Learning About Spain and Italy

Happy Easter!  I know many of us missed our "usual" traditions, but I hope you enjoyed the day nonetheless. 

Our Easter dinner was ham, so I used part of the leftovers to make fried rice.  Twice.  Without Eli here, we're not going through as much food. 

Shameless brag.  I used my Cricut (affiliate link) to make the girls' t-shirts.  They say "Hanging with my peeps!"  $3.49 t-shirts, some vinyl, and a couple $12 skorts from Kohl's, and I'm pretty happy with their Easter outfits! 

The wooden dragonfly puzzles were dropped on our porch by a friend. 

So, I was binge watching Madame Secretary (affiliate link) and this scene made me realize we will never take TP for granted again.  Paul did our shopping today, and STILL has not been able to purchase any.  My Amazon attempt is showing "not yet shipped" and "we'll email you when we have an estimated date." 

You know how everyone is posting pictures of stuff they've baked on Facebook?  I thought, "I should start a batch of Amish Friendship Bread!"  The expiration date on that yeast packet?  5 years ago.  I tried it anyway, but I will not be sharing any baking pictures because it didn't work.  I guess I'm not much into baking. 

I had Paul bring the bucket of K'nex (affiliate link), thinking I would ask the girls to build houses for the paper dolls I showed last week.  I got as far as dumping them on the rug, and then got distracted and never gave them that instruction.  Never fear, they're absolutely being played with.  There's about a dozen planes down there right now. 

Even the cat wants to go out.  Grumman loves outside.  Bummer for him, he's an indoor cat.  He's usually pretty close to wherever I am.  I know he won't mind when the kids go back to school, but I'm guessing the first few times I go out he'll be really happy to see me when I get back. 

I found a site with paper dolls in traditional costumes from different countries.  Our Spain dolls look better than our Italy dolls because, um, there was blue paper in the printer when I printed the Italy ones.  Whoops.  They're glued onto empty toilet paper tubes to make them stand up. 

Every time I look at this picture, I think, "I should put some pleats in that mask."  But yeah, I'm not going to do extra sewing for a teddy bear. 

I'm kinda over the mask making thing.  I did 90 in a little over a week.  I have a few stragglers left to sew up, and then I think I'm done, unless I get a special request from one of my kids. 

There's a happy kitty!  Grumman loves going out in his harness.  He always rolls around on the patio first, and then goes to eat some grass.  Weird cat. 

Nothing says quarantine like having your house draped in plastic. 

At every window.  Totally freaked the cat out. 

Fortunately, it was just for one day.  Our house got painted! 

This was my "going out" pile one day.  Completed schoolwork to drop off on the bottom, 6 packages of masks to mail, and 2 individually ziplocked masks to give to Katie's teacher and the office lady.  Confession?  Those mailing bags were ones that I received in the mail during that weird LuLaRoe phase a few years back.  I saved them, thinking I'd reuse them someday.  Well.  Not only is my hobby useful in the apocalypse, but so are my hoarder tendencies.  Someday is here. 

Hannah is teasing Grumman with a blade of grass (which he loves).  Josiah saw him jumping for it, and they ended up having quite the game. 

Oh, and the girls are outside because...  We now have to start logging 20 minutes of P.E. each day.  So I made them a couple of double layer, 4" bean bags, to practice tossing and catching.  And I ordered them a playground ball and some sidewalk chalk.  If I'm feeling really pinterest-mom, I might dredge up some masking tape and make them a hopscotch. 

Miss Katie is working on fractions, and voila!  We happen to have (in our still very well stocked schoolroom despite 2.5 years of not homeschooling) a fraction puzzle!  Her math homework one day this week was "play a math game" so this was a good fit. 

Our country this week is Mexico, and I need to get cracking on my lesson plans.  I've got a few things printed, and I ordered the kids a new book, but I haven't really mapped out my expectations for the week yet.  I've been using a blank "week at a glance" printable calendar page for each week, both to plan and to record what we're accomplishing.  I want to be able to "prove" that we did enough for them to move to the next grade, if need be. 

Stay safe and healthy, my friends!  And remember, this crazy time will pass.