Coronavirus Quarantine Continues

I've lost count of what day of quarantine we are on - it doesn't really matter.  I'm not even sure how many weeks we've been at it so far.  But I do know that we are settling into a routine...one that does not include running around to kid events like crazy!  We have the kids doing checklists during the day to keep them on a productive path and they finally have a distinct task list from school. We are lucky to live in a school district that has largely kept the educational experience going; we have friends in other states whose kids are not experiencing this.  Work has been very busy for Matt and I- we are clearly not experiencing any slow down.  All of our co-workers have gotten a glimpse into our house and its workings - for better and for worse.   I've finally perfected my "business on top and lounge on the bottom" outfits.  Matt's uniform usually includes a hat.

Each of us is finding ways to get things done while also not wasting away of boredom.

Coco is really into reading right now.  She's loving the Elephant and Piggie books so much that they are now too easy for her.  She joins her class 2x per day for webex calls - which means 20 children ages 3-6 on one video conference - and 3 saintly teachers.  She makes sure to update us on her calls with "I'm participating!"  She's loving all the outside time whether it's the swing, the trampoline or the lacrosse field (our yard).  Big news! We took the training wheels off her bike last week and now she's all over the neighborhood. She likes to help on all the baking projects especially if there is a bowl to lick at the end.

Adrienne has been diligent about keeping up with the hundreds of tasks, and "challenges," and read alongs, and science experiments, and math websites and reading logs and...so.much.school.  She's currently reading her way through a book on Ruth Bader Ginsburg.  I can't say she's disappointed with the lack of swim practice but she has been working on her weak hand lacrosse skills and scooter jumps off the ramp.  She likes staying home and having access to lots of snacks :-)

Luke has also been doing a lot of school work - it took about a week before he got into the right cadence of what needs to be done and when.  There was a day that he and I spent 4 hours on Social Studies because he didn't realize there was an electronic packet on one of the 5 apps he's supposed to check.  I give the teachers a lot of credit for getting content online but it is still a pain that there are so many different apps being used.  Any time that he isn't doing school work or practicing piano, is spent outside.  I am constantly reminding him that I'm not taking him to the emergency room if he breaks any bones.  He's staying connected to friends through his phone and zoom calls but I think he also likes the slower pace of things.  He's missing lacrosse but hopefully we'll be able to salvage some of the season.  He likes having a hot breakfast everyday - which will obviously cease to exist when life returns to normal.  Unshockingly, he's still all boy - he's covered in dirt and making noise most of the time.

I've started implementing more exercise for the kids.  We've been doing runs through the neighborhood together.  They haven't really been introduced to running before so we are working on endurance. Matt and I have been doing evening walks in addition to midday runs.  I hope that even when the restrictions are lifted, we can continue the extra exercise.

Matt and I are motivated to be productive with this huge gift of time.  The basement is getting a make-over which is a herculean task.  We are sealing the floors and the walls and getting rid of all that is unnecessary.  I've even assisted on the painting because Matt is not known for his speed with painting.   Hopefully by the end, all bins will be labeled and on shelves.  We've also organized so many closets and deep cleaned so many areas of the house we've neglected until now.  I'm a pretty organized person to begin with but this clean-out feels so good!  Once we finish all inside projects, we will move to the outside projects.  The other day we did a fun "project" with a local photographer.  This photographer volunteered to take families' photos on their porch at a safe social distance.  It wasn't like the kind you get dressed up and spiffy for but none the less, it is a snapshot of an interesting time:

The most exciting event in the past few weeks was the Brighton teacher parade that came down our street.  There were at least 100 cars - many of them decorated.  It was super fun - the kids made a sign and we waived at all their teachers.  The teachers looked equally as happy to see all the kids - Luke and Adrienne got many shoutouts!

And in between all of the above, we've been watching movies, having new family dinners, playing games, reading books, baking cookies, and all in all, relaxing!  If we can just continue stay healthy, I'd be grateful!