Day 19- March 31, 2020

Day 19- March 31, 2020

Today was another cold, drab day.  We spent much of it doing our daily school work, with occasional

Homemade strawberry jam and
leftover birthday cake

forays into videochatting and "cooking".  We had received a produce shipment on Saturday, and today, the strawberries were getting to the point where we knew this would be the last day they were "good", so the girls took it upon themselves to mash them into their own jams, adding a little bit of sugar, and then eating it with the leftover birthday cake.  

R.'s class did a Zoom meeting (without their teacher- one of the moms arranged it), and spent a solid hour chatting with her classmates.  There was a lot of giggling, and I was reminded once again of what it must have been like when I was a teenager and my mom had to basically give up her phone line to me and my sister.  They eventually got a second land line (you remember, those phones that were connected to telephone poles and the wall), which made it a lot easier for everyone.

Jeff and I also spent a good chunk of it focused on two things- looking into unemployment, and doctor's appointment he had to go to.

Unemployment is essential right now, because his work "isn't essential" and while we have gone from a two income to one income family, our mortgage is still a two-income mortgage.  Which means we need a little help to make sure we can make payments.  We're hopeful that the new multi-trillion dollar stimulus package plus the new unemployment because of the pandemic (which is even covering for independent contractors like my husband) is enough for us to get by.  We've already put his student loans on hold, so if we can get the mortgage thing squared away (and by that, I mean the payments moved to 2045 when we are otherwise done paying the mortgage, NOT furloughed so we need to come up with a whole bunch of money in three months, which would be, um, impossible) it would be a load off my mind.

In the mean time, I am grateful I have a job that I can telecommute for.  I have friends who have taken salary cuts, and friends without any jobs in their families right now, so zero income.

And I also have friends who still have to go into work- and onto the front lines.  One of them is married to a firefighter in a nearby city, and she said "every four days, it's like we reset to zero".  Another is a nurse in a rural critical care hospital that serves everyone within a 100 miles.  They simply do their best to protect themselves, wearing masks and gloves, and taking showers before leaving work, and immediately when they return home.  They are brave, but not fearless- they have concerns about this virus, they know the risks, but they carry on because they must- they have a calling, and they are helpers by nature.

I love to help others, it's why I became a teacher, but I'm also a giant ball of anxiety a lot of the time.  Anxiety disorder, and panic attacks were things I tried to hide for a long time, but eventually realized, especially as a teacher, that being honest about it helps both me (because I can ask for help when I need it) and those around me who may have the same affliction.

Since I have been dealing with these things since I was a teenage, I know what to do to avoid stoking them.  I try to not watch the news or dramatic/scary television or films.  Instead, I watch comedies on television, cooking contests, or home-based shows about redoing the kitchen or restoring a gorgeous Victorian house.  In this pandemic, most of the time, I can just hunker down in our house, and to a degree, barricade myself from the insanity going on outside.  Yes, homeschooling our kids daily and telecommuting for my job as a librarian are reminders, but we're safe, comfortable even.  Except when my husband has to go to the doctor.  Because right now, that is terrifying.

The reasoning isn't important- suffice to say, he has to go to his appointments.  So we have been preparing for this, making sure we had a plan and calling ahead to make sure that the office was taking every precaution.  Normally, these appointments can run for over two hours between the waiting room, back ups, and the drive (it's not that local).  Today, his appointment was at 1, and by 1:27, he was on the phone with me while driving home.

He wore a mask.  We have a few that we had kept because we knew he would have to go to doctor's appointments if this lasted long enough.  He wore clothing that was easily removable, old sneakers that he only uses for painting, and brought a can of Lysol spray with him.  He said when he got there, there was a receptionist at the main door who was in charge of calling people when it was their turn while they waited in their cars.  There was another receptionist in the office to take payment, and finally, one doctor.  They all wore masks and gloves, and they all made sure to keep their distance as much as they could.

After his appointment, he used the Lysol to spray himself down, hopped into the car, and called me.  I brought a plastic ziplock back out for the mask (in case he has to go out again), and a garbage bag for his clothes.  He stripped down on the back porch ("I had to wait a few minutes in the car because the neighbors were out and I didn't want to moon them"), then walked into the kitchen and straight into the downstairs shower.  I've spent most of the time since praying he's okay, and by proxy, the kids and I are as well.

Video chatting with her third grade class

Day 17- March 30, 2020

Day 17- March 30, 2020

Happy birthday to me!  While yesterday was all about my younger daughter turning 8, today was all about- well, my kids again, because that's parenting.  But I did get to celebrate a bit!  My girls let me sleep in (which was glorious).  When I got up, they each had made a card for me, and E. had made me several presents- a homemade kaleidoscope, a picture of the night sky, and a bunch of puzzles (word search, maze, etc.).

It was yet another school day, so I spent much of the morning catching up on work, writing out my Professional Development Plan and final SGO (too long to explain if you aren't in education. If you are, it's something you don't want to think about during a pandemic).  My kids were relatively calm and did their work admirably, only stopping when I would periodically get dings on my phone indicating someone was texting or calling to wish me a happy birthday.

