Some days fly by with routine and the mundane... others seem to have extra time. Some of the ways we have filled our 'extra time' lately have been,
Learning Chinese Skipping
Good indoor exercise. We mastered some of the jumps and then added others.. I forgot how much remembering the order of the jumps and mastering them mattered. Emerson definitely enjoyed the jumping but needs to learn to land more gently.. After a while it sounded like there were elephants skipping in the house.
The 'die hards', practiced with chair legs while the cat looked on.
Hair cuts aren't uncommon, although you never know how it will turn out with me behind the scissors/clippers. Just for fun, Emerson sported a Mohawk for 24 hours. I couldn't take it longer than that and finished his haircut.
A neighbour hired Duncan for two weeks to build this shed and stack some firewood.
We began bike riding. Jim and I were exhausted after the first few rides, but we've built up some stamina and have agreed to more than one ride per week! We waved to Duncan as we rode past him working on the neighbour's shed. Once his work was completed he joined us on future rides... Well... he led us on rides... and foolishly, we followed... on long rides... with hills and very bumpy terrain.
Emerson has adventures as antelope dart out in front of him and another time, in order to avoid a car coming around the corner he swerved, hit a pot hole and ended up in a swampy marsh along the side of the road... but he stayed on the bike.
Art days continue
Ava took the lead for this class and we painted silhouettes.. of cats of course!
Sarah ran a zentangle relaxation art day.
Mask making
The Noble mask factory opened and ran for a few weeks. It closed after I broke my sewing machine needle and had to wait a few weeks for replacements to be ordered and delivered.
Once the snow finally melted, kite flying began. Sometimes a few times a day if the wind was favourable.
Game nights
Online game nights have become a staple activity each week... We've tried a few different games, pictionary, disney trivia, bingo, scattergories, family feud... but by far Balderdash has been the hit of the crew. Pre game activities are more relaxed.. tray memory games, scavenger hunts, hide and seek, story time with the little boys.
Discovering how to use virtual backgrounds and hilarious facial mask options in zoom has been a hoot. Delightful ways to connect and get to know cousins better during isolating times..
Porch swings
Patrick rebuilt the porch swings since they had weathered poorly and the seat area was worn out. They are sturdy now... but not comfortable on the backside... so I was on the watch for some cushions.
These were just waiting for me at the local thrift store. Ideal!
Seating on the porch has led us to listen to the birds more.. and watch the antelopes.. and be delighted that we could hear frogs and the stream in the distance.
Hearing the frogs led to some exploring and some toading time. Poor Emerson, within a week or two of catching his frog he had a wart on his finger. No convincing him that toads don't give warts!
The boys online school began to offer a one hour each day live class. They called it Power Hour. It began with ten minutes of exercises, then a 40 minute class followed by a story time and then a 'kahoot' quiz from the class. The boys were so excited to have a live class like the older kids, but their power hour was more fun and soon we were all engrossed. Each day was a different subject. They loved their science day with Dr. Pablo learning about anatomy. They read, 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' for Literature and were eager to watch the movies.
They had assignments to submit... These were both from Literature. They had to memorize the bones in the human body for science and make a food from another country for Geography. They are sad that summer break meant that power hour ended. It will begin again in the fall. We've ordered their new workbooks and excitement is high.
