Playing War with your little one definitely counts as homeschool math. Check! How are you all doing? Today is rainy here in the Boston area but yesterday was gorgeous and we were outside most of the day. More days like that, please. I’d ask what your weekend plans are but… quarantine. Maybe you’re watching or making or reading something fantastic though? Do tell.
Here’s some weekend reading…
My favorite summer top is on sale. (It’s the best.)
My friend MaryJo has recently gotten me into Ron Finley, the gangsta gardener. Just started watching his Masterclass last night and loving it. Do any of you have a Masterclass subscription? What others do you recommend?
This place is taking seed orders if you want to get in on some! Now that I’ve got my vegetables I’m looking at flowers…
These jeans are marked down 55% and are great for summer.
A good quaratine breakfast — baked berry oatmeal!
So, like all home projects, you do one and then you’re inspired to keep going (what’s the word for that?). Paint is a cheap and easy refresh and now that I painted one bedroom, I’m ready to do another. The one I’m referencing is technically the master but also the bedroom Steve and I and Parker and Anders sleep in currently. I am for sure going to do a color in this bedroom–not white!–and I’m feeling very inspired by the all black bedrooms but feel like a dark green like this one might be better in the long run?
I love this top.
Greek gyros, yum. I might try making these.
New! Vitamin C serum! I can’t wait to try it.
Love this mug. Better still if you drink this buttered hot cocoa in it (the kids’ favorite).
I really wish our libraries were open (I get that they aren’t, but wouldn’t it be awesome to be able to utilize their online reservations, and have some sort of pick up for books right now since we’re all home?). Anyway, this old post is a good one. I’m reserving some audiobooks with the Overdrive app but it seems everyone is doing the same thing because there’s a long hold on all of them! I went through the recommendations on that old post of mine and just reserved a few more — The One and Only Ivan and Mouse and the Motorcycle! I’ve already reserved The Horse and his Boy, Ramona Quimby, Age 8, and The Cricket in Times Square. This is also an amazing list from a great podcast.
I loved this cabbage post because honestly it’s delicious (think of it as a big brother of the brussels sprout!).
Summertime skin. Still my favorites. I’m not sure exactly what summertime will look like but I do know it will still come, right?!
Have a good weekend, friends!
I guess I’m really under we’re not under lockdown here in Hong Kong! Hang in there! ❤️✨
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Wonder if you could have a book exchange with another nearby family…it would be so fun for your boys to carefully select a dozen or two of their books and drop the box off (contactless, of course) in exchange for the same from friends. I’ve been thinking of doing this with my sister as my library stack is long-finished and I’m not as happy e-reading. I have hundreds of books in my personal library and would very much enjoy selecting a dozen that I know she’d love.
Audible has made all children’s books available for free!
Children’s Librarian here – we wish very much that we could provide physical materials to patrons but right now it is not safe or feasible. We’ve considered this carefully and the reality is that handling library materials would require PPE for library staff. With gloves and disinfecting spray in short supply, we want to ensure hospitals and first responders have sufficient protection before us. Processing a high volume of returns and quarantining the materials would also take a lot of staff and we don’t want to expose each other (almost 60 people work at my library branch). .
Columbus Metropolitan Library has just started the first scientific study of 24 library materials so that we can better understand how long the virus lasts on these surfaces and the best way to ensure public safety.
Believe me, it’s been a difficult decision to restrict lending to just our digital materials (especially because libraries have already seen massive budget cuts, causing waves of layoffs and furloughs across the country – including me). Our digital collections are also much much more expensive, so please be patient with longer wait times for your ebooks or eaudiobooks! If you are using our digital materials – thank you! You can also help by returning them as soon as you finish so we can lend it out to someone else (the licenses are not unlimited- it’s one copy, one borrower, just like physical materials). I know a lot of people just let them return automatically (no late fees!) but returning early helps keep those wait lists moving.
Apologies for the novel- just wanted to help clarify a few things!
I appreciate your perspective, Kyra!! Thank you! I will continue to wait patiently for my digital materials!! Stay well.
Also, if you love the One and Only Ivan, the sequel is coming out next month – The One and Only Bob!
I too look forward to the day when our library reopens. We had an pickup situation for a few weeks and it was wonderful- but I understand the need to take precautions. Now- this week we picked up some zucchini and for whatever reason I’m motivated to finally try zucchini bread. Can someone help me out with a favorite recipe rec?
Smitten kitchen has a good one!!
I have her cookbook! On it.
The Epic! App also has digital and audio books. I believe it’s free at the moment. Give it a try!
Have you seen the British tv show Big Dreams Small Spaces? It’s the best gardening show. It was on Netflix until recently, but I think some episodes might be on Amazon Prime.
I haven’t!! Must watch it!
I’m pretty sure we have a copy of The Mouse and the Motorcycle downstairs in the basement that I’d be happy to mail to you (once it’s safe to!) so you don’t have to wait for the digital copy.
That is so kind of you. Thank you, but we will wait! I don’t want to trouble you!
Our director was toying with the idea of doing a curbside pickup, but the lawyer vetoed that idea. I’m a public librarian, and really miss our patrons. Even when we re-open, there will be a limit to how many patrons are allowed inside at a time. It’s going to be so hard for so long. I live in Illinois, and our stay at home order is through MAY 30TH!! I believe that Libby is the new version of overdrive. Hoopla is another awesome app if your library offers that service!
That’s so hard. There’ll be a lot of strange scar tissue sticking around after this is all over, I think. But I’m hopeful that we’ll find a new normal that feels really good too. I miss our library and librarians sooo much.