I had the opportunity to video chat with my mom (where we both got to laugh- sort of- at the "23 hours of labor" story), my in-laws and aunt-in-laws, and my niece and nephews.  I organized a group chat, which resulted with three or four friends on a video chat at a time, which was a wonderful way to stay in touch.  It just felt good to see my friends, even if it was through a computer screen.  I continue to marvel at the fact that that's even possible.  I remember when I watched Back To The Future 2 as a child, and there were video phone calls in the movie.  It seemed so impossibly futuristic at the time,  yet here we are (granted, there are no real hover boards, but still, I'll take video chatting over flying a few inches above the ground.  With my balance, I'd probably fall anyway).

I made homemade pizza (with dough made from scratch. Yea me- and my breadmaker!) and we had leftover soccer cake from Ella's birthday.  I even got to blow out a candle while my family sang to me.  And of course, I was able to scroll through happy birthday wishes on Facebook, something which always makes me smile.  Last year, I asked my friends to write down a memory they had of our friendship, and seeing what my friends came up with was one of my all-time favorite gifts.

It's the simply things like that that matter- the human connections. For me, it's never been about the party and cake, but rather the conversations, the photos so I can remember.  That said, I DO love a good party, because it means I get to have more time with my friends.  But I haven't had a big-time birthday celebration in a long time.  I turned 40 last year, which was celebrated with my two daughters deciding getting their ears pieces, and E.'s "sleep under" with her friends, complete with a handful of their moms hanging out with me on the back porch.  My mom's back porch, because we were still living there.  So not some epic, huge celebration, though the company was good, and my husband was a sweetheart, delivering snacks and drinks to the ladies while we laughed and lounged on the wicker furniture.

One of our silly pages from way back when- climbing a giant rock

The last big celebration was my 35th birthday, which I wrote about here.  It was a nostalgic trip down memory lane, as I realized I was on the north side of my thirties, and how much had changed (two kids, a new house, new friends) in a half a decade.  It also caused me to think a lot about the birthdays I'd had growing up, how as we get older, the parties seem to dwindle as the years add up.  For a long time, my mom told me how quickly time went by, and while I was aware of the spinning of the clock, it didn't seem overly rushed.

Yet now, at 41, I have to say it's mind-boggling to think how much blurs together.  Being stuck at home in isolation, there's a lot of chaos trying to keep the kids occupied, getting work done, and cleaning up after said kids (especially when it's cold and rainy).  But there's also a lot of time to reflect.

While going through old photos on my computer, I came across a bunch of videos of my girls when



they were toddlers, wandering around with their pudgy little legs and squealing while they bounced around singing "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah".  It feels like it was just a few weeks ago that they were bounding over couches and onto cushions arranged as an obstacle course, when in reality, it's been years (although the couch arm jumping game they invented last week is definitely a cousin of those earlier obstacle incarnations).  E. wanted to see pictures of me when I was younger, and we pulled out an album that was from college and right after.  There I was, with dyed blond hair, dancing at a Disney with soccer friends during the National Championships. Photos from concerts during the summer I worked at Elektra records, hanging out with my now-stepbrother backstage at an Eve 6 and Bon Jovi concert.  There were more with my now-husband with a mohawk ("Daddy had such cool hair!") and his bandmates.  There were also some with my girlfriends from elementary school who my kids only know as "Chloe's Mommy" or "Dylan's Mommy", but in the photos are road trip buddies with bright smiles and exotic locales behind them like Beale Street and the Grand Canyon.

Hanging out at a concert circa 2000

I love taking my girls on journeys through the past, to show them what's possible and what made me into the person I am today.  So often, we get sucked into towards the future and we forget to embrace what's going on now, and appreciate who we were way back when.  I'm grateful for every one of the birthdays I've had, every one of the moments that got me to this place- in my home, with my family around me (physically and virtually), safe and content.

Day 16, March 29, 2020

Day 16, March 29, 2020

Eight years ago today, I was in the hospital, preparing for my second c-section in two years. While the first one was crazy and chaotic, this time, I had my doula by my side, offering hand rubs and foot rubs with lavender oil to calm me, my husband cracking jokes, and me keeping my blood pressure at a normal level, once again thanks to my doula who was doing deep breathing exercises with me.  I had one and a half year old daughter at home that I'd given a big hug and kiss to before leaving, and another one in my belly, kicking to remind me she was ready to come out.  I was completely calm until it was time for the spinal, at which point I was alone with the doula and anesthesiologist, and had a full-on panic attack with tears and sobbing.  Thankfully, both women were pros, and and my doula gently rubbed my back while the anesthesiologist held my hand until I was had stopped shaking enough for her to numb me. 

It was, in my doctor's words "an absolutely textbook normal c-section delivery", which I am forever grateful for.  The first delivery had been terrifying, but this one had my daughter placed on my chest by my husband right after she was toweled off, and I was able to give her kisses while she held onto Jeff's index finger.  She cried when she came out, but as soon as her father held her, she was soothed, and she barely made a peep while she snuggled into me.  

Today, that little person celebrated her birthday basically under house arrest with her sister, daddy, and me.  It wasn't what we had originally intended.  Her birthday party was supposed to be at the facility where we hold her soccer practices, complete with a soccer pinata, a soccer ball cake, soccer games, and even soccer tattoos. And while it wasn't the birthday she wanted originally, we were together, we were healthy, and we were able to make it sweet and memorable.  

