The May Days Round Up

May was teeming with new life, home projects, garden projects, cyber schooling, birthdays (Chelsea celebrated her 30th!), Mother’s Day and lots of terrific solar days around here! So much so, I see why I tend to steer clear of taking on personal creative projects during this busy month. It all came together though, in the end, and I’m glad I pushed myself to complete it. When I look back on these images I’ll always remember this quarantined May with fond, happy memories. Take a photo walk with me through this time warp of May Days 2020:

1:31 Entry

2:31 Flutter (and) 7:31 Broken

3:31 Blues

4:31 Four

5:31 Sunshine

6:31 Eyes

8:31 Song (and) 11:31 Green

9:31 Twinkle

10:31 Love

12:31 Symmetry

13:31 White

15:31 Bicycle

14:31 Glass (and) 18:31 Pink

16:31 Nourish

17:31 Rest

19:31 Flow

20:31 Letter

21:31 Smile

23:31 Water

22:31 Fire

24:31 Berry

25:31 Wonder

26:31 Write

27:31 Heat

28:31 Light

29:31 Blur

30:31 Chill

31:31 Circle

How was your May? If you followed or used the prompts, how’d it go? I’d love to hear from you!

Continue to take great care and be well, friend. Wishing you a healthful, happy June!

P.s. I’ve been meaning to update you on our solar panels. I miscalculated the kWh rate by a large margin! Whoa, how I wish it had been true in this post, however, it was way over-inflated. We have received a great reduction overall in our energy costs. That’s the goal! If you ever want to talk to me about going ‘solar’ I’m glad to!

The Hive's Summer Bucket List

June is upon us, my friends! That means Summer Break !! Normally, we’d be making all sorts of fun plans to visit museums, the beach, our local library, B&N for books and café treats, day trips with friends, evenings at Longwood Gardens, festivals and, The Hive’s Summer Camp for Girls, however, these are not normal times we are living through. I am sad to announce that our summer camp for girls will be closed this year. I was eagerly looking forward to hosting a 7-week program, then reduced to a 4-week program filled with art and theater and friendship, reconnecting with the girls of summer, and now we have decided to cancel this year’s program altogether. My hope is that by taking these necessary precautions, further flattening the virus’ curve, keeping everyone safe and close to home, that the kids will be able to get back to school in the fall. When I weigh it all out, it just makes sense. As I tell the girls, “Safety first,” this continues to be our mantra.

But Wait, don’t go! We wouldn’t leave you without some ideas to keep the kids engaged and having fun this summer!! The girls and I came up with a Summer of 2020 Bucket List Challenge. We’ll be meeting this challenging summer of staycation by checking off our bucket list of things to do. We invite you to join us! Feel welcome to download the graphic to keep, print out and/or share with your family and friends. We’re all in this together! We’ll prevail and have a stronger sense of gratitude for the greatest gift - the health and well-being of our family and friends.

Check out the list:

The Hive’s Summer of 2020 Bucket List Challenge is available for download to keep and share.
Please use the hashtag #Summer2020BucketChallenge if you’d like to share your journey with us this summer. We’d love to follow along with you!

Links to inspire you:

Evie’s Online Baking Camp [this is my friend’s 15y/o granddaughter]

STUDIO GHIBLI Museum in Mitaka Japan virtual tour [We loved this!]

20 Virtual Field Trips to Take with your kids [Museums, Zoos and Aquariums]

52 Journal Prompts for Kids on Self Esteem & Confidence [to get them journaling]

Virtual Field Trips All Around the Globe [So many great resources within!]

Perseid Meteor Shower [Mark your calendar for August 11, 12 and 13]

The best park in SE Pennsylvania to fly a kite: Valley Forge National Historical Park

95 Awesome Biographies for Kids [Looks like a great list to get us started]

Even more biographies to choose from at Goodreads

Explore a new LANGUAGE [try this site to get you started]

Easy Cooking Recipes for Kids to Make on their own [ thumbs up! ]

If backyard camping is not a possibility for you, try pitching a tent or making a blanket fort in your living room or other living space that has potential to host the kids’ camping experience. It’s guaranteed to be a memory maker for all time!

We hope you’ll join us this summer and meet this bucket list challenge. What other ideas can we come up with? What did we miss? We’re thinking of our Hive members and all the kiddos that are soon to begin their summer break. It’s going to be a summer to remember!! Make it great, even if it’s not what we had anticipated. There’s much potential ahead of us!! Onward, friends!! (: Happy Summer Break to you!

A Sunday Walk in the 'Hood

It’s day 40 of Quarantine 2020. It’s also Earth Week leading up to the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on Wednesday. We have been out walking in our neighborhood a whole lot more recently, using it as our P.E. class for the girls and myself. This past Sunday we decided to glove up and take along trash bags to pick up the random trash that finds its way to the side of the road.

Well, to be fair, I supervised and pointed, “Trash!” whenever I would see it and then go about making photos of my cute family collecting and cleaning up the neighborhood or a wildflower or the green fields or a neighbor’s American flags, or a duck crossing sign, etc. One must do what one must do, after all.

We’ve tried to make this clean-up-the-hood an annual tradition - right around the same time of year, and Earth Day. Most years I am also picking up the trash and cleaning up our ‘hood. It’s a feel-good exercise and another way to honor the Earth and our fellow inhabitants, wouldn't you say? We do live in a pretty area and it’s nice to slow down every so often to take in the natural beauty that we’re fortunate to enjoy. How we love our home planet. As they say, there’s no planet B.

At one point on our three-mile walk, we saw a neighbor out riding his lawn tractor, cutting his grass along the side of the road. He took notice to what we were doing, and the heavy sack of trash my husband was carrying. We said “hello!” to one another over the tractor’s motor and he said, “You can leave the trash at the end of my driveway, at the corner.” We thanked him and went about picking up more finds. He then turned around and drove his tractor up his long driveway and just as we were passing, he came back down with not one but two more trash bags to hand off to us and he took our full bag to dispose. That was such a thoughtful act and we couldn’t help but smile big and thank him profusely! Thanks again, neighbor!! (:

Back at home, I snapped off some photos of the blooming Crabapple tree and the azaleas in full bloom. My girl, Alanna said “there’s so much color in our yard.” It’s spring and we love it, every year! I know I’ve said it a dozen times, but I’ll say it again, I adore springtime and all the beauty that’s bursting forth from the earth’s awakening. Another “Go-Round” to witness all the vibrant and breathtaking majesty, full of wonder and awe.

We have another reason to celebrate this Earth Week and Earth Day! We went solar last month!! It’s been exactly one month to the day and we’ve produced the equivalent of $140 in kWh!! Whoot! We weren’t certain how we’d adjust to solar panels and my husband needed many talks about the immense benefits in relation to the long-term investment (the price tag made him hyperventilate at first). But, month one in and under our belts, and we’re seeing the power of solar in a whole new light! Yes, pun intended, sorry. I’m so proud that we took the leap, and are paying it forward - for our girls’ future and that of every other kiddo on the planet, for that matter. If we each just chipped in, to do what we can, no matter how small, I think we’d see a massive wave of change for the betterment of all.

Have a Happy Earth Week, my friend!
Happy 50th Anniversary to Earth Day on Wednesday! How will you be celebrating the day?
Thanks for stopping by. Continue to stay safe and take great care to be well.

With love and neighborly friendship,
Barb