We have a big house. There are lots of places to hide. Somehow my 'junk' cabinet has become the best hiding spot in the house - not just for all of the random stuff that comes in the house, but also apparently for my children.
My baby girl is ELEVEN today!!! She couldn't have a big party, but she sure had a special day. We surprised her with yard signs ( cardmyyard.com ). We released the butterflies into the garden. They hung out on the kids' hands for a while before flying off. Her gift from us was a purple hoverboard - she is so excited! Her neighborhood friends came and secretly decorated the garage for a little party. She was so surprised and loved sharing cake with her best friends. THEN to add even more excitement, two of her best friends from school came for a 'drive-by' socially-distant celebration. She was thrilled to see them drive up - she hasn't seen them in person since March 6, before Spring Break!! Both sets of grandparents gave her a new bike (she will get to go shopping and pick it out herself next week). She has grown so much and is in desperate need of a new bike! My beautiful 11 year old... how time flies!
Things were rolling along quite nicely yesterday (well, not really but let's not get caught up in subtraction regrouping lessons). We were getting ourselves set up for success on this temporary schedule. We were learning things and reading things and writing things and then... the bottom dropped out. The governor announced all schools are closed for the rest of the year. I'm sure all the other parents watching the news conference had the same physical reaction that I did. I felt like I'd been punched in the gut. Tears, anger, disbelief... my poor children. ALL these poor children. When they left for spring break they didn't realize it would be the last time they'd see their friends. The last time they'd see their teachers. Ainsley, in particular, is taking it the hardest. She's missing her last Lower School play. Her last Grandparents Day show. No field day. No fifth grade graduation. No class graduation party. She is heartbroken. The next time she sets
School is out. We're still working. There are no camps. What is there to do? Move to the lake! My parents offered to help watch the kids during the day while we worked, and they were ready for some quality grandkid time. We packed up the whole family - kids, dogs and cat - and moved to the guest house for two weeks. This has been such a great change of scenery for all of us. We would eat breakfast at the guest house each morning, and then the kids would get dressed, pack their backpacks, and ride their bikes to the main cabin to spend the day with the grandparents. My DH and I could work peacefully at the guest house, taking a break to have lunch with everyone. Then after work we can sit outside, help with some chores, and all eat dinner together. During the day the kids have been busy helping Nana and Papa with chores. They spend ALL day outside - exploring in the woods, swimming in the lake, kayaking, fishing, riding bikes (thankfully my parents keep everything and had 3 of
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