Now that we know no one got COVID from Minnie's party, I want to share the 75 gorgeous photos our neighbor (who happens to be an award-winning documentary photographer) took for us.
(Apologies if we are FB friends because you have TOTALLY seen these already)
I miss summer already, and there are still pool towels in the laundry-- it's barely even over.
We had a pool-filled weekend, and Dorothy was the very first-- and the very last-- person in the water today. Dorothy, Jack, Cooper, and Harry were all at the pool from open to close, and only one of them was getting paid to be there. (Also NONE of them wore sunscreen, which was a major parenting fail).
Summer, we are all going to miss you.
Even though I faced EXTREME ANXIETY about it, I had basically resigned myself to sending all 4 older kids back to school. Ben and I are back to school, and we didn't have any other options in our district. I sent a few emails to neighboring districts with virtual programs (not available for open enrollment even though they were under-enrolled), and I emailed a couple of public charters open to all WI students (but I have an ethical beef with charter schools, so my heart wasn't in it in terms of follow-up, etc). We got haircuts. Bought back packs. Bought shoes and school clothes and new magnets and carrying cases for their Planet Boxes. Purchased school supplies AND took them to school.
And then.
On FRIDAY our district offered a virtual option for 4k-5th grade.
At first, I felt unsure. SO MUCH EXCITEMENT and SO MUCH PREPARATION. And then I felt sad. Sad for Dorothy and Cooper and their expectations for the school year. And sad for me. I have been so looking forward to having space in my own head.
But! I KNEW that I didn't want to send unvaccinated kids back to school, and I was just doing it because there was nothing else to do. AND NOW THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE. More than that, the district announcing this option made me remember that I always had an option.
I don't think that for us sending unvaccinated kids to school makes sense.
Bad news: the program is really unorganized and doesn't start for 2 more weeks (it is not entirely clear if there is staff even yet). So. It's going to be a bit of a scramble. (UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE CENTURY).
I feel SO MUCH BETTER, and I have stopped doomscrolling entirely.
Here's Harry's first day! (I am writing this post in advance, and Jack hasn't gone back yet) (And to be clear, they are both vaccinated and wearing N95 masks. Risky still, but I feel like vaccinated is a clear standard for back-to-school).
Before:
Oh, poor Cooper you guys. Good thing he will probably look cool with a scar because he had a terrible bike accident riding home from the pool on Tuesday. Ben and I were starting to prep dinner when Jack called, sounding quite concerned, to tell us that Cooper ran face first into a golf ball-washing station and was bleeding all over the place.
Ben stopped snapping green beans and went to pick them up.
He called me to say I should bring a wet towel and a big glass of water outside and he was calling the pediatrician's office.
When I saw Cooper, he was dripping with blood from his eyebrows to his toes, and he couldn't even talk-- that's how swollen his raw hamburger lips were. "Don't overreact," he mumbled at me. I made a small noise when I saw his bloody face, and he burst into loud tears. It was an under-reaction on my part, I assure you.
He still had pebbles in his mouth, and he left a trail of sand everywhere.
It's never a great time to go to a children's hospital ED, but during a global pandemic? Probably the most not good time. Still, if you have to, go with a kid holding a bloody towel to his face will get you in a room pretty quick.
After checking my make sure his jaw and knee weren't broken (!!!!!), the doctor stitched him up and send him home groggy from pain meds. We gave him a bath very gingerly (he drank a milkshake for dinner on the way home) and put him to bed. (I almost killed him by getting him a straw to drink his Tylenol-- a metal straw that had something dried up all gross in it which he almost sucked down his throat, but then we put him to bed). He had instructions from the ED doc not to brush his teeth, which was cool.
Buuuuuuut, he can't go swimming for a week, and the pool closes in 6 days. **sad trombone**
Well. I finished the Louise Penny books, and NOW WHAT WILL I DO? HOW CAN I WAIT FOR MORE?
No Offense by Meg Cabot: Hard nope for me.
The Hungover Games: A True Story by Sophie Heawood: Pretty cover, pretty blah memoir.
Don't You Cry by Mary Kubica: A forgettable thriller *Audio
One of Us Is Next by Karen McManus: Not as good as the first one. **Audio
The Idea of You by Robinne Lee: Yes, I did enjoy this romance novel by the pool.
The Perfect Wife by J.P Delany: A decent little thriller. *Audio
Criminal by Karin Slaughter: I mean, you know how I feel. *Audio
Kisscut by Karin Slaughter: Yep, another one. *Audio
One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus: YES. Read this YA thriller and the sequel. Or better yet? Listen to it. **Audio
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry: Adorable *2021
The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny: Not my favorite in the series, but SO GOOD. **Audio **2021
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah: I liked this a while lot, and it was not as sad as I feared it would be. *2021
One Two Three by Laurie Frankel: YES. Big yes. Read this! **2021
Early Morning Riser by Katherine Heiny: Oh this book! The characters (especially the supporting ones) are Russo good. **2021
