COVID-19 Diaries Week 9

Day 57 May 9 - I have decided that this will be my last week of the detailed diaries because Friday is the kids' last day of school and they'd be home with me thereafter even without a pandemic and because our state will be 90% back open by the end of this week.  There's a new normal descending on our lives and I am sure it will be featured in our family blog in ways other than the Covid-19 diaries.  We set a record for coldest temp on May 9 today at 28 degrees.

The new normal

Day 58 May 10 - It's Mother's Day and many of you know that I would gladly skip all holidays because they are the hardest days of the year for my kids and rarely feel anything but stressful.  Today was no different.  I appreciated the gifts and cards and take out dinner, but would have traded it all for three little humans who didn't feel out of sync from the pressures of the holiday.

Day 59 May 11 - A very regular day of school work and house work and "work work."

Artwork by Ella

Day 60 May 12 - We got our first CSA local farm box today. Among other yummy veggies, it included three kinds of fresh greens that made for a fragrant and delicious dinner salad.

Day 61 May 13 - I forgot to type my note at the end of the day and now I already don't recall yesterday's happenings which I guess means this was not a memorable day.  Sometime this week though we learned that Craig will continue to work from home until at last July 6.

Day 62 May 14 - Finally a warm day again, so we let the kids go to town with the sprinkler after their school work was complete. Spring lunches and dinners are so good.

Day 63 May 15 - Today was the last day of third grade for my virtual twins.  We had an art day to keep it light and fun.  I went to Lowes to pick some plants/seeds for my garden after the last frosts of the season passed earlier in the week.  Our neighbor brought a basket of freshly harvested greens which turned into a yummy lunch salad.  And we got pizza for dinner to celebrate the end of the school year.

Fashion design by Emilia

COVID-19 Diaries Week 8

Day 50 May 2 - 50 days at home and other than on foot for walks, I have been out of the house only one single time and I don't remember for what purpose.  Sometimes I wonder what it will feel like for me when I do step into a community setting again.  Today was a gorgeous day with some hours spent poolside, barbecue, and all the winter coats getting washed and put away.  Our front door baby birds were gone from the nest this morning, off into the world.

Day 51 May 3 - Torrential rains and it never really got light out all day.  We cleaned the house and spent the afternoon reading, lazing, and watching TV.  Ella and I started on the old PBS series Colonial House.

Day 52 May 4 - We have a new bird's nest under our patio roof.  Another three babies and one just hatched.  We enjoyed the sunshine today and took the kids on a walk/bike ride - Emilia was so thrilled to be allowed to ride her bike outside of our street and she rode for well over a mile.

Day 53 May 5 - Our weather has been so variable lately and it's confusing the kids, I think.  One day they can swim and the next day they need jackets.  Today we did school and had a surprise to the girls 6 feet apart visit with Ella's BFF.

Day 54 May 6 - Nothing special to report except that Craig drove and got me some of the Krispy Kreme limited time offer lime donuts.  They are good, but these donuts were much smaller than usual, so...

Day 55 May 7 - A no school day for the two littles due to many work commitments by the parents.  Weather was great, so outside time was helpful and plentiful.  I made muffins to eat now and cinnamon rolls to freeze until Sunday and then a bread in the bread machine because we weren't going to make it to the store today after all.  And Craig hurt his ankle on the trampoline.

Day 56 May 8 - With much effort, we got the school work done today and Craig hobbled through the store to get our groceries.  I cooked ahead all the weekend's meals and then deep cleaned the kitchen including polishing the cabinets.  I don't plan to do much more than microwave for the next 48 hours.  Don't nobody else mess with this spic and span kitchen.

Covid-19 Diaries Week 7

Day 43 April 25 - It was a bad day.  The end.

Day 44 April 26 - A rainy day, a clean-up day, a buttermilk pancake day.  Nothing much happened in these four walls.

