Cupcake Wars

Since the Coronavirus Pandemic, all church meetings have moved to online meetings, including activities. I have to hand it to the youth and leaders, they have come up with some pretty engaging and fun activities- 

like the Cupcake Wars! 

Some disinterested party names a category and the kids have to decorate a cupcake for that category, for example: Hawaii!

I loved Tom's entry for the Olympics category- a ski jump made of fruit leather.

The kids had a ton of fun!

And we all got to eat the products!

Pandemic Benefits

Cozy movie time...

Chocolate chip cookie pig-out time...

Dragon sewing time...

Developing our green thumbs time...

Not too many complaints around here!

The Biggest Loser

Superkid is totally the biggest loser of the pandemic in our family.

This poor kid is just 8 instructor driving hours away from getting his drivers license, he can't work at the pool anymore, he was just about to go on his first date (Mormon Prom- a girl asked him!) and the worst thing ever- sailing season is canceled- all because of social distancing. 

We drove past the high school the other day and he commented mournfully, 

"I never thought that I'd miss that place."

To make matters worse- now we have him making dinner and doing dishes and laundry.

But he is keeping good humor. 

I'm glad to be distanced from the world with him.

Socially Distanced

After being cooped up for a few days, we took the first day of sunshine to blow this taco stand. 

We headed over to Wompatuck for a bike ride. 

First stop, the pump track.

Next we headed into the park to find the perfect picnic spot.

Jaws and I have been planning this bike picnic for at least a year. We talk about it all the time- what we will eat, what games we'll play, what books we will pack, where we will go, what we will see... 

We found a narrow neck of land straddling two parts of a reservoir.

The view was fantastic and we were too hungry to move another inch.

We had a little accidental spillage of the chips- but since we are in the wild it is totally okay to eat off the ground, right?

Especially if there is salsa waiting!

Then we sought out a place to truly isolate ourselves...

And read a good book...

Ahhhh, perfect.

Socially Distanced.

But it's just too good of a spot. 

It's okay, we are one germ-pool.

I'm not going to lie. 

I love that we are forced to be distanced socially from the world. 

I love us.

Tadpole has all the Best Ideas

Tadpole's head is always working. He is constantly thinking of new fun games to play. Here is his first crack at being a D&D Dungeon Master.

He kept this crowd on the edge of their seats and laughing their guts out.

After becoming a D&D Dungeon Master, he immediately was thinking of ways to transform the game for his brothers to play with him. He developed this fabulous Pokemon themed RPG. He and Little Chief sat up all night coming up with 151 items for their, "Paper Pokedex" so they could play their game. And then they played it for days.

Today they have picked up one of their favorites. It is a yet un-named game involving Star Wars, dice, paper ships and lots of sound effects. And they also claim it is a math facts game so it counts for doing math homework. 

I'm cool with that.

Tad has a beautiful mind.

Gold Mine of Wheat

Who knew it, but we have been sitting on a gold mine of wheat all of these years! When Sam and Abi were wee little ones and the other Toads were just twinkles in our eyes, Pops and I made a trip out to the Bishop's warehouse at Worcester and bought and canned a heap of food. We bought a prodigious amount of wheat, especially considering that we hadn't the first clue of what to do with it. Then, some years later we bought a wheat grinder off some friends that got a duplicate for Christmas and we had the thought that perhaps we would grind that wheat. But it took a world-wide pandemic to get us serious. We actually took one small stab using Uncle Brian's recipe but it was a flop. But with the pandemic nipping at our heels and with Kristin W's recipe in hand, we decided to give it another shot. And by "we" I mean "Pops".

He nailed it. And it was partly to do with his own little twist on Kristin's recipe, the bread sponge:

We are all wild about this delicious, honey sweet, soft chewy bread!

Corona-Vacation

Here are the things that I love about the Covid-19 pandemic: 

working from home, everyone always home, no running kids around, down-time, long walks, movie nights, reading together, family breakfast, morning scriptures, lunch time doodles with Mo-Willems, kids helping with dishes, laundry and cooking and forest school

Here is what I am over-whelmed with: home-school

About 2 days into the schools closing down and us being under lock down, Jaws started asking to say the prayer at every opportunity. Every single time he prays with much gratitude how thankful we are for our Corona-Vacation. 

It's true. 

We needed this time and we are soaking it all up together.

Also, he didn't want me to take these pictures.

Abizella- Living the Dream

Abizella is living her dream life. 

She has her computer to watch Disney films and musicals, her phone to text with her friends and a well stocked room of craft and art supplies to whittle away the hours.

Sunday she emerged from her room with her latest creation- 

cut off jeans with fancy painted pockets! 

She had the vision and the time to pull it off. 

She is a creative genius. 

Sun flower buns

And fishy buns

Corona Virus Hits MA

It is the great Corona virus Pandemic of 2020. Here's the timeline:

