Thursday Thoughts - I can cut the lawn, cut my hair, cut out my cholesterol

Scored a dresser for the shore house on Freecycle. Freecycle is king at the shore as we ramp up to rental season. I probably will not paint it (this year at least), but may change the hardware. I'm pumped, this was one of my few remaining want to dos before the season.

Forgotten annoyance. It's been a while, since 2019 or 2018, that I had someone cancel a week at the shore for no reason after they booked. I have one house and an 11 week season. If you sit on one of my weeks as claimed for six months and cancel, it is absolutely not the same as cancelling at a hotel. It re-booked but come on, dudes. 

Put lipstick on a pig bathroom almost finished. We just need a bar for the back wall that I'll put baskets on. This is how it looked when we bought the house and as we were taking down the top wall covering in 2020:

In 2021 MFD changed the top half of the walls.

This year we had the wall tiles and ceiling painted, I painted the floor, and we replaced the toilet and the light fixture. I just need to find a replacement bar that I can hang baskets from for TP, etc

Bay walks are back. I usually avoid them in the winter, for no reason.

Radishes in the air fryer. Olive oil, garlic powder, onion salt, salt. Preheat for 5, cook for 15. Radishes are too much for me raw but I love them like this. It changes the taste completely.

Flex time on nice days. Good times with Melissa and her crew this week, I grabbed a few hours out with them in the afternoon Tuesday before they left and worked at night since I was solo. I appreciate having the ability to work when it is best for me if there are no meetings. 

Unexpected work by the water company. I was out front at 7 yesterday on no coffee pushing down my White Ladies Wilding Out as the workers are not the ones responsible for not telling me this was happening. They will have to come back at some point and restore curbs and cement so we're not finished. 

New coworker. Billy is into my shore setup now.

Cute Easter bag from Carol. Cracked into her homemade candy eggs too - coconut creme for MFD, buttercream for me, PB for both. 

Mom and Rich arrive today, family weekend down this way. Hope you enjoy yours! Happy Passover and Happy Easter and if neither applies, happy weekend!

What appears beyond the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts titles is what I'm listening to when I'm starting this - this week is Enid by Bare Naked Ladies

How to Choose the Best School for Your Children

When the time comes for your child to start school, you’ll want to make sure that they’re getting the most out of their education, and that means finding the school that’s going to offer them everything they need.

So what should you look for and what matters most when choosing the best school for your children? We’re going to discuss today some of the things you’ll want to take into account when making that decision, so read on now and find out more about it all.

List Your Priorities

Listing your priorities is a good place to start when you start to think about which school is going to be the best one for your child. Are convenience and the chance to walk or cycle to school important to you, or is it more important than the school has certain facilities? It’s up to you and this is something that will be different for each parent. So get started by writing down the things you instinctively feel matter most.

Consider the Focuses of the School

Each school usually has a particular focus and certain areas of expertise that make it stand out. For example, some schools might make the teaching of foreign languages to children a top priority, and others might offer high-quality business studies classes. There are all kinds of focuses and specialties that schools might have, so it’s worth taking these into account when deciding which will be right for you.

Check Out Test Scores

As a parent, you’ll want to see how pupils have performed at that school in the past. That’s why it makes sense to check out the test scores that the school’s pupils have achieved in recent years. In order to progress successfully in the academic system, your child needs to be capable of passing tests and achieving high scores, so you’ll want them to attend a school that’s capable of making that possible.

Image Source - CC0 License

Look at the Outdoor and Sporting Facilities

For some parents, it’s very important that their child has access to the right sporting facilities and outdoor facilities. These are obviously important especially if your child already excels in a particular sport. Even if they don’t, you’ll want them to be active so they can keep themselves healthy and in good shape. A healthy body leads to a healthy mind and better focus on their education in the end.

