Friday, May 21, 2021

May 1- May 21: Summer Break Begins


The first half of the month felt like pure anticipation! We were waiting for Makayla to come home from college for the summer. She arrived the evening before Mother's Day, so we were able to attend church in person as a family for Mother's Day. We were waiting for the end of our seminary year. I made it through teaching 11 teens over Zoom in the 6am hour for an entire school year. We were waiting for the end of our homeschool year. We finished up on Thursday May 13th. It was a great year! Everyone learned a lot, made progress in different skills, and found new interests along the way. I now have a college junior (Makayla), and kids in the following grades:

  • 11th
  • 10th
  • 8th
  • 7th
  • 5th
  • 4th
  • 3rd
  • Kindergarten
  • Preschool
We have spent the week since our last day of school relaxing. 

Well, not really. 

Actually, we kicked off our summer break with injuries.



Friday the 14th Daniel had a biking accident and gouged a really bad wound into one leg. A trip to the urgent care to clean it out some, and now we're doing wound care a couple times a day for this open wound that needs to heal from the inside, out. By Sunday he was getting an infection, so we had a trip to the Emergency room to get antibiotics. 


Of course, I had been the the ER the day before, on Saturday, as well. The day after Daniel's bike accident, Samuel fell off a swing and opened up his chin on some concrete. Twelve stitches later, he's recovering. 


I had x-rays on my foot this week, too. It has been 15 weeks since I broke my foot, and it is still broken, but healing more. I'm to continue using the bone stimulator and we will check in again with x-rays in June. 


Phew! After writing four posts today, this blog is finally caught up from early March. Thank goodness for a journal that helped me remember some of what we've done in those months without posts. 

April 3 - April 30: Catching Up

 General Conference was full of inspiring, encouraging talks. I have so much to go back and study! So much counsel to take in and apply to my life. Easter was pretty quiet as it was also Conference. We just celebrated with our own immediate family.

We raised caterpillars and released
them when they were butterflies.

Monday Apr. 5th was our first day back to homeschool after spring break. It was a little rocky, as usual. Some kids move right back into routine, while others breathe fire like fierce dragons over the return of lessons. I kept things light for our first day back. Two highlights - we started Ecosystems in science with from The Good and the Beautiful, and we made it to unit four in TGTB History 3, which is all about World War II. Many of my kids are excited to really dive in and study WWII. Each child picked a chapter book to read that relates to some aspect of the war, and we refreshed our library bookshelf with a lot of WWII books kids can explore. 

The rest of the week went on slowly, with cranky kids lingering for several days. We finished the week with roasted hot dogs and smores over the fire pit on Saturday, and church on Zoom Sunday. 

Week of April 12th

Monday we learned about a fascinating project in Arizona to create a closed off system that could sustain life. It is called Biosphere 2, and we were introduced to it in our Ecosystems unit. There was a neat video about it on YouTube, and there is a website as well. The idea of Biosphere 2 is that if they can be successful, this could be recreated on another planet. 

This week I drove for the first time since January. My broken foot did okay, but is not ready for a long drive. I had to take Joseph to the orthodontist, which is not too far from our house. My husband turned 43 this week. My birthday is in two weeks. We celebrated both of us together at a family party over the weekend. 

Week of April 19th

My x-rays this week show no healing progress. My doctor got my insurance to approve a bone stimulator device. I use it for 20 minutes twice a day. Hopefully it will help this bone to finish healing. If it does not, I will need surgery. Homeschool and Seminary proceed as usual. We are really having some great conversations around WWII during history. Some of the chapter books kids have or are reading for this include:

  • The Hiding Place
  • Twenty and Ten
  • The Big Wave
  • How I Became a Spy
  • They Called Us Enemy
  • The Winged Watchman
Week of April 26th
Another quiet week homeschooling and living life. We are enjoying the more spring-like weather and playing outside.


 I turned 40 this week.

March 27 - April 2: Easter and General Conference Prep


 Saturday we had a family cookout with some extended family. Lots of talking, family time, and laughs. Later that evening we began General Conference and Easter prep. Both events happen next weekend, and we spend the week leading up to them studying and preparing as a family. 

Sunday was another round of church on Zoom. For Conference prep today we focused on prayer and scripture study. For Easter prep we had an overview of the last week of Christ's life, Holy Week. We wanted a fun refresher for the kids. After some reading, we played a game where kids tried to answer questions about Holy Week. Then they chose a paper that instructed them some silly way to toss a beanbag at targets taped around the room. For example, one paper said, "Spin five times and then aim for target #2."

Monday's General Conference prep focus was on making a clean and happy home. Basically, we did some deep cleaning projects and worked on speaking kindly. Easter prep had us talking about Moses 1:39. We talked about work and glory in different professions (basketball player, baker, doctor), and then compared it to what God says is His work and glory. We reviewed the difference between immortality and eternal life, and why Easter relates to it all. 

