Coronacation Week 14 June 14-20

Well we made it. We did it.

Becky taught 57 days of remote learning. 

Ally attended 14 weeks of remote learning classes. 

We do not yet know what the next school year will look like. All we know for sure is it will not look like usual and typical school. 

That’s ok. Staying safe and healthy is more important than a “normal” school experience. We have more supports in place for Ally and Becky feels better equipped to handle whatever the next academic year holds.

This week was pretty amazing. Ally started back in the gym, celebrated her last day of 7th grade and went to the Zoo with friends.  

Ready to go to indoor practice for first time in 14 weeks. She was so excited to get to the gym. She has missed it. She cleaned out her backpack and was thrilled to discover it smelled like the gym. Like chalk and sweat! 

The girls have to wear masks unless on bars or doing cardio or complicated tumbling.

They have have to carry their backpacks with them around the gym, no more locker room. It’s fine we are glad it’s as safe as it can be and that they are back.

At pick up. She really didn’t want her picture taken. That mask was so gross. Wet with sweat.

Becky had to take a picture of herself doing something outside for her virtual field day.

Ally on the last day of 7th grade.

Went met up with friends at our local park for lunch. 




Ally, Lizzie. Ellie, Colette, Catalina and Willow.

Ally has not been feeling great, she had a very bad headache for the past 24 hours, likely a reaction to her medication which was recently changed. We felt so bad but it wasn’t safe for her to go to practice and so

she stayed home and watched one of her childhood favorites on TV, My Little Pony. We consulted with her doctor on the phone and have a plan. 

At one point in the afternoon she looked at me and said with a smile “I did it...I’m all done with classes”

But a bad headache deserves a special dinner right?

Scrambled eggs (Becky makes the best scrambled eggs), just picked strawberries from our CSA, her favorite toast and whipped cream! 

I decided this year deserved a “last day of school/start of summer surprise” I stalked Amazon for the delivery all day. And even waited outside on the front step when I knew the truck was on our street. 

It was a new dot journal for Ally and one for Becky and me too along with lots of supplies and an organizer bag.

Her social studies teacher hosted a Netflix party watching Ferris Bueller’s Day Off for the entire 7th grade which is about 42 students. Ally said most of the class was on. She wasn’t a huge fan of the movie and dot journaled thru most of it.

When I showed Ally this collage she said “wow I look different”. She does, she is growing up.

The first day of Summer was a trip to the Zoo with a bunch of friends.

Olive, Lizzie, Ally, Colette, Camilla, Cata, Willow & Ellie.

They brought their own lunch to eat. 

Our zoo has a corpse flower! It’s 60” tall right now! Corpse Flowers are extremely rare and only bloom once every 7-8 years.

Some very cute masked prairie dogs. Ally is in the lower row, center.

Showing off their social distancing skills. Becky took Ally and Ellie to the zoo for the group gathering. We are all trying to do our part. The girls wore masks except for eating, Ellie day in the 3rd row of our car and drove with the windows down. Ally seemed to have a good time but she was so tired when they got home, she fell asleep in her beanbag at 230pm. I woke her up around 330 and we had a rough afternoon trying to shake off the nap and exhaustion.

She was so tired.

But eventually she felt better. Ally read another graphic novel, ate some dinner, worked on her journal and helped me reorganize a bookcase to make room for all her new books. 

She then proceeded to read for an hour in her book. She asked us before bed if she read all the summer reading books would we buy her something. What we asked? She finally decided she’d like a new iPad so she can better play computer games like Becky. 

We agreed. It’s 12 graphic novels (she’s already read 3) and 6 novels (she’s already read 1). 

The stack above of books to read.

Below are the ones she has read this week. We agreed to stack the “read” books on that chair so she could always see what she has accomplished.

We are happy to provide some inspiration for her to read. Honestly if she reads all those books it will be wonderful. But even if she reads half of them or just a couple it will be an accomplishment.

Friday was filled with appointments and then on the way to practice Ally’s headache came back. She went to practice but she said that it hurt so bad and she was dizzy she could not do much. I just feel so bad for her.

At home we journaled and played games and Ally finished her book. 

Saturday was a relaxing day of together activities. Lazy morning online shopping for me, journaling for Becky, and sleeping in for Ally.

After her shower Ally sat outside with Cloey. It was at hot 82 degrees so they didn’t stay out there long.

We spent the day working on our dot journals, training Daisy, watching Jurassic Park Lost World, Ally changed out her bulletin board and of course the day ended with more video game playing.

Dog training.

Some samples from our journals:

Julie’s

Ally’s

Becky’s

Above is a screen shot from my phone. Ally wanted us to have a contest using a DJ app called Drum Pad Machine. We had to create music using beats. It was really awful until we each got our ear buds and wore those. It was something new and different to do together. 

We did start a new puzzle this week, but it’s a 1000 piece and it’s hard. So Ally and I haven’t been motivated to complete it. Hopefully next week.


Ally was so proud of her completed bulletin board. She asked me to get pictures printed from the past year. So I went thru my phone and selected about 70 pictures of Ally with friends, family and teammates from the last 10 months. I also printed a couple of inspirational sayings. Ally then sorted that down to the ones on the board.  I think it looks great and stands as a reminder of so many fun times. 

In Cloey news, she was the star of Becky’s end of school video. I’ll do a post of just that next.

The Summer seems off to a great start. I am really looking forward to getting back to my job and concentrating on my work outside of our family for the next couple of months. But I’ve also decided to cut back my hours this summer. Seems like a trade off for no Summer vacation.  We have no travel plans which seems a little odd, it’s the first time ever we do not have a planned Summer vacation. But it feels right. 

We love our house and are enjoying it and having fun together. 

It is strange that so much of the country seems open and yet here in Massachusetts we are much more cautious. Dining in at restaurants starts June 29 and we are still under orders to wear masks at all times unless eating or truly maintaining 6’ social distancing. After 3 full months of so much caution and much isolation our family is taking it very slowly and we are be very careful. We want Ally to be able to go to gymnastics practice and if any of us gets sick she has to stay out of the gym for 2-3 weeks minimum. 

That said. It is nice to be able to get pictures from the 1 hour photo lab at the pharmacy and it’s nice that the Zoo is open and beaches are open. Becky went to pick up our weekly groceries from Whole Foods and there was no line of people waiting to get in. That is the first time in 3 months!