I've hesitated in writing this post, as I haven't been able to decide how I want to document what is happening in the world right now. I could do an entire post about how we are grieving the loss of what was supposed to be such a busy, full season in our family's life. We had a bucket list Spring Break trip planned, the children had so many events that they were looking forward to this spring, and we are sad about the missed soccer games, piano recital, field trips, visits with grandparents, etc. However, there have been many blessings and numerous times where I've said to Mark, "These kids are living their best lives..." since this started. So...I'm choosing to focus on that right now, and to document some of the highlights of the past month since we've been homebound due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.
In mid-March, we found out that school was going to be closed for "2 weeks", which was later extended to May 15 (and we're certain that the closure will be extended for the rest of the year). Daddy began working from home and claimed our upstairs finished storage/Lego room as his home office. Our lives abruptly changed over the course of a few days as our calendars cleared and all future events were cancelled. This was right before St. Patrick's Day, and the kids were sure that the leprechaun would still visit, so they set an elaborate trap for him at the top of the stairs.
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| Coloring St. Patrick's Day pictures. |
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| Legos, fishing line, & booby traps for that poor leprechaun. |
Thrilled by the prospect of not waking up early for school, we adopted a routine of seemingly endless pajama days and "Mommy homeschool". Millie was delighted beyond belief to have all of her humans home, and basked in the attention and extra walks that she received:
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| We also asked Millie to pitch in with chores. Dish washing is her favorite. |
We set up a weekday routine where the kids would complete their checklist items in the morning (enrichment worksheets, puzzles & games, chores, piano practicing) and we spent afternoons enjoying the beautiful spring weather. We finally had the gift of time, which is what we were lacking in our previously overscheduled routines.
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| Daddy and Leah assembling a Spin Art machine from a Tinker Crate kit. |
On this particular morning, we were doing crafts. I looked over at Leah's shrinky dink creation and saw that she had made one saying "Corona Virus". It was funny and heartbreaking all at once:
Our afternoons this month have been filled with daily bike rides to the park, hikes on our neighborhood trail, playing in the creek, and fishing.
Online distance learning began on Week 2 after a quick trip to the kids' schools to pick up work packets, instruments (Leah's recorder and Luke's tuba), and notebooks. The kids set up these stations and tune in to their classes with video lessons and assigments each weekday morning:
Someone sits quietly in her dog bed each morning, supervising her brother and sister as they complete their online lessons. (She only partially wants us to all resume our out of the house routines so that she can take an uninterrupted morning nap).
Even music class is done online. We all have "Hot Cross Buns" stuck in our heads on repeat these days:
Shortly after this duel recorder session, I established a new system, where all instruments must remain in the "music room" (aka guest room) at all times:
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| Millie's face makes me giggle here. This was NOT a quiet activity! |
We take pictures of many assignments and submit them via e-mail. On those days, we do try to brush our hair or look slightly less disheveled, but our attire is pjs, exercise clothes, pjs, repeat.
Thankfully, these kids are adaptable and resilient. They have not shown fear or anxiety about our current circumstances, and understand that they are safe and that we are staying home to protect other people from getting sick. They enjoy being home, and we openly talk about what is going on, with an added filter to make sure that there is no unecessary concern or worry. When asked about what they were sad to be missing, Luke matter of factly said, "My band concert," and Leah responded, "the socialization." (She's always been a mini-adult!). We've filled each day with fun experiences that we don't usually get to do during our "normal" life. We built a fort in the playroom and Leah slept there for a week:
Thanks to friends at church who passed down many books in Erin Hunter's Warriors series (and a bonus trip to the public library to supplement a few missing volumes), we had a complete Warriors library for the kids to read during this time. There are over 80 books in this adventure series (and companion Survivors, Bravelands, Seekers series) and we've calculated that in the first month at home, Luke read 30 of these books and Leah read 24! I am so, so grateful that my kids are bookworms and read for hours each day.
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| With extra time on their hands, L&L's default activity is to pick up a book to curl up and read. |
Meanwhile, Mommy and Daddy were reading through the Book of Mark with our church during Lent. Mark's Book of Mark bookmark quickly became a tongue twister/joke in our congregation, and it was a great way to stay connected to everyone while we couldn't worship together in person:
Leah enjoyed this Lenten kids' daily devotion and activity over the past month, too, and counting down the days til Easter gave some semblance of order to our days:
We're staying connected to the people that we love thanks to the internet, and we've been able to do Zoom calls with grandparents, cousins, and friends. The kids' piano teacher has been doing FaceTime lessons with them each week, and this has kept L&L motivated to keep learning and practicing their pieces. ORES students made posters and signs and a slideshow was made to share with our amazing teachers and staff, who we miss so much!
Our church began recording online worship services, and I've transitioned Children's Ministry to the website, with weekly at-home Sunday School lessons and activities. We print out these "Worship at Home" sheets for the kids each week to complete as they watch the online service, and it's been a blessing to have this while we are at home.
Our Life Group began the Red Letter Challenge together in late February, and we didn't realize when we took this photo, that this would be the last time we were able to gather together in person for awhile. We've been able to continue our 6-month long study by checking in with each other via text and calls, and each family is doing RLC while isolated at home:
One of our favorite activities during Month 1 of quarantine was to watch all of the kids' baby videos. They've been asking to watch these for months, but we never seem to have time. During the past month, we worked our way from Luke's birth in 2008 to present day. It was so much fun to revisit those precious memories! We also have daily Five Alive card tournaments, have played tons of board games, and eat dinner as a family together every night. All of these blessings in the midst of such a scary, unknown time keep our perspective positive and we aren't taking this time together for granted. Our unscheduled weekends have been glorious. One day, we took a picnic lunch to the gazebo that overlooks the lake in our neighborhood. In the six years that we've lived here, we've never done this:
The last series of pictures perfectly sums up what I want to remember about Month 1 of Quarantine:
Lots of outdoor, creative play and time together as a family. We are praying that this virus goes away soon, but in the meantime, we are finding peace in the gift of these simple days.
