Game On

When we started looking more seriously at houses last year, one of the things that was a "nice to have" in my mind was a place to store all our games. When we decided not to move, getting the game situation under control was big on my to-do list. Then lockdown hit and we were more focused on establishing our new routine and getting homeschool under control.

With a few weeks of lockdown under our belts, it was time to finally tackle the game situation. Especially since Quinn really wanted to play Uno ... and Uno was ... [insert your best guess]. Also - we were getting desperate for new things to do!

You guys, I spent approximately 20 more hours thinking about organizing the games than it actually took me to organize them. I was on pinterest, I was on Amazon, Target, and Wayfair. I was back on pinterest. I had out a tape measure and was measuring the game boxes. There may have been shades of ridiculousness in the amount of thought that went into this project. When it came down to it, I ended up ordering a 4x4 cube organizer from Target. All that thought for such a simple solution.

We were able to do a contactless drive up to get it at Target, made a swing by the storage unit where a critical mass of games were living [fun fact: when we actually thought we were moving and just decluttering the house, we put a lot of things we actually use in storage - not thinking they would live there for months. We are slowly but surely retrieving said items.], and set up a construction crew in the basement.

Once Mike, Q, and D had built the shelf, I gathered all the games from seven (yep, you read the right. SEVEN) different spots in our house. It was clear why we didn't play games as often as I would have expected. If you managed to find the game you wanted to play, it was hard work to get it out. And heaven forbid you want to put it away - as that often required a PhD in engineering.

Quinn was so excited to help. There's not much that Quinn likes more than organizing things. I was told in no uncertain terms to wait for her! Once we got everything staged, Q and I probably had everything put away in under two hours. We ordered a few cubes for the smaller dice and card games, cleaned out some games that we've outgrown, and even have space to grow!

Fun fact #2: when you can find the games, you actually play them! We've been enjoying many rounds of Old Maid, Go Fish, Memory, and Phase 10 dice.

Fun fact #3: when you don't need an engineering degree, even five-year-olds can put their own games away!!

Outside Adventures

Our early lockdown tradition of going out for a bike ride/blade/walk when I finish work remains a favorite part of our day. We marked Day 50 of lockdown today with a 2+ mile bike ride on a trail we haven't explored yet (yay for something different!!). There was a fairly substantial hill in the middle of the ride that everyone rode up - without having to walk their bikes! I was riding by Dec and when we got to the top, he looked at me and said, "Nailed it."

[You guys, Fiona shouldn't be able to ride a bike. Instead, she is riding all the way up hills that are legitimately HARD for Mike and me. On her own. She is so tough and determined. Tougher than even she knows! But believe me, we know!]

Quinn got a flat tire about a week ago. We had to order a new tube and everything is taking extra time to arrive these days. So when it finally got here on Friday, she couldn't wait for Mike to fix her tire. He did and off we headed on a ride. Where about halfway through, her tire was completely flat again. Big tears. Mike sped home on his bike to grab his car while I hung out with the troops. He brought Q's roller blades back so she could "wheel" home. Unfortunately, she wasn't wearing socks. So I made Dec give Quinn his socks. Hanging by a thread over here ...

Thankfully, we had ordered two tubes. So Saturday morning, Quinn and Mike investigated the tire in more detail, found the problem screw, and re-fixed the tire. Take two seems to be successful. And now Quinn knows how to change a tire!

We also took advantage of a beautiful Saturday to bike down by the river. There were a too many people out for our comfort, but we were able to make it work. The kids even got to do some rock climbing. Honestly, just getting out of our two-mile neighborhood radius feels like such a treat. It was a good way to get some fresh air, exercise, and a change of scenery.

Dec has been Mike's little buddy as they spend every day together. One day, last week, they finished kindergarten early so decided to pull out a couple shrubs by the back fence. Dec was very proud to put on his Hot Wheels "work gloves," pick up a few branches, and keep Mike entertained with an endless stream of conversation. They also headed down to the field one windy Saturday to fly my old kite. The wind made it a little hard to control, but they had fun nonetheless. At least until they had to reel it back in - that was a lot of work!

On Earth Day, we celebrated by having a backyard fire with some of the brush from the shrubs Mike (and Dec) pulled out. It was a pretty spontaneous event, but so much fun to pull out the camping chairs and relax around the fire. Dec was most excited because he got to use the hose to help put it out before dinner.

