A Day in the Life: October 12th

It's been a little while since I've done one of these posts, and it seemed like a good idea since we're back in a not-quite-normal "normal schedule" :)

5:30  I roll out of bed a little late this morning.  Gerrit's already awake and getting ready for work.

5:35 I curl up on the couch with a giant blanket because it's freezing to read my Come, Follow Me and Elder Bednar's talk from the most recent General Conference

5:55 I'm switching gears now to put up a list of Come, Follow Me links for our ward primary families to use on the Relief Society Facebook page.

6:00 Time to work now!  My work emails are not too bad, all things considered.  One student sends me an email that was clearly meant for another professor so I let her know.

6:05  Meeting recording links are the easiest to grade.  

6:10 This group assignment is my favorite out of the thirteen per semester because they have to watch 30 minutes of TV meant for kids and teens and look at violent/delinquent behavior.  It's really interesting to see what they watch and it's also how I found out about Gravity Falls (which the kids LOVED). Avatar: The Last Airbender was an extremely popular choice this semester.

6:25 Gerrit heads out the door for work

6:35 I change out of my pajamas and into my exercise clothes.

6:40 I do two Fit by Larie YouTube videos.  One was a barre-inspired lower body workout and one was an ab workout.  They were both hard.

7:20 I fill out the online tithing form (really meant to do that yesterday) and eat some dry Cheerios.

7:30 Elliott comes downstairs and wants to snuggle and chat about all of his stuffed animals.

7:32 I order my new and upload a picture of my prescription.

7:34 My next online errand is to order some adorable fabric with reading cats and painting cats for some more masks for Molly.  It turns out we need more than 6 masks per person unless I want to do extra laundry.  I do not want to do extra laundry.

7:40 Now I'm browsing for options for new pajamas for Molly and a new hoodie for Miles.  You really figure out what doesn't fit anymore once it starts getting cold!

7:50  Time to wake up Miles and Molly!  Elliott loves to come upstairs and turn on the light.

7:53  Molly's hair woke up wild so I help her comb it and put it in a cute low ponytail with a clip.

7:55  I decide I might as well make sure Elliott gets dressed while I'm upstairs.  This involves a whole lot of reminders until Elliott decides he feels like it.

8:04  I pour Molly and Elliott some Cinnamon Toast Crunch and make myself a banana protein shake.  Miles already ate breakfast so he's upstairs getting dressed.

8:10  I realize that it’s mid-month so the library has probably put their new book newsletter up.  I put a bunch of books on hold for me and the kids.  I’m excited to see that they have the new Fredrik Backman and the new Ruth Ware!

8:12 Molly is successfully making her lunch but we ran out of all the food Miles likes, so now I’m helping him look everywhere for something he’ll eat.  Molly took the last bread and we ate the last of the tortillas last night, so it looks like we’re looking at a baggie of mixed peanuts and pistachios, some mini Belvita biscuits, and an applesauce.

8:20 I do the Monday crossword while the kids finish up lunch and shoes. The theme of this one is “flower garden”, and then I yell the Mini puzzle clues to Miles and Molly so they can solve it on their own.

8:30 We try to do the Spelling Bee but it’s slow going today, so we give up to have enough time for the Vertex.

8:35 The Vertex is a bunch of tomatoes on the vine!  I always do the first set of triangles and then Miles and Molly finish it

8:45 We're out the door for school.  We say a family prayer in the car, and then recently I’ve started asking the kids questions based on whatever the day’s Vertex puzzle.  Today’s questions:

What’s your favorite vegetable:  Elliott: broccoli, and lettuce on a hamburger.  Hamburgers are my favorite vegetable!  Molly: corn  Miles: cucumbers Me: I love vegetables, but in fall it’s brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes

What’s your least favorite vegetable: Elliott: tomatoes. Molly: tomatoes.  Miles: Mostly, I don’t like fruit. Me: Lima beans

What’s your favorite tomato product:  Elliott: ketchup  Molly: ketchup Miles: salsa  Me: salsa

What are your dream hamburger toppings:  Elliott: cheese ,ketchup, lettuce, and avocado.  Molly: ham, cheese, ketchup, lettuce  Miles:  ketchup, lettuce, tomato, onion, bacon, avocado, and french fries.  Me: fry sauce, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, avocado, bacon

8:52  Drop off Miles and Molly for the day!

8:54 On the drive home,  Elliott sees some really cute dogs and talks about how much he loves puppies and also asks when he can get his dream hamburger.

