Eliza Doolittle Day 2020

The 20th of May was Eliza Doolittle Day. I celebrated with "lots of chocolate for me to eat" after the kids went to bed. Bwah ha ha ha.

I tried out "The One" Chocolate Mug Cake recipe from Budget Bites. Mmmm, chocolate and peanut butter... and all for me!

Look What I Did

Jr.: I solved the Rubik's Cube... and won a prize.

Another prize dropped off at the doorstep, this time for extra credit in science. Way to go, Jr. And way to go solving the Rubik's cube.
Nichole had to go to the school to pick up her award certificates for several classes but her science teacher delivered her science prize to the door. The students had to have a certain number of biological encounters in a year's time and they would be awarded a prize if they had the most in a certain category. Nichole had the most encounters with... you guessed it, birds. Over 200 species in a year.

Hungarian Pirates or Pirate Cube?

May 19 was the anniversary of the Rubik's Cube, which we all know was invented by a Hungarian.
What better way to celebrate than to eat Hungarian food, twist Rubik's Cubes, and watch... The Pirates of Penzance?
The kids once again got creative with rationalizing movie watching. Jeremy made us rokott krumpli and the kids wanted to watch that movie so here's what we eventually came up with.
Originally it was that Hungary is a European country and so is England where Penzance is located. Meh. Too much of a stretch for me. However, May 19 was May Ray Day and the pirates wanted to may-ray the major general's daughters. The pirates could also be described as devils and there may be food and cake served at the wedding. May 19 was also Devil's Food Cake Day.

We saved devil's food cake for a later date, though, to celebrate my birthday along with homemade alfredo pizza. Mmmm. Craveworthy.

Like with Jeremy's birthday, Lucky made me a present of a LEGO character. This time it was Guybrush Threepwood doing his Guybrush Threepwood dance. What a sweetie.

Field Day 2020

Like the virtual dance festival we submitted our video to, the elementary school also had a virtual field day this year. We were sent a slide show with activities we could choose from and after we were done we sent pictures and videos to the school so they could make a compilation of what families did to get moving.

Here's a run down of our field day (with water breaks and other kinds of breaks).

We created our own warm-up activity: copy the baby's movements. The one time he decided not to roll over but just flail his arms and legs. He got a kick out of his brothers wiggling around on the floor with him.

Outside, Jr. Jr. and Lucky played a dance/freeze game where they followed the actions of a song and did some dancing, hopping, and other actions like that until they were told to freeze and hold their position for a bit.

Back inside we "rode" on a roller coaster. Jr. Jr. sat on my lap, Lucky sat on Jr.'s lap, and Jet sat in the bouncer seat. We leaned forward, backward, and sideways with the coaster (then I had the boys do it again so I could get pictures).

Jr. Jr. and Lucky followed a tutorial and drew popsicles.

Lunch Break!
In the afternoon/evening, the boys and I went outside again to do some other activities: drawing with sidewalk chalk, hopscotch, and riding bikes and scooters.

I pushed the baby in the stroller and took pictures of birds (and of the boys, of course).

On a different but somewhat related note because it had to do with the elementary school, Jeremy went to the school to pick up the boys' classroom items. Besides a reading award (certificate) Lucky got, both boys got participation awards that said, "Certificate of Participation Awarded to: ____ May 28th, 2020 For successfully completing homeschooling during the Covid 19 pandemic and all online activities, such as the online dance festival and virtual field day!"

It's been a lot of hard work getting through the end of the school year but we survived. Go, us!

The Poor Innocent People

May 18 was the 40th anniversary of the big eruption of Mount St. Helens. We made mashed potato volcanoes and decorated them then poured gravy "lava" in them so they overflowed. Broccoli represented trees (of course) and raisins represented innocent people (according to Lucky).

"Oh no. The poor innocent people."

As we built and destroyed (yumm), Jeremy and I talked to the kids a bit about the eruption in 1980 and about trips to the mountain in later years.
We were tempted to watch Close Encounters of the Third Kind because of the mashed potato mountains but we didn't. I did say while making my mountain, "This means something."

Since May 18 was also National Cheese Soufflé Day, Nichole and I watched the movie, Sabrina, where Audrey Hepburn's character goes to France and learns to make soufflé. "One two three crack. New egg."

