Absentee Voting! (104/180)

D and J had their family observation at their ballet classes:

Robin went to Parkour.

All the kids went to their new session of classes at MAHC.  R and D started the day in my Little House Cooking class where we made fried salt pork with gravy and corn bread:

D's other classes are Art and Listen and Draw.  R's other classes are Robotics and Special Surprise, which this week was making Junkins:

  W's other classes are Drama/Improv and Hands-On Geometry (literally, in this case ...):

He also attended his Teen Program classes.

All the kids had soccer practice and games.

Wolfy played D and D once because we had a cold.

They got to go play laser tag at a birthday party!

We carved pumpkins:

And the kids helped me complete and prepare to mail my absentee ballot.  I may still be able to go vote on November 8, but since I am on-call for two births right now, I don't want to miss my chance.  In PA they will invalidate my absentee ballot if I show up at the polls.

They all attended their religious education classes and sang in church.

W and R read independently (W didn't finish anything, but here are the books R read:)

Fuzzy Yellow Ducklings by Matthew Van Fleet


All Fall Down by Helen Oxenbury


Animal Time! by Tom Arma


Touch and Feel Halloween by DK Publishing


Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet Ahlberg


Tickle, Tickle by Helen Oxenbury


Mama Mama by Jean Marzollo


I read to them:

Chocolate Me! by Taye Diggs


George and Martha: One More Time by James Marshall


W, R and D worked with LOF.

They listened to podcasts and watched documentaries.  This week they were especially excited about How to Cake It on YouTube.

They exercised and walked/biked regularly.

This week included 6 'days of instruction'.

Memphis Soul Stew (98/180)

D and J went to ballet. R went to parkour. All the kids went to their MAHC classes. It was the last week of this session. I took pictures of my jugglers (including R):

D had soccer practice.  So did the boys, later in the week, although games were a bit off due to the weather.  We went to the library.

W played D and D twice.  He had his Teen program classes.

We went to an Annenberg Center show presented as Memphis Soul Stew - a musical group playing and teaching about soul music from the Delta.  I didn't get any good pictures there but afterwards we had lunch with friends in the park:

The kids all attended their RE classes and sang in church.  W took the main role in a mini-skit based on the book The Hungry Coat!

R and D used LOF.  R read independently:

Fly Guy's Amazing Tricks by Tedd Arnold


Mr. Gumpy's Outing by John Burningham


My Messy Room: My First Hello Reader! by Mary Packard

I read to them:

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One and Two by J.K. Rowling


Olvina Swims by Grace Lin


Pout-Pout Fish, The by Deborah Diesen


This one was really fun to read out loud. Peek-a-Moo! by Marie Torres Cimarusti

They watched documentaries and listened to podcasts.  We had a lot of conversations about politics.  

They made birthday cards for cousins, aunts, and uncles.  

They exercised and went for a lot of walks and bike rides.

This week included seven 'days of instruction'.

Field Trip to the Farm (91/180)

J and D took their ballet classes and R took his parkour class.

All the kids went to their MAHC classes.  All the kids went to soccer practice and games.

W went to his Teen Program at MAHC and played D&D twice.

We went for a hike:

We went on a field trip to Longview Farms to learn about sustainable, organic agricultural practices:

All the kids attended their religious education classes and sang in church.

W, R, and D worked with LOF.

W read independently.  So did R:

Joe's Toe by Bobby Lynn Maslen




I read to them: Franklin and Harriet by Paulette Bourgeois


When I Feel Afraid by Cheri J. Meiners

They watched documentaries and listened to the news and podcasts.

They exercised, walked, and biked (a lot - R got a new bike.)

This week included seven 'days of instruction'.

Building a Thing (84/180)

J & D went to ballet, and R went to Parkour.

Everyone went to their MAHC classes, and R went to soccer.  The boys rode there on their bikes.

J had a doctor's appointment for a vaccine (D observed).  We visited the grounds of the Wyck House.  D had soccer, and W played D&D (twice).

W attended Teen program.  The rest of us went for a hike in the Whissahickon and the kids built a damn across the creek:

We built a coat rack/shoe cubby together, all the way from the hardware store to painting.  This was fairly crazy, but surely educational for all of us (first picture is 2x12s and 1x12s fit into our Mazda5 with 5 people including 2 carseats; second is the girls 'helping' paint it.)

W & R had soccer games.

All the kids attended their religious education classes and sang in church.

W and R read independently. W didn't finish anything, but this is what R read:

Tough Boris by Mem Fox


I Say, You Say Colors! by Tad Carpenter


Hooray For Fly Guy! by Tedd Arnold


Fly Guy and the Frankenfly by Tedd Arnold

They watched documentaries and listened to podcasts.

They exercised.

This week included 7 'days of instruction'.

Transit, Toads, and OWLs (77/180)

D & J went to ballet, and R went to Parkour.

 They all went to their MAHC classes on Tuesday, and W went to his classes on Thursday.  This is him calculating how long it take a ball to roll a certain distance

W played D&D twice.

W practiced riding public transit - we took the R8 train and the 34 trolley from home to his D&D night.

R & W played soccer - D's practice and game were cancelled due to the rain.

Everyone attended their religious education classes and sang in church.  W started Jr. High Our Whole Lives, which is a comprehensive faith based sexuality education program.

W & R read independently.  

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi


I read to them.

The End by David LaRochelle


Moo! by David LaRochelle


Lizard Walinsky by Roberta Baker


A Beetle Is Shy by Dianna Hutts Aston


W, R & D continued working with LOF.

D read Bob Books.

They watched documentaries and listened to podcasts.

They exercised, and we went for a walk in the woods.  We saw a happy toad!

This week included seven "days of instruction".