Every time I get ready to post something about school, I thank God for the days and weeks our kids get to go.  Sometimes it’s easy for me to focus on the negative – all the days and weeks they’ve missed.  But truly, we are thankful and are not taking it for granted anymore.  

A couple of pictures from Anna’s 3rd grade Valentine party in February…

In March, Anna’s class dissected owl pellets (the undigested part of their food such as bones or hair that they regurgitate) looking for bones to identify what the owl had eaten.  

A recent note I spotted in Anna’s math homework to her tutor.  So sweet.  

And, Anna recently earned her Cursive License!  Mastering cursive is such a big part of third grade and we are so proud of her!

In 6th grade, James’s class celebrated Pi Day in March by wearing their new Pi Day
t-shirts, eating pie and pizza, and working through various math related activities.  Can you spot James?  

On an unrelated note, Kenny and the kids enjoyed April Fool’s Day jokes with each other.  It started first thing in the morning…James turned off the water under Anna’s sink so there was a delay while she hurried to brush her teeth before leaving for school.  He also put tissues in the toe of her shoe which made rushing out the door difficult.  When I went to hug Anna goodbye she reached down and squeezed my knee for a tickle and said “April Fools!”  Anna said at school she enlisted the help of a boy who knows how to make pop-up cards to make a pop-up spider card that read “Happy April Fool’s Day!” for her beloved teacher.  While the kids were at school Kenny put food coloring gel in their bathroom faucets.  That night while getting ready for bed, James had blue water and Anna green.  Anna pulled a joke on James by hiding her doll in his bed which gave him quite a surprise.  And lastly, Kenny filled Anna’s pillowcase with balloons.  She spotted them right away, though, before she laid her head down.  It was a full, fun day of pranks!

I completed some of my goals for March but not all of them.  Still progress! 

*Continue making cards and envelopes – I didn’t make any new ones but did have enough for all of the upcoming April birthdays  
*Purge and re-organize the book shelves in the front room – Finished
*Deep clean the kid’s bedrooms over spring break – Finished Anna’s room
*Make changes to blog – haven’t started

The front room bookshelves were a big job but I tackled it while Anna was home on quarantine and she was a big help!  We took every book and game off the shelf, dusted the shelves and every item, sorted and purged, and re-organized as they went back on the shelves.  I found my stamp collection from many years ago and enjoyed showing that to the kids.  I found the wedding planner binder I used – don’t need that anymore!  And, I found a good number of books I’ve bought and haven’t read yet.  Time to refrain from buying books for the meantime and dig in and read more.

Our pile to donate

All finished!

When Anna was home, we also worked on cleaning out her room, purging all the things she doesn’t use and re-organizing.  She worked so hard and is enjoying her new space!  Anna took all of these before and after photos herself. 

For April:

*Wash all comforters, mattress pads, and blankets on all the beds
*Wash and put away flannel sheets and put on cotton bedding
*Purge and organize the office shelves
*Purge and organize the basement shelves
*Make cards & envelopes

Pikes Peak may still have feet of snow, but down below, we have Spring Fever!  The crocuses finally showed up and the daffodils are starting to grow taller too.  It won’t be long!  We have a full ten day forecast with 60-70 degree weather which is such a surprise.  Of course, we may still have snow again but it is a welcome change for now.

When Anna returned to school after her last quarantine, I snapped her picture before she left.  She was SO excited to go! 

I’ve started leaving this dish of pistachios on the island and have found that we all enjoy snacking on them now and again.  The divided dish makes it easy to leave the shells and having it handy ensures a healthy snack.  Not sure why I didn’t think of this earlier!

Last weekend we had friends over to watch the first Formula 1 race of the season and our dear friend, Minta, brought pavlova for dessert.  Pavolva is a meringue-based dessert named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. I’ve always been intimidated by this dessert and have never made it.  Minta assures me it’s super easy so we’ll have to try it.  She layered the pavolva with cocount whipped cream and berries and it was divine.  A perfect springtime dessert!