100 years old

The amusement park that I have lived the closest to for the past 30 years is Knoebels. It's a unique amusement park in that they don't charge for parking (it costs $35 to park at HersheyPark), and they also don't charge for admission. The only other amusement park I've been to like that is Delgrosso's, and I've been to a lot of amusement parks. Knoebels opened on July 4, 1926, so the park is celebrating 100 years this summer. The carousel (still in operation today) was built in 1923. Some of the rides were purchased from West View Park, which had been owned by my dad's grandmother. The park has been owned and operated by the same family since the day it opened. I think that's impressive, especially considering the park had to weather things like the Great Depression. When the kids were younger, we used to go to Knoebels multiple times a year; we've been taking them there since 2010. 

Lately we've only been going on WVIA Day, which is usually the first weekend of May. We used to use all six free handstamps for family members (Paul's parents, niece, or nephew would be the ones to use any extras that we had). The last several years we've been letting the kids invite some friends to join them. Typically, they'd invite two friends, but last year I brought six kids to Knoebels. If the weather forecast looks good, then we also bring Milo. Many people bring their dogs with them to Knoebels. That's another way this park is different from most amusement parks. Once we realized that we'd have three nephews and one niece with us, we paid for another WVIA membership so that we'd have 10 wristbands for Knoebels and 6 lift tickets/ski rentals for Elk Mountain next January (compared to 6 wristbands and 4 ski packages that we've had for many years). Since the cousins that Nadia usually hangs out with were going to be in Ohio for Andrew's graduation, I encouraged her to invite 1-3 friends. She only invited Faith. If I had to do it over again, I'd have offered two wristbands to any of our friends if they had just met us there at the park. Usually, Paul and I would ride some rides, but because I was busy taking pictures and we had Milo and the kids no longer ride many of the rides we used to ride with them, Paul and I didn't end up riding a single ride. It was chillier than normal, which meant no one wanted to ride either of the two rides that involve water. However, there wasn't any rain in the forecast, which meant there were more people at the park on WVIA Day than there had been the last few years. The lines weren't ridiculous, but they were definitely longer. About ten rides weren't running, which also didn't help with the lines. Thankfully, all of the rollercoasters were running. The kids rode three of them multiple times - Twister, Impulse, and Phoenix. That morning we went to the first service at church, came home to change clothes, get Milo, and make sandwiches for lunch, and then we drove to Knoebels. We arrived a little after the park opened at noon. In the afternoon we bought a snack or a drink for anyone who wanted one, and shortly before the park closed at 6:00 we bought three large pizzas for the ten us of us to share. While we were at the park Yvonne and her family were driving back from Ohio. They arrived after 10pm. Jenna and Toby drove back home that night as they only live 90 minutes from us. Nine of the Towfighis left our home the next morning. 

The last time I wrote a gratitude list was April 15. Here are some things I've been thankful for over the last few weeks:

1. I love being outside in the spring. I enjoy seeing more birds, flowers, blossoms, green grass, etc. 

2. We got the piano tuned on April 20. Last year he replaced some strings, and those strings didn't stay in tune for long. I enjoy listening to Ian play the piano more now that it's all back in tune. Ian is currently practicing Flight of the Bumblebee, Rhapsody in Blue (Gershwin), and Toccata and Fugue in D Minor (Bach).

3. To celebrate my 54th birthday I had lunch with Cheri at Panera, breakfast with Tab at Dolly's Diner, and got some ice cream for the family from Old Mill Creamery. 

4. Ian was offered two jobs for the summer. He accepted the offer from Joyful Petcare and will start his training on May 28. 

5. Despite Ian being whacked in the face at the first performance and Nadia's face being burned by a curling iron the night of the second performance, all went well with the three performances of The Little Mermaid. Ian was hysterical as Chef Louis, and Nadia did a great job getting into her part as the sarcastic Mersister, Aquata. Eight Towfighis joined me in attending the first performance. Cheri joined Paul and I on Friday night. Paul's dad, Jenna, and Toby joined us on Saturday afternoon. The kids received various treats in their bags at each performance (candy, flowers, etc.). 

6. There was a brief break in the rain on April 25 which enabled me to take pictures of seven kids who went to the prom together. I was very thankful that Ian decided to go this year since it was Nadia's last prom. Ian borrowed Paul's shoes and dress shirt. I need to buy Ian a long sleeve white dress shirt as Paul's was too big for him around the neck. He wore his own black pants along with the green vest, tie, and suit jacket that he wore in the Wizard of Oz last year. They just barely fit him, but it was nice to be able to use them one more time. 

7. The boys and Paul enjoyed seeing the Super Mario Galaxy movie on April 26 while Nadia was at work. They ate my free birthday popcorn during the movie.

8. Seven of us enjoyed seeing Joshua at Sight and Sound on April 28, which was my 50th spiritual birthday. We also enjoyed lunch at Olive Garden including a free birthday dessert for me (black tie mousse cake).

9. Andrew has graduated from Cedarville, moved into his first apartment (in Ohio), and has started his first FT job. He's planning to stay in Ohio for about 18 months until his girlfriend graduates from college. My kids have never attended a graduation before. They were quite shocked at how boring these ceremonies are (I showed them part of the livestream so they could watch Andrew when he was on stage), and Ian was surprised to find out that Andrew is his middle name, ha ha! We enjoyed having four of his younger siblings with us for a few days. We spent time at the playground on Friday and Saturday and at Knoebels on Sunday. 

10. Yesterday I went for a walk with Ian's piano teacher for about 75 minutes. I always appreciate getting some exercise, but I also enjoy being able to talk with a friend, especially one I don't get to talk to at length very often. Similarly, I'm meeting another friend at Panera today. I see her even more infrequently. There are many weeks that the only people I talk to are those who live in my house (aside from pleasant greetings at the grocery store or church), so I always appreciate opportunities for lengthier conversations with my sisters and female friends. 

11. Ian's college classes came to an end on April 30. Despite a few missteps on his part (ex. not realizing an assignment was due by 11:59 pm and trying to submit it after midnight, forgetting to take a picture when we entered Sight and Sound for his humanities assignment, etc.), he earned an A in Humanities and a B+ in Old Testament this semester, which puts his cumulative GPA at Cedarville University at 3.675 (he's earned 12 credits total so far). Today I registered Ian for his fall classes at Cedarville - Introduction to Programming with C++ and a Physical Activity course (5 credits total). Next year I want him to begin taking some CLEP tests in addition to the dual enrollment classes.  

