No. Our house is large and we could make it work, but none of us are leaving the house (except to pick up pre-ordered groceries), so we don't really have anyone potentially bringing in contagion daily. We don't see a reason to separate within the house.

My family (DH, DD19, DD16, and me) have not been in close contact with any other person since last Thursday night. All groceries/supplies have been delivered or picked up. Have not set foot in a store for about 2 weeks. My girls were telling me about something they saw about the 3 types of moms during the coronavirus. I am definitely the 3rd type-- no one comes in, no one goes out! 😂 We're doing okay emotionally. We are all bored, but we are fortunate that we have a large house, lots of things to do here, and the educational aspect hasn't changed too much. DD19 was commuting to college this semester, so now she is just doing her classes at home everyday instead of at school. She is only a freshman, so she isn't too far out of the stay-at-home routine since she was homeschooled all the way through high school. DM71 has been staying home for the past two weeks. I check on her everyday and she doesn't seem to be too lonely or feel too isolated. She walks her dog everyday and is enjoying piddling around the house. DF72 and his wife don't seem to be taking it quite as seriously (at least a few days ago). I don't think my dad is going out much, but I think my stepmother still is. And my half-brother and his toddler are living with them right now. I'm not sure if my niece is still going to daycare or not or if my brother is still going to work. I hope my dad will be okay.

That's such a great idea! I can't even sew a button onto anything, so I can't help at all, but I would think that it is a great thing for people who can sew to do.

My daughters both have appointments next week with their psychiatrist-- one for ADHD meds. The other for anxiety meds. My ADHD daughter isn't using her ADHD meds since she is home from college. She says that she doesn't need them right now. But my other daughter needs her anxiety drugs. I am going to call the office and ask if he could do the appointment over the phone and have him mail me the prescription, or just pick up the prescription, if that isn't possible. I hope that he will allow it. He is probably in his mid-to-late-60s, so I would think he wouldn't want to meet with a bunch of different people.

I met my husband when he was 21. He has always spoken loudly on the phone. 😂🙄

Me too. Very grateful to be an Ohioan right now.

😂 This is so true. My husband is also SO LOUD when he is on the phone. We actually added another door in our house to block the sound because he works from home all of the time, and he disturbs us when homeschooling. We still hear him, but it is at least muffled a reasonable amount.

Oh my gosh! That sounds awful. Right now I am very grateful for my large house. I didn't realize how much until I read your post. My DH works from home all of the time, so I am used to having my whole family home. We all have our own spaces to separate in normal conditions, so we are not getting on each other's nerves much. I am SO sorry for all you are dealing with. ((Hugs))

DD did Tiler Peck's class today. She enjoyed it!

We built a full ballet studio in our house (marley over sprung flooring, barres, mirrors, etc.) a few years ago when our DD was seriously planning to pursue a professional career (she has since changed her mind). Now that her studio has closed, she is really wishing that she could invite her classmates over to do class, but I won’t allow it because we are following strict isolation rules. 🙁 I feel badly about it, but it doesn’t seem advisable to allow it.

We are started isolating ourselves from everyone else on Friday. DH works from home and will be doing all meetings via phone or Go-To-Meeting. I don't work. DD16 is homeschooled and her activities have all been cancelled. DD19 is home from college now. My daughters have been getting invites to do things with friends. I have told them no. I've explained why and they completely understand, although they wish it wasn't so (don't we all!!). I've told them to blame their "mean mom" when they tell their friends why they can't do anything. I'm fine with taking the heat.

That's what I am thinking! I have been avoiding crowds for a couple of weeks now. No way that I would want to be crammed into a crowded grocery store at this point.

My mom is in her early 70s and healthy, but she is doing the same thing. She lives alone, so she is able to do it effectively.

We are really isolating ourselves from other people now. DD1 is home from college and DD2 is homeschooled. DD2's ballet school closed today. DD2's piano teacher contacted us today to go to video lessons rather than in-person ones. DH works from home already and will conduct all meetings via conference calls and Go-To-Meeting now. I discontinued the personal trainer who comes to my house right now, and DH isn't going to the gym (will work out at home instead). We are pretty stocked up on supplies and food, but any food we get will be via online ordering and pickup or delivery.

No! Just no.

My daughter’s university announced that they are going to online classes this afternoon. I think that most, if not all, Ohio colleges and universities have made this decision.

My daughter's school (small private university in Ohio) just announced that they are immediately canceling in-person classes. Dorms will stay open at this point, but all classes will go online.

I attended Sweet Briar for my freshman year of college. It is an absolutely gorgeous campus!! I have fond memories of my time there. I am planning to take my DD (junior in high school) for a visit. I think it would be a good fit for her, but I think that it is likely too far away for our home for her to consider.

We just returned from Universal Orlando. We did the same things as you did (wiping down hand rests and tray tables on the plane, hand sanitizer after every ride, trying not to touch anything unnecessarily, etc.). Fortunately, none of us got sick. It sounds like you did all of the right things. Sorry that you got sick!

Just an FYI-- CHQ is 7 weeks only for the Festival or Apprentice levels (ages 15 and up). Ages 11-12 are in Workshop 1 which is 2 weeks long. Ages 13-14 are in Workshop 2 which is 5 weeks long. It is a VERY small program, so it is highly competitive. There are many SAB year-round kids that go there (this is true for PNB as well). The program is very unique and a great deal. The dorms are literally steps away from the studio. The property it is on is gated and very secure. It is a gorgeous place and my daughter is very happy that she got to experience it. Her only complaints were the lack of air conditioning in the dorms (that about killed her!) and the food (but she is very picky about food). There is a little "downtown" area in the community that she would often go to eat at one of the little cafes. It is definitely worth considering if you are accepted!

My daughter has attended both CHQ and PNB. She loved both of them! Only CHQ has performance opportunities though, so she might prefer that over PNB.

I try very hard to stay in the present, otherwise I will spend too much time being nostalgic for the past. I have loved being home with my kids. I know that nothing in my life will ever be better than the years that I had my kids at home and we were our own little unit. So, it is very hard knowing that those years are coming to a close. I have been dreading it for years. My oldest daughter is a freshman in college and my younger daughter is a junior in high school now, so I am trying to stay in the moment and soak up these last few moments of joy. I don't have anything I am particularly looking forward to in the future. I don't have any goals or dreams or desires for the future once my kids are out of the house. In some ways it will be a relief because I will have accomplished what I wanted to accomplish-- completing my girls' educations and seeing them to adulthood. But I also will be very sad that it is over. I have thought a lot about it and there is absolutely nothing that I want to do at that point, so I think I will continue to focus on the present and get through day-by-day.

I love wrapping gifts and so does my younger daughter. We love buying beautiful papers and tags every year and have accumulated quite a variety of it. We always put a bow on the gifts but not always ribbons. It just depends on the gift and if we feel like taking the time.

I am so sorry, Dawn.

October. It's my favorite month. ❤️