Social Distancing Weekend ???

I can barely remember what day it is let alone what weekend it is since we've been quarantine life. We started our weekend with our first "get together" in weeks with a six feet apart pizza party. On Saturday we headed to yet another new-to-us State Park, hiked a difficult trail (and was it ever difficult!), and took the time to get some projects done on Sunday. All around great weekend!

We chose Gateway Market for breakfast Saturday morning. It was a great quick and filling breakfast before we set out for Banner Lakes at Summerset State Park in Carlisle (just north of Indianola). We had planned to hike the entire loop of the Park, at over 5 miles long. I figured since we easily did over 6 miles last Sunday that we would have no issues doing a 5 miler. Turns out we had a lot of trouble! Those trails are hard, but so much fun! We'll definitely be back--with bug spray (I have soooo many mosquito bites because I didn't think I'd need it).

I knew the trails were difficult, but I was not prepared for the constant up and down along with lose dirt to navigate. The minis had a blast and claim this is their new favorite. There was a lot to see at the Park too. Within the first 15 minutes we encountered geese sitting on nests, frogs, snakes, and turtles. Elizabeth noted the "blue dirt." I didn't pay much attention to it, but on the last leg of our hike we couldn't ignore the blue ground, so we paused to look it up. Apparently the Park was once an old mine quarry, which explained the very loose dirty and rocks and the blueness to parts of the ground. 

Now the minis could have run down and climbed all of the dirt hills over and over again. They did it with ease until we hit mile 3. Then they were beat.

A break for water and snacks (for the minis--we were still digesting breakfast!).

The minis were "sooo hot" after our hike that they came home, put their swimming suits on, filled up a little pool, and played with the hose. Hubs went to the lumberyard for a project and Mom got a nap. A much needed nap and break. Saturday afternoon was pretty great for us all, for different reasons.

Cuddles on the couch before dinner and then a fort slumber party. There's some kind of party every weekend now!

Sunday was great. I woke up and watched CBS Sunday Morning and Face The Nation while talking to friends (sharing our political opinions on everything), took time to write, lesson planned for our school and daycare week, put together a grocery menu....all done in the peace of my office while everyone left me alone. Bliss.

Hubs weekend project was making a platform for the wooden playhouse before it's painting. We snagged the saw dust and spare wood blocks for our sensory bin for the week. 

These minis are so funny and so different than I was as a child. Their new weekly lessons for school are released on Sunday's. After breakfast, they hopped on to check out their school work. After dinner, they insisted on doing a "map quiz" to test how well they knew their states (and capitals). I guess learning takes place on the weekends now too. That is the one aspect of homeschool/freeschooling I enjoy. They are very eager to learn and want to incorporate learning into everything we do now. When they go to school they tend to want lots of free time while at home.

Elizabeth was still eating dinner when we began. She takes forever during meals!