Animated response

This kid is watching far too many inanimate objects talk on TV:

Backyard labor

Adam helped MLD sand a piece of wood for a special project.  Took quite a bit of effort:

Campfire on the Lake

It was a cool April night and the weather was perfect for our first campfire of 2020:

A few nights later, there was a spectacular moon.  It looked much larger in the sky than these photos suggest:

Fare the well, bike trailer of ours...

... this will be the last post featuring the trusty bike trailer.  It first covered many miles with our family and then a few more with our neighbors too.  These photos represent the last ride it took with Tate in the passenger seat, even if most of the photos below show the A-team riding shotgun:

Tradition.... tradition!

From Fiddler on the Roof.... can you hear it?  Tradition!  Now that we are home more often, there's more opportunity to reach back in time to see what our ancestors might have cooked or done on the weekends.

In the first image, it's clear that I'm reaching back far before most of my NY relatives, maybe even back to the old country, because luckily for my American ancestors, NY challah is a given.  Challah in our town?  Our state?  It's sweet enough to be dessert.  Yuck.

early April

mid-April

mid-April

early May - clearly quarantine has improved my baking skills

early May

And the new observance we tried one evening:

The kids are clear about one thing:  the challah can stay.

Froebel Block Swap

Who needs Froebel blocks when you have a Rubik's Snake to play with? Mr. T focuses on this toy with laser-like intensity. You can almost see the gears spinning in his head as he turns the pieces round and around.

The irony is that the smaller blue/white version was the goody bag gift at his siblings' 8th birthday party... and it's the 4 year old who continues to play with it on a daily basis.

His favorite configuration?  The colonial bayonette, of course!

Homeschooling Lesson #40: Reverse Psychology

According to Wikipedia, reverse psychology is:

a technique involving the assertion of a belief or behavior that is opposite to the one desired, with the expectation that this approach will encourage the subject of the persuasion to do what actually is desired.

OK then.  For the past 2+ years, the A-team has belly-ached about the need for separate bedrooms.  As of January 1, 2020, wish granted.

As of Day 4 of the stay at home requirement, all three kids were asking to share the same bedroom.  Too tired to argue, MLD set up the camping cots:

Question:  after spending entire days... weeks together, arguing about senseless things, wouldn't you think these kids would retreat to their separate rooms, glad to be apart from one another?

Um, no.

Reverse psychology in action.  We're thinking of having them all share one bedroom and reclaiming the other two ;)

Six Feet at Six PM

Our town tried a "Six Feet at 6 PM" initiative to get neighbors outside and waving to each other while maintaining a safe social distance.

We participated on the second night (it rained on the first night).

We spotted a neighbor!!!

Be Still My Heart

Look at these two!  Getting along!  Reading!

And check out those lovely haircuts!  As I'm writing this, I'm laughing.  The boys look so different today.

The 1980's are calling

Anyone alive in the 1980's will remember when suburban homes with 2+ children often had two phone numbers.

Why?  This question is for the benefit of anyone born post-1982.

Because there was no call waiting, cell phone, email, or text message.  There was this annoying noise called a "busy signal".  It meant that someone else was on the phone and you could not get your call through.

Two phones meant there was often one line free and therefore, one call could always get through.

This became fun when one was old enough to realize that you could make plans with people by talking to one friend on one phone and another friend on the other phone at the same time!

We had something like this going the other day when our grandparents couldn't get the microphone on their computer to work:

Tee hee hee!

Homeschooling Lesson #39: Physical Education

At the start of the mandatory stay at home order our family had a schedule in place by school day #2, also known as "the first Monday that we were all home together".

After breakfast we decided it was best to get the kids up and moving with a rousing dance party.

Judging by the lack of success, it seems that not all were in agreement with this plan.

Veggie Cookies?

Ok, ok, we're not giving kids cookies laced with vegetables.  Who does that anyway?  No, these clips go all the way back to the middle of March:

Thanks Grandma and Papa for our St. Patrick's Day cookies!

World through your eyes

Ever wonder how someone else views the world?

Tate and Ashley wonder how MLD sees the world through his glasses:

Make Up

These days when you hear the words "make up" you might be tempted to think "missed schoolwork".

Not with this lovely lady.  She's been after me to experiment with makeup.  So we had fun one afternoon:

Her brothers wanted in on the action:  the photo session, not the make up (school or cosmetics!)

Photo-Op

These two cuties demanded a photo-op, so I agreed.  Here's the results:

Homeschooling Lesson #38: Microscopy

Look what Tate found in the basement storage area:  MLM's compound microscope!

The A-team showed zero interest, but this kept Tate engaged for quite a while.  What was even more exciting?  MLM finally figured out how to get enough light into the microscope to use the higher magnification levels.

Homeschooling Lesson #37: Magnetism

Before the official homeschooling regimen began, we were looking for creative ways to stimulate the minds of these youngsters.

Magnetism seemed like a good way to go.  Activities could be self-directed, easily completed, educational and entertaining.

There is a reason why I am not a teacher.

One thing to notice over the course of these next posts:  our collective hair lines.  No one has had a haircut since March 13 (when these videos were captured).

Doing da Locomotion with me....

You gotta swing your hips now....  come on baby!