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One of Madeleine's Online School activities today was to set up a "store" in the house and come up with prices for various items.  Then someone else in the house would shop at her "store" and Madeleine would calculate the total of their order.

Ethan took things to a whole new level when he decided to make some "money" for this "store."

Madeleine was NOT very happy with Ethan's foray into criminality.

MADELEINE: Mommy.  Daddy MADE money.
ME: Yeah, I saw.
MADELEINE: No, it's bad.
ME: It's bad?
MADELEINE: It's ill-EEEE-gal!  It's COUNTERFEIT!


I'm pretty sure it would only count as counterfeit if he was really trying to pass it off as money.  But since he was "buying" items of clothing from Madeleine's drawers that she already owns, I'm pretty sure he knew he wasn't ACTUALLY required to pay for them.

When it was my turn to buy Madeleine's clothes, I just gave her my credit card number instead.

Books, Books, and More Books

Since they suddenly have so much more time on their hands, the girls have been reading a LOT.  Madeleine is finally making her way through the pile of books she's had on her nightstand since summer time, and today she finished a book she started back in August, "The Unicorn Quest." Last night she got to the climax of the book and was absolutely bursting with the urgent need to tell everyone in the house about it.

First she visited Ethan and I in our bedroom, wherein we were watching "Tiger King," and chattered on and on about every detail of what had happened in the last few chapters. (MADELEINE: Mommy!  The Unicorn SAVED the day!  And it was seeming like all hope was lost, but then I had to remind myself: that NEVER HAPPENS in books.  Plus, Sophie and Claire are on the cover of the next two books, so I knew they must stay alive.)

Next she traveled to Julia's room for a repeat of everything she'd told us.  I guess she still couldn't stop thinking about her book, because about an hour later, she burst back into our bedroom, hair mussed up and eyes squinted, to announce that she couldn't fall asleep.

MADELEINE: I'm just so awake because I was thinking about what I JUST read, and then THAT led me to think about "Founders of the Timeline Barrier,"* and THAT led me to think about "KOTLC,"** and then THAT led me to start thinking about what I'm gonna say in my High School GRADUATION speech...


*The so-far 45 page book series Madeleine is currently writing
**The "Keeper of the Lost Cities" book series by Shannon Messenger, with which Madeleine is currently obsessed


Like to good parent that I am, I sent her to Julia's room to get a melatonin to help her fall asleep.

Today is the end of the work/school week, but since every day is kind of like the next one around here, it doesn't really affect us that much.  I foresee more reading in our future over the next few days...months...feel free to pass along any good book recommendations!

More Rowe Household Music

More family music making:







Hopefully this can bring you some calm in this unstable times.

Quarantined House

Another day, another creation.

Madeleine wrote some new lyrics to the old Sesame Street classic, "Capital I::

She's got some quality lyrics in there, like "to keep it nice and germy so we're germing up the germs."  Take a listen for yourself!:

Spring Photo Fails

In which Madeleine cooperates and poses acceptably for a spring photo:

I mean, is it really too much to ask to just get a smile?

Music Making

Today's Coronavirus Quarantine Home Entertainment is brought to you by the flautists in the family.

First, a Mozart duet played by Julia and I:





Second, a flute trio that I arranged (from a vocal trio by William Byrd) and that Madeleine, Julia and I tried sight-reading today.  Stay tuned for more progress on this.  Our progress was a bit hindered today by Madeleine declaring that she's terrible and just can't play the flute over every mistake she made.  Out of about 20 recordings, here's one where we finally made it to the end, although you can tell things derailed a bit in the last two measures. Not bad for a first day's reading, though:





Madeleine has never played in an ensemble in which there are different parts happening at once, yet she found it unforgivable if she made a rhythmic or note mistake.  I assured her we have pleeeeeenty of time stuck at home to perfect this piece. 

Now she's consoling herself by getting cozy in her bedroom, reading, and has, for some reason, opted to bundle up like this:

Looks totally comfy, right?

School/TV Balance

While I am attempting to do as much "school" at home as I can, there has definitely been a lot of tv watching going on during this quarantine. 

Clearly, the kids' brains are as sharp as ever though.

JULIA: Mommy!  I finished Season 5 of "The Office." And I'm GREAT at math, because I told Madeleine that I'm on Season 7 because I finished Season 5.
ME: Uh-oh, great.
JULIA: (delighted) Yeah! I forgot about the number SIX!


What will we be like at day 20?!?  We're already at backwards Cs and an inability to properly count from 5-6 and it's like Day 6.

Music Time, Family Style

Here's one of the ways we're trying to keep our sanity during Quarantine Time.  Family music-making:




This is a work-in-progress, so if you're really bored during Quarantine Time, maybe you'll be lucky enough to see more videos as we get more cohesive on this.  I guess the kiddie drums I bought for my new music teacher job that I was just about to start before Quarantine are coming in handy around the house!

Home Schooling

Okay, so I'm gonna lose my mind if we don't have some structure to our weekdays and things just descend into a free fall, so today I did school with my kids.

Here's how school worked.  First, last night, I had both kids type up their schedules from a regular school day.  Then I implemented some form of each subject to the best of my ability.

We started with Morning Work/Advisory (a combination of both kids' first activity in their school day.)  I gave them a discussion question to write an answer to, and they both fell into deep silence as they wrote:

Things descended a bit from there.  Ethan needed me to re-up our grocery supplies so I spent a bunch of time at two different stores trying to find anything at all.  Most everything was out of stock, but I spent a hefty $300 and I'm not even sure what I spent it on.

The girls were instructed to do online math while I was shopping.  I got these texts from Julia while in my mayhem of the supermarkets:

So, as you can see, math went really great.

