Jonas and Roman had belt testing tonight. Roman belted up to a level four green belt and Jonas to a level one green belt! Congratulations, boys!!! Here they are with their indomitable instructors, Mr. and Mrs. Mast.
Category: Jonas
Pixel Planet Arcade…
The boys were so excited to check out Pixel Planet Arcade today…thanks to Pops and Maw for the gift cards they gave the boys for Christmas!
December Raddish…
The boys and I spent a lot of time in the kitchen today, cooking through our December Raddish box. Jonas made the entree, Cozy Chicken and Dumplings; Roman made the side, Alpine Pancakes; and Xander made the dessert, Chocolate Snowball Cookies. Yummy!!!
COVID Snowflake Ornament…
You know your son is a child growing up during the pandemic when he brings home a snowflake ornament he painted to look like the Coronavirus.
Remote Learning for Jonas…
MCMS ended up going remote the week after Thanksgiving Break. Jonas didn’t mind too much, especially since his desk at home is right next to the Christmas tree AND because Petra is such a great emotional support dog.
Raddish: Gourmet Gobble…
We had our own little Thanksgiving today! The boys and I cooked up our Raddish kit for November…Gourmet Gobble.
The main dish was a Thanksgiving Vegetable Trio (Spinach Gratin, Orange-Glazed Carrots, and Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts), the side dish was Baked Mac and Cheese, and the dessert was Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars. We decided to make only one vegetable from the trio and serve it with pork tenderloin as the main dish…more protein…it worked out really well. We’re looking forward (or at least I’m looking forward) to trying the other vegetables soon. Here are my little buddies…hard at work:
Jonas and Pranav…
It’s been a weird year to start middle school for Jonas…with COVID, his closest friends are either homeschooling or online schooling.
Pranav has been one of his best friends since kindergarten, and he’s doing online school this year. The times that they’ve been able to get together have been few and far between. But, since MCMS went remote this week, they were actually able to get in some quality football throwing time yesterday afternoon. It was so good to see them together. I think Pranav has grown at least a foot since I’ve seen him last!
Happy 12th Birthday, Jonas!!!…
I can’t believe my first baby is now 12 years old!!! You are still that brilliant, witty, boundary-pushing, book-loving, creative guy.
I’ve seen a lot of growth in you this year…getting yourself ready for school in the morning without a lot of pushback, staying on top of all of your homework/quizzes/tests/projects, looking out for the little ones in the neighborhood, showing more compassion and empathy for others, wanting to just sit and talk about things, taking care of your mommy (making me breakfast, giving me a lot of hugs, etc.), and having a grateful heart. I’m so proud of you, buddy. Happy 12th Birthday!!!
Late Fall Boat Ride…
On Election Day, Tom took the boys and I and Brad and Archer (a great father/son duo from our neighborhood) out on a boat ride on Percy Priest Lake. It was so nice just to get away from it all, be on the water, feel the wind, hang out, laugh, and explore some islands with the boys.
Halloween…
We had one of the best Halloweens we’ve ever had this year. I’m not sure why…maybe it was because the weather was perfect (just chilly enough to be festive), because the kids are getting older which made things a little bit easier, or because we were all so thankful just to be able to get out and have some normal kind of neighborhood community fun. It also went a lot quicker/took a lot less energy because most everyone laid their candy out on a table in the driveway for the kids to pick and choose from. Tom was an old man, I was a hippie, Jonas was a light up stickman, Xander was Pikachu, and Roman was Harry Potter.
Pumpkin Carving…
We got to carve pumpkins with our neighbors after we got home from the pumpkin farm late Sunday afternoon…which was a great way to end the day. Mrs. Amanda is a pro (and my hero for always being so laid back, even amidst a lot of chaos) and helped the boys put the finishing touches on their designs and carving.
Shuckle’s Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch…
The boys and I drove out to Greenbriar, TN this afternoon to try Shuckle’s Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch. We spent three hours there, and the boys STILL weren’t ready to go home.
It started out a little rough, honestly, because Xander was in a negative head space about everything (“these go karts don’t work”…”this is boring”…”that slide is dumb”…”this is so easy to climb”), and I was seriously doubting my choice of packing up lunches, driving an hour, and paying the price of admission, all for a whining/complaining fest that we could have had at home.
BUT, once he saw the corn maze, he took off and was having a blast with his brothers, sprinting through the stalks from one side to the other and playing hide and seek. And that was the beginning of a very fun day.
The rest of the afternoon was filled with: racing through a rope maze, trying to lasso a (pretend) calf, playing on the seesaws (love that old fashioned fun), climbing on the spider web, decorating cookies (with choose your own cookie, icing color, and toppings), playing pumpkin skeeball and basketball, racing ducks (with water pumps and half PVC pipe slides), conquering a right turn only maze, and jumping on a gigantic “corn popper” pillow. We used lots of hand sanitizer, wore our masks, played a lot, and left tired and happy.
Sleepovers…
The boys were SO excited to have sleepovers this weekend.
