Berger Cookies, skating through virtual schooling, and more (7 Quick Takes)

~1. Sugar and spice but not pasta~

I’ve been trying to order groceries once a week. As I’m getting ready to place an order, I ask everyone in the household what they want. Our younger son has been asking for Berger Cookies, so this week I added those to the list.

When the order came, I was happy to see our shopper had been able to get toilet paper because we were down to our last few rolls. But I realized I had forgotten to order pasta, Parmesan cheese, or enough milk to make it through the week.

Oh, well. At least we have Berger cookies. And, if you don’t know about Berger Cookies, that might be just as well because I am not sure anyone should keep them on hand while spending so much time at home. But it also probably means you’re not from Baltimore. They are a rare and delectable treat.

~2. Skating through school~

Virtual schooling is going well overall, but there are moments where everything seems to be happening at once. Yesterday I realized it was going to be a hectic day when I saw that the students in my home were wearing roller skates to class.

I don’t mind roller skating during class if you’re listening to your teacher and participating. But what I discovered is that it can be difficult to focus on your own classes when your brother is roller skating—or doing other activities—across the room.

The other day I heard myself say, “You can practice trumpet in any room except the one where your brother is in his Chinese class.”

We’ll get this down eventually.

~3. When virtual is easier~

One of the best parts of virtual instruction is that the back to school nights are virtual, too. Parents don’t have to scramble to serve people dinner and find a sitter and then sit in a hot, crowded gym. You can eat dinner yourself during back to school night while watching the presentations.

I will be happy when life goes back to normal, but I wouldn’t mind if back to school night stayed virtual.

~4. When mom doesn’t help~

I’m so in awe of our sons’ teachers. They have to keep our children’s attention, and then they have to deal with the parents and their thousands of questions too. Yesterday, a teacher asked my son a question about something he had turned in, and he was explaining that it was his work alone. “My mom couldn’t help me because she is having a crisis at work.”

I felt a pang of guilt and shrugged it off. Then I felt a little proud that he was speaking up and advocating for himself. Then, best of all, the teacher said he could actually handle it without mom’s help. So, I learned something from fifth grade this week.

And I love this monochromatic self-portrait my son drew for art class.

~5. Lentil soup~

I made this red lentil soup recipe my husband found, and it was easy, fairly quick, and delicious. Lentils always remind me of the time during my childhood when we ate lots of vegetarian meals.

At one point, my mother made lentil burgers, which I didn’t like at all, and at another, she prepared what seemed to be a bottomless pot of lentil chili. My mother is an excellent cook who makes many delicious meals, but after that I felt I would be fine never meeting a lentil again.

This soup, though, was quite good and very flavorful. Maybe I like red lentils but not brown ones.

~6. Slugs, slugs everwhere~

Where do all the slugs come from? We seem to have slugs everywhere. They’re in the yard, on the sidewalk, on the driveway, and even climbing the walls.

I wonder how many slugs made their way onto Noah’s Ark. We were talking the other day about how there must have been more than two mosquitoes sneaking onto the ark because some days mosquitoes seem to be everywhere.

~7. When ideas bubble up~

The other night I sent the boys to brush their teeth. When I went to check to see if teeth were getting clean, I found one of our sons was making enormous soap bubbles.

I found myself thinking that creativity often comes at times that are already full of activity. Bedtime is one of those times, when children’s minds are overflowing with questions and ideas.

That’s why I love that Laura Fanucci is launching an Instagram account called @Create.in.the.Chaos. The truth is that most of us don’t have the time or space to be creative in peaceful, restful seclusion. We just throw ourselves into creative projects in the midst of the messiness of life. If you’re interested, go find @Create.in.the.Chaos. I’ll see you there.

Read more quick takes at Kelly’s blog, This Ain’t the Lyceum, and have a wonderful weekend!

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