• 3/5/2020, 2:00 p.m: I get an e-mail at work. 3 employees at my work have come down with the Corona virus. These are the first cases of Corona virus in Massachusetts.
• 3/5/2020, 7:30 p.m.: The company sends a global security text asking employees to cease going to Mass. General Hospital and demanding COVID-19 testing, you will be ushered out by hospital police.
• 3/6/2020, 9:00 a.m.: I work from home because Pops has court. I get a phone call from two engineers that I worked with the previous day. They want to know their exposure risk because they are planning on traveling internationally that evening. I explain that the affected employees were exposed at an Executive Leadership meeting the previous week and anyone who has been within 6-feet of the employees has been quarantined. We have not been notified these individuals were in our location. The engineers then explain that they cannot guarantee that they will be able to come back, explaining that other companies will not let them on premises if they have been to a location with the Corona virus.
• 3/6/2020, 6:00 p.m.: We go to the Primary class party at the bishop's house. I play it cool.
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• 3/7/2020, afternoon: The company informs us that all business people will be working from home for 2 weeks and that lab people will be informed if they will continue to work in the lab or from home
• 3/8/2020, afternoon: The company decides to cease all lab experiments and only critical manufacturing work will persist. No one may go back to the work campus without permission from their director and need to schedule a time to be there when no one else is on premises.
• 3/8/2020 2:00 p.m.: The Zeller's call and ask if they can spend the night. They decided to come into town to help renovate their parent's house while the parents are in Idaho helping their daughter who just lost her baby shortly after birth.
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• 3/9/2020-3/10/2020: I work from home. But also visit a friend about a table. Also, we have every kid in the neighborhood here playing in the back yard. Also, Mathew stays with us during the day to play
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• 3/12/2020, 7:45 a.m.: Pops and I are getting ready to go to a meeting at the High School when the school calls and says that they noticed I was an employee of the #1 company in the news for Corona virus. All of the cases in MA are connected to my company- there are more and more every day. I explain that I have been working from home for a week and that I show no symptoms of being sick. They allow us to come to the meeting. Also, there is a run on the grocery stores, Target and CVS.




• 3/12/2020: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints announces that all church meetings are canceled. Church is officially home-based, church supported.
• 3/12/2020, 7:00 p.m.: The school district announces school closures for Friday and Monday while the custodial staff cleans the buildings.
• 3/13/2020: Once again, and like every night of the entire week, every single kid in the neighborhood comes to play in our back yard. It is seriously the best thing ever. Also, Tadpole hosts D&D at our house.

• 3/13/2020: The school district cancels school for 2 weeks, the following Monday they extend it to 3 weeks. There will be no new lessons- just review work posted. All Spring sports are canceled. Superkid mourns the loss of sailing season.
• 3/13/2020: Superkid works his last shift at the pool. The pool shuts down indefinitely the next day.
• 3/14/2020: It's Pi Day. We decide to go for it. I hit the grocery store before 8:00 a.m. to pick up a few essentials for Pi Day. I stand in line for 25 minutes while the 34 people ahead of me in line check out. Crazy! Also, the Zellers are back in town, this time Sara and Mathew come and get to spend the entire day with us.




• 3/15/2020 1:30 a.m.: I wake up in a cold sweat when I realize that Pops and I are completely responsible for the spiritual, secular and physical education of our children- this on top of 2 full time jobs. The realization that we cannot adequately replace the +25 professional teachers, +2 music teachers, +20 church teachers that instruct our children settles in. I stay up all night long formulating a plan: reading, writing and arithmetic, plus music, science, history and geography-oh ya, and scripture study and physical education! And after a week of a crushing work load of dishes, laundry and cooking, the kid’s chore chart is extended to share the burden of these activities.
• 3/15/2020: No electronics Sunday! The kids don't have schoolwork either so they just play. Pops and I drive to Boston College to pick up a few boxes from our friend Nic, who was informed 3 days prior that the whole campus had to be cleared by Sunday. Pops, Superkid and Tadpole visit Dawn and administer the sacrament. Pops makes bread out of the 14-year-old wheat in our basement- it is DREAMY! I repair the kid's bikes for the season. The kids and I meet the Dos at the park. It turns out everyone within 5 miles had the same idea. We bump into the Ashleys too. The Dos and the Ashleys agree, this is no school holiday for the kids, home school starts tomorrow. The kids uniformly groan (but not as desperately as the parents).
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• 3/16/2020: Homeschooling begins. Superkid, with his work, sports and social schedule cleared begins ACT prep in full force. He also goes to a job interview on the front steps of the Starbucks (all restaurants are closed for seating) for a sailing instructor position. He leaves on the top of the world. Mom's science class is the best thing going. Also, regular remote sessions of D&D begin for the kids.

• 3/17/2020: St. Patty's day. We abandon home school and instead write limericks, tape them to Lucky Charms boxes, pretend to be leprechauns and doorbell ditch our friends. Abz participates in a YW activity via Zoom.




• 3/18/2020: The children revolt on home school and instead insist on working off a list of assignments. This coincides with the school district issuing a weekly list of review items. I concede. I take all who are interested to forest school to look for Spring.










• 3/19/2020: The Ashleys offer to pick up the kids to go play in the gym at church. It’s a rainy day and Pops and I are crushed with work- we boot them out the door. Pops changes the tubes on my bike- I'm up and rolling!
• 3/20/20: The whole world is shut down. Kids don't come to play anymore. We seldom leave the house- except to explore the forest. I took an afternoon bike ride to the top of Wompatuck and back. Every trail head is packed with cars (but we all are social distancing from every one else). Pops and I go on a nightly walk
  
  
• 3/21/20: I start the dreaded basement cleaning project. Pops changes out the hardware in the bathtub and shower. The Blanchards invite us to meet (at a socially responsible distance) at Wompatuck. We find a quiet place away from the mobs of people at the camp ground and set up our chairs 6 feet way from each other and soak up the sun.




• 3/22/2020 Home church. Tadpole and Abz play a duet that they were planning to play in Sacrament meeting. We record it and send it to the grandparents instead. They also play for our home-church. 

• We are now one week into social distancing and getting into our groove. We were admittedly slow to fully understand what social distancing means. It has been baby steps for us but we are fully shutting down social interactions with the outside world. Fingers crossed that we can return to normalcy soon! We like our people.