

Next up on the TBR pile:

February New Movie Month 2022

It’s become a tradition that we spend most of February watching new-to-us movie month. We kicked off this month with a short list of about 100 movies that we wanted to watch. Due to the long running time of a few movies (Godfather extended editions and LOTR with the kids), we have a slightly lower-than-usual number for the month, but we did watch some good ones. Here’s what we watched:

The French Dispatch - Classic quirky Wes Anderson with amazing design and characters. I loved the story about the student protest the best.

House of Gucci - Oh This was so good! Lady Gaga was amazing. The fashion, the betrayals, the over-the-top personalities. I could not get enough!

The Godfather - I’ve never actually seen it and J convinced me to watch this month. Much better than I thought it was going to be. I enjoyed it. Tom is the best character!

Bad Boys for Life - Terrible, but made partially better with cocktails.

The Godfather Part II - I didn’t think it could get more serious than the first one, but it did. I loved seeing the parallels between Michael and Vito.

tick, tick… BOOM! - Andrew Garfield is amazing in this one! He clearly did his homework to play Jonathan Larson in this adaptation of Larson’s musical and life.

The King’s Man - There was a weird tone to this movie, but we enjoyed it overall.

The Godfather Part III - I actually really enjoyed this part of the trilogy.

Jesus Christ Superstar: Live Arena Tour (2012) - Completely missed this one. Tim Minchin is really the star of this production.

Fistful of Vengeance - A “sequel” to the television shoe Wu Assassins… Not great, but a couple of good scenes.

Black Friday - Terrible horror movie, but I loved it.

Parker - Turns out we’ve actually seen this, but neither one of us could remember anything about the movie.

The Royal Wedding - Terrible. This was not funny at all.

The Orange Years - This is my childhood in documentary form! Perfect capper for our month of movies.

Next Up on the TBR pile:

2021-2022 Desserts and Snacks - January and February

Week 27: Blueberry Croissant Puff

This ended up being a slightly less sweet blueberry danish and I loved it! I think I was the only one who actually ate it, but it was lovely.

Recipe used from The Girl Who Ate Everything

Week 28: Margarita Cake

This was very yummy! I will definitely make it again. And maybe this time, one of my sponges won’t break in half out of the pan making icing it a pain in the butt.

Recipe used from Southern Living

Week 29: Orange Cardamom Crumb Cake

The crumb ended up being really thick compared to the orange cake portion, and I just didn’t love it. Next time, I will cut the crumb down by at least 1/3 to help balance the flavors.

Recipe used from The View from Great Island

March 2022 Life Goals

Let’s check in on February’s goals and my progress. Wow! I actually ended up meeting all my goals for this month.

• Read 15 Books ✓

• Finish my 2021 Memory Planner ✓

• Log 10 Hours Outside ✓

• Finish Coop Tasks for Winter ✓

• Have a Movie Month ✓

• Have a Valentine’s Day Party ✓

March Goals:

• Read 15 Books

• Two Zoo Visits

• Four Park Visits

• Organize the Rest of the Homeschool Read Alouds

• Plan a Two-Day Spring Trip

Next up on the TBR pile:

February 2022 Wrap

February TBR Pile (18/22):

1. BOTM: TBD

2. Bookworms BC: (Not Reading)

3. Friend BC: Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor (reread) ✓

4. Friend BC: Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr ✓

5. Currently Reading Buddy Read: An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole ✓

6. Jane Austen Rereads: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen ✓

7. Fantasy: Gilded by Marissa Meyer

8. Horror: House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland ✓

9. Romance: Enjoy the View by Sarah Morgenthaler ✓

10. Romance: Beautiful Player by Christina Lauren ✓

11. Romance: Beautiful Beginning by Christina Lauren ✓

12. Romance: Beautiful Beloved by Christina Lauren ✓

13. Comics: Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari ✓

14. Nonfiction: How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith ✓

15. Nonfiction: Share You Stuff, I’ll Go First

16. Mystery/Thriller: The Hidden by Melanie Golding

17. Kid Read Aloud: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin ✓

18. Added: Love Lessons by Christine S. Feldman ✓

19. Added: Playing Cupid by Christine S. Feldman ✓

20. Added: Fuzz by Mary Roach ✓

21. Added: The Girls in the Stilt House by Kelly Mustian ✓

22. Added: Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire ✓

23. Added: Everyone You Hate is Going to Die by Daniel Sloss ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 5052 pages
Pages Remaining: 424,499 pages

Current Read - Clean Air by Sarah Blake

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (1) - I picked up The Rosie Project at Half Price Books last week. I went in to get some kid stuff, but I couldn’t resist looking at the clearance section. Next month, my number is going to be very high as I have a Book Outlet order coming and it’s my birthday month. I always get some books for my birthday.