12. Nadia and Oliver are done for the school year. Nadia's Introduction to Research class doesn't technically end until May 15, but she submitted the final assignments and took her last test early due to our trip to Europe. Ian will hopefully finish English (King Lear) and Physics by May 8. He has the incentive of spending time with a friend on Saturday if he accomplishes those goals. He'll have until the end of June to finish Precalculus (he's currently finished 3/4 of the class through ASU). Normally I'm excited about the end of a school year although I know by August, I'll be itching to start the new year, but this year it's bittersweet since it means Nadia has graduated from high school. I look forward to seeing her soar at Liberty next year. 

13. I'm thankful that Aer Lingus was willing to change our flight to Manchester since they cancelled our flight to Liverpool and that it wasn't hard to change our rental car reservation. I'm also hoping the War in Iran is truly over because there was a significant risk of the airlines in Europe not having fuel by the time we'd be trying to fly home from Dublin on May 26. I wasn't in favor of the war from the start so naturally I've been praying for it to end ASAP. I think our country's track record after WWII has been pretty much a total disaster when it comes to our involvement in wars (Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, etc.), which is why I wasn't at all keen on the idea of starting a war with Iran. Sadly, I'm not sure anything good came out of it, but I'm grateful it's hopefully over. I had hoped that Trump wouldn't start any wars just like he didn't during his first term, but unfortunately, that hasn't been the case this time around. Thankfully, I know the Lord is ultimately in control, which is very reassuring when I'm not liking the actions/words of our current President. 

14. I recently read a book that I really, really, really enjoyed called Theo of Golden. I hope Allen Levi writes more books in the future!

15. I've been elected to the school board at Meadowbrook Christian School. Praying that I can be a blessing to them over the next few years. I'm also hoping to begin leading a small group on Isaiah on Wednesday nights starting in September. So far three other couples (in addition to Paul and I) have said they'll join the group. Praying we get a few more people to join us between now and then. Another woman requested we do an OT prophecy book (because we're in the NT in Sunday School), and Paul asked for Isaiah in particular. I'm grateful for opportunities to serve. 

Almost done

Our school year is very close to being done. Oliver only needs to finish his final vocabulary lesson, and he'll be done with seventh grade. He finished physical science and math today. Yesterday we finished economics, which was a subject all three kids were doing together although only Ian and Nadia were taking the quizzes and tests. If I could go back in time, I would have bought the curriculum from Notgrass instead of Boundary Stone. Nadia finished 12th grade English last week, and she gave up on physics months ago. She isn't sure if she's going to attempt to pass the College Algebra CLEP test this summer. The kids will have two more art classes at MCS next week. Aside from those art classes, all Nadia really has left is to finish her Introduction to Research class. She wrote her final paper on quantitative research. She just has to complete a presentation and take the final exam. The course officially ends on May 15, but she's planning to complete it by May 8 since we're leaving for Europe on May 10. I will submit the paperwork for her to receive a Commonwealth Secondary School Diploma from the Department of Education in June. She has to be at least eighteen years old before we can submit the college transcripts for her HS diploma. Ian needs to finish reading King Lear by May 8, take one test and one semester exam in physics by May 8, and finish precalculus by June 30. He finished his Humanities course through Cedarville today. I want Oliver to keep reading every day. All three need to keep studying 1 and 2 Corinthians. Ian will keep practicing the piano every day. We'll keep watching World Watch News every day (M-F). Nadia needs to take her technology assessment for Liberty. I've already finished her high school transcript. Her cumulative unweighted GPA is 3.85. Speaking of "lasts," last night was Nadia's last night of going to youth group on a Wednesday night. She will be able to attend Bible quizzing practice on a Wednesday night three more times between now and the national competition in New York that starts on her birthday in June.

 On Tuesday seven of us traveled to Lancaster to see Sight & Sound's production of Joshua. Their special effects have come a long way over the last 14 years. I can't recall the first time I saw one of their productions, but it was definitely in the late 90's. The first time we went as a family was to see Jonah in 2012 to celebrate Nadia's fourth birthday. When Nadia was three, Jonah was definitely her favorite Bible story. I was pregnant with Oliver. Thankfully, the doctor allowed me to be discharged from the hospital and attend the show as long as I went by wheelchair. We've taken out kids there thirteen times altogether, but they've seen the same production twice (Noah in 2013 and 2025 and Moses in 2014 and 2023) so they've seen eleven shows there so far. Today they announced that next year they'll be doing Jonah again. Since I was pregnant with Oliver, Ian was 2.5 years old, and Nadia had just turned 4 when we saw Jonah in 2012, we're planning on seeing the show again next year. We'll make sure to go at a time of year when Nadia can join us. After the show, we all had a meal at Olive Garden. It turns out Paul's dad had never been to an Olive Garden before. I was pleasantly surprised that our bill (before tip) was less than $90 for seven people especially considering we purchased two additional take home meals (for Paul's dad and for Nadia) and they gave me a free dessert (black tie mousse cake) because we were there for my birthday. I figured it was close enough to my birthday (7 days later). We were too busy last week to go out to celebrate my birthday, and Tuesday was actually my 50th spiritual birthday. Ian and Oliver ordered from the kids' menu, and Cheri and I both got the soup, salad, and breadsticks option (which is cheaper than an entree), but still to spend only a little over $100 including the tip for a sit-down restaurant for 7 people (especially considering we also bought two chilled entrees). Nadia has eaten her leftovers and take-home entree the past two days, and she hasn't finished it yet. 

I've been working on next year's lesson plans and objectives. Sometime in May I need to go to the school district to get Ian's work permit, and I'm hoping to submit next year's objectives and unsworn declaration as well as the evaluations from our supervisor at the same time (if I have received them). Next year I'm planning on having both Ian and Oliver study biology and geography. It feels so strange not to be doing any lesson planning for Nadia.

I'm also almost done planning our vacation, which is good because we leave in ten days. My heart got a workout this morning after I read an email saying that our flight from Dublin to Liverpool had been cancelled. They had rescheduled us for a flight eight hours earlier in the day, which would basically mean we'd miss doing most of the activities we had planned to do in Dublin on May 11. The flight they switched us to is currently the only flight that day from Dublin to Liverpool on any airline. Thankfully, I came up with another solution. I called Aer Lingus, and they switched our flight to one that was leaving at the time I had originally chosen but is going to Manchester instead. I was able to change our rental car reservation so that we could pick it up in Manchester instead of Liverpool without any difficulty because I had booked it through credit card points. I looked into switching our first night of lodging from Liverpool to Manchester, but the reservation I had made using Alaskan Airlines miles was nonrefundable. So, we'll have a little more time on the road in the evening on May 11 (driving from the airport in Manchester to our apartment in Liverpool), but other than that the flight cancellation hasn't interfered with our plans. I'm hoping the rest of our flights will take place as scheduled. The kids are happy because I ended up booking a vehicle that is larger than the one that I had booked in November. 

What a week!

