Hanging in there-COVID 19

We, like the rest of the world, are doing our best to stay healthy and avoid catching this terrible COVID19 virus. We greet text messages and emails with a "we're hanging in there" reply. But what does that really look like?....

Our lives these days are dramatically different than the usual. We have now "sheltered in our home" for the last 12 days. By recommendation of the Governor, but not ordered until today. That means exactly as it sounds. We leave only for a walk in nature, or around the block (and again and again and again), or for me to go to the grocery store. I do still have to go to the hospital, so Ryan suggests I take one for the team and also do our grocery shopping since I'm already more exposed. My shopping trips are very limited. I'm in/out as fast as possible, grabbing our supplies, then wiping them down with a bleach wipe before putting them into our cupboards. Is that overboard?, I hope we never have to find out.

What else does it look like....

School from home....we haven't formally started distant learning (this week is spring break in our district). We had a few attendance/check in days, and we have all of our packets and chromebooks and websites ready to go for the official start. However, Lincoln is in Kindergarten, and needs a lot more guidance than his sisters. So his learning will look different. And I've opted to take spring break as an opportunity to start some of his assignments, a little learning everyday. And always reading. Thank goodness we have our own library of books, workbooks and flash cards.

Plus, I've memorized his matrix learning grid and instead of sitting down to do "school", we incorporate it into everyday activities. One lesson was "teach a parent a song from school". Both sisters helped a little on this one, as he (with their leading), taught us the school song. It was a blast from the past as Regan tried to remember her elementary school song lyrics. But so much fun :)

The pantry is fully stocked with snacks, though they are not asking for snacks all day long. This surprises me. We do, however, eat every meal together, which is a huge change for our busy family. This also means we run the dishwasher everyday!
With the weather still chilly, we still go outside for walks in the neighborhood. Or bike riding. We also still have a lot more fires in the fireplace. The kiddos ask for one daily, but with our wood supply dwindling, we are spreading them out to every few days. And sometimes I use it as a method for my cinnamon rolls to rise :)

Our kids are getting a lot of screen time. It's not all they do, but they do a lot of it. With two parents working, it keeps them quiet when we are on calls or trying to meet a deadline. BUT, we are also doing non-screen activities like play-dou, puzzles, painting, etc. Our most favorite activity, however, is when the neighbors use social distancing and put their new puppy into our backyard so everyone (puppy and our humans) burn off some much needed energy. It's a win for everyone!

We also have a plethora of softball paraphernalia and so practicing, albeit much different than anyone prefers, is still a possibility. We can pitch and hit into the bownet, we can practice grounders against the rebound net, we use chalk to create the training "ladder" for agility.

But it's not as motivating when we aren't amongst our peers. We miss our friends. We miss our routine. We miss softball and dance and volleyball and yes, even school. And so there are tears and tantrums, sass and anger. We're trying hard, we're doing our part, and will continue to "shelter at home" until this is all over.