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Monday was a drizzly day. I typically don't mind rain, but apparently I need sun during a quarantine. Anne woke up at 5 a.m. due to a bad dream and could not go back to sleep. Meg's fever went back up this morning, just as we thought she was getting better. And here we were, stuck in the house without even the option of going into the backyard. 

With all these depressing elements, I decided to pull out a project from Great Ancient Egypt Projects, which I had been planning for awhile. We made Egyptian tunics from old white bed sheets. 

I cut out a very basic tunic, with the neck hole cut on the fold. This meant we would only need to sew the tunic under the arms and down the sides. After very loosely measuring for each girl based on the first tunic, I repeated the process so Meg, Clare and Anne would each have a tunic. 

We then tried to sew the tunics on my sewing machine. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get the sewing machine to work. My last sewing machine project was sewing velcro onto skort waistbands and I'm afraid it may have been too much for the poor machine. That, or I just wasn't threading it correctly. 

Clare, who loves sewing, enthusiastically suggested we hand sew the tunics. I was not as enthusiastic. The Great Ancient Egypt Projects book suggests you can use fabric glue. But Clare was so excited about the possibility of sewing, I agreed. We turned The Egypt Game on Audible and began to sew while listening. Even Meg joined us for a little while. 

Once the tunics were sewn, the girls pulled out the fabric paint I purchased from Amazon and began to paint Egyptian designs on their tunics. 

The girls were very pleased with their final products. I can't say we completely pulled ourselves out of the rainy day lethargy, but we managed to be productive and enjoyed ourselves along the way. 

Our coronavirus sequestering took a surprising turn on Wednesday morning when Meg woke up with a 102 degree fever. She had a cough, wheezing and her chest was tight. But, she has asthma, so even the smallest respiratory issue leads to wheezing and a tightening of the chest. 

Obviously, fevers happen in a family with three kids. But that is the highest fever we have dealt with in awhile and it came in the midst of a pandemic. I won't lie to you. The moment I saw the thermometer, my heart dropped. I wasn't the only one. Clare asked, "Is Meg going to die?" When I assured her that kids have an amazing ability to fight off the coronavirus, she asked, "Are you going to catch it from Meg and die?" I have found it interesting that Clare's concern in the last week has not been about herself. She's terrified of losing someone she loves. 

We immediately called the pediatrician and spoke with the triage nurse. She took the information and told me a doctor would return my call. Within the hour we were on FaceTime with one of the pediatricians from the practice. She was able to evaluate Meg's color and listen to her breathing and coughing. Meg didn't qualify for coronavirus testing because we could not identify a direct contact with a person who has tested positive for the virus. The doctor told us to treat her like she has the flu. However, she didn't recommend that we take her to the office for flu testing. Typically, due to Meg's asthma, they want to know if it she has the flu. But right now, it is better to stay home. The pediatrician gave me specific instructions on how frequently to use her two types of inhalers and how to provide fever reducing medicine. She also recommended Meg be kept away from her sisters. 

After the call, there was a certain amount frustration. Uncertainty is the most anxiety-producing state in which to be. We are in the middle of a pandemic and I realized I would never know if my sick child would have tested positive for this awful virus. But then there were a lot of reasons to be thankful. She is a child and, based on what we have heard, even if she had the coronavirus, she would likely fight it off quickly. While she has asthma, that also means we already have inhalers in the house to keep her lungs strong. It also means I have an oximeter and can keep an eye on her oxygen levels. Additionally, live three blocks from a hospital. Less than that if we cut through backyards. If she showed any signs of breathing distress, I could get her to the hospital in minutes. 

Meg slept well through the night. I checked on her periodically and her breathing seemed fine. When she woke up, her temperature had dropped. Today her fever has ranged from 99.5 to 100.5, which is obviously much better. We've kept her hydrated with Gatorade that, thankfully, I thought to put in one of our last food orders just in case someone got sick. She is doing well and, so far, no one else has become sick. 

We have continue to find joy in the small things. Clare and Anne planned their own Colonial tea party today. They made sugar cookies, dressed in costumes and set the table in our nicest china.

​Clare and Anne are watching the Mo Willems' Lunch Doodles every day. Clare taught herself to read using the Elephant and Piggy books and they still hold a special place in her heart. These lunch doodles have inspired the girls to be creative. Anne wrote her own picture book: The Mouse in High Heels. Meg and Clare have been working on a computer animation course, so Clare has decided to animate The Mouse in High Heels. 

