Life in the time of Corona

Time has been kind of a funny thing in these past two months. As each day stretches into the next with little to distinguish one from another, it's been really easy to lose track of time and what actual day it is. In the midst of it all though, life still happened.

We observed Maundy Thursday in our living room, just as we have done church each Sunday since March. Our communion consisted of a Hawaiian roll and dragon punch.


We do what we can for entertainment, which involved Bella straightening Graydon's hair one night.


The end result makes me smile and laugh.


She tried to do Curtis's as well, but his hair was a little more difficult.


The day before Easter, we got 'egged!'



Our friends hid some eggs in our yard and left bags for the kids to go hunting.


It was early afternoon and they were all still in pajamas. That's how we roll when we're in a quarantine.


We made a fire that evening. After recently finishing the Star Wars movies, the kids had light sabers on their mind and discovered that their flashlights combined with the smoke from the fire made it look like they had their own sabers.


The next day was Easter! We had another living room church service where we all wore our pajamas - so it was definitely an Easter like no other. But we still kept some traditions alive, like our Easter egg hunt. I wasn't able to shop for a lot of prizes, so they either found candy or money. I don't think they minded this at all.


Graydon's competitive side definitely came out!








They knew I was taking their pictures, so they started acting silly.




And the finder of the golden egg and chocolate bunny this year was Curtis! In addition to the bunny, he won $5.


Everyone with their loot.


Later on in the day, they went hunting for their baskets. They like a good challenge, especially Bella. But it's getting harder and harder to find good hiding spots! The baskets were each game themed this year since we've been playing more games during this quarantine.






Grandma and Grandpa sent this root beer making kit!


This was fun.


A few days later, Andy was heading out and found this cat behind his Jeep. It's not unusual for stray cats to show up by our house, but this one was different. It looked like one of his legs was broken because it dragged; and moving for this little guy was really difficult. We found a box and put him inside. He cried at first. I think he was scared and in pain. But after a few minutes, he seemed to settle in.


We also had some wet food and water for him. It was early evening when we found him, so vets and shelters were all closed. We brought him in the house and he rested in the box for the night. I wanted to take him to the vet the next day, but we crunched numbers. . . a vet visit, plus the x-rays, plus any treatment - and it was more than we wanted to spend on a stray cat. So, we called the humane society and they picked him up the next day. They are a no-kill shelter and the people who picked him up seemed very loving, so we feel like he's in good hands. I'm just glad he made it to our house because I don't think he would have survived for long in the woods.


My mom has been busy sewing masks and she sent us some. This is another sign of the times. Masks are the new fashion statement of 2020.




I went to school to clean out the mentor room so it can be cleaned and painted over the summer. I felt this haunting sadness while I was there. When we left school on March 6th, it was just with the intention of being gone for two weeks of spring break. There were still puzzles left on tables and games and artwork on desks. Now, that does tell me that I need to talk with these kids about cleaning up after themselves, but it also shows how unfinished the school year was - a snapshot frozen in time. I just felt so sad.


Graydon has been making some easy money by losing teeth during this quarantine. The was his second tooth loss. He had to wait for a while to collect his money because the tooth fairy "had coronavirus" (kept forgetting!)


I completed my Masters degree! April 25th was supposed to be my graduation, but #coronavirus. So Andy and the kids planned a special graduation ceremony at home for me. Bella made some amazing decorations. It was so sweet!






Curtis's contribution!










Bella even made this very realistic-looking diploma!


We celebrated by getting food at Panera and eating it in the Jeep. That's where all our 'fancy' meals take place these days.

The kids had a sleepover in Bella's room. It's fun to see them all together.


Graydon was on the school's math bowl team. Due to coronavirus, they moved the event to a virtual competition. Here he is taking his math test.


A member of the community passed away and they had a small service at our church cemetery. Andy observed from a distance and, when I looked out the window, I saw that Salty joined him.


We've been doing grocery pick-up as much as we can, but one day I needed to go in the store for a few things. I was hoping to get toilet paper. Seven weeks into this thing and this is still the toilet paper situation. Unreal.


The first week of May was Teacher Appreciation Week. Our administration included me in with this great group of people and this little gift was dropped off outside my door.


They also put this sign in the front yard of every teacher.


