Camp Adventures, Kitchen additions and (another) Chromebook acquisition

Camp Adventures- I went to camp! It was during the school day as part of a field trip. I was subbing for a teacher whose class was going. It was just a day trip so no spending the night, thank goodness (I would have declined the sub job had an overnight stay been part of the job...). The camp was only about a fifteen minute bus ride from the school so thankfully not a long sojourn but oh how odd to be riding in a school bus! I hadn't done that  since I rode the bus with Alyssa before she started kindergarten as part of a bus riding readiness activity. 

The camp was part of a program called Inspiring Adventures and it was organized by a man whom I know (of, not personally) because he was active at the church we used to attend. Since the program is a public school one, there was obviously no religious aspect of it. Rather, it focused on encouraging students to work together as a team and to also find personal resilience to complete challenging activities. It was such a great program and the fact that I was paid to get to zip line and take a ride on a swing was the icing on the cake. It was enjoyable to experience a fun day with the students. My group of students was really well behaved and enjoyed themselves at camp. It was nice to interact with the students outside of the classroom and make fun memories with them.

The camp was a pretty one with a river running through the back of it. You can just see a sliver of the river here. I didn't want to venture further towards it, lest it entice a student to go too close to it (water activities were not part of the field trip).

This was the top of the swing...

Starting to swing...

Swinging... I mentioned that I enjoyed the field trip. I did enjoy it, however, the swing did a number on my stomach. I didn't feel too great after going on it. At the risk of sounding overdramatic, I will add that I think I was slightly dehydrated by the end of the day with perchance a touch of heat exhaustion (the day was in the 80's and sunny). Fortunately, within a couple of hours of the swing ride, the school day was over and I could go home. Within five minutes of being home, I was lying supine in bed under the confines of my weighted blanket. I dozed on and off for the next hour and when I emerged out of bed, I felt much better. That was a relief because I had middle school youth group that night and I didn't want to have to miss it. 

Kitchen additions- We didn't add any space to the kitchen. Rather, we got some new things that are exciting (to me anyway!). We had been using the same stove pans and skillets from a set that we'd had for 23 years!! Back in the last century when Donnie and I were engaged, we registered for a set of pots and pans. We did not receive them as a wedding present; we purchased the set we registered for with money we received as a wedding gift. It was not a top of the line set and for the past five or six years, getting new pots and pans was on my radar but not high enough to do anything about it- there were always more pressing decisions to make/ things to buy and it isn't like we didn't have pots and pans to use. So, I kept putting the purchase of new ones off. Finally, decided to buy a new set and didn't spend too much time reading up on the subject and comparison shopping (I did some of both of those- just not not too much that it seemed onerous!). So far, I love the set that we got. 

For our inaugural usage of one of the pieces in the set, I made this recipe for queso. Turned out really good!

Jacob got me the cutest set of wooden utensils for Mother's Day

Chromebook acquisition- recently we bought our 7th Chromebook!! We are not collectors of them; school policy/ procedure have led to these purchases. Our school district uses Chromebooks and the attending Google array of programs for education. The district does not provide Chromebooks for students to take home. Every classroom in the district has some Chromebooks but they cannot be taken home. Parents have to purchase Chromebooks if they want their kids to have easy access to their Google school accounts outside of school. 

When Jacob and Abby were younger, the schools didn't use technology much until 6th grade so we decided to purchase our kids Chromebooks when they entered 6th grade (now the age/ grade is much younger but back then it was 6th grade).  Jacob's first Chromebook lasted him until some time in high school when it stopped working. We bought him another one which he used until college when we bought him a more robust laptop computer. Meanwhile, Abby got her Chromebook in 6th grade. It did not last much longer than Jacob's first Chromebook did so we had to buy her another one until she went to college and we bought her a laptop. When Alyssa started 6th grade, we didn't have a spare- neither Jacob nor Abby had started college yet. Alyssa pined to get a touchscreen Chromebook for her first Chromebook since touchscreen ones had recently come out. Alyssa has a way of getting what she wants due to the duo factors of her incredible persistent nature and being the youngest/ most spoiled. I was proud of myself for withstanding her pleas for a touchscreen Chromebook and just got her a regular Chromebook when she started 6th grade (I told her that since Jacob and Abby hadn't gotten touchscreen ones, we were not going to buy her one. What she didn't know (thank goodness!) is that touchscreen ones weren't available when Jacob and Abby were in 6th grade). 

Her birthday was a few months into the school year. Alyssa didn't ask for much for her birthday. I knew she still really wanted a touchscreen Chromebook so we decided to get her one for her birthday. She loved it- she finally had her touchscreen ;). That was Chromebook purchase number six for us and I was HOPING that would be it for us. Alas, it was not. Alyssa's Chromebook recently began to not connect to wi-fi. Donnie looked into it and it seemed there was likely a time consuming fix for it but it was late at night by the time he looked into and he told me (in the morning) that he just went ahead and ordered her a new touchscreen (of course!) Chromebook. I was fast asleep when the Chromebook purchasing happened. I would have reminded him that we have two, possibly three spare Chromebooks (albeit non touchscreen ones!) that Alyssa could have used for the next two years of high school. Oh well. Hopefully the seventh Chromebook purchase is IT for us...

Speaking of Chromebooks, I use one of the kids' old ones for most of my browsing. So while I do wish we'd purchased fewer of them over the years, I am getting something out of all of the purchases!

May your weekend be devoid of high swings (unless you are younger/ heartier than I am...) and purchasing your seventh Chromebook!