Last week was show week! Our kids played on a variety of athletic teams when they were younger, but that hasn't happened for a little over six years. Ian has piano recitals, but otherwise the big weeks for our kids are Bible quizzing nationals in June and show week for the musical.  On April 12 all five of us helped in the afternoon with moving the set into the auditorium. The kids had rehearsals every day from April 13-18 (some went until 10pm and one was over 7 hours long) as it was tech week. They got one day off (April 19) and then had dress rehearsals April 20-22. Theater kids from the local public school came to attend the dress rehearsal on April 22. I also attended that one because parents are allowed to take photos that night, which isn't possible during the actual performances. The theater director from that public high school told Ian that he had never seen a better performance of Chef Louis. 

The performances took place in the evening on April 23 and 24 and in the afternoon on April 25. Nine members of Yvonne's family came up in the evening on April 22 so that they could spend the day with us on April 23 and see the show that night. They left to return home in the morning on Friday. Paul stayed home to babysit Brendan when they attended the performance. Cheri joined Paul and I at the performance on Friday night. Toby, Jenna, and Paul's dad joined us on Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately, Grimsby whacked Ian in the face with his walking stick during the performance on Thursday night. Despite the fact that he was bleeding, Ian kept singing, running, and acting until his song was done. Once he was off-stage, a doctor who was in the audience looked at Ian (said he needed stitches). After he was bandaged up, Ian asked if he could return onstage for the finale. He slept in a recliner on Thursday night to help reduce the swelling in his chin. I bought him wax for his braces as the inside of his lip was also ripped up. On Friday his chin was rather swollen, but Ibuprofen and ice packs helped to bring the swelling down. Ian said he'd rather have a scar than stitches, so we didn't take him to a doctor. Honestly, I'm not sure they would have actually used stitches. His chin is still a little swollen, and as I write this, he has an ice pack on his lip, but it didn't stop him from participating in anything the last few days. He received a LOT of very positive feedback for his performance. He's already excited about being in Newsies next year, and I'm grateful that those performances will be taking place in March during Nadia's spring break at Liberty University, which means she will be able to see him perform! I'm not sure if Oliver will work backstage, be on stage again, or not participate at all in Newsies. Time will tell. The boys have decided to join the school's chess club that meets on Thursdays from 3-4pm.

Ian and Nadia also attended the homeschool prom last night. It was Nadia's second time attending a prom, and it was also her last since she's a senior. It was Ian's first time attending a prom. I think Oliver will be our only child who will likely attend the prom four years in a row. He would have gone this year if he was old enough to participate. Due to rushing to get ready after the Little Mermaid matinee performance, the photo shoot was more rushed this year. We were very grateful we could do it outside because it rained most of the day. The kids got ready at the Seibert's house, and Dave drove the seven kids to and from the prom. Originally, we thought we'd have nine kids going together this year, but one girl decided to join other homeschoolers, and Joey ended up not going to the prom. The five girls who went together this year also went together last year. Nathaniel and Ian were the only boys from our group. Last year the only boys were Isaiah and Nathaniel. Isaiah graduated from high school last year. Nadia said the kids danced a lot more than they did last year. Ian said he won't go to the prom next year, but he will go his senior year because Oliver will be able to go that year. 

Ian had his second job interview last week. He had an interview on February 3 with Camp Susque, and they did offer him a job as SIT this summer, but he turned that down because he decided he'd rather work at Joyful Petcare. He had an interview with Joy (Nadia's boss) on Tuesday morning. I need to get his work permit from the public school because he will be starting his first job (kennel assistant) on May 28. 

Finally, I turned 54 years old on Tuesday. Cheri took me to lunch at Panera on Tuesday, and Tab took me out for breakfast on Wednesday. Wendy gave me two foldable foam mattresses which the Towfighis used last week and will use when they visit us again this week. Yvonne gave me some money towards a new winter coat. She knows I haven't been a fan of my ski coat, which my mom got me in the late 1980's. Most of those decades I only wore it when I went skiing, so I didn't really care if I wasn't fond of it. However, I've been wearing it far more often over the last five years when I walk for a few miles in the winter. I've found the coat to be hideous for about 40 years, so Yvonne decided it was time for me to have a coat I don't dislike. Greatly appreciated! Paul's gift was another recliner for our family room. Ian had been using mine (the one I bought in 1994) instead of the beanbag I got him, so I had been sitting on the couch, and I greatly prefer my recliner. The beanbag was relocated to Oliver's room, and Ian can now use the new recliner, which means I get my old recliner back again. Paul had offered to take me out to dinner, but due to our crazy schedule last week, I opted to buy 1.5 gallons of ice cream from Old Mill Creamery, which we hadn't had in over a year. The kids and I all love their peanut butter Oreo ice cream. It's more expensive than what we usually buy, but it was a delicious birthday treat! 

The last eight months I have taken very few pictures (aside from at Jenna's wedding where I made up for lost time), but I took almost 100 pictures on Wednesday night at the dress rehearsal and took about 70 pictures during the prom photo shoot on Saturday night, so I have no lack of pictures to choose between for this post! Our vacation is around the corner, so my camera won't be gathering any dust in May. Bit by bit I've continued to finalize the plans for our vacations. Last week I found out that we won't be able to visit the Parliament while we are in London. So far there have been four things that have been scratched from the UK trip. I added the Tower Bridge into the schedule once I realized we can't visit the Parliament. Paul and I did the Tower Bridge in 2002, but it will be a first experience for our kids, and we were already going to do the Tower of London that day. 

This week won't be as crazy of a week as last week was, but it's still a week filled with some special activities. Paul and the boys finally went to AMC to see the new Mario movie (that outing had been rescheduled multiple times), and since it is my birthday month, they enjoyed a free large popcorn. Tuesday we're heading to Lancaster to see Joshua at Sight and Sound. The Towfighis will be coming back on Thursday night. Some of them are then heading to Ohio on Friday morning, and four of the kids will be staying with us for a few days including a trip to Knoebels with us on Sunday. 

Skiing with friends

Ian did this during art class at our co-op (Nathan, Joel, Toby, and Andrew playing poker)

From 2021 to 2024 the kids only went skiing once per year because WVIA stopped offering free passes to Ski Sawmill. Last year I discovered that Montage Mountain has a good deal ($45 per person for lift ticket plus rentals) if you arrive before 4:00 pm Monday-Wednesday. Nathaniel had skied with the kids at Elk Mountain in January 2025 and loved it, so he also joined us at Montage last year. Abby skied with the kids last month at Elk Mountain. She also loved it so today I took six kids skiing - my three plus Nathaniel, Abby, and her brother, Joey. It just so happened that the day I chose for this outing is also Nathaniel's sixteenth birthday, so I asked him to choose where we stopped for dinner after skiing. He picked Chick-fil-A. Overall things went well. It was the first time Joey went skiing, and he said he definitely wants to do it again. Abby only fell one time the whole day, but the one time she fell she bruised her left arm near her elbow, so she stopped skiing a couple of hours before we left. Nathaniel forgot to bring a coat, but I was able to loan him my coat as I was in the lodge much of the time. Nadia forgot her ski goggles, and the snow from the snow machines was irritating her eyes so I bought her a pair of sunglasses at the shop. The kids played a card game in the van on the way there, and they mostly slept in the van on the way home. Some kids played a little bit of Skyjo in the afternoon in the lodge. 

