Hiding a layoff from the family, bad idea? - any advice?

I have been leaving the house at the same time each day so my kids do not notice. Any experience at all would help. Bills are coming up and I cannot keep this quiet. Did it get easier afterwards?

Shame is common after a layoff even when it is not your fault. Saying it out loud to one person first helped me.

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 11 months ago, and it got easier once I kept a simple log of every call and form.