It started when my friend Erin dropped off a banner and helium tank (still in the box, WITH BALLOONS) that she'd gotten for her own daughter's birthday last week.  The tank was an extra one, so she was happy to give it to someone who could use it.  This set the stage for us decorating the living room for the birthday girl.  Her big sister made her a crown, and my husband surprised all of us with a very artistic card he had drawn of E. in 2035, playing in the World Cup.

Then, despite the cold and steady falling rain, Grammy and Granddad dropped off gifts, which meant we got to see them briefly (even if from over15 feet away).  Her aunt also dropped off presents, and brought her very large golden retriever Charlie with her, and proceeded to roll down the window and pop a party hat on him, which got a lot of laughs.  After they got in their cars, we had a big group video chat with them, Nana and Popum, and my sister and brother-in-law, even though the sound wouldn't work for my mom's end of the call.  We ended up calling N&P on the phone, propping it next to the computer so we could hear them from the phone, and see them on the video screen.

Three large wild turkeys meandered through our lawn, which our new Ring doorbell picked up, and while we watched them gobbling, E. turned to me and said "Mommy, I think they are singing 'Happy Birthday!'"  

Two of her friends drove by with their moms (who are two of my best friends) and sang happy birthday from their cars.  One of them brought a homemade sign she'd made (complete with word search and other activities on the back) and the other brought her brothers, and a couple of books and Mad Libs.  She also got to video chat with her grandparents, aunts, and several friends.  Receiving an American Girl Doll (knockoff) tent, picnic set, and bathroom set definitely helped, and she loved clothes she got from her Aunt Kit and close family friends.  And in the all-important cake portion of the day, I pulled off making it look remarkably like a soccer ball.  

The post I made on Facebook last night, where I asked my friends wish her a happy birthday, turned out better than I could have expected too.  It resulted in a bunch of photos, gifs, messages, and videos that I was able to show her before bed time, and any time your child goes to bed smiling, you know it's been a pretty awesome day.

Day 15- March 28, 2020

Day 15- March 28, 2020

This morning I woke up and immediately rolled over to check my cell phone.  This wasn't about Facebook or news- this was about my Peapod Delivery, and I was praying that we were going to be able to get our orange juice (I'm having legitimate withdrawal at this point).  Thank goodness, it said it would be here today.  Every time a car slows down, I get excited and run to the window.  I am beginning to understand the way dogs' minds work.

We got a delivery from Grateful Produce today, which was a mystery box of fresh fruits and vegetables.  To say I was excited is an understatement.  There were heads of lettuce (YES!), eggplants I can use for E.'s birthday dinner tomorrow, and even a couple of kiwis.  I love this company.  No oranges, but we did get a couple of lemons and grapes that my kids immediately needed to sample (after a thorough washing, of course).

I've been watching videos on how to handle produce and groceries.  The experts seem to agree most of this stuff is low risk, but still, I submerged the grapes and scrubbed each one (without soap- the soap thing seems to be a myth, and one of the doctors online mentioned how it could cause issues because soap is NOT intended to be eaten).  I also disinfected some packaging, and several items are on my screened in porch that don't need refrigeration so that if there's anything on them, it doesn't come into my house.

We did a video chat with Grammy and Granddad, and E. got quiet at one point and asked me to go sit on the other couch with her.  She started crying and said she was feeling very sad about her birthday and not being able to spend it with her grandparents, and friends.  It's one thing when it's your own birthday, but this is my daughter.  And with that said- I'm just grateful she CAN cry about this.  That she's healthy, and safe, and with me, so I can hug her and make her feel better.

She cheered up when we got our Peapod order a bit later, and she was able to have orange juice for the first time in over a week.  I'll admit, I was pretty psyched about this too.  First I had to disinfect everything though, so I carefully used Lysol wipes on every single container, and handed Jeff the sanitized ones.  I then took all produce out and washed it, and we put all perishables in the fridge and freezer.

The Peapod truck had pulled up at the same time as my friend Erin, who is currently my hero.  Her
daughter's birthday was last week, and she had a birthday banner and a bunch of balloons, plus a small helium tank left over.  She graciously offered to give them to me, and while the Peapod delivery superhero was unpacking her truck, Erin jumped out into the steadily falling rain, and ran the birthday supplies to my screened in back porch.

We got into Buddy Vs. Duff 2 last night, and watched the second episode today.  The girls were enamored with the giant dinosaurs, and are hard-core rooting for Team Duff (this is due largely to Duff being a judge on their favorite cooking show, Kids' Baking Championship).  That, and he smiles more than Buddy and makes the girls laugh.

At the end of the evening, I did a groupchat on Facebook Messenger with two women who I've counted as my best friends since I was six.  We talked about the seriousness of the virus, the effects it is having on work and home life. 

One of them is a single parent who lives nearby, and working from home while taking care of a three-year-old is brutal.  The other was trying to feed her one and a half year old soup while her spouse ran across the street to buy groceries on the west coast.   I count myself lucky that I can have food delivery, that my kids are nine and (about to be) eight, and so I am having an easier time working from home. 