Part of my gift was this new t-shirt. I love it so much! It's an amazing feeling to have a job that I love and to work with people who I love. This school is such an uplifting and positive place to work. I feel so blessed to be a part of this team.


Bella's been doing some more baking. She made this chocolate cake from scratch and it was probably one of the best cakes I've ever had.


"Happy Quarantine"


Graydon got out a LEGO kit and started building. But Curtis couldn't help himself to some of the unused pieces, so he made his own creation - which frustrated Graydon because he would eventually need those pieces for his own project. I was just happy to see them play with toys. . .


. . . because the reality is that this is how they spend a lot of their time. It sometimes stresses me out and I hear all those voices about how too much 'screen time' is bad for kids. But we're also living in a pandemic and I have to pick and choose my battles.


Graydon's third tooth loss of quarantine. Check out that BIG gap! That's a lost eye tooth and molar. The molar actually came out right after the eye tooth, I just didn't get a photo until several days later. He needs to slow down in losing teeth or he won't be able to chew his food!


Mother's Day was really sweet and special. Andy and Graydon made me breakfast in bed. We eased slowly into our day, which never happens on Mother's Day.


After eating my breakfast, I spent a good chunk of the morning looking through old photographs.


I feel so thankful that I get to be a mom and fortunate to have time that morning to reflect on that. I posted some old photos and my thoughts on Facebook that morning. This is what I said. . .

Ever since I was a little girl playing with baby dolls, I always dreamed of being a mom someday. And because it was something that I wanted so badly, I was afraid it would be a difficult road to get there. After my first miscarriage, it seemed those fears were coming true. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be my last miscarriage. But along the way, I was also blessed with three healthy babies. I am so thankful that I get to be a mom, and that I get to be THEIR mom. Mother’s Day is as much a celebration of them as it is me, because without them, I would not be living this dream come true.

It was fun to look at those old photos and to remember those times. As our kids have grown, our relationships have changed. I know them even better now and it may seem strange, but sometimes I forget that they are the same people as the ones in those old photographs. I just love these people so much. Being together is truly my happy place.

Later that day, we had a family picnic. Andy packed some sandwiches, drinks, and snacks, and off we went. It was wonderful.








Graydon's method of sheltering his eyes from the sun.






Mother's Day goodies! Bella painted a portrait of our family and a happy memory from several years ago that is super tender to my heart. This gift made me cry. All morning, Graydon was also so excited to give me his gift. He spent an hour working on it. He made a heart out of LEGOS. I love how excited he was to give it to me. And Curtis made me a card and volunteered to be my servant for the day. I also got a Starbucks card form Andy. My heart was just bursting by this point.


And then we started playing with Snapchat filters.




I didn't want the day to end. It was a lovely Mother's Day.

Spring Break and Coronavirus

We only had one snow day this year and were able to make it up with an e-learning day, so we got the full two weeks off for Spring Break this year. Our last school day was March 6th. That first week of break, we stayed close to home with plans to go either to Brown County or Kentucky for a couple days during the second week. All our plans changed at the end of the first week when we started to hear about the spread of the Coronavirus in the US and recommendations to refrain from travel. We took "soft quarantine" seriously, not because we were necessarily afraid of getting sick, but because we wanted to do our part to help "flatten the curve."

When Bella gets bored, she bakes. She made some delicious funnel cakes for us.




I've been wanting to watch the Star Wars movies. I had never really seen them from the beginning, so could never really get into the story line. I wanted to do it properly and watch all nine movies, but who ever has the time for that? Well. . . now we did. We went in the order the movies came out: 4, 5, 6, 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, and finally episode 9.


When we needed a change of scenery, we loaded up in Andy's Jeep and went for a drive. On one drive, we stopped at a cemetery because Andy had to make a phone call. Bella and Graydon found a fun climbing tree.




I've heard from many families that they are doing more cooking now that they have more time. It's kind of the opposite for me. I'm concerned for our local small businesses. With the forced dining room closures, many small businesses are struggling. So, we're ordering more take-out to try and support them.


We're eating pretty well these days.


Bella and Curtis made these cookies. So good, as always.


Kiddie cocktails for the kids during our movie nights. Curtis is getting pretty good at making them.


