Week eight! How’s everyone doing!?

The Kriegers are ok, but I tell you what — we would be much better if 1) we could be done once and for all with these dreary days and 2) if Tom and I would stop getting strep.

That’s right. Tom and I are both on round three of strep. WHAT IS GOING ON!? We don’t understand why this keeps happening, and are open to any tips, tricks, and magic potions.

 

My mom and dad got us a pretzel-making kit to use during spring break, back when spring break was going to be a thing. And, ya know, five days off school! We’ll need activities!

We finally used it this week and it was really fun, really delicious.

Thomas usually runs away and hides when I invite him to do an activity. Turns out, brushing egg wash on pretzel dough is his thing.

In the middle of a particularly angsty argument over kneading pretzel dough, our doorbell rang. The kids ran to the door and found our good friends in our driveway with a “socially distant ice cream van.”

It was cold, rainy, and 10:30 a.m., and yet somehow ice cream was exactly what we needed. (Plus, in the time my kids spent investigating the doorbell, I was able to finish kneading the dough and putting it in a bowl to rest by myself.)

The sight of people in masks is still completely jarring to me. Especially jarring? The sight of myself in a mask. My only outing since March 9 — to Home Depot to buy plants.

David got a ChromeBook from the school, and he’s drunk on the idea of having his very own device (though we are pretty strict about when and where he can use it).

I love this photo because it shows my three kids absorbed in whatever David was watching — and Anna lined up just because she copies everything they do (even though she obviously isn’t interested in what they’re watching).

My friend Sarah mentioned water beads on Facebook and I thought, “OH YEAH! Why haven’t we been playing with water beads!?”

Thanks to Amazon, we’re playing with water beads.

This week one of Mary’s school assignments included a writing organizer. It was just a worksheet that helped her organize three pieces of information into a paragraph. She didn’t like the assignment, and instead of a paragraph she decided to write a book, which lead to a full-blown publishing career.

She promised to give me all of her manuscripts.

This is how Mary works — papers and crayons all over the place. The cardboard at her feet was for the cover.

The chicks are getting bigger but are still super adorable. The kids are loving them the only way they know how — with lots of energy and zero boundaries. Thankfully, no one has been injured yet.

It’s peony season! Mine are tucked behind a tree in a rarealy-visited part of my yard. I think I need 45 more.

2.23 miles in honor of Ahmaud Arbery.

The week ended with chilly temperatures and me in bed with strep. Tom kept the kids outside all Saturday morning, but they kept checking on me wearing adorable cold-weather attire.