Day 45 April 27 - We had another music day for school today and after just a few times listening, Emilia was able to hum the familar notes of Fuer Elise.  We also used molds and kinetic sand to make in miniature some of the world's famous buildings, talked a little about them, and then looked up the corresponding countries on the world map.  Weather was lovely, so lots of backyard time, too.  Our governor announced today the first phases of the state's re-opening, but urges all for whom it is possible to continue to shelter-at-home and follow all social distancing guidelines.

Day 46 April 28 -  With temps near 80 degrees today, the girls took the season's first plunge into the pool.  We also got a lot of school work completed and baked blondies and jumped on the trampoline several times.

Day 47 April 29 - Much cooler today with rain plus multiple work commitments for Craig and me, so it was a no school day. Curry for dinner (yes, we love curry) and a lot of preteen 'tude and messes everywhere - so really, not much new.

Day 48 April 30 - We had a really productive day with home school and also with our jobs as well as did laundry and freshly cleaned the master bath.  I am feeling pretty accomplished today.  A Stay Safe Order was implemented until May 29 which still restricts what we can do despite some of the economy opening up over the next four days.

Day 49 May 1 - Happy May Day!  Emilia's epic IEP meeting finally came to an end today, but another meeting regarding compensatory education is scheduled.  Our district just announced that they will be ending the school year four days early on May 15, so that means we only have 10 more days of mandatory schooling to complete with Rex and Emilia and then I will be able to focus on goals and skills that we consider most meaningful for them in the coming months.

This and that from Week 7:

*Our preteen is struggling.
*Our youngest is learning at a much faster rate than we have seen in the parts of this school year that were actually spent at school.
*Our middle kiddo is immensely content.

Covid-19 Diaries Week 6

Day 36 April 18 -  I used my morning energy to cook ahead the weekend's meals all at once and then recruited my family to help me do a good kitchen cleaning.  The boys got backyard haircuts in the afternoon.

Day 37 April 19 - A quiet Sunday with mostly TV and reading and a generally non-productive approach. Craig worked on completing his absentee ballot for the Primary - the entire 2020 Ohio Primary is by mail.

Day 38 April 20 - The sun is back and we took full advantage of it with outdoor play and bike rides.  I dug out my old bread machine from The Land BC and made a buttermilk bread that was a yummy side with our dinner salads.  We also learned today that schools in Ohio will be closed until the end of the semester and quite honestly, I am relieved and thankful.

Day 39 April 21 - The baby birds are growing quickly, the wind was blowing strong, and my kids did not want to "learn" today.  We still powered through some language arts and math and then just let the chips fall as they would. Based upon a friend's recommendation, I baked a Wacky Cake which is super simple, fast to get into the oven, versatile for decoration, and tasty.  A neighbor brought me a bouquet of lilacs and some homemade coffee cake.

Day 40 April 22 -  Today was one of those days were I literally had to schedule a shower for myself to make sure it got accomplished.  We got most of the school work done, but the weather was so nice and the kids begged so much that we decided to open the pool.  It's green right now, but should be ready for swimming by May - for those who dare.  A neighbor brought us two large milkshakes to share and we enjoyed those lounging around the pool.  Ella said, "Now this really gives me the summer feeling."

Day 41 April 23 - Part 4 of Emilia's epic IEP team meeting that started on January 6 if you want to look at it that way.  Part 5 now scheduled for May 1.  Because of this meeting and our weekly grocery run, we had already decided that today was not going to be a school day.  Add to that the rain all day... and we let the girls have a Ronja marathon and Rex decided on his own to snuggle up with some favorite toys for most of the day.

Day 42 April 24 - School work this morning and then I got into a mad cooking frenzy in the afternoon to prep for the weekend.  Ella made a banana bread, too.  We had a mild day which means the great (backyard) outdoors were heavily utilized.

This and that from Week 6

*The Peggy Olson-Don Draper deep and evolving relationship is one of my favorites and very moving for me even in reruns.
*Emilia reeeeeaaaalllllyyyyyyy wants to get off the property and have some community adventures.  I never fully realized how important these experiences are to her because sometimes they do seem to overwhelm her as they happen.
*Some of our in-home therapy could start up again the second week of May, but the health guidelines are so rigid that we don't think we can adhere to what's required in a busy family-of-five-private-setting.
*The baby birds are nearly ready to leave the nest... and my front door is covered in bird poop.

