Spring Break Week in Pictures (Safer at Home - Week Two )

I wrote THIS POST about our Spring Break adventures in real time.  This year Spring Break was from March 23rd-29th.  Do you know what is amazing about those dates?  Most of the dates are less than a month ago!  I am truly getting so close to caught up on the blog!  Yahoo!!!   

Monday March 23rd:

I chuckled during my early morning walk, of course "Spring Break" would begin with snow on the ground!  It didn't last long and it was so beautiful.  

Enjoying the morning sights. 

The beauty of Spring Break was NO online school!  We loved the slower pace of the days.  I still had the kids do some learning games in the morning, but we has much less school screen time which meant we were able to do a movie every afternoon.  This meant I was able to get a lot of blogging done.

I love reading aloud to the kids.  We were able to do a lot of this over Spring Break.  We haven't done it much since.  Ironically we are reading "The Long Winter."  We started it in October when we had very early snow.  After reading a couple chapters then and a couple chapters after Brandon's eye surgery we hadn't read any of it until Spring Break.  Seeing this pic makes me think we should read some more soon.  Reading together is probably my favorite thing to do!

My favorite time of day!

Our dryer arrived on Monday, just before we learned of our Safer at Home order.  I wept as I looked at it and disinfected it.  We were so thankful to have a dryer in our home.  I did many loads of laundry and it worked great!
Here is the dryer story. The dryer quit before we went to Mexico.  Tom and Judy called the repair place and it was scheduled for the Tuesday after we got home from Mexico.  That Tuesday we got a call from the repair place.  Not only were they not coming that day, but they would reschedule once COVID was over.  We knew waiting for them wouldn't be possible. I believe we tried another place and got no answer.  Our dryer was from the 1980's (or older) so we decided it might be more cost effective to just get a new one. We went to Home Depot online and were able to take advantage of a great sale in its final day.  We signed up for the delivery and wondered if it would really happen as things kept getting worse and worse.  When the men arrived they said that the plug for the dryer was the wrong size for our outlet and we would need to order something different.  Brandon went online to look for parts and I just prayed and prayed.  Amazingly, once the guy was looking at it more he said that it actually was the right plug and perhaps the old dryer didn't have the right plug all these years.  I was in awe of this news.  When we saw the dryer installed it was a try answer to prayer.  I am not sure how long this dryer will last, but it will always make me think of this season and God's care for the little details of my life. 

A miracle in the chaos. 

The kids and I have been listening to Adventures in Odyssey audio episodes each day.  It is a calming and enriching time for all of us.  It is great to listen to as I fold clothes.

M and T:  We love Adventures in Odyssey. 

Read on their own time!

M: I love Dutch Blitz too!

We told T about people writing notes of encouragement on the sidewalk and she was out the door before the conversation was over!  She was sure she had the best idea of what to write!

Be kind!

She wanted to write a Bible verse.  I gave many suggestions that would encourage and bring comfort... this is what she decided. 

"For the Word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double edged sword. Hebrews 4:12"

Choose Peace.

Tuesday: March 24th 

It warmed my heart to come down from my shower and see these two eating and reading together.  

T: Daddy and I are a lot alike.  We eat the same thing every day for breakfast. 

I LOVE puzzles.  I remember doing many of them as a child.  In college I enjoyed puzzling with a friend, and I think Brandon and I did one puzzle together after we were married.  T really loved doing the puzzle after her surgery and M didn't want to do a puzzle after his surgery.  We did a puzzle over Thanksgiving in MN that was quite a challenge.  I decided over Spring Break it was time to start M's surgery puzzle.  I am so thankful we waited a week to go into the basement.  We hadn't been down there in a while and it was a whole new world of fun!

We quickly learned that everyone doing one puzzle was tricky.  We set up a second table and M started his own puzzle.

T:  First, we usually do the frame and flip over the pieces. 

M:  I liked going my own pace on my own puzzle. 

After lunch reading with the cats!

M: I finished the puzzle in ONE day!

As I said above, the basement was like a new world to the kids and they were happily exploring many toys they had not played with in a long time.  I have thanked God for our basement space so many times in the last six weeks.  What a blessing to have additional places to play and work.

T: I still fit in the doll high chair... sort of! 

I decided we needed some gym time and got out the bin of OT tools and toys.  The kids acted like it was Christmas and T was enjoying all of it at once.

T:  I love popping bubble wrap!

Puzzle progress!

T: I love creating these fancy girls. 

