Weekend Recap / Easter

I’m a bit late in posting an update/recap/whatever you want to call it, but as I mentioned previously, not much is happening and every day feels pretty much the same.

I spent the majority of Easter just feeling sad and trying to repeatedly give myself a pep talk about how our situation could be so much worse.  We still had Easter baskets, an egg hunt, and an amazing dinner.  By the way, A and I can apparently cook a really great grown up meal – who knew?!?  We had ham, roasted potatoes, mac and cheese, green beans, deviled eggs, and cupcakes.  Yum!  But I couldn’t help feeling disappointed that we weren’t able to attend church or celebrate with our extended families like we’ve done in years past.

We’re just taking things day by day.  Admittedly, some days are really challenging and just plain hard.  These are they days in which A and I have work meetings and the boys don’t cooperate.  The boys come into the bedroom where I work about 8057 time or they're fed up with the current situation, which results in yelling and throwing things.  There are meltdowns and arguments and A and I end up completely exhausted.  But luckily, the challenging days are usually followed by better days.  Days that include chalk drawings, dance parties, long walks, scavenger hunts, science experiments, and reading books.

I get overwhelmed easily.  I’ve noticed it ever since my brother passed away.  Things that would typically bother me just feel heavier and bother me so much more and I feel a tremendous sense of dread.  So you can imagine that working full time with kids home full time, home school, graduate class, and weekly preschool board meetings are weighing on me.  In a totally ironic twist, I talked to my doctor about this and he prescribed a medication to only be taken when I needed it most.  You know, like now.  Except I didn’t fill said prescription before we went on lock down and now I’m too afraid to visit the pharmacy for a non essential medication.  Ha.  Go figure.

Last night, after my board meeting, we put the boys to bed quickly and hopped on a virtual trivia tournament.  Yes, I now realize I sound like an uber nerd.  You should know that I hardly knew any of the answers.  But it was the first time in a long time that I felt a little more “normal”.  We had so much fun and I’m so glad our friends invited us.  We ended up in third place and our friends came in second out of 25ish teams.  Again, can’t take any credit, but I love trivia contests with A.

Other positive takeaways from the past couple weeks: We’re still trying to get walks in when possible and I feel SO much better when I get a little fresh air and exercise.  It has snowed a few times, though. ☹  We joined our neighbors in donating funds to our mail carrier, UPS delivery man, Fed Ex delivery man, and sanitation workers.  Tomorrow we’re presenting them all with the money collected and also making thank you signs for our yards.  I love that our neighbors organized this!  S and I have started doing kids YouTube dance videos.  If I needed confirmation that I’m the world’s worst dancer, this was it!  But S told me I’m his favorite person to dance with so there.

Stay well!

Weekend Recap

I don't really have much of a weekend recap because every day feels more or less the same.  I think everyone is in the same boat.

We've been going for walks everyday - thankful we live in a pretty big neighborhood and have been able to discover new routes and places.

We visited my mom as well as Nani and Papa from the driveway.  S even made a sign to hold up.  I think it was so good for the boys to see their grandparents.  They had a really really challenging Monday.  The entire day felt like one giant meltdown, but since then, things have gone well.  There are scuffles and arguments, but I'm grateful the boys have each other during this time.

My mom came over yesterday for a "social distance" walk - she stayed outside and walked 6 feet behind us, but it was great to catch up while getting some fresh air.  We ended up walking for over an hour.  On the downside, Charlie still smells like a swamp after our walk - so gross!

We've done quite well with meal planning and I'm proud of us.  W has surprised me with some of the things he's liked - mostaccioli, chicken tacos, and greek chicken with rice.  I've made it a point to let him know that I'm trying new recipes and if he doesn't like what I make, we'll find something else for him.  I think this has taken the pressure off in a way and he's discovered that he really does like different foods.  A major win!

Work is challenging because I don't have the office conveniences and the boys do interrupt often.  I'm just doing the best I can.

Weekend Recap

I think my next few weekend recaps are all going to sound the same.  And honestly, I can't really differentiate between the weekends and weekdays.  I know I work during the week, but I forget what activities we do when.