My last gratitude post was on January 25. Here are some things I've been thankful for over the last month.

1. Ian had his piano recital on February 1. His teacher had two recitals that day. She asked Ian and Josh to play in both recitals. Paul's dad came up for the recital, which we appreciated. Now that Ian is done with the Rachmaninoff, he's working on a beautiful piece by Bach. He also played the keyboard for the youth worship on February 11. 

2. On February 3, Nadia and I both got a haircut, and Nadia also got a manicure in preparation for Jenna's wedding. Given she will not be living at home many more month, I want to seize the opportunity for making memories together while we have the opportunity. 

Homeschoolers are being included in the MCS yearbook this year. Here's Ian's photo.

3. All has gone smoothly over the last almost seven weeks with Nadia driving our new car. I'm enjoying a temporary reduction in the amount of chauffeuring as she takes herself to and from work and takes she and her brothers to and from art classes, youth group/Bible quizzing, and musical rehearsals.  

4. I had been praying for months that I would get some good pictures at Jenna's wedding. I wanted to get some photos that they could treasure for years to come. The Lord answered those prayers! Her brother, Andrew, has already asked if I will be his wedding photographer (if his future bride agrees). Thankfully, he's not planning to have a winter wedding, lol! 

5. Oliver and Nadia enjoyed ice skating to celebrate Abby's 17th birthday on February 8. Ian was behind in physics, so he had to take a test while they were ice skating. Our kids plus Faith and Xandir spent some time at the Seiberts house in between the ice skating and the youth group Super Bowl party. I made deviled eggs for the party.

6. Ian and Paul attended a Williamsport Symphony Orchestra concert on February 10 so that he could complete one of his assignments for his Humanities class through Cedarville this semester. He particularly enjoyed Gershwin's piano concerto. 

7. On February 12 Ian had his first chance to sing his Le Poisson solo at the musical rehearsal. He did an amazing job. He received positive feedback from other students and the directors that day and when he sang it at another rehearsal on February 21. For example, Lydia told me it gave her goosebumps. I can't wait to see the performances! 

8. On the rare occasion that Nadia isn't at a musical rehearsal, one of the directors (who lives in our town) has been giving a ride home to one or both boys at the end of the rehearsal, which is greatly appreciated! 

9. Nadia was able to babysit the youth pastor's kids on Valentine's Day so that he and his wife could go out for a date. 

10. We haven't had Peacock for a while, but I paid for one month so we could watch the Winter Olympics. That was a well spent $11. Nadia has enjoyed watching many hours of figure skating. Paul and I really enjoyed watching the replay of the gold medal men's hockey game. 

11. We've attended our current church for 12 years, but up until this year Nadia and I never attended any of the mother/daughter events. Usually, we had a schedule conflict. This year I thought we had another schedule conflict as Nadia planned to work at Camp Susque last weekend, but they didn't need her to work so we signed for a painting pottery event that took place on Saturday afternoon. Most of the events over the years were held in May (near Mother's Day), and that is often when we have gone on a vacation. I never would have guessed that I would have to wait until I was almost 54 years old to attend my first mother/daughter event as a mom. I'm glad that Abby and her mom encouraged us to attend this event with them.

One of the kids in the photography class (co-op) took this photo

12. Oliver came down with a stomach bug on February 14. Ian came down with it on February 17, and Nadia followed suit on February 18. Ian and I were the only ones to attend church on February 15, and all of us stayed home on February 18. Paul and I didn't get sick, but Pastor Eric cancelled our small group that night as he was away. I'm thankful that Paul and I dodged the illness and that all three kids are as my mom used to say "back to the land of the living." They didn't go to art class on February 19, and Oliver was the only one who attended the musical rehearsal that night, but Nadia worked a shift on February 20 and went out for coffee and Bible study with her friend, Maddie. 

13. Last November I decided to pay for one year of Walmart+. Paramount Plus didn't have a Black Friday special like they usually do, and you get a free year of that (or Peacock) with Walmart+. I joined when there was a 50% discount on Walmart+ so I paid only a little more than I usually have paid for a year of Paramount Plus. I have to say I love having Walmart+. I have only used it for delivery service (groceries) twice because you need to tip the driver, but I did the math, and between the two orders I paid only about $1 more towards the tip than I would have paid for gas for two roundtrips to Walmart. If you order items that are considered "shipping" they still typically deliver it the same day you order it, but there isn't any tipping involved even if you just have a small order. For example, one time recently I ordered the generic version of Imodium, and the total was less than $4, and they delivered it that same day without charging for shipping/delivery. I also discovered they come to your house to pick up returns at no charge! I ordered a pair of sneakers for less than $11 after I discovered the shoe I had been wearing was making one spot on my foot bleed. I ordered size 8.5. They were too small. They picked up the size 8.5 and brought me a pair of size 9 without any extra charges. I think they could improve the efficiency of their system though as they sent two different people to my house the same day (one to pick up the return and a different person to bring the other size - why waste the time and gas to do that?!?). Anyhow, I'm definitely a fan. We shall see if I like it enough to pay full price if I can't renew it at the 50% off price in November. We don't have Amazon Prime right now, but honestly if I had to pick between the two, I'd choose Walmart+ although I'm sure we'll pay for one month of Amazon Prime after they release the next season of The Chosen.

14. I routinely take pictures of every receipt for several apps, and we also use the Upside app when possible when getting gas. Periodically I redeem the points I've earned in each of those eight apps for cash or gift cards. Last week I received about $325 back from those apps - some as PayPal payments that I then transferred to our bank account and others as Walmart, Amazon, Red Robin, Panera Bread, and Domino's Pizza gift cards. 

15. Cooper has been at our house since February 18, and he's going to be with us for 25 days. So far, it has been going fairly smoothly. 

16. Although I wasn't able to get tickets for the optimal day (even though I was clicking right at 5:00 AM when they became available), I am very grateful that I did get five tickets for us to tour Big Ben another day in May before they were all sold out. 