M: I haven't played with these in years. 

T: I m going to do every card (stops after one card). 

I found this so very true!  This season isn't easy, but I sure have learned a lot since the first days.  

Wednesday: March 25th 

We don't have many pics from Wednesday because we were out of the house for several hours driving to and from Brandon's appointment that wasn't actually an appointment. 

Brandon had a staff meeting in the afternoon. Zoom is how meetings happen in 2020

T: Even mermaids need rest. 

Thursday: March 26th 

There were not many pics taken today as we were doing so much puzzling! 

T: Do you like my mosaic? 

Buttercup:  I love laying here watching for squirrels, birds, or leaves.

Friday: March 27th 

We finished our 1,000 piece puzzle today.  M also finished his 200 piece puzzle, but was sad that it was missing 3 pieces.  We bought it a couple years ago at Goodwill, so sometimes that happens. 

M: I was sad that it was missing three pieces...

M: ... but I was happy that I did this puzzle by myself. 

Sunshine:  I can really watch for things up here.  

Our first 1,000 piece puzzle during Coronavirus finished! 

Saturday: March 28th 

On Saturday morning I talked with a friend while walking.  We were both walking locally and we both noticed this encouraging sight.  One of the little libraries became a food bank where people can leave and take food items.  This picture also represents so many other things I could have taken pictures of.  So many people are writing messages and hearts in chalk on their sidewalks and driveways, hanging thank you notes on their doors, hanging hearts in their windows etc. 

This amazing Little Library turned food swap.

A few days after the above picture was taken I noticed a box of coconut milk in the library.  I believe it is in the back on the photo.  I watched it every single morning for over 3 weeks.  Other things were taken and added, but that box remained.  It is the exact kind we use, so I wanted to take it, but wanted to think of something to share with others in its place.  Suddenly I remembered several ice cream cone tickets we had.  I put the tickets in and grabbed the milk the next day. I get excited when I check now to see how many tickets have been taken and smile each day at the fact that it is better to give than to receive.

While I was walking the kids were busy creating with Magnatiles.

I made lots of creations. 

T: Two flowers. 

M: This is the biggest castle I have ever made. 

Our cats are so patient.  Poor Sunshine was probably trying to hide under the shoe bench, but no spot is safe when T is around.  She will join him wherever he is. 

T: Sunshine looked like he wanted company. 

T: This is the best hair wrap I have ever done.  I look just like Mommy!

In the afternoon and evening the kids got to try out the elliptical in our basement for the first time... when it was actually plugged in.  They also did some weight lifting and a whole host of other activities.  They had a blast.  I will do a special post about this time tomorrow.

Sunday: March 29th.  

The final day of Spring Break arrived all too quickly.  I started the day with a pre-church walk.  This is something that will only happen during this season of life.  It is a unique gift to have an early Sunday walk.  

When Shelly doesn't wear a hat... you know it is a warm day. 

During agenda time (also before church) I told the kids about why March 29th is such a memorable date for me.  While I was talking T was taking notes.  I texted the notes to my mom and she figured out the entire storyline of the day.  On March 29th of my Junior year of high school, there were several tornados in our area.  My mom and I were shopping and had to go to a mall tornado area.  My dad went out with an ambulance and my brother hid under a couch in our basement.  We were all back home safe that night and helped serve in the cleanup of some major destruction.  Each year on the 29th I think about it.  This year I was able to tell the kids and they were old enough to really understand it. 

T: I love taking notes while Mommy talks. 

M:  A few finishing touches on the castle before church. 

This week we were much more prepared for church and it went much better.  It is always interesting to have the cats walk across the keyboard as we watch.  T loves to sing out which warms my heart.

T: I love singing with Charissa! 

The kids were given an assignment, to draw the last supper with as much detail as possible.  Here are their drawings:

M: I waited until Daddy talked, and then I drew what he described. 

T: I labeled things in case you couldn't figure them out! 

On Sunday afternoon we played some Catch Phrase.  The kids enjoy playing but not losing.

T: Sometimes it took me a while to figure out how to describe myself. 

T: I love taking naps with the cats. 

T:... But I also like reading. 

The week was over way too quickly.  I spent much time the final weekend making my huge shopping lists and doing inventory of the things we had on hand.  Shopping has become such a production in this season.  

Spring Break week was a bit stressful, to be home and not active like we would normally be.  It was also lovely and a treasure that I didn't realize as much as I should have while I was living it.