This week was filled with science, cooking together, canoeing, and a game of I Spy.
Day 36
“I want to do another project,” Andrew said this morning.
He was talking about science experiments. I hadn’t done one in a while since I like to do it outside and it’s been cool out. I also feel that dealing with chemicals is better on the cement in back. If I did it on a table and some chemicals got onto the table and caused a stain I would be in trouble. I brought out the test tubes and then added the water as the directions said.
He helped this time and poured the ingredients into test tubes. The citric acid is something I don’t let him touch, but the baking soda and cabbage juice are not harmful. This time the chemicals together created purple. So far nothing has been earth-shattering, but I am sure the next one, where we make some sort of crystal ball should be interesting. I do like that he has an interest in science.
He is still into coloring superheroes. David had started this where we found where you can copy coloring sheets of them. Today he wanted to do a specific team of Power Rangers Mega Force. I had some trouble finding them and he got frustrated and fussy so he was sent to his room. He goes through these periods when he can be so whiny. It can be a lot in a day. I mean, he didn’t even cry that much when he was a baby. He finally does some coloring and I cut them out and all is good for a while.
David made ravioli and pesto, which was really tasty for dinner. Afterward, we watched a cartoon or two before Andrew went to sleep. It was David’s turn to read to him.
It was an all right day, just can’t believe it is only Monday. We also have no idea when pre-school will begin again. We know now that schools are closed through the rest of the spring semester but I have no idea what that means for his pre-school. So many unknowns in all of this.
Day 37
I decided that we should head out to the bike trail and do a game of I Spy today. I thought this would be a fun thing to do and find different things along with it together.
The first thing I had him search for was the trail kiosk, which was easy. Then I had him look for something yellow. I was thinking of the sign ahead, but he looked down and pointed at the trail markings. Then I said something purple and it was all the flowers that were blooming around us.
David said he spied something brown that was camouflaged by sticks and dirt. We looked hard then found it. A frog leaped across the dirt and we followed it for a bit. I pointed out how hard it is to see him and that frogs try to blend into the environment so predators don’t attack them.
“I know, like the chameleon on Wild Kratts,” he said.
This is an animal program on PBS that he likes to watch and I also learn new things about animals from it myself.
David had a Zoom meeting during dinner so we ordered Domino’s Pizza and Andrew headed there with me. We did mess this up since I didn’t ask him what type of pizza he wanted. Next time I should get him pepperoni. He also eats about half a large pizza, minus the crust, of course, himself. So we might get him a small pepperoni for him next time which allows us to get a pizza to more our liking.
We had taped the Disney Family Singalong, which had performers singing songs from Disney Classics during the coronavirus stay at home orders. Andrew sang along to some of the songs as the different singers performed in their homes with some Disney magic sprinkled in-between.
He took a bath and I read him the book And Tango Makes Three before he fell asleep. The book is about two male penguins that raise a baby on their own and is a true story. Sort of like our family and sweet way to end the night.
Day 38
Today’s project was to make Power Rangers swords. I looked online for ideas and used what we had around the house.
We had some smaller sized green pool noodles that we use for the lake. They had been out in the water last year and they are never as good the next year. So I cut one in half. Found some blue and black duct tape for the handle. The blue duct tape was the main wrap around and then the smaller black duct tape I used to decorate it with. I used the round bottom of the black duct tape to trace out two red circles from construction paper on each one to act as buttons to turn them on or off or whatever he imagines. He loved it and we had an epic battle with them.
That afternoon he wanted to do another science experiment that sounds cooler than it was, a test tube crystal ball. The science project involves filling a test tube half full with vegetable oil. Then add some water to it, which caused the oil to rise to the top. Then we added a blue color tablet into the test tube and the colors bubbled like lava in the oil. You then lay the test tube on its side and you can see the colors swirl about.
The science part of this is that things that are less dense float on the top of things that are denser. Oil is less dense than water, so it floats on top of the water.
The color tablet was denser so it sank to the bottom. The tablet disintegrates in the water creating a blue color.
After science class, we took a bike ride just around the area going up and down the hills. He loves taking the bike fast down the hills.
Dinner tonight was chicken soft tacos with salsa, cheese, and mine with black olives.
Day 39
David worked with him on his words for a while and I did laundry. Lunch today was sandwiches. Andrew was off today. He was mad about one thing to the next so he was sent to his room.
He finally calmed down and we went for a walk with the dog while it was not raining, that was the other problem with today. It was rainy. His teacher was making an Earth day colleague with natural photos. We took some photos of the flowers, trees, and the lake. We couldn’t get close enough to the goose that had babies, but I did point it out to him. He did a good job with the close-ups of the yellow, purple, and red flowers in the neighborhood. Then we began to feel water droplets and we headed back to the house before it began to rain.
Dinner that night included baked pasta, which he liked and he ate plenty of with no complaints. We watched a show that we all liked before he went to bed.
It was my turn to read and I picked out Black Panther. The book talks about him fighting the bad guys, his superhero friends and helping people who are in danger.
He talked a bit before sleeping that he missed his friends and wanted to know when he could go back to school. I felt a little sad that I didn’t have an answer for him. We just didn’t know. That is probably the worst thing about this not having answers.
The coronavirus is all-new to us and we are just figuring things out day today. He fell asleep as I contemplated my inability to have the answers.
