Survival School

I was talking with a group of friends {over a video app} and my friend Tess said it best when she said we're 'Survival-Schooling'  She's absolutely right.  I'm not homeschooling my kids and can't even pretend I am.  I'm working full time and just trying to keep them busy enough that they aren't fighting with each other.  My goal during this time is to keep them from regressing too much and keep them happy and active.  That being said, several of you have reached out asking about our curriculum.  Since I have no curriculum, here is the 'schedule' we go by each day.  Again, I'm not 'teaching' them anything during this time.  Simply reviewing things they already know. 

The only 'new' content we're covering is how to
+ follow simple recipes {EasyMac, energy bites, hot dogs, etc. independently + help us w/ real recipes}
+ start the dishwasher & washing machine independently {they're almost 7 & 8}
+ address and mail and envelope
+ type correctly {thanks www.TypingClub.com}
+ play shuffleboard :)

Other than that, we're giving a lot of grace.

I will also add that my kids got a laptop for Christmas that they have always used for educational games/website {Prodigy, iReady, etc.} that they still play whenever -- we don't restrict use on that.  {the benefit of not having YouTube on it!!}

Also, we end up doing 'homeschool' page above about 3-4 days a week.  One or two days a week they end up working on a project with Adam, playing at their grandmas {we have been quarantining with them}, or just playing outside all day.  As long is they are playing nicely together, I'm perfectly happy with only doing 'school' 3 days a week.  Again, my goal isn't to advance them, but simply keep them from regressing.  

School Photos | 2018-19

I'm convinced I have the cutest kids on the planet! I have all the heart eyes looking at these two.  Even chipped nail polish can't bring me down {haha!}  Here's a tip for the new mama's out there.   Order the disc instead of photos {$15} and then take them to your local lab to get all your prints.  So much cheaper and that way you don't have to buy a package you don't want -- what does a person do with all those little wallets anyways?!  

1st Day of School 2018

The first day of school!  Cullyn is so ready!  Jordyn is excited, but a little nervous.  Both are perfect examples of their personalities.  Jordyn has Mrs. Schmidt who she already knows {perks of a small town} and Cullyn has Mrs. Ferguson. Both kids get 3 recesses and snack time which makes them.  However, Cullyn doesn't have the same feelings for nap time.  Haha!

J requested curly hair and was willing to get up at 6:30a for it, so curly hair she got!

Cullyn's new glasses arrived just in time.

The other 50% of the time he says he's going to be a paleontologist.  :)

Meet the teacher night 2018

True to our style, we were the last people at Meet the Teacher night!  

Cullyn has Mrs. Ferguson this year {not the same teacher that Jordyn had} so we're excited to see how it goes.  I've heard she has a little more structure than Mrs. James {J's kindergarten teacher when we moved to Montezuma} which should be perfect for Cullyn.  My heart says this kid is going to have the best year! 

Jordyn's teacher is Mrs. Schmidt which came as a surprise to me since we know her outside of school.  Jordyn's grandma babysits Mrs. Schmidt's son every day.  That being said, we are so, so excited to have her!  She is very kind and loving and dedicated to her students which is Jordyn's favorite kind of teacher! :)

Reading Again

After almost a year 'off' -- I'm finally reading again!  Which is kind of code for 'I'm finally working out again' since the bulk of my reading happens at the gym.  I shared that secret while training for my half marathon a few years ago, but it's easiest for me to make the time to read when I'm running on the treadmill.  It's kind of my one, two punch.  I feel like I'm getting a lot accomplished, plus my little 'reward' for running is being able to read {something I really enjoy}.
However, I have been reading more in the evenings than ever before.  Mainly because it's my off season for photography.  But also because my kids are getting older and we've started to incorporate earlier bedtimes.  Yes, I know that sounds totally backwards.  Maybe I'll share more about that next week. At any rate, I've started incorporating weekly library visits into our schedule and the kids couldn't love it more!  Plus it makes me feel like a better mama. :)

So, the books I've been reading lately...
Uninvited - I'm reading it now.  It's different than I thought it would be.  A good book to read a chapter of each night as opposed to sitting down and devouring it.

Bread & Wine - I really liked this book!  It was perfect for the beginning of the year.  Very motivating!  Perfect for people like like to host {like Adam and I} since she lists some of her favorite recipes throughout the book.

Wild & Free - More like uninvited.  Very thought provoking, large concept ideas.  I'm glad I read it.  Another one of those books it's fun to highlight parts of and write in the margins. :)

Present Over Perfect - This book changed my life.  A bold statement, but it's true.  It really helped me focus on what matters {my family} and decide what I need to cut back in order to make them priority.  When you say yes to something, you're subconsciously saying no to something else. Phenomenal book for the habitually late, over busy, working mama!

The Magnolia Story - Such an unexpected love for me since I don't watch 'Fixer-Upper' and didn't really know Chip & JoJo {other than their name and that they had the show}.  My sister gave me this book to read on our vacation to St. Lucia and I ended up reading it {small, super fast read} before we left for the trip--you know, when I should have been packing and cleaning! ;)  Great book for small business owners.  Full of love, family, God, hard work, & motivation.

Small Great Things - My boss let me borrow this book.  It was on my radar because Jodi Picoult wrote it and I generally like her writing.  Perfect timing though, because I read it over MLK day.  This was a great book on race.  A great read during a time when the country is yet again so divided.

The Woman in Cabin 10 - Not pictured because I borrowed it from my sister in South Carolina and already gave it back.  SUCH a good book!  Very suspenseful!  It won't say more than that because I don't want to give it away, but if you like suspense books, you'll love this.  I read the whole thing in 24 hours -- couldn't.put.it.down!

Big Little Lies - Also a great book.  I happened to read it the day before the series started on HBO.  I'm not a huge TV watcher, but I did record this.  I'm hoping the mini series is a good as the book.

On my wishlist for Spring/Summer...
Two by Two 
See Me
It Ends With Us
Chasing Slow
Loving my Actual Life
She Reads Truth
Freefall to Fly
The Broken Way

This is getting lengthy, so I'll write about kids books & our library visits soon :)

*Affiliate links used to fund my library ;)

Brad's Graduation & Celebration from Dental School

Last Friday, 'Uncle Brad' officially turned to Dr. Worner!  Since he and my sister started dating at 15, we've been able to watch is dream finally come to fruition after year of hard work.  To say we were all excited to be able to help him celebrate, would be an understatement!  I couldn't be more proud to have Brad {& his family} in our lives.  They're some of the kindest people you will ever meet. 

After the ceremony, we walked over to 30hop before our dinner reservations at Monica's.