As soon as Daddy-o made it home from Ireland, I was ready to get going on the next adventure. While he was gone, I found a Ford Transit for sale--which I've been looking for seriously since getting back from my van trip in the spring. It's incredibly hard to find these things these days, and this one was not only the high roof and extended length that we need, but had AWD as well, which we wanted.
And. . . we came home with it a couple nights later!
(Excuse the bad picture--this was the snapchat I sent Bean to show her what we'd found.)
This blank canvas is waiting for us to turn it into a vehicle that we can go use for some serious adventures. Lots of work coming up, but I'm so excited for what this will mean. It's been a dream in the making for years, with different iterations of the vehicle, and if things go as plans, it will be ready by next summer.
January always starts in this weird place--it's the beginning of the new year and with that comes a fresh start and renewed interest in goals and checklists and getting things done. But it's also still the holidays and with kids on school break for the whole week after New Year's Day this year, there was a heavy emphasis on lazy vacation days as well. Lots of movies watched, books read, and mornings spent sleeping in this house, which felt pretty natural with all the rain that kept us from some of our normal activities.
The boys and I did get out between storms to check out the creek and while we expected a lot of water, we were totally shocked at how changed the area is. The path the creek used to take in the area where we had park day is now a big rocky island between two branches of the creek. The high water from the weekend storms has carved new paths, worn away the bank, and totally flooded the higher grassy plateaus which are littered with debris now. It's hard to even recognize the area and will be interesting to see what it looks like when the water finally slows down, but that's not coming for awhile.
With all the water, we're getting some pretty cool mushrooms right in the neighborhood.
Bug and I found a few on our walk back from the creek (while Peanut ran home because it had started to rain again and we were walking too slowly, haha. I'm still not in running condition with the ankle so I just have to take it slow even if it starts to rain.)
One goal that we did kick off right away was to increase our daily vegetable consumption, so dinners have been looking more like this, which I'm hoping balances out all of the sugar that is still around our house. We had a lot of leftover sweets from Christmas and still more that people want to make, so that hasn't gone away yet.
I pulled out a science kit that the kids got a couple years ago for Christmas that they'd never done and got the boys a little interested in figuring out "who done it," in the forensic kit.
They ran through the fingerprinting and ink chromatography activities, and then ran out of time and left it all set up to finish later. . . for days. Which about sums up the level of laziness that we've had going on this week.
There's been a whole lot of this going on--even while eating dinner, since we couldn't use the kitchen table for a big portion of the week. I wish we hadn't run out of firewood (and the place I usually buy it is out, too) because it would have been the perfect week for sitting around the fireplace.
This week also brought a doctor visit for this one, who must want to be just like her mom because she injured her right ankle while out for a run near that same creek the boys and I had visited. It ended up not being a break, but a sprain that she couldn't walk on for a couple days. Good thing I still have the crutches and boot I'd borrowed for my ankle. They've come in handy. And good thing you heal faster when you're young. She's already walking around much better and not in much pain.
Bug's school vacation was weird this year--their last day was the 22nd, which felt really late, and then they had this whole week off, without the excitement of Christmas. He did work on a project, spent a day playing D&D with friends, and got to do a little pleasure reading, which is always a nice bonus since he usually has too much homework to read anything for fun.
And speaking of reading, I've been on a roll--as of January 8th, I've finished 8 books this year. I'd already started 3 of them before the new year, so I had a head start, but I realized I was finishing one a day and decided to keep it going all week. Too bad that's not realistic for the whole year, but I don't have 4 or 5 hours a day to read once work and homeschool and everything starts back up.
We did manage a couple chores as the week wore on--this kiddo got a haircut and was very happy with the results (and seems to be having fewer headaches since then--we've started to wonder if his motion-sicknesses is so extreme that having long hair moving around in front of his eyes leads to headaches and mild nausea. Is that even possible? I don't know, but I feel like we're seeing some correlation.)
Another testament to our attempts to eat more fruits and vegetables. This wasn't even all of the grapefruits consumed on Saturday. Bug apparently ate 2 whole giant Costco sized grapefruit alone. I told him he needed to pace himself because I didn't realize the bag was only going to last for a day. Should have bought more than one.
