My Favorite Scents {52 Lists}

This weeks list is what our favorite scents are. Easy, right?

My favorite scents take me back in time, to places and people that have been a part of my life. It is not only the scent that I remember, but the memories of being with those people and enjoying those places. Scents trigger those memories for me. Other scents just make me happy. Here are some of my favorites.

Plumerias. They are by far my favorite flower. I grew up in Hawaii and many people had plumerias trees in their yards. One aunt had a plumeria tree in her front yard that I used to climb. The plumerias were hard to reach, but even the ones that had fallen on the ground the day before were very fragrant. Another aunt lives in an apartment building, and her second story front porch had clusters of plumeria blossoms within arms reach.

Irish Spring soap. As strange as this sounds, the instant you walked in to my grandparents bathroom, you were greeted with the lovely scent of Irish Spring. I do not know how she got the smell to be so strong in there. I've wondered if she used it to wash the counters, sink, and tub with it. Whenever I smell Irish Spring soap, I am instantly transported back to my childhood, when I would spend the night with them and Grandma would let me fill up the tub and soak in there for as long as I wanted.

Freshly bathed babies. I love the smell of baby shampoo, and after their baths, I used to sit and snuggle each baby on the rocker, and smell their soft baby hair.

Homemade bread. My husband makes great bread. The aroma makes its way around the entire house. I especially like it because I wasn't the one who had to do all the work. My grandparents kitchen also smelled of fresh homemade bread (it was the only bread they ate). Grandpa wasn't much of a cook, but he knew how to use the breadmaker.

Cinnamon. There is something about the smell of cinnamon around the holidays. The candles, the pies, and even the pine cone decor that was soaked in a cinnamon/Christmas spice mixture and sprinkled with glitter. But I only like this scent around the holidays. 

Hot wassail. Since we're already on the topic of Christmas, I love this hot beverage. The smell of the cinnamon, oranges, and other spices, tickles my nose and gets me in the mood to pull out the boxes and boxes [and boxes, and more boxes] of holiday decor.

Freshly baked cookies, hot out of the oven. I don't care what type of cookie it is. Chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, peanut butter, sugar cookies, gingerbread cookies... the list could go on. It's a cookie.

Island air. Hawaii smells better than the "mainland". I didn't notice until I went home after a year of living away. As soon as I arrived at the Honolulu airport and left the international terminal and made my way to the inter-island terminal, I could smell it. It was sweet and fragrant, like having all of my favorite tropical flowers in one room. Trade winds keep the air moving, allowing for a fresh breath every time.

Mountain air. I now live on the east coast, about a 2 hour drive from the ocean. Each year, we try to make a trip to the mountains. It's a long 5 hour drive, but it's worth it. The area is less populated and there is wilderness all around you. The air smells clean. It's not a strong scent, but it is surely lacking in pollutants.

Coconut. Whether it's a [virgin] piña colada or the smell of a new shampoo, I am very drawn to the smell of sweet coconut. 

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Week in Review 2016: #31 (The First Week of School!)

It was an exciting week for us, as it was the first  week of school. Bridget is now in second grade (our second grade curriculum) and George is in pre-k (our pre-k curriculum). He has asked me every day this summer if it was time for him to start school yet. The day finally came and so far, he's loving it. Now that I have two students, I wanted to make sure I had everything planned out. Most of their subjects are separate, except for history and geography. Originally, I had planned on having them together for science, but knew that George would get lost when we did chemistry and physics, so instead George will be starting from the beginning with a special pre-k science curriculum. 

The kids got to pick their special color paper for their weekly plan and each task has a check box next to it, so we can mark it when they are done. I did this in the second half of last school year and it worked beautifully in making sure we got everything done and helps us to stay on task. 

The Friday before our first week of school, we went to the library to pick up school books and a few fun books. The children couldn't wait to dive in to their new books once we got home!

At last, the first day of school arrived. The kids were up early (on their own), dressed, fed, and were ready to begin at 8 a.m. No cutesy signs this year, but we did take this "first day of school" picture with my two students.

