Here we are again! Distance learning! The highlight of the week was Friday’s scavenger hunt. Ms. M and Mrs. Shuart would tell the kids to find an item and they’d have 30 seconds to find something and bring it back to share. For “Something that smells good”, Steven brought Olive Oil Pam. While I was upstairs working I could here all of the scurrying around downstairs and it made me smile.

Even when I’m professional on top for meetings, I’m still pretty darn casual down below. 🙂 The return to an office environment is going to be rough lol.

On Sunday night, Steven drew Queen Amidala for Amaya. He worked so hard to get it right.

Amaya and Sammy both loved the picture so they decided to try their owns.

Amaya’s:

Sammy’s:

And an angry Anakin Skywalker by Steven:

The Star Wars day continued. Steven conceived of this Darth Vader idea with Darth Vader on one side and Anakin Skywalker on the other. He made it for Jason but decided, at the last minute, that it was too cool to give away.

This is another one of Sammy’s drawings! He’s least likely to sit and draw and I’m so impressed. (Jason – This has since disappeared so it either got tossed or it’s part of a surprise for you. Shhhhhhh.)

For one of her weekly lessons, Amaya had to draw and label a butterfly. Then she had to write how it moves. Which she refused to do because it has wings and it’s obvious that it flies. Hearing about penguins made no difference to her. She was obstinate in her assertion that Mrs. Shuart would know it flies because of the wing.

Hard at work…

Since they have the same math worksheets, Amaya was hiding her work from Sammy so he wouldn’t copy her answer lol. It was a good point, though, since Penni talks to the kids about their work so we talked about ways to adjust the problems slightly from child to child.

I keep saying this to Jason, but I’m so glad that SSA have each other. They’ve been playing together so well and I think it’s awesome that they’re not truly isolated during this time. (I can’t wait until they’re back at school, though.)

Wednesday was a gorgeous spring day so the kids went back to the lake. I think they spent 4 hours there, loving the sun. This week they saw someone who had a remote control boat, which sparked a lot of ideas among the boys. Next on their wish list – a remote control boat.

Sweet Sally is letting the kids love on her more and more. It’s so sweet and special, especially after how long it took us to get here.

This week the boys did partner work where they were paired up in Zoom 1:1 and had to write about one another. I found this in Sammy’s notebook. Hannah’s mom told me she wrote, “My partner is Sammy and he likes Minecraft.”

After work snuggles with Bobes.

In Friday’s mail, Steven got a letter from his friend Sloane! He was so excited to get mail and, to be honest, I think the fact that he was the only one added to his enjoyment. It said, “Dear Steven, I have been doing things like playing on rocks. What have you been doing? Love Sloane.”

First of all – this child. She has such a sense of self.

Second, on Friday our landscaper came by to help set up the sprinklers for the summer and the kids couldn’t get in bathing suits fast enough to get in the water. I think Amaya is going to ask for some sprinkler time every nice days of the season. This poor girl just can’t wait to get back in a pool and I have no idea when that’s going to happen for her. 🙁

Saturday was another nice day and, besides time spent in the sprinklers, we had out door sewing time and the fun of watching Jason powerwash.

Steven loves this t-shirt but it’s way too small on him. He was having trouble letting to so I offered to make it into a pillow for him. It’s still in progress while I wait for more stuffing to arrive.

Sweet Sammy has been working on this fox since the December. He’ll be so satisfied when it’s complete. <3

This month’s Raddish Kids featured meals from Morocco. For the first time, we took out the Q&A cards that came with the kit. One card suggested smelling the spices on your spice rack and picking your favorite. It was actually a lot of fun.

Steven: First choice – Garlic Powder. Second Choice – Cinnamon.

Sammy: First choice – Cinnamon. Second Choice – All Spice.

Amaya: First choice – Cinnanom. Second choice – Garlic Powder.

Amaya only chose two to move on to the “finals”. Sammy picked almost all of them. Steven had 10 finalists and spent about 15 minutes in an elaborate process to narrow them down.

My girl.

A couple of years ago, Amaya got a doll bed from Auntie and Dod Shuki. It was in the room that is now Steven’s and he had been using it until Amaya decided she wanted it back. I decided to let Sammy and Steven each pick out their own beds for their sleeping friends. Steven chose a triple-decker bunk bed and Sammy picked out this bed that adjusts from 2 singles to a bunk bed. I caught him so gently tucking in Puppy, Celestia and Luna. Puppy even had a flower placed under his blanket with him.

Steven’s curls!! Steven hasn’t wanted a hair cut and, at times, bed head can leave his hair looking disheveled but I figured something out – his curls need TLC just like mine do. Of course! As long as you wet them and let them be…wow. Also, leave-in conditioner works wonders. I am curious how long he’ll want to go without a trim. He seems satisfied right now.

My Sal.

Last July, back when people traveled, I got the kids these awesome shirts from the Viking Museum in Denmark. I just pulled them out again and they fit perfectly. I remember intentionally buying them big and I’m so glad I did.

Jason had a bad case of the “pig pox”.

I had some great helpers with my Lego roller coaster. 2 bags and 2 hours in!

So sweet. Jason was asleep and Amaya cuddled right up. <3 It reminds me of a picture we have of my sister sleeping on my dad’s chest when she was little.

Tonight, for Made in Morocco, we baked Orange Blossom Tea Cakes and cooked Morocccan Chicken Tagine. This time, we added a new cooking skill – grating. I’d been nervous about letting the kids use the grater but they’ve demonstrated care with kitchen utensils and we were grating an orange for zest, so the size made me more comfortable. I also gave them the option of using their cutting glove, which Amaya and Steven took me up on.

We’re working on level measurements for baking.

Sammy loves cracking eggs. (Despite how his face looks.)

While Steven was grating, Amaya and Sammy were squeezing oranges for juice – used in the tea cakes themselves and the frosting. Same with the zest.

Dicing an onion, while Amaya took charge of the garlic. They’re getting better and better at dicing, too, though I’d say we’re closer to a “chop” right now.

Sammy did an amazing job cooking the chicken. He seared it, flipped it, and then added a host of other ingredients. I feel pretty certain that the kids eat better when they play a part in the cooking. It was all delicious. Citrus desserts aren’t really my thing, especially with zest, but I could appreciate how well they came out. The Moroccan Chicken Tagine is definitely one we’ll do again.

I’ll end this week with a video of Amaya talking about coronavirus. It’s interesting to hear what she has to say and who she thinks is safe. (6 year olds, 44 year olds and 51 year olds lol.)

Have a great week!