The Blanch Herd: March 2021

It looks like February can be summed up like so: snow activities, school, books (and more books). And (spoiler alert!) we bought a piano! Hooray for February!

bonus video!

(right off the bat!)

"snow sliding with Charlie and friends"

2.1.21

(Erin built an epic snow castle with slide, but after the castle part got knocked down and the slide

froze into solid ice, it became a penguin hill and the kids had an absolute blast sliding down on their

bellies and running back up the hill. Best recess break ever!)

2.1.21

2.1.21
(after all that cold air, I couldn't wait to get home to my
delicious ham-bone bean and bacon soup for lunch.
I had this exact meal for days and I couldn't have been happier!)

2.1.21
(This is a must read, especially perfect for February which is Black History Month! I loved the structure of this book, written in monologues from the perspective of three children growing up from the 20s through the 60s in Mississippi as sharecroppers and trying to exercise their right to vote. Reminded me a lot of Stella By Starlight and Roll of Thunder that I read last summer - they’d be great read-alongs.)

2.2.21
(Just a random assortment of our faves this week. Maybe not all were home runs for everyone in the fam, but there’s something for everyone in this collection of new and classic, fiction and non.)

2.2.21
(I just love Sam’s library picks today: four NFL teams books, one paw patrol, and one about Malaysia. (Yes, he chose that one himself, since he’s recently become obsessed with finding out where his hot wheels cars were made and Malaysia is a popular spot for manufacture of his toy cars! He skimmed through it in the library while I was printing a few things and said: “it’s not what I thought it looked like!”) Serious proud mom and library lovin’ vibes going on over here today. 💗)

2.2.21
(our first family ride up the brand new
Nordic Express high speed 6 pack lift!)

2.2.21
(those are happy faces under the masks, I assure you)

2.2.21
(it was a gorgeous day for a run - we only took one -
during our mid-day lunch break ski outing)

2.2.21
(the views from the top were spectacular!)

2.2.21
(Cal was too speedy for me to even snap a pic - she was
always way ahead of me - but Sam was a champ, too,
snaking down the long, long, cat track from the top.)

2.2.21
(a little sparse coverage in some spots - it felt pretty
spring like, actually)

bonus video!

"lolly lolly lolly"

2.2.21

(that's the name of this run - ha!)

2.2.21

2.2.21
(if you look closely you can see the lift shack at the top
of the old Apollo lift (which we have to take to then
traverse over to this new terrain) just to the left of
the big pine trees in the middle. That's as high as we
had ever been before this new lift went in and now we're
way above it!)

2.3.21
(we had a unit about pioneer quilts in reading
that ended with Cal designing and sewing her own
patchwork quilt block. she has aspirations to make
an entire quilt, but we might need to start simpler
first (just for her mom's sake))

2.4.21
(this month's science unit is all about rocks - the first lesson
was about the layers of the earth so Cal made a model
on a paper plate. we were supposed to use sand and pebbles
in various layers, but since we're buried in snow, we substituted
glitter and beads ;)

2.4.21
(ta-da! Ask her sometime about the layers
of the earth)

2.4.21
(sourdough day! (It's the best day!))

2.4.21
(just read this one to the kids and it delighted my nerdy, chemistry-loving soul so much! The writing was sparkly and the illustrations were bright and fun, but his story was so interesting to me and the back matter (so many great photos!) was excellent! I learned so much, not the least of which (spoiler alert) he sort of invented the scientific method (as well as Purple!).)

2.4.21
(Another recommendation from Sam: “it’s funny that the tiger doesn’t like worms.” (If you’re quick, you can request a private reading of this one by Sam before we send it back to the library.))

2.4.21
(Callie suggests this one: “it’s funny and I really liked it, but you’ll have to read all the way to the end to find out the name (of Cilla’s baby sister).” (She insisted I read it, too, so I started it today and so far, it’s delightful.))

