Insta-Saturday and What Happened to Week in the Life

So, my week in the life fizzled this week. I was on it Monday, Tuesday was a little harder, and by Wednesday, I didn’t pick up my big camera once (I don’t think). I realized why I was finally able to scrap a week in the life project last summer. It was SUMMER. I wasn’t schooling, no kids in weekly activities, etc. Still, I want to figure out a plan for the two days that I really documented because there is some neat stuff there.

With that said, here are a couple pictures to wrap up the rest of the week that I captured in all our craziness on my phone. : )

Someone’s soccer pictures. I can’t stand the cuteness.

I have GOT to do something about this desk. Got. to.

In process: Thursday dinner.

We had a new friend over for a bit on Friday night and the little girls were smitten. Between this new one, and my BFF’s new little girl, I can’t tell you – literally – how many times the girls have wistfully commented that they still wish the boy was this size. I do to, a little bit, but he does sleep a bit more now. There is that to consider.

 

Happy Saturday. Ours is filled with soccer, groceries, and a family movie night as our Friday night was taken up with some music stuff for T. I need some catch-up time around the house (see my desk photo above as some of the evidence) so I’m off to make it a productive one. : )

P.G. Wodehouse // May Reading to Know Bookclub

This is where I sat and read The Jeeves Collection while on Spring Break earlier this month. (Most of the time anyway!) I knew that Wodehouse was not going to be by normal reading material and jumped on it right at the beginning of the month so I would finish it. This book was selected by Diary of an Autodidact, a book blogger who’s path I hadn’t crossed prior to this book club.

The Jeeves Collection contained several short stories, some of which were My Man Jeeves, Extricating Young Gussie, and Right Ho, Jeeves. I knew that if I was going to tackle this new author I wanted to pick some stories that stuck with the same characters so that I could keep them all straight. These stories center around Bertie Wooster – a rich, self absorbed member of the English upper-class, and Jeeves – his butler who has an uncanny knack of solving the trivial dilemmas of the Bertie’s friends which they seem to get themselves into.  I think my favorite story of the three I read was Right Ho, Jeeves, but I was tickled at some of the language in Extricating Young Gussie. In that story, Bertie is sent to the United States by his aunt to “rescue” his cousin who is about to marry a girl who performs on stage (insert horrified whisper from upper English society here). : ) His thoughts about New York City were worth a chuckle:

New York is a large city conveniently situated on the edge of America, so that you step off the liner right on to it without an effort. You can’t lose your way. You go out of a barn and down some stairs, and there you are, right in among it.

Now to sum up my thoughts on this month’s read:

Did I enjoy this author? Yes, yes I did.

Am I going to run out and purchase/download/borrow all of Wodehouse’s work? Probably not. I did enjoy what I read for the book club. That said, I think for me, I read too much Wodehouse, too fast. Someone (maybe Amy?) posted a thought of Wodehouse’s on their blog saying that his short stories were best read in bits and spurts, whereas I literally plowed through them during my big chunk of free reading time this month, aka spring break.

Was it worth my time to read it? Yes! I can definitely see assigning these to future homeschool students in my household and it’s always nice to say that I have read it.

Up next for May is The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (chosen by Amy at Hope is the Word). It has been YEARS since I’ve read this one and actually had to go repurchase a copy for the book club. (Went with paper over Kindle this month.) : )

For more (coherent) thoughts on the works of P.G. Wodehouse, visit Reading to Know.

My book club posts for 2012 (linked to my posts):
January: Beyond Opinion by Ravi Zacharias
February: Running Away to Home

Read Aloud Thursday // The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White

We fiiiiiiiiiiiiinally finished our current lunchtime/afternoon read-aloud this week! The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White was a perfect spring choice for us. It had been years since I had read this and I enjoyed reacquainting myself with Louis the Swan as well as introducing him to my girls.

As a refresher, or to those that haven’t read the book, the story centers around a young trumpeter swan named Louis who is born unable to “ko-hoh!” … or trumpet. His father is most concerned about how his young cygnet is going to manage without a voice and goes to great lengths to procure an actual trumpet for his son so that he can make some sort of noise. Louis manages to learn how to play a trumpet (and play it well), and if that wasn’t an impressive enough accomplishment, he also learns how to read and write!

I loved sharing this story with my girls for several reasons:

1. It’s just good. : ) E.B. White is a wonderful storyteller as anyone who has read Charlotte's Web knows! The Trumpet of the Swan, also set around animals that talk, is just as good. (He also wrote another talking animal story, Stuart Little , but that’s one I have never read).

