March 29

Amy’s school has now extended its closure through May 1. Sarah’s school says it is openingApril 16, but I expect an extension of that as well. Even if her school does open, we will probably keep her home until Amy’s school is also open. Week 2 of being at home went more smoothly overall. The girls and I are getting into more of a routine with some things and we dropped some activities that weren’t working (such as storytime and game time). Here is a rough estimation of a weekday:

Breakfast

Sarah- piano  Amy- clean room

teeth brushing (it took a week to realize we had forgotten this aspect of a morning for the girls)

ipod for girls, exercise for me (Zwift biking, zumba or a 7-minute workout)

reading for the girls, I clean the kitchen and prep for art

art (making cat puppets, painting, glue and glitter, possibly a glittertastrophy)

snack and watching recordings of G reading a story

gymnastics (Amy designed a circuit with beam, floor, and with the couch serving as a bar for Front Support)

recess/lunch in either order

if the weather is good then lots of outside time in our backyard 

writing/literacy homework

math homework

ipod math (Prodigy for Amy, Splash Math for Sarah)

tv shows, zwift, playing outside

Amy and I draw along with Mo Willems (so far just Pigeon and Elephant)

dinner

Carl takes the girls for a walk and I go for a walk on my own (except the past couple of days when my hip really didn’t like that idea)

The girls have times of big fights and upset, but that isn’t new to this time of our lives and our timing is flexible enough to allow for upsets at any time! Overall they are playing together much more than usual because there aren’t other options. I am more relaxed about not getting everything offered by Amy’s school done. There are way too many options. I made up some worksheets for her to practice division since that is what she doesn’t want to practice. I was inspired by the worksheets made by my dad, and so I wrote problems for Amy involving cats. She loves them. She also loves the sheets my dad made. I love seeing her laugh while doing math homework. For Sarah I need to record her attendance online each day, but I’m not expected to do any of the typical 5th grade assignments, thank goodness. She has some work from her resource room teacher.

I usually get some time for myself reading and working on my book. I also keep the kitchen and dining room tidy for my own sanity, but other areas of the house are getting messier (mainly Sarah’s room and the family room). I spend lots of time sitting on my butt or just standing and looking at Facebook or instagram and feeling lethargic and uninspired to do any more serious project or cleaning. There are options available if I wanted to do an online zumba class or even join some Alexander teacher classes. Those feel like too much to contemplate. It’s not that I don’t actually have plenty of free time. It’s that I don’t feel like I have time I can count on as clear and uninterrupted. So I think I’m just going to let it all be and not add things that make anything feel more overwhelming.

For Amy’s birthday she received some nightgowns so she and her American Girl dolls can match. Sarah really wanted some too. I wasn’t able to get a match for Amy’s pattern but I did order a different pattern for Sarah and her baby doll Chester. It was haaard for Sarah to wait for them to arrive and it was haaaard to be her parent during her impatience. If I asked her a question about anything she almost always ignored the question and asked when her nightgown would arrive.  Finally, the new nightgowns arrived. Amy planned a big sleepover for the girls and dolls. Everything was amazing and went smoothly until bedtime when Sarah wanted to sleep in her own bed instead of in the family room. Amy was so disappointed and mad at Sarah. 

Yesterday Carl and Sarah made her bed into a bus and she drove many Essential Worker stuffed animals to their jobs. The girls also played a board game together, which they certainly have done in the past but it is still notable and heart warming when it happens.

I had a dream last night in which I hugged someone and then was horrified at what I had done. What a strange time we are all in right now. Yesterday I ventured out to the pharmacy and a grocery store. All food stores that were open had significant lines, with each person spaced 6 feet from the next, to even enter the store. My timing for arriving at the co-op was good and I was able to go in right away. I had moments of feeling panicked when there seemed to be too many people in an area and I didn’t know how to move.  Too many now means 3 or 4. After my errands I cleaned every item before putting it away. It has never taken me so long to put away my groceries! I also had been in such a mindset of social distancing that I had to remind myself I didn’t have to stay 6 feet away from Carl! I felt much more grateful for all of my fresh produce than ever before. I now use up much more of what we have before getting more so sometimes our fridge is quite bare. It then feels oddly decadent/normal/easy to get food delivered from a restaurant. 

I hope that all of you are well. I look forward to giving hugs again when they are allowed.

I would love to know what this covid-19 time is like for you.