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Let’s cut to the chase, here is a short list of things that are bringing our homeschool family joy this month!
1. Nerf Wars
If you follow me on instagram, you likely know that my boys are currently obsessed with Nerf Wars- to the extent that they have made a schedule including when they will be having them, which is basically every day.
I’m not sure whether they started engaging in nerf wars prior to discovering the phenomenon on youtube or not. Also, disclaimer: the nerf guns were gifts. I wouldn’t put weapons into the hands of my boys who already spend exhorbitant amounts of time fighting with each other. But see
Anyhow, they love it. They’ll spend hours outside, upending the furniture & other random objects (like plastic planters) in order to engage in in-depth nerf war play. And I’m not mad about it, unless they shoot each other in the face & then the animosity level rises. (they both wear safety glasses.)
The other good thing about nerf wars is how it segues into No. 2 on this list
2. Empty Schoolyards
Sad to say kids still aren’t back in school. There has been a lot written on this topic, especially by Corey DeAngelis & Kerry McDonald. The silver lining to kids not being in school is that schoolyards are largely empty. Where we live, the schools are locked up tight with 10-12 foot fences, but other nearby districts are open to the public.
What’s nice about schoolyards, as opposed to parks, is that they are: (1) less crowded; and (2) tend to have large blacktops.
My kids will bring various wheeled vehicles (bikes, scooters, skateboard), and when combined with “Nerf Wars,” my boys will vigorously ride while fleeing or pursuing each other #exercise #PE. Plus, because of the amount of open space, there is a lot less actual shooting of each other– win-win.
3. Microwave Popcorn
Completely unrelated to Nos. 1 & 2 is microwave popcorn.
It’s kind of a long story. Suffice it to say that our built in microwave broke a few months ago & we have been making do without too much trouble, except for the accessibility of popcorn. I have made it on the stove (like how they did in the pioneer days, if that was even a thing back then) & it was great, but a huge pain to make and cleanup. We tried Jiffy Pop, that was a disaster– it burned and didn’t make very much.
My parents decided to gift us a small microwave in the interim & we’re basically using it to heat up frozen burritos and make copious amounts of microwave popcorn. In otherwords #bestlife #superhealthy
4. The Library
Nothing earth shattering here, we’re just loving that the library is open again for curbside holds pickup. We make around 2-3 trips each week to return or pickup. In going through old photos & reminiscing about what normal life was like, I am remembering that the library is a central component to our homeschool, and having access to it again is just so wonderful.
5. Lights
Again, nothing revolutionary, but this year we are paying closer attention to the little things, like holiday lights. This is the first year we have decided to put some lights up. Since we are Jewish, it’s kinda a complicated issue. That being said, Channukah is a festival of lights, and we do have several sets of indoor (battery operated) Jewish themed lights from years past (think menorahs & dreidels, Stars of David, etc.) Shout out to my mom for the assist of sending us a few strings of different lights for us to put up outside. I am hoping to also get some lights going in our yard for the kids to look at, since local light show drive throughs run in the $50 range, IIRC. I’m envisioning their own personal light show, will keep you posted!
That’s the short list of things that are bringing us joy this month! I hope this inspires you to reflect on the little things bringing your family joy, and feel free to share in the comments 🙂
