I apologize for it being quiet over here at GC&M lately; our family has been adjusting to a new school schedule. Yes, we've been doing school since early August, but a lot of our programs and extracurricular activities begin after Labor Day, and it can get a little crazy! I'm delighted to report that all the "helps" I've enlisted this year are turning out beautifully. Logan is enjoying preschool, and I received an email from his teacher a couple of nights ago saying that Logan's off to a great start at school, and he always has a smile on his face. I've also put my name in the running to chaperone his upcoming field trip to the apple orchard. Would you believe I've never been apple picking? Fingers crossed I get to go! I'm also really pleased with Shane's online Latin class. I observed his first class and was a bit skeptical at first, but I've noticed that the content has gotten "meatier," and I love that Shane's working on Latin for more than 2.5 hours/week (vs. the 1/2 hour-ish we were doing last year). He enjoys the class and participates frequently. (Conner and I have to crawl on the floor Mission Impossible-style to avoid being on the webcam, which is all kinds of fun!) When the stars align (AKA Shane is doing his online Latin class, Logan is at preschool, and Theo is napping), I am able to work one-on-one with Conner, who is still very reliant on me for his schoolwork. Our mornings are so much calmer, more productive, and restful.

Besides our new school routine, I've got some other favorites I'd like to share with you! Here they are, in no particular order.

{1} Walmart's Grocery Pick Up Service

I posted here about Woodman's grocery pick-up service. Now that I've tried Walmart's version, I have to report that Walmart's pick-up service is superior. Walmart's minimum order is only $30, there is NO SERVICE FEE, and the in-store prices are the SAME as the online prices. Pick-up was a breeze, and the attendants were super-helpful and friendly. (We had actually placed a separate order for pick-up, and they had noticed this and added it to our grocery order, so we didn't have to make an extra trip into the store.) The attendants noticed Logan was in the van and gave him a sucker (they asked us first if it was OK) and a little Thomas the Tank Engine toy. We also received a bag full of coupons and GOOD samples (e.g., overnight oats, Starbucks Refreshers, Spiderman Spaghettios, etc.). I was very pleased with the produce I received as well. Friends, I have a new grocery routine, and it's centered around Walmart's grocery pick up service. To try it for yourself, click here, and we'll both get $10 off!

{2} Collagen Peptides

I first became aware of the benefits of collagen supplements when I was researching the Trim Healthy Mama eating plan (something I want to get back into). Some of the females in my family have struggled with arthritis as they have aged, so I am taking some preventative measures in hopes of avoiding it, at least to some extent. I recently discovered this collagen powder, and I've been stirring it into my morning coffee for the last week or so. (It also works great in tea or smoothies.) It dissolves beautifully, and I can't taste it at all. Even though my primary motivation is to curtail the onset of arthritis, an added bonus is that it should also increase the elasticity of my skin, which means a reduction in sagging skin and wrinkles.

{3} The Perfect Tee

A little backstory. I mentioned here that my "momiform" consists of t-shirts and yoga pants. Several years ago, I thought I hit the jackpot when I discovered Forever 21's less-than-$4-t-shirts. I mean, at $3.90, you couldn't beat the price. I liked the v-neck (not too deep and not too matronly), and the length was decent too. They were a little clingier than I would like, but did I mention that they were $3.90? I have an entire drawer devoted to these t-shirts (folded Kon-Mari style for maximum space-efficiency), and I have to tell you... I never wear them. It's one of those you-get-what-you-pay-for kind of things. They may last a season, but they shrink like crazy (both in width and length), and several of the hemlines are crooked. By the end of one season, they look like all kinds of frump. This week, I was wearing a t-shirt I purchased from Nordstrom, and I noticed that I loved everything about it: the thickness, the fit, the quality (of both fabric and construction), the length, and the v-neck. I looked it up online and thought, Surely I did not pay this much for a t-shirt, but I checked my inbox and, sure enough, I did! (I did some late-night shopping while nursing Theodorbs in his very early days, so I'm guessing I was shopping half-asleep again. Do not attempt this, people!) But! Thankfully, I have a clothing budget, so I can spend this money without guilt. My clothing budget is gone for the year (surprise, surprise), but I think I will pick up another one or two of these next year when my budget gets reinstated. (Hopefully, I can get them for a better price!) I'd rather have a drawer with a few t-shirts that I love and feel good in than a drawer stuffed with cheap tees I never wear.

{4} A New Podcast

I mentioned in this post how much I enjoyed Chasing Slow by Erin Loechner, so I did a Google search to find out where else I could find Erin. Besides having her own blog at Design for Mankind, I found that she also co-hosted a podcast called The Simple Show. It took me a few episodes to decide whether I liked this podcast (the primary host Tsh Oxenreider [no, that's not a typo] speaks rapidly and has a voice that almost sounds "too cool," if you know what I mean), but I concluded that I really like Tsh and her show overall, and I look forward to new episodes each Tuesday. Tsh is fascinating (she, her husband, and their three kids under the age of 10 traveled the world for 9 months), and I love her and her cohosts' focus on essentialism and minimalism. The only episode I wasn't crazy about was episode 87, "When to Quit." I'm considering quitting a few things in my life that have become burdensome, so I thought this episode might be helpful; however, it was very specific to the woman whom Tsh was interviewing, and I didn't glean much from it. My favorite episodes are 89 "What (& How) to Watch Stuff," 90 "Eating Locally," and 91 "Kids' Education," which leads me to my next favorite...

{5} Classical Conversations' Essentials Program

{Warning: If you're not into homeschooling or Classical Conversations, skip on down to the bottom of this post.}

Now that Shane's in fourth grade, he and I have begun sticking around at CC on Tuesdays afternoons for the Essentials program, and I love it. I'm one of those weird people who thinks English grammar is fun, so I'm a big fan of how our Essentials community day is bookended by English grammar and writing. (Shane particularly enjoys the Math drills in the middle.) I am very grateful that he and I did three years of First Language Lessons prior to the program; there's so much to learn about Essentials, that it's nice to have our feet on solid ground in this area. Shane's even able to do a bit more advanced work than he otherwise might; for example, it is recommended that first-year students only do tasks 1-3 on the Analytical Task Sheet, but Shane is comfortable with diagramming sentences, so he gets to do tasks 1-4 right off the bat. (In fact, he went ahead and did task #5 as well, telling me, "This is easy! I can do this, Mom!") It's also fun seeing him blossom as a writer. He and I are enjoying choosing strong verbs and dressing up his writing with -ly adverbs and "who/which clauses." Today, I only asked Shane to write a rough draft of his Story Sequence paragraphs, but he wanted to type it as well, and then was begging me to sit down with him so we could edit and polish it together. (That's about three days worth of Writing in one day.) I also love seeing how Shane's Foundations memory work is flowing into Essentials, which will then flow into the Challenge program. It also doesn't hurt that Shane's got a fantastic Essentials tutor! (Shout out to Melissa, who is very patient with my millions of questions!)

Another favorite: the fact that it's Friday. What have you been loving lately?