We loved the suggestion put out on Twitter by Sally Clarkson to tape paper to the bottom of your dining table and let kids paint like Michelangelo. As Clare and Anne painted under the table, Clare said, "When I think back on my childhood, this is what I am going to think of." I truly hope we have lots of those special memories during this time of quarantine. 

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Earlier this school year, we made a huge adjustment. All three of my kids moved from a traditional school to homeschool. Making that decision would have been so much easier had I known the rest of the country would be joining me before the end of the school year thanks to the coronavirus. As a newby to this homeschooling business, I thought I'd share some of the things I've learned that has made the transition easier for us. 

Have morning time together.

Have a time at the beginning of your school day where you come together as a family. We refer to this as morning time and it is absolutely worth doing. Mentally, this is the point that tells the kids they need to focus on school. It, also, will hopefully set a positive tone for your day. 

My kids wake up at various times. Meg is a night owl, while Clare is an early riser. We have consciously been working with Anne on sleep issues and her wake up time has varied throughout the year. At times, either Clare or Anne will wake up quite early and want to start on their school work so they can finish earlier. That is totally fine. Other times, they feel like baking something for breakfast or playing with Legos for awhile. Meg, almost always, will need to be dragged out of bed (though at times she surprises me and will surreptitiously do her school work in her room before I call her). All of these things can work with morning time. Regardless of whether the girls are sleeping, baking, playing or doing their own work, we gather at about 9 a.m. and officially start our school day. 

Morning time can very. Pam Barnhill, at Your Morning Basket, is the queen of morning time and provides wonderful ideas. That being said, it doesn't need to be complicated. We've used morning time to read through the stories in Genesis from The Golden Children's Bible. We are currently memorizing William Wordsworth's Daffodils during morning time. During Lent, we are reading through saint biographies provided by Catholic Madness. You can choose a read-aloud book for this time. Sarah Mackenzie at Read Aloud Revival has wonderful suggestions for books the entire family will enjoy.

The importance of morning time is that it signals to everyone that it is time to focus on school work. Once morning time begins, I am no longer cleaning the kitchen or doing laundry. The girls are no longer playing Legos. At that point, we are all focused on school work until it is done. 

Take advantage of being home. 

The best advice, which I heard from several sources, was to remember you are not trying to recreate school at home. Being home is the benefit of homeschool. If the kids want to work in their pajamas, let them--unless you notice it is distracting to them. Read while sitting on comfortable couches, not at tables or desks. Do work outside if the weather permits. Anne has been known to sound out words from inside a blanket fort. If I forced her to sit beside me at a table and read when she wants to be in her fort, I would be dealing with a temper tantrum rather than helping her learn to read. Home gives us the flexibility to work where we are comfortable. For some, that can be distracting and you will need to create a designated work space. For many kids though, the comfortable work space will be a benefit and a very different learning environment from what they are used to. Let them enjoy it. 

Reserve one-on-one time with each child.

Meg and Clare are very close in age and can do many of their school subjects together. We have some school subjects--science, for example--which all the girls can do together but then I give the older girls more challenging tasks. It is important to have these times together, but it is also very important for each child to have one-on-one time that is not interrupted by their siblings. Anne is very self-conscious about doing schoolwork in front of her sisters because she is a beginner, while they seem like experts at everything to her. My older children are strictly forbidden to ask a question while I am working with Anne. They generally follow this rule because they know it is a finite amount of time and they can ask their question when we are finished. If they begin interrupting with questions, Anne and I will simply move to a room where we can shut the door. 

I knew from the beginning this uninterrupted time would be important for Anne, but I came to realize my older girls also craved time one-on-one with me. I have made math my one-on-one time with Meg and Clare. They refuse to do math on their own even if it is an assignment I know they can do. They want a chance to have me all to themselves and that one-on-one time is part of the beauty of homeschool. 

I should also add that there is great benefit to allowing children who are not part of a particular lesson to eavesdrop. I was shocked to realize that Anne, who is only in Kindergarten, was learning parts of speech. She was often nearby when I taught Meg and Clare grammar, so she picked it up by listening. Similarly, we have been know to include her when we read together. While Meg, Clare and I will read a section of Black Beauty, for example, Anne will take her turn reading from a Bob Book. It helps her feel included and allows her to overcome her self-consciousness about reading in front of her sisters. 