But as all discussions on the phone with old friends do, ours ended up dissolving into giggles.  It was around the time one of them mentioned her hippo from childhood, Barnabas, who she then pointed her phone at while her son played with him.  Then, the other one's three-year-old couldn't sleep because his foot hurt (we're all pretty sure he was scamming for some time with mommy), and then my almost-birthday-girl entered the room because "Mommy, you are being too loud on the phone and I can't sleep!"  Of course, her sister then needed to come in because "everyone else is on the call, why not me?!"  So we all gave in and it became a mommy-child chat, complete with FB messenger special effects, including cat ears, whiskers, and one for multicolored, mostly-pink hair that caused us to sing the theme song from Jem and the Holograms (the cartoon, 1980's version).  Because what we need in a pandemic is reminders of feel-good '80's Saturday morning cartoons.

All in all, it was a solid, lazy Saturday- delivery food, television, and the rain drip dropping off the house.  I was grateful for my gas fireplace, all orange and yellow and warm.  While the girls played upstairs, Jeff and I watched a bunch of cooking shows, snuggled up under a blanket and it felt almost normal.  We've been cuddling under blankets since high school, and through every difficult time I can remember, he was there to get me through it.  If I had to choose someone to be stuck in quarantine with, it would be him.

In fact, I knew I was going to marry him back when we were 23 and went on a cross-country trip together (actually, full disclosure, I was pretty sure I was going to marry him when I was 17, but then college happened, and life, and there were a few years where it was in limbo- still probable, but in limbo).  But at 23, we took a trip where it was him and me in my Cabriolet Convertible (nicknamed Buffy by my soccer team, and still my favorite car I have ever owned) for 26 days.  That's 26 days, 29 states, numerous national parks, over 3000 miles covered, and over 600 hours alone together.  We had one fight.  It was somewhere outside of Seattle, I have no idea what about, but he got out of the car, and walked away.  I sat, fuming and blasting Ani DiFranco on my CD player, and he returned after about 15 minutes.  By then, we had both calmed down, and we set out towards Vancouver for the afternoon.  If you can go that long, in that much isolation, and only have one fight, I figured we were a pretty good fit.  With 15 days in isolation down, I'm also happy to report we still are.

Day 14- March 27, 2020

Day 14-  March 27, 2020

Today we hit the two-week mark.  I'm proud of my family for holding it together, and proud of myself for keeping up with writing every day.  It's also the second week of homeschooling my kids, and I'm really impressed by how well they are handling it.  Yes, I have to help both of them at different times, yes, we all get frustrated, but I think all things considered, we're making progress, and their teachers are doing a solid job.  Though my second grader's teacher did accidentally leave off the parents from her email this morning (we chatted about it and both agreed that starting a half hour late is really the least of any of our issues).  So TGIF.

The weather was amazing today.  It was in the high 60's, and the girls spent every waking moment from when they finished their work until it was dark and the outdoor lights were going on playing in the yard.  This involved (in no particular order) hide and seek, swinging, playing soccer with both a regular sized ball and giant ball, and decorating cards for Popum's 71st birthday, which is Sunday.  I should mention two things.  Popum isn't a cultural nickname- it's because "Papa" was too hard to pronounce for R. when she was little, and it became Popum.  She also pronounced "yogurt" as "ogum" so not sure what was going on in her little brain, but it was cute, and it stuck.  This means every personalized item we buy him needs to legit be personalized- no cups or magnets off the shelf for this grandpa.

The second thing is that E.'s birthday is ALSO Sunday, and mine is Monday.  So normally, we have a pretty big family get together.  Unfortunately, between social distancing and shelter-in-place, that's not going to happen in time for the birthdays.  We're hoping we can do a big pool party this summer instead.

Trying to explain to an eight-year-old that she's not going to get a birthday party did not go over particularly well.  There were tears, and a lot of disappointment.  We had planned to rent out the facility where her soccer team practices, to have a soccer-themed party (she is obsessed with the US Women's National Team, can name every player, and especially loves Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd, and Crystal Dunn).  I was going to make a soccer cake, get a soccer ball piñata, and even attempt soccer-inspired nail art and temporary tattoos.  There would be soccer relay-races and a game right before pizza and dessert.

Instead, I'm hoping that the delivery from Peapod tomorrow brings me vanilla icing and cake mix- otherwise, I'm creating a cake and icing from scratch, or using the lone container of bright blue icing that I bought for a party last year before the theme changed from under the sea to Star Wars.  I'm also going to post to Facebook and ask people to make videos wishing E. a happy birthday so she knows people are thinking about her.  It's not the same, but it's something.

The top of the tree

The presents my mom brought should help- and her sister's order arrived yesterday, along with a gift from her Aunt Kit.  Grammy and Granddad are planning to swing over to at least wave from the car, and are hoping that her present arrives on time.  If not, we'll make the whole week a celebration of sorts.

The other highlight of the day was my husband taking down a the top of a tree that has been hanging down for the better part of the last four months.  I'm talking about a thirty-foot long, solid foot wide tree top.  We tried to have a tree company come to remove it several months ago, but they never showed up after giving a quote.  Then we asked a landscaper working next door to give us a call so we could have them come to take it down a few weeks ago, but again, no call.  So today, Jeff looped a rope around it, and hitched the rope to our John Deere riding mower.

