My sister guesses we're about a week away, so we need to start planning now. Two days ago, one child in one Seattle school had a suspected case of swine flu. That school got shut down for a week, and the families told to keep their kids away from public places. Today, two kids in two more schools. And they are getting closer to our neighborhood.

This has never happened in my lifetime. It's like something I read in All In The Kind Family, where one of the kids has scarlet fever or something. They're stuck in the house going stir crazy and have to haul the food up in buckets.

I don't think the health department will actually nail our door shut, but if the school system tells me not to go to the zoo, the Science museum, the Flight museum, the Children's museum, the library, the park or anywhere else children congregate, well, it's pretty much the same thing.

I can't decide if the school system and the CDC are completely overreacting or keeping us safe. It's a relatively benign intervention as opposed to vaccinating the entire population.

I just need to plan how to keep sane for that week. (Remember my kids are perfectly healthy.) Here are my ideas. I'm welcome to more.

1. Garden and lots of back yard play.
2. Go to the beach and stay away from other kids.
3. Wear masks and go where we like.
4. Clean the house from tip to top.
5. Do some multi-day craft project. Ideas?
6. Watch lots of movies and PBS.
7. Cook.
8. Wash the car.
9. Wash and wash and wash our hands.