Hiding a layoff from the family, bad idea?

I have been leaving the house at the same time each day so my kids do not notice. It has been a long 25 weeks. Bills are coming up and I cannot keep this quiet. How did you handle it?

Do not wait until a bill surprises them. The longer it goes, the harder it gets.

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it last year, and it got easier once I kept a simple log of every call and form.