2.5.21
(another science lesson: inspecting her
rock sample kit)

2.5.21
(sent from my friend Erin, which was just
one of many instances this week when this
or similar verses popped up in unexpected places.
I think it was a message that I needed to sink in)

2.5.21
(making "why not? it's Friday!" cookies.
sometimes you just gotta make cookies. Cal's
big thing lately is adding cinnamon and we also
added butterscotch chips to this batch, which made them
ultra sweet!)

2.6.21
(puddles!)

2.6.21
(the monster trucks came out for a swim)

2.6.21

2.6.21
(we drove to Huntsville in search of a snow-free
place to take a walk and ended up at the cememtery
(which, incidentally, wasn't very snow-free), but
we did find our Anderson ancestors again - Cal
was the one who spotted the headstone)

2.6.21
(we also spotted this ginormous squashed snowman
as we drove down the road)

2.6.21
(Gregg needed to snag a few screws at the hardware store
and the kids wanted to check out the ice rink, so he dropped
us at the park while he ran his errands and we got our "skating'
in for the year)

2.6.21
(it was actually pretty slushy!)

2.6.21
(Sam discovered leaf-prints on the ice)

2.6.21

2.6.21
(trailer 2.0 building is coming along with full steam!)

2.6.21

2.7.21
(just documenting the amazing spiral
braid (after it popped out of a bun))

bonus videos!

"the foolish goose"

2.8.21

(to wrap up this unit in reading, it suggested having our student perform a dramatic reading

with stuffed animals for an audience (of Sam and me))

2.8.21
(This week’s random picture book faves. Check ‘em out and smile and learn and enjoy!)

2.8.21
(we needed some outside time so we headed
to the park and the kids entertained themselves
by smashing snow onto the slide and then sliding
down speedy quick)

2.8.21

2.8.21
(Finished this in two sittings. It was absolutely delightful (and hilarious!) and exactly what I needed. Her writing reminds me a lot of Ruth Reichl so if you liked Garlic and Sapphires or Save Me the Plums, definitely check this one out (and vice versa)!)

2.9.21
(just feeding old dry weeds to the horses next door)

2.9.21

2.10.21
(this was a BIG day - Cal's first activity days
activity, and in person to boot! They made valentines
and played a get-to-know you game since the leaders
are brand new, too)

2.10.21
(Heather requested I snap a pic of Cal's addition
to her weed book that Heather helped make
and had gifted to her a couple years ago. Cal had
noticed this weed in our county, but it wasn't represented
on the map, so she colored it in herself, and Heatha wanted
to show her weeds folks during a presentation she was
giving)

2.10.21
(same day, still BIG - it was my first activity (in person!)
with my YW group - we made posters to encourage and
thank the hospital workers whose morale has been dipping
in the last while)

2.10.21

2.10.21
(we also made valentine's bracelets)

2.11.21
(more science (school has been really photogenic
this month!) making edible igneous rock!)

2.11.21

2.11.21
(she was nice enough to share with the fam!)

2.11.21
(big accomplishment for this 7 and a half
year old! she finished an entire 1000 piece puzzle
all by herself!)

2.11.21
(This is the 2021 Newbery Medal winner, so of course I was going to read it, though I probably wouldn’t have picked it up otherwise. But I really enjoyed it! Her writing was beautiful - so vivid and full of metaphors, I thought it was really fun. And it was funny and down-to-earth at the same time. And the story was deep and sad and beautiful. I especially liked the peek into Korean culture and storytelling and I really loved her author’s note at the end.)

2.13.21
(Sam spent all of his money to buy this
new splitter track set for his cars and he
couldn't be happier)

2.14.21
(we participated in the Great Backyard
Bird Count this weekend and spotted a bird
that I couldn't identify, so after studying my
book for a while, I'm pretty sure it was this fellow)

2.15.21
(This was such an interesting memoir of an ER doctor telling about patients and what she learned from them, but also her view of how things are broken in society that leads to them becoming patients in the first place. She also weaves in her own background of an abusive father, divorce, et and how she is trying to heal herself from her past traumas. Wow. Really well done.)

