Day 1918 | Family Adventure Challenge: Part Two

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We did it! We completed the Virtual Adventure Challenge by wrapping up a 2.4 mile hike this morning up and around Mt. Simon. It was a beautiful morning for a hike…a beautiful weekend for the whole challenge, to be honest. I’m seriously so glad we motivated ourselves to do this. I think it really proved to the boys (and us, too!) that we can do longer bikes/hikes/canoe trips. Both boys declared that they could have even biked longer and are now considering a bike ride to see Grandma about 115 miles away. Haha.

details of what we needed to do on each stage of the challenge:

Stage 1: Run/Hike. 1.5-hours on roads or trails You must visit the following during this stage:

  • One hilltop or other high point

  • A water feature (river, lake, marsh, pond, creek, fountain, puddle, etc)

  • Additionally, you must include at least one substantial bushwhack to get from one trail/road to another. Bonus kudos for planning a route to find your hilltop and/or water feature during the bushwhack!

Stage 2: Bike. 2-hours on roads or trails You must visit the following during this stage:

  • One bridge

  • One hilltop or other high point

  • One point of interest (historical marker, monument, interesting tombstone/tomb in a cemetery, ruin, other curiosities or oddities)

Stage 3: Non-Run/Bike Discipline. 1.5-hours of something that is not running/biking.

  • Could be paddling, roller blading, swimming, strength training, rock climbing, horseback riding, scootering, skateboarding, stair climbing, etc, or any combination of those activities!

Here are some extra photos from the weekend (some are repeats from yesterday).

Day 1917 | Family Adventure Challenge: Part One

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Today was a first for our little family: our first adventure challenge! Chris’s friend from high school puts on an adventure race in Wausau every May, but it was cancelled this year because of Covid. They decided to put together a virtual event instead. See all the details here. We’re sad they couldn’t host the real event, but we’re a bit happy, too, because it means we could participate (we never would have been able to pull off the read deal!).

The basics of the challenge are that we have to bike 2 hours, hike 1.5 hours, and participate in another outdoor activity for 1.5 hours–all in a 48 hour window. We decided to take on the bike and canoe portions of the race today and we had such a lovely time. We ended up biking 11.4 miles all around Eau Claire trying to cross as many bridges as possible. Total bridge count? 16. No too shabby, right? We took a quick lunch break and then headed out for the 1.5 hour canoe trip down the Chippewa River (which ended up taking over 4 hours by the time you account for coordinating the logistics procuring a canoe, parking cars at both locations, and what not).

It was the perfect day for this outdoor adventure. The boys were such good sports…in fact, I don’t think they complained at all! We’ve got our hike left for tomorrow but that will feel like a walk in the park (literally) after today’s activity level.

Thanks for putting together a virtual adventure challenge like this, Tim and Anna! We appreciate the extra motivation to take advantage of this beautiful weekend.

Day 1916 | Last Day of School

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The blog break is over. How could I skip the last day of school photo from the craziest year of school yet?

Yes. They are wearing pajamas. That’s what happens for homeschool last days of school, I guess. Who was I to say no, you know?

It’s been a challenging but rewarding few months for us. I can’t even imagine where we’ll be in another three months, but I’m fully confident our little family unit will be laughing and making memories. I guess that has to be enough for now.

Day 1915 | Feels Like Summer

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We’ve been spending a ton of time outside over the past week. It’s a nice reminder of why we live here and deal with the never-ending winter months. We’re welcoming summer with open arms more than ever this year.

On a serious note, the state of our country is really messing with me right now. I feel confused and frustrated and sad and disheartened just about all the time. I’ve been dealing with these emotions surrounding Covid for the past three months. When you add the weight of what white privilege and silent racism means to me, it’s almost too much to bear. A friend posted the graphic below (I miss you, Melissa!) and it really spoke to me…

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I like controlling my little life (I’m sure that’s not surprising to any of you that really know me). There’s no controlling what’s going on right now—on a bigger scale or even in our little world in Eau Claire. I’m sure there’s something to be learned here about letting go…about focusing on things I can control…about making a difference in whatever small way I can. To be honest, though, I feel so underwater with everything I’m doing to keep our little family unit functioning at full-power that I have little time or energy left to dedicate to anything else. Ugh.

