Designing our summer

I put all of the kids' summer stuff (swim team, dive team, tournament baseball, water ballet) on the calendar and almost quit everything. I know we will get into a new normal, but I swear to you, I feel nostalgic for the school year already.

At least my routine was predictable.

Here is Minnie scratching her ear with Dorothy's shoe. **shrug**

I really need to remember to bring her some clothes.

By this time next month, we will have slid into a new normal. I know this! But right now, I wonder how we are going to get everyone where they need to be and stay sane and mind the nap schedule as also do a little work plus also exercise. GAH. Wish us  luck!

We are doing Summer at Hogwarts-- home school style. We're starting with Care of Magical Creatures and plan to also do a Herbology unit, some arithmancy (MATH) and lots of reading. We also developed themes for our days:

Minecraft Monday (I have to grade for 2 summer classes, so hopefully this will help)

Cold Treat Tuesday: So many ice cream shops and smoothie places to try!

Water Wednesday: Sprinkler! Blow up pool! Splash pads!

Library Thursday: No alliteration

Fun Fun Friday: NO idea what will make it fun! fun! But we shall see...
 

Sweaty baseball baby and other snaps

 I just ordered Crumbl for immediate pickup and then realized Ben has the van and hence the baby seat and THAT is how unused we are to leaving each other. Re-entry is going to be WILD.

This baby loves everything. Even pool selfies and laundry.

Also, as predicted, Beatrix likes Minnie much better now that she eats solid foods. Beatrix deosn't even mind wearing the occasional avocado slice.

How freaking sweet is sweaty baseball baby?

Cheers to weekends!

 How cute that they?

I had to take all of the children to baseball tonight, and I was really dreading it. But! I got them Culvers for dinner and fed Minnie applesauce and yogurt while she hung out in her stroller, and it was... fine? It made me think about how many times that very same night would have already played out if it wasn't for COVID. File under silver linings.

My mom and aunt came to visit last weekend, and I took ZERO pictures. But! We had fun and went to the pool which was a raging shit show. SO MANY DRUNK PEOPLE! So much food all over the deck. THERE WERE PEOPLE WITH COOLERS. I mean.

I am so happy that Minnie loves the pool because I do not have a backup plan.

Also, listen, I really need a long-sleeved swimsuit

Cheers to more days like this!

Second shots/changing my COIVD mindset

 Harry and Jack got their second shots yesterday morning!!

In 2 weeks, Harry plans to have an actual BIRTHDAY PARTY maybe even INSIDE THE HOUSE.

But. Tomorrow, I am sending Dorothy to a birthday party at a friend's house-- probably without a mask. Or at least, it's a water party, and they are eating, so I can't imagine she'll actually WEAR a mask. The invite said masks optional. 

I am also itching to enroll Minnie in a Little Gym class.

And, our county has eliminated mask mandates, so I went mask-less in HyVee, which was weird and wonderful.

So, here is my basic thinking: Ben and I are protected. Our parents are protected. Old heart condition Harry is on his way to being protected, as is spreads-like-an-adult-adolescent Jack. The data says that if elementary schoolers do get COVID, they will be fine. So. We are getting ready to live our lives again.

We have been living our lives, in fact. AND THE KIDS HAVE A COLD TO PROVE IT. Yes, I took them to the doc for a COVID test and kept them isolated (and masked, actually) until the results came in. And yes, they are negative. 

I think this is the right thing to do now when unvaccinated kids get sick. Isolate. Mask. Test. Repeat. The new normal?

I am trying to reframe COVID. It's not a moral failing. It's not a death sentence. It's a disease that's terrible for older people, but the kids are likely going to be fine. And the risks of being shut ins are starting to outweigh the risks of getting back out in the world. At least for us in our most vaxxed county that has no community spread. What about you?

ON THE MOVE!

 Minnie is ON THE MOVE!

 It took her a hot second to reach the FULL ON CRAWLING PHASE, but she is HERE, and it is DARLING.

She pulls up to standing, crawls for realZ and is starting to stand up and take steps with her push-toy walker thing.

No book is safe:

Look at her go after that ball!

We cannot even keep her out of the dog bowl:

She is also experimenting with foods in an adorable way

Water Baby!

 No, she likes it, I swear!

Our county dropped all of its orders today because case counts are so low and vaccination rates are so high. I am thrilled about this, but also IT IS SCARY.

Cooper had a fever, chills, body aches, etc, so we got him (and his sidekick Dorothy) a COVID test. They are both negative, and Cooper bounced right back, but it made me worry about the upcoming school year, mainly because the kids will certainly pick up random bugs, and it will be a whole THING. Like, staying home, wearing masks inside, getting a COVID test and following that protocol until the results come back. And we have it easy-- good healthcare,  flexible jobs, etc. AND IT IS STILL A PAIN IN THE ASS. Can we count on other parents to have the same level of follow through?

It's a shift in thinking-- to go from being so freaked out that anyone was going to get it to realizing that we have taken all possible steps to protect ourselves and getting COIVD likely won't be the end of the world, you know? Still, I am happy they were negative, of course.

May: What I Read

I am really into Karin Slaguhter audiobooks right now, as you can see from my list below. There are A DOZEN library books on my shelf and some Book of the Month books, too, but I can't stop listening!

Girl A by Abigail Dean: Ugh. This was rough and creepy. Based on stories of kids escaping houses of horror-- blech. I liked Slaughter better. At least I knew what I was getting into. **2021

Blindsighted by Karin Slaughter: A dark, dark thriller. ** AUDIOBOOK**

Broken by Karin Slaughter: ANOTHER ONE **AUDIOBOOK**

Indelible by Karin Slaughter: SAME. I am reading Slaughter's Grant County series out of order because you can't be picky about what audiobooks show up on the library app when **AUDIOBOOK**

The Kept Woman by Karin Slaughter: Another fabulous one. I am addicted to theeeeeeeeese.

 The Silent Wife by Karin Slaughter: Ooooooooh, this one was gooooooood. **AUDIOBOOK** **2021

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson: Eventually, I liked this, but it was quite a slog. Larson has a knack for making fascinating historical moments boring. **AUDIOBOOK**

Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner: Read this! So entertianing. **AUDIOBOOK**

The Hunting Wives by May Cobb: SO DARK. Some flaws in the plot and it took me a second to get into it, but I ultimately really liked this one. *2021

Mother May I by Joshilyn Jackson: I love her! Also, I stayed up until 1 am reading this book  because I had to know what happened to the BABY. *2021

Infinite Country by Patricia Engel: Ok, listen. I liked this book. There were some really succinct and heartbreaking descriptions. BUT ALSO. So much of the book's spare style was due to the total stereotypes the author invoked for all of the minor characters and some of the mains. I think American Dirt was in a lot of ways more fleshed out. *2021

Good Company by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney: Loved this! Read it in fact in a single nap time. If you liked The Nest, you will like this on a lot. Theater people, marriage drama, musings on again-- I was all in. *2021

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro: OH WOW! This is about a robot who is a friend to a girl in a messed up family. It's gorgeously written and really well plotted-- you should read it. *2021