quarantine chronicles, week 2

we headed into a sunny weekend feeling good, knowing we could figure out how to keep the kids entertained and busy and get our work and domestic chores done, and knowing that our state, our city, our school district, and the university for which i work were on shut down/limited function, and it all felt weird and new but understandable and ok.

in the second week of quarantine, in the last full week of march, we relented on our upcoming florida plans, watched with relief as david's parents found a memorable solution for getting home to michigan from florida, and proceeded with cancelling our long anticipated key west visit and naples week. (and then i felt temporarily sad again). to lift the spirits, these pictures of david's parents' flight home should suffice. i know they made me smile when i saw them!

we spent the second week of quarantine figuring out zoom meetings, webex technology, google hangouts, and using all these technologies to make intentional connections.

i think the kids were really happy, just digging in to being at home, and having so much access to time with their daddy.
they built...um, things?...in the backyard with spare wood and blankets. that was at least 2 hours of homeschool that week.

james researched and prepared a report on alcatraz island as a jail, while ramona prepared a history report on japanese internment camps. i wonder if they were feeling a little trapped at home?

when it was sunny, they hit the sidewalks on rollerblades and scooters, and grabbed some hot chocolates.

we couldn't bear to give the old couch to the garbage truck just yet, so it became a quarantine yard sofa.

geography fun arrived in the mail as gift from aunt libby

and hiking continued, this time at gibralter rock state recreational area.

back at home, we rigged up a very dangerous pizza oven situation that involved skate boards,

and james had a zoom date with his classmates because they were all missing one another.

this is from that week, and i don't even know what is happening, but look how cute they are when they aren't fighting. they fought so little in those early quarantine weeks. (sigh).  you can also see from the post it notes that i intended to teach them spanish. that didn't happen.

home projects included hair braiding,

finger knitting,

group synchronized scootering,

and visiting the baldwin street poetry tree.

at work, my look evolved. the face mask and shield is a hot look.... hot as in sweat pouring down my face during patient visits.