17. Nadia's math score on the SAT wasn't high enough for her to be able to take a statistics course in the fall that is required for her major, but thankfully, her score on the university's math assessment was high enough for her to be able to register for that class. Their math assessment cannot be used to qualify for taking calculus, which she's also required to take. She has completed part of a college algebra course through ASU (only costs $25) and also has been taking a free College Algebra CLEP test prep course. At this point she's planning to take the CLEP test as the completion of College Algebra is another way to be given permission to take Calculus. She doesn't need to take their English assessment because she already passed English Composition through GCU. The only other assessment she still needs to take is a technology assessment. 

18. Although we haven’t done so every single week, most of the time Ian has been helping me make dinner once a week. Nadia continues to bake on a regular basis. 

Giving Thanks

 

1. Paul and I enjoyed our Intermediate East Coast Swing class. We made it to 7 of the 8 classes.

2. All of us (except Nadia) attended a performance of Arsenic and Old Lace at a church in our town. None of us had seen that play before.

3. Nadia has completed two courses so far this semester through Liberty University. She earned an A in her theology class, and she currently has an A in her Developmental Psychology class. She had an A in her astronomy course, but she accidentally didn't complete one of the quizzes due the final week of that class, and that zero brought her grade in the course down to a B. Ian's Bible and the Gospel class came to an end through Cedarville University on November 21. He earned an A- in that course. His speech class doesn't end until December 11. I will say that the courses Ian has taken through Cedarville are MUCH more challenging than the ones Nadia has taken through Grand Canyon and Liberty. 

4. I've been able to play hymns on the piano at our church in between the first and second services and after the second service in the foyer three of the last five Sundays. I also enjoyed teaching our Sunday School class on November 9. Paul and I enjoyed packing shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child at our church on November 15.

5. Unfortunately, Nadia was in a car accident on November 7 on her way to Camp Susque. She had only had her driver's license for six weeks. Thankfully, she wasn't injured, and she didn't hit any other vehicles. She was driving Paul's Mazda 3, which is a very low riding vehicle, and she ended up in some mud and tall grass. She had no cell service. We feel the Lord did a miracle in that #1 the vehicle wasn't stuck in the mud and #2 that she was able to drive another 10-15 minutes despite the fact the radiator fluid was draining out. Paul worked on the vehicle on November 14 (removing the bumper that was barely hanging on, etc.), but after he discovered the condition of the radiator, he knew we couldn't drive it home. We are supposed to be receiving $800 for it from a salvage company; they retrieved the car from Camp Susque for us on November 17. We opted to take the loss of the vehicle without reporting it to our insurance so that our rates wouldn't skyrocket. Nadia has been saving up money, and we're planning on going in with her to purchase a vehicle in January that she and Ian can use. We don't allow her to drive our minivan so for now I've gone back to being the chauffeur. Cars are replaceable (even if that doesn't happen immediately), but daughters are irreplaceable!

6. Nadia has been working at Camp Susque most weekends. The weekend of November 14-16 all three kids attended a retreat there with our church's youth group. Nadia has earned the nickname of the "dish fairy" because she often does the dishes in the morning at 6:00 am so the dishes are done before the others show up in the morning. Even the weekend she was there on a retreat she (without earning any money) went into the kitchen bright and early and did the dishes and helped prepare breakfast. I'm very proud of her and glad all three kids had a good weekend there with friends. 

7. Paul and I attended our first Classics social. We played games for about three hours. Paul had an easier time guessing the name the pastor had put on his back (Shakespeare). I had a much harder time coming up with Roy Rogers. Another man at our table had a very challenging one - solar eclipse! We introduced another couple to the game Quirkle.

8. Twenty-one months ago, we purchased 1/4 of a grass-fed cow from someone in our church. We finished that beef recently and this month bought another 1/4 of a cow from him. It's definitely more affordable than buying beef at the grocery store, especially considering how lean it is. 

9. The kids were able to audition to be in Little Mermaid at the Christian school. Nadia will be Aquata (one of Ariel's sisters) and also a princess, Ian will be Chef Louis, and Oliver will be in the ensemble. Ian was really hoping to be Sebastian, but we think he'll also have fun being Chef Louis. Their friend, Lydia, (who is also in our co-op and was Tinkerbell in Peter Pan) did get the part she auditioned for - Scuttle, and we were very happy to hear that. One of Nadia's closest friends, Leila, will also be a mersister, and that is also a blessing. 

10. Our performance of Peter Pan went well on November 21. Nadia was Wendy, Ian was Captain Hook, and Oliver was Nana (the dog) and the crocodile. A little over 40 people came to watch the show so there were about 60 of us eating dinner together afterward. After the play was done the kids surprised me with flowers, a card, gifts cards to Red Robin and Panera, and one of the girls gave a little speech about how much she appreciates being in the co-op. It was very sweet and unexpected. The flowers are very pretty! We had a dress rehearsal at 4:30 and let the guests come in at 5:20 for the performance. Thankfully the performance went far more smoothly than the dress rehearsal. Ironically, when I was a child, I directed a performance of Peter Pan that my sisters and some of our neighbors put on for our parents. In that instance we wrote the script ourselves and had far fewer people in the cast. I didn't write the script we used this time, and we had eighteen kids in the play. Ben was the only student from our co-op who didn't participate in the play. He went and picked up the pizzas from Domino's during the performance.

11. Nadia had been driving herself and her brothers to art class twice a week, but I've been driving them since her accident. Last Monday I was able to sit and talk with a friend (another homeschool mom) during the art class, which was a treat! 

12. We began another week of dog sitting last Friday. Thankfully, Cooper is doing MUCH better than he was the last time he was with us. Also, Milo has been sleeping in a crate in Oliver's bedroom for several days. I really, really appreciate not having a dog in my bed at night. PTL!

Driver's License!

Nadia got her first learner's permit on June 25, 2024. She logged her required 65 hours of driving experience by the end of 2024 but decided to wait on getting her license. In August she renewed her learner's permit and asked us to teach her how to parallel park. Paul took primary responsibility for that. She had no trouble learning that skill. On September 4, Nadia took her first driving test. It took multiple attempts over the last few weeks, but she passed with flying colors today! Woohoo! She and I celebrated with a stop at Rita's before I dropped her off at Camp Susque. I added her to our insurance policy this evening. Praying that all will go smoothly as she begins driving without a parent sitting next to her. For starters, we will be letting her drive to work and take herself and her brothers to art classes on Mondays/Thursdays at our church. Ian will be old enough to get his learner's permit in December. Our kids are growing up way too fast! This means that we've now checked off all 119 things listed on our 2025 first time experiences "bucket list." I know it's not Thursday, but in addition to Nadia succeeding today with passing her driving test, here are some things I'm thankful for:

1. On September 15 I walked around the church property while the kids were in art class. I was stunned to see a New Hampshire license plate on one of the vehicles near where we were parked! I'm down to one more license plate to find over the next 3.5 months - Wyoming. 