Roman got to have his first sleepover at his best friend Owen’s house. They had a blast celebrating Owen’s birthday and playing Throw, Throw Burrito.
Owen’s older brother, Ethan, is Jonas’ best friend. So, we did a kid swap and had Ethan sleepover at our house. He and Jonas enjoyed going to a costume party with pizza, s’mores, and games at our church, riding bikes around our neighborhood, and playing basketball at the school playground.
Xander got to sleepover at one of his best friend’s houses too. He had fun playing in David’s backyard with him (they have a boy paradise with a trampoline, a treehouse, a ropes course, a tetherball, etc.) and staying up really late playing Monopoly.
(We didn’t get a great picture of Xander and David together, so I’ll try to take one tomorrow and post it soon.)
Belting Up…
All three of the boys belted up in TaeKwonDo tonight!!! Jonas is a 4th level yellow belt, Xander is a 1st level yellow belt, and Roman is a 3rd level green belt.
(They would all be on the same belt, if they had all started at the same time…but Roman started first, then Jonas, and then Xander. Either way, they are all rocking it out in their own way…I’m so proud of their hard work and perseverance.)
Raddish: Frightful Fiesta…
Our October cooking kit from Raddish was a “Frightful Fiesta”. The boys didn’t have school on Monday, so we made it a cooking day. Yay!
Each kit comes with laminated recipe cards (for an entree, a side, and a dessert), a shopping list, a cooking tool, table talk cards, and a game. This month included the following:
Recipes: Mummy Enchiladas, Creepy Corn Dip, and Haunted Tres Leche Cake
Cooking Tool: Silicone Liquid Measuring Cup
Game: Pinata
They made their pinatas first thing in the morning…
Then, Jonas and I worked on his Haunted Tres Leche Cake. We mixed and baked it early on because it needed to sit in the refrigerator for three hours before adding the whipped cream ghosts with chocolate chip eyes. Jonas was so creative and named each ghost. HaHa!
Next, Xander and I put together his Mummy Enchiladas. His favorite part was decorating them with string cheese wrappings and black olive eyes. He really enjoyed chopping the vegetables as well!
Finally, Roman and I made his Creepy Corn Dip. He loved cutting up the corn tortillas to make his own tortilla chips AND tasting the end result…it was sooooo good!
We are loving these Raddish cooking kits and can’t wait for November’s kit!!!
Belt Testing…
Xander started TaeKwonDo towards the end of July. He tested for and earned his second level white belt tonight!!! He is not a fan of being “on stage” or of having his picture taken…so, he did his fair share of shrugging, crossing his arms, and rolling his eyes at me. But, the good thing is that when Mr. and Mrs. Mast asked him to, he got out there and showed what he knew (and even seemed to be enjoying himself along the way). Go, Xander!!!
Jonas tested as well and earned his third level yellow belt! I’m so proud of my boys for being brave and for pushing past the discomfort of being new at something to continually learning and starting to become really great at something. Go, Jonas!!!
Keeping Watch…
Petra has been keeping watch over Jonas during the school day. We love our emotional support dog.
Brain Break…
The boys finished remote learning early today, so we grabbed some ice cream and headed to the park for a brain break.
I love my wild, tree-climbing boys.
Flexible Seating…
The boys enjoy taking advantage of flexible seating during their remote schooling day here at home. We use it ALL up in here. They have yoga balls or chairs with chair bands or a wiggle seat for sitting at their desk, a comfy floor lounger with a blanket, a floor pillow, and a lap desk.
Today, Roman flipped out about not having enough room at his desk, so he sprawled his materials and himself out on TOP of the kitchen table (this picture was taken when he was actually pseudo-sitting back on the bench). Xander has been known to do his work under the piano or even in his teepee. Jonas has even sat in the van in the garage…ha! I try to keep the boys downstairs, so I can monitor them to make sure they’re staying on schedule with their Zooms and classwork and not chatting with friends, reading on Epic, or playing on their Dashboard when they’re not supposed to be. But sometimes they’re in a Zoom break out room and need to discuss something with their teachers and/or classmates, so they run upstairs really quick to do that in the bonus room.
It’s a little crazy over here, and we’re all so very ready for “Freedom Friday” (the boys will log in for a morning meeting and then will take the rest of the school day, finishing their classwork, at their own pace…AND we’re going to make it a pajama day). We’re all going to need some serious rest, fun, and outside play time this weekend.
A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That…
Oh man, I tell you what. This remote learning thing is tough. For me, it’s like having triplets that are on different eating and sleeping schedules…constant mental/emotional/physical triage. Seriously. It might be hard to believe unless you were here with me.
Jonas and Xander have pretty much taken right to remote learning. BUT Roman. BUT Roman. Roman is having a tough time adjusting…he has multiple meltdowns a day to the tune of screaming, yelling, and crying in frustration. I know he’s one little guy, but his presence is HUGE, especially when he’s spinning out of control. And it just throws everything off of its kilter, not to mention how emotionally exhausting it is. Bless him. Help us.
In spite of all of that, we’re still trying. AND we have our very own emotional support dog, so that helps a lot. Here’s what today looked like…
