Friday Favorites: Switching into Honors

 We had a pretty good week this week with just a few stressful moments here and there trying to get Alec all switched over to his new honors classes on a week when we're all virtual.  So far these classes seem like a great fit for him!  We're still working hard to knock things off our Christmas to do list and preparing for Thanksgiving week too.  



Alec went in for one more day in his culinary shop on Friday.  I tackled schoolwork with the other two boys and then we spent a quiet rainy day inside. Alec came home with some delicious gingerbread muffins!


My mom offered to pick Alec up from school since the other two boys had their yearly physicals.  They both had great check ups and the doctor even managed to give Evan a hearing test (something we've been waiting on since lockdown started in March!).  They think the ringing in his ears that he's been complaining about for exactly a year now might just be a fluid build up and suggested we try some allergy meds to dry things out a bit.  We'll check back in  a few weeks and see if we need a referral for an ENT doctor.  (We had tried to address all this with his physical last year but all his appointments got canceled when things went into lockdown and we hadn't heard anything from anyone). 

For dinner I cooked up some chicken, rice, broccoli, & acorn squash.

Ian went to work with his grandfather on Saturday. I headed out nice and early and shopped the morning away at Target trying to get my Christmas shopping closer to finished.  

Alec had another karate class and we learned that he needs to take up a weapon for his next grading belt.  So we started talking options and it sounds like he's going to try using knives (sort of fitting for a martial arts chef!).  

In the afternoon I threw together a few birthday gifts for my sister.  She loves Christmas and the movie Elf so I made her a couple of really cute t-shirts!  



For dinner I heated up a spiral ham, heated some squash casserole I had in the freezer, cooked up some peas and frozen corn and heated a few baked potatoes in the microwave for the two boys that don't eat squash casserole.  My mother in law joined us and we ended our night playing cards.

The boys and I cleaned the whole upstairs on Sunday.  I also emailed all of Alec's new teachers reminding them that he needs the Google Classroom codes for all of his new classes that start tomorrow (all 8 of them!).  Then Alec, Evan and I headed out for a fun day of shopping.

We stopped at Barnes and Noble, wandered the pet store for a bit, and stopped for lunch at Panera Bread.


He eagerly dove right in

Love watching the cute pets even if I have no desire to get any!


I settled in to paint my nails and read my new book once we got home and I finished up a few of my chores.


For dinner my husband and I worked together to make tacos with salad.  We watched Ferris Bueller's Day Off after learning the younger two had no idea what it was!  We'll have to start a John Hugh's marathon.


By bedtime we still hadn't heard anything from Alec's teachers- I was dreading being on the phone all day with the school trying to get his day sorted out. 

I was up early on Monday; between a terrible storm that passed through the night and worries over how Alec could attend classes online that we have no codes to I did not sleep well. Luckily by the time school started he was only missing a few codes. *updated: he got all the codes in needed just in time for each class throughout the week*  His new teachers seem quite enthusiastic and just as fantastic as his past teachers.

I kept wandering back and forth between Alec's virtual schooling and the other two boys working on their schoolwork in the kitchen.  

We spent our afternoon playing card games and a few rounds of Apples to Apples before heading out on a walk.  My sister called while we were walking and I spent the next hour or so on the phone with her. 

Trying to play with angle and perspective 

By the time dinner rolled around I realized I didn't have time left to prepare anything so my husband brought home pizzas and we ate salad with them.

Ian headed off to work on Tuesday and Alec settled down for another day of virtual school.  It was a beautiful morning on the lake! 



 His teachers really piled on the work and he's seeing what honors classes will be like.  Evan and I tackled a few subjects too and then worked on cleaning the downstairs. 

After lunch Evan and I headed out to the library, to drop off my sister's gift & card (which I realized I left at home only as I was getting off the highway near her house!), and stopped by the furniture store where we learned that we most likely won't get our new living room set until April if we order one right now. 

Her card


I liked this set; but not the color.  We left without ordering anything.

 I made a chicken pot pie for dinner and just as I was putting it in the oven and we were working on Alec's schoolwork we saw that somehow when grades were being switched from his old classes to his new classes his health grade was switched from a 90 to a 60!  We immediately emailed the teacher and the guidance office as report cards come out in just a matter of days. 

Needless to say both him and I went to bed feeling a bit stressed and anxious. 

I woke pretty early again on Wednesday and was unable to fall back to sleep.  I was so glad Alec only had half a day of school and while I pulled out a pretty big stack of work for the other two I was confident we could all be done school by lunch. 

Thankfully he had health on Wednesday and with his teacher's help, in just a short few seconds, they had it all squared away.  It is so hard communicating sometimes through screen only!  He had a great day of school and is all caught up on any work he needed for these honors classes. 

After school we cleaned the house, played a game of Trivia Crack (Alec won & both Ian and I tied for second), and then finally delivered the gift to my sister.  


For dinner I cooked up some pork chops, rice a roni, and a variety of squash. 

I was so happy to not have anywhere to go on Thursday.  It was so cold out and I was in a snuggly/ comfy clothes mood.  With Ian at work and Evan only having a few subjects to work through, I spent most of my day in the living room with Alec listening in on his classes, blogging, reading my book, and repainting my nails.  


At the last minute Alec and I did run out to pick up his culinary jacket uniform.  They had been adding his name to them and they were ready for pick up.  He has a full official kitchen uniform now (minus yet another pair of shoes we have to return/exchange)

I threw together some fresh coleslaw (using this recipe).  It was a great way to use up the two heads of cabbage we got in our Misfits box this week to go with our shaved steak sandwiches and salad. 


Linking Up With: On the Edge, 



Comments

  1. My daughter is obsessed with coleslaw so she would've loved that especially with the shaved steak! Glad Alec's classes came together!

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    1. I don't mind coleslaw but it's definitely not a favorite for me; my son on the other hand will eat most of that on his own! LOL. We were just joking that he finally found his people today as all the kids were asking about extra credit and making sure assignments were handed in on time or early.

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  2. I forgot how much we love Apples to Apples. I wish my family like coleslaw, the only way they do is on hillbilly hotdogs, LOL! I might have to try that recipe. I hope you have a great weekend! And yay for honors!

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    1. I like Apples to Apples too but my husband refuses to play! He hates that the winner is completely subjective. LOL

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  3. Gingerbread muffins, yum!! Could you send me the recipe? That seems like such a fun project to work on!! Thank you for sharing!

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    1. I'll ask him if he got the recipe; I think he snapped a photo with his phone when he was in school.

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  4. So many yummy things to eat!! And what a relief to get in to see the doctor. I hope the ears clear themselves out without a need for the ENT, but if not, I hope you get an early referral!

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    1. I hope they clear up on their own too but he was on allergy meds this spring and we didn't notice much difference. But I'm still crossing my fingers because I can't imagine how long the wait list must be now post- shutdown.

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  5. I second the John Hughes marathon. ;)

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    1. Right?! I told them they couldn't be from our house and not know who he was!

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  6. That muffin looks incredible. Isn't choosing a sofa sooo difficult?? We are struggling trying to pic a new one for the house. We might just keep our beat up and stained one for now while we have a toddler and a newborn on the way. Also because shopping for one stresses me out. Thanks for sharing the coleslaw recipe... I've been looking for one! Have a great weekend.

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    1. Oh my goodness it really is! The last set we bought didn't last AT ALL (literally the night they dropped it off we heard something drop to the floor and found metal on the ground). I just want a nice looking set that will last and that will let us all sit in the same room at the same time.

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  7. That's great that the new classes seem good. Also I spy The House in the Cerulean Sea. I loved that book so much.

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    1. He is LOVING these new classes; the teachers allow them a lot more freedom and seem more relaxed with these kids knowing the work WILL get done. I might have to snatch that book from his pile and give it a go myself then.

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  8. Sounds like you had a few stressful school days this week, glad everything came together for you and Alex. I bet your heart skipped a beat when you saw those culinary jackets with his name on them! Hope you can have a cozy, relaxing weekend!