And we FINALLY got to take down the Christmas decorations. The kids put up a really good fight and so it didn't start until Saturday, even though I was feeling the itch to get things cleaned up by New Year's Day. They have really latched onto the memory of the year we kept things going until February, but I keep reminding them that that was the 2020/2021 holiday season and we were locked down, no one going to school, or sports practices, or really getting to do much of anything and we needed something to make us smile. And that year, it did. But this year, with a return to very busy schedules looming over us, and so much rain in the forecast that I may have to move science classes indoors this month, I was desperate to get the house put back in order as soon as possible.
Of course, as we started, we remembered that the box for our new tree is so big, we had to send it to the electrical room at the storage facility (where we send everything that doesn't quite fit--I don't think we even realize how much stuff we now have living at work, which probably isn't a good thing, but it is convenient for things like holiday decorations.) So the clean-up ended up stretching on for a couple days until we got the box back, and as I write this, the box is still sitting in our front entrance, waiting for a day when it's not pouring for the move back to the office.
And finally, Peanut has been working his way through all his Christmas gifts, so we WON'T have things sitting around unused 2 years later. He made us dinner Sunday night from his Yummy Crate from Kiwi Co. I think this might be his favorite Kiwi Crate he's tried. The STEM boxes are fun, but he likes to cook and this one mixes the science with the food.
Color-changing noodles and Asian inspired salad and chicken. It was good, and watching the noodles go from purple to pink was fun--pretty ingenious to use cabbage juice, which is a great pH indicator to cook the noodles and then an acidic sauce can make the magic happen.
And the actual final item from this week of both lazy and productive activities--the kids' Christmas short for 2023. This one was actually a 2-year project. They didn't get last year's filming finished, so it carried over, but it's also a longer, more involved movie than the previous ones. And the production quality keeps going up. I'm always impressed by the creativity that these kids come up with. So enjoy their spoof on some of our favorite Christmas movies. (And make sure to stay for the credits--they're one of the best parts!)
No pictures of us saying goodbye to 2022, but we welcomed the new year with some time in the sunshine with friends. December 31 was rainy and kids were going different directions. I couldn't hear hardly anything all day, people napped, read, watched movies, worked on puzzles and we did play a couple games, but it was a pretty lowkey day and night.
Then, the sun came out! Most of the family made it to 9 am church (I decided since I can't hear anyway, there wasn't much point.) And we all got out of the house for an hour in the afternoon to go for a sort-of hike on one of the paved trails here in town. Considering how much flooding happened yesterday, pavement seemed like a better option than the muddy trails everywhere else. We met up with the McClouds and walked for an hour (a slow walk because of me, but it was so nice to be out!)
Then, this little Peanut and I learned how to play my new game I got for Christmas, Wingspan, which looks like it's going to be a lot of fun, once we figure it all out. I've been eyeing this game for a couple years now, so pretty excited about finally owning it!
And we finished off the first night of this new year with some planning and sharing of goals. Bean even made a slideshow of her plans for the year. While we all have individual goals we're working on, we did come up with a few family goals, too.
1) 70 family hikes in 2023. At least 2 of us have to be on the hike to count it, and they have to be at least 1 mile long. 70 might be a stretch, but I think we can do it. And I'm glad that we started off with all 5 of us together on hike #1.
2) Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and veggies every day. This one is really a focus for January so we can get back in the habit of eating better foods (and maybe fewer sweets by extension), but it would be great if it continued all year.
3) Spend a few minutes studying the Come Follow Me lesson for church each week. We even came up with a plan to include Bean in this one!
We've got some travel plans in the works as well and those will be hashed out as the year progresses, but we're off to a good start.
Just wanted to record a couple highlights from my 2020 bullet journal--my 1000 miles I walked/ran/hiked this past year. That's about 3 miles a day, and while I wish the running miles were a little higher, I'm pretty proud of hitting this goal, and with a little time to spare.