Choose a School with Good Tech Facilities

These days, it’s more important than ever before that schools have good tech options in place for their kids to make the most of. There are so many examples of middle and high school education technology that aid the learning process and that help students achieve more in the classrooms. So it’s definitely a good idea to take a look at this when you’re weighing up the different schooling options open to you. A school with better tech might have an edge over those that don’t take it too seriously.

Be Sure to Pay a Visit

Before you can decide for sure which school is going to offer you the things that you’re looking for for your child, you’ll want to see how things function in real-time. If you don’t pay a visit to the school and see how classes operate, it’s hard to get a good idea of whether or not it’s the kind of place that you’d want to send your kids to. Most schools will invite parents of children who are thinking of attending the school to look around and see how things operate on a normal day.

And Ask Plenty of Questions When There

When you’re attending a visit to these schools and getting a chance to look around, it’s important to ask plenty of questions so you can get as good an idea as possible of what to expect. This is your chance to find out everything you need to know about the school before you decide whether it’s somewhere that you’d want to send your children to in the future. So be sure to ask as many questions as possible in order to make more informed decisions later.

Choosing a school for your child is obviously a huge decision, and it’s not one that you’ll want to rush into. That’s why it’s important to focus on all of the things discussed above. That way, you can be sure that the decision you ultimately make will be the right one for your children and their educational prospects.

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This post was written with the Life According to Steph audience in mind

Show Us Your Books April 2022

Ripping through the year here, aren't we? I ripped through books this past month too. Lots of few hour reads on a weekend and slower reading throughout the week, which has been typical for me over the past three months or so. 

Here's what I've been reading since the March linkup

Engrossing Reads

French Braid by Anne Tyler - It’s been a while since I read an Anne Tyler, and I’ve forgotten how sweet and melancholy a meander in her worlds can be. Everyone gets to be human, flaws patted in gently beside strengths. I had feelings after this. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James - Engrossing in that I tore through it, not that I loved it. It's hard to explain given that I liked a lot about it, including the premise and some of the characters. I am not into paranormal, but I liked Sundown Motel more than this and that had it too, and I knew this did going in. That's sort of a thing with St. James, yes? I hate star ratings, but this is probably a 3.25-3.5 for me. Great cover though. OCNJ library hard cover

Watch Her Disappear (Detective Josie Quinn #14) by Lisa Regan - The Josie Quinn series by Lisa Regan is consistently excellent and the latest entry is no different at #14. Loved the focus of this one. Can't wait for the next. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review - today is publication day! Go get it!

Who is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews - Reminded me of Hitchcock, maybe? Definitely weird and something old timey about it even though it happens now. Regardless, I tore through.  OCNJ library hard cover. 

Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka - What a title, yes? This was an excellent read. OCNJ library hard cover

The Match (Wilde #2) by Harlan Coben - Never read a bad book by Harlan Coben, and I've read them all. I devoured this in a few hours. It's the second Wilde book and it references another hugely popular Coben book from several years back - I always love tie ins like that. Thanks to Netgalley for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review 

Passed the Time Just Fine

Four Aunties and a Wedding (Aunties #2) by Jesse Q Sutanto - More suspension of belief required here, but honestly guffawed loudly and for a long time at least twice over a few lines Ma put out. Entertaining. OCNJ library hard cover

Or Else by Joe Hart - So I thought I was reading a John Hart book and this is a lot different than every other John Hart I’ve read but this is a JOE Hart so that explains that. And it was a quick (under three hour), fine read. Thanks for Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

Damaged Intentions (Abby Mullen Thrillers #2) by Mike Omer - I've come to expect good things from Mike Omer and while this was not my favorite of his, it was a solid 3.5. His inclusion of social media and conspiracy theorists in this book was exactly spot on to life in 2022. Which might have contributed to me not loving it like the others? Still can't wait for more from him. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry - So weird and wonderfully 1980s. Dark humor, which I love. I don't think this is a blanket book everyone would enjoy. It is unique and fits well over a certain type of reader of a certain age.  OCNJ library hard cover

Like a Sister by Kellye Garrett - A little slow to start but I liked Lena so I stuck it out and am glad I did.

Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth - Not my favorite Sal, but still a fine way to pass the time. It felt like plodding through at a point, which happens when I've read too many books (this was the last thing I read before the linkup, and I had read a lot over the past month), plus I finished the last half on my phone because my kindle was in Philly and I was at the shore. While I think both of those factors played it feeling slow, I also think it was the book itself. It was almost like it was run through a grammar editor and not a content editor. Free ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review 

Not For Me/Did Not Finish

Remember Me by Estelle Laure - This was like a teenage version of The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind? It was fine, but would not read again if I knew how I'd feel at the end. Free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

The Oceanography of the Moon by Glendy Vanderah - I did not read the forest/stars book everyone loved. I hope it was better than this LOL. I love the title, which is why I picked it up period. The cover is great as well. There is quite a lot going on in here and some of it feels flat wrong - this coming from a person who regularly reads serial killer books, I know. Anyway I wasn’t sure if I would stick with this one but it flipped to a need to know scenario quickly. I cannot believe how it all went down. I said “I can’t believe this” multiple times while reading it. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

In Defense of Witches: The Legacy of the Witch Hunts and Why Women are Still on Trial by Mona Chollet - The introduction was so good, and the rest of the book was not what I expected based on the title. A great exercise in feminist thought, even if the author's feminism doesn't align perfectly with my own, but more like the author's thoughts on feminism with some witch history dripped in here and there versus the legacy of the witch hunts and why women are still on trial. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley - Least favorite of her novels. Slow and just...not great OCNJ hard cover 

Linkup Guidelines:

This link up is the second Tuesday of every month and will happen as long as we post about reading books. All are welcome to join us! The next linkup is Tuesday, May 10, 2022. 

1. Visit and comment with both of your hosts, Jana & me, and check in with as many in our reading circle as you can - give some love to the later linker uppers! 
2. Link back to us in your blog post - if you want the button you can get it from that link

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

TWTW - Cold April

Friday I worked from Philly in the morning and headed to the shore in the afternoon. I was supposed to arrive Thursday night but the weather was armpits for driving. Dead stop traffic twice on the way down had me questioning my decision to drink a bunch of water - which I typically do after a certain point in the trip. I painted my nails in the afternoon - cannot recommend the Mooncat holographic polishes enough. They are insanely cool. 

I quick ran to hang the shower curtain and make sure the house was fam/friends acceptable before finishing work and took Bruce and Ben for a beach walk as Melissa and her crew were arriving and unloading. I ate with them and hung out until 11, finally falling out at 12:30. Lots of laughs with one of your oldest friends and her people to end the week, you can't beat it. They brought gifts too, and Billy enjoyed that bag. 

Saturday Up at 6:30 to get the dogs walked and fed and get my ass out of the house. I went to see Dad & Carol's new home and town in Lewes, DE, via the ferry. I loved the views at Cape Henlopen State Park. Their house is great too, all set up already and really open. I love it. 

They took me around town, which was so cute and very picturesque. I wanted to buy all the antiques. We went out to lunch and for ice cream, to a few local shops and the library, and the tulip celebration was on. I liked it there, can't wait to go back! And I found new beach witch art and got a print. They are picking up another for me this week!

So great to be able to pop over on the ferry for a few hours. The ferry ride back sunset was the stuff of dreams. Melissa's kid crew took care of the dogs while I was gone which was a huge help. When I got back I was dead tired and did my night face routine and got right into bed. 

Sunday was windy and cold and gray. WHYYYYYYYYYYY I ended up working most of the day as I am planning to flex that time later this week. I also finished a book, then headed upstairs to eat and hang out until almost 11. On a school night! Who am I.

Happy Monday! Show Us Your Books is tomorrow. Can it also stop being so cold and windy. I'm over it.

Say no more mon amour

If anything goes wrong today, we mustn't dwell. Not on Rex Manning Day!

Enjoy:

Rex Manning Day Supercut

Happy Rex Manning Day & Happy Friday!