Currently #5

Reading: I picked up The Drift by CJ Tudor after a recommendation from my favorite book podcast. It is definitely a thrill ride!

Watching: J and I finally started the documentary series McMillion$ about the McDonald’s Monopoly fraud scandal. It just took a very serious turn and we are floored.

Listening: I went back to the beginning of 99PI (over 10 years ago) and started listening to the very old episodes. The oldest ones are around 5 minutes each, so I knocked out a ton this weekend. It’s easy to throw in a few while making dinner and picking up the house.

Making: I made a meal plan for this week and into next’s and now I’m just not feeling the meals I put on there. Scrapping it and making new plans this week.

Feeling: Not sure why, but I’m feeling really strung out and at my limit this week. I should probably take a few minutes today to figure out why.

Planning: I’ve moved on to starting the basic planning for next year’s homeschool curriculum. My favorite companies had their spring sales this month so I grabbed some things I knew we would use. Now I’m working on our literature lists.

Loving: We’ve been on a library hold tear this month. So many books! But I love going and getting a new bag of books to check out and work through.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #4

Reading: The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler - I’m so in deep into this science fiction adventure. It’s so good.

Watching: We’re finishing Brave New World and it’s just so dramatic.

Listening: I finally downloaded the Gorillaz new album. Definitely a masterpiece.

Making: Instead of scones, I’m making banana bread this week. I might end up making a chocolate chip version also.

Feeling: I had my birthday day out on Sunday and I’m feeling refreshed.

Planning: With the huge increase in attendees, I’m updating my games plan. We’re going to spread out the activities and maybe make some new games.

Loving: I did a bit of shopping on Sunday and bought some pieces to update my closet. I ended up with just some basic pieces, but they should be good replacements for some things that are being worn out.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #3

Reading: In the middle of Death in the Air by Kate Winkler Dawson. It’s a narrative history weaving together the killer 1952 London smog and a serial killer. Interesting, but the writing structure could use a bit of work.

Watching: While looking at something else, I stumbled across a limited series that adapted Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. Of course, we had to start watching. Only two episodes in, but the creators have done an interesting job trying to fill out the world. We’ll keep watching.

Listening: I finally downloaded Paramore’s new album, and it’s been my go-to listen this week.

Making: I’m hosting one of my book club’s this month and need to make some discussion questions. Of course the book I chose does not have premade questions. That’s okay, I can do this, just need to sit down and collect my thoughts.

Feeling: All weekend and into this week I’ve been very tired. Not sure why…

Planning: We’ve cycled back and I’m up for teaching science for the next two weeks. We’re covering electricity - static and circuits.

Loving: Finding the time to sit in silence and read these past few days have been a life-saver.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #2

Reading: Babel by R.F. Kuang - We’re reading this for my Nerdy Bookish Friends buddy read and it’s amazing so far. Definitely speculative fiction mixed with historical fiction with a dash of fantasy. I’m slowly making my way through it, but loving every page.

Watching: We’re finishing our big rewatch of His Dark Materials. The television series is a great adaptation of the books.

Listening: I’m catching up to Currently Reading. Only about three episodes behind.

Making: I keep forgetting about various documentaries we own that would be perfect for our homeschooling. So, I’m making a master list to slot into the places they belong.

Feeling: I’m almost fully recovered from the cold that I caught last week. It was my first true cold since the pandemic started and it was awful. I couldn’t breathe for three days.

Planning: Working on the plans for the bookish retreat and I’m having so much fun. I’ve got some ideas for great treats and surprises as well as a few games.

Loving: Dealing with multiple instances of people not reading the instructions and it’s really been getting to me. I try to be as clear as possible with instructions when it comes to coop, the retreat, and everything else I plan. Just read the instructions people.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #1

Reading: I started the Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost on Saturday. And I’m totally going to keep reading the series. Fun and full of action!

Watching: J and I started on a big murder mystery movie binge and we’re really enjoying it. It started after watching Glass Onion over Christmas and watching a video about 10 classic murder mystery movies. We made a watchlist and have started moving through them.

Listening: Attempting to catch up on my regular podcasts. I got a little behind during Christmas.

Making: I’m starting to make plans for my coop section. We’re doing Engineering Challenge and I need to think of some good tasks for the kids.

Feeling: I had minor outpatient surgery yesterday. I’m definitely not feeling great, but I am on the way to recovery and feeling much better soon.

Planning: While stuck at home, I’m working on getting a meal plan for the spring next.

Loving: While I’m recovering, I’m loving the peace and quiet. J took the kids to the coop field trip at the planetarium. I am excited to just rest a bit before the kids some charging back home.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #22

Reading: You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky. I’m fully into my holiday romances for the month.