And my booklist for the year. I love tracking what I read. I have loose goals for the number of books, and some idea of keeping a little balance between fiction, nonfiction, and children's fiction, but mostly, I just like to look back and see what I've read. This was a good year, for amount, and for quality. So many good stories and enlightening books.
We kicked off 2020 with a long hike in Tilden and Wildcat Canyon Parks. I always feel like spending the day outside Jan. 1, and judging by how far we had to park from the trailhead, so do a lot of other people! The original trail we were going to do wasn't crowded, but had a bad 100 yards of deep mud at the very beginning, and even if we could have gotten past that, we weren't sure what the rest of the trail would look like. So we opted for the paved trail with everyone else. In some ways, it's really nice to see so many large groups of family and friends out hiking. And a crowded hiking trail still beats the mall crowds any day. We'll have plenty of quieter, more solitary hikes throughout the rest of the year.
The views from up on the ridge were stunning.
We had views of Mt. Diablo and the San Pablo reservoir on one side,
and the Bay and Golden Gate bridge in the distance on the other.
The sunset as we were leaving was incredible. And once again highlighted how many people are in the Bay Area--every pullout along the road was filled with cars and people watching the first sunset of 2020.
We logged our first 3.5 hours outside for our 1000 hour goal. I came across the 1000 hours outside movement this past fall and love the idea behind it. Most kids spend well over 1000 hours a year on screens. Aiming to get outside for 1000 hours helps balance the time between screens and real world explorations. It get them into nature and focused in a very different way. It probably also makes it harder to reach the screen time averages ;) So we're going to be more intentional with our time outside and track it to see how close we get to that 1000 hours.
Science classes are going strong this year. I'm now teaching 3 classes every Thursday, with a total of 20 students from age 6-13. It's a step up in intensity from last year, for sure, but I'm loving it. I feel like I've found my calling in life. I've always enjoyed teaching, and feel like it's something that comes pretty naturally, and homeschool classes provide the room for creativity and fun in a way that I don't think I could find in the typical classroom. So creating this job for myself has been amazing.
It's made me reflect on our move out here. It hasn't always been easy and there have been plenty of times that various members of the household (including myself) have felt like we all made this big sacrifice so Daddy-o could follow his dreams. And as much as we do like to support him, it's been a little hard to not feel sadness that we had to move across the country to do so. But then, I find opportunities like this, which I don't think I would have done if we'd stayed in Charlotte. Our kids were in a school we liked well enough that I don't know that we ever would have homeschooled again. And if I wasn't homeschooling, I don't know that I would have thought of teaching homeschool science classes. I would have been missing out on this part of my life that I love. Sometimes the hard things in life lead to something even better.
It's not always easy--there's a lot of prep work involved in lesson planning and getting all the supplies ready for our labs and activities that we are doing. I struggle a little to fit this into my week, which is already pretty packed. I knew, coming into it this year, that I was going to be spending a lot more time because we are doing physical science this year, and I'm a lot stronger in biology than physics, but doing the research and learning is part of what I love about this job, so it's also fun for me, even when I spend 5 hours of my Saturday looking up lab ideas for how to teach force and motion.
The other part that makes it so rewarding are my students. I love sharing new ideas with them and seeing their interest sparked. I love when they want to share things with me, and when something delights them. I love that they all have such different personalities.
I've got several returning students from last year (in fact, my oldest class is 5 returning and only 1 new, who already knew the other kids, so it's been such a nice group to work with straight from day one),
and then a whole bunch of new kids, including Peanut, who is so happy that he gets to be part of the science classes this year. He's been enthusiastic and helpful, even during the 3.5 hours he has to wait before his class starts. He reads and draws in his room while I'm with the other two groups and all I can say is that I am SO glad that he learned to read last year because none of this would be going as well if he didn't enjoy getting lost in a book.
This isn't what I'd ever imagined when I thought I'd someday go back to work. I assumed that would involve grad school and employers and benefits and a salary. Instead, I have personal development, flexibility, creativity, and a small stipend to supplement our travel costs. And that is exactly enough for me at this time.
