Our Brief Quarantine

This week . . .

. . . the kids had a couple days off of homeschool . . .

. . . and Daddy worked from our basement . . .

. . . while I quarantined in my room and awaited the results of my COVID-19 test (and yes, that test is just as unpleasant as you've heard it is).  I've been experiencing mild, flu-like symptoms, and I figured it was better to be safe than sorry.  Fortunately, the results came back negative.

No one is happier about that than Phillip, because while I've been convalescing up in bed with a bunch of Harry Potter books (which I've been wanting to reread for over a decade now), he's been working full-time AND being Mr. Mom to four boisterous little Hendricksons.  He'd much rather be the breadwinner than the chef, mediator, and bedtime enforcer in our family.

And The Lights Come On

We're discussing electricity in Homschool Science class this week.

Joy used our Snap Circuit set to teach about two different kinds of electric circuits.

Looks like Anna is a bright student, in every sense. :)

Pencil Accessories

When we started homeschooling, I bought some mechanical pencils so each of my children would always have a fine-tipped writing implement ready to inscribe the deep, inner musings of their soul.  Daniel quickly discovered that his pencil had a clip on it . . .

. . . so he adopted the habit of wearing it on his collar.  (And when he discovered that I was taking this picture, he adopted the expression of a British gentleman who has just eaten a spoiled prune.)

While I think the collar-pencil look is a bit eccentric, Todd thinks it's cool and has wholeheartedly embraced his brother's innovative sense of fashion.

In other news, today's ELA lesson included instructions for a fun little doodle.  You draw a mountain range with a black marker, then fill in each peak and the sky with simple, colorful designs.

Todd thinks no mountain range is complete without a Globey mountain.

Conference Rectangles

It took me about a decade of trial, error, and persistent tweaking, but I'm grateful to say I've found a way to get all four of my children excited about General Conference.  They actually sit and pay some degree of attention through all four two-hour sessions (five sessions, in Joy's case).  Given how hard it is to persuade kids to sit quietly through anything, I'm still kind of amazed that it works so well.

The night before Conference, I print off the "Conference Squares" sheets from the Church's website (I also print my own "Conference Rectangle" sheets, in case the kids want to fill in their own Gospel topics) . . .

. . . and for every six squares the kids fill in during a session, they get to choose snacks, treats, and toys from the prize bowl.  The plastic eggs contain taffy or coins, and they tend to be a popular choice because there's an element of mystery about them. :)

Joy was the only one who chose to fill in her own sheet (complete with illustrations).

She also took a lot of notes this weekend (in her own unique way), and said she got more out of the sessions this time.

The younger kids are still here mainly for the prizes, but hey, you gotta start somewhere!

Some Things Don't Change

This General Conference Weekend . . .

. . . the venue looks different.

The Prophet looks different.

Even the Salt Lake Temple looks different!

But we were still excited to hear what God's prophet and apostles have to say, and their messages were just as uplifting as always.  I'm grateful that some things don't change, even when everything else seems to have turned upside down.

 

It's Fall, Y'all!

 When we lived out west, I sometimes heard people complain that Southern California had no seasons.  Now that we live in New England, I get what they were talking about.  While I still don't love Massachusetts' long, frigid winter, the gorgeous spring that follows is all the more joyful after months of bleak cold.  And then there's my favorite season, fall.

There is something glorious about seeing our burning bush blazing in the front yard . . .

. . . maple trees looking like giant torches down the street . . .

. . . and a local farm stand selling hundreds of pumpkins that they grew in the field across the road.  I love fall!

Tennis Bubbles

At tennis class today . . .

. . . our teacher Sue showed us how to serve.  I nailed my first serve right over the net and was feeling pretty good about my tennis skills until I realized I was serving from the middle of the court, not the back where you're actually supposed to serve from.  It's a lot harder from back there.  Oh well--gotta start somewhere, right?

Todd is still having a hard time even hitting the ball, and I've reached the conclusion that he's still a bit young for tennis lessons.  He enjoys coming to class with us, though, and he loved hitting the bubbles Sue blew for him at the end of our lesson today. :)