Watching: J has me start watching Leverage Redemption S1. We’ve almost finished this season and we’ll start the newly released one soon.

Listening: The boys and I have been listening to Christmas music while doing our advent activities.

Making: Today’s activity is making Christmas flavored cookies. I’m thinking Ginger Molasses and Cranberry White Chocolate.

Feeling: I had my doctor’s appointment last week and we now have a plan to tackle my persistent pain. I’m feeling a little less anxious now.

Planning: I’m nearing the end of planning our spring curriculum. Just a few sections to finish prepping. My floor is looking cleaner now.

Loving: We got new pots and pans this week and I’m very excited about the tea kettle. It’s so pretty!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #21

Reading: Finishing The Highlander Who Protected Me by Vanessa Kelly. I picked up this series because two out of the five books are Christmas themed. Just about done with the first book. They are utterly predictable, but I’m totally okay with that.

Watching: We chose Spirited as our family movie selection. Very entertaining! So entertaining that we blew past the kids’ bedtime to finish the movie.

Listening: Very much obsessed with Michael Hobbes’ new podcast If Books Could Kill.

Making: Working on twice-baked sweet potatoes for our Thanksgiving. Love that these are easy to make early for Thanksgiving.

Feeling: I have not been sleeping well lately at all. I am tired. It was help if my body would stop waking me up at 7am when I have no where to be.

Planning: I’m hosting the Coop’s Christmas Party again this year. I got a lead on a Vegan GF baker to make us some cut-out sugar cookies. And I’ve ordered dairy-free hot chocolate mix. Now I need to organize the games and crafts.

Loving: The kids have been playing their own animal show most evenings. Basically they play charades but only do animals.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #20

Reading: I’m getting closer to finishing Fairy Tale by Stephen King for a my Nerdy Bookish Friends book club. Overall, it’s been good, but King is a bit too long-winded for my tastes.

Watching: We’ve been on a Bollywood kick lately. Very over the top movies, but I’m loving it.

Listening: I got in a weird mood the other day and wanted to listen to some 70s women-led rock. So I downloaded all of Heart’s albums and binged listened. So good.

Making: For brunch I made blueberry sour cream coffee cake. Now I want to make all the different kinds of coffee cake. Perfect for these chilly Sunday mornings.

Feeling: We are in hibernation mode this week. Curling up with a good book and a cup of tea is just right.

Planning: I’m working on our Christmas plans. I need to formulate our Christmas advent and start making travel pans.

Loving: I’m all about the weird books lately. I finished Comfort Me with Apples on Sunday and Mrs. Caliban yesterday. Both were very strange.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #19

Reading: I finally grabbed My Favorite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris from the library. I’m really loving the drawings and the mystery involved in the passages.

Watching: We transitioned from Spooky Movie Month to Spooky Movie Series Month. We watched the Underworld series and Blade series. Now we are in the middle of the Alien and Predator series.

Listening: Catching up on the back episodes of Currently Reading. Somehow I got behind by 6 episodes or so.

Making: The weather turned chilly, so that means that I’m making all the soups this season. We had very yummy baked potato soup last night.

Feeling: Today the high is 45 degrees and we are planning on being outside all day at Arbor Day Farm. I foresee being very chilly today.

Planning: We’re fast approaching Halloween and I’m filling in our activities.

Loving: I pulled out a puzzle for this weekend. Haven’t done of these in awhile. I was very excited to get back to puzzling.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #18

Reading: Somehow I currently have five different books that I’m currently reading (not counting the kid read aloud). I’m reading The Girl and the Goddess, The Yoga Store Murder, The 1619 Project, Fledgling, and her Majesty’s Royal Coven.

Watching: It’s another Spooky Movie Month and we kicked it off with a terrible choice (Morbius) and a rewatch to attempt to finish a series (Underworld).

Listening: I am finally finishing Unobscured S4 about Rasputin. I am learning so much about that man. Fascinating.

Making: I’m finishing up my big birthday party crafts by making sigils for shields. I have a ton to cut by Saturday.

Feeling: I spent all of yesterday at Vala’s and walked I don’t even know how many thousands of steps. I’m a bit sore today.

Planning: I’m deep into birthday party prep. Only a few more days until the big event and I still have some things to finish.

Loving: We had our third visit to Vala’s yesterday. And we have the fourth visit scheduled for tomorrow. I am aiming at going at least five times in October. It really is my happy place.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #17

Reading: I finally started The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George from my giant Unread Shelf. After multiple dark and depressing books, this might be just what I need this week.

