He's Back

We got Jeremy back!

After 2 1/2 weeks away, Jeremy got back from his South Carolina fair on October 22, National Color Day.

Look how cute we are with the different colors we're wearing.

Speaking of colors, I got out that morning for a walk with some colors. 

I also finally wore a bright red shirt I got a while back that says "Bake the World a Better Place." You know I love baking but I'm usually wearing an apron while baking. I finally wore this shirt (and an apron) while baking bread and got my picture with the shirt and the bread.

Jet brought home a cute little "Monster Spring" (that's what he named it) from school so I showed him how it pops and he loved it.

We got multiple colors in our dinner. Creamy Beef Enchiladas from A Season of Family Meal Plans, volume 4, by Jordan Page. Because these books are all about this, I saved some of our French Dip meat from when we had French Dip sandwiches while Jeremy was gone (also from that book) to use in the enchiladas. Oh and we substituted a pork roast for a beef roast (substitutions are encouraged). We had a spinach salad side dish. 

 

Nice celebrating Color Day and the best part of course was getting Jeremy home. I missed him.

Walk with a Friend

I'd been meaning to get out with my friend for a walk to introduce her to the Provo River Delta and we finally got together on September 19. 

I wore my Jurassic Park shirt because the elementary school was doing "kindergarten color days" and encouraged people to wear the color for the day so the kindergartners could see them wearing the color they were learning about. This day was Black/White.

I wore my pirate necklace because it was International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Yes, our family talked like pirates, too. I even had Jet saying, "Arrrgh," before heading into school.

If you use your imagination, you can imagine we're on a pirate ship for the pictures we took on the viewing tower at the Delta. 

I wore my bow earrings because it was Hermione Granger's Birthday and Slimey the Worm's Birthday. The earrings and necklace did not relate this time.

As it was Butterscotch Pudding Day, I made butterscotch pudding. 

Summer Reading part 1

For the past couple of months we have done a lot of Summer reading and related activities. 

Woohoo! Summer Reading! You know we love it. 

The theme for both Provo and Orem libraries was "Colour Our World." Here are some things we did in no particular order:

 

Story Trails 

Provo Library had a Story Trail along the outside of the library. 

"How the Brazilian Beetles Got Their Gorgeous Coats"

We went to that one on National Trails Day, June 7. It was also Play Outside Day. Both worked to celebrate.

 

Lion's Park

"The Nightingale"

Jr., Nichole, and I found the end of the story first so I walked backward until we reached the beginning of the story. Luckily it was a well known story so there were no surprises reading it back to front. I went another day on a walk there to read it front to back. You know I like going for walks.

 

Lakeview Park

"How the Kangaroo Got Her Pouch" 

We had to dodge sprinklers for our "title page" picture.

 

Kiwanis Park 

"Dotson' Sa, Great Raven, Makes the World" 

Jeremy and Nichole got to read this one while I watched Jet on a playground. I had to come back another day so I could finish it.

 

Quail Orchard Park

"How the Finch Got Her Colors" 

As we were reading this one we were trying to figure out how the finch could be considered really colorful. We're used to house finches, goldfinches. They have colors but not lots of colors like the story was describing. Happily, the story explained that it was a Gouldian finch and we were content. We'd never heard of that finch before. We have now. Look it up. It is a very colorful bird. 

 

Crafts

Jet and I had some fun doing crafts from the Provo Library.

Pumpkin Friend

Wooden Spoon Butterfly  

 

Some of the kids and I made bookmarks. 

 

We spent plenty of time in the libraries. Besides sitting down to read, there are so many different activities and programs at the library. 

I'll talk about more Summer Reading later.

Halloween Drive

October 21 was Reptile Awareness Day. Jet watched some Wild Kratts that day.

It was also International Day of the Nacho so we had nachos.

That evening for Family Home Evening we went for a drive to look at Halloween decorations. You know Jet loves Halloween decorations.

We decided to follow a list of houses put together by the city of Orem. By the second and third house on the route, we realized that another vehicle was doing the same thing as us. The same vehicle stopped at the same houses as us. They got ahead of us at one point so we were stopping at the same houses as them. After a while we didn't keep up because we were looking at other houses that weren't on the list and we needed to head home anyway. I thought it was funny, though, that both of us decided to do the same thing on the same night at the same time.

While we were looking at Halloween decorations, Jet said a few cute things:

"Oh no. That one's not scary. Let's try again." 

"Ooh, that's a scary ghost. It scared me."

 

October 22 was National Color Day. Jet and I looked at different colors as we drove around. Leaves on trees. Traffic lights. We sang the traffic light song. We also looked at the different colors on the American flag.

I have to mention dinner that night because... c'mon... I love A Season of Family Meal Plans (by Jordan Page) and am getting so much use out of those books.

We had Salsa Sweet Pork with Cilantro Lime Rice Bowls. The pork was soooo good. Jeremy said it would be good for nachos so I'll keep that in mind for the future because we just had our nachos the day before.

More October Holidays

October 15 was National Grouch Day. I couldn't get the words right to Oscar the Grouch's song, "I Love Trash." This is how I sang it. "Oh, I love trash. Anything dirty or dusty or dingy. Anything rotten or rusty or ringy." Those are not the words.

It was also P.G. Wodehouse's Birthday. We made stroganoff using Worcestershire sauce. Jr. commented that ingredient is Jeeves speaking with a lisp. "Wooster, sir." "Wooster, shir."

 

October 22 was National Color Day. We had an at-home potluck of different colors.