2. There is a quite a bit of science to be found in these pages. We have been on-again / off-again with our bird studies this year, and this was a good way to plug in a little bit more bird talk before we wrap up this school year. The book is very descriptive as it describes the swans in flight and as they set up their little nest and prepare to lay eggs and raise a family.

3. The young boy in the picture above is Sam Beaver. He discovers the swans’ nest at the beginning of the story, and begins a friendship with Louis that lasts through the book. He loves to be in the outdoors and see what wild animals he can spot, and he keeps a journal of what he sees. As a mama that is always looking for more time in our week to get us outside and observing nature, I loved the example that Sam sets for us.

If I had a rating system for the books that we read and blog about (which I should do at some point!), this one would get five out of five stars easily. A classic that deserves to be checked out of the library, if not purchased and placed on your own shelf to read and reread.

For more Read Aloud Thursday goodness, visit Amy at Hope is the Word.

Week in the Life 2012 // Tuesday

Day 2. A few thoughts:

• I didn’t do near as much journaling on my notesheets yesterday. It’s hard to do that and school and be on top of kids and etc.
• I’m also not used to grabbing my big camera. Compared to my phone, that thing is hefty.
• I also realized yesterday that I really needed to take off my phone case and clean it from fingerprints. Some of yesterday’s phone photos weren’t great just because the case was smudged.
• I remembered that I love taking pictures of my kids outside.

A smattering of the photos I took…

What my school table looks like in the morning.

Big blue morning eyes snuggling with Daddy.

 

Running to wake up N2.

 

Waking her up. (Photos above and below by N1 – notice Daddy’s hand on the side of the bunk bed spotting the boy). : )

 

Someone was in my bed.

Playing on the stairs.

 

Reading.

School distraction. He climbed on her back and is eating an apple there. Nice.

New read-aloud started today.

Trying to plan.

 

Opted for a shower instead.

 

My roses are crazy right now.

 

Lots of tree climbing this afternoon. I absolutely adore her eyes.

The boy got some time pushing his car.

Looking up in the tree.

 

Small group at our friends’ home.

For more week in the life goodness, visit Ali Edwards.
My week: Monday

Week in the Life 2012 // Monday

Photos from the day.

B is usually my first one up and snags herself a chocolate milk when I’m refilling my coffee.

 

Writing emails.

Next one awake.

 

Seriously.

 

Morning light.

 

 

Watching Daddy leave for work.

Quick chips and guac for lunch.

Car tunes.

 

Hanging out at chess.

 

Stuff.

Afternoon snack.

 

Dinner.

A few things at Walmart while the N’s have their music lessons with T. The brown shirt was $1, so I needed it.

Practicing.

Restocking. It’s that time of year.

Winding down.

For more week in the life goodness, visit Ali Edwards.

Project Life Week 15 // April 8-14

Hello Week 15. Easter, time with friends, a field trip and first piano lessons.

On the left:

• After church egg hunt with the neighbors. With assistance from his cousin, the boy got the hang of finding the eggs.
• dinner with friends on Monday night. I was helping test my BFF’s oldest on their Classical Conversations memory work and we just stayed and got pizza. Super fun (and needed) catch-up time.
• We had Bible study at our house on Tuesday (we rotate whose house we meet at) and this week it was just informal – kids were running around outside almost the whole time and the adults chatted. N2 found a willing audience for a read-aloud moment.

My title card for this week … apparently taken by Susie Shaky-hand. The list is my contribution to our Easter lunch: my Mom’s strawberry pie and these crockpot potatoes. (The potatoes were a new recipe for me and I counted them a success since my Mom and my sister asked for the recipe. YUM.) The sweet details is a tag from the February kit from Elle’s Studio. B also signed her name on the card and I wanted to include that.

Martha Stewart label on the picture of the boy. B’s Easter picture is on the pink polkadot paper (which is from Emilie’s Easter kit). B looks really old to me of late. I’m not into her turning 5 in a few weeks.

The boy’s Easter pic. Hello adorable. (I did have pics of N1 and N2 … I’ll probably slip them in other spots).

On the right:

• a field trip to a local historical home, Traveler’s Rest. The timing worked out perfectly as this is a Civil War era home and we are reading about that time period.
• N2 and baby C. She just loves snuggling that baby. (As do we all…) : )
• a first piano lesson for N2 with her Daddy.
• soccer girl. (This may be my favorite shot of the layout).

Happy Monday. Trying to get us in the school groove + Week in the Life + weekend recovery. A full one with a baby shower for a friend and celebrating Grandpa’s (my Dad’s) birthday yesterday with the family. I’m off!