So if I only log stuff every two weeks, is it still a journal? One thing about this whole situation that has caught me by surprise is how quickly the days go. I mean, they seem to literally fly by and all of the sudden it is 3:00 p.m.
So what are we doing now? Well still a lot of the same. I put the brakes on the baking – mainly because I was eating everything I ate and it was getting a little out of control. We are still baking a little, but its more like twice a week instead of every day. We made a delicious gluten free carrot cake and are now finishing off another loaf of the coconut flour banana bread which is not so bad for you and really yummy – recipe here. We did order a pizza kit from the local pizza place and make pizzas at home – those were delicious!
The past weekend, what did we do? We did a campfire and roasted marshmallows, I remember that. Weekends seem to blend into week days with the only difference being that TJ is not confined to the home office the whole time. The kids got some bath bombs in the mail, and when using them we accidentally discovered the joy of utilizing the jetted tub with some bubbles – it literally turned into a foam party and I am pretty sure the kids took no less than five baths.
We made paper flowers for a friend’s birthday, I am not a crafter but these weren’t too bad and actually fun for the kids. We also went on a long walk, picked some flowers, and spent a lot of time outside. We had groceries delivered, because my last grocery store experience was so awful.
It really has been beautiful out the last few days which has made this all so much easier – when we can go outside and enjoy the sunshine and warm weather. The kids started cyber school this week and while I do find some of the passwords and four hundred logons a little frustrating, it hasn’t been bad. I try and make Gemma at least to the work herself, unless she is confused and has a question. I want her to be independent at this. Anthony does some himself, but at one point just drew a picture of a ghost and wrote the word “boo” on it in response to his reading assignment (which had nothing to do with ghosts) so I have to keep an eye on him. I have taken the less is more approach and would rather focus on them playing together outside when its nice out than doing optional educational assignments. This is only two months, they are super young, and they will be fine.
I continue to try and run my five miles every day. My day goes so much better when I get that alone/self-care/outside time in early. We continue to eat dinners together every night which has been a lot of fun. Just hearing the kids’ conversation is hysterical. I am running out of things to cook. I find coming up with a meal for dinner each and every night exhausting. I got accepted into the LiketoKnowIt program and have been trying to learn and work on that, as this has been a goal of mine since starting the blog. It is a fantastic app and shopping experience for those that have never used it – and it is all free.
As for the positives of this – we are spending so much more family time together. I take all three of them on walks and bike-rides multiple times a day. I eat lunch and breakfast with them. We are together all the time.
The kids, especially Gemma and Anthony, are getting along so well and coming up with all sorts of games and fun things to do together. I feel like the last time they got along like this they were tiny kids. I have introduced them to new chores, because we have time for this. They now both rinse dishes and put them in the dishwasher. Gemma vacuums the couch. Everyone clears tables and cleans sinks. I am not sure when I would have made them do these things before this. Everything is slower, we wake up later and go to bed later. We go with the flow a lot and throw the schedule out the window. Kids built a fort? Great, we can put the chores and school work off until later when they are bored. Kids want to go outside at 8:30 am and play in the backyard? Absolutely. I actually think getting back to the more rigid and stressful scheduled life with be a difficult adjustment when this is all over.
Yesterday we went on a walk, picked flowers, and came home and made a bouquet. The kids asked me if we could plant flowers – I am looking into ordering some. Another experience we may not have ever had if this situation had not presented itself. So yes – I am bummed about everything and disappointed that this is all happening. However, I am trying to focus on the positives, and there definitely are positives. The family time, slow pace, carefree schedules, getting better acquainted with nature, and having new experiences will all have a positive impact on our kids’ lives.
