In the past week the weather has finally turned cool enough that we need to wear a sweater in the morning while outside waiting for the bus. One day it was summery and the next the kids were out there in shorts and shivering! Now every morning is a sweater day. The bus comes just before 8am so it’s still at the coolest time of day before the sun has come all the way up and warmed the world. We don’t need heavy sweatshirts yet, but at least a hoodie keeps the crisp chill off enough to not have to…
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Kids and cats have a lot of things in common, and one constant is that they all LOVE to get in boxes. It doesn’t matter what size the box is or if they have to destroy it to make themselves fit – a box is an item of joy for kids and cats. We frequently get deliveries because, hello, online shopping is cheaper, faster, more convenient and less likely to catch you a contagious disease. We were always an online shopping family, the only thing we don’t buy online is groceries, and that’s just because only one supermarket delivers here…
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I don’t know what is going on with Ariana’s shirt, I think it is a sparkly panda donut made out of sequins, but I love it and so does she! As usual, she picked out her own outfit for school and luckily it’s a bit warmer today, but we still put on sweaters. Pretty soon the only way she’ll be able to wear her cute t-shirts is by layering them over a long sleeve. I’ve already gotten them each a set of thermals, which Ariana has already stole from Tookie, and I think getting a few more will be a…
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After having a cough and missing a week of school, it was picture day last Thursday and Ariana swore she was feeling better… so I let her go to school. Little did I know she still had a cough and was sent immediately home and told she couldn’t return until she had a negative COVID test or waited 10 days. Since she still had her cough through the weekend and on Monday morning, we waited to get her tested and just let her relax at home for over a week of school. Better safe than sorry, though other than the…
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The weather these past two days have finally, and unfortunately, turned to fall. The weather in the mornings is cool enough that sweaters are needed, and long sleeves as well. It is bittersweet, as fall is often my favorite season, but summer is a time of warmth and happiness that we would rather not have end just yet. Even down here in Long Island, where the weather stays warmer longer, it seems summer has finally slipped us by. Yesterday we didn’t have proper sweaters and spent the morning wait for the school bus huddled together for warmth, but today Alistair…
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Today is Picture Day at school and the kids chose extra cute outfits to wear for the occasion. Tookie was rocking a grey and black hoodie and Ariana had a sweet pink ensemble to match her backpack. They were both very excited and luckily both had their pictures taken in the early morning, because unfortunately Ariana got sent home sick! She has had a cough all week and has missed three days already, and did a good job of hiding her cough from me this morning but her teacher wasn’t fooled and sent her to the nurse. Now she has…
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Our cats have a pretty consistent schedule, they like to sleep in the same spots at certain times of the day. In the sunniest part of the day Hanzo is always on his window seat and Ahsoka is either sunning herself in front of a porch window or hiding in the highest hole she can find. Then, in the late afternoon they both disappear, because that’s the witching hour when the kids are at their craziest. Like clockwork, after dinner they come out looking for food and pets, though. Usually they are underfoot when I’m trying to cook or do…
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Alistair and Arthas were being cute and cozy on the sofa today and I just had to memorialize it with some photos. Arthas hardly ever sits still, and Alistair only does when he is gaming. Here they are being nice and snuggly together on a rainy afternoon. I thought it was extra cute how Arthas was getting cozy while Alistair enjoyed some video game time on the sofa. Alistair is usually a sweet big brother, helping out Arthas and showing him what toys are fun to play with, but given the choice he’d rather game than play with toys usually.…
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Welcome to a video montage of our old-fashioned driveway on a sunny early autumn afternoon! Have a look around at the view from the road and the beautiful old trees and natural scenery on rural Long Island, New York. Light midday traffic noises accompany a soft breeze through tree branches and birdsong. I hope you enjoyed this little peek of our life at Howell Home, this was a beautiful afternoon that I had some time to spare while waiting for the kids to come home on the bus. It still feels like summer time in September down here, and everything…
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September has finally arrived and so has the first day of school for 2021! It’s an exciting year because it’s the first year of Kindergarten for Ariana, it’s the first full year of in-person school for Alistair, and it’s the first time in almost two years that Arin will be attending in-person, and his first year of high school! Lots of excitement around our house today. Arin is the first one off to catch the school bus because the high school of course starts first. Our town is very small so there is no middle school, just an elementary which…