UnRead Shelf Progress

• Starting Number: 303

• Books Read: 1 (House of Hollow)

• Books Acquired: 1 (The Rosie Project)

• Books Unshelved: 0

• Finishing Number: 303

March TBR Pile: My March pile has exploded a bit… Let’s see how many of these I actually get to.

1. BOTM: TBD

2. Bookworms BC March:: (already read)

3. Bookworms BC April: The Necromancer’s Lament by David Balog

4. Friend BC March: (already read)

5. Friend BC April: Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey

6. Currently Reading Buddy Read: The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

7. Jane Austen Rereads: Sense and Sensibility

8. Fantasy: The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg

9. Fantasy: Lore by Alexandra Bracken

10. Fantasy: Gilded by Marissa Meyer

11. Horror: All These Bodies by Kendare Blake

12. Romance: Electric Idol by Katee Robert

13. Romance: If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy

14. Romance: To Sir, with Love by Lauren Layne

15. Nonfiction: The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

16. Mystery/Thriller: The Hidden by Melanie Golding

17. Science Fiction: The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield

18. Science Fiction: Clean Air by Sarah Blake

19. Science Fiction: Even Greater Mistakes by Charlie Jane Anders

20. Science Fiction: A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor

21. Poetry: I Hope This Finds You Well by Kate Baer

Movies watched - We had February Movie Month. Check out my wrap up of everything we watched here.

TV Shows watched 

• Hustle S7

• Resident Alien S2

• Last Week Tonight

Comments - Great reading month for numbers, not so great when it comes to great reads. Oh well. I did have six five star reads this months and we watched some interesting movies. Overall, February was a good month.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W23: A Break and a Regular Week Combined

What We Studied

We had our “winter break” two weeks back. Instead of continuing our regularly scheduled studies, we focused on some side projects and other activities. Plus, we had multiple outings that week. Arthur wasn’t a huge fan of our alternative schedule, but that’s okay, it helped me catch a breath. Last week, we were back to our usual routine.

Literature and Poetry

We started our fill-in read aloud of Aru Shah. It was nice to see Arthur make some connections to our previous history units about India. We also covered Immigrant Trickster Tales. I especially loved the Creole versions of stories.

• Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi

• ICE! Poems About Polar Life by Douglas Florian

• Scranimals by Jack Prelutsky

• Trickster Tales

Math

We moved through 3B Unit 9 on fractions. Mostly it was a review, but at the end the chapter moved into different denominators and simplifying fractions. We are going to stay with that topic into next week. We also did some winter shape tangrams (always a hit!) and LEGO challenges,.

• Logic Liftoff

Social Studies

During break week, we learned about bit more about Black History and specifically how black people were (and still are) treated in this country. Tough subjects, but a good small introduction for the kids.

• 28 Days: Moments in Black History that Changed the World by Charles R. Smith Jr

• Your Legacy: A Bold Reclaiming of Our Enslaved History by Scheme Williams

• Born on the Water by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renee Watson

• The ABCs of Black History by Rio Cortez

This chapter of History Quest focused on the Aztec culture. Arthur really enjoyed learning more about them and what Mexico City looks like now.

• DK Timelines of Everyone

• When on Earth

• DK History

• DK Timelines of Everything

• The Aztec Empire by Sunita Apte

• The Aztec Empire by Ellis Roxburgh

• The Princess and the Warrior: A Tale of Two Volcanoes by Duncan Tonatiuh

• Ancient Aztec: Archaeology Unlocks the Secrets of Mexico's Past by Time Cooke

• Ancient Civilizations: Aztec, Maya, Incas! by Anita Yasuda

Arthur Independent Time

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

Science and STEAM Coop

For coop we finished our Black History theme with stations about some famous people and their accomplishments. Last Thursday we started our space theme and Arthur got to show off all this random space facts. The actual meeting was a bit chaotic due to other issues, but the lesson itself was great.

In our own studies, we talked about anatomy and did some basics. Quentin loved the StoryBots episodes about the human body. We will continue this a bit into next week.

Art/Music

We covered Pierre Auguste Renoir and the idea of the Impressionist movement. We looked at a ton of his paintings, read about his life, and made our own versions. Q likes looking at the art, but not really making his own.