2.16.21
(Sam came in to show me a giant tower of legos
he had constructed, "I think it's as tall as me!" and
then he promptly lay down on the floor to check)

2.16.21
(Heading to the library. Gotta share some goodies from our latest haul. As you can see, we quite enjoy these National Geographic early reader titles (about anything and everything). Also nonfiction in general is always in our library bags. Plus some poetry and a good old fashioned folk tale fave. Good mix!)

bonus videos!

"perseverance lego models"

2.16.21

(more lego creations, started by Sam and then Cal couldn't have him outshine her so she made one, too.

I'm just impressed with their creativity and at how much they paid attention to the latest Mark Rober video that explains everything about mars rovers - the anticipation for the landing was getting huge around here!)

2.17.21
(if you need some true stories about slaves escaping to freedom on the Underground Railroad, but you also love stories told in verse paired with lush paintings, I’ve got you covered with these two gems! Excellent reading anytime, but especially during Black History Month.)

2.17.21
(I was all loaded up for a library trip yesterday and then our car wouldn’t start (not the first time that has happened, let me tell you! Ha!). That gave us time to read a few more from our to be read pile before taking all these back.)

2.17.21
(It cracks me up when he camps out in his favorite section and reads all the books he picks out before he even checks them out.)

2.17.21
(more lego creativity - they have definitely become
lego maniacs . . . I wonder what she's getting
excited about?)

2.17.21
(Well this was quite the story, as you’d expect from Gary Paulsen. Only this time it was the story of his childhood, interestingly told from the third person (he referred to himself as “the boy” through the whole book - maybe that is why it is shelved in the fiction section instead of with memoirs?). I originally checked it out thinking Gregg would like it since he’s a huge fan of Hatchet and the Brian books, and I was right, and his reaction to it made me want to read it even more. So I did. We both couldn’t help thinking of Sam during the entire first half (or more) of the book, since Gary was 5 in the beginning of this story. Whoa! Puts things in perspective for sure!)

2.18.21
(look what arrived today!!)

2.18.21
(can't tell from that giant cardboard box?
it's our long-awaited piano that I made a goal
to actually purchase this year and we're all thrilled!)

2.18.21
(the overflowing packing situation after all is assembled)

2.18.21

2.18.21
(it's light, small, never needs to be tuned, sounds and
feels like a real piano, has headphones - checks all my boxes!!)

2.18.21

2.18.21
(skiin' with Sammy)

2.20.21
(she's upping her game on week 2 of the
pancake challenge - shaped pancakes!)

2.20.21
(delicious and artistic!)

2.20.21
(we enjoyed the Friend to Friend event)

2.20.21
(the kids were so excited to see the Art for Kids
Hub folks doing a drawing segment)

2.20.21
(here's Sam's praying child)

2.20.21
(and Cal's)

2.20.21
(and it was fun to text my family during
the broadcast and see their drawings, too.
Here's Heather's)

2.20.21
(and Grace's)

2.20.21
(and Bradley's)

2.20.21
(and Evy's)

2.20.21
(Whoa. This is an epic true tale that I don’t think I could have finished if I didn’t know that “all thirteen” survived the ordeal. You couldn’t have written a fiction story that was more suspenseful and high stakes than this! Absolutely incredible. I was not expecting such a physically large book when I first heard about this one, and it’s format was much like a textbook. But it actually worked, and all the side bars were full of helpful maps and info about Thailand and the culture and the geology and such. It’s also filled with large full-color photos, which was a nice touch. Absolutely worthy of its newbery honor won this January (and bonus fact, the author won a second newbery honor this year for a juvenile fantasy story! Never heard of two medals in the same year for completely different genres! I’m totally impressed!) It was interesting to read this survival rescue story after reading the newest Gary Paulsen. Both in a row really filled up my adrenaline quota for a while. I think it’s time for some light fiction or a food memoir or something. ;))

