A Journey through Summer

Today was a better day.  Getting outside in the sunshine was a welcome change from the constant gray skies.  Although my sunglasses have gone missing.   I needed to make a trip to Walmart today for some medication.  It was much busier than I expected.  The man in front of me took the last Purrel wipe for the carts so I tried to use my coat sleaves instead.  Most items are available, but if it has the name Lysol you are out of luck. Really wish people practiced social distancing more like this squirrel instead of stopping in the middle of the aisle so no one can pass by at a safe distance. We had a nice walk this evening.  I told the kids if we went back next week it is going to look totally different.  Everything is tipped with bits of green ready to burst forth. School e-learning ramps up this week.  Structure will be good for everyone.  A lot can change in a week.  We will keep you posted.

As mommy recovered from a 24 hour shift, the kids were left to self entertain for a bit of the day.  The past few days have been off routine and it was starting to show.  Tomorrow is a new day to get back on track just before the weekend. Some good things of the day My purple crocuses opened up today . Packages   from grandparents always add a bit of fun to the day.   New books with new ideas The kids are learning to play games together. Luke can keep up with Uno now, so more games are are being played.  That said, they are also learning when to separate.  Brothers are enjoying our daily walks together.

The State of Indiana declared a 'shelter in place' order today in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Only essential personnel is to be going to work.  Only essential businesses will be open like grocery, gas, hardware, daycares, healthcare, etc.  Also businesses that are beneficial towards the effort of helping with the outbreak.  So, riddle me this...what do two essential employee parents do when their childcare puts into place a Zero Symptoms policy for your kid to go to childcare?  Do you scramble to find another way to keep the kids safe, or risk taking your kid to childcare with the understanding that the slighted sniffle can send your kid into a 14 day quarantine? With each day it feels like we are running out of moves to support our family and jobs.  But there is much as stake, so we continue to maneuver through the system. By the end of the day, we all needed to take a walk to shake off the frustrations of the day.  We may not be abl...

Today was the first day I didn't leave the house since this COVID-19 journey began.  Sunday worship was from our couch and the weather wasn't inspiring for me to want to be outside. I did pack up some clothes to share with our neice. All seasons of clothing to share as Spring likes to act like Winter and Winter liked to act like spring.  Kudos to the post office for offering free package pickup so we can stay home. The kids though, had a full day.  Walks in the snow, snowball fights with the neighbors, game night, free play and videos may the day go by quickly. Tomorrow we get back into a routine.  A some point this week I will be gone for work.  I need to organize activities for the kids to do while with John.  Something for the to-do list tomorrow.  I am hoping by the end of the week we will have some hope that all this distancing has made a difference.  We shall see.

Today we needed a break.  Yesterday's news dampened some of the urgency on completing school work.  A week of daily updates of restrictions had stressed out our bodies, minds, and spirits.  So today we chilled out. Some of us were in PJs till noon.  I spent time in digital community with my women's Bible study group.  We had nap/quiet time, which was glorious.  We watched a nature film and music videos.  Dinner was made by a local small business, so I didn't have to plan dinner. It is good to rest. It is also good to have community.  I did drag the kids outside for a walk around the block.  Each wrote a note to a neighborhood friend to place in their mailbox.  Hopefully they will get a reply. Tomorrow we are all home.  Things will happen, other things won't.  That is ok.  We will still be in quarantine the next day too.

Happy St. Patrick Day! Today we finally had a bit of sunshine, both emotionally and literally.  It did wonders for the mood of our household. Families are starting to reach out into the virtual community with ways to support each other.  Kids can have hundreds of educational sites to watch, but they still need that human connection.  Today we created a shamrock for our door as part of a Shamrock Hunt in our neighborhood.  The kids also participated in a scavenger hunt through our Church's children's program. We also took advantage of the nice weather to go biking at our local State Park.  We weren't alone, as other families had the same idea, but there was definitely enough space to keep our distance.  Highlight of the day was seeing a bald eagle by the river. The mail has become something to look forward to.  A package from the grandparents filled the rest of the hours of the day with bubbles and other fun things to enjoy. ...

Day 1 of Spring Break was not terrible.  Finding that balance between an intended break, social distancing, and keeping up with education demands feels challenging.  There will likely be more screen time, but with focus on content instead of quantity. The weather wasn't very friendly today, so we made sure to get outside early.  I am hoping to somehow move a mile a day.  Today was by bike. I did open the backpacks to at least examine what work was assigned.  Daniel is completely online, but Anna has more worksheet activities, including a full chapter of math.  Yeesh.  Not looking forward to that.  It did spark an interesting conversation between the two kids as to which measurement system was better, Metric or Standard.   Lunch was good and easy, featuring a Spring Break Classic served three ways. Afternoon is always the hardest.  Come 2:30pm the word "Bored" has been expressed multiple times while mom is trying to tac...

Today was a different kind of Sunday.  I still got up early to sing with the choir.  But instead of singing before a full congregation, it was with 22 other individuals coming together to lead an online worship experience.  I must confess that I almost turned around and went back home.  I was unsure of the risks I was taking going out into the world.  Any yet, I was reminded to not be afraid.  So I went. I sang.  I heard the Word spoken and was reminded of the truth.  We heard that God will give us rest in the middle of the wilderness.  I cried at the words that "death has no hold on me".  God is good. The snow of yesterday quickly melted away.  We are trying to encourage the kids outside as much as we can.  Today involved campfires and roller skates.  Who knows what they will come up with tomorrow.  I am still trying to decide how much people interaction is good right now for the kids. Our pastor said th...

I wasn't planning on revisiting this blog again until this summer.  But, the universe had other plans and our family has come together for the next few weeks as we practice (not perfect) the art of social isolation.  Hello COVID-19. I had hoped with spring break on the horizon, we would have the week off and concerns would diminish and school could resume.  School administrators in their understood wisdom decided that 3 weeks of being at home was the better course. So, in our journey through the summer of our lives, I give you the hopefully brief pitstop in the town of COVID-19. Yesterday was Friday the 13th.  And it was not a good day.  Multiple emails heralding a domino effect of one institution after another closing.  Options reducing with each email, quick decisions had to be made.  Clients wondering if I could join them when their time came to go to the hospital.  Add to this a last minute scramble for school forms to turn in and gather...