2. On September 12 Cheri and our family drove down to Camp Hill. First, we took advantage of a coupon Dairy Queen had for small blizzards that only cost 85 cents (they're usually over $5). An hour later we met Jenna at Panera for dinner. Toby also joined us for a few minutes. The primary reason we had driven down was to attend a Stephen Curtis Chapman concert. The very first Christian contemporary concert that Cheri had attended in the 80s was Stephen Curtis Chapman. In the first part of the concert, he sang the entire Speechless album (from 1999). In addition to a drummer, pianist, and guitarists, he had a string quartet accompanying him. After the intermission he sang some other songs from other albums. Nadia thinks Speechless is his best album. It was challenging for me to stay up past 11:00 pm, especially as I had been sick that week, but a good time was had by all. 

3. Oliver, Paul, and I enjoyed attending a social our Sunday School class hosted on September 13 at church. We ate lots of delicious food (potluck) and played some games to help us get to know each other better. I brought white chicken chili, and three women the next day asked me for the recipe.

4. Our first day of co-op went well on September 16. I used the dining room plus living room together for government (9:00-9:45) and drama (11:15-12:00). We brought up extra chairs for both rooms. 18 out of 19 kids were in attendance that day. I used the family room for personal finance. Paul did part of the physics lab outdoors and part of it in the dining room. He did two experiments about relative velocity and Newton's first law. Twelve of the kids stayed for lunch and games. Nadia and Ben picked what games the group would play, and the kids split into two groups for the game time. Faith stayed at our house until 10:00 pm. Xandir stayed with us until Wednesday afternoon.

5. Ian, Oliver, and Xandir enjoyed roller skating at the homeschool party on September 17. Lucy, Sincere, and Andrew were also there. 

6. On September 18 we saw a performance of A Tale of Two Cities in Lititz put on by Servant Stage. This organization provides the concessions and tickets to the shows as "pay what you wish." They even had a live orchestra! None of us had seen this musical before, and Ian is reading that book this marking period after he finishes Frankenstein. We were very impressed with the quality of the vocalists. I had originally gotten us matinee tickets for the last Saturday in September, but none of the matinee performances fit with Nadia's schedule. We didn't get home until almost midnight, which is far from ideal, but Paul graciously drove which helped. I didn't have Nadia read that book during high school. I think the only thing she read by Charles Dickens was Oliver Twist; this was another reason I thought it was good for her to attend the musical as this way she at least knows the plot of the story. 

7. Speaking of Nadia's schedule, she attended an 18th birthday party for a fellow counselor from Camp Susque. She and some other girls stayed in a cabin from September 19-21. I'm grateful for the friends she has made through being on staff at Camp Susque.

8. Paul and I had our first lesson of intermediate East Coast swing dancing this evening. We were pleasantly surprised to see a couple from our Sunday School class also in the class! They live close to us and suggested we carpool in the future. I said let's call it a double date! :) 

9. Last week Ian got behind again, which made last weekend very intense as far as getting his work done. Thankfully, he's back on track and this weekend will be much more relaxed for Ian and also me. 

10. Right now, everything is a "go" for Aunt Janet to have her knee replacement on October 1. This is an answer to prayer because her surgery was postponed once (due to COVID), and we're hoping she will visit us in February, and that was not going to be possible if her surgery was postponed again. We're continuing to pray that all will go well with her surgery. 

11. When Paul and I were in England in 2002, we saw two theatrical performances - one of Shakespeare at a theatre in the round and also the musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Our kids would not want to see anything by Shakespeare, but I was hoping to take them to see Chitty Chitty. That doesn't look possible, but the good news is that in addition to Paddington (a brand-new musical which is debuting in November), it looks like we can see Phantom of the Opera, which is one of my favorite musicals and one I had hoped to take them to. Previously, they had said the show would end in London in March 2026, but they recently extended it several more months, which means we can see it in May, Lord willing!!

Thankful Thursday

 

1. Then van repair took longer than expected due to them waiting for parts, but it was finally completed on June 9. Unfortunately, they didn't fix the crack in the rearview mirror that the deer caused, so we're waiting to hear if the insurance will pay for that. I'm grateful to have my van back and thankful it no longer looks awful.

2. The kids enjoyed the cast party on June 6, and Paul and I really enjoyed four weeks of salsa lessons, which began on June 6. Next up will be merengue lessons! Neither of us had learned salsa before, and we both enjoyed it.

3. We saw the musical Into the Woods on June 7. We liked the first half far more than the second half. We had never seen that musical before. It's on the list of one of our least favorites. 

4. Ian and Oliver enjoyed attending Isaiah's graduation party on June 8. Nadia enjoyed working at Camp Susque/attending counselor orientation from June 8-21. She's looking forward to returning on July 4 to work there for four more weeks.

5. Ian picked his song for the next piano recital. He took MANY months to choose last year. I'm thankful it's not a last-minute selection this time around. He's doing a piece by Rachmaninoff.

6. Four of us saw The Play that Goes Wrong on June 12. Now THAT was a very, very funny play. Paul said it was one of his most favorite plays he's ever seen. 

7. Paul and I enjoyed attending a 50th anniversary party for a couple in our Sunday School class on June 14.

8. Paul's dad spent some time with us on Father's Day.

9. The boys and I were volunteers for our church's VBS the week of June 17.

10. The kids did very well at the Bible quizzing competition in Indiana, and Paul and I were able to have dinner with Kay and Allen while we were out there.

11. I'm very thankful I've been able to be Nadia's mom for the past 17 years!

12. It seems highly probable that Ian will be attending Cedarville University as a residential student starting in the fall of 2028. This week I registered him to take two classes through dual enrollment this fall. We spent about 4 hours at Cedarville on June 26.

13. Yvonne said that most of her family would like to join us at Great Wolf Lodge in December to celebrate Ian's birthday! I booked two rooms that together can accommodate 14 people for one night in December through a homeschool group. 

14. We've been watching Season 5 of The Chosen on Prime. We don't usually have Prime, but it was worth it to us to pay for one month so we could watch those eight episodes.

15. Similarly, I paid (with a 50% discount) for one month of the Angel app so that we could watch The Last Rodeo, Rule Breakers, and King of Kings. 

16. The boys and I were able to help spread the word about Operation Christmas Child through a 4th of July parade in Lewisburg on June 28. 

17. Cheri came over for dinner on Tuesday night. 

18. I was able to help at Experience Missions yesterday. I've also been preparing to teach Sunday School the next two weeks. 

19. Milo was able to stay with some of the Seiberts while we were in Indiana. Today Cooper is coming over here to spend a little over a week with us. This swapping of dog sitting is working beautifully!

20. I've continued to make progress with sanding, priming, and painting the wooden trim (baseboards and around the windows/doors). We have also made progress in painting walls in the foyer and upstairs hallway.

