My weekly notebook: Switch, surgery, and swimming pool

Life this week...

This will be known as the greatest week ever by one member of the family. We have been searching for a Nintendo Switch for a few months. They have been very scarce (hard to find). Stores can't keep them on the shelf and ordering one from eBay or Amazon right now you have to pay a higher price. So, we waited and kept checking stores and online. Finally, a bundle with things we wanted and a switch showed up at GameStop online. We ordered it, just before Aric's birthday, and it arrived a few days after his birthday. That wasn't a big deal since it wasn't specifically for him. It's a family gift, and he has the joy of playing it and getting games and such as part of his birthday celebration. He is the one that wanted it the most and worked the hardest to get it. We challenged him to walk on the treadmill for 300 miles and we'd consider getting one. He walked that 300 miles and finished just before his birthday!

Aric was so excited about it that he waited outside the day it was supposed to come. It didn't come that day, unfortunately. Somehow it missed the delivery truck. It did come the next day though!

Homeschool this week...

I absolutely love these 3-tier rolling carts. They make good portable storage. I purchased another one this week at Michael's. Alex put it together all by himself at his insistence. It will probably be used to put daily assignments in.

We did some reading from Alex's Mosdos Press Literature book.

The story this week was A Cane in Her Hand. A story about a girl who had to learn to deal with blindness as her vision worsened. I enjoy reading the stories in this book with Alex.

Reviews we are working on...

We've got a lot of great reviews going right now. Superteacherworksheets.com is one of my favorite resources, and we get to review them again!  This week I printed up one of the summer-themed worksheets for my middle schoolboy. I love the simplicity and creativeness of their worksheets.

Helpful homeschool tips and advice to share...

If you are just starting to think about homeschooling and don't know where to start I suggest this Homeschool 101 series. She even has a printable for you to jot some things down to get them on paper. I have found that with homeschooling it's good to write things down and not try to keep it all in my head. It's too much for my brain. She also has some great thoughts.

Places we're going and people we're seeing...

On Tuesday, April had to have a procedure done to help remove a very large kidney stone. It was a long day, but she was home by the evening. She spent the rest of the week recovering. We are hoping this resolves the issue and no more pain for her.

This was my view during her surgery. I was planning to go into the hospital with her (only one parent could accompany her since she's 18 due to Coronavirus restrictions), but I woke up that morning with a tickle in my throat and runny nose. I didn't want to deal with that with a mask on. I also wasn't sure if it was allergies or sickness, so I figured her Dad should just go in with her. So, while Grandma sat with the boys at home, I stayed near the hospital in the van. It was okay in the shade for most of the morning, but by afternoon I was getting toasty. I headed home as soon as I knew she was recovering well. Dad brought her home a few hours later.

What we're reading...

Aric is reading the Percy Jackson books, and he started the 3rd one this week.

Movies we watched...

We watched a Disney classic, Cars. I had forgotten how funny it is. And, 3 of the 4 kids watched it with me!

I'm cooking...

I made cinnamon rolls for dinner last night. They were delicious. That is all.

I'm grateful for...

Our swimming pool. It has been a source of fun and relaxation this summer so far.