Day 40
Today we took the canoe out as a family. It is a beautiful spring day with trees blooming and greening and lots of wildlife about. We had done the canoe separately but not all three together. David grabbed an outdoor pillow that Andrew sat between us on. I paddled from the front and David paddled from the back. It worked pretty well after we had squished a spider or two before Andrew got in.
We caught some blue herons off guard and they squawked as they flew away. One didn’t notice and we watched as it was crotched quickly into the water and grabbed a fish with its beak. It was cool to watch from the water. He swallowed it quickly and Andrew thought that was pretty cool. Quite a few turtles were out sunning themselves as the temperatures are beginning to warm. David sighted a large snake, but I missed seeing it when I turned around. I usually spot those myself. Andrew was pretty good about not moving around too much and staying in the middle. We just went into the nearest arm on the leg and then headed back home.
Andrew watched a few shows while David made dinner. He was grilling chicken wings on the barbecue tonight. He also made a salad and cucumber and macaroni and cheese as aside. It was a nice meal. It was supposed to rain earlier today, but it held off until late this evening, which allowed us a lot of outside time today.
Andrew was pretty good today, only once did he go into a timeout. It helped that we took a walk after dinner looking for more turtles in the rocks. He was pretending to be the Flash, so he did a lot of extra running.
Day 41
This morning Andrew wanted oatmeal for breakfast and David usually makes it. He explained it to me so I would know. He takes a 2/3 scoop of oatmeal out of the container. Then he adds some water, but not too much. Then he puts in the microwave for 1 and a half minutes. Then adds the milk and a small packet of sugar that we use for coffee.
I did my usual workout downstairs. He watched Blaze and the Monster Machines. The machines go on adventures but they are also educational and incorporate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. I caught a little of it while I was reading and he even said that.
“Its educational, dad, you have to figure stuff out,” he said.
After watching the shows he had some time with David who decided to get out our beach tent and let him hang out in it in the living room. It was a rainy day so this sort of allowed him to have his own space today. David grabbed a flashlight and they turned out the lights and pulled the blinds down to make it darker. He read the Where’s the Wookie book, sort of like Where’s Waldo but in the Star Wars universe to him. He even put in his Spiderman pillow and Spiderman sleeping bag. He played in there for a while.
David decided that he would make some blueberry muffins for breakfast in the morning and Andrew helped him with ingredients. The dry bowl had the blueberry and oatmeal and in the wet bowl was the milk, butter, and egg and Andrew helped to mix the ingredients together. David also wanted to make chocolate chip cookies for dessert tonight. Andrew helped also to mix the ingredients and lay the cookies out. It was a busy cooking afternoon for them.
I read to him tonight. He likes this Halloween book where you can lift up tabs and there are things to find and read. He has liked this book since he was two I think. I have read it too many times since it is one of his favorites. He also wanted his Big Dog Little Dog book read so I read that before giving him a hug and kiss goodnight.
Day 42
The project Andrew and I did together today was making hot tea from mint leaves. I have a mint garden by the back of the house. All though, David thinks it is more of a mint mess. The plants grow everywhere back there and even grew into a garden box that I had used for strawberries, which couldn’t compete against the mint. Yet, we can still have tea year and after year, and it’s free.
Andrew went out and picked the leaves with me. Then we brought them inside. We have a tea maker that I used to steam some hot water to pour into another container that held the leaves in it. I let the water sit to gain the flavor then pour it into a pitcher with a strainer on it. This went pretty fast and now we have some mint tea in the house. Andrew was the first one who wanted it. It is nice when he helps me with gardening. David reminding me that in our Adoption Brochure our kid would spend time gardening with me and cooking with David, which did come to pass.
David and Andrew headed out to some trails while I took a breather this afternoon. I love the kid but needed some time to myself. I am an introvert by nature and I sometimes just need to be by myself for a while. I took the kayak out on the lake and followed the coastline looking for wildlife, blue herons, or turtles. What is really cool with the geese and ducks are the ducklings and goslings that are out and about since it spring. It is fun to see the little guys follow their parents sometimes in a row in the water, but a bit all over the place on land, but always close to mama.
When Andrew got back I asked what he saw and he said birds, yellow jackets, and nests. David said there were quite a few nests in the trees and he pointed them out to Andrew a few times.
Dinner was ordered out. I picked it up at the Chinese take-out. We had sweet and sour pork and Lo Mein noodles along with some Crab Rangoon.
It was interesting to do this. I used a large cloth wrapped around my face as a mask. I pulled up to the Chinese restaurant and the door was blocked with a table. The last time I was here I could walk in, times change quickly under coronavirus. Anyway, I waited for a bit, I was about to call David on how I was to obtain the food since he had made the phone call. Then I saw a lady come up to the door. She asked what my phone number was and she looked over both of the takeout orders by the door. There was a makeshift plastic window with a way to open and close another plastic piece to hand you the takeout order. She found mine and took it. I grabbed it and took it to the door. Then I noticed a big bottle of hand sanitizer and used that before I went. The Chinese food was good and was nice to have something different from a restaurant.
We took a walk around the neighborhood with the dog after dinner. It was still nice out with a cool breeze, but the sun was still pretty strong at the end of the day. Andrew kept running ahead, which was a good way to release some energy.
When we got back he watched a few Paw Patrol episodes before David read to him before he fell asleep.
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