This was our first year finishing school in May! (Because we didn’t take any breaks after Christmas.) Now it’s time for Lego, gardening, fun readalouds, and of course school reports and curriculum planning for me.
Read
It was a bonanza month for finishing books, especially school ones! I’ll share my favourites: In the Beginning (Orthodox Jew growing up in NYC in the 1930s and 40s) And the Word Came with Power (Bible translator in the Philippines), More than a Carpenter (historical evidence for Jesus’ claims), Fearfully and Wonderfully Made (human anatomy and the analogy of the church as a body), My Dear Hemlock (inspired by The Screwtape Letters but directed at women), and Narration: the Voice of the Trivium (ties narration into classical education and gives practical tips).
And here are some picture books that were a hit: Maybe She Forgot, Cheer Up Mouse, Bailey Goes Camping, and It’s My Birthday.
Do
- I helped host a double baby shower and had fun preparing games, baking cupcakes, and making a watermelon baby carriage full of fruit salad.
- We went to Owen Sound to clear out our old house and Andrew did an amazing job fitting everything into the U-Boxes we rented and into our van. We spent a very long day packing and then friends graciously gave us beds for the night and even left us a fire in the wood stove and a snack on a tray!
- We did standardized testing for the first time and the process went better than I expected.
- Our clothesline snapped last fall so Andrew put up a new one and I get a weird amount of joy in hanging out the clothes and bringing them back in.
- The girls went shopping and out to lunch with Grammie in Watertown for their birthdays; then Phoebe had a friend over for supper a few days later.
- At the church work day we helped clean the kitchen, pull weeds, divide hostas, and spread mulch.
- It’s the season for Youth Garden Club and the kids remain enthusiastic members.
- On Memorial Day weekend we drove to Philadelphia to visit family. I toured a rare book collection (more on the later) and the kids enjoyed some movies and playground time with cousins, with board games and books interspersed.
- On the last day of the month I took the older kids to a contra dance at a different town hall; the turnout was a little lower but we had a great time as usual.
Eat
- I highly recommend this peanut butter frosting that I used on cupcakes for the baby shower.
- Phoebe made some delicious cauliflower bites coated with egg, flour, and parmesan and baked in the oven.
- Her birthday cake was a chocolate cherry upside down cake from this cookbook.
- I really enjoyed this sheet pan Thai peanut chicken and now I’m trying out some other recipes from her site.
- In Philly Andrew’s sister and brother-in-law took us out for Moroccan food at a crowded three-story restaurant, where we had our hands washed with rose-scented water, and shared delicious chicken, lamb, beef, couscous, baklava, fruit, and mint tea (also a belly dancer!!).
Play
Two new games I learned were Row Your Goat (“React quickly to reduce your hand to zero!”) and Magical Athlete (“Pit a cast of crazy characters against each other in a madcap race to the finish.”).
Grow
My “salad garden” is growing well (romaine, black seeded simpson lettuce, mesclun mix, spinach, and kale). We have beets, carrots, and green beans coming up. I purchased a few yellow banana peppers and early girl tomatoes to supplement the ones I started inside, which are small but growing. (Toward the end of this week it’s finally above 10 C at night, so they can be transplanted outside.) We were given a brussels sprout seedling and a lime basil, which are both firsts for us. The kids transplanted the marigolds they started from seed and they are on the front steps now. We also planted some sunflowers, arugula, and cilantro, so I’m interested to see how they fare.
Watch
Andrew and I started watching A Gentleman in Moscow and are enjoying it. (I can’t believe how much I forgot about the book!)
Listen
Send me your summer song recommendations! I’m thinking of making two playlists: chill and upbeat, but we’ll see.
Meditate
“Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them”. – Hebrews 7:25