Tuesday I had more x-rays on my foot. It's now two months after breaking my foot and the bone has healed some, but has a long way yet to go. My surgeon says I can try wearing walking shoes instead of the medical boot. More x-rays in three weeks. 

Wednesday Easter and Conference prep continue with focuses on asking questions and seeking answers, and the Last Supper and Gethsemane. Walking is very unbalanced and feels so strange, but is doable. 

Thursday our spring break weather vanished and we had snow flurries on and off all afternoon. Our Easter prep was scripture squares. Kids paired up and were given a few squares. Each had a single question and a scripture reference to find the answer. Then they came to find the matching picture for that question and share their answer with everyone. 

Good Friday started quietly. Mid-morning we had Resurrection Egg hunt. Inside the twelve numbered plastic eggs were items and papers that walked us through everything we had studied this week. Tomorrow General Conference begins! We are all excited to listen to living prophets and apostles speak.


March 9 - March 26: Making it to Spring Break

Last week was a quiet stroll through the usual routines. We had seminary early each morning, then homeschool after breakfast. We read, write, studied, and explored. Kids dove into new books, new art projects, or other projects. I really didn't keep any notes.

I had x-rays on my still broken foot on Wednesday. The healing is going slower than my surgeon would like, which means it may not finish healing on its own. We'll check back in 3 weeks (at the 8 week post break mark) and have to make some decisions on potentially moving to surgery. I have been cleared to do a small amount of walking. Very small - a few steps here and there, walking from one room to another to sit, etc. 95% of my time is still spent in this wheelchair. 

Saturday Joseph had an interesting experience. He was able to participate in the Teen Author Boot Camp that Makayla attended in Utah the summer after graduation, right from our own home. This year, due to COVID restrictions, the conference was entirely online. He sat through a host of classes and keynote speakers and took copious notes. 

Sunday was a peaceful day at home. We had church together and then made peanut butter pie for Pi Day. In the evening Daddy took the kids outside and corralled all 7 boys for haircuts. That is usually my job, but I'm not up to that much standing right now, so he took over. 

Monday kicked off with early morning seminary. Math lessons were the first of the homeschool classes today. Kids are reading lots of different books, and many a chapter was read lounging on the couch or around the house.

Tuesday morning dawned grey and dreary. We had a slow and steady start to the homeschool morning. Everyone got their work done, as usual. Three kids finished books today - Joseph and Emma finished reading Other Words for Home, and Daniel finished a reread of Wings of Fire book 5. It was a great reminder to update all the kids' reading lists in their portfolios. We don't keep track of every book they read, but we list at least one or two per month.

Dinner was Chicken Taco Tuesday. I have to put a plug in for an Instant Pot here. I pulled out 3lbs of frozen chicken breast and tossed them into the IP with 1 cup of water. Set it for 18 minutes on manual and they came out tender and easy to shred. Right after dinner Emma made a chocolate chip cookie cake. 

Wednesday felt like the longest day ever. Everyone had a case of the grumps. We got school done, and then it was just an entire afternoon and evening of refereeing squabbles. By bedtime I was worn out.

Thursday and Friday were better. We were able to be outside more, which always helps everyone's mood. Friday was also our last day of school before our two week spring break. Everyone loves the last day before break and is extra motivated to get their school work done early. 

Saturday was the first day of Spring. We did some projects in the yard and started putting away a few pair of pants and pulling out a few pair of shorts for each child. Ohio is in that lovely season where everything is covered in frost in the morning and the temperatures reach 70F by afternoon, so we need a little bit of everything out. 

Sunday I kept no notes, but the basic routine was followed: wake up, church online, family time, and cooking together. 


Tuesday The kids got creative making a human table.

Wednesday kids started branching out in their activities, depending on their personal interests. Joseph spent a lot of time practicing piano and writing, with a break to bake a couple of cookie cakes. Emma drew and drew and drew. Daniel, Oliver, and Caleb were especially into building with Legos. Mason, Samuel, Tobias, and Rebekah got out the Hot Wheels cars and played with those all over the downstairs. 

Thursday was the first day of Daddy's spring break vacation. We stayed around the house together. Kids traded out the games on the school shelf with games from the attic and played them. A giant colorful world for the Hot Wheels cars was crafted by Daniel with colored masking tape on the floor - complete with secret portals. Piano was practiced. Scriptures were studied. Pokemon card battles were played. The teens watched the original Jurassic Park movie - younger kids wandered in and out. Everyone played outside until it rained. Books were read.

Friday dawned cloudy, windy, and with a new (small) hole in the roof due to losing a slate overnight in the wind. I called insurance to start a claim. Fun times, right? My husband took the 7 oldest of the kids at home to the city for a visit to the Lego store. I stayed home peacefully with just two little kids, Tobias age 5 and Rebekah age 3. It was so strange just to have little kids!

Our afternoon and evening were full of Lego building and play. From small sets like a mystery minifigure, to large sets like the Medieval Blacksmith Shop, there were Legos everywhere.