Back in the 90s when I lived in the Bay Area and used to go hiking with my dog frequently, I got a book about the Bay Area Ridge Trail. I'm not sure how many miles were completed back then, but now, there are 375 miles of completed trails along the ridges that rim the bay. I've been talking for two years about hiking the trail, so I made a goal to see how much I can do this year and today, I did my first stretch.
My hiking buddies today--I love that I can bring my work with me while I hike (although in the future, I think Dandan will only be joining me for sections where there are no cow, and no cowpies.)
We did the stretch that is closest to us, which is also one, if not THE, shortest section--just 2 miles, but the views of the green hills and the south end of the bay were lovely.
On the way back, we looped through a different part of the park where we hiked through the trees and found moss growing everywhere.
But most of the hike was here in the rolling hills.
2 miles down, 373 left to go! I'm a little behind, but I wonder if I can average 7 miles a week and get this done in one year? Hmmm. . .
Jan. 2, and we decided it was time to leave the house, haha. This has been the most hygge, stay-at-home vacation we have ever done. We did go to a baptism last Saturday, and volunteered at a community breakfast Sunday morning before church, went to our own church, and then to a game night at a friend's house, but other than those short excursions, the kids haven't left the house this break. And I had a couple days that I didn't leave at all, either. It has been truly delightful.
But today's outing to the Lindsay Wildlife Experience was also delightful. We hadn't been here before, despite having had a pass for the last 6 months (which we used to go to a couple other museums, so not a waste), and I'm glad we finally made it. This is a large rehabilitation center for wild animals that are found injured or sick in the Bay Area. They have quite a few birds that were hurt too badly to ever be released, as well as some rodents and they do a lot of short shows and animal encounters.
We were impressed with what we got to see and touch during the couple hours we were there.
As well as wanting to go back for the rest of the demonstrations that they do at other parts of the day, there are a couple classes that I'm interested in signing one or more of the kids up for. Dissection class that I don't have to find the dead animals and tools for? Sounds like a win!
On a separate note, I am really loving blogging right now! I have no idea if I'll be able to keep this up once we're back to the school schedule, but I love documenting little bits of our family and I love having somewhere to dump a few of the pictures I take each day (and the reminder to take pictures because I have it in the back of my mind that I'm going to want to have a picture to go along with the blog post that evening.) Maybe I should have a resolution to keep this going.
I think we can say Deacon Dave's was a success. These kids worked hard and set some good goals for this year and it paid off. They sold over $1400 worth of hot chocolate and cookies in 10 nights! A big chunk of it is being donated to a couple charities, including the Make a Wish foundation, but combined with last years' profits, that still leaves them with more than enough for what they wanted to do for themselves.
For the last couple years, I have picked a word of the year. I like the idea of having an overall theme or focus, even if it doesn't always feel like I make much progress with it, but at least it is in the back of my mind.
For 2018, I decided on Intentional. I am trying to do a little better planning and being thoughtful about my choices/words/commitments/activities. I can't do everything, but at the end of the year, I don't want to look back and wonder where all my time went. And I want to be better at taking action, not just reacting. I want to live intentionally.
So, I came up with this word on New Year's Day and announced it to everyone that morning, and then I went out to do an errand. When I came home a little while later, I saw this on the fridge:
While I was gone, Daddy-o had sat the kids down and had them each pick their own theme. This is totally my kind of thing, not his, so the fact that he did this kind of made me love him even more than I already do. And I really love the words they came up with. These sound like the kind of words that will make a really great home and a fabulous 2018.
A couple weeks ago, Daddy-o and I were talking about what change(s) we could make that would help our family. The atmosphere in our house has been leaning towards frantic hysteria all around and we've all been a lot more frustrated/angry/sad/annoyed/crazy than any of us would like.
What we came up with: a New Year's resolution to be late. Thinking through our day, our most difficult times are when we are trying to go somewhere--to school, to church, to visit friend, to bed--it doesn't really matter where. Having a deadline of when some transition needs to be complete leads to crying and yelling more often than not and while there may be many parts to this equation, the one that seems to be easiest to change is how we, as the adults, are looking at it.