The signs of spring are everywhere [just ask Mike and Fiona ... whose allergies are blowing up right now]. We are seeing lots of birds and the neighborhood ducks are back. Mike taught the kids how to do duck calls one night at dinner ... so Quinn and D tested out their calls on our walk. It was so funny. And they were so excited when the ducks called back.

Backyard Baseball

As we continue to hang out at home, new hobbies are emerging to keep us entertained. My favorite is that the kids are obsessed with playing baseball. [Mike and I are NOT sad about it] They've been obsessed to the point that one night, as I climbed into bed, Mike informed me that we now owned a pitching machine. Then Declan asked for the next two million days when it would arrive!

Dec still bats left-handed and is getting really good at hitting a pitched (overhand) ball ... hence, the pitching machine. The girls are pretty good hitters as well. They are happy to play if D has recruited Mike - but are less likely to bring the equipment out on their own. Dec, on the other hand, will play all the time! He loves to hit, is working on his pitching, can throw well when he focuses - and can't catch worth beans.

D and I played catch in the driveway a few nights ago. We were throwing a tennis ball on the roof and taking turns catching it when it rolled off. It was my sneaky way of getting him to practice. While we were playing, I threw the ball and it rolled into the gutter. We had to dig out a ladder to retrieve it. I jokingly told him "don't tell dad." So he wrote about it in his school journal the next day. Traitor!

The pitching machine arrived last Friday. Dec could hardly stand it, so Mike put it together that evening. In the house. I mistakenly told them not to use it in the house - and was promptly hit by a pitched ball. Sigh. It has relocated outside and both Quinn and Declan have used it for batting practice. We've learned that you definitely need to mark home plate, or it gets a little bit more like dodgeball than like baseball. We haven't played a whole Family V game with it - but maybe the weather this weekend will cooperate.

While we are missing the MLB season (Go Twins!), it's been fun to share my love of baseball with the gang. I suspect there will not be a youth baseball season this spring - but Dec will be on track with his skills when he can get back to the diamond. The girls will be ready too if they ever want to be on a team.

[And really, the ability to catch a ball feels like a solid life skill, regardless of your position on baseball]

Lockdown Continues

It's official ... the kids will not be going back to their school this academic year. They are sad. I am sad. Teacher Daddy is very sad. The writing has been on the wall for a while, so we have been quite honest and preparing them for this possibility. The day our governor made the announcement was a hard day. But then something interesting happened. Attitudes shaped up a bit. It was almost like knowing (even if we didn't like it) felt better and more in control than not knowing.

I will say it again - all three kids have the best teachers!! Their teachers are just as sad to miss the end of the year with the kids. But the teachers are working so hard to bring some of that end of the year magic to distance learning. We are so grateful for them. And for technology to keep them connected. And for kindergarten teachers who take the egg hatching unit online and set up a Google Meet for a Sunday night so that the kinders could watch and participate as duck and chick eggs went into the incubators.

We had a rough couple days after Easter. It was cold. It kept snowing. As much as we like winter, we had gotten used to the springtime weather. The walls were closing in on us. So when the sun came out on Wednesday and it warmed up to tolerable, you can bet that we were out enjoying it after work and school were done. [To be fair, we were out even when the weather wasn't very nice. But it was much more fun later in the week!] Attitudes also shaped up with more fresh air!

Mike is clearly missing his IT work - and has decided that if he has to teach Art, there is also going to be computer class. So he grabbed an old desktop computer and monitor that we have (there are so many random computer components that live here!) and configured a computer for the kids. He is bound and determined that these children are going to learn how to use a mouse. Fact: they were so completely confused by the mouse at first. This tablet generation is like "I do what and click how?!?!"

He added Klondike solitaire, which Quinn has been obsessed with. She's getting the hang of it and has even tried with real cards a couple times. Dec is also learning how to play it - but needs a little more help. Fiona claimed she didn't want to try ... but then I found her testing it out a couple days ago when the other two were outside. She does not want to learn in front of Quinn. But she and I had a good time working on it together. Mike also put on a paint game that all three love. They are creating awesome pictures - and really working those finer mouse skills. Tricky tricky daddy.

