Easter in the Middle
I planned to write on Sunday, but a special extended family event and a CAP dinner kept me busy all day.
And Easter . . . well, that was full from start to finish, too.
We've been busy doing what we do.
Morning Meetings have continued in their proper form. We're reading daily from The Book of Mormon Family Reader, and the first volume of Saints. We're continuing our Come Follow Me lessons about The Doctrine and Covenants. We're singing hymns, memorizing (reviewing) The Restoration Proclamation, and reciting scripture. Kids are getting more comfortable with leading music--even Baymax, who still hates it and claims he can't understand it, but is getting better.
We're not following the Couch to 5K running plan, but we're getting out 3 times a week to walk and run. Brother finished it. Little Princess sprained her ankle and has to stay off it. I had strange ankle swellings and pains that made me cautious about running. Lola never really followed it, preferring to follow the geese at the park.
Speaking of geese, the babies are hatching!
At any rate, though we are not following the plan, we have developed a habit of exercise, and once we complete 30 minutes, I let the kids skate or play badminton or catch for a little while. I watch them and cheer them on.
The teens and I have completed a dozen history lessons in the past two weeks. We've been working hard, and studying modern history is startling. One of us is constantly exclaiming, "That's only ____ years ago!"
![]() |
These two pictures are the quiz the girls wrote for me for the "Stump the Teacher" activity. They giggled maniacally as they worked for 2 hours to put this activity together! |
![]() |
They love, love, love it when they get a matching activity. |
First Baymax and then Beowulf finished Math 5!
The kids and I finished The Story of Science: Newton in the Middle and Theodore Roosevelt by Genevieve Foster. We did not pick up a new science book, but we are still reading The Golden Treasure of Natural History. We also started Edith Cavell: Nurse, Spy, Heroine (we're reading it online at Internet Archive). Even though it is about England and Belgium during WWI, I'm still counting it for our American History course of study because it covers the time period in an interesting way and because Theodore Roosevelt also touched on that war as well. There are some books from an American perspective that I might pick up from the library, but we're focusing on this first.
I kick the kids outside most days, so they've played plenty of basketball, tag, and catch. They also go with Sir Walter Scott on walks with the dogs.
But I'm usually doing dishes while they play outside, so I get pictures of them inside.
![]() |
I always love it when big siblings play with younger ones. |
![]() |
I think this was him doing his last lesson for the year. |
![]() |
I also love it when kids are peacefully engaged. |
We had the church camp fundraiser the night before Easter. The kids had a blast, and they raised over $1,000.
The most intelligent decision of the night, in my opinion, was setting up activities for the children. They had a sports room, a game room, and an art room that I was aware of. The youth supervised the activities, and the children had a blast while parents and guests were busy bidding during the auction.
A week ago Monday, the big boys were invited to an amusement park with their friend Z--'s family for his birthday. They were gone from 7:00 am to 10:00 pm.
![]() |
They had a GREAT day! |
While they were gone, the teens did school, and I had a play day with the girls and Baymax. We hit up the park and a pet store that lets you play with the puppies for a little while.
![]() |
They enjoyed swinging and singing Taylor Swift songs. :) |
Easter was fun--Easter baskets, church, and an extended family dinner filled the day.
![]() |
It's a periodic table with bits of each element (not the radioactive ones). |
It's hard to believe we're down to only 7 Easter baskets! Nature Angel is 18 years old now, so she's our 5th child to outgrow the tradition.
Mister Man always makes me laugh as he finds funny poses and places to study and read.
![]() |
Little Princess has been baking--bread one week, soft pretzels the next! |
![]() |
And then Lola got in on the action, sculpting a pretzel out of clay and then painting it! |
![]() |
Whether she's crocheting or studying, Nature Angel always brings me peace. |
We had a psych appointment for the boys, and Beowulf's meds were modified a little bit because he's still too explosive, even if he isn't a danger to us. We have a follow-up appointment for bloodwork and to check on how he's doing next week.
Sir Walter Scott is done working at the hospital. It was too hard on us all to have him working two jobs. I hope that having him work only at the clinic will help us feel like we have a dad/husband again.
Little Princess and I attended "Dinner with Warriors," an invitation-only event for kids considering attending one of the U.S. military academies. I wish I could have captured Little Princess' face as she talked to veterans who did what she hopes to do. She was glowing!
It was an eye-opening event. Of all of her possible goals, attending USAFA is the most difficult to achieve. There are several other paths to get where she wants to go, but we've decided that if she prepares for the highest goal, then when she makes her final decision, she'll be prepared for any of the paths she chooses. This means switching from my attitude of easy-going learning to one of serious focus.
It's a strange thing to return to an attitude that I have worked to unlearn for so many years!
Comments
Post a Comment