March started off like any normal March. It was still pretty cold, but the weather was showing signs of Spring. The first few weeks were busy with Olivia preparing for her school musical and attending Science Fair Regionals. Olivia, her friend Jackson and one other boy were the three picked from the 7th grade to move onto to regionals. Olivia was super surprised that her project on water purity was chosen. She was honored to get the opportunity to present at regionals and we were super proud of her!
Olivia and her classmates had been preparing for the school musical...Peter Pan Jr. since returning from Christmas break. As the last week of rehearsals wrapped up things started to ramp up with the Coronavirus, and there was talk of schools possibly closing down. With the big performances that weekend, the kids had the chance to put on the show for the other Canterbury students as well as a Grandparents performance. By Thursday of that week it was announced that schools were shutting down for at least two weeks and possibly longer depending on how serious this would become. My Mom attended the Grandparents performance on that Wednesday and by Thursday night the announcement was made that schools were closing. At that point there was hope that the kids would get to go back to school and eventually be able to perform the musical for parents and kids. We never thought that they would not get to come back to school and get the chance to show off all of their hard work. Luckily during the student performance a photographer shot some photos, and my mom took some videos during the grandparents performance. She was the only one of us that actually got to see the musical. It was a huge disappoint for everyone, but mostly for the kids who worked so hard. Who knew that this would be one of many disappointments to come in the upcoming months.
With schools closed and elearning immediately put in place, Olivia and Cecilia quickly got into a routine at Nana's house...their school for the remainder of the school year. I was impressed with how quickly they adapted to their new circumstances. They each set up their own private work spaces, organized all of their school supplies and hunkered down for what was only supposed to be 2-4 weeks.
The next announcement was that restaurants and stores were shutting down. My Mom took the girls for their final meal out (at Wendy's), not knowing that it would be months before they could set foot into a restaurant. From that point on there was nothing to do but just hunker down and hope that this would pass quickly.
The virus continued to spread rapidly and decisions were being made to close things down indefinitely. The next announcement was the toughest one for my kids. In person school was done for the year. It was elearning only to finish out the school year. This was tough for my girls, as I know it was for all kids. They missed their teachers, their friends and just the ability to go about their normal schedules. This was Cece's last year at Peace Montessori, and now it was ending with homeschooling. That was incredibly disappointing for her. We were all hoping she would get that fun last day at her school and the ability to properly say goodbye. But it was now early April and their new normal was just starting to sink in. In between the online classes and various assignments they found time for some fun activities to help keep their spirits up. Anything to help keep their minds off of everything changing so suddenly.
While our city and most of the world was on lockdown, we made the best of the situation. The extra family time was nice. With dance, soccer and gymnastics and the gym all closed we spent a lot of time doing online Zoom meetings. The girls were able to take most of their classes online, and I continued to teach online as well. It was a nice way to stay somewhat connected and somewhat active. It was better than nothing. During the lockdown we saw really no one other than my mom and each other. We had some fun game nights and enjoyed the outdoors as the weather started to warm up. We found ways to reach out to our friends and loved ones by going over to their houses and writing messages on their sidewalks. We even came home to a nice message from one of my dance students. Small things like this helped to make this dark time a little brighter.
Through all of this Spring Break passed us by. Olivia was supposed to go to Florida with a friend, but instead the only difference with that week is that the girls did not have online school. Then Easter was upon us. With churches closed and gatherings discouraged it made for a strange holiday. We would typically go to church and then to our family friend's for a huge feast. Instead my Mom did everything she could to still make it a fun holiday for the girls. And of course, Easter baskets from us helped to make the holiday special!
Things kicked off on Saturday with cookie and egg decorating. We usually always do this the day before Easter, but this year was extra special because it was about the only thing they could do to make it feel more like Easter. Their creations turned out great!
The next day, on Easter, we went back to my Mom's for a nice dinner and the girls decided to get dressed up. They looked so nice in their Sunday best, even if we couldn't go to church. There was an egg hunt and of course, Easter baskets from Nana! It turned out to be a really nice Easter and it actually felt somewhat normal.
The month of April seemed to drag on endlessly. We were in the middle of lockdown and making the best of the situation. We never thought we would get hit with a early spring snow fall! Not what we wanted to see, but Cece still enjoyed playing in it. Luckily it melted the very next day!
Once it warmed up a bit we decided to get out of the house one afternoon and hike through a local park. The kids had fun exploring the woods and playing on the playground. It was just nice to enjoy some fresh air and change of scenery.
Suddenly we found ourselves in May! Still on lockdown, but seeing a gradual return to normal in the distance. The girls were still elearning and all of their activities were still taking place online, but by the second week of May some things were starting to open back up and people were starting to see each other again. We were by no means, out of the woods when it came to the Coronavirus, but we were starting to see some changes. Luckily the weather was starting to warm up. so we were spending as much time outdoors as possible!
Although things in our world were still no where close to back to normal yet, we were doing our best to keep things as normal as possible in our lives. We were a few weeks away from wrapping up the school year and kicking off summer! Now to find things to do that haven't been shut down or cancelled. I am confident that the girls will still have a very enjoyable summer!
The month of April seemed to drag on endlessly. We were in the middle of lockdown and making the best of the situation. We never thought we would get hit with a early spring snow fall! Not what we wanted to see, but Cece still enjoyed playing in it. Luckily it melted the very next day!
Once it warmed up a bit we decided to get out of the house one afternoon and hike through a local park. The kids had fun exploring the woods and playing on the playground. It was just nice to enjoy some fresh air and change of scenery.
Suddenly we found ourselves in May! Still on lockdown, but seeing a gradual return to normal in the distance. The girls were still elearning and all of their activities were still taking place online, but by the second week of May some things were starting to open back up and people were starting to see each other again. We were by no means, out of the woods when it came to the Coronavirus, but we were starting to see some changes. Luckily the weather was starting to warm up. so we were spending as much time outdoors as possible!