21. Nadia only goes to the doctor once a year - for her physical. I declined the vision/hearing screening as that costs an additional $50. Thankfully, we don't have to pay for their vaccines. She got the meningitis vaccine on Monday. 

22. A friend told me where Nadia can take College Algebra online at a very reasonable price. Thanks, Jen!

23. We've been enjoying the delicious foods we usually only have in the summer - corn on the cob, peaches, cherries, honeydew, watermelon, etc. I made two fruit pizzas last Saturday - one for our family and the other for our Sunday School class. Yum! The kids and I picked blueberries at a farm very close to our home on Tuesday so that I could serve blueberry crisp for dessert when Cheri came over. 

First prom

Two weekends ago, we had one special event on the calendar - going down to Lancaster to see Noah at Sight and Sound. We saw the same musical in 2013, but given our three kids were 10 months, 3.5, and 5 years old at that time, they don't exactly remember that performance. We had planned to tour an Amish home and school, but those plans were scratched once we realized that we'd be dog sitting Cooper that day as we didn't want to be away from home for more than eight hours. Cheri and Pop Pop joined us for Noah and a meal at IHOP. They recently announced that they are doing a brand-new show next year - Joshua. I also recently read about a new Broadway musical that is debuting in London later this year about Paddington! I had planned to try to get tickets to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang next year in May, but now I'm also hoping we might be able to see the Paddington musical. Ian still regularly eats orange marmalade which I introduced to the kids when I read the Paddington books aloud to them many years ago. 

This weekend our schedule was much more hectic. On Friday morning I picked up Cheri and Nathaniel and then drove to Ricketts Glen State Park for a homeschool program on vernal pools. After the program we ate lunch with the Schrecks and then went on a short hike. Friday night the kids from the co-op that meets in our home put on a 30-minute play about Robin Hood at our church. The kids had a dress rehearsal, the parents/grandparents/siblings watched a performance, and then we ate a meal together. Ben had to fill in for Julianna for the part of Friar Tuck. Nathaniel did a wonderful job playing the Sheriff of Nottingham. Nadia (who was Maid Marion) was primarily insulting him throughout the play because he was trying to force her to marry him. Lydia did a great job portraying the part of Robin Hood. There were about 50 people gathered together for the performance (guests plus the actors). I had the kids vote last week on what play we should do next fall, and I think they've chosen Peter Pan.

Nadia worked a morning shift (7:30-12:00) on Saturday morning. I picked up her corsage before I picked her up from work. In the afternoon six of the seven kids met at Faith's house to do their hair, eat a little, and then I took pictures of all seven of them at a pretty spot near their home. I was so very grateful the weather cooperated as the forecast wasn't very good. I have barely used my camera in 2025, but I definitely used it this past weekend! Nadia wore a necklace, earrings, and bracelet that had all been my mom's. I had signed Paul and the boys up for a father/son burger burn at our church that took place on Saturday evening, but those plans were cancelled as Paul wasn't feeling well. Dave Seibert drove the seven kids to the prom. 

Paul stayed home on Sunday. The kids and I attended only the first service at church. Then I took six kids to Knoebels. It rained off and on. I was the only one who brought a rain jacket or an umbrella (I brought both). I shared my jacket with Ian. The upside of the rain was that attendance was very low which meant almost all the rides had a short line or no line at all. Oliver and Xandir rode the Impulse for the very first time in their lives, and they ended up riding it eight times over the course of the day! James joined them for six of those times. The park was open until 6:00, but we left at about 5:15 to get some pizza at OIP before going home. Thankfully the rain didn't interfere with the kids' ability to ride the rides. 

Here are some things I'm giving thanks for.

1. Everything went smoothly with watching Cooper. Ben picked him up on April 27. Next week we'll be dropping Milo off at their house before we leave on vacation.

2. Nadia has been helping me a lot in the kitchen lately with cooking and baking.

3. It took a while, but we finally found someone who can watch Milo while we're attending the Bible quizzing national competition in Indiana in June. Although I'm very thankful Nadia can work at a kennel, we're also very glad we don't need to board Milo in a kennel.

4. On April 28 I celebrated my 49th spiritual birthday. I'm eternally grateful for salvation through Jesus Christ! Tab took me out to lunch that day to celebrate my physical birthday. I thought it was special that the day that worked best for her ended up being my spiritual birthday. It was lovely to be able to chat with her for a couple of hours.  I am also grateful for the gift my dad gave me for my spiritual birthday. 

5. On Wednesdays I usually drop the kids off at 1:15, and Paul usually picks them up at 8:00. Last Wednesday I walked around the church property while the kids had art/chorus so I could take Nadia shopping at the thrift store before bringing the kids back to church for Bible quizzing/youth group. I got Paul some polo shirts and Nadia some shorts and jeans. We also used a gift card to get pizza from Pizza Hut, which is Nadia's favorite place to get pizza (and not a place we go very often). 

6. I'm thankful that Nadia enjoyed going to the prom with some of her friends, that the performance of Robin Hood went well, that the rain didn't interfere with our time at Knoebels yesterday afternoon, and that we were able to go to Ricketts Glen State Park. I'm also thankful for the pictures I was able to take on Saturday evening. I took a LOT of pictures to share with the other families. 

7. The kids are doing a good job with completing their work so that May 8 can be our last day of school for this year. Ian has the most work left to do of the three, but I think he can do it if he works hard these last few days. 

8. Most of the time the van driver's side door opens. Sometimes I have to climb in or out by way of the passenger side, but this can lead to a dead battery because the van doesn't totally shut off until the driver's door opens. The first week of June it's supposed to be repaired. When I don't have many riders I need to transport, I have been opting to drive Paul's car. 

9. Tomorrow will be our last day of co-op for this school year. We're planning to take the kids to the playground instead of playing board games after we've done chemistry, personal finance, and book groups. Isaiah will be graduating, but two new girls plan to join our co-op next fall, so it looks like we'll have 16 kids in our co-op for the fall session. Right now, we have 5 middle schoolers and 10 high schoolers in the co-op. I think next fall we'll have 6 middle schoolers and 10 high schoolers. This session we've had 8 boys and 7 girls, and I think next session we'll have 9 girls and 7 boys in our group. As much as the kids enjoy having their friends come over each Tuesday, I am looking forward to having a break for four months before the fall session begins.

Thankful Thursday

1. We're thankful that Nadia is able to work at Warrior Run Petcare year-round, and that she also has been hired to be a counselor at Camp Susque this summer.

2. The three performances of the musical went very well. Overall, more than 1,400 people purchased tickets to see the Wizard of Oz. Seven of Yvonne's kids, Yvonne, Toby, my dad, Paul's dad, and Tab all saw one of their performances. I'm thankful they had this experience and that some of their family and friends were able to come and see them perform. I am also glad the rehearsals are DONE. Our schedule is much less hectic. This year I helped with serving meals to the cast. Next year I think I'll go back to volunteering to help with concessions.

