A silver lining to being quarantined was spring was on full display by April 1! The trees and flowers were blooming which made nature walks enjoyable.

Can you see the green chalk up in the air? Alex wanted me to capture the chalk in mid-air. One thing we did early on in quarantine was leave chalk messages at friends' houses. It was important to try to connect with friends even though we couldn't really be near anyone.

Megan was especially excited to leave messages at her Daisy friends' houses.

After finishing The Unteachables, we needed a new book to read! I wanted to read The Tale of Despereaux to my class but read it to Alex and Megan first. The story and characters were so memorable. We still quote Despereaux's mother ("Mon Dieu!") and reference other characters like Miggery. Loved reading this book to Alex and Megan and the theme of lightness and dark was perfect for this time of quarantine.

My school made a video of teachers showing positive messages to the kids. Rainbows were an important sign during this time. Kids hung rainbows in windows and people went on scavenger hunts to find rainbows when walking. I think the sign of something beautiful after a storm was one that resonated.

"Flat Juliette" who had previously been traveling with all the Daisies from our Daisy troop helped us color eggs in preparation for Easter. Also- something to do on the long boring days at home.

"Elbow bumps" were the new hugs in quarantine. Here, Naya came to visit us as we walked outside and Megan rode her bike (still training wheels) around the block. An especially loud Fed Ex truck inspired a funny comment which I blogged about here.

Alex helped Megan learn to ride her bike without her training wheels!

With Daddy and Alex's help, Megan's training wheels were history!

Spring break was canceled, but my third grade team and I thought it would be nice to create some virtual field trips for the students to take during what would have been spring break. Paris was my favorite one!

Closet organization happened!

Aunt Krista and Julianna did Easter Cookie drop-offs to brighten our day!

We set the table with GG's china and fancy silverware, which we never use. Since we usually visit family at each holiday, we never had the opportunity to pull out all our fancy dinner tableware. This year, we decided it was time. Alex made place settings for each of us.

Easter dinner was a cucumber and tomato salad, ham, and baked ziti.

I hadn't ridden a bike in about 11 years, but quarantine was the perfect time to rediscover the joy of bike riding. Here is my new red bike.

Here I am - trying out my new bike! Got the hang of it....almost right away....

Trying out a new recipe- "Enrique's Chow Chow Salad " from Ilana Muhlstein.

Alex and Megan helped me make a crazy hat for my class' Crazy Hat Day. My third grade team and I tried to keep our students' spirits up with fun activities.

Quarantine birthday parades were revving up in April- birthday signs, honking horns, kids standing through sun roofs....

A silver lining- we read a lot of books together. We loved Sarah Week's book "Pie" so bought another book she wrote, called "Honey." It was adorable, with some sadness too.

Crafts kept Megan busy. This was a salt scrub/ bath bomb making kit. Megan also enjoyed making soap.

I purchased these greeting cards from Larkin Meehan to send to my students. Writing each student a note about how I miss them was one thing I could do to let my students know how much I care. It took me several weeks to write out 26 notes in between all the remote teaching but I did send one to each student and my colleagues, too!

Megan wore here mouse ears as she acted out the part of Despereaux during my read aloud to my class. (The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo)