Telepuzzle

A while back a friend and I did a puzzle together.  I have fond memories of puzzle nights in NY, and thought it could be fun to do a puzzle with her too.

The problem?  She lives in Florida.

The solution?  We each got a copy of the puzzle and worked on it at the same time with google chat.  So while we weren't able to see each other, we still could commiserate on the hard parts of the puzzle or be excited about the weird things in the puzzle.

I managed to finish mine just a few days ago.  I had lost one piece.  By the time I found it a day or so later, I had already covered up the puzzle with something else.  I uncovered it a few days ago and finished it. 

It was a lot of fun and worked a lot better than I was expecting.

Friday: lightbulbs

I was changing lightbulbs today and found this...

a sock.  I found a sock on top of the light.s

Wednesday: normal day

Really, it was a rather normal day, although Joshua seemed a bit out of it.

We started with music class.  The songs and story changed (they had been the same for the last three weeks) and I think it threw him off a bit.  On the way there, out of the blue, he asked, "What's a tortoise?"  I have no idea where he learned the word, especially without context.

Then we went to the vet with Flurry.  Flurry was having a few issues, but she did ok at the vet for once.  Maybe she realized that she needed some help.  She got some shots; hopefully they'll clear everything up.

Joshua has been working on a Lego helicopter since last night and so excited about it!  He sometimes can put stuff together if I just give him the pieces, but usually I need to sit there with him.  He can look at the instructions and usually put the pieces in the right spot, but he seemed to need the support from my being there.  Anyway, we finished it after lunch.

It was rainy today. 

Tuesday: break

Today was my official day of fall break.

In the morning I went to Isaac's school to help out for a bit.  I did the sight words and letter flash cards with each child.  Isaac did well.  It was interesting to see the range of abilities, although it did make me wonder about the child in the bigger picture.  Are their parents helping them?  Are they trying really hard and just can't remember?  Are they bored with the letters and could use more words to challenge them?  I was also happy to find out that Isaac isn't the only student who hasn't picked up on many other names.

I saw the classroom a bit; in the few minutes I was actually inside it was well run.  Snack time was controlled, but not too controlled.  I saw a bit of carpet time and everyone was doing what they were supposed to be doing.  So...nothing unexpected. :D

Ben and I went out for lunch.  I took a nap.  I got some work done.  It was a nice day.

Monday: dirt and food basket

This morning I started making a new bucket for the worms.  I had some dirt left over from when I emptied the first bucket this spring.  It's good to have some initial dirt, and I thought this would be super easy to dump in.

It turned out that the dirt had dried out.  Seriously dry.  The dirt has now been in water for 12+ hours and there are still a ton of lumps.  I just figured I'd add water and it would turn into mud.  It makes me understand (a bit) what issues areas with severe drought might be facing.

This afternoon Joshua and I went to Kids' Food basket to pack sack dinners for kids that are food insecure (they often don't know where the next meal is coming from).  Joshua did an awesome job.  He was done by the end of the hour, but he packed for most of the time.  He was in charge of the treat (fig bar) for most of the time, and he took his job very seriously.  I was very proud of him.

Isaac was disappointed to have to write his first name again as homework.  Those a's...they're getting better but still need improvement.

Sunday: fall break

I'm on fall break so I am pretending that I'm a student and not a parent and staying up too late.

Oh well.

Saturday: pictures

There were a bunch of pictures that didn't make it on the blog this yesterday, and I added some from today.

Joshua was a worm hunter as Aunt C dug up some grass...but he didn't want to touch them.  He's wearing the helmet because there are bears around.

In the fabric store, picking out some greens.

During quilt picture time.  (Although I did have to take my own as Joshua would only take them with the play camera.)

Sitting as close to Ben as possible

We went to a bat presentation at the library.  (I may be trying to get a bat house now.)  Anyway, Isaac volunteered to dress up as the Malaysian flying fox, which is the largest bat.  Joshua put up with the whole presentation, but I fully enjoyed it.