Watching: As part of our music documentary month, we started watching Sonics Highways and I am very into the stories

Listening: After binging S3 of Unobscured about the Whitechapel murders, I quickly moved into S4 about Rasputin. I’m really enjoying this deep dive.

Making: I’m deep into birthday party planning mode. I’ve got some games and crafts that I need to finish before the actual day,

Feeling: We got our COVID boosters (J and I) on Sunday and feel like I had no ill-effects. J was done for almost 24 hours feeling terrible, but I’m totally fine. Very surprising.

Planning: Thursday we have our fall semester parent meeting and I’m finishing out my agenda. So many things to discuss.

Loving: I made coconut rum cake this past weekend and it was absolutely delightful. Will be making again and again.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #16

Reading: I grabbed an ebook of Sarah Gailey’s new book, Just Like Home. it was described as gothic horror, so of course, I needed to read it like now. I’m only about 40 pages in and the mystery has yet to really be revealed. But it definitely has a ton of atmosphere.

Watching: J and I are focusing on music documentaries and movie for September. We started watching Sonic Highways, one of the two docu-series done by the Foo Fighters. I’m loving this look at different music scenes and people around the country.

Listening: I’m finally catching up on my small backlog of Currently Reading podcast episodes.

Making: Working through my August Memory Planner pages. I’m hoping to stay on top of this throughout the end of this year.

Feeling: The boys and I are doing a weekend trip to Des Moines starting on Friday. We all want to go now. Unfortunately, we still have to get through today, Wednesday, and Thursday.

Planning: Slowly planning out the boys’ birthday party in early October. We’re doing a Knights of the Round Table theme.

Loving: Sometimes I want a bit of sweetness in my iced tea, but don’t really want proper sweet tea. So excited that Gold Peak sells Slightly Sweet Tea. So good!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #15

Reading: Almost finished with Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley. I started Sunday and have had a hard time putting it down to do house tasks. Can’t wait to discuss this with book club in a few weeks.

Watching: For family movie night, we started watching Ms. Marvel. I am loving the styling!

Listening: I finally started listening to Mother Country Radicals from Crooked Media about the Weather Underground. I knew very little about this group and it has been fascinating so far.

Making: Q is doing a world tour this year and we’re starting our in-depth study with North America. Part of our curriculum involves making a dish from the country. I’ve decided that we’re just going to add this idea as part of our weekly meal plan. First up is our Canada study. We will be making wild rice, maple chicken, bannock breads and blueberry crisp.

Feeling: August has been a lot. Between starting our next school year, kicking off the coop semester, and the high temperatures have left me so tired. Here’s hoping September gives me more energy.

Planning: I’m taking the kids for a long weekend to Des Moines in September. We’re starting at the Living History Farms for homeschool day and then doing a small tour of the area. I’m looking forward to our arcade visit.

Loving: We’re heading to trivia night tonight with the kids and everyone’s excited. Last time we did this as a family was back in May. And we won!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #14

Reading: Hide by Kiersten White - I totally figured out the weirdness within the first third of this book, but I’m still loving it. Almost finished.

Watching: We started The Sandman and it’s amazing! I loved the comics and the television is a beautiful adaptation of the comics.

Listening: We have a few field trips coming up and have been listening to back episodes of Eons podcast.

Making: For this week’s coop lesson, the younger groups are going to be covering rocks and minerals (biggest kids are doing plate tectonics). I’m making the rock cycle out of starburst. It is a bit time-consuming, but a very easy way to explain the rock cycle.

Feeling: The temps cooled off just a tad and I feel so much better. I can do mid-80s, I am not a fan of mid-90s.

Planning: We scrapped our bit fall family road trip (we had one in May anyway) in favor of me taking the kids for a long weekend to Des Moines. We’re going for a living history event on Friday and then staying to explore the area.

Loving: The bakery inside Baker’s makes these amazing brown butter caramel cookies, but I don’t love paying the price they are marked. Lucky me that I keep finding them on the bakery clearance rack! 50% is totally my price point for these delicious cookies.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #13

Reading: I’m about halfway through A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham. It’s a murder mystery thriller that’s not really my jam, but It was a book club pick. I’m really scared that there’s going to be some big silly twist coming soon.

Watching: While at my mom’s house, I discovered that there was another Below Deck variation that I didn’t know about. This one is set in the waters off of Australia. I most definitely added the series and started watching it. Now I have two different Below Decks to watch during lunch.

Listening: Arthur has zoo camp this week and is gone from 9am-3:30pm every day. Already Quentin has taken the opportunity to be a little chatterbox with Arthur away. So many silly conversations with him!

Making: With the start of the new coop semester and the new homeschooling year, I’ve been making a ton of Facebook events.