I like to be on time. So does Daddy-o. Before we had kids, we were pretty much never late to anything. And even with kids, we are not habitually late--I have in my mind a time we need to leave about 10 minutes before our actual time, and so even most of our "late" days, we still make it where we need to go just before the start. But the cost of being on time might be too much. I know that for me, the obligation that I feel to meet the time deadline, even if it's just for bedtime, overwhelms everything else and is the most important thing at that moment. And that might seem like a responsible thing, but when it involves other people, who I am only able to semi-control, it makes me act a little crazy.
The other day, as I was trying to rush everyone out the door for school, and getting really annoyed that the kids didn't seem to understand my urgency and were getting ready in their typical lackadaisical manner, it hit me that I send them off with a bad taste in their mouths pretty much every day. When they leave our house, usually they know that I'm frustrated with them. Even if it's one of our better days, I've interrupted conversations and laughter at the breakfast table to tell them to hurry up and I've rushed and pushed to get them out the door on time. Is this really the feeling I want them to have after family time?
So, it might be a little weird to make a goal to be late, and I'm not actually planning on trying to be late, but I am going to try to let go of the need to make being on time the most important thing. I'm pretty sure that my kids knowing that I love them and that I enjoy my time with them right before I drop them off for a day at school is the most important thing I can do during those last few minutes of transition. Giving them one last hug and kiss, and actually meaning it, before I turn of their lights at night will probably shape their health more than those extra 5 minutes of sleep. Having a general sense of calm and happiness in our home is going to do more for our experience as a family than what is happening wherever we are going.
If getting everyone up with plenty of time to get ready and offering a gentle countdown of how much time is left isn't enough, then we just might be late.
It's been awhile since I updated on my Year of Health goals. I actually moved away from my original monthly plan a little bit since starting the Healthy Habits challenge I did in January. That one went so well and I felt like I was really finding a good balance to my life that I found another one for the 8 weeks following.
The second one, Feel Great in 8 (she runs them year round, with a new one starting every month, if you are interested, although the cost did go up since I joined, but I'd still say it's worth it if you need kick in the pants to get you going), has been a bigger push for me. It has a lot of the same habits to work on, but takes them all a little, or lot, further. Instead of 10 minutes of inspirational reading, this one asked for 20. Instead of 10 minutes of exercise, I had to do 45 minutes a day to get full points.
Once again, the challenge has gone well. It's amazing what a little money on the line and a good spreadsheet to fill out each day will do for my will power. I've planned my weeks to fit in lots of exercise time, spiritual renewal, and healthy eating. I've made sure I found some way to serve each week, have gone to bed early, drunk tons of water, and kept a gratitude journal. And I do feel healthier for it all.
My life is busy, just like anyone else, but I've figured out that finding time to fit all these things in makes me so much happier and everything else still happens. The 7 hours of sleep (or sometimes more when I can swing it) really helps my energy levels, so I can keep going and not slump so bad during the afternoon. And at the end of the day, I've actually see what I've accomplished, which isn't always the case with taking care of kids, cleaning, running errands, and cooking. So many of those things feel like they are undone as fast as they are done. But with my chart, I can mark off each of my habits that day and know I've taken care of myself that day.
The challenge ends this next week and I was debating joining the next one, but have decided to see how I do working on these habits on my own for awhile and looking back to my original monthly plan to see which goals I still need to cover in the next couple months before my Year of Health officially ends.
These two were so excited to wake up to this winter scene, even if there was more ice than snow.
It may not be as soft as real snow, but there were a few nice things about today.
First of all, ice makes for fast sledding. And second, it wasn't actually all that cold today. Mostly in the 30's all day, which is warm enough for some good outdoor time. The kids were outside for hours.
Friends came to play, snowiceballs were thrown,
The play got a little violent, and of course ended with ice in the face and tears. Wouldn't be a day home from school if it didn't.
And to make it an even better day, it was also Pancake Tuesday!
Pancakes with whipped cream and strawberries for breakfast.
German pancakes with Buttermilk Syrup for dinner. Yum! Had to get in one last sugar fix before Lent starts tomorrow and I give it up for the next 40 days.