Passing the time with a game of Connect Four. We even had rounds played with our eyes closed, just to have something different to do.


Mabel loves the fire almost as much as I do.


And she'll take any snuggle opportunity she can get.


We celebrated Andy's 40th birthday during this time of "social distancing." The original plan was to have all of the family come down for a celebration. About a week before, we knew this was not going to be a possibility. Still, we celebrated.




Andy's big gift from us was a set of Apple Airpod Pros. To the left, you can also see some artwork that Bella made. She is so thoughtful and talented.


And instead of celebrating in person, we got in touch the way everyone is doing in these days - through Zoom!


Bella made the birthday brownies.




The evening ended with episode 9 of Star Wars. It seemed fitting to finish out the series that night.

One thing I'm enjoying is the slower start to the morning. I can take my time with my morning coffee and reading/journaling. And I really appreciate the warm glow of the sun in the living room during the morning hours. I'm usually at school during that time and rarely see this room so bright. By the time I get home in the afternoon, the sun has already passed over to the other side of the house.


The kids received fun mail from Auntie Mary. She wanted to help our kids with this isolation boredom. Thanks again Auntie Mary!!!


Here is the first puzzle we completed. I ordered it on Amazon as soon as I realized we were going to be spending a lot of time at home. This scene seemed fitting. In hindsight, I should have ordered more puzzles. When we finished, I went to order more and there weren't any available until the end of May or June at the earliest! Thankfully, I was able to find a seller on ebay, so I've got another puzzle coming soon.


Graydon got to work right away on this 3D globe. We probably finished it in about a week. I thought I took a photo of the finished product, but I don't seem to have it. It is currently the centerpiece of our dining room table.


We've also been playing more card games. Here is Graydon lamenting over having to give away a good card in our of our games!


Mabel is living her best life these days - lots of walking time. It seems she is doing the opposite of the social distancing that is her usual life.


Thanks to Google 3D image, we had a bear in our living room!


Andy took Mabel on a roller blade walk. I'm not brave enough for that one.


Curtis got some new rollerblades for Christmas that he is finally able to use. One thing is for certain - I am glad this social distancing/quarantining didn't start in January! Getting outside is saving our sanity.






Graydon made some no-bake cookies all by himself! His teacher posted the recipe as a fun extra challenge in his e-learning app. It did involve some melting on the stove, but he did it ALL on his own.


And they tasted so good!


Another walk for Mabel. We had the road all to ourselves. As it should be right now.


This is a sign of the times. Our town park is closed. No trespassing. Our school track and tennis courts also have yellow tape. All non-essential businesses are closed. It looks and feels so strange.


Taking a break on one of our walks.


Our school had a car parade this past Friday. This was the day after we learned we wouldn't be returning to school at all this year. I wanted to decorate my van, but I couldn't go to the store for materials since they weren't essential. So, I got out some wrapping paper, markers, and a few extra craft things that I had in the basement and made two signs like this - one for each side of the van. I also blew up five small balloons and connected them to my antenna with ribbon (which ended up popping pretty early in the parade). Our district is pretty spread out, so our parade took us about 3 hours to complete! Bella, Graydon, and Curtis kids opted to stay home instead of ride with me. They waited outside for about an hour to see the parade and, unfortunately, we bypassed our house on the route! I felt so bad since they waited so long. But at least it was a beautiful day to play outside.


The magnolia tree in our front yard bloomed and it is BEAUTIFUL!


On Sunday night, we participated in something called #porchprayers. Families all around town are going on their front porch at that time and praying. We prayed for health and safety with this virus, our 6th graders and seniors who are missing out on all of the end-of-the-year/graduation activities, and three local teens who are battling cancer.


One thing that has kept my spirits up is some funny memes. I see the value in laughing more and more these days.

This one combines all the Karen memes I've been seeing lately with all of the Cornonavirus ones. I'm not sure who this 'Karen' is, but she has really given us all a bad name!

And I think this one is my favorite so far. . .

It's kind of like Groundhog Day around here - each day is pretty much the same as the one before. But overall, we are doing as well as can be expected right now. Andy and I can still do our work from home (both look very different, but we've been able to adapt) and we are all healthy. We really can't complain. The main hard thing right now is just not knowing how long this is all going to last.