Staying home....indefinitely

It is rare that I blog anymore, life is so busy and while I love to look back at stories of when Liam was my only child to dote upon I just don't have the mental capacity to blog, raise 3 children, work full time, make dinners and train a puppy. But the world has come to a screeching halt these last 2 weeks.

There is a new virus that has become a worldwide pandemic. Starting in China it has slowly made it way to the United States. COVID-19 has changed the way we live. The kids are out of school until May, possibly longer. All non-essential treatment is to be postponed, which means I have been furloughed until the government deems it acceptable for the dental world to go back to normal as well. Evan is working from home as all offices that can work remotely are being asked to do so.

While I have always enjoyed work I also always look forward to my vacation time as well. One would think that being told to stay at home and relax for 6 weeks or longer would be enjoyable. These are unusual times though and not knowing when I can go back to work has been...stressful. Filing for unemployment has been...stressful. Evan working from home while the kids are running around the house screaming at each other has been...stressful.

I am thankful though that we are all healthy. I am thankful that it is April and the weather is becoming more enjoyable which means more time outside. I am thankful that I have the extra time to try to plant a vegetable garden in our new home. I am thankful for my children, who shockingly, have been playing very well together.

A fun find on our walk

 So while there may not be a lot of toilet paper on the shelves at the stores and flour has also become increasingly scarce I am thankful that we are not stuck at home but safe at home.

A hike at Comlara Park

Our new normal consists of the kids hanging out in the morning until "school" begins. Liam currently has use of the dining room table and Caroline has her own desk in the living room. I have Lucy set up on the piano bench but she doesn't sit still for long. The teachers have sent home 'Choice Boards' for the week. The kids get to choose an activity in each subject to complete for each day. Sometimes for Liam it is writing a persuasive essay on why an Iguana would be a great pet and for Caroline it is writing her letters in both Upper and Lowercase. For math Caroline needs to count as high as she can go by herself and then write that number down on her piece of paper. Liam will sometimes play a math game on the computer or I will try to finish teaching him his multiplication tables. Caroline's school time is 30-60 minutes long with my attention 100%. Liam's school time is no longer than 2 hours. Some of the things he can do on his own but most of it requires help from me.

Once school is over I can finally take a shower, the kids eat their lunch and then Lucy goes down for her nap. The two older kids have been either having their quiet time or playing together. Today we went on a bigs only walk with Mom.

With our first week of remote learning we have learned a few things. The most crucial, in my opinion, is that the kitchen is closed between 8:30-11:30 and 12-3. These kids want to eat all of the time!

In all seriousness, while I would prefer for them both to be working at the same time it is not possible. Liam is requesting for me to sit next to him while he completes his work with my undivided attention (there is no way this is happening in his real classroom). I would prefer for us to do our learning in the morning so our afternoons are filled with playtime outside. Liam seems to do better with lots of breaks between his 'choices' therefore his school is taking up most of the day. I know we will find our groove. I am trying to remember to give myself and the kids grace in uncharted waters.

We are trying to find the fun in learning. Yesterday, Caroline and I went on an ABC scavenger hunt around the house. Liam and I made cookies where fractions and math were the main focus. The kids have been extremely helpful in planting our vegetable garden. They wanted to try carrots and sugar snap peas from seed.  I am interested in lettuce, broccoli, red bell peppers and eggplant. We have little knowledge but are enthusiastic!

I is for Ice Cream

Chopping up Oreos and Cookies to put IN his cookie dough