After I was home, it was time for band.  This was relatively easy for me.  I had Madeleine run through her own music in her room, and I played along with Julia as she rehearsed her own Wind Ensemble and band music.

Next was P.E.  We went outside for a run, all of us running whatever length we could, and getting some much needed fresh air.  Afterwards, it was lunch and "recess," which meant varying things for the kids.  Julia watched an episode of tv, while Madeleine played in her room.

MADELEINE: So, does recess mean we can do WHATEVER we want to do?
ME: Uh, sure.
MADELEINE: (leaping off with delight)

After lunch was Writing Time for Madeleine and Social Studies/Music/ELA for Julia.  I had her read a chapter from my college Music History book.  She recorded any vocabulary words she didn't know, and we went over them after she finished the chapter.  Then we had a discussion on the earliest known written music in our current calendar.  We discussed the social and religious implications of this music, then listened to recordings of Gregorian chant.

Next was silent reading, followed by some online science for Julia and Duolingo (in lieu of Spanish class) for Madeleine.

Our "school" day wrapped up at 2:30.

MADELEINE: So, wait, that's IT for school?  Like, only three hours?  Like a half day?
ME: Honey, we started at 9.  It's been almost as long as a regular school day.
MADELEINE: Wait. Did our RUN count?
ME: Yeah. That was PE!
MADELEINE: Wait, and LUNCH counted?
ME: Well,  you have lunch in your school day, don't you?
MADELEINE: (delighted) OH!  Okay.  Then can I watch tv?

Tomorrow is another day.  We'll see how long my gusto for "schooling" my children lasts.  One day at a time in this bizarro land we're living in, folks.

Movie With the Girls

Today's quarantine included a girls' viewing of Frozen 2:

It was no Frozen 1, that's for sure.

We complained about both the music and the singing throughout the movie. Then Madeleine proceeded to sing the most egregious of the songs for the rest of the evening, because "It's stuck in my head!"

So that's how our quarantine is going. How's yours?

A New Household Project

Well, it's Day 2 of social distancing, and Madeleine is up to her usual creative projects and ideas to fill the time.  After decorating an entire posterboard with "Swimming" related designs and phrases, she moved onto a new concept. 

Behold, hanging up throughout our house, sign-ups for:

SAVE PLANET EARTH!!!

Starting March 29-April 3 in the living room

Whoever makes the biggest change in 1 week gets a BIG PRIZE!

Naturally, I signed up.  Julia hasn't officially signed her name yet, but Madeleine counted her in.  We have been given collection bags; for every good-for-the-earth deed we commit, we must place a stone from the backyard in our bag.  (JULIA: So we're taking a stone FROM THE EARTH to celebrate doing something good from the earth?)

Here are our personalized bags:

And on the back, we each get our first initial:

Madeleine messed up on mine.  She initially drew the "C" backwards.

Hmm.  Uh-oh.  We've had one day off from school so far and she already forgot how to draw the letter "C?"  What's gonna happen after two more weeks?!?

Our New Normal Begins

Well.  We are in a strange new situation, world-wide, what with the spread of COVID-19.  Here are a list of some of the things that have been cancelled in our neck of the woods lately:

-School, until March 30 at the earliest, including the preschool where I work and the private school where I just got hired as a Music Teacher 1 day/week.
-New England Swim Championships
-USA Swimming Silver Championships
-Swim Team Banquet
-All field trips for the next month
-MICCA Music festival for middle school band and chorus
-Band Fest for middle school band and chorus
-Most every chorus and music concert in the area, including two that Ethan and I were supposed to perform in
-Sunday services at the church where Ethan sings
-Our town's High School musical

Our town has implemented "social distancing," which means we're not quite quarantined to our own houses, but we should avoid all public places and try to stay 6 feet apart from people outside of our household.  The kids will have next week off from all schoolwork, but the following week they will be "online learning."

As is the case where many of you readers live, handshaking is discouraged, and instead, "elbow bumps" are an acceptable way of greeting each other.

Here, the girls practiced their elbow bumping skills:





At least they've got one thing down pat in this unchartered territory we're in.  Stay safe, dear readers.

Randoms

Random musings from the random brains of my random-thinking children:



#1
MADELEINE: (showing Julia her finished illustration of a girl) Julia. This is Shanaleia and her choker.
JULIA: Chokers are for BAD, BAD bunnies.


#2
MADELEINE: I'm scared of beetles crawling all over my body.
JULIA: (with fierce solemnity) There's no such thing as beetles.


#3
MADELEINE: (apropos of nothing) The toilet is green because of the acid in your butthole.



#4
MADELEINE: (again, apropos of nothing) Daddy?  Why's the house a watermelon?
ETHAN: WOW.  Really.  What is WITH you girls today?



I'm just over here in my watermelon with green toilets, folks.  But don't worry.  I'm not wearing a choker, because I am neither bad, nor a bunny.

Final Version

Well, folks, here's the completed, nearly five-minute version of Madeleine's song.  She most DEFINITELY blasted open the door with this one:

A Satisfying Book

Madeleine just finished Book 3 of the "Keeper of the Lost Cities" series.  She let me know of her achievement by coming into the bathroom, wherein I was blow-drying my hair, holding up the book with great pageantry, and dramatically snapping the book shut.

ME: Did you finish?
MADELEINE: (nodding proudly.) Mommy. It's so SATISTFYING to, like, SLAM the cover shut when you've finished a really good book.  Especially if it's HARD-COVER.  'Cause it makes a good noise.


I have to admit, I have never tried this.  But next time I finish a really good book, I'm definitely going to, like, SLAM the cover shut to get a taste of SATISFYING it is.