Lilacs

My sweet neighbor brought me a bouquet of lilacs from her garden today and it made me tear up because I needed that spontaneous burst of beauty and appreciation and because lilacs are so heavily associated with my childhood springs in Germany.  What a feast for my eyes, nose, and heart these flowers will be in the coming days.

In the dooryard fronting an old farm-house near the white-wash’d palings,
Stands the lilac-bush tall-growing with heart-shaped leaves of rich green,
With many a pointed blossom rising delicate, with the perfume strong I love,
With every leaf a miracle—and from this bush in the dooryard,
With delicate-color’d blossoms and heart-shaped leaves of rich green,
A sprig with its flower I break.

-Walt Whitman

Covid-19 Diaries Week 5

Day 29 April 11 - Today was a fun day of acts of kindness.  We dropped off Easter cookies and a card with local friends as well as with an elderly colleague of Craig's who lives alone and has been very lonely.  We anonymously placed a gently used book with an encouraging note into the mailbox of a third grader on our street and we left a big birthday yard sign studded with candy for our good friend Joel who has to celebrate his 11th birthday in quarantine.

Day 30 April 12 - It's Easter which is always a very low key and calm holiday for us, so we're not feeling a loss here.  We had a special brunch, as usual, and hid a few Easter treats in the backyard for the kids between rain showers.  Connected with family and friends via social media.

Day 31 April 13 - We did an all art school day studying Gustav Klimt.  Nothing else exciting happened, but we're healthy and well and fully aware of/thankful for the privileges that make this quarantine much easier for us than for other families who are struggling.  Meanwhile, I am part of a very detail-oriented and time-consuming project at work, but glad to have "something from the outside" to occupy me when possible.

still eating all the yummy foods

Day 32 April 14 - Lots of school work today and it was pretty cold outside, so a bit of a double whammy for the kids.  We made it through with only mild upsets and no tears, so let's count it as another good day.

math facts stairs

studying planets

Day 33 April 15 - On what was going to be tax day (we filed well before), we received our stimulus deposit - I mention this only for the historical value for whoever reads this in the future.  We had another full day of school today and the baby birds in our door wreath hatched.

Day 34 April 16 - We received a big bag of art supplies from Ella's teacher and among them is a nearly intact June 1959 edition of Women's Day.  This is an incredible gift because Ella and I have been watching Mad Men which is set in the same period and having this authentic old magazine allows us to study the period a bit more, to discuss media messaging for women/girls then and now, and to learn some interesting tidbits from 61 years ago.  Indian take-out for dinner - yum.  And we had a sweet surprise on our front door to boot.

Day 35 April 17 - Today was a no good day, dark and rainy, with too ambitious professional goals and quickly withering educational ones.  Leftovers and a successful weekly grocery trip to a well stocked store were the saving grace.  I gave in to Gilmore Girls reruns at 4:00.  The end.

This and that from Week 5:

*The mild and sunny weather needs to return ASAP for mental health purposes.
*So many lovely gestures of support being traded on our little street.
*No lime tortilla chips at the store and we can't find a kite to buy either.
*I finished my second book of quarantine - I know that's not really an accomplishment for most, but since becoming a mom almost nine years ago it's been hard to find the time, space and quiet for reading.  Often I don't even have the energy for my beloved pastime and choose sleep instead.

Easter 2020

Easter was small and quiet and in many ways very much to our liking and not so different from how we usually spend this day.

I do want to take a moment here to compliment my kids on how well they have been doing since we went into lock-down a month ago.  There are, undoubtedly, some tough moments, but overall everyone has been so well behaved and cooperative and cheerful that these weeks have been quite enjoyable.  My kids lost access to over 80 hours of private therapy and intervention (not counting the additional they would receive at school) in the last month, but they are continuing to hold steady or progress across the board and that is a great feat.  I am really, really proud of my little chicks and how much strength and patience they are showing during this pandemic.