I do know that we've been going on walks every day.  I like the fresh air and exercise and it's nice to see so many neighbors out walking (though we keep our distance).  Many people in our neighborhood have written chalk messages on driveways and sidewalks.  We did the same.  The messages are so uplifting and give me hope.

On Saturday, the boys and I wrote down clues and then we all piled in the car for a scavenger hunt.  A had to locate the destination according to our hints.  It was nice to get out of the house and we had fun coming up with clues.  I think we'll do the same this weekend, only A will come up with the clues and we'll have to figure out the destination and direct him.

We've actually done really well with meal planning.  We're limiting our grocery shopping to once per week and dare I say I'm actually enjoying coming up with a plan for dinners in advance.  It takes the last minute guesswork out of dinner preparation and with no commute, we have plenty of time to make dinner.

This week has started off much more challenging than the last.  It's officially our spring break so W doesn't have daily assignments.  I think the novelty of all of us at home all the time has worn off.  The lack of routine is also resulting in some restlessness for the boys.  We're getting them outside when we can and just trying our best to keep life as normal as possible.

Life During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Is anyone still blogging these days?  It seems pretty quiet out there.  If you're still reading, I'd love your input.

This quarantine has been really tough.  I've been trying to focus on some of the positives, but it's hard not to think about the negative impacts.  I'll admit there are a few negative impacts that most would find trivial, but they're getting to me.

I'll share my thoughts, but I'd love to hear from you too.  No judgement.

Let's get the trivial negative impacts out of the way:

• Hair.  Ok, I realize this is minor and maybe it makes me shallow or vain.  So be it.  I was supposed to get my hair cut and highlighted this weekend and the appointment was cancelled.  The thought of going two-ish months without a hair cut and highlights is more daunting than it should be.  This is causing me way more anxiety than it should.

• A and I often don't get home from work until 5 at the earliest.  The boys are hangry and as a result we often eat out or pick up food 3-4 times per week.  It's a lot, but it just works with our busy schedules.  We also have picky kids so it allows some variety in our meal selections.  We're not used to meal planning.  Trying to get all of the groceries ahead of time and plan meals that all of us will eat well in advance has been challenging.

• Related, we're going through food fast!!  Again, we're not used to everyone home and not used to stocking up in advance.  At least we have toilet paper.

Not so trivial:

• Lack of interaction with parents.  My mom and I are very close (especially since my brother and dad passed away).  We're used to seeing each other at least 4 times per week.  My mom nearly cried on the phone when we discussed staying away.  The boys are also very close to all of their grandparents.  They were asking when Nani would be coming over and I had to tell them I really wasn't sure.  This one is breaking my heart.

Positives:

• All things considered, the boys have been getting along really, really well.  They have moments in which they argue and yell, but they also have plenty of moments in which they work together on puzzles, play games, read together, look at flash cards together, ride scooters, build Lego houses, etc.

• Home schooling is going pretty well.  We don't have a great routine, but we are working through homework packets and incorporating other fun activities like science experiments, neighborhood scavenger hunts, and book madness (each family member chooses 2 books, we read and vote for our favorites).  I even discovered S can write several numbers and letters... I seriously had no idea!

• Working from home.  Ok, so this has been challenging with multiple interruptions, distractions, and lack of computer monitors.  BUT.  I don't take for granted the ability to work from home.  It's been such a blessing during this trying time.

• Related, having a webcam has allowed me to have face to face meetings with colleagues.  I even had coffee with a colleague via virtual meeting.

• Family time.  I appreciate that we've gotten to spend so much time together.  Happy we have each other and like each other most of the time. :)

• Sleeping in and watching tv shows.  Not having a commute means I've been sleeping in until 6am, which is amazing.  It also means that A and I have been able to watch tv after the boys go to bed, which we hardly ever do.  We've caught up on This is Us and started watching Schitt's Creek, which is both terrible and hilarious.

I'm sure there are more, but that's what I've got so far.  

