Kids of Waterdeep

Since the kids often have trouble finding Sabbath-appropriate things to do on Sunday afternoons, they recently suggested that we buy "Lords of Waterdeep"--a board game that they really enjoyed playing at our friends' house last month.  We've gotten kind of tired of Catan, and thought it would be nice to find another game for our family to play together.

The new game arrived Monday evening, and the kids been playing it every chance they get this week.

Daniel has even played against himself once or twice, 'cuz that's how Daniel rolls.

I found the game kind of intimidating at first, because there are so many different things you can do on each turn.  Joy, Daniel, and Anna talked me into playing with them though, and I got the hang of it after the first round or two.  It's really engaging, and I like the fact that so many elements are different each time you play.  I suspect the kids will burn themselves out on Waterdeep if they keep playing it every day, but it's fun and interesting enough that I think they'll come back to it again before long.

In the Sleepy Arboretum

We met up with another homeschooling family today . . .

. . . to explore the Acton Arboretum.

We quickly realized that we should have waited a few more weeks, since most of the plants are still asleep . . .

. . . but at least Anna made a couple new friends.

By the end of the walk, Daniel had made a new friend too.  He and Jack discovered that they both love Minecraft Dungeons. :)

A Car Wash and a New Mower

I was all set to start ELA this morning when Daddy asked who wanted to help him wash the cars.  As all the kids hustled outside, I weighed my options: should I be a stickler about having four lessons a week, or foster Daddy-child bonding, reinforce the value of work, and get my grimy van cleaned?

Sorry, homeschooling.  Bonding, character building, and grimy van scrubbing won out today.  See you on Monday.

With school cancelled for the rest of the day, Anna and Todd decided to work on their biking skills.  When I asked why they were walking instead of riding, Anna explained that she's helping Todd get the hang of balance-waddling . . .

. . . which is much easier to do when you're going downhill.

In other news, we bought a new mower, which arrived today.  We could barely start the old, used mower we bought two years ago, and it was definitely time for a replacement.  Although, in retrospect, maybe we should have followed my sister's suggestion and just bought a pair of pygmy goats to mow our lawn.  The goats would have been cheaper, more environmentally friendly, and a whole lot cuter.  Maybe next time.

Springtime Yard Work

Over lunch today, I asked the kids whether any of them would like to earn $1 for doing 20 minutes of yard work.  They readily volunteered, then Joy reminded me that our state's minimum wage is $12.75/hour.  I reminded her that many parents expect their kids to do yard work for free.  She took the hint, and that was the end of our wage negotiation.

We then headed outside to clean up the debris of last autumn.  We gathered spent hosta leaves . . .

. . . trimmed old hosta stems . . .

. . . chopped off dead hydrangea twigs, and took all the refuse out back to toss down "Compost Hill."  The jobs were pretty straightforward, but they took a lot longer than I expected, and we were pretty tired by the time we finished, so I paid the kids $5 instead of $1.  They definitely earned it.

Will Write for Prizes

General Conference weekend is here again!

It's time to sustain the Prophet and apostles . . .

. . . and play Conference Squares to earn prizes after each session.  Each child can choose one prize for every six topics they mark in a session.  They can earn a maximum of four prizes, but sometimes they are limited by the fact that some topics on their sheets don't come up in a session.

In order to maximize her returns, Joy asked if she could earn four prizes by taking notes.  Since the whole point of the prizes is to encourage the kids to pay attention, I was more than happy to approve her request.

After earning just two prizes during one of yesterday's sessions, Anna decided to start taking notes too.  She also chose to mark the Conference Squares sheet next to her, just for fun.

Our Second Pandemic Egg Hunt

Luna wants to know . . .

. . . who's ready for an Easter egg hunt?  I rarely bothered to plan an egg hunt in years past, since we always did one with relatives and/or friends.  Then a few days ago, I remembered that community egg hunts don't happen during pandemics.  I then bought some treats and filled a few dozen eggs . . .

. . . so the little kids could hunt for them in the front yard today . . .

. . . and the big kids could hunt in back.

Then they all went to the dining room to compare and trade their loot.

 And no, you may NOT have some of Joy's candy!

Lamb and Talents

April has finally arrived!

Crocus flowers are blooming in the berry patch . . .

. . . our Easter decorations are up . . .

. . . and our Holy Week celebration is in full swing.  We acted out the Parable of the Talents on Teaching Tuesday (the kids and I rehearsed it twice before performing it for Daddy after dinner) . . .

. . . and I served our semi-authentic Passover feast this evening.  I'm still ironing out a wrinkle here and there (we all agreed that I should leave out the turnip next time), but the kids love the fact that I make a feast with multiple dishes that we only eat once a year.  It's like Thanksgiving, but with braised lamb, spiced apple salad . . .

. . . and macaroons for dessert.  Pineapple is kosher for Passover too!  Yum!  Maybe we'll branch out next year and try making matzo brittle. :)