Remote Learning, Reading, and Rediscovery

Happy Friday, friends! Summer is over, school is back, and it’s time to get back into a routine.

What am I thinking about? 

It is back to school season- obviously not like any other back to school we’ve ever had before, but back to school anyway. My daughter is starting fully virtual until October 12th, and then (maybe?) transitioning into a hybrid model until further notice. She definitely misses physically going to school and is bummed to be staying home, but she understands why the district chose this way. She IS excited about doing her schoolwork in her room. The school has provided her with a chrome book, and I bought her a dry erase board and cork board to help keep her organized.

She’ll be on her own doing her classwork as we all have to go back to work. Luckily (for now) my sister is working from home and can at least be the adult in the house in case something happens. I have no doubt that Kayla will do great on her own as she is very disciplined when it comes to school. Secretly, I think she enjoys having the independence of doing it on her own, but she knows that if she doesn’t perform to the best of her abilities, we’ll have to come up with another option (which she won’t like) to ensure her work gets done. 

So for now, I’m still lowering my expectations for a bit to see how this transition goes, and hoping for the best while keeping us all safe and healthy.

What am I working on?

What AREN’T I working on should be the real question! 

My Website: I’m finally working through a course I bought a few months ago, Makers Tech University, created by Roben-Marie Smith. It’s AMAZING, guys. Literally, step-by-step instructions for everything from creating a Squarespace website to keeping your social media up to date. Slowly but surely, I’m making my way to each of the lessons, and it’s been so cool to see my website improve!

My Style: This is the hardest thing I am working on right now. I’m just experimenting, experimenting, experimenting. I’m working on figuring this crap out so I can feel more confident about my work. I’m using old notebooks and small Moleskine sketchbooks for now, but know I need to work on better paper in order to get the real feel of what the paint and ink will do.

My “Studio”: I’m still afraid to call it a studio! I call it the “craft room” because the kids do crafts in there! I’m moving things out of here, putting them there, so I can put other things in its spot. I’m repurposing things in new ways, and buying new things to organize. Definitely purging- donating/trashing what I can to make it an inspiring place to work.

My Little Free Library: We got a LFL, guys! I love it so much- we’ve picked the colors and the girls drew flowers that they want to incorporate on it as well. We’re calling it The Pretty Peach Library, and it’s even got its own IG page: @prettypeachlibrary. Follow along if you want! The goal is to get it up and running by the end of September, so I’ll keep you updated.

My Keychains: I found a new way to make the keychains I was making last December, and I’m IN LOVE! Ink and resin are my BFFs for these, and I can’t wait to get them finished and posted on my website (!!!) for sale!

What am I reading?

Since I’ve been home a lot over the past six months, I’ve been doing SO MUCH READING and it’s been so good. I’m reading more BIPOC books that I ever have before, and my daughter has been doing the same for her summer reading.

I just finished reading Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime- wow. To hear all the things a person can go through in one lifetime and see how they came out on the other end; it’s just incredible. I heard he reads the audiobook version, and I think I need to get it just to hear him read it in his accent <3.

 Here are some other books I’ve read this summer as well. If you are interested, I encourage you to purchase your books from an independent bookstore rather that Amazon or Target. They would love our support - click here to find one near you.

My daughter also read a TON of books this summer- I was really proud of how many books she read! Most of these books she chose based on recommendations from her school. Others I picked for her to read. We have a rule in the summer. First, she can read a book she wants to read, but next she has to read a book that I choose for her. This lets her be in control of what she gets to read while also letting me slip in books to challenge her. Here is what she read this summer:

I hope you all have an amazing weekend! Please remember- the election is less than two months away! If you haven’t registered, THERE IS STILL TIME! Please do what you can to get your vote counted. It is SO important.