Note the tree is now on the ground

I mentioned this is how many episodes of Ridiculousness start, but he was pretty damn determined, and we are not fighting about petty things like riding mowers, fences, and trees when there's a global pandemic, plus it was going to save us a decent amount of money, so he handed me his camera phone, hopping on the tractor, and started it up.  The tree made a satisfying crack as the branch crashed down, and did only minimal damage to the back fence (since we don't have dogs anymore, it's pretty much a nonissue).   I'm happy to say that the branch is no longer looming, so we don't have to worry about the kids going into the far back section of the yard, but I am a little concerned that the idea of pulling out bushes and trees with all terrain vehicles may have been a bit too much fun, as he began pointing out large pushes and a few smaller dead trees that "would be better removed by pulling them out with the roots" than having at them with a chainsaw.  I'm going to have to keep an eye on this new hobby.

Day 13- March 26, 2020

Day 13- March 26, 2020

WE HAVE TOMATOES!  This may not seem like a big deal, but it's been at least a week since I've had a fruit or vegetable that wasn't frozen.  I was cautiously checking my Amazon app throughout the day for a delivery from Whole Foods that I pulled off ordering the other day, and was over the moon when I heard the doorbell signaling drop off.  Yes, they were out of orange juice, so we have raspberry lemonade instead.  Yes, I only managed to order a handful of items because I was afraid I wouldn't otherwise be able to get the order in.  But TOMATOES.  Dinner was beans, spinach, and fresh tomatoes, with veggie pasta, and it was fantastic.

The day was also sunny and warm, which meant we spent most of it outside.  Yes, school had to be handled (and it was).  I worked on the zen den, helped E. navigate her first online math assessment (VERY proud of her- she earned a 100%!), and R. got to do more Cosmic Kids Yoga.  She also had an art project that involved creating a piece of art by using found natural objects.  Her creation was a mermaid ("I made it like Ariel coming up out of the ocean onto the big rock"), crafted from mud, grass, moss, leaves, sticks, and stones. She was very dirty when she finished, but also rather proud of herself.

E. and I spent a lot of time playing soccer.  She's getting rather good at shooting the ball hard, and nearly took my arm off at one point.  She also loves to practice punting, so I've set her up so she punts into the big goal we have in the yard.  This way, she isn't constantly running around chasing the balls she punts.  We played some one on one (she won, 10-8), and practiced a bunch of different drills.  She misses playing against kids her own age, though, and I know how much she wants to get back to competing.  We received a notification yesterday that the season is likely canceled, or if not, wouldn't start until May.  That's a long way away for an eight-year-old.

She's also nervous because her birthday is in three days, and it's dawning that not only will she not have a party for her birthday, she likely won't have one for quite some time.  I've offered a potential pool party at my mom's (I should really run that by my mom, but I'm pretty sure she'd okay it), but that doesn't completely ease the sting of not celebrating your 8th birthday ON your birthday.  My birthday is the day after hers, and it's not helping that either, but we're all dealing.

We saw our friends A. and her mama B. walking by while the girls were painting.  R. had found a Solar System model kit she had been given for her birthday, and was wrists deep in glow-in-the-dark and regular paint.  E. had asked for paint of her own, and I gave her an old watercolor set.  Both girls were willing to abandon artistic endeavors in favor of real in-person interaction, though, so our friends chatted with us from the sidewalk, and we stood behind our fence about thirty feet away.  It's the new normal, but any sort of conversation is welcome at this point, even a long-distance one.  Of course, having five people talking at once gets a little difficult, so A. borrowed her mom's phone, and she and R. pretended they were teens and conversed via the Facebook Kids' app.  Normally, B. and I would have the girls talk in person, but given that we've both been home for two weeks without other grown ups (husbands excluded) to talk to, we gave in so we could talk.

Today was Schooled day (I love having sitcoms I can watch with them), and then soccer training - the visuals edition.  We watched highlights from the 2015 World Cup Final, and E. chose Carli Lloyd's third goal (the one from midfield) as her favorite play.  Then it was off to practice her own long kicks outside.  I may have to put up a net behind the goal, because she's starting to hit the ball over it on a regular basis, and as I've mentioned before, there's a steep cliff off the back of our property.  We have neighbors on the flag lot behind us, and while their house is level with our property, around it is also that same drop off.  They told us when we moved in that during Hurricane Sandy, behind our houses was completely flooded, and the water went halfway up the 40 foot incline.  They had to evacuate in a canoe.  Getting the balls that fly over the fence back isn't that difficult, but it still involves scaling a rather steep hill, and losing precious play time, so netting it is. Just as soon as I can get some delivered.

Day 12- March 25, 2020

Day 12- March 25, 2020

Today we were stuck inside ALL DAY.  I'm grateful to be in my own house, with heat, electricity, and internet, and with my family.  But it's definitely difficult to keep two kids under ten occupied and happy (even with indoor soccer and couch arm jumping) and away from smacking each other every half hour or so.

Homework is becoming more routine.  The girls have settled into understanding what is expected of them, and they have their own ways of getting through the day.  R. follows the schedule more or less exactly.  She likes to keep to the recommended schedule, and is excited if she finishes something early.  E. on the other hand likes doing subjects she deems "easy" or "fun" earlier, and leaves the things she isn't crazy about until the end.  Today, that meant starting with cursive.  She didn't bring the book for handwriting home, so we have been printing pages off the internet.  I ordered her a cursive practice workbook from Amazon, but with all the backups, I'm not sure when it's actually going to arrive.  She commented how much she likes writing, and "corrected" some of her older letters (which is the writing type students are currently focused on- persuasive, recommendation, and friendly).   She was especially excited, because this meant she could mail a final draft of a friendly letter she had written to her cousin, S.