Feeling: I’m being stretched mentally as well as physically. I’ve got a ton of plates to juggle to get the coop started off right. And my scar tissue has been acting up leading to more stretching and uncomfortable nights.

Planning: I’m almost got everything prepped for our first Homeschool week. I still need to gather some random supplies and make the day piles, but the rest is ready to go.

Loving: With the terrible high temperatures, it was nice to have a few days of lower temperatures. More exciting was the cloud cover. It really helped to not feel like we are on the surface of the sun.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #12

Reading: I finally started reading Katherine May’s The Electricity of Every Living Thing. I absolutely loved Wintering, but am not sure how I feel about this one quite yet.

Watching: We finally started Stranger Things S4 after the Fourth of July and I just want to binge it all. We didn’t quite finish before I left for Indiana, but I may finish while there.

Listening: I loaded up a few audiobooks for my driving day. After a few podcast episodes, I started listening to The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory.

Making: I brought my Memory Planner pages to work on this week. Hoping to knock out April, May, and part of June.

Feeling: Travel always makes me feel a bit out of place. Staying at my mom’s house also makes me feel this way. We’re excited to be here, but it’s also a weird feeling.

Planning: Still working on planning curriculum for the next school year. Obviously I’m not home, so my planning is limited, but I do have a few tasks.

Loving: The boys and I had a bit driving day yesterday, but today we’re in Michigan City visiting the Indiana Dunes and the Washington Park Zoo. Loving the adventures that I have lined up for the boys and myself.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #11

Reading: I finally started reading A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. So far this has been slow-going, but I’m in it until at least the end.

Watching: We started Loot starring Maya Rudolph and it is delightful. I’m totally here for this show.

Listening: While driving to and from the retreat, I enjoyed listening to multiple episodes of 99PI. I really need to listen to that podcast more often. I always enjoy the series.

Making: Currently I’m working on a puzzle that might be worth $1 million. It’s probably a $1 puzzle, but there’s always the chance. The puzzle is a giant QR code and was labeled as medium difficulty, but it’s proving to be harder than I thought it would be.

Feeling: Rested. I really needed those few days off.

Planning: Now that the retreat is done, I’m deep into planning for our July Indiana trip.

Loving: Thinking back to the bookish retreat and loving all the great memories.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #10

Reading: Deep into The League of Gentlewomen Witches by India Holton. I loved the first in this series and this one is just as delightful. I love it!

Watching: We finally started Obi-Wan Kenobi and it just very good. I love the character of Third Sister.

Listening: Still rocking the giant shuffle of all the songs in my Apple Music account.

Making: I’ve made two batches of gazpacho so far this month. I may just have to make this every week or two weeks. It’s that good!

Feeling: After a few crazy busy weeks, things have calmed down a lot lately. I’m feeling a little calmer lately.

Planning: We’re getting so close to the retreat which means that I’m to the point of planning the games. We are doing a matching game and a pub-style trivia.

Loving: We’ve been spending less time inside and more time outside which is always great. Even better, most of the days have been spent with friends. Love it!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #9

Reading: Ali Hazelwood just published three novellas all involving women in STEM. Somehow I got all three right in a row from the library. So I’ve been on a contemporary romance kick.

Watching: We finally started S2 of The Great and it’s still utterly delightful!

Listening: My Chemical Romance dropped a new song this past week! I’m so incredibly excited!

Making: We’re leaving on a mini family vacation tomorrow and I need to finish the packing.

Feeling: After a brief drop in temperature on Sunday, we’re back to very hot temps. I am hot and tired.

Planning: A family road trip needs carefully packed snacks. We have two bags available plus a thermal for cold drinks.

Loving: Sonic’s Cherry Limeade is amazing! It’s the perfect pick-me-up for a hot long day.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #8

Reading: The Rose Code by Kate Quinn - I finally picked up Quinn’s 2021 novel about WWII and Bletchley Park. Right in time to pick up her new one from the library later this week.

Watching: We’re deep in Moon Knight and it is just amazing! I love weird Marvel.

Listening: I finally downloaded the released singles from the new Coheed and Cambria album. I cannot get the songs out of my head.

Making: I’m finally in high gear planning the bookish retreat at the end of June. Right now, I’m picking items for the goody bags. I get so excited at this point in the planning.

Feeling: It started raining yesterday and isn’t forecasted to stop until Friday or so. It’s very damp here right now.

Planning: We are having our spring parent meeting this Thursday and discussing some changes. I’m actually excited about some of our new programs.

Loving: I didn’t feel great last night so J bought me Thai Chicken Soup and it was delicious.

Next up on the TBR pile: