We're probably doing it wrong.
Hyped-up kids on a rainy day or dark evening? Here's a few super-easy activities to get out lots of energy and have fun--which require NO EQUIPMENT. I started offering "physical challenges" for my boys when this happens. Sometimes I offer the choice of outdoor play or physical challenges. One boy actually really likes the physical... Continue Reading →
E and M got to do part-time hybrid school for the spring of their 2nd grade year. Third grade was fully back to in-person. Over the summer, they got VACCINES!!! The libraries finally opened back up again! They took tennis lessons and a soccer skills class. I got them roller skates, we went back to... Continue Reading →
Nerd Alert! I made a giant list of family/kid movies, sorted by date released: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vR0ZqqG-sUXp8LFq_KarsRIIUeFj7odV7BIe9VSycdCG8vrn99aO9FoEG1RfUnuEijyehf7WgyDmOVS/pubhtml Our family started movie nights a couple years ago, but it was sporadic. Last year, we started doing it every Saturday night pretty regularly. Mr. A also makes homemade pizza and popcorn. Like all media decisions, we had a hard... Continue Reading →
These boys had quite a weird year between 7 and 8! They stayed home for more than half of it after the pandemic hit, when they were in 2nd grade. They spent a lot of time on ipads doing "school." Lots of reading, they did lots of skateboarding, and I took them on lots of... Continue Reading →
We have been so lucky. So, so lucky. My side gig as a substitute teacher obviously stopped abruptly, and my photography work did too, until mid-summer. However--Mr A still has his job because his company has always been remote. And with no child care costs, we are doing just fine financially. The boys are at... Continue Reading →
The boys turned SEVEN years old recently! Seven really seems like the official end of little kid and beginning of just kid years. Six was a good year. They finished kindergarten and did great. Their academic skills improved a lot, they made a lot of friends, they had a lot of fun. They were definitely... Continue Reading →
This week we signed the papers and got the keys! It's official--we own a house! For the past seven years, we've been in a three-bedroom, three-bath rental house in a beautiful neighborhood of Portland. It's got a small yard, an attached two-car garage and an unfinished basement (with one finished Secret Room that is now... Continue Reading →
Tuesday we put in our move-out notice at our rented house. The closing date for our new, first home is set for next week. I booked movers for Weds Oct 30. Oh my goodness, this is really happening! I have so many conflicting and simultaneous feelings. There are two "biggest" ones. The first is a... Continue Reading →
On the Fourth of July, we decided to go somewhere new: Trillium Lake. My jaw dropped as soon as the lake came into view. WOW. It was a beautiful day, and I couldn't stop taking pictures because this view was just so freaking perfect. That blue blue sky, the deep green trees, the mountain, and... Continue Reading →
The boys completed kindergarten! I couldn't believe we were sending our little (they are so little once again at this age!) innocent souls out into the world. Were they ready? Were we ready? What would happen to them?! They were totally ready. Of course. And they had a wonderful year! They grew into their own... Continue Reading →
We Have Twins?! 