I was happy to work on the virtual zen den I'm creating for my school.  One of the guidance

counselors and I were discussing putting together a list of good resources, and I suggested that I just build a website.  Thus, the virtual zen den was born.  With exercises, meditations, ideas for creating, and even a page for students and staff to show gratitude (we started with a slideshow of art projects on the subject), it's coming together.  We also had to take a photo to send to our union, of us working in our workstations.  Considering I've work my uniform of fuzzy slippers, pink bathrobe, and pjs for the last two weeks, I decided to take a shower, blow-dry my hair, and put on real clothes.  Proud of myself for remembering how to do this- and for choosing a librarian-appropriate sweatshirt.

Mom and Bryan called from the car on their way home from my grandma's.  She's 93, has dementia, and has been getting food delivery for the better part of the last three years.  Her aide writes out a list, and my mom or her sister order whatever they need.  But now, with such high demand, there are no delivery days available.  They are getting creative, so Mom and Bryan did curbside pick up at a local poultry farm, and dropped off eggs and several pounds of chicken breasts.  They ordered fresh produce from Misfit Market which should be delivered later this week.  And we're all checking a variety of delivery websites as much as we can.  It's daunting, but at least it's something to focus on.  Otherwise, we get stuck in the loop of realizing how scary this virus is, and how especially terrifying it is for our parents and grandparents.  Here's hoping we find a cure and treatments soon, for everyone's sakes.

Day 11- March 24, 2020

Day 11- March 24, 2020

This morning, we had one of the bananas my mom and Bryan dropped off yesterday.  We're rationing, so it was chopped and divided, and each girl was thrilled to have it in her cereal.  We also used the last of the soy milk, which was made all the more frustrating by the Wegman's disaster (after 45 minutes on hold, and talking to a customer service rep, the best they could do was tell me that this has been happening, and there might be a spot that opens for a delivery, so just keep checking the website.  ARGH.

But at least we have a few bananas now, and that made for some happy kids.  We also made homemade granola after consulting with my sister, the girls' Aunty Coley, who explained that adding oil and honey to oats and then toasting them (with the addition of whatever else we wanted) would make yummy granola.  So we poured in oats, a packet of instant apple cinnamon oatmeal, honey, and enough oil to coat everything, and toasted it on a cookie tray in the oven.  In about 15 minutes, we had warm, crispy snacks (the girls were allowed to add a few chocolate chips to theirs, and they insist this made it even better.  I'm a purist, and I thought mine was delicious).

It was a good choice, because today was another cold, cold day.  Mother nature seems to be on some sort of a roller coaster, and as a result, it's tough to justify spending time outside, besides that it gives us some escape from the walls of the house.  I'm grateful that I'm with my family- there are no other people I would rather be confined with- but it's been fun to be able to let the girls run around a bit outside, and now, we've spent several days without that option.

More and more announcements are being made about extending the directive to shelter in place

(although today, the president mentioned wanting everyone back to work by Easter- which is April 12th), and the kids are getting restless. Facebook has a children's app that allows them to send messages to friends, so there was some time spent today chatting over it, complete with playing little games, and using special tools that allow the kids to turn themselves into cats, or have rainbow hair, any number of other weird features.


Connecting through the phone led to many giggles, and allowed the girls to converse with some friends from their old school.   We spent some time going through friends of theirs, and I reached out to a bunch of parents to try to get their kids onto the app.  But there's nothing that substitutes for actual human interaction, and so we ventured to the driveway, where we get to actually chat with people who walk by, and also create chalk art on the asphalt.  R. decided she wanted to study piano with Daddy instead, so E. and I pulled on hats and gloves, and ventured outside.  Ella happily wrote a chalk note, and drew a house, sunshine, and flowers to spruce up the driveway.  We did have to go to the well of new chalk several times, because it crumbles if you try to cover a huge patch with blue sky.

While she created, I was engrossed in reading A Legend in the Making: The New York Yankees in 1939 by Richard J. Tofel, which is helping satiate the baseball gap in my life right now. Earlier this year, I read David Cone's memoir Full Count and the story of the 2009 World Series called Mission 27: A New Boss, A New Ballpark, and One Last Ring for the Yankees' Core Four- so I guess I have a type.  I normally would spend the evenings watching preseason baseball games on YES Network or MLB.TV, but with sports canceled for the foreseeable future, I'm trying to find other ways to stay occupied.  Reading about the teams that shaped the sport I love is helping. 

I'm also filling the void with other "competitions" on television.  One of my favorites has been courtesy of the Food Network App, which allows me to watch current and past seasons of baking championships.  Spring Baking Championship and Kids Baking Championship are two of my favorites, and I look forward to when I can go back to supermarkets freely, so I can attempt some specialty desserts.  In the mean time, I'll have to settle for being impressed at the artistic skills of these culinary experts.

Day 10- March 23, 2020

Day 10- March 23, 2020

Day 10 and it's a doozy.  Just saying we've hit double digits is daunting in its own way. This isn't short term.  This isn't going to be a quick stint.  This is a long haul, and that's scary.

