Well another week in quarantine has come to a close. I had all the plans of getting another post up this week, but clearly that didn’t happen. Maybe next week will be the week I get it done. I am in awe of all my blogging friends who are still able to create great content during this pandemic. By the end of the day I am so drained, my creativity once again has taken a back seat.
I am really trying hard to embrace this time with my family and focus on the positive, but sometimes it is hard. If you are struggling, you are not alone. If you are finding it really hard to find joy and get through each day, you are not alone. I wish I had some magical advice on how to feel better, but alas, I do not. All I can do is say I get it.
So… Five on Friday. I figured I’d do a little what we’ve been up to post I hope you enjoy!
One: What We’ve Been Eating
We rarely went out to eat pre COVID so it really hasn’t been a big change in terms of cooking. I have been trying to grocery shop two weeks at a time, which is a bit challenging, but I’ve been making it work.
SUNDAY: Homemade pizza
MONDAY: Left over enchiladas
TUESDAY: Sloppy Joes
WEDNESDAY: Taco Cups
THURSDAY: BBQ Shredded Chicken
FRIDAY: Chose your own leftovers
SATURDAY: Something grilled (hopefully… who knows what the weather will be like)
TWO: What We’ve Been Reading
I mentioned this before but I love that I have been able to read more with the girls. I have been able to spend more time listening to Annabelle read, and I love listening to the expression she uses. She is currently loving the Diary of an Ice Princess. We are almost done with book two, and have book three ready. It looks like I will have to be getting book four.
I also started reading Little House in the Big Woods. We have almost finished the first book, and will be reading the next book. If the copy looks a little old, it is. It’s the copy I read when I was a kid.
It’s funny reading it with them. We talk about how there was no TV, they had no neighbors since they lived in the middle of the woods, Laura and Mary and never been to a store. Annabelle and Autumn are amazed. It makes me wonder what people will say about us in about 150 years.
What chapter books do your kids love reading?? I’m trying to find more series for Annabelle to get into. For reference the Diary of an Ice Princess is a DRA of 34, and I’d like to find more in the range of 30-38. These are books I am having her read out loud with me, so they are a tad more challenging than ones she could read independently.
THREE: What We’ve Been Baking
We’ve been baking a lot. Unforatnly I only have one egg left (I guess 18 eggs are not enough for two weeks), so will have to stop until I get the grocery store next week
Bagels!
We’ve made two batches of these “two ingredient bagels” (just search on Pinterest and you’ll find it) and they are so tasty and so easy to make. I used the everything bagel for a sandwich, and it was delicious.
Amish Friendship Bread
This is our third batch of Amish Friendship bread. For those who don’t know you begin with a starter that is usually given to you by someone else. But you can just search for Amish Friendship Bread starter to make your own. Then you leave it for ten days (adding milk, sugar, flour one of the days). After ten days you take some and put it into bags to pass to others. Then you use the rest to bake your own bread. It’s just so tasty!
Tiramisu
No picture, but I made Matt and I some tiramisu (with homemade ladyfingers) and it was quite tasty.
FOUR: What We’ve Been Learning
We have been doing the lessons that Annabelle’s teacher posts on Google Classroom, as well as checking out what the special teachers have been posting.
We have also been watching Autumn’s teacher do read alouds and other activities on the Band App.
We recently started doing a little more learning about the moon. My girls love finding the moon, so I figured we might as well use that interest and learn some more.
FIVE: What We’ve Been Up To
Lots of chalk drawing (you know when it’s not snowing in April, because #puremichigan).
Using waffle blocks to put Aubrie in “baby jail”
Annabelle and Autumn made a bird feeder out of a milk jug. Annabelle’s principal challenged the students to create something for Earth Day and then share it on Flipgrid.
Have you used Flipgrid? It’s a video sharing platform and holy heck, Annabelle and Autumn (Autumn always joins Annabelle when she does one) love it. I may have some future vloggers on my hands.
One day this week it was very windy (are really cold, hence the winter gear that I thankfully have not washed yet) so we went to the school to fly kites in the field.
**Don’t worry. We did not use the playground equipment. There was even a sign on the entrance that the playground was open, just not the equipment.**
And of course it’s always a pile up on mom when she is on the couch. But in all honesty it’s super cute. Whenever I read with Annabelle and Autumn Aubrie will get a book and toddle over to sit on my lap. She won’t let me read the book to her, but by golly she has to do what her sisters are doing.
Also, this post has brought to my attention that I desperately need to get my photos off my phone and onto my computer And that I should also try to take some pictures of my girls with my DSLR camera.