MIke and I put this 1,000 piece puzzle together in a day.
The following day, Jack took it completely apart and put the whole thing back together single-handedly.
On Sunday, we all headed over to our other house- the kids played in the yard (and Abigail snuggled Isabelle) while Mike went for a run and I cleaned out the chicken coop. In the process I accidentally disturbed a nest of baby mice, knocking them from the top of the nesting boxes to the floor of the coop.
The mama got three of them back up to the next, and I put the two that were left on the floor back up (with gloves on!) Not a whole lot had changed since the previous week, but the builder said they just finished another house prject and will be devoting all their time to ours now- starting with the framing this week! I'm excited to see the prgress this weekend :-D
One of my anniversary gifts from Mike was a growing kit for several different types of bonsai. Jack and I worked together to prep the seeds before sowing them.
And Mike helped to plant them the following day because I was way too tired to get off the couch. They're apparently super-slow to germinate, but it's not like we're doing anything else these next 4-6 weeks- may as well grow some trees from seeds!
On Tuesday, the kids again had thei Catholic Schoolhouse group meeting via Zoom. In the afternoon, they had an art lesson on Picasso and cubism- not my favorite art movement, but the kids enjoyed it while I went for a walk by myself, since I was actually feeling up for it.
Every day this sweet boy calls me in to see and take pictures of his Playmag creations.
And sometimes, when I wake up from my afternoon naps, my second born surprises me with a kitchen cleaned top to bottom.
Her baked good for the day was oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.
We dug out our breadmaker from the chapel and have been making a loaf of yummy bread every day. Today, I was craving hummus, so I made a big batch and had a couple of hummus sandwiches with cucs.
And a nurse friend who goes to our church asked if I would make four masks for their family. Since she and her daughter (who is a nurse in Milwaukee) are high risk, I thought I should upgrade my masks to the patterned ones that have been recommended for healthcare workers. (I used this tutorial)
They was more snug and comfy than the ones I've previously made.
But they were still too small for Mike (so I know they'd be too small for the dad in the family I'm making them for). I found a different pattern that had a men's sizing option.
I used this pattern/linked video), which took quite a bit longer (there was also a pocket for a nose wire like a pipe cleaner), but it's the comfiest/snuggest yet.
And I used some ties that I found, which make it nice and adjustable.
That's all for this week!
On Monday, I risked the hospital to get an iron infusion, as advised by my OB. A woman was taking temps and doing screenings at the entrance, but other than that, at least in this area of the hospital, it was pretty empty. On the afternoon of my infusion, I was still feeling very tired and in need of a nap (which Joel didn't allow, as he didn't take a nap himself). But Mike watched the kids so I could turn in before 8 and the kids.
On Tuesday, I wasn't even feeling tired at nap time (which hasn't happened in I don't know how long)! Joel did take a nap, but I was able to stay up and do the Zoom Catholic Schoolhouse Art meeting with the kids, which I would have wanted to stay awake for anyway- they were using non-washable acrylic paints! I went for some walks on Tuesday and Wednesday and had considerably more energy. As nice as it was while it lasted, I think the energy boost has already worn off. This morning (Thursday), I once again felt very short of breath and like I was going to pass out. I even needed to lie down in the morning for a while. Sometimes, I wonder if those couple of days of feeling good are worth the infusion, but I think yes. And my dr. says that it does help to build my supply long-term, so I will continue getting them monthly.
Speaking of energy, I've been loving my new birthday blender, which actually breaks up large chunks. I've making smoothies daily and adding energy-boosting goodies- spinach and kale and flax seeds, etc., and I do think they help. Above are mango spinach and blueberry banana spinach cacao- both with almond milk and very good! The kids didn't care for the one with cacao, but that was my favorite, so fine by me!
And Jack and I put together my birthday puzzle in less than 24 hours (Good thing I gave Mike another one for our anniversary, which was yesterday. Happy 14 years to us! :-)).
On Tuesday, we had our online class day for our homeschool group. The pre-grammar kids met together first, and Joel was so cute with his little classmates.