Make sure to add beauty.

It is so easy to get caught up in our list of school subjects, but it is essential that we give our children beauty in their education. Our family has had a difficult month and all three of my girls are showing particular anxiety regarding the coronavirus. They are concerned about their grandparents. They are worried that we'll run out of food. Clare is concerned she won't get another Shamrock Shake this year. 

I can offer my children some reassurance, but I can't ease all their worries. There is simply too many unanswered questions and, when it comes to a virus, there are few guarantees. So rather than offering reassurance, I offer them beauty. One of my favorite quotes comes from Anne Frank and says, "I don't think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains." When misery seems to surround us, I try to focus on beauty. In our homeschool, I include art studies (we have been learning about Whistler) and poetry. We often have our local classical music station playing during school and Meg has taken to playing it when she goes to her room to read or work. Over the past week, we have been starting seeds and preparing our garden, which allows us to focus on the beauty of God's creation all around us. 

During this time at home, make a conscious effort to find beauty. In addition to the school work that has been sent home, start a poetry tea time, which Julie Bogart at Brave Writer has made very popular in homeschool circles. Many orchestras and chamber music ensembles are streaming performances that audiences will not be allowed to attend. Watch those as a family. Rather than making them a requirement, you might just try turning on a performance to watch yourself and see if any of your children join you. You can find a list here. 

Finally, encourage your children who are of writing age to keep a journal during this time (and do so yourself). History teachers and PhD students have taken to Twitter recently to remind us that handwritten journals during coronavirus pandemic might be what future historians use to understand this event. Journaling will allow your child to process their feelings and help them understand how historians know about events in our past. I threw this suggestion out to Meg and she immediately jumped on the idea. She even made her own journal so she could add paper to it depending on how long the quarantine lasts. 

Enjoy this time with your children. You are going to have good days and bad days. Most days will fall somewhere in between. It may very well be that we all look back at this time with fondness because we slowed down and spent time together. Good luck. 

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​Most of us are stuck in our homes right now. While I hope all of you are able to get outside a little bit (we are preparing our garden for spring planting), this is a great time to read and possibly encourage your kids to pick up a new book series. In the BookTube community on YouTube, this is "Middle Grade March"--a time when BookTubers read lots of books intended for children between 8 and 12 years old. A truly well-written middle grade book is enjoyed by both young and old. We've all heard the C.S. Lewis quote, "A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest." While I agree completely with that quote, I am at times concerned that some middle grade books are written more for adults that enjoy the genre than for the kids of that age group. 

In light of that concern, most of the books I will include on this list are books my children adore. Over the next week or so, I will be writing a more in depth review of some the books included here. I am also hoping my 11-year-old daughter, Meg, will offer her review of some of these books. Once those reviews are completed, I will add a link in this post. 

I will be providing Amazon links below, but as I mentioned at the end of my post yesterday, many libraries allow their customers to check out ebooks and audiobooks online via services such as Overdrive (again, this post is not sponsored by Overdrive--I just love their service and can't imagine a more useful time for its existence). 

Here are some of my family's middle grade book recommendations for your family.

The Framed! Series by James Ponti

This fantastically written series follows a junior high sleuth with the skills of Sherlock Holmes. The series is set in Washington, D.C. and includes very real tourist locations around the city. The first book, Framed!, centers around the National Gallery of Art. The second book, Vanished!, takes places at the Kennedy Center and the White House. The final book in the series, Trapped!, features the Library of Congress as well as the Folger Shakespeare Library. Meg loved these books as much as I did and read them even faster than I read them (and I read them fast). Because the series is complete, you can buy the entire series in one pack. 

The Shakespeare Stealer and Shakespeare's Scribe by Gary Blackwood

These books about an orphaned boy who finds himself in The Lord Chamberlain's Men with William Shakespeare are wonderful. They offer a very entertaining way to learn more about the Elizabethan time period as well as about Shakespeare and his plays. The first book, The Shakespeare Stealer, pulled me out of a nasty reading slump a few years ago. I will note that the second book, Shakespeare's Scribe, does deal with the plague. During our current epidemic, some children might find discussions of the plague interesting, while others might find it disturbing. You, of course, are the best one to make that call for your particular child. There is a third book in the series, Shakespeare's Spy, which I didn't even know existed until I was preparing this post, but I will likely include it on my "to be read" list. 

