Scenes from Quarantine {week ten}

Let's call this the week we broke quarantine. On Friday, we had an outdoor playdate with Isla's best friend and her family. We chose outdoors to be safe. And both sets of kids (ours and theirs) haven't been around anyone else. Let me tell you, it was glorious to be around other people. To watch the kids be kids. To watch them play with other kids. I missed that.

Isla got her "flat teacher" in the mail and did some fun things with her, like making and playing hopscotch and walking to Yogurt Mill. This was also our first time back at Yogurt Mill since this all started. The girls and I walked there, were able to order at the door, then took a walk back down the trail by our house to sit and eat it.

I guess it was an exciting week with all sorts of things happening. We also got to pick up the kids belongings from school. It was a drive thru where they handed you a garbage bag of your child's possessions. We went through twice, at each kids grade level time so they could see their teacher one last time.

Callum had what was supposed to be his last day of school this week. I celebrated by taking his last day of school picture like I normally would and reflecting on what would have happened at the end of his school year.

Look at all that outside household interaction that happened this week! We are trying to figure out how to safely proceed from here. It's all so muddy and weird. Especially with things opening back up.  I know we are more cautious than many in our community. But we just want to be safe and smart about it all.

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Callum's "last day" of Preschool

This past Wednesday would have been Callum's last day of preschool. It would have ended with a cheesy promotion ceremony that I would have just eaten up. Then, after the ceremony had ended, there would have been a pizza party for the kids and their families. I would have taken one last photo of Callum with his teachers. And we would have collected his end of year crafts. Alas, none of that happened.

I still remember Callum's last day of school. It was surreal. The news of the virus hit hard and fast and mass panic spread quickly. On his last day of school, five kids attended in his class. People were scared. And I think we had five cases of the virus in our county at that point. I remember speculating with the teachers what would happen with the school closure. I don't think any of us thought it would last until the end of the year. Had I thought it would, I probably would have lingered chatting with those ladies a little longer (I love his teachers!) and would have taken one last photo of him with them. Hindsight.

Honestly, Callum doesn't really realize what he is missing out on. He doesn't even necessarily understand what is going on. He will ask to go places "when people aren't sick anymore". And when I tell him that he will be in a different class at school next year, he insists that he wants to go back to being three and stay in the same class at "playdough school".

Callum loved school and loved being around other kids. He loved playing in the sandbox and singing the songs on the carpet. Sending him to school was such a good thing for him and I really do hope they are able to open again in the fall.

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Scenes from Quarantine {week nine}

There have been complaints from the peanut gallery that "everything is changing" because I keep requiring more and more of them around the house. Admittedly, I should have been requiring a lot of this a lot sooner, but didn't necessarily have or take the time to do it. And being stuck at home seemed like just the time. Well, I now know that things like making your bed, putting away your clean laundry and picking up after yourself is just "too much". Too bad for them, too much is here to stay!

The weather turned a little cool on us before heating up again for summer. I haven't been able to decide if it was a nice reprieve or just cruelly showing us what we are missing out on. But the 100* heat is headed our way.

Our yard (both front and back) has never looked better. Having nowhere to go and nothing to do means we are dedicating the time to pull the weeds that we always needed to do. I can't decide if this is a good or bad thing. I mean, of course it is a good thing our yard is looking better. But at the same time, it means there haven't been adventures...whomp, whomp, whomp.

It also looks like things may start opening up again...slowly. And I haven't decided how I feel about this. I am cautiously optimistic. Excited for things to seem more normal again, but also concerned. It's hard to know how much to venture out. I guess we shall all see with time.

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Scenes from Quarantine {week eight}

^^ "fort comfy" as Isla named it

^^ our unintentional coordination game was strong that day! 

One of the kids had a meltdown this week and screamed "I hate coronavirus and I hate the heat!" I have never felt more the same with any of my children.

My kids have been troopers. We haven't gotten together with anyone during quarantine. That means, my kids have played with no one except for each other for eight weeks. And sometimes, they just really, really want to play with someone else. When we have done birthday parades, Callum has cried seeing his friends in other cars and not being able to get out to be with them. Isla misses her friend Amelie so much. Sure, they can video chat, but that's just not the same as a good ole in the flesh play session. Connor, on the other hand, is living his best life, as the introvert that he is.

I didn't have a childhood stopped in tradition, so holidays during quarantine haven't bothered me at all. In fact, I enjoy the slowness and ease of them. On Mother's Day, we drove to pick up some rims Ian found. No one except for Ian even got out of the car. Then, on the way home, we stopped and picnicked and played at a normally busy stop that was closed. It made for the perfect outting and stop. And it felt oh-so-refreshing to get out of the house.

Early in the week, Ian noticed the windshield on my van shattered. We don't know when or how it happened, as I hadn't gone anywhere in a few days. But getting it replaced has turned out to be quite the process. Insurance processes separately the window and the censors in it for dive assist. So stupid.  But here we are, a week later, still not having the whole thing done.

Since it has been warm, the kids have played in the pool a bunch. But the weather is turning a bit cooler again and I am certainly not saying no to that. I would take 70* days any day over pool time. Our house just gets so hot when it's hot out and that seems especially torturous when it's time to go to sleep.

That's all I've got for you today.

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Scenes from Quarantine {week seven}

It was my birthday week. I remember when this all started thinking surely we wouldn't still be under quarantine by my birthday. Obviously I was wrong. I don't like attention, so a birthday in quarantine was actually perfect for me. Ian ordered dinner from my favorite restaurant and we ate it at home. It was nice.

Then some of my mom friends realized it was my birthday and everyday for the rest of the week, people dropped things off, which seriously felt so great and made me feel so loved. On the morning of my birthday, someone left flowers and an adorable gnome book. Then later, someone left wine and toilet paper...oh coronavirus, how you've changed our view on tp! The next day I got some chocolates and watermelon jam. Then, a big cake (which I saved to eat on Friday with the kids in celebration of making it through another week of school). Lastly, I got some goodies from a local shop. It was so fun having my birthday last all week long!

Schooling from home just felt extra this week. Managing the video calls with so many other people int he house is quite the chore. And just having to help Isla with so much of the tech aspect of things just leaves me feeling drained. I've started making daily lists for her of what she needs to accomplish and she can generally go from one task to another in the same program, but she still struggles with toggling between programs. And sometimes a task might last a minute, so I just have to stay close to her the whole time. Only four weeks left until summer break!

Callum got a packet of crafts to do in the mail from his preschool. He apparently was in the crafting mood (last time they sent some, he was NOT) and did all of them in one morning. His school has also been posting videos of the teachers reading stories or singing a song and he totally has been into that. He has asked to go back to "playdough school and church school" and it breaks my heart a bit. Out of everyone, he does not understand what is going on the most and doesn't get why his life has changed so much.

Now the burning question is, how much longer will this whole quarantine situation last and will we all be hesitant to leave our homes and gather with others with this is all over?

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