"Shhhhhh - Daddy's working!"...

There are wonderful aspects of having a husband who works from home - no lost time driving to/from work, enjoying impromptu lunches on the lanai, no need to find a sitter for a sick kiddo, etc. The list is vast. However, when homeschooling three children, the quiet blocks of time are, well, limited! Much of each day, it doesn't impact our lives; but when phone/video meetings are scheduled, it does.

"SHHHHH - Daddy is working!!!"
That phrase is uttered no less than five times a day, sometimes upward of thirty…like today.

It all began with my son letting the cat, Sassafras, out onto our pretentious lanai without checking for anoles. "Mom, Sassafras has an anole in her mouth."

I thought he was messing with me, so I ignored the comment until rounding the corner to see just that. Sigh. Outside we go. She dropped the anole for a second before chasing it again, us on her heels. Evan left the door open, so when we grabbed the cat, the anole escaped into the house. If you have ever tried to catch an anole - it is a very tricky exercise, often involving a bowl and at least three people! This time, I just let Sassafras do the work. (Remember, this is during one of those "I need it to be quiet" work calls and Anie's squeals were more than enough to invoke a "be quiet!")
I picked up Sassafras, poor anole in mouth, and we went back outside, where I had her drop it. Toting her back in, I tell Evan to pick up the anole and put it outside. Um…I think he would have rather picked up a spider…or a bear cub. :O So, out I go and AGAIN, he doesn't shut the door…so, out runs the cat. Let the cycle begin again!

Eventually, I had Sassafras on the inside and the anole into the grass. Amazingly, the cat's play and bite was soft enough for him to run away quickly - anoles are pretty resilient. :)

To anyone unfamiliar with anoles - here is a little one! (Think gecko, but smaller)