3. On April 6 all 17 of us went to church together. My dad then drove to Pittsburgh for his cousin's funeral. The rest of us drove to Camp Hill to have lunch at Panera/Chipotle and see a passion play. I didn't think my dad would be able to see the kids' performance AND attend his cousin's funeral, but he was able to do so when they scheduled the funeral for Monday. 

4. I've taken at least one child to multiple Easter egg hunts every year from 2010 to 2025 with the exception of 2020. This is Oliver's last year so this phase of life as of April 20 will have come to an end. On April 12 I took Oliver to an egg hunt at the Alliance Church which is very close to our home. Because it was raining that morning, they moved the egg hunt into their gym. They had over 6,000 eggs on the floor!!! Oliver filled a LARGE basket once, dumped it out, and filled it a second time. There were still eggs on the floor when he decided to call it quits as far as collecting more eggs. He had found one prize egg - which meant he was given an Easter basket filled with an assortment of goodies (peeps, stuffed animals, etc.). Paul took him to another egg hunt in the afternoon at the park in our town. Usually, this egg hunt features hard boiled eggs for all the older kids, but I assume due to the cost of eggs these days, they had plastic eggs this year. Oliver found four prize eggs! I believe that's a record for him. All four prizes were solid chocolate bunnies. He shared some with his siblings. He plans to attend two more egg hunts this Saturday, and that will be the end of egg hunts for our family.

5. On Sunday I dropped Nadia off at church at 7:00 am so that she could ride to Philadelphia to participate in a ministry to homeless/ drug addicts in Kensington. She returned back around 6:00 pm. I am thankful she had a desire to serve in this ministry!

6. From 1992-2008 I owned plants that I kept either in my classroom, home, or office. When we moved to our current home in September 2008, I got rid of my plants, and I haven't had any plants in the home since then for any significant period of time. Last week I purchased two plants for the dining room - a monstera and a snake plant. Over the last month we've painted the dining room ceiling white, painted the walls grey, and painted the baseboards and window frames white (which had been stained for the last 26 years). We also removed the miniblinds, installed a curtain rod, and hung some drapes. I also hung up some additional artwork which included buying a frame for one my grandma's paintings that Aunt Janet gave me in 2020 before she moved to Reno. Next up is to change out the light fixture, and then I think the update in that room will be done. I really like the new plants, painted white trim, etc. Oliver also really likes the plants. I hope these plants are hearty enough to be able to go without being watered for two weeks while we're on vacation. I'm planning to tackle the living room next in terms of sanding, priming, and painting the trim and window frames. I will wait to paint the living room walls until after Paul does some spackling and sanding in there. 

7. Last week I had to cancel co-op at 7:30 am, which is about one hour before the first kids usually arrive, because some of us were sick. We're not all 100% healthy yet, but I'm thankful we were able to have co-op this week. We plan to meet three more times before taking a break for the summer.

8. On Sunday the boys attended a birthday party for a younger sibling of one of their friends at a playground. Ian went fishing with Ben, and they both caught trout! Ben is doing us the favor of chopping off the head and such, freezing it, and giving the fish Ian caught back to him so that he can eat it after I cook it. 

9. In October I permanently deleted my Facebook account. On March 22, I created a new account because I wanted to give away two curio cabinets. I have a whopping one friend right now, and I only sent her a friend request because she wanted to send me a video of her son's ninja competition via Messenger. I think this is the best of both worlds. I have spent zero minutes looking at a FB news feed for six months, but now if there's something I need to look up on a church or business's FB page, I can do so, and now I can resume selling things or giving things away on FB marketplace. This week Oliver sold some of his Paw Patrol toys for $50, and I gave away some plastic lawn chairs we hadn't used for more than 17 years. When I went on a FB yard sale page to list the Paw Patrol toys, I noticed a lot of 1,000-piece puzzles, which I proceeded to buy for Nadia on Monday. The seller met me at the dentist office while the kids were getting their teeth cleaned. I don't plan on posting anything on my wall or adding more friends as I don't plan to read a news feed, but there are other ways Facebook can be useful it seems (unfortunately). Anything that helps me with decluttering is appreciated. Paul made a trip to Goodwill to donate a trunk load after he took the boys to the birthday party on Sunday afternoon.

10. Nadia and Ian have recently started going on a walk together every day. A few weeks earlier Ian and Oliver started getting some exercise together outdoors. Ian often runs while Oliver is riding his bike or roller blading. Ian is the one getting the most exercise since both of his siblings ask him to join them! Milo is also getting more exercise because he's still walking with Paul and I twice a day, and now he also often joins Ian and Nadia. 

11. The battery on Paul's iPhone wouldn't charge. Thankfully he was able to get an appointment right away at Best Buy. They said it would cost over $400 to repair it so they suggested he purchase a wireless charger instead which was much cheaper than buying a new phone or repairing the phone. 

12. I'm thankful for Paul's help with the dining room update. I bought him a sledgehammer recently so that he could begin breaking up the piece of concrete in the yard that the spinning seesaw had been attached to. A few years ago, we had quite a few things in our yard - trampoline, spinning seesaw, shed, fence, and a slide/swing set. Gradually we've gotten rid of all of those things. The only things that remain are our grill and the two concrete pads. I'm not sure what we're going to do with the one that had been under the shed, but I figured if he broke apart the smaller slab, we could put a little bit in the garbage each week until we finally get rid of the entire thing. 

13. The plan *had* been to not take classes at MCS next year. Nadia and Ian have changed their tune. The school just changed the policy for homeschoolers. Up until this year homeschoolers have had to be in chorus to be able to audition for the musical. Starting in the fall, the policy is that homeschoolers can audition as long as they are taking one class at MCS. All three want to only take art at MCS next year, and Nadia and Ian want to be in The Little Mermaid musical in April 2026. The last two years they've taken art and chorus on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Wednesdays are rather hectic because they also have Bible quizzing and youth group from 4:30-8:00 pm. I asked if their second section of art could be on another day. They could take art on Mondays. I asked Ian's piano teacher if Ian's piano lessons could be moved from Monday to Friday, and they can. The kids have been at church from 1:15-8:00 on Wednesdays. I'm grateful that won't be the case next year, and the kids are grateful they don't have to take chorus next year. 

14. Nadia, 100% of her own initiative, has been helping out rather regularly in the kitchen with baking, cooking, reheating, etc. I want all three kids to be adept at cooking and baking before they graduate. I'm trying to do a better job of asking the boys to help at least once a week to develop their skills as well. It means a lot when Nadia offers to help of her own initiative.