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    1. We did have a few stressful moments/days but it's worth it if the classes keep going like they have this week. He is loving them! It was so surreal to see him all dressed up in his uniform with his name on it looking all professional. I plan to snap a photo the first day he wears it to school!

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  9. I love those graphic tees you made. The first one has me cracking up. I cannot wait to watch that this year!

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    1. I told my husband that I was thinking of making myself a few too; and I don't even wear graphic tee's!

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  10. I love the "Son of a Nutcracker" shirt! We use that phrase a lot around here! I'm glad you got the Health grade straightened out. Have a lovely weekend!

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    1. I say that a lot too! It was such a relief to get that straightened out and it literally took just a one minute conversation. I could tell the teacher felt bad that it had happened too.

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  11. Glad to hear the ringing in the ear isn't more serious, for now. Those gingerbread muffins look heavenly. Is there a recipe? I have lots of ginger to use up.

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    1. I'm going to have to see if he snapped a photo of the recipe. I'm not really a big fan of gingerbread and I thought they were pretty tasty.

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  12. That muffin looks incredibly delicious!! And how fun are those shirts! You are so creative! Beautiful card too! Both my kids are taking honors english and math, and they always seem to have a lot of homework. It's my son's last year of high school and he's been managing it well. Hope it'll be the same for my daughter, she does have dance 3 days a week so it may be a little bit more of a struggle for her, but so far it's been working out for her too. Good luck to your son, I am sure he will do great!

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    1. Alec has honors history, science, math and language arts. So far he hasn't had much homework but he has one study hall each day and since they have no Spanish teacher yet those classes are treated like a study hall a few times a week too. I keep warning him that if they ever get to go in the building full time this year that this course load could change considerably.

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  13. I am so jealous of everyone that makes the cool graphic shirts/sweatshirts/all the things!

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    1. It is so fun (well, it can be stressful at times)!

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  14. What a lovely post! I feel so peaceful when visiting your blog <3

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  15. It's always such a pleasure to read your post. A peek into a total different life. Enjoy your weekend.

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  16. I can't believe that you're almost finished with your Christmas shopping and I haven't even started yet! Online classes are stressful here as well. Not being in school every day to be able to have the kids work out any grading issues in person is tough. Have a great weekend!

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    1. I was hoping to tackle a bunch of wrapping this weekend.

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  17. I'm so glad to hear that, despite all the stress, everything came together for Alec's classes. And your food always sounds so good!!! Your pictures of the lake morning are gorgeous!

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  18. Those tee shirts are amazing! How fun. We were just doing some Christmas shopping this weekend and I spotted a tee shirt in Tractor Supply that had 3 cute little goat faces staring over a fence and it said, "My kids are buttheads." I told my 9 year old that I wanted that for Christmas. He didn't think I was funny! Instead, he picked out a different one for me...something about coffee...which is totally appropriate for me as well. Thanks for linking with me!

    xoxo
    Shelbee

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    1. I'm not usually one to wear graphic tee's and I wanted to make a set for myself too! I thought they came out so cute and I really do love that elf movie.

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  19. Sounds like you had a busy week. Glad Alec's classes all got sorted out and everyone is doing well.

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  20. Ordering furniture is tough. I always have a hard time. I love those long sleeve tees. Fun for the holiday season. I laughed at the son of a nutcracker!

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    1. We agreed to wait and just get furniture next year; I can't order something without getting to sit on it and see it in person.

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  21. Such a busy week, it sounds like the home schooling is pretty stressful, I'm glad you are finding time for other stuff. The gingerbread muffin made my mouth water. I hope it tasted as good as it looks.
    #mmbc

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    1. The homeschooling is actually the easy part; trying to keep watch over my public school student who is mostly learning virtually this year has been super stressful though.

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  22. That's so great when we can spend time with our family! Love your blog post <3

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  23. So many lovely things in this blog post <3

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  24. Yum on the cole slaw but even yummier on the gingerbread muffin. Glad Alec got his uniforms. I bet he looks like a professional chef!!

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    1. I have definite plans to take a photo with him wearing his new chef's uniform just as soon as he gets to wear it!

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