 

October 26 was National Pumpkin Day. I told author Joanna Barker that I would read her book, Miss Adeline's Match, when I got some pumpkin spice hot chocolate. The book takes place in the Fall. That's why it works. I used to get Stephen's pumpkin spice hot cocoa mix every Fall. We couldn't find any this year. We couldn't find any pumpkin spice hot cocoa mix in the stores. My husband got creative. He bought me a pumpkin spice frosty and I put some in my hot chocolate. It totally worked. So, I drank my pumpkin spice hot chocolate and read her book. Although, now that I've read the book, I would recommend drinking spiced apple cider while reading it because there is a whole apple harvesting section in the book. So if you're looking for a way to celebrate Fall (you know... next Fall because it's practically Winter here now, although there is also a scene in a snowstorm so I guess it fits both), I recommend reading Miss Adeline's Match and drinking apple cider. But then take a break and read later in the book with hot chocolate (it doesn't have to be pumpkin spice) during the part with the snowstorm. There. That's how to celebrate. Of course I also used my Provo City Library cocoa mug. Very appropriate.

October 27 was National Breadstick Day.

National Color Day 2020

October 22 was National Color Day. It was also Make a Dog's Day.

Jet and I went for a walk along the Provo River. There were still some Fall colors. Several people had dogs on the trail. Boom. Celebrated.

For dinner we had hot dogs and Polish sausages with multicolored condiments. Boom. Also celebrated.

And what is it with pumpkins in the river? I saw a couple more while we were walking.

This one didn't make it into the river. Tee Hee.

The KAT's Meow

Jr.: I want to be an old cat lady when I grow up.
Nichole (laughing): You're a guy.
Jr. (laughing): I want to be a weird cat lady when I grow up. I'm a guy. That's why it would be weird.



Nichole (while watching Lucky color a picture): Wow. You really like the color red, don't you?
Lucky: Mm-hm. Because it's the color of blood.



While texting Jeremy, I said some silly things.
Jeremy (text): You. Are. So. Stinkin'. Cute.
Kristin (text and aloud): Awwwwww.
Nichole and Jr. (aloud): What's awww?
Kristin: Daddy. He says I stink.
Nichole and Jr.: What? Why would he say you stink?
Then they started speculating what Siri might've misinterpreted. Maybe Dad actually said, "You're sweet" or something like that.
There was one time when Jeremy voice texted me something about "the kids," and Siri changed it to "Richard." Now from time to time when I'm calling for the kids I'll call for Richard. "Richard. Get your shoes and socks on. We're going to the park."



Jr.: Nichole, you're a better woman than I am.
Nichole: Um. You're not a woman.
Jr.: Your point is?
Jr. Jr.: You're a better actress than I am.
Nichole: You're not an actress. Do you mean actor?
Jr.: Your point is?

Summer Reading

 

We've still being doing lots of library Summer Reading activities. We reached the halfway point for Orem and Jeremy picked up prizes for us. Little flashlights for Jr. Jr. and Lucky, bubbles for Jet, and books for the four oldest of us. They had little kid books that adults could choose so Jeremy picked up a board book of baby animals for me. Jet loves it.

We continue to go on weekly walks at parks for #provostorytrails and enjoy learning some new tales. "The Stonecutter," "Three Magic Oranges," and "Catherine & Her Destiny."

We even took time at one park to act out The Three Billy Goats Gruff with the big bridge there.

At another park, after we got out of the van, Lucky called out, "Wait! I left something in the van." Once we unlocked it for him, he climbed in and pulled out a pair of binoculars. That's our birder. There was a birding badge for the Summer Reading Program we got earlier.

We also get weekly take home activities that Jeremy picks up for us. We called the kids' great grandma for Friendship Day in Paraguay. We made sugar skull masks (calaveras) for Day of the Dead in Mexico. We made paper bamboo trees to put tanzaku wishes on for the Tanabata Festival in Japan.

And there are still plenty of reading, crafts, coloring, stories (Jr. Jr. and Lucky came in one day while Jet and I were watching toddler tales online and joined in with calling out what animals they saw and things like that- love those kids) and other activities.

Lucky made a puppet theatre from boxes and a blanket and used paper lunch sack puppets to entertain.

One library activity suggested drawing pictures or writing motivational messages with sidewalk chalk. Jr. Jr. was very motivational. "You can make it... across this driveway." Lucky drew a dragon and the words, "I love you." Nichole created a fountain with a water sprite coming out the top.

Jeremy built a balloon hot air balloon to go with the Orem Library's theme of "Around the World in 8 Weeks." There is so much emphasis on hot air balloons (that's how people are "traveling" around to the different areas) this year for the Summer Reading program. It's funny because Jules Verne never mentioned a hot air balloon in his book Around the World in Eighty Days. It was just in the movies but everyone associates a hot air balloon with that story. But this is "in 8 weeks" not the Jules Verne version so they can use whatever they want as transportation.

We got to do a digital escape room this year, where our hot air balloon crash landed on an uncharted island and we had to escape it.  It was said to have something for all ages and it did. It started with a video and a song that Jet loved dancing to. It had different levels of puzzles as well that we were all able to help with. It was fun to do it as a family and we did make it off the island.

We also played an online game with other patrons and librarians called "Beat the Librarians." It was a trivia game and the patrons did indeed beat the librarians.

I love how socially distance compatible the programs are this year. Jeremy always wears a face covering when he goes to the Orem Library as our designated library item picker upper (that and building that hot air balloon balloon). We're able to go plenty of places and do plenty things as a family and we do enough at home as well. I love my family and sharing Summer Reading fun with them.