My youngest, who very recently turned two years old, was surprisingly well-behaved (most of the time) while I worked on school with the older two. He kept Bridget company when she did her math work, and kept busy with her math manipulatives. He got nervous when I called his name to take this picture, as he knows he's not usually allowed to play with the manipulatives, but since he was being good and quiet, I let him continue. He has done this every day this week.

For our first day of school, I cut up a pineapple to include with our lunch. Between the kids and I, we ate the entire thing. This was Liam's first taste of fresh pineapple, and he was hooked. Even when his mouth began hurting, he wanted to continue eating.

After lunch and after I put Liam down for his nap is when I like to sit on the couch with the older two and do some reading. This is when we get a lot of our history work done, and now geography. Bridget had to write her own narration, which I forgot to take a picture of, but I do have one of George coloring his narration page.

George really enjoyed his first science lesson. We worked on it while Bridget did math. We learned about observation, then went on a "science safari" in our backyard, where George told me what he could see, hear, smell, and feel.  

The week, overall, was a pleasant one. A fresh start to a new school year will do that. 

In other news, I developed strep again for the fourth time since May. I saw a new doctor, and he has determined that the strep never really went away and is somehow hiding in my throat and flaring up every few weeks (I was recently diagnosed for the third time on July 16th, and diagnosed again on August 3rd). The three different antibiotics I had been prescribed previously got rid of the symptoms, but didn't get rid of it entirely. Now I am on a new antibiotic in a different "class". I am not a candidate yet for a tonsilectomy, as the doctor feels I haven't been catching it over and over again, but that is has been resistant to the antibiotics. That was good news for me, because I do not have a history of a constant sore throat and really didn't want to have surgery. Fortunately, I got to the doctor before it got really bad, so I have not been in much pain after the first day, and have been able to eat and swallow (unlike the last 3 times), though food doesn't taste good. And on top of that and my immune system being weakened, I am also battling a cold. Thankfully, it is now the weekend and I only pray that I am better by Monday, though Sunday would be ideal. 

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Taking a Break

You may have noticed that my posts have become few and far between lately.

 I am taking some time off to focus on me and my family. 

We are not experiencing any sort of crisis, so there is no need to worry. I am exhausted mentally and physically (staying up late to watch political conventions will do that to you) and I simply need a break before the start of a new school year. 

I should be "back" at the start of August. See you then!

Week in Review 2016: #27 and #28

This is a a short summary of the past two weeks. This week has been so hot. My parents had us down for dinner and the kids played in their backyard with the water hose. They had a grand time, of course. Liam (the 23-month-old) wanted to be the boss of the hose and Bridget and George were fine with that, most of the time. I managed to take way too many pictures, but here are just a few to share.

The week before, we re-arranged the kids rooms for the last time in our current house. Bridget (6) and George (4) have shared a room for awhile now and are constantly at war with one another. With Liam turning two later this month, it was a good opportunity to give the boys their own room and Bridget her own room. We converted the nursery to a girls room. It was not a big project. No paint and no new furniture or decor. We will be in this house for only another 5-6 months. 

The boys are liking their "new" room. I did not know how Liam would react to sharing a room, but he has done well. George is staying in his bed at night (rather than getting up to terrorize his sister) and Liam stays in his crib and reads his books. The past couple of nights, Liam has fussed a lot and we've determined that he is doing it just to get us to come back. Now I am ignoring it and once he figures out I am not coming in, he stops and settles down under his blanket. George is surprisingly able to fall asleep while Liam fusses.

We are still homeschooling through the summer and are studying Rome, which means we are on the home stretch for ancient history. Bridget is also zooming through her math lessons and doing well on her tests. I was unsure if we'd be done with first grade work by the time I wanted to start second grade, but now I think we'll be fine. It's a lighter, more casual homeschooling routine, which makes up for us not having a vacation before second grade begins. 

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