March was historical, for our family and for the entire country. At the beginning of the month, we were just starting to hear and know about the virus COVID-19. Will called around to different stores and found toilet paper that he went out and bought early one Saturday morning, despite my teasing. Little did I know that his early preparations saved our butts in more ways than one. Who knew that a part of dealing with a virus would include a toilet paper shortage? Before our state went on official lockdown, we were already starting to avoid large crowds and shopping with the kids. Our kids have been homebound for at least six weeks as I write this. Here they are below, brining out the fairy garden supplies for the season. Our crocus also bloomed, and we loved starting to see buds and other early spring flowers come out. The photos from top left in clockwise order below: a Fairy Door at the base of our maple tree, yellow crocus, three of the girls reading outside, Emma climbing a Ninja rope she got from her uncles for Christmas, Violet holding a skateboard that she and Will made for her dolls with some old wooden wheels that Violet found in our garage from a previous homeowner, and finally, three of the girls setting up their Fairy Garden.
Who also would have known that sidewalk chalk would have been another hard to come by item this past month? Our kids were inspired by others who have been making colorful sidewalk art to uplift people as they pass by. We very quickly ran out of chalk. Fortunately we still have a supply of bubbles on hand.
Earlier this year Will and I had serious discussions about the merit of having chickens. They cost far more than they lay in eggs, and they make it challenging to go out of town. Wow are we glad that we still have our chickens! Every egg they lay is precious, and worth it's weight in gold now that eggs are hard to come by in stores, and the pure fact that we have a way to obtain protein without having to risk going to a store to begin with. We have been eating every single meal at home, and it has become an interesting feat in strategic planning to obtain the food we need in the safest way possible. Limits in stores on essential items like bread, milk and butter (not to mention toilet paper if you can even find it!) are challenging with a family of six. We make most of our food from scratch, and so ingredients like milk and butter are items that we go through a lot of. In the photos below from top left in clockwise order: a few days worth of eggs laid by our chickens, the fuse box in our house, our St. Patrick's Day feast of potato soup and Irish soda bread made by Lucy, a sandwich Lucy made that she was so proud it's delicious beauty that she took a photo, and finally, my attempt at making beignets for breakfast one morning.
Our house is 100 years old this year, and we just discovered that the old electrical system is actually making Lucy and I feel sick. We ended up having a Building Biologist that specializes in electricity come out and do an entire day analysis of our wiring. Come to find out that the original wires are creating a very large and unhealthy magnetic field where Lucy's bed and my bed happen to be and it is affecting our sleep. The craziest thing about this entire thing is, we have discovered the root cause of Lucy's nose bleeds that she has been having when she wakes up in the mornings for the past several years. Our solution right now is to unplug the offending fuses before we go to bed each night and sleep in the pitch dark. We have noticed improved sleep for me and no more nose bleeds for Lucy. And if to test the theory out, one night we forgot to unscrew the fuses, and Lucy woke up with a nose bleed. I want to tell everyone who has an old house to get their electrical wires tested. It has been a game changer for us, and is a hidden danger that most are not aware of. The Building Biologist who came out and tested our house was a retired science teacher, and he took such great time with us, and involved the kids on all of his testing. Emma told me after he left that it was the best day of her life, and she now knows what she wants to be when she grows up - an electrical engineer and a building biologist. Will also seems very interested, and now I have the not so hidden dream of Emma and Will having a family business together. I promise not to pressure them into anything, but a girl can dream. In the meantime, we need to assess long term solutions to our electrical problems, because we will soon need our window air conditioners and ceiling fans at night as the weather warms up, as Violet does not have sweat glands, and these items cannot be turned off.
The below photos show a glimpse into our official quarantine. The photos below in clockwise order from top left: chatting with our friend through the window, Will showing me a photo of him and his coworkers maintaining social distancing during a meeting (that's Will's knee at the bottom of the photo), me visiting with a friend while maintaining safe distances, Will disinfecting the groceries, a meme that shows a thought that I related to, and finally, Emma showing the game she got for her birthday, and the photo directly above is us doing a Zoom call with friends who also have the game, and us playing it together over Zoom on a Friday night in quarantine. It was hilarious chaos to say the least!
