Coronavirus Quarantine Week 4

We officially went on spring break, though it wasn't quite the spring break we had planned.  With a cancelled trip to Disney and Florida and Bailey's passing, we knew it would be a difficult week for all of us.  We did our virtual day at Disney World on Saturday since the weather became chilly again.  Sunday the weather improved enough for us to get outside for most of the day.  I worked on getting the rest of the first floor windows cleaned inside and power washed the deck.  We made thank you cards for hospital workers and decorated our mailbox.  Scott worked on his mom's planter boxes for her birthday gift and we celebrated a nice day with two growlers from Arbor Brewing Company and their free delivery service.

The boys knew we were on "spring break", but I told them I still expected them to do an hour of learning in the morning like usual and some online learning in the afternoon with educational apps.  In addition, we played learning games and did some arts and crafts and some science projects throughout the week.

The boys took a sudden interest in collecting quarters after they created a "shop" in the backyard and sold us things like sticks, rocks, and other treasures they found.  I decided to buy them a quarters book on Amazon and it arrived by the end of the week.  They spent one morning dedicated to going through their piggy banks and other spots in our house with change looking for what they needed.

We had several afternoons with really nice weather so we made sure to get outside!  Chalk art, bike rides, going for a few runs, and social distancing with neighbors put smiles on all of our faces.

On Thursday, the weather changed yet again back to being cold.  We had rain, sleet, hail, and even some snow showers throughout the day.  It was also the day to pick up Bailey's remains from the vet, which made for an emotional afternoon.  We decided to watch Onward after dinner with the boys for a movie night.

On Good Friday, I taught the boys about the Stations of the Cross in the morning.  We made a spot in the den for Bailey's remains and made it special for her.  

 I took the boys out for a hike on Hines Drive, cutting through the woods at the end of our street.  It was cold, but it felt good to get out of the house and walk around.  We made some corn flakes treats with marshmallows, butter, and peanut butter.  Yum! 

A Virtual Day at Disney World!

This week we were all off on "Spring Break".  We would have been in Florida all week with a few days at Disney, one at Universal Studios, and one at the beach on the Atlantic side.  It was an emotional few days for us mourning Bailey, mourning our trip we've been counting down to, and dealing with colder weather again.  So, I decided that on Saturday, we would kick off our Spring Break with a virtual trip to Disney World and the boys loved it!  It was so amazing to see those happy smiles on their faces all day!

Here's how we spent our day (obviously knowing that we would NEVER be able to get fastpasses to the top rides at both parks in one day...):

Breakfast was tasty, as always!  What is it about Mickey Waffles that just make your day that much better?  We bought our waffle iron at CVS a few years ago for maybe $20 and it has been well loved over the years!

While I was cooking breakfast, the boys took it upon themselves to build Cinderella's castle out of blocks and they brought up the Monorail from the basement to really set the scene.  I loved their enthusiasm!

After breakfast at Crystal Palace, we moved over to Fantasyland for our first fastpass: Seven Dwarfs Mine Rine!  It was so much fun!  After that it was Splash Mountain, The Haunted Mansion, and Space Mountain.  Although, Space Mountain was pretty dark and hard to see the ride.

We grabbed a quick service lunch of pizza (homemade) off Main Street before we park hopped over to Hollywood Studios for the afternoon to get our fill of Star Wars.  And because we haven't seen Galaxy's Edge yet (tear...), we didn't want to spoil the rides by watching them on youtube.  So, I surprised the boys with Rise of the Resistance on Blu-Ray with popcorn in our Disney popcorn buckets. 

We used some other fastpasses on Slinky Dog Dash and Tower of Terror before having dinner at Mama Melrose (crockpot lasagna!).  Yum!  We said goodbye to Hollywood Studios and hopped back over to Magic Kingdom just in time for Happily Ever After fireworks show with a Mickey ice cream bar (thanks, Target!). 

The boys have already requested a virtual day at Universal Studios to see Hogwarts, but that's out of my wheel house since we haven't been there yet.  Instead we are working hard to finish The Order of Phoenix so we can watch the movie with treats like homemade butterbeer.  Both Sean and Evan were very appreciative of our virtual Disney World day and it meant so much to me to see them both happy and smiling despite all the heartache we've experienced recently. 

We've rebooked for mid-August with a room at Pop Century and our fingers crossed that this time we'll be able to go!  While it's hard to see the countdown be back in the 100's, we are keeping the faith that we'll be back soon!

Coronavirus Quarantine Week 3

The 3rd week started with an amazing thunderstorm in the morning that had me up early.  So, I decided to head to Target to get "in line" for toilet paper.  How crazy is the world we live in right now that I'm lining up for toilet paper?  Luckily, I was 3rd in line and got everything I needed, plus some.  Scott went to Kroger after I got home to get the rest of what we needed and just like that, after 10 days, we were back to being fully stocked at home.

The boys this afternoon were extremely creative and worked well together.  They started at show on Disney+ called, "The Lost Treasures of the Maya" and recreated Mayan temples, caves, and cenotes using blocks and Imaginext toys in the couch cushions.  They seriously played like this for hours!  We got outside in between the rain to jump in puddles and then we cuddled in for a double feature of Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy 2. 

Sunday we had a beautiful morning so we made sure to get outside!  We took a long bike ride and then played soccer in the backyard before it started to get really windy and cool out.  Our afternoon we played Battleship and I had a much needed glass of wine with my neighbor, Shelley, being mindful to stay 6 ft apart.

Our 3rd week of homeschool was another busy one.  Trying to keep the kids learning, entertained, and not fighting is no easy feat.  Monday - Wednesday the kids did work the district posted on their website, which made my lesson planning easier.  We supplemented with some fun things too like a science experiment where they learned about how viruses enter our body and what the difference between washing your hands and not washing your hands before eating can do to both you and your food. 

When we weren't working on learning activities, we baked muffins, played outside, worked on "dunks" on the basketball net in the basement, and found new exercise videos and yoga videos for kids on youtube.  I also had a Zoom call with my "Wine in Sippy Cups" group on Facebook, which was fun.

Thursday our learning came to a halt.  Overnight Bailey had suffered two seizures that were very debilitating.  We made the tough decision Thursday morning to put her down.  It was absolutely devastating for all of us and we spent the day just being there for each hour, trying to get outside for a walk, playing in the backyard, and reminiscing.  We ordered pizza in for dinner and we all had an early bedtime.  Rest in peace, Bailey.

Friday was another tough day, but we tried to get outside to enjoy the nice weather as much as we could.  We took a really fun bike ride down a different trail that goes along 275.  We packed up Bailey's things and made a memory box for her.  While it was tough, we made sure to do it as it was more painful to see all her things around the house. 

This week took a really rough turn that we are still trying to heal from.  While a lot of the issues we've had since on quarantine (mice in the basement, heat duct work falling in the basement needing repairs, etc.) are minor, this loss is one that has us reeling.  We are trying to focus on the positive as much as we can and we are trying to remember the good times we had with Bailey.  We would have been in Florida as of today for our spring break vacation in Disney and we are also coping with a cancelled trip.  But, we'll take the sunny, warmer weather we are having here in Michigan and we will make the most of our time together at home. 

Onto another week in quarantine...less one family member.