The kids are taking the days in stride to a degree.  Which I am going to call a parenting win, because it means that as anxious as I feel, I'm at least keeping my kids from being too upset.  My mom called this morning- they received their grocery delivery last night, and got multiple bunches of bananas.  In her words "more bananas than we'll be able to eat before they go bad, so do you want some?"

We were supposed to have a delivery come from Wegman's today, but glancing at the lack of fresh fruit in my house, I agreed we would be happy to take some off her hands.  So despite the driving rain, she and my stepdad cruised over in the minivan (with their dog, a rescue named Abby, in the backseat), and dropped a bunch of bananas on the back porch.  The kids ran to the porch to wave, and then we realized that if they opened the car windows, and I held open the living room window (and I mean held- the chain in it is broken, and it doesn't stay up, so you have to hold it), and we were able to talk for a few minutes.  There was much giggling, and E. tried to demonstrate couch arm jumping behind me, but I can't be sure they could see anything from their vantage point.  Bryan dropped the rear window down, and Abby stuck her head out into the rain.  When she heard the girls' voices, she started wagging her tail and spinning in a circle on the backseat.

It's the first time the girls have seen their Nana and Popum in over two weeks, which is one of the longest stretches they've ever gone.  As I mentioned in my first blog post, we lived with them for a little over two years (until last July), so it's strange to not see them frequently.

It was tough saying good-bye, simply because we don't know if there will be more strict shelter-in-place restrictions enacted.  I'm hopeful we can do another social distancing visit next week, on E. and her Popum's birthday (they've spent every one together since the day she was born, when he came to the hospital to meet her).

There was school work to be done, though, so we got going.  E. decided the couch jumping helps her to think, so she decided to write her letter to her phys ed teacher recommending that they learn soccer in gym by calling out one line at a time as she landed.  Run, jump, land, "DEAR MISTER REIN!", roll off couch, spring back to the start.  Run in place while collecting thoughts.  Run, leap, "WE SHOULD PLAY SOCCER IN GYM BECAUSE GIRLS AND BOYS CAN PLAY!"  Giggle, flop off couch, run, leap, "IT'S THE BEST MOST POPULAR SPORT IN THE WORLD!"  More giggles, roll onto the floor, more giggles, walk to start, think for a second, run, leap, "WE PLAY IT AT RECESS!" And so on.  It was a quality letter by the time she was done.

I did more research on grants for my school, and online learning materials. There was one on chemistry games that I was able to send to the science teachers, in addition to NASA images and Virtual Field Trips and Labs (I tested it by doing a trip to Shark Bay Australia). I also discovered books that can be instantly translated into other languages for our world language teachers. It's incredible what is out there.

The girls also received a letter from their cousin S., who typed it on a typewriter. The girls were
fascinated by the type writer letters, and wanted to know what a typewriter was. "It's like a computer that you can't erase on" I explained. "Mommy used one when she was younger for papers, and applying to college".  They of course wanted to know how they could use a typewriter, but alas, I neither have one here, nor the disposable income to go buy one.  I also explained that writing one would suffice.  E. decided she would wait for tomorrow, because she's been working on writing letters for school, and this way, she could get an assignment done, and also write to her cousin at once.

After school, we unfortunately couldn't go through our usual routine of outside recess (this administration frowns upon going outside when it's freezing and pouring.  So instead, we spent copious amounts of time watching television, playing with Legos, and inventing new games.  In addition to couch arm jumping, we have added indoor living room soccer to the mix.  This began while I was cooking lunch, and involves a piano bench at one end of a narrow strip created by the couch and the wall.  At the other end is a goal made with two small fluorescent green plastic cones.  E. worked on give and go's using the wall (she hits the wall at an angle with the ball, it bounces back to her foot as she runs forward), and scored through the bench hard enough that it comes back.  She then does a spin, and heads the other direction, give and go, and scores through the cones.  This goes on until she gets tired, or her sister tries to interfere by playing goalie, and goes to get a glass of water (the only liquid left int he house- we are officially out of both soymilk and orange juice).

Alas, our Wegman's order was not to be.  Around 7:30 (it was supposed to be delivered between 7 and 8), I received a text message that the order was delayed.  Then I got one around 8 that it would be delivered between 9 and 9:30.  But at 10, I got a message that the delivery would not be delivered today, and to go to the website to either reschedule or cancel it.  However, since it was supposed to have been delivered, rescheduling was not an option.  When I tried to just do a new order, there were no delivery days available.  So I emailed them and am hoping they can figure out some sort of resolution soon.

Day 9- March 22, 2020

Day 9- March 22

Today was a fun one.  It was still freezing cold, but we managed to get outside for some bike riding

and creating more notes for the people who walk by out of chalk.  We also saw a few friends who were out on mini-adventures, and got to have real, live conversations instead of virtual ones.

Today is big.  It's two weeks since I took my younger daughter to the SheBelieves Cup at Red Bull Arena.  Three days later, they started shutting down all sports, and I was a nervous wreck, terrified I'd exposed both of us to this virus by taking her to this game.

But she is a soccer lover like her mama.  She plays for a U-8 team, sometimes gets called up to play with the U-9 team, and spends a lot of free time outside shooting and making up drills for herself. 