We definitely have a leg up on the learning curve for school at home, since we already homeschool and are used to that part of being at home. However, my kids are in a lot of extracurricular activities, which are very important to us because we homeschool. We are having to adjust to Zoom piano lessons where one person holds the iPad while the other plays, and Zoom dance classes where we all try to corral the toddler who wants to participate. This was very stressful for me at the beginning, as I felt like when Opal was being Opal, I was the one that everyone blamed. After a family meeting, I have helped adjust everyone's expectations, including my own, about what can and cannot be controlled during Zoom classes. The girls now do their dance classes in the basement away from Opal, and piano is a team effort with everyone working together to make it happen. I cannot do it all. One of the favorite things the girls have discovered during this unique time is Lunchtime Doodles with Mo Willems, the author of the Gerald and Piggy books. The photos below in clockwise order from top left: Lucy holding the iPad while Emma is at the keyboard during their Zoom piano lesson, all four girls on a Zoom dance session, Lucy and Emma doing their dance class on Zoom in the dining room (which was a huge stressor because it was the only space big enough in our house, yet right in the center of our house and in the way of going to any room in the house - we have since moved to the basement), the three older girls drawing with Mo Willems on the iPad, and finally, Emma helping Violet with her reading.
Will's new work schedule has him going to work Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and working from home on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This has also involved a learning curve, with me as the affected party as well, and although it is nice to have his help in the morning for breakfast, it has been a challenge keeping Opal from him while he is working. If Opal even senses Will in the house, she cannot be separated from him. All of our expectations have evolved, and Will now works in the basement, and Opal is starting to understand that she cannot be with him when he is working. And I have given up the belief that I can or should keep the kids quiet. It is what it is. We are spending more time with Will because of this quarantine, and for that we are all grateful. His new schedule allows him to do a lot of work when the kids are in bed, and just take conference calls on the two days he is working from home.
In the photo above, Opal just yelled, "I WON!!!" in the middle of the game.
We are also grateful that Will is still getting paid and has a job, and that we at least get to be quarantined with our favorite people. I know if my kids were grown and out of the house, I would be missing them something fierce right now. In the photos below from top left in clockwise order: Violet making homemade PlayDoh with me (this was before it occurred to me that another key ingredient that is in scarce supply is flour. When Will pointed that out to me I told him, "man cannot live on bread alone"), the girls playing with PlayDoh while Will tries to work (this was before he realized he needed to move to the basement for more efficient work), three of the girls snuggled under a blanket watching a movie, three of the girls bouncing around the house on their bouncy balls, and Lucy giving me a tour of the cruise ship she built out of Legos.
One of my favorite parts of quarantine so far is all of the walks we have been able to go on with Will home with us. When it is just me and the girls we stick close to home, as I am not strong enough to get both Opal and Violet home when they get tired. Will is, and I swear he is at least as strong as a pack mule. I am so grateful for the natural beauty and the river and the hiking trails within walking distance of our house as well as our extra free time to take these long walks together.
On the days that Will goes to work, the girls and I stick to our regular walking route, which has us walk to the local cemetery. I love the enormous several hundred year old trees there, as well as all of the history. I have taught the girls how to be respectful, and yet still have fun in the cemetery. Headstones are not for playing on, but gates and fences are fair game. And the best part about it, the people there have been maintaining social distancing practices for years - six feet under!
I have experienced so many emotions this past month. As head coordinator of all things at my house, it has been stressful, frustrating, and anxiety-inducing. The grace of God and humor have been getting us through this, and it is my greatest hope that we will emerge as a stronger family, into a stronger world. This is my number one prayer. Please, let this hard work be working towards the greater good! In the meantime, I am trying to focus on gratitude, gratitude for our health, gratitude for the food and the people who make our food possible, and gratitude for my five favorite people, that I can be with them during this time. I am tired, but I am grateful.
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