The COVID-19 Diaries: Our Day to Day

We're on... week 3 of officially being under "safer at home" guidelines. Week 1 I homeschooled Alice with my own curriculum, the 2nd week was Spring Break and I extended it to an additional week which we're on the Friday of that 2nd week and next week we'll be moving to what is remote teaching being handled by her teacher through google classroom. Not sure what that looks like yet. We're gonna work it out this weekend I think.

The past two weeks of Spring Break we had no rules and not much of a schedule other than the loose one we've established thanks to Matt's established routine with them based on meal breaks. We used to have a slight variation when Alice was in school from 8a-11:45a but this was what it is recently.

7/8a: Kids are up/Breakfast

9a-12p Play/TV/Movies/Crafts

12p: Lunch

1p-2p Play/TV/Movies/Crafts

2p-4p: Snack & iPad Time

5p: Start Dinner

6p: Dinner

7p: Cleanup/Bedtime Routines

7:30p: Lights Out

After Wally had a nightmare February 26 he'd been refusing to sleep in his own bed. He woke up crying in the middle of the night and we let him sleep in Alice's bed which worked out mostly fine. Then they both got sick and I had to figure something out to make them sleep in their own bed. We couldn't go to Ikea to buy a new toddler bed so around March 20 so I converted his crib into a toddler bed by removing a side rail and taping a pool noodle. I made a big deal about how cool it was and now you're gonna sleep in your own bed and at night he cried and tried to sneak into Alice's bed but she told him no and we watched over the monitor and eventually, we slept in his own bed. Then a few nights of crying and fighting us and now... thankfully... he goes to his bed without any fights and sleeps in it all night. Since they're both mobile and able to come to us if they need us Matt and I did something we haven't done in 5 years: we turned the sound off the baby monitor. We have not slept so well in ages! Alice and Wally wake up around 7 and help themselves to PBS (we made a rule of only PBS in the AM) and then we wake up naturally around 7:30/8 and join them and start making breakfast. What a relief it is when they sleep well. I always value sleep.

Well the two weeks of Spring Break I occupied myself as much as I could with projects, spring cleaning, crafts and frankly because of course I did... I overdid it. I was exhausted and frustrated and the kids were on me all day and there were little to big messes everywhere. I mean... I made a robot.

And a travel case for a felt hedgehot and his friend turtle (I made the turtle, Jill made the hog).

And a puppet theatre complete with curtain. And Hamilton puppets.

And a little cardboard loom.

I even opened up the sewing machine to see if I remembered anything. I did. Then put it away 'cause that's gonna be an evening alone by myself activity.

I made loads of meals. I made fresh bread for the first time ever and cauliflower soup. 

And then I was just stressed out. Burned out.  I made myself a giant cosmopolitan the size of my head and said EFF IT! (Psh, I wish, no I just cry texted Ali).

Ali's idea was simple: take turns. So I drafted up a schedule and now from 9a-12p Matt hangs out in our room alone and from 1p-4p I hang out in our room alone. For three hours a day, 5 days a week, we get alone time. We've only been enacting this for two days this week but let me tell you, what a difference. Just knowing a break is coming is so essential to our mental health and then I don't feel like I have to stay up late working on whatever it is I need to work on. I think the consistency is going to be essential during this time since we're both home full time with no end in sight.

I think the kids are getting adjusted to our new normal. They seem a lot more pleasant lately or less stir crazy. Or maybe we got enough new toys to entertain them thanks to Grandma Jill sending us superhero capes and toys. 

And as always I'm learning that it's just quality play time the kids want. For us to just play mouse trap with them over and over even if I'm sick of it. If she asks me to play, play. And today we had a picnic just the two of us and I think I gotta make it a weekly thing. Time just me and her, time just him and me. She and I laid on the blanket and looked at clouds. 

And the daily crafts will look a little simpler. Making a skyline out of construction paper or projects with toilet paper rolls.

 And going outside and just riding scooters or shooting hoops or playing in the sand box or drawing on the floor with chalk. To feel the sun and see the sky. Enjoying the light.

We miss our families. We facetime everyone pretty regularly and I will probably cry when I see people in person again. Those first hugs are going to be glorious. GLORIOUS.

Well it's high time for me to log off and snooze a bit. I'm loving this new schedule. Check back next week when we start the new school thing!

Grateful for all we have right now.