The Penderwicks Series by Jeanne Birdsall 

This series about four sisters (with some additional children showing up later in the series) is a modern day classic of children's literature. The first book, The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy, won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature and it deserved to win.  My six-year-old daughter, Anne, obsessively listens to this first book on Audible and has huge portions of the book memorized. You can see her humorous review of that book here. Everyone in our family loves the first three books in the series. The fourth book, The Penderwicks in Spring, is a tear jerker. I love it, but I have never cried while reading a book as much as I did with this book. My girls wisely reserve the fourth book for when they are feeling they can emotionally handle it. The fifth book, The Penderwicks at Last, was a little bit of a disappointment. I did not object to how Jeanne Birdsall wrapped up her characters'  story lines (though a lot of fans did); I just didn't think the story was as strong and emotionally connecting as the other books. 

The Land of Stories series by Chris Colfer

I have not read this series, but it comes highly recommended by Meg and Clare. Meg read the entire first book--all 464 pages--in one day on a long drive. One of the later books, which was equally long, she read in one night. These books were so compelling that once she began one, she would read until she was done. They must be fantastic.

The Metropolitans by by Carol Goodman

This excellent book takes place in New York City as the United States is entering World War II. But don't think this is another World War II historical fiction book. This book probably best fits into the magical realism genre. Four children are tasked with saving New York City while becoming characters from the tales of King Arthur. They do this while exploring the Metropolitan Museum of Art. My kids and I love this book. I also highly recommend the audiobook of The Metropolitans. 

The Blackthorn Key series by Kevin Sands

Several friends recommended this series to us and I finally read the first book, The Blackthorn Key. It is so good! The story follows an apothecary apprentice during the reign of Charles II (just after the English Civil War and the death of Oliver Cromwell). I don't know if I have previously read a book set in this time period. While I haven't read it, the second book in this series, Mark of the Plague, does deal with the plague, so the same cautions discussed above do apply. I am looking forward to reading this entire series (the second book arrives from Amazon tomorrow) and I have passed along the first book to Meg. 

James Herriot's Treasury for Children by James Herriot

As more and more activities were cancelled due to the coronavirus, I noticed my children were becoming more and more anxious. On Friday morning, I decided we needed joy and what could be better than this collection which is subtitled "Warm and Joyful Tales from the Author of All Creatures Great and Small." The stories are beautifully illustrated with scenes from the Yorkshire countryside where Herriot served as a veterinarian. Because our family recently lost our family dog, I am avoiding stories that focus on dogs. The other stories, however, are wonderfully healing for us. My husband will be so surprised when we decide to adopt a lamp or piglet for our next pet. That is what this book makes you want to do. 

I hope you find these recommendations helpful. Please feel free to add your own recommendations in the comments below. 

What does one do when a niece--who happens to be a librarian--visits? Go to the Library of Congress, of course. 

My niece recently joined my parents for a weekend visit to our home. My parents have visited us so much that sightseeing is not a priority anymore. While my niece has experienced "tourist D.C.," many of her sightseeing visits were when she was younger. I wanted to hit a few landmarks while she was here. 

She mentioned the monuments, which we both remembered with a bit of a laugh. When she was probably 9 or 10 years old, she visited me and I took her to walk around the monuments in the evening. I thoughtlessly allowed her to wear flip flops, which caused an enormous blister. I received quite a talking to by my sister. I could only plead ignorance. I was not a mother at that time and had no common sense about such matters. 

We decided to repeat an evening tour of the monuments, because the monuments are at their most beautiful lit up at night. I reminded my niece (now well into her twenties) to wear good shoes and we set off for the Lincoln Memorial on a Sunday evening. The evening was beautiful and we walked through the Vietnam Memorial, then to the Lincoln Memorial and finally to the Korean War Memorial (which is particularly amazing at night). At that point, we checked on how much energy everyone had and decided to walk on to the World War II Memorial. I remember my Uncle (who was a World War II veteran) being concerned at the time the memorial was built that it would clutter the National Mall and create an obstacle to the beautiful sight lines. Happily neither of those concerns proved to be a problem due to the very open design of the memorial. 