Joel's Fatima "dancing sun" craft
Due to the governor's recent extended stay-at-home mandate (May 26- the latest of any state so far), we'll be having classes via Zoom for the remainder of the school year. A couple of weeks ago, we picked up all of the materials/papers we'd need for our last four class-weeks of our Catholic Schoolhouse. Each of the tutors put packets together for every one of their students. It took me hours to put together the papers for just our 12-person Grammar D class- and I didn't include Jack and Abigail in that.
On Tuesday afternoon, the kids had their CSH Art lesson via Zoom. Our current artist is Vincent Van Gogh, so this was a flowers still life based on his post-impressionist style. Fun fact: Did you know that Van Gogh only sold one of his paintings during his lifetime? The others he either painted over or traded for more art supplies.
I even joined them, as Joel was napping- so therapeutic!
I spotted this Great Blue Heron, one of my favorite birds, on my walk on Tuesday afternoon.
When I got closer to take a picture, he darted his beak into the water to catch a fish!
He now has a Spelling City account like his older siblings- such a smartie!
I love how he now happily reads his brother nap time stories <3
Abigail got to choose a reward for earning all of her chips (by being so helpful lately), and while it would normally be something like going to see a movie or getting ice cream with Mom or Dad, she chose a pioneer dress, as she'd grown out of her other one. The girls have been having so much fun playing "olden time." They've been baking/cooking something every day. Poor Iris burned herself on the stove last week, and we've been putting ointment and bandages on it, but it's not looking much better, and she says it still hurts. I have been calling around today to see what we can do to help it heal at home- I'm not sure why we don't have Aloe Vera on hand, but I did find some after sun gel with Aloe Vera in it that we're going to try.
Otherwise, we're still faring pretty well here. Mike took on a new role at work, so he's a little busier than usual, but we still get to see a lot more of him since he's been working from home. I am starting to do homeschool planning for next year, as I've taken on the new role of Dialectic Co-director for our Catholic Schoolhouse group (We have only had Grammar up to this point, but next year, our oldest students, including Jack and Abigail, will be ready for Dialectic (grades 7-9)). I know- that's just what I need with a newborn, right? I only agreed to it because it's a cooperative role, and I love this program so much for our kids that I'm determined to make it available to them at this level.
MIke and I put this 1,000 piece puzzle together in a day.
The following day, Jack took it completely apart and put the whole thing back together single-handedly.
On Sunday, we all headed over to our other house- the kids played in the yard (and Abigail snuggled Isabelle) while Mike went for a run and I cleaned out the chicken coop. In the process I accidentally disturbed a nest of baby mice, knocking them from the top of the nesting boxes to the floor of the coop. 
Not a whole lot had changed since the previous week, but the builder said they just finished another house prject and will be devoting all their time to ours now- starting with the framing this week! I'm excited to see the prgress this weekend :-D
One of my anniversary gifts from Mike was a growing kit for several different types of bonsai. Jack and I worked together to prep the seeds before sowing them.
And Mike helped to plant them the following day because I was way too tired to get off the couch. They're apparently super-slow to germinate, but it's not like we're doing anything else these next 4-6 weeks- may as well grow some trees from seeds!
On Tuesday, the kids again had thei Catholic Schoolhouse group meeting via Zoom. In the afternoon, they had an art lesson on Picasso and cubism- not my favorite art movement, but the kids enjoyed it while I went for a walk by myself, since I was actually feeling up for it.
Every day this sweet boy calls me in to see and take pictures of his Playmag creations.
And sometimes, when I wake up from my afternoon naps, my second born surprises me with a kitchen cleaned top to bottom.
Her baked good for the day was oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.
We dug out our breadmaker from the chapel and have been making a loaf of yummy bread every day. Today, I was craving hummus, so I made a big batch and had a couple of hummus sandwiches with cucs.
And a nurse friend who goes to our church asked if I would make four masks for their family. Since she and her daughter (who is a nurse in Milwaukee) are high risk, I thought I should upgrade my masks to the patterned ones that have been recommended for healthcare workers. (I used this tutorial)
They was more snug and comfy than the ones I've previously made.
But they were still too small for Mike (so I know they'd be too small for the dad in the family I'm making them for). I found a different pattern that had a men's sizing option.
I used this pattern/linked video), which took quite a bit longer (there was also a pocket for a nose wire like a pipe cleaner), but it's the comfiest/snuggest yet.
And I used some ties that I found, which make it nice and adjustable.
That's all for this week!