COVID-19

How is everyone coping as we practice social distancing?  We’re on day 3 of home schooling and it kind of feels like month 3.  We’re lucky because I’m able to work from home and A’s school is closed so he is caring for the boys while attempting to home school a first grader and a preschooler.  We are making the most of it, but I already miss our routines and our “normal” days.  In some ways it’s comforting to know that everyone is affected by COVID-19.  We’re all trying to figure things out and working collaboratively to stop the spread of this virus.  But it’s also hard.  I definitely struggle with change and self-quarantining is the ultimate change.  I’m worried that W won’t be returning to school this year.  We love his teacher and he was thriving in first grade.  This is S’s final year of preschool.  It breaks my heart that there is a possibility he won’t return.  He’s a social kid and being away from friends and teachers is going to be difficult for him.  I didn’t even get to say a proper goodbye to my boss because our office is closed.  We had to cancel our spring vacation that we were so much looking forward to.  My heart hurts.  Hoping and praying this virus goes away soon.

I've had quite a few work meetings while working from home and each one ends with someone saying "stay safe and healthy".  Wishing you all the same.

Weekend Recap

Gosh, what a freaking week.  The world is panicking, COVID-19 is spreading, the stock market is nose diving, our vacation is in jeopardy, and my amazing boss resigned (finally found a job I enjoyed and an awesome boss - annnnd that lasted a whole 8 months... UGH).  I’m ready to just hide in my house and eat nothing but Cadbury mini eggs.  Seriously, though.  Everything is a MESS right now.  I’m so disappointed/concerned/frustrated/distraught with this current state of life and trying NOT to focus on all the fun events that will inevitably be canceled.  

This too shall pass, right?

I never posted a weekend recap.  We were busy, busy.  Lots of errands: hair-cuts for the boys, gymnastics class, tax preparation, and outside time.  The boys decided to use the gift cards they received for Christmas and chose to purchase a garbage truck (W) and games (S).  We had lots of fun playing Hedbandz (though S is the biggest cheater!!) and Guess Who.  We also visited a nearby park and it was so great to get some fresh air!

Dreaming of sunny days sans COVID-19

Weekend Recap

I’m falling behind on my exciting weekend recap posts.  Ha.  They aren’t exciting at all, but I love re-reading what we we’ve been up to as the boys have grown.

The week A and I returned from vacation was a rough one.  We returned Monday night and the following Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning, S woke up around midnight vomiting.  I thought he was just getting W’s cold.  He has a tendency to puke any time he has a cold/cough (which is going to make for a really interesting year of Kindergarten, but that’s a worry for another day).  He stayed home from preschool Wednesday, vomited that morning, but then was ok.  By Thursday, he seemed to be totally fine and went to school.  Thursday around midnight, I woke up vomiting.  Friday, I felt awful.  I couldn’t eat anything and couldn’t get out of bed.  Also on Friday, S came down with W’s cold, which resulted in more puking for him (but this time it was definitely the cough causing it).  By Saturday, I was mostly fine.  No appetite, but otherwise, I felt ok.  W continued to get over his cold and finally, by the following week, we were all feeling much better.  Phew.  SO the point of all that was to say that last weekend was kind of a bust and I don’t really have much to recap.

This past Thursday, A turned 40.  I can’t believe it!!  When did we get so old?!?  In all seriousness, I’m incredibly proud of him for taking such good care of himself.  Hoping for continued health!!

Saturday, the boys were super crabby.  They slept in their bunk beds and I’m guessing they didn’t sleep well.  They had gymnastics in the morning.  A and I laughed as usual as the boys attempted to somersault, cartwheel, etc.  We took Charlie for a walk when we got home.  W got mad that he didn’t win some imaginary race and turned around and rode home on his scooter (with A following him) halfway through the walk.  Eye roll.  Then it was off to celebrate A at A’s favorite pizza restaurant.  The whole family came and we enjoyed apps and yummy pizza.

Sunday, another busy day.  Church, Starbucks, Family Fun Fair at W’s school, took Charlie for a long by myself (which was very peaceful), stopped at the grocery store, and made dinner.  Thankfully, the boys were in a much better mood.  They were super helpful at the grocery store and even took it upon themselves to bag groceries when they realized there wasn’t someone around.  I thanked them and told them they were such great helpers.  Upon hearing that, S exclaimed, “Well, that calls for a double high five!!”.  He still cracks me up.  We had a great day.

It's been feeling more like spring around here and I'm excited for time spent outdoors!