A backpacking trip…

Last year the boys weren’t able to make it to their annual camping trip. So this year, the camp’s organization made it up by taking them to a backpacking trip! To Yosemite!!! How cool is that??!! Initially I didn’t want them to go because as Dai Bee’s heading off to college soon, I thought I would keep him for a few more days. ٩(｡•́‿•̀｡)۶ Dai Bee insisted since it was his last year joining this group, plus a backpacking, at Yosemite? When is that going to happen? I pondered for a little and agreed with him. This would be an once in a lifetime experience for sure and leave them with great memories. I can’t say ‘no’ to that. See you guys in 10 days and can’t wait to hear those interesting stories!

Thanks to Photoshop, I was able to clip them onto this beautiful background. Though I’m not there with them in person, I can totally imagine the great time they will have.

A moment – “chores”

A weekly ritual.

A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week.

A simple, special, extraordinary moment.

A moment I want to pause, savor and remember – {this moment}

A moment – “day in the park”

A weekly ritual.

A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week.

A simple, special, extraordinary moment.

A moment I want to pause, savor and remember – {this moment}

A moment – “on the trail…”

A weekly ritual.

A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week.

A simple, special, extraordinary moment.

A moment I want to pause, savor and remember – {this moment}

A moment – “brothers”

A weekly ritual.

A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week.

A simple, special, extraordinary moment.

A moment I want to pause, savor and remember – {this moment}

A shelter in place – week 10

Kinda crazy week as we start seeing some places are slowly opening. Some counties are loosening restrictions and traffic are apparently not as light as the previous weeks.

This week –

1. Not sure if I mentioned in my previous posts that Ah Lo has been selected as one of the speakers for his graduation. To avoid technical difficulties on the day of, speakers are asked to pre-record the speech. While he thought it would be done in a fly, it took him a little over an hour to record it. I’m just glad he submit it before the deadline and consider it to be over.
2. Dai Bee’s violin lesson via online. Teacher suggested him to buy a microphone for better sound. He spent his money for the purchase and has been using it for his lessons.
3. With the nice weather these days, I find the boys working out in the backyard with a laptop more often these days.
4. Our neighbors are nice enough to share their New York Times publication (when they’re done). I purposely leave them on the nook table so the kids have nothing to read but that. Oh, they’ll thank me later.
5. Another long overdue haircut…thanks Cousin D.
6. This week Dai Bee took his AP Music Theory.

A shelter in place – week 9

Wow, it’s still hard to believe this is 9 weeks in to SIP. Dai Bee said this is SIP is wearing him off too. He’s doing online classes, but he prefers to be in a class environment and be around people. This is someone who’s an introvert.

This week –

1. This is what people mean when they talk about passion. Music is his passion. He practices music whenever he gets a chance. During breaks, before classes, after classes, he’s either on piano or violin. There’s always music around the house which is always a big plus, especially during this time.
2. Weekend project, Mr. Piggy is working with the boys on another jumping box (see #5).
3. Another day we’re enjoying lunch outside.
4. I love the boys help out during their lunch breaks.
5. Ah Lo using his exercise equipment Dai Bee and Mr. Piggy built. He’s been on it every day.

This week –

1. Mr. Piggy gave up piano! SMH. I’m still taking my lessons and now learning a new piece. Every week there’s something new and it’s getting harder. I’m hanging on to it and still practicing diligently.
2. This week Dai Bee gave his first Algebra test to his students. He said it’s more of a test for him to see how well he did as a teacher. Hope his students don’t disappoint him.

A week in shelter – week 7

Structure has always been important in our household, especially so during these challenging strange times. So my boys grew up with structure which makes it easier for me where they do their own things.

This week –

1. Dai Bee continues to tutor Ah Lo and his cousins Algebra two days a week. This is helpful especially middle school kids are not learning much these days. Schools/teachers are asked to work on the students’ well-being and shouldn’t be concerned about academics.
2.  Our weekly private 30-minute lessons still going on strong. I’ve been diligently practicing every night, no matter how tired I was. Mr. Piggy, on the other hand, needs in the practice!
3. Ah Lo tried the sewing for the first time today. He was intrigued with the tiny little sewing machine I was using for the masks. He lost interest pretty quick. LOL.
4. – 6. Boys were working on a project to build a jumping apparatus, supposedly to increase the strength and muscle tone. This jumping exercise helps builds both upper body and lower body strength, which was great for Ah Lo.

A shelter in place – week 4…

The week is going by slowly, but the days are zooming by…or is it the other way around? I find that I have to get up earlier each day to squeeze all my goals in. I’ve been reaching my daily 10k steps more so now than before, just to make sure I stay active. I also want to find the time to review what I learned (Spanish) in the half hour when I’m on the treadmill. Not to mention the 15-20 minutes of piano practice time.

This week – boys are getting the hang of their schedules now.

1. Ah Lo successfully built his own Minecraft server. He’s been reading up/googling and finally got the router to work so he can host the game. I think deep down, he feels good to have this control of power – when to turn on and off the server.
2. This is our 2nd week taking piano lessons from Dai Bee. He’s such a wonderful teacher and we’re learning at a snail pace…
3. When he has some free time, he helps prep lunches. Here he is making mac and cheese in the instant pot.
4. Seems like Dai Bee is busier now, he has piano and violin, for his school, and his private lesson. On top of that, his violin teacher hosts a group gig every week just to make sure the kids practice.
5. Ah Lo’s basketball team – coaching through zoom. I’m glad he’s getting some guided instructions on basketball skills.
6. One of Ah Lo’s chores – stacking dishwasher, a skill I’ve yet to learn. LOL
7. Every night, 5 nights a week, the boys work on strengthening.
8. and 9. Dai Bee is hosting an Algebra class two days starting this week. He wanted Ah Lo to prepare for high school math. Since Ah Lo’s class isn’t get much instructional time these days, Dai Bee volunteered to be his tutor. I thought to include their cousins in the class, who are also on the same boat. So he’s teaching 4 people via zoom.

A shelter in place – week 2

Week 2 came and went, so was the novice of the shelter in place. We’re still getting the hang of it. Dai Bee has a full day of school online this week, while Ah Lo’s schedule is more fluid. Some days, he would still spend hours on assignments and some days he would be done half an hour or so. Luckily I have all these suggestions he can do…

This week –

1. This is the new norm now – online learning. If not Khan Academy, he would watch videos and hopefully learn a thing or two.
2. This week I suggested to have the boys zoom with their cousins. Everyone seems to be excited and looks forward to the time. It’s a fun way to connect with each other. Dai Bee normally asks his cousins how their day went and share any exciting news.
3. Reading is part of the day.
4. Besides academics, Ah Lo can choose something he enjoys as an elective class. He likes sketching.
5. Daily exercising for the boys.
6. This week, we celebrated Ah Lo’s birthday virtually. Baked him a cake, and it was the first time we ate the entire cake.
7. Dai Bee, during his school break, is practicing piano.
8. Mr. Piggy has been cleaning up, and finally decided to throw away some of his homework (yes, the ones he kept for over 40 years!). He found some old worksheets cross word puzzle, word searches) and that kept Ah Lo busy for half hour or so.
9. This is an ongoing project Mr. Piggy and the boys are working on. Mr. Piggy spent an afternoon dissecting and old computer. The boys are assembling it and will have use for it, sometime next week.