Cabin Fever!

Lucky got a little creative while pictures were being taken.

Fill the Crockpot to the Top Day

What happens when you have a lot of veggies that need to be used up?
Sunday dinner!

Reminiscent of Fill The Stockpot to the Top Day that we used to celebrate by making a huge batch of taco soup for National Corn Chip Day in January, we celebrated National Idaho Day on May 17.
You can't see them in the pictures but the Idaho red potatoes are on the bottom covered in veggies such as onions, celery, carrots, and broccoli along with chicken tenders and topped with a can of cream of chicken soup mixed with a can of water and packet of onion soup mix poured over the top.
There, now you can make your own Sunday dinner in the crockpot with those potatoes and veggies that need to be used up. And if you fill it like we did, you'll have leftovers for days.

If You Give Nichole a Medium...

Nichole's been letting us use her white board to write our hymn numbers for Sacrament Meeting on Sundays. Since it was already out...

Pizza Party!

May 15 this year was National Pizza Party Day. Oh, yeah. That is my kind of holiday.
The kids read Pete the Cat and the Perfect Pizza Party.

Jr. helped me make individual sized pizza crusts and Jeremy helped me prepare toppings so everyone could have what kinds of pizza they wanted, up to four pizzas each. Yumm.

So we had a pizza party and watched Horton Hears a Who because "On the fifteenth of May in the jungle of Nool…"
We also celebrated Dinosaur Day with cuteness.

And when we needed a new blanket, we got one out with a dinosaur on it.

P.S. May 15 was also National Chocolate Chip Day. We had some ripe bananas and I meant to make chocolate chip banana muffins that day but with all the pizza preparations, I didn't get to it. So I made them the next day and we celebrated National Chocolate Chip Day Observed.

Eat What You Want

May 11 was Eat What You Want Day. I didn't get any pictures of the different types of food we ate. Basically when kids would come up to me and ask if they could have such and such to eat, I would reply, "Eat what you want... within reason." I didn't want them eating so much sugary stuff to make themselves sick.

I did get pictures of food we ate for National Crouton Day on May 13 (salad with croutons) which was also National Apple Pie Day (apple pie a la mode).

And I got pictures of the biscuits and gravy we ate for National Buttermilk Biscuit Day on May 14.

Jeremy had been wanting to make potato salad for a while and finally did that day, even though it had nothing to do with the holiday. It still tasted good.

I told you a lot of our celebrating revolves around the menu plan.

Mama Bird and Baby Bird

About a year ago, for a Mother's Day/birthday gift, Jeremy got me a shirt that said Mama Bird on it along with a onesie that said Baby Bird. Oh so cute. I took a picture of them and we texted the picture to some family members. That's how we announced my pregnancy to them. "Look what Jeremy got me for Mother's Day."

I was able to wear my shirt a few times last year on birding field trips and get-togethers.
I obviously haven't been on any birding field trips this year but Jeremy took Jet and me out recently to go birding on a walking trail in Provo.

Our sizes were right so Jet and I got to wear our shirt and onesie.

Aren't we so cute?

Locker Clean Out Day

Everything needs to be out of your locker by this date.
It's a little different this year with scheduling a specific time to go, requiring face masks or bandanas, and not just doing it at the end of a normal school day.

Oh, the stories there will be to tell.

Mother's Day 2020

Breakfast in... the living room (as compared to in bed, they gave me a choice). Jet slept long enough for me to eat my breakfast prepared lovingly by Jr. Jr. and Jeremy.

A card/sign made for me by my little Lucky and "L is for love."

Skillet chicken parmigiana made by my wonderful husband.

More Chocolate Rolo Cake Mix Cookies again made by Jr. and made into ice cream sandwiches.

A day off-ish. I changed diapers and fed the baby but Jeremy wouldn't let me shred cheese for dinner. And my sweet family took turns entertaining Jet so I could spend some time blogging.

And of course church at home together with my family after watching Music and the Spoken Word (Mother's Day rebroadcast from 2019 because... you know).
And a Mother's Day candy bar and card from the bishopric that says, "We'll all be back here soon," with a picture of our chapel on it. Awww.