Spring Break

Let's talk about Spring Break... for three of our kids. Last week was Spring Break... for three of our kids. Here are some of the holidays we celebrated (besides what I already mentioned in my April 9, 2026 post).

April 7 was National No Housework Day. I didn't tell the kids that was the holiday and asked them to clean. Bwah ha ha ha. But I celebrated.

 

April 8 was Draw a Picture of a Bird Day. This is what Nichole created.

She's awesome. I love that I could immediately tell it was a red-tailed hawk. Gorgeous.

 

April 10 was National Siblings Day. I encouraged a couple of my kids to wish each other a Happy that holiday but forgot to wish it to any of my own siblings even though I planned to.

It was also National Farm Animals Day. For dinner the night before, I made red beans and rice and hush puppies and garlic parmesan asparagus. On April 10, we had leftovers (including the beans and rice that had Polish sausage made out of what? Farm animals!) and I made more hush puppies.

This exchange happened while I was making them.

 

Jet: What are the dog things you are making called?

Mom: Hush puppies. 

 

He's so adorable.

 

Chocolate at the Zoo

October 28 was National Chocolate Day. What a great day for dressing up in costume and going trick or treating at Hogle Zoo. They had stations throughout the zoo where the kids could get candy.

 

The animals even had Halloween enrichment objects. It was fun to see.

 

Of course we had to get some pictures with the gorilla statue and the lion drinking fountain.

 

It was a nice trip to the zoo.

Fall Break 2022

Fall Break: Hiking (Big Springs)

Fall Break: Dead things (Bean Museum)

Fall Break: Scarecrow Festival (Thanksgiving Point)

Fall Break: Date, Live music (My niece, Carina, performing with my sister and brother-in-law in attendance)

Fall Break: Live animals (Hogle Zoo)

Chips and Cheesesteaks

March 23 was National Chip and Dip Day. Yes, I made bean dip. Yes, it had seven layers.

Earlier, though, Jet and I went out to play at a park. I am loving that there are more nice days to play. Yay, Spring!

The next day, March 24, was National Cheesesteak Day. I am loving these Cheesesteak Subs we make from a recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. Yumm. And I love that we can make homemade buns from another recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe- French Bread Rolls. 

Jet of course wanted to be my baking buddy again and throw rolls and buns around while I tried to shape them.

He and I got out again that day for a walk around the neighborhood. Well, sort of. I wanted to go for a walk. Jet wanted to lie down on the ground and roll around in the dirt. Sigh. So we turned it into a game. I tried to convince him to walk back home while he decided to crawl back so I asked him what animal he was walking on all fours. I'd ask. He'd make the animal sound. A dog? Woof. Woof. A cat? Meow. An elephant? *Insert trumpeting sound* A monkey? Ooh ooh ah ah. We eventually made it back home.

By the way, I didn't tell him to make this face. That was his own decision. I don't know where he gets it from.

Farm Writer Siblings

Saturday, April 10, the kids and I went for a drive around West Mountain. 

It was National Farm Animals Day so besides birds, I told the kids to be on the lookout for farm animals. We saw chickens, sheep, horses, and the cows were very obliging walking on the road and being right next to the road.

When we got home I told the kids they could do some writing as it was Encourage a Young Writer Day.

They enjoyed their time together, those siblings. April 10 was also National Siblings Day.

Bye Bye, Pumpkins

October 26 was National Pumpkin Day. Nichole's and Jr.'s carved pumpkins didn't survive very well. We didn't do anything to preserve them and it was getting late the night they carved them anyway so the pumpkins later just sat and rotted. Oh well. I took the time on National Pumpkin Day to take pictures of their sad state and to throw them away. We celebrated.

Speaking of pumpkins, Nichole had an art project to paint a pumpkin. She painted two ravens and a turkey. The ravens each held jack-o-lantern buckets and the turkey wore nose glasses and a bow tie. She won an award for best animal for that pumpkin. Nichole said, "Because birds are the best animal."

Lucky recently also brought home a pumpkin... with two stems. His pumpkin looks like it was skewered with the stem from another pumpkin.