9:00 I need to get dressed.  Elliott plays with K’Nex while I get ready. I wash my face, brush my teeth, and put on a checked shirt and jeans

9:15 I check to make sure that we don’t already have the stuff on my grocery list. I can end up buying a lot of duplicate groceries otherwise.

9:20 I tape up my Warby Parker Box and put on the label

9:30 Elliott doesn't want to go to the post office without his "emotional support friends". He definitely got that one from Miles. I drop off my box at post office.  It is eerily empty.

9:35 On the drive to the grocery store,  Elliott wants to know if dogs can go on vacation and what happens to them on an airplane

9:45 Time for our Macey’s run!  I’m trying to make sure I have all of our dinner food, lunch food for real this time, and enough snacks that people won’t complain

10:40 Elliott sees a scary clown at a Halloween store on the way back.  Elliott: “Why do people think clowns are a Halloween thing?  Clowns are supposed to be silly and fun!  I don’t like that scary clown.  I think they’re confused.”  I agree.

10:45 We see a package on our doorstep when we get home.  It’s a Halloween box from my mom!

10:46 Elliott goes onto the front porch to blow bubbles from box while I put away groceries.  I imagine that this will be peaceful.  I underestimate the number of times Elliott will ring the doorbell to tell me I have to come see his bubbles.

11:00 I try to segue into cleaning the counters, sink, and sweeping.  It's hard to get going with the constant doorbell.

11:05 Elliott and I read two library books on the couch

11:15 Our library doesn't have in-person programs, but they do have YouTube! Three of Elliott’s favorite silly songs (Bluegrass Beat; Go Bananas; Ram-Sam-Sam) are on Rhythm and Song today.

11:30 I let Elliott watch an episode of Pocoyo while I bring him a peanut butter sandwich and yogurt.  I make myself half a turkey, cheese, and pickle sandwich.

11:35  Can I grade all the discussion boards before we need to leave for kindergarten? Let’s find out!

12:03 The answer is yes!  It’s time to drive to school.  Elliott is still traumatized by the clown so I try to draw his focus to some more fun parts of Halloween.

12:12 I drop Elliott off in the kindergarten line and come home.

12:20 I put on really quick makeup because I’m about to leave video feedback and I feel more professional with makeup on.

12:25 I zone out the whole world and grade research proposals.  I leave a ton of written feedback and a video note.  It takes so much time, but it helps improve the final papers enormously.  Luckily, all the proposals today are decent.  Between what I finish today and what I was able to do last week from people who turned it in early, I’m a little over halfway finished :)

2:07 Just enough time to grab some nuts and an apple and look at Instagram before pickup!

2:15 I sit in the parking lot and wait to pick up the kids.  Two songs I love come on the radio: Taylor Swift Cardigan and Cake Short Skirt Long Jacket

2:32 Molly shows up to tell me about her math class. She aced her quiz!

2:34 Elliott wanted to tell me about his good idea, and Miles wants a play date.  I remind him he has piano, but if his friend wants to stay at our house during piano, it could work.

2:37 It turns out Miles’s friend can’t come over today.  We chat on the way home about a project he loved (ancient Australian aboriginal mystery) and one he did not (poetry). Miles likes to get out of the car when I'm getting the mail and then walk really slowly in front of me, and now Molly does too.

2:40 The kids are so excited to see the Halloween box and everyone gets some snacks from the box. Thanks so much, Grandma!

2:45 Molly starts to read a Bad Guys book.  I kick Miles off YouTube and he reads Holes.

3:30  Miles goes to piano for the first time in months, but accidentally leaves without two of his books.  Good thing we find them in the basement!

3:35 I read Rebel Spy.  I don’t know why I thought it was about the Civil War, but it’s definitely about the Revolution.

4:00 Miles’s piano lesson went well!  I check the mail and then realize it’s Columbus Day.  Now I’m really confused about how I was able to drop off my package this morning.

4:10 Time to make dinner!  I’m making pumpkin alfredo with spiral noodles, chicken, bacon, and broccoli.  I also roasted some acorn squash and put out some raspberries

5:00 Dinner’s all done! I pick up my book and wait for Gerrit

5:30  Gerrit is unusually late, so I call him and he’d lost track of time.  Miles was starving, so I let him eat dinner, and then Molly wanted to eat too.

6:05  Gerrit comes home and the rest of us eat!

6:30 Our family reads 3 Nephi 19, and then reads some stories and activities from the Friend for our Family Home Evening lesson.

6:50 Everybody loves watching Dwight in Shining Armor!

7:20 I watch Jeopardy! and family members join me when they feel like it.  It’s always nice to know the Triple Stumper on Final J! "Around 2012, the state license plates for Michoacan, Mexico, featured these insects". Correct response: What are monarch butterflies? There's a monarch migration site not too far from where I grew up so this was not too hard for me.

7:45 I coerce kids into helping clean because it's so much faster if we all work on it.

7:51 I work on the knowledge bowl study guide, starting on music terms. There's going to be a lot more pictures in this year's study guide than we had for math or history.

9:00 Gerrit comes downstairs and we finish the movie All Together Now on Netflix. It took a turn I was not quite expecting from the first half.

10:00 I do a few logic puzzles to get ready to sleep

10:10 Time for bed!

 

Junior Builder

Elliott is really into his K'nex right now.  Every day he builds a new helicopter or wheel or toy and then carries it with him all day.  I thought this wheel was really impressive!

Unrelated, but something I don't want to forget:

Molly was singing Taylor Swift's "Cardigan": "When you are young they assume you know nothing"

Gerrit:  Well, it is kind of true

Elliott:  No, it's not!  When you are young you know that you love your mama!  

He's the sweetest.

Glasses in the Age of the Internet

 My glasses snapped apart in my hand one day.  I tried to use my backup contacts.  It turns out they expired in 2012.  I do NOT recommend putting 8-year-old contacts in your eyes unless you enjoy pain and having some of the prescription be gone so your depth perception is way off.  I then turned to superglue so I could at least see.

The last time I shopped for glasses was before there was a particularly robust online glasses market.  There were a few pairs, but most of them were too broad for my face.  This time, I really wanted to give online shopping a try!

Background: I loathe glasses shopping.  I had a very bad experience with a high-pressures sales person and overly expensive glasses about six or seven years ago.  It also makes me feel weird about my face, and I never feel like I have enough time to make a good decision.

I decided to get glasses from Warby Parker.  They aren't as cheap as some other places, but they're still affordable AND they let you try on five frames at a time for free.  This was really helpful for my glasses-based decision paralysis.  My other favorite thing was that it was really able to search by how wide the frames were.  I need narrow frames and I didn't have to look at the measurements on every single pair of glasses in a store.  I was so afraid that I would buy some from another site and then hate what they looked like on my face, and then need to return them and start all over.

Here are the five options I tried!

I love the look of these but they squeezed my face.

I was not that into these. They really cut too low across the eyelid.

These are a little rounder than I am used to, but I like the color, the subtle cat's eye, and that they don't cut into the top of my eyelid.  These ended up being my winner!

The line across the top is too heavy for my taste.

I also liked these ones, although I was less certain about the shape. They were my second favorite.

All of them together! Overall, the process was relatively painless.  I loved being able to take pictures, show my friends, and try them on with plenty of time at home.

School Pickup

 I have a lot of short, semi-useless amounts of time in my day.  It's hard to get motivated to do much when you know you only have less than 15 minutes before you need to be doing something else.  One of those times in my day is school pickup.  I show up at the school 10 minutes before the bell rings to make sure I can get a parking spot.  Sometimes I read.  Sometimes I look at my phone.  Sometimes I just listen to the radio.  One day I was really bored and it turns out that I may be exactly like my children because it turns out I will also take selfies if I don't have anything to do but look at my phone. I need some more hobbies that fit into tiny shreds of time!

Molly at 8.5

Molly is eight and a half now!  Can you believe it?  Here's a little about what she's like right now:

*Molly loves to socialize and is so happy to be back at in-person school.  She is closest friends with Ella and Norah at school and Lexi in our neighborhood, but she's friendly with everyone.  This showed up when she was recently voted class president of her third grade classroom.  Her teacher this year is Mrs. Neilson and she says that Molly is always happy and trying very hard at school. 

*Speaking of that, Molly is very driven.  She wants to do her best, all the time, no matter what she's doing.  Sometimes this is helpful and sometimes this  makes her really upset.

*She's still very into arts and crafts.  She loves drawing videos, her Doodle Crate, and any craft she can think of. The picture above is her entry for the school yearbook cover contest. As I'm typing this, she decided our house doesn't have enough Halloween decorations and she's making her own.

                                                 

*Molly reads a lot. She started reading Harry Potter in September and has already read the first three books!  She is determined to do well in Battle of the Books this year and has read 15 out of 20 books and been taking notes.

                                        

*She loves fashion and puts a lot of thought into her outfits.  Her favorite clothes to wear are rompers, skirts, any sort of graphic tee (especially with cats), and pink clothing.

*Molly is deeply obsessed with cats. She gets offended if any book or TV show portrays cats negatively.  She loves her cat stuffies.  We were just buying her new pajamas and all of her favorite options had cats or leopards (except for one with pandas).  She wants a cat but I told her she needs to wait until she's an adult.

*She has recently started to like computer games.  She mostly does themed simulator types but Miles definitely got her into those over the summer.

                                                   

*Molly also likes to do Sudoku, logic puzzles, and is getting better at the mini crosswords.

                                                   
                                                   

*She has a high sense of drama.  It's pretty rare for Molly to see something as just okay.  It's usually the best most amazing thing ever or the worst thing that has ever happened to her.

Low Key Weekends

 Sometimes I really miss going on family adventures on weekends.  We still try to have fun, but it's much lower-key than it was before. Here's an example from a recent weekend:

*Gerrit took the kids to an outdoor movie night to see Scooby-Doo.  They got free pumpkins and snacks!

*We took a family walk to one of the nearer neighborhood parks.

*Miles built his own Perplexus.  I'm always so in awe of his building projects!

It's not quite the same thing as huge day trips around Salt Lake or Park City, but these are still things I'd want to remember.

Saving the Crown Jewels

 My sister sent us a Finders Seekers escape room in a box for my birthday.  Each month, the box is themed around a different city.  This one was London themed so it was perfect!  It had ten different puzzles and then a final puzzle.  Some of the puzzles were simple, some were a medium, and some were really pretty hard.  It was a great family activity!  Miles says it was some of the most fun he's had during the whole pandemic.  

Exploring all the materials.

Finding the hidden message in some modern art at the Tate Modern.

Solving a coded message at Abbey Road.

You had to decode the gears at Big Ben.

This train station puzzle was legitimately very hard.

It took the four of us (Elliott only came in when he felt like it) about two hours and we were so excited to officially solve it :)

Owie

 Elliott got in the car after school and told me "Mom, I got an owie at P.E."  I imagined that he got a little bump, but I didn't actually look at it because I was trying to help Miles's friend fit his scooter in our trunk.

Imagine my surprise when I got home and saw that the "owie" in question was actually a black eye!  Another little boy in his class accidentally hit him in the eye with some of their P.E. equipment and left this beautiful bruise.

Crazy Hair Day

 Our school does a ton of dress-up days every year for Red Ribbon Week.

Miles has no interest in any dress-up day that is not pajama day.

Elliott has no interest if it takes effort.  He was good with pajama day and wear red day.

Molly jumps wholeheartedly into dress-up days.  She combed her dresser for all the red possible.  She found the most mismatched clothing she owned.  She found her science girl shirt for nerd day. She saved her favorite pajamas all week.  She designed this awesome hairstyle for crazy hair day.

Floor Is Lava

 The kids have enjoyed the Netflix show Floor is Lava so much that they created their own course in our family room.  They even added "mood lava" on the TV.  It was really fun!

Garden of Quilts

 We took a fun family trip to the Garden of Quilts at Thanksgiving Point!  Brooke had reminded us of the event and I'm so happy she did!

The event was great for two reasons.  First, the quilts were gorgeous.  Second, it turns out I've never been to the gardens in late summer.  I've been in the autumn, in the spring, and the winter, but I've never seen all of the sunflowers, dahlias, and zinnias in bloom. It may well be my favorite season of plants at the garden.

See, so many pretty flowers!

This one had amazing quilting, and I was also pretty fond of the seam rippers.

Nothing says "Of course my mom took me to a quilt thing" like the kids in homemade scrap fabric masks :)

See that dark blue fabric with pink flowers?  I made Molly a skirt out of that one, just in a knit.

See the green/yellow floral in that star?  Molly had a shirt out of that.

Love this color scheme!

The flowers around the stream were so pretty.

This was Molly's favorite quilt.

I loved the Halloween quilting on this one.

This very nice little boy gave the kids some koi food.  The koi here are intense.

The pond was so peaceful and pretty.

Holiday houses!

You have to look at these tea sets in detail.  There's Wonder Woman, Harry Potter, Beauty and the Beast, and so many more.

I loved this bookshelf quilt and it felt like something I could piece.

Utah in quilt form.

Waiting for Gerrit to take some pictures.

They had some stunning art quilts upstairs safe from the elements.

The color and detail work were great on this one.

Elliott loves the letters on the mountains.

The colors on this were great, too.

Miles loved this Minecraft one!