Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Baking project of the week.....

Office Improvements

Bigger screens that face the dining room door, so they can't hide what they are working on (or not working on!!).

Diligent Students?

Or sneaking YouTube??  Hmmm.... I wonder.....

Thanks, Nan!

Awesome PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) from Nan!

And a new journal and pens.  Maybe she'll actually start journaling with me now.   :-)

Weekend Project

Sean and Aiden built a scooter this weekend.

Zooming the West Coast Family

So grateful for the technology that helps us stay connected.

Baking.... Again

Cream cheese brownies this week.  Oh dear....my waistline.....

He's Getting Good at This

I think I'll hire him permanently!

Quiet Quarantined Easter Sunday

Hope the Easter Bunny wore a N95 Mask in this house.....

German pancakes for breakfast.  Yum!

We're not usually home for Easter, so I don't really have any Easter decorations.  Bree to the rescue!

Family Easter gathering via Zoom.  COVID-19 can't stop our family from socializing!

Ham dinner.  I bought the only ham left at Whole Foods earlier in the week.  It was 12 pounds.  We'll be eating leftover ham for AWHILE!  😂

Turns out I can bake a decent pie after all!  Not only did it look good this time, but it was DELICIOUS!

Capping off Easter Sunday with a fire in the pit.

Big Birthday in the Neighborhood

One of our neighbors the next street over turned 80 day.  Although we don't even know her, we joined the rest of the crew in trying to make her day special.

Socially distant birthday singing. :-)

Easter Prep

Safety First!

Thanks for the awesome face mask, Donna!  Now I'll feel safer at the grocery store.  💕

Yep - We're Baking Again

Not happy to get her picture taken with the peanut butter cookies.

Turtles

Aiden and I went on a photography expedition today on the Stone Arch Bridge trail to do some work on one of his merit badges.  As we were leaving, we encountered many turtles sunbathing on fallen logs, including many babies.  Most of them jumped in the water when they heard us approach, but Aiden managed to capture a couple pretty cool images.  

Puzzling

This little bugger snatched the last piece of the jig saw puzzle that I mostly did on my own, so he could be the one to finish it.  Maybe he'll help more with the next one....

Social Distancing

Took a family bike ride on the Bruce Freeman Trail today, which crosses very near to the home of Bree's dear friend, Natalie, who she hasn't seen in several weeks.  We made arrangements for the girls to meet up for a few minutes to say hello -- at a safe social distance.  

Hard times for huggy friends.  :-(

Exploring

Did some exploring on our own side of town today.  There's a trail from Beaver Brook Estates that supposedly ends up near the Robifulli Trail.  I think we made a wrong turn somewhere, and ended up in a neighborhood off of Concord Road, but it was all good.  It was fun to get out with the family and enjoy the spring air.

Honking geese.

Quarantine 15

You've heard of the Freshman 15, right?  Well, we're all going to be putting on the Quarantine 15 if we keep baking every week.  Today we made some delectable chocolate mint cookies -- recipe courtesy of my friend, Ann.  They have melted Andes Candies swirled on top.  Sooooo yummy!!!

Toilet Paper Math

Sean's cousin, Kathleen, is a math teacher in Oregon.  She shared the following math problem that she created to help engage in kids in some fun at-home learning.  

Toilet Paper Math Challenge

There has been much talk during the COVID-19 outbreak about grocery stores running out of toilet paper.  For some reason, this is one commodity that people feel the need to hoard. In this project, you will consider the amount of toilet paper your family currently has on hand at your house.  Assume that you will be unable to purchase any more toilet paper before the stay-at-home order is lifted (this is not actually likely, as many stores are now limiting how much of high-demand items like toilet paper that each customer can buy).

The Question: Based on the amount you have in your home right now, how long will your toilet paper supply last?  Make an estimate before you begin: __________________________________________

Now, do some calculations to get a better sense of how long your supplies will last.  Things to consider:

• How many rolls of toilet paper do you have throughout your house right now?
• How many sheets (squares) per roll?
• How many people live in your house?  (We are assuming that you are practicing social distancing and not inviting anyone into your home for the duration of the stay-at-home order.)
• For each person in your household… (you may have to interview each person)
• How many toilet visits per day?
• How many wipes per visit?
• How many sheets (square) per wipe?
• Does anyone in your household use toilet paper for any other purposes?  If so, how much, how often, etc.?

Write or type up a report that explains your findings and shows all the calculations and considerations you made in order to determine how long your toilet paper supply will last.  Be sure to tell what your initial estimate was as well.

Aiden's response was, "I'm doing it right now!!!!".  

Bree's response was "I'm NOT doing it!", as she reached for a book.  Typical.

BTW - Aiden's initial calculation was 54 days.  I think he's way overestimated how long our supply will last.  We'll see how close he is in 54 days (or less!!).