We changed up our evening a couple Thursdays ago and watched the Disney Family Sing-a-long on ABC. Everyone snuggled up in blankets with their pjs on - and it was just a nice break in the monotony. I don't think they knew a lot of the celebrities who participated, but they enjoyed the songs, sang Let It Go at top volume, and were thrilled to see the cast of High School Musical all sing.

Our state "stay at home" order expires next Monday. There will likely be a slow reopening of things. We don't know what that will mean for us yet. Until we know more, we'll continue on with working from home, distance learning, lots of family time, and trying to find fun in each day.

Easter Sledding Becomes a Thing

Easter Saturday found the kids hunting eggs in tank tops. Easter Sunday found us hauling sleds, snowboards, and skis to the sledding hill. It really was a "tail" of two Easter bunnies. [As much as we like snow and winter, that was a hard mental shift to make from one day to the next.]

Despite spending almost all day outside on Saturday, the girls were so excited for Easter morning (it is hard to blame them. Things that are different and exciting are few and far better right now) that it was close to 10:30 before they finally fell asleep. The Easter bunny was unimpressed that it was nearly 11pm before bunny activities could commence.

The kids slept until close to 7:30, which actually felt like a win. Dec found Quinn and Fiona's baskets and Quinn found Declan's. They are good about not ruining the hiding spot if it isn't their own basket ... but their poker faces could use some work. The best was Dec opening the dishwasher, saying "oooohhhh," closing the dishwasher, and then yelling "Fiona, do you want a hint?" Way to be cool, dude!! Dec's basket was in one of the end tables and Q's was in the TV stand. The bunny may need to expand to the basement - because we are running out of hiding spots upstairs.

They were so excited about their baskets and the big hit of the year was a Garmin Jr fitness tracker watch for each of them. I got a Fitbit for Christmas and Quinn especially is obsessed with how many steps I get each day. Dec asks for the time about 5,296 times a day - so it was imperative the boy get a watch. Their watches track their steps, active minutes, and daily chores. They've definitely been enjoying them and get very excited when they meet their daily goals.

After examining their baskets, we took a quick breakfast break to eat some of our hard-boiled eggs. Then we headed downstairs for the egg hunt. One of Q's eggs proved very tricky until we realized that she had miscounted and only put out 11 instead of 12 eggs in her color for the bunny ... but one magically appeared and her very Type A laser focus was satisfied. The egg hunt was particularly difficult this year. Lots of climbing, contorting and work to discover all those eggs. They really seemed to enjoy the challenge.

Their colored eggs had money in them and the joint eggs held a clue that said "Look high look low in the place where coats go." After some searching, they discovered Tenzi hidden in my rainboot. While we definitely missed church (and the caramel rolls), it was a very fun, relaxing, laidback morning.

I made ham, cheesy potatoes, green bean casserole, and rolls for our Easter dinner. One tradition that didn't change ... I made way too much food! But it turned out well and everyone enjoyed it. The kids decided to dress up - so Mike and I did too. I even put on make up. I was afraid I had forgotten how! The girls wore tights, shared their fanciest dresses with each other, and put on make up too. Dec wore his tie for a bit, but eventually decided a collar was good enough.

After dinner was cleaned up, the kids and I used candy melts and pretzels to make some spring-themed desserts. There were lots of butterflies, flowers, dragonflies, and other more abstract creations. They had the best time and enjoyed having the freedom to use their imaginations. We even had a lesson on drizzling! It was a huge mess, but we had fun ... and really, where else were we going to go?!?!

Well, actually, we did have a place. After I got the dining room cleaned up, we grabbed our winter gear and outdoor toys. There were eight inches of fresh powder on the ground that we were not going to waste. Off to the sledding hill we went. We didn't stay out for a long time (the ground wasn't frozen so it was hard to pack a trail), but it was really nice to just get outside and play in the snow. It was also fun to add Easter Sledding to our repertoire. We've gone Thanksgiving sledding and Christmas sledding, but Easter sledding was a first! The night ended with an easy dinner, pjs, and watching The Easter Bunny is Coming to Town.

It was not the holiday we had expected. We missed Auntie, Gma, and Gpa (and anyone else we could have talked into joining us!). We swung between having a fun time and missing normal. We are grateful for FaceTime and Messenger video chats, Easter basket treasures, messy cooking projects, and great books that help us talk about the Resurrection. It was a different Easter, but it was still a good one.