Monday morning we decided to go to the Library of Congress. Their first public tour of the day was at 10:30 a.m. and we wanted to be there for that. We parked across from the Folger Shakespeare Library, which is one of our favorite placed in D.C. and only a block from the Library of Congress. To our surprise, crowds were lining the sidewalk leading to the Supreme Court. As an attorney (though not practicing), I was a little embarrassed to realize that the Atlantic Coast Pipeline case was being heard that day and I had no idea it was happening. 

Happily we made it inside the Library of Congress with plenty of time to join the public tour. My dad did get delayed at security due to his hip replacement, but we've come to expect that. 

The tour, which begins with an informative film, provided an excellent history of the Library as well as the history of the building itself. The tour guide explained much of the imagery in the design and showed us some of the highlights of the Library's collection. The tour was thorough, while not being overly long for the children in our group. I highly recommend the Library of Congress for anyone visiting the D.C. area. It sits right behind the Capitol Building and is an easy stop for anyone visiting the major tourist attractions in Washington, D.C. 

Of course, currently the Library of Congress and pretty much everything else in D.C. is closed due to the coronavirus outbreak. If you are looking for something to read at this time, I recommend using overdrive.com or the Overdrive app. This is not a sponsored ad for Overdrive. I simply have found it is a great resource for ebooks or audiobooks. Overdrive is tied to local libraries, so if your library participates, you can enter your library card number to check out and access books online. It is completely free to you. You don't even need an eReader. You can access the books on your smartphone or laptop. I have used Overdrive to find audiobooks for trips and to download an ebook in a waiting room when I have forgotten to bring my book. Most of us don't want to run to our local library right now. Overdrive is a wonderfully germ-free way to check out books. 

This last month has been difficult. In unexpected and difficult circumstances, we lost our family dog. We have had some amazing adventures over the past few weeks, but they have been bittersweet. We were forcing ourselves into action to fight off depression. I do want to document those outings because there are some beautiful memories in them. I, however, will start with our most recent trip. 

Rather than thinking of myself as a homeschooling mother, I like to think of myself as a Victorian governess. That's weird, I know. It comes from reading too many books. Perhaps I am too influenced by Jane Eyre or perhaps even The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, but I imagine my children running through gardens as they read poetry and become true Victorian naturalists. Thanks to the National Arboretum, I came a little closer to achieving that dream. 

The National Arboretum is located in Washington, D.C., but it is located in the northeast section of D.C., quite a distance from the main tourist attractions. While it boasts many horticultural treasures, it is perhaps most notable for the 22 columns that were once part of the U.S. Capitol Building. 

We began our school day at the columns. During Lent, we are participating in Catholic Madness 2020. This fun program uses March Madness as an inspiration. Rather than filling in college basketball brackets, each day we read about two saints and vote on which saint we  think should "win." All the families participating vote online and we find out the following day which saint won. It is a fun way to learn about both well-known and obscure saints. After deciding which saint would get our vote, the girls took a creative route to our next stop in the garden. 

Just below the columns, a small garden features the detailed top of one of the broken columns. We settled in on the stone steps leading to this feature and began our poetry time. The daffodils are beginning to bloom at the National Arboretum, though they have not reached their peak yet. I decided to use daffodils as our inspiration. We began by reading A.A. Milne's poem Daffodowndilly, which was a huge hit. After reading it through once, the girls began acting it out as I read it. We then pulled out William Wordsworth's Daffodils, also known as I Wandered Lonely As a Cloud. Again, the girls enjoyed it and decided to act it out. I then worked with Anne on an early reader's poem entitled A Little Seed. Once she was secure in the words, we read it for her sisters. 

After a quick stop for a drink of water and a restroom break at the Visitor's Center (always nice to know that's there), we walked to the Herb Garden. This area includes beautiful covered pathways with benches. Meg and Clare sat on benches and worked on  their math. Anne ran through the garden and would return to us periodically. 

We ended our day with a picnic at the tables near the Visitor's Center. As we ate, I read our ancient history read aloud, The Golden Goblet. We had to keep an eye on the time because we had to take Anne to her martial arts class. We were glad to make it on time because she proudly earned another stripe on her belt. Her achievement was a fantastic end to a wonderful school day.