Why am I getting into this right now? Two reasons:

  1. I just had to get it off my chest, you know?

  2. I’m going to take a break from the blog for a bit.

It’s been a LONG time since I took an official blog-break and it’s time. It’s the last official week of school and it’s going to be a hot one weather-wise, so I’m going to focus on being present instead of capturing moments. I’ll be back soon (don’t worry!).

Sending love to you and yours tonight. We could all use some extra love these days.

Day 1914 | Vertebrates

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We’ve been talking about ways to classify animals this week. Today’s lesson was vertebrates vs. invertebrates. I found this fun lesson online which uses a pipe cleaner inside a play doh animal to act as a backbone. Then you make another version of the animal with no pipe cleaner backbone. The takeaway? The backbone makes the animal much stronger which allows vertebrates to support larger bodies. Pretty cool, huh?

Day 1913 | Curbside Library Pick Up

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After weeks of waiting, we finally got to pick up our library books today. It was a beautiful day for a productive bike ride. Have I mentioned how much I love living downtown? I do, for the record.

Side note: for some reason, my post from Tuesday didn’t work. I can’t believe you thought I missed two days in a row! Sorry about that. Here’s a link to the post in case you want to see what river-wading in our neighborhood looks like.

Day 1912 | Bass Fishing

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We went out for another round of fishing today. This time, our neighbors let us use their river access. It was a perfect afternoon for fishing in a perfect setting. Chase managed to hook two bass and catch one! Robbe (who you’ll remember is the one who is actually really into fishing) didn’t catch any, but he was a good sport about it. We’ll be back, that’s for sure.

Day 1910 | A Graduation

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The girl who made me an aunt for the first time graduated from high school today. That’s right. Whoa.

It wasn’t the celebration any of us wanted for her. It wasn’t the celebration she deserved. But I guess disappointment and perseverance are pretty common these days. Our sweet girl took today in stride and smiled through it all. If you don’t know her, you can take my word for it…she’s an inspiration in grace, and charm, and kindness. I just love her so much and love the amazing person she’s grown into.

It sounds crazy, but it was a tough decision for us to attend this *intimate* family gathering today. We haven’t been to anyone’s house since the beginning of March. We haven’t been in a group of more than two people for just as long. Before Covid, I couldn’t have imagined a world where I would have to deliberate attending my niece’s graduation. Some people will think we’re crazy for going to a party where there were 15 people. Some people will think we’re crazy for even considering not going. Without clear guidance from anywhere, it’s judgement from all angles. And I’m tired of it.

At the end of the day, we’re doing our best to keep our little family safe. And I’d like to see my mother in-law again soon, so we’re going to take every precaution to try to make that happen. Am I glad we decided to attend the party today? Absolutely, I am. I hugged Zoe today. I haven’t hugged someone outside my little family unit in over two months (that’s strange for me…I’m a hugger!). I cried when I hugged her. The first person in two + months that I’ve hugged and I am beyond happy to have had an excuse to do it. I’m so very proud of her and I miss people. Thank you for giving us a reason to celebrate today, Zoe. We love you!

Day 1909 | Here We Go Again

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We’re living in a construction zone again. Not by choice this time. A leak in the dining room ceiling led to two new holes and one *simple* fix. Now we just need to wait for the ceiling to dry out and we’ll be to go.

Last night we were beyond annoyed and frustrated (we couldn’t use our new bathrooms after all and there’s always the fear of the unknown in terms of cost and what the fix will entail). Everything is fine today, though. Fingers crossed the problem is fixed. The plumber is covering the expense of the repairs. And we can use our bathroom again. All is well in the world.

Day 1908 | Dinner Companions

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Since we’re not dining with anyone else these days, it’s nice that Mr. and Mrs. Quackers have started to join us on a regular basis. They usually settle in for a nap just as we sit down to eat a few feet from them. I’m not going to lie, these ducks are sometimes the highlight of our day. The duck sightings have been going on for a couple of months now, but the excitement still remains. And the new dining pattern has only intensified our affection toward them.

Day 1906 | Jeopardy

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Last week the boys and I reviewed the eight (8!) weeks of material we’ve covered during our homeschooling sessions. As a special treat, Chris was home from work on Friday so we had a true Jeopardy showdown on our hands: Chase + Robbe vs. Chris. When all was said and done, the gentlemen of the house were quizzed on 44 questions covering eight topics.

The final score was Chris: 2,600 points, Chase + Robbe: 64,000 points. You can just imagine how tickled the little boys were to clobber their super-smart dad so completely. I’m so proud of these two for the amount of content they managed to take in and digest under these crazy circumstances.

I’ve included the Jeopardy questions below. I debated about sharing them, to be honest, but I really wanted to record what we’ve covered during our first run at homeschooling. Only time will tell how many of these Jeopardy quizzes we’ll tackle before the boys head back to school, but if future rounds are as successful as this first one, I’ll be happy to keep creating them.

Homeschool Jeopardy - Weeks 1-8

LANGUAGE
100 - Name three parts of a story.
200 - What are material nouns?
300 - Give an example of a contraction.
400 - Airplane is an example of this type of word. Snowman is another.
500 - Give an example of two proper nouns.

DINOSAURS/BIRDS
100 - A dinosaur that eats only meat is called what?
200 - Name three types of bird nests.
300 - What does an Omnivore eat?
400 - Would a human be classified as an omnivore, carnivore, or herbivore?
500 - What does migrate mean?
*Bonus: what about a bird’s anatomy helps it fly further?

WEATHER
100 - Which type of cloud is white, fluffy, and looks like a cotton ball?
200 - Snow, rain, and sleet are examples of what?
300 - What happens to the air in a thunderstorm?
400 - When I take a shower, why do the windows get wet?
500 - What are the four parts of the water cycle?

MAPS
100 - What country do we live in?
200 - Latitude or longitude: these are the lines that go from the North Pole to the South Pole.
300 - Label this compass rose.
400 - Name four states in the United States of America
500 - Name all seven continents.
*Bonus: what’s the name of the box found on maps that explains the symbols found on that map?

MOVEMENT
200 - Give an example of gravity.
400 - What word is defined as “a push or pull on an object”?
600 - If I let go of a hot wheels car on a gravel road, what force is making it move slowly?
800 - I like watching birds and airplanes fly. What type of movement do you think I should study?
1000 - Why does an airplane propelled by a rubber band fly farther?

THE EARTH
200 - Where do rivers usually form and where do they end up?
400 - List three ways you can help protect the Earth.
600 - If I’m a landmass surrounded by water on all sides, what am I? 
800 - Describe the differences between a mountain, volcano, plateau, and hill
1000 - Explain four different land masses/bodies of water that we studied.
*Bonus: What’s the layer of the atmosphere called that has a hole in it?

PLANTS
200 - Explain two ways that plants grow.
400 - My plant is dying in my house. List two things I could try to do to help it.
600 - Name three of the five things plants need to be healthy.
800 - What’s the baby plant called inside a seed? 
1000 - My plant is outside but still isn’t happy? What could be wrong?

MATH
200 - What are the two types of graphs we talked about?
400 - How many sides does a Hexagon have?
600 - What’s the different between a rectangle and a trapezoid?
800 - What is an equivalent fraction to 1/2? 
1000 - Add 232 + 381 using a proof drawing.

FINAL JEOPARDY
List your three favorite things you’ve learned during homeschool.

Day 1904 | Jumping + Puppy

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Our sweet neighbors offered us access to their trampoline. We don’t take advantage very often, but today it was about the best thing that could have happened to us. Not only did we get some serious jumping in, but we got to spend some time with the cutest puppy, too. It turns out this puppy loves the trampoline and enjoys being bounced around while she runs the perimeter. Isn’t that the cutest thing ever? So much laughter and joy wrapped up into 30 minutes.

Day 1902 | Happy [Belated] Mother's Day

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Yesterday was a tough day. Mother's Day is supposed to be about celebrating all of the inspiring and supportive moms in our lives. I missed seeing my mom and offering her a hug. I missed a weekend away visiting Chris's mom. I missed socializing with my mom-friends that continue to get me through this incredibly-hard, but beyond-rewarding time in our lives. 

I was thinking of you all yesterday and sending lots of love your way. I continue to think of the day when we'll be together again–and not in the six-feet-apart kind of way. 

I was looking for a motherhood-inspired quote that spoke to how I’m feeling these days. Perhaps this is a bit deep (or dark) for you today. If so, just don’t read this part. Ha! Throughout these months of social distancing, the words below feel even more true. These tiny beings can be the source of my greatest joy and deepest frustration—sometimes within minutes of each other. And, at the end of the day, my only job is to keep them safe and loved even in this world of uncertainty.

“Through the blur, I wondered if I was alone or if other parents felt the same way I did – that everything involving our children was painful in some way. The emotions, whether they were joy, sorrow, love or pride, were so deep and sharp that in the end they left you raw, exposed and yes, in pain. The human heart was not designed to beat outside the human body and yet, each child represented just that – a parent’s heart bared, beating forever outside its chest.”  -Debra Ginsberg

To all the moms, you’re doing the best you can. Now, more than ever, that has to be enough.

Day 1900 | 1900!

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This round of team updates is going to look a bit different. Instead of listing “dreams for the future” and “biggest hurdles”, I opted for a COVID theme for the last two items under each of our names. It seems that all of us have very similar “dreams for the future” these days—wanting the ability to see friends and family again—and hurdles involve the universal theme of navigating this new existence and our roles within it.

Sara

FAVORITES: the friendly whistle pig (aka ground hog) that visits our yard, having a home office (I'm SO glad we put that together in January), being outside more, spring blooms, fancy cocktails, watching our seedlings grow, the accomplishment I feel while homeschooling (at least most of the time!), reading more (the only me time I squeeze in), the slower pace of life
BEST THING ABOUT COVID QUARANTINE: A greater appreciation for the love + support from the family I'm surrounded by (all day, every day) as well as the close friends and family who are supporting me from afar
WORST THING ABOUT COVID QUARANTINE (aside from the obvious “missing everyone” answer): Grocery planning and shopping

Chris

FAVORITES: being outside with the boys, yard games (he just added beanbag toss to the mix), honing his mixology skills, bike rides over bridges, bird-spotting, feeling handy around the house
BEST THING ABOUT COVID QUARANTINE: knowing more about what the boys are learning in school everyday (oftentimes he comes home to quizzes based on our material)
WORST THING ABOUT COVID QUARANTINE (aside from the obvious “missing everyone” answer): raw hands from the extra hand-washing

Chase

AGE: 8
FAVORITES: Harry Potter, reading just about anything, playing video games (Minecraft, Lego Harry Potter, and Mario Kart are the current favorites), sudoku, LEGOs, sweets, Chris's jokes, snuggles from mom, wrestling with Robbe, Lunchtime Literature (the part of our day when I read a chapter book–of my choice–to the boys during lunch)
*The following as answered by Chase:*
BEST THING ABOUT COVID QUARANTINE: Playing with Robbe more
WORST THING ABOUT COVID QUARANTINE: Missing his bestie, Jack

Robbe

AGE: 6
FAVORITES: All of the birds that have been attracted to our new bird feeders, going on bird walks, identifying bird calls...basically anything bird-related, practicing reading, being silly, talking (and talking and talking), fishing, being outside, swinging, playing football, just about anything having to do with Chase, playing nonstop
*The following as answered by Robbe:*
BEST THING ABOUT COVID QUARANTINE: Getting to play longer
WORST THING ABOUT COVID QUARANTINE: Can't see friends

Looking back at 1900 posts…