Happy Friday from Jackson Hole, Wyoming! We arrived Wednesday afternoon to a snowy wonderland. We completed our first day of skiing yesterday and I’m so impressed at how well the kids did, with the skiing, handling the cold, and with the energy they kept up the entire day. Every year seems to get a little bit easier to travel as a family, as the kids can just hang more easily. Soon enough, they’ll be skiing circles around David and me. Crazy!

I can’t wait to share it all with you (I’m sharing stories on IG), put first, a few other things I wanted to share with you as we head into the weekend…

Gather Round Chemistry

We finished the chemistry unit and it was such a fun one! Touching on everything from fermentation to weather, the kids and I all enjoyed and recommend this unit study. We stopped doing the notebook portion about halfway through. For my kids, it felt like busy work and that they weren’t absorbing much of it, so when we get back from Jackson, we are going to bring back IEW and Fix it Grammar for Hailey and either The Good and The Beautiful or First Language Lessons for Kaitlyn.

Speaking of, I really enjoyed this podcast episode on balancing interest-led and need-based homeschooling. It’s something I feel I’m always fluctuating between and it’s nice to hear how common it is and how it’s different for every family. It was inspiring and encouraging for me!

Travel Favorites

I feel like I just learned how to pack like an adult in the past year or two. I got away with using gallon ziplocks for the longest time, but now that I have compression packing cubes and legit toiletry bag (that my travel mirror fits perfectly inside), I can’t go back. Packing cubes are so helpful in keeping items neat and organized, but I feel like they are a must when packing for a cold weather trip because sweaters and ski gear are so bulky!

I also started packing my magic makeup remover cloth instead of makeup remover because it’s one less liquid to pack. Highly recommend.

Recent Reads

The girls and I just finished both The Penderwicks (such a sweet, innocent childhood tale!), and Ms. Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (more twisted!). We enjoyed both very much, though I fully admit I did not do my research of the Peculiar Children book and was surprised by both some light language and mild gore. We filled out our read aloud journal and then watched the movie. Pointing out the differences between a book and movie never gets old to the kids. The ending of Ms. Peregrine movie went wayyy rogue from the ending of the book!

I just finished Lilac Girls, which as a fan of the WWII time period, was right up my alley. I appreciated the three differing perspectives, an American woman, a Polish woman, and a German woman. The story line was captivating, though heartbreaking at times. I’ve downloaded The Rose Code through Hoopla for my next read.

Tanning Drops

These drops turn any moisturizer into a self tanning solution. I bought these over a year ago and never really used it. However, about a week ago I was looking in the mirror just feeling blah. I saw them in my drawer, added a few drops to my nighttime moisturizer and woke up with a glow! I now use them every three-ish days and it makes me more likely to go makeup free.

Skipping Costco

I’m not going to speak too soon, but watching my grocery spending this month has been really interesting. I’ve done most of my weekly hauls at Whole Foods and using Publix and Food Lion to fill some gaps. My total right now is DRASTICALLY lower than usual.

Now, upon return I will need to some restocking (we did a good job eating the fridge and pantry before leaving for our trip) and I have another Butcher Box (they are currently offering free nuggets for a year!) order lined up for the end of the month, but I am really curious what the total ends up being. I don’t think I’d drop Costco altogether as we get gas a items for the rental properties there, but perhaps limiting the number of times I visit will make more of an impact than I would have guessed.

Xlear

Maybe I’m tardy to the party on this one, but last week when David was battling some congestion, Mia recommended I try Xlear, a xylitol saline spray. I am already a fan of rinsing sinuses with saline spray or a neti pot, so this made sense. Supposedly the addition of xylitol makes it not only a good rinse, but an effective antibacterial as well. I found this Rescue Xlear version and GOODNESS does it work! It feels fresh and powerful and cleared me right up. David said it felt like he was shoving a pizza up his nose (oregano is quite potent), but it gets the job done!

That was a lot for a Friday, but I keep a list in my notes section of things I want to remember to tell you about and had accumulated quite a few. I hope you have a great weekend; thanks so much for stopping by today!