2.22.21
(I knew exactly nothing about this book besides that it was illustrated by Jon Klassen (a fave!) when I added it to my holds list after seeing it on a book blog somewhere. I started reading it on my own, but after the first chapter where I learned that Badger is a rock scientist and has a rock tumbler I knew I had to start over and read it aloud to the kids. Callie got a rock tumbler for Christmas and we have been studying rocks in our latest science unit in school (as you have seen from all the pics above). It was meant to be! The book is full of random tidbits that don’t seem like they’d fit together in a story (skunk, badger, rocks, chickens, ukulele, a brownstone, cooking), but they do and it’s clever and funny and touching! We loved it and think you will too!)

2.22.21
(These were cute. Lots of fox (plus ox) stories this week!)

2.22.21
(new week, same kid, same spot)

2.22.21
(I wish it was socially acceptible for me
to sprawl out and browse books like this!)

2.22.21
(her favorite section is the arts and crafts
books)

2.22.21
(This darling and hilarious little beginner graphic novel was one I forgot to snap a pic of a few weeks ago when we read it, so when I saw it on the shelf today I pulled it out for a photo op so I could share.)

2.23.21
(Just the ticket after some heavier, more intense survival stories recently. She reminds me of Ruth Reichl and Laurie Colwin (and actually writes about both of them in her essays). And yes, this is “comfort food” writing, but it still has some depth as she tells stories of her family and deaths of loved ones and divorce and disappointment.)

2.24.21
(back on the express! this time we pounded out three runs
before our legs got too tired!))

2.24.21
(Cal had poles this time, too, which was a big
help on the slower stretches! and we've got more snow
since our last visit! Perfect day on the slopes!)

2.26.21
(Heart bursting mom moment this morning finding both kids snuggled on the heat vent with Sam reading aloud to Cal.)

2.26.21
(one last rocks unit science project - this was a geological
plot that I set up by putting potting soil in a pan and creating a grid with
yarn and then burying a few of her rock samples in various squares.
She used a paintbrush to uncover and identify the hidden rocks
and then marked them on her plot map.)

2.26.21
(then when she had everything mapped, we covered it all back up
and she was able to quickly find any rock I asked her to since she
had an accurate key to reference)

2.26.21
(oh, you know, just polishing off the last
slice of apple pie straight from the pan)

2.28.21
(I ordered a beginning piano lesson book
after we got our piano and it arrived on Saturday.
both kids begged to have a lesson, so I gave one
to each of them Saturday evening. I was thrilled to find
Cal Sunday morning practicing her stepping up and down
on black notes all on her own!)

2.28.21
(they were just too cute before church
so I made them pose for some Sunday smiles)

2.28.21

2.28.21
(just tell me that doesn't make you smile, too!)

Every other round up here (whew!):
2021: Jan

2020: Dec | Nov | Sep | Aug | July | June | May | Apr | Mar Quar + Mar | Feb | Jan
2019: Dec | Nov | Oct | Sep | Aug | July | June | May | Apr | Mar | Feb | Jan
2018: Dec | Nov | Oct | Sept | Aug | July | June | May | Apr | Mar | Feb | Jan
2017: Dec | Nov | Oct | Sept | Aug | July | June | May | Apr | Mar | Feb | Jan

2016: Dec | Nov | Oct | Sept | Aug | July | June | May | Apr | Mar | Feb | Jan

2015: Dec | Nov | Oct | Sept | Aug | July | June | May | Apr | Mar | Feb | Jan

2014: Dec | Nov | Oct | Sept | Aug | July | June | May | Apr | Mar | Feb | Jan

2013: Dec | Nov | Oct | Sept | Aug | July | June

The Blanch Herd

Sunday, March 21, 2021

A Marvelous Birthday

Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Photos from Phones - February 2021 Round Up