As If Starting School Again Wasn't Enough

Life feels pretty normal these days . . .

. . . but COVID-19 is still a thing,

and there have been big surges in COVID cases the last two winters . . .

. . . so after the kids got home from their first day of school

I took them to a vaccine clinic to get our COVID boosters and flu vaccines

('cuz I'm such a nice mom).

Daniel dodged both of those bullets this week because he's sick,

but he'll get his turn soon enough--there's another clinic later this month.

First Day of School 2022

It's that time of year again, folks!

The big, yellow buses are rolling through our neighborhood today

because it's the first day of school.

My kids humored me and posed for some first-day-of-school pictures.

Here's Joy . . .

. . . Anna . . .

. . . Todd . . .

. . . and Daniel.

On his first day as a middle school upperclassman,

Daniel woke up feeling crummy and running a high fever.

What fun is an extra day of summer vacation

if you're too sick to enjoy it?

Birdies Love Millet

Our parakeets have become more social this summer.

I think it's partly because the kids are home for more of the day . . .

. . . and partly because we bought a bunch of millet sprays

so we can feed them their favorite seeds when they sit on our hands.

Cutie little birds!

Summer Cooking

I hate making lunch.  

I don't mind spending an hour cooking dinner,

but at lunchtime I'd rather just heat up some leftovers

and then get on with my day.

Since summer vacation means that five or more Hendricksons

need lunch for about 70 days in a row,

I decided to get the kids involved this year

so I wouldn't just cycle through the same handful of easy lunches

that we'd all get tired of by August.

Every week, each of the kids would take a turn 

making a lunch of their choice (or helping me make it).

The only rule was that they couldn't choose something we'd eaten in the last two weeks.

I've enjoyed having their company in the kitchen,

and it's been a good opportunity to teach them some kitchen skills.

I also thought of a way the kids can earn a little extra money.

I don't mind rolling Protein Poppers, but I don't like mixing the dough,

so I offer $2 to anyone willing to measure and mix the ingredients.

Anna particularly likes this arrangement since she doesn't have a job yet,

but sometimes even Joy likes to score some quick cash.

Leaving Before the Finale

Phillip's company decided to bond over baseball a couple nights ago . . .

. . . so I took the train into Boston . . .

. . . and met Phillip for a date at Fenway Park.

Although I find baseball pretty boring on TV, I enjoy watching it person.

There's something fun about cheering or groaning with the people around me,

and rooting for actual humans down on an actual field.

Maybe it feels more real to me, since most things I see on screens aren't real.

I also enjoyed getting to know Phillip's new coworkers, 

including Dr. Todd (pictured above) and Eva the Stylish Secretary 

(I just made that last part up--it's not her official title).

As for the game itself, the Red Sox spent most of it a few runs behind,

so Phillip and I left after the eighth inning to beat the crowds.

Of course, the Sox staged an epic comeback in the bottom of the ninth and won the game.

I kind of wish we'd stuck it out to see that grand finale,

but I was happier to arrive home before midnight and get a decent night's sleep.

I must be getting old. :)

Discovery with Daddy

We headed back to the Discovery Museum today,

partly because it's a fun place . . .

. . . and partly because we wanted to show Daddy some of our favorite things there.

After he lifted all five of us with the da Vinci lever . . .

. . . we went inside to make sand funnel art . . .

. . . a custom ball ramp . . .

. . . and music with plastic pipes and old flip flops.

I also made an interesting discovery at the heat image camera display.

I was pointing out to the kids that our fingers are much colder than our arms,

then I noticed that the only one on the screen with purple (i.e. cold) fingers was me.

 I knew I had poor circulation, but I didn't realize it was THAT bad.

No wonder my hands always feel cold in winter!

Unexpected Errands

The kids and I headed to the mall today to buy shoes for school.

They've outgrown or worn out last year's shoes,

and flip flops won't cut it when the weather turns cold soon.

Unfortunately, when we arrived at the mall the shoe store wasn't open yet . . .

. . . so we went a few doors down to get Anna's ears pierced.

She's been wanting to do that before middle school starts,

and we decided that today was the day!

We also browsed the shop next door

which had gobs and scads of candles.

Apparently the difference between a pleasant aroma and a noxious fume

is entirely a matter of opinion.

And yes, we did eventually make it to the shoe store.

Daniel and Todd both opted for slip-on tennis shoes,

since they don't know how to tie shoelaces.

I should probably teach them that basic life skill at some point.

Maybe next year.