Driving Range

Dad popped down to the Great Valley region after my workday ended today so I could try out my new clubs with him at the driving range.  Thanks, Dad and Mom, for the clubs! 

Cute Kitty

Poconos Vacation

We were lucky to sneak away for a week to the Poconos for a vacation.  

Happy Father's Day, Joshua!

First Week of (Official) Summer Break

Mountain Biking

This was our first attempt at riding on an unpaved path along the Schuylkill River in Norristown, which was just a 15-minute drive from our house.  With all the big storms this region had recently, there were a TON of trees blocking the path, making it more of an adventure for us.  Such fun!

Saturday

When I no longer have children in the house, I just know that I am going to wonder, "What did we do all day when the kids were younger?" For the sake of posterity, here is a typical Saturday's activities: 

• Children watch Teen Titans and played video games (Lego Harry Potter and Lego Star Wars) while Joshua and Laura did some work on the computer.  
• Breakfast as a family -- children ate homemade honey whole wheat toast (James with the crust cut off, Alma's with butter); Joshua ate his usual of plain Greek yogurt and mixed nuts; Laura had runny eggs and toast with a little salt and pepper.
• James and Laura baked blondies with cut-up chocolate Santas (from Christmas) and marshmallows while Joshua finished mowing the lawn (Laura started the process yesterday but then had to stop due to rain) and Alma made little Aquabead figurines at the dining room table.
• James, Alma, and Laura went for a bike ride along the Chester Valley Trail to an empty parking lot to chase each other around, stopping for a while to eat snack bars and chat; Joshua cleaned up large branches that recently fell in the yard due to the recent storms.
• Once home, because it was hot, Alma jumped into the shower and then both children enjoyed mango sorbet bars before having lunch of leftover homemade pizza and blondies; Joshua completed a workout in the gym and the kids joined him towards the end of his workout.
• James and Joshua played Pokémon while Alma started the kids' laundry and then she and Laura colored/drew together while listening to pop music in the family room.
• Laura did a workout in the gym while James and Alma completed a circuit workout, with Alma joining most of Laura's Purenergy guided workout.
• Laura and the kids went outside to do yardwork of pulling up the remaining roots in a circle that was previously ivy, which they are planning to plant with grass seed, and, deciding the project was too challenging for how hot it was outside, decided instead to run around the yard shooting each other with water guns (a recent half birthday present to the kids).
• After two rounds of filling up the medium-sized guns, they went inside to a dinner of delicious hamburgers on store-bought buns that Joshua had put together.
• After dinner, the whole family cleaned up and the kids got their pajamas from the dryer.  
• With everyone in the living room, Laura read two chapters of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe while Alma brushed and designed her hair into neat styles.
• The kids and Laura enjoyed another small blondie and then the kids and Joshua watched a cooking competition tv show while Laura did some schoolwork.  
• After the show, the kids brushed their teeth, and Laura and Joshua tucked them both into bed for the night.
• Laura and Joshua watched a few episodes of Key and Peele and that was Saturday, June 6th, 2020.

Small updates

This is the first week of no Zoom classes or other schoolwork for the children while Joshua and I keep working.  So far, so good. We are keeping our regular schedule -- up at 6:45 a.m., breakfast as a family before leaving on our 1.67 mile walk (my newish Garmin watch is fun for tracking our movements) before Joshua and I start work at 8:30 a.m., lunch at 12 noon, dinner at 5/5:30 p.m. So much structure creates a nice sense of ease and stability in the house. The kids are happy to have most of the day as free time to read, 3D doodle, play with Legos, and act out stories together.  Next week Joshua will be fully done with school and will add a little more structure to the daytime activities (a.k.a. "Daddy Camp").

There is so much going on in the world -- a pandemic and riots/other demonstrations to highlight racial inequality in our nation.  While we are trying to do our part through donations and supporting Black-owned businesses, we recognize how privileged we are to live in our suburban/White bubble.  These updates about the small joys in life come with the caveat that we recognize our privilege and that our hearts, minds, and family conversations are often focused out in the larger world.

• For the kids half birthdays, they receive small gifts each June ("a little more than a stick of gum") so this year they received bubble guns and water guns.  
• We watched the NASA - SpaceX take off with a lot of excitement.
• After the long Harry Potter series, we finished a number of E.B. White books (Charlotte's Web, Trumpet of the Swan, Stuart Little).  Now we have started our next series of books: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.  It is fun to read these in the evenings as a family.  Sometimes we lounge around on the front porch while reading but oftentimes we snuggle on the couch in the living room.
• With the stay-at-home order, we have also integrated television into the evening schedule.  Every other day, while I do some doctoral research or writing, Joshua and the kids watch a baking or cooking show on the Food Network.