Day 15: Reaching New Levels

You might think that having lots of kids at home 24/7 at a time like this would make life even more challenging than it already is.

But actually, lots of kids means there is always at least one other person to play with.

And this can be helpful to me since I work from home.

The kids know that during the hours they would normally be at school, they need to entertain themselves.

Since there are five of them here, they have more options than families with one or two or three kids.

They can play 2 on 2 badminton whenever they want.

And when you have a partner or two, you can get pretty creative.

Something else I experience with lots of kids at home is that alliances shift between the kids.

In January, February and the first half of March, Number 6 and 7 were inseparable.

They were constantly playing together.

But in the last couple weeks, things have shifted, and Number 6 has been playing with Number 3 while Number 5 and 7 have been cooperating together really, really nicely.

Number 5 and 7 are pretty ingenious together.

Like the time they made hazmat suits to empty the litter box.

Or the time they turned my yoga mat and yoga blocks into a highway leading to the Hilton Hotel.

Yesterday it was pretty nice here as far as spring weather in Connecticut goes.

It was sunny and about 56°. In the sun it felt much warmer.

I was trying to get some work done and the kids were outside playing badminton and they worked up a sweat and they came inside and asked if they could spray each other with the hose.

And I’m basically at the as-long-as-there’s-no-blood-or-fire-it’s-okay-with-me stage of solitary confinement.

So they put their bathing suits on and went back outside.

I looked out the kitchen window about a half hour later, and they were warming themselves up on the pool deck.

A couple years ago, unbeknownst to me, we had a tear in our pool liner. It was closed for the winter and the cover was on, so I had no idea that the water level had dropped down by like 2 feet.

And then we had a major snowstorm.

Since there was no water underneath the cover to support the weight of the snow, the cover (which was pretty old to begin with) completely shredded.

And I still haven’t gotten any replacement cover.

Which is why my kids are sunning themselves next to a bright green, leaf-filled, uncovered pool.

We like to keep it classy here in Connecticut.

Today the weather was very similar to yesterday. It was sunny and in the 50’s.

The kids played more badminton, and then they came inside and asked if they could put their bathing suits on, and I said sure, and off they went.

A little while later the girls came inside asking if they could get their goggles.

I didn’t think anything of it.

Of course, I said.

Surely they weren’t going to swim in the pool.

Maybe they just wanted to spray each other in the face.

A little while later it was time for lunch.

I walked into the kitchen and looked out the window to see what Number 5 and 7 were doing.

They were dressed. And walking around.

I opened the door and asked them if they wanted some lunch.

“YEAH!” they said.

“COME SEE WHAT WE MADE!!!”

I walked out back.

“We made a pool!” they told me, proudly.

Well that explained the goggles.

Where is it?” I asked them.

“RIGHT HERE!” they said.

“WE MADE A POOL IN THE GARBAGE CAN!”

OH. MY. GOD.

I looked inside. It hasn’t been used in a long time.

It looked pretty clean, actually.

Hopefully.

So yeah.

I don’t know how things are going for you guys.

But for me?

Well, today two of my kids went swimming in a fucking garbage can.