• Katie Meets the Impressionists by James Mayhew

Quentin

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

ELA

• Biscuit Visits the Big City by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (Q reads)

• Miffy Can Play by RJ Cregg (Q reads)

• Max Finds an Egg by Wiley Blevins (Q reads)

• Nick and Nack See the Stars by Brandon Budzi

• Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss

• A Potato on a Bike by Elisa Gravel

• Truck Parade by Melinda Melton Crow (Q reads)

• Monkey Play by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (Q reads)

• Nick and Nack Float a Boat by Brandon Budzi (Q reads)

• Biscuit Flies a Kite by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (Q reads)

• I Like Fish by Margaret Wise Brown (Q reads)

Math

• Lollipop Logic Book 1

• Winter Shape Tangrams

Other

• The Sun is My Favorite Star by Frank Asch

Field Trip

We visited the UNO Planetarium for a private showing with our coop friends. We got to see a fun video about the Parker Solar Probe, an in-depth look at the solar system, and some constellations. I do enjoy planetariums and super excited that we got to secure a private showing for the group (and the pricing wasn’t bad).

Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies. During break week we watched a NOVA episode about “The Ship that Changed the World.” Fascinating look at how shipbuilding changed in the age of exploration.

Boys joined us for Lord of the Rings trivia

Misc. Picture Books Read

• Thankful by Eileen Spinelli

• My Pet Wants a Pet by Elisa Broach

• The Thank You Letter by Jane Cabrera

• Arlo Draws an Octopus by Lori Mortensen

• Can Anybody Hear Me? by Jessica Meserve

• The Word Pirates by Susan Cooper

• The Zebra-Riding Cowboy by Angela Shelf Medearis

• Tad and Dad by David Ezra Stein

• Wild About Books by Judy Sierra

• It Fell from the Sky by The Fan Brothers

• What Will Fat Cat Sit On? by Jan Thomas

• Sheep Count Flowers by Micaela Chirif

• Truck Stop by Anne Rockwell

• Wolves by Emily Gravett

• Into the Snow by Yuki Kaneko

• There was a Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow by Lucille Colandro

• The Pied Piper's Magic by Steven Kellogg

High

• During our break week, we visited the zoo, had a park playdate, and attended the coop Valentine’s Day party. We packed multiple outings into one week! By the end we were tired, but happy.

Low

• Unfortunately, Arthur scratched his glasses during our park playdate. Not great at all. They are still under the protection plan, so new lenses have been ordered and should be here early next week.

Selfie at the Planetarium

Next Week

• Finishing 3B Unit 9 for math

• Finishing reading Aru Shah and starting our American Folk Tales unit

• Covering space for coop again

• Going south to the Andes Mountains for the Inca civilization for history

• Introducing the paintings of Rosa Bonheur

• Continuing to work on phonics for Quentin

• Fitting in one zoo, two park playdates, and a grocery run

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - The Rumjacks "Across the Water"

I found a new band on the Apple Music New Hard Rock playlist and am so in love with with this sound! I had to download their newest album immediately.

Everyone You Hate is Going to Die by Daniel Sloss

Title: Everyone You Hate is Going to Die

Author: Daniel Sloss

Publisher: Knopf 2021

Genre: Memoir; Comedy

Pages: 259

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Winter TBR

Daniel Sloss's stand-up comedy engages, enrages, offends, unsettles, educates, comforts, and gets audiences roaring with laughter—all at the same time. In his groundbreaking specials, seen on Netflix and HBO, he has brilliantly tackled everything from male toxicity and friendship to love, romance, and marriage—and claims (with the data to back it up) that his on-stage laser-like dissection of relationships has single-handedly caused more than 300 divorces and 120,000 breakups.

Now, in his first book, he picks up where his specials left off, and goes after every conceivable kind of relationship—with one's country (Sloss's is Scotland); with America; with lovers, ex-lovers, ex-lovers who you hate, ex-lovers who hate you; with parents; with best friends (male and female), not-best friends; with children; with siblings; and even with the global pandemic and our own mortality. In Everyone You Hate Is Going to Die, every human connection gets the brutally funny (and unfailingly incisive) Sloss treatment as he illuminates the ways in which all of our relationships are fragile and ridiculous and awful—but also valuable and meaningful and important.

At Christmas, my mother was raving about this one and demanded that I read this one. I had a bit of hesitation as I’m not usually fan of memoirs and comedy, but I thought that I would give it a try. There were funny passages and I did enjoy some the chapters. However, I didn’t love it and wasn’t ever desperate to get back to reading the book. Sloss’s voice swerved to grating at times and the casual arrogance was a bit much. I just didn’t love reading this one. I might enjoy his standup special, but reading the book form was not the best.

Next up on the TBR pile: