NINE

A fun thing we have in my class is some lego sets that correlate with the literature book we're reading. 

2026 week nine

Most of them are just mini figs, but the kids always enjoy seeing the next ones come out with each book. 

We spent some time making treasure maps in class this week. On Thursday I called the kids up one by one to put a wax seal on their maps. 

V found these eye patches at Grandmas house and has been taking every opportunity to wear them around the house to see how much she can still do "blind". 

On Friday afternoon, Matt took the kids up to Oklahoma and left me behind. They played in the pasture with the horses and goats and chickens. 

They absolutely love getting to go see their cousins in the country. 

I was left at home alone. I worked in the garden enjoying the first signs of spring.

I cleaned the house Friday night and it stayed clean all weekend. I rode the scooter to a friends house and my bike to the grocery store. It was a glorious break from sounds and requests and side quests. I'm grateful for Matt taking the kids up there so I could have some time alone. 

It wasn't all just a selfless act though. Matt and Melvin went to see Nine Inch Nails while they were up there. So it was a win for everyone. 

Last breakfast alone: Full English outside with the birds and the blossoms.

Quotes:

"I needed to poop really bad but I daren't go there! They only have 1-ply toilet paper!" -Veronica, after leaving grandma's house.

EIGHT

 

On President's Day, Theo and his scout den went to the waste water treatment facility to learn about our local water supply.

2026 week eight

Sometimes teachers are accidentally twins. 

We got to celebrate Lunar New Year in the fourth grade for a big curriculum day. In my classroom we learned some Tai Chi and how to use chopsticks. The kids also learned how to paint some Mandarin characters and they made paper lanterns. 

At the end of the day we brought them into the gym for a surprise of Lion Dancers! It was so neat. Everyone had such an awesome time. 

Funyun lunged out of his cage to eat his mouse and I just had to sit and wait until he figured out his life before I could close the doors again.

On Saturday, Theo and I went to see some of his classmates in a local production of Frozen Jr. Musical. It was so fun. The kids did a great job and had so much enthusiasm. 

Quotes:

T- "I hate soup. Soup poop."
Me- "You don't hate seaweed soup."
T- "Most soup is sad. But seaweed soup isn't. Seaweed soup is a miracle."
*later* "It really is a miracle."

SEVEN

 

Happy Valentine's Day from these weirdos. 

2025 week seven

We took the kids out to a Valentine's breakfast at a local diner. 

It started raining really heavily on Saturday morning but the chickens just stayed out getting soaked anyway. 

Theo gave Lil' Elvis a fancy hairdo. 

Then they just stayed outside getting wet and swinging and screaming. 

We took Theo to Repticon so he could pick out a snake. He's been saving up for one for a long time. 

He picked a wood boa -similar to a ball python in ease of car, life span, etc. but quite a different face shape. He named it Xeno. 

SIX

 

On the way to school. V propped open her book so she could read at the stop light. She is rarely to be seen without a book open.

2026 week six

For example: Our school had to have an emergency evacuation to the next door church, when I found Veronica, there she was with a book. It wasn't even her book apparently, she just procured it somehow during the evacuation.

Bonus photo of Pickles. 

FIVE

Our snow weekend turned into a long snow week. We had school off until Thursday. 

2025 week five

We walked to a friends house who had great hills across the street. The kids loved sledding down the ice. 

I had a craving for some sourdough chocolate chip cookies. After a few trials we found the perfect recipe. 

We got a little stir crazy by Wednesday, but it was lovely to be forced to snuggle and stay in. 

The cats in particular loved having plenty of cozy laps to snuggle. 

To break up the sledding we took a couple chickens for a walk. 

We went back to school on Friday and the kids loved being able to slide around on the ice on the field. We had a few bumps and bruises but most kids said it was the best recess they'd ever had. 

Saturday morning was Pinewood Derby. Theo did not place but he never lost a single race. 

...so handsome. 

On Saturday afternoon Matt and I took some friends to a local whiskey distillery. 

We got a tour and brief history of the facility and the entire distilling process. 

Matt and Bill got a chance to pour their own bottle and place the label. 

After the tour we went to the restaurant owned by the same family and had a lovely dinner in front of the fire. 

Quotes:

T- "You want to hear a secret about me?
V- "What?"
T- "I dont brush my teeth in the morning on the weekends. Especially not on Sundays."

V-"I bet you could look it up."

Me- "I bet you could stop farting."

V-"I bet I could but I choose not to."

Me- "They didn't use to be very friendly toward people who are gay."

T- "What? What does being gay have anything to do with God?"

Me- "Not much."

T- "Did Moses come down from the mountain and his tablets said, 'Don't be gay?'"

Me- "No, they did not." 

 

FOUR

 

This is what my mornings before school look like: coffee, toast, and a cat. It was rather a long week for a short week. There was impending snow on the horizon so the students were a bit distracted. By Friday, so many of my students were "sick" with what can only be described as "Snow Anticipation Sickness." 

2026 week four

There was only a bit of snow on Saturday and it was wet. The kids ventured out a bit but it took quite a while for their wraps to dry. On Sunday, they were up and dressed before dawn to play outside. 

It was so cold all day that none of their clothes even got wet. The powdered ice couldn't even stick to them. 

We discovered that an old piece of plastic corrugated roofing made the best sled for our driveway. 

In the afternoon, some friends made the trek through the snow to come sled with us. 

If you sit down for 2 minutes, a cat will appear on your lap to suck the warmth from you.