COVID 19 - Shelter in Place - Day 18

The weather wasn't great today which meant we spent most of our time inside. We did get our for a walk/rollerblade around the neighborhood and the boys played hover hockey in the driveway. So we did our school work, played board games, and watched a movie int he afternoon. Temperatures are going to start warming up today which will be nice! We are up 1,117 cases in Michigan so our new total is 7,615.

COVID 19 - Shelter in Place - Day 17

Today was probably our most low-key day so far. It was pretty cold and windy out so we only played outside for a few hours. We did a lot of reading and I worked on my new puzzle. Will did have a zoom chat with his hockey team which he seems to enjoy. Michigan has 6,498 cases of COVID-19 and there is a rumor going around that the Governor is going to close school for the remainder of the year (everyone would advance a grade level in the fall).

COVID 19 - Shelter in Place - Day 16

We woke up to 56 degrees and sun... which meant coffee on the porch! We needed blankets but it was so cozy out there. It is our happy place! Unfortunately, the high winds kicked in mid morning and the temperature dropped. But, it was fun to enjoy it while it lasted. We spent a good portion of the morning cleaning the house. It feels good to have it cleaned and put back together after all the work in the boys' rooms. We took a family walk before dinner and Will managed to beat his Zelda game on the Switch. Alex is not too far behind him and will probably win in the next day or so. There was a big spike in cases in Michigan - we are now up to 5,486. President Trump just announced he was extending social distancing guidelines through April 30.

I love this view!

COVID 19 - Shelter in Place - Day 15

We woke up to a lot of rain this morning, so we tackled several projects around the house. We organized our storage room, brought up our porch furniture, and I re-filled out porch cushions. We've had our screened porch furniture for 7 summers and we basically live out there in the spring/summer/fall. The foam in the cushions was completely crushed and it was basically like sitting on the wooded slats. We looked into order replacements, but it was going to be over $1200 which seemed ridiculous. I was able to find indoor/outdoor foam and took apart the cushions to replace the foam. Then I reapplied the two layers of batting and the inner cover before putting them back in the canvas covers. They are so much better! We had a break in the rain in the early afternoon and went for a walk around the neighborhood and then we played another family game of Risk. After dinner, I did a Zoom call with the Bronco Brown hockey moms. COVID-19 update: 4,650 cases in Michigan with 15 in Kalamazoo. That number is misleading, however, because Kalamazoo does not have many tests available so the actual number is much higher.

New Foam vs. Old Foam

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COVID 19 - Shelter in Place - Day 14

We have been home from school for 2 full weeks now. We have settled into a nice routine of some educational activities and a lot of board games and outdoor play. This morning, Will had his second piano lesson via Facetime. They actually go really well. While I was cleaning their cages, we let the guinea pigs hang out together in the other cage. There was a lot of "pop corning" happening - they seemed to enjoy it. We spent a good chunk of time outside in the afternoon and then taught the boys how to play Risk after dinner.  Michigan now has 3,657 cases of COVID-19 with 11 in Kalamazoo County.  

Alex surrounded by his buddies

Will enjoying the extra space

Going for total world domination

Virtual piano lesson

Will's Updated Room

Will's room is (mostly) done! We are still waiting on new blinds and his nightstand but those should arrive in the next week or two. He loves his new bed and was excited we could hang his autographed jersey above it. He did decide that not everything needed to be hung back up - we moved a few things into his closet and others into the basement. It seems larger and a lot less cluttered.

COVID 19 - Shelter in Place - Day 13

Today we put the finishing touches on Will's room (minus his nightstand and blinds which will be delivered later). We also did some candy science experiments and played a great game of hide and seek. One of the teachers at school is putting together a slideshow of all the Moorsbridge staff so I wrote a message and posed for a picture. Michigan is up to 2,856 cases and there are 10 in Kalamazoo County.

COVID 19 - Shelter in Place - Day 12

Today was a beautiful day! We started the morning with some "school" work: math, Home Safari, piano, Lexia, and Turing Tumbles. We also assembled Will's new bed and started moving a few things back into his room. At 11, we went outside so Will could start another fire. We promised the boys they could roast hot dogs over the fire. Around 11:30 the sun came out and we ended up out by the fire for 2-3 hours. Then the boys played hover hockey and hover football while I worked in Will's room a bit more. At 4:30, Will's hockey team had a Zoom meeting which was a lot of fun for them. Then we went outside for some baseball practice before grilling hamburgers for dinner. We went for a walk around the neighborhood and are now settled in for the night. Michigan is now reporting 2,295 cases of COVID-19 and Kalamazoo County is up to 5 confirmed cases.

COVID 19 - Shelter in Place - Day 11

We had a busy day at home! We started off the morning with cinnamon chip pancakes and then made a batch of homemade marshmallows. The boys did some school work and solved a few puzzles on their Turing Tumbles. Then we started to paint Will's room. He helped with one wall but I did the rest. It turned out really well - I can't wait to set up his new furniture. We took a family walk (well, the boys roller bladed) before dinner and then watched "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids." COVID 19 Updated: Michigan is up to 1,791 cases.

COVID 19 - Shelter in Place - Day 10

Today we woke up to a few inches of wet snow on the ground. It certainly was pretty! Governor Whitmer announced at 11am that Michiganders were required to "shelter in place" starting at midnight tonight. All non-essential businesses are required to close and we should limit contact to our immediate family. The total number of cases in Michigan is up to 1328 and we now have three confirmed cases in Kalamazoo county. We spent the day inside - the boys actually stayed in PJs all day. We started the process of repainting Will's room. We emptied it out, filled the nail holes, and taped. We start painting tomorrow! Since my girls' weekend was cancelled, we had a zoom call so we could all catch up. Unfortunately, two of our friends were stuck on work calls this evening and couldn't join but it was still fun.

Zoom!

Alex's Updated Room

On Sunday, we finished putting Alex's room back together. Originally, we were planning to put the bunk beds in there. Unfortunately, due to the configuration of his room (window location, ceiling fan) there wasn't an ideal spot to put it. We told him he could still have the bunks but we would take down the fan and part of the window would be blocked. It was a tough decision for him. We came up with the idea of using the other mattress as a trundle (we will eventually build a frame with wheels for it) under the twin bed. That way he would still have it for sleepovers and camp outs with Will and Phil. He really liked that idea and is so happy with how his room turned out. We are keeping the frame for the bunk bed in the basement so he can always decide later to put it back on.

Just reading in his new bed