 Her dream is (and I'm taking this straight from the "SheBelieves" poster she made) to "Play for the US Women's National Team".  So for her birthday (which is a week from today), I got tickets for us to go.  Good tickets.  Tickets that a friend of mine was able to get because they are season ticket holders, and graciously offered to procure for me when they went on presale at a reasonable price.  So we were not only going to see her idols, Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd, play soccer, but we were going to do so from the corner where Megan takes corner kicks.  So close, E. would be able to see what majestic color her hair was without a jumbotron.  When I told her, she had squealed at such a high pitch, my mom's dog ran and hid two miles away.

So while we watched the stories of this virus unfold, as we watched some restrictions come into play, we waited to see if there would be any advice on this game.  We debated wearing masks (we had a couple from when R. and E. had the flu in January and we wore them around the house).  We debated telling E.  the game was canceled.   But it was her birthday present, and with only two confirmed cases in NJ at the time, we made the gamble to go.

We got to see England take on Japan first (we got there just before halftime) and made friends with a group of siblings behind us. We found our way onto the JumboTron (I was able to see it on tv when we watched the tape of the game, which was very exciting).  Our friends arrived, and E. and their daughter had a blast cheering as the US warmed up about fifty feet away.  Throughout the game, there were multiple corner kicks where we got close ups of Rapinoe.  The US won, as Press sent a brilliant ball in to Julie Ertz's head in the 87th minute, and the ensuing celebration was right in front of us.

It was a bonding moment, but as soon as the adrenalin wore off (somewhere around the Garden State Parkway), I started to second guess my decision to expose myself- and my daughter- to so many people.  As the days wore on, and the statistics (and media coverage) started to reach a fever pitch, I was more and more convinced I'd done something awful.

Today, though, I'm relieved that two weeks have gone by, and we're okay.  We've been watching older soccer games on US Women's National Soccer Team channel on YouTube, but as awesome as they are, it's not the same as seeing them in person, and nothing will compare to her first game in the stands.  Nothing, for me as a parent, is going to come close (maybe when I take her to Yankee Stadium for the first time, but I doubt the seats will be anywhere near as good).

She's currently playing "couch arm jumping", where she hurls herself over the arm of the couch, landing in a heap of giggles.  Her sister is joining her.  I've been narrating this innovative new sport in a Howard Cosell voice, largely because I spent the better part of today reading Billy Crystal's Still Foolin' Em, and he references his imitations of Cosell and Ali numerous times.  That, and I miss sports- a lot- and I think I'm a little loopy from withdrawal.

Billy Crystal, who I will likely never meet, has given me a great deal of comfort since going into quarantine lock down.  I had read his book, 700 Sundays, in January when I was going through a rough week thinking about how my dad had passed away 22 years ago.  It's about the roughly 700 Sundays he got to spend with his own father before he died suddenly when Billy was 15.  Large swaths revolve around performing shows for his family, his colorful relatives, and their bonding love of the Yankees.  If he'd been a lapsed-Catholic Italian/Irish/English gal from Jersey who was 30 years younger, we could have been twins.

I lost my dad when I was 19, and that book made me cry- a lot.  It also made me crack up out loud, and Crystal has always been one of my favorite film actors (When Harry Met Sally and The Princess Bride are one and two on my all-time favorite list).  But his film 61* came out a year and a half after I lost my dad- and was something I sobbed through, knowing how much Dad would have loved it.  I still have a well-weathered scrapbook of Mickey Mantle clippings, complete with my dad's annotations, from the late-50's, and one of my most prized possessions is a newspaper autographed by Mantle that my Dad took to get signed when I was eight.  He was friends with Spencer Ross, a sports broadcaster who owned a sports memorabilia shop a town over.  There's a photo of my dad, grinning, while I stand there in my little Yankees jersey, in an envelope taped to the back.  My parents, who were friends with Spencer, were invited to go out to dinner with Mickey and Spencer, and my mom still tells me how sitting there, listening to Mickey regale them with stories only he could tell, it was the greatest night of my dad's life.  She says their wedding, and the births of me and my sister, were close runners-up.

I picked up Still Foolin' Em at my grandma's house over Christmas, when we were sorting through some of her things.  She's 94, has dementia, and wanted me to take a book, so I acquiesced, and took this one.  In the front cover, she had written in her perfect penmanship, Very Good Book- 2015".  Since I have no idea when I'm going to be able to see her again, I figured it was a solid choice, and I was rewarded with the escape I was looking for.

I was able to get glimpses into Crystal's relationship with Mickey, into the story behind his grand appearance (at 59 and 364 days) DHing with the New York Yankees (I remember rooting SO HARD for him to get a hit, and being impressed that he was able to foul off a ball down the line), and both advice and anecdotes about different decades of age.  I also loved that here was this man, who reminds me a lot of my dad, offering me a salve in the form of stories and jokes as I sit here, contemplating the insanity that is our world right now.  He wrote of his relationship with his wife and daughters, something that rings true as I'm trying to take in every moment with my girls during this rare time of unrestricted time together.  There was a lot of good, fatherly advice in that book, and it felt a little like a message from my Dad, saying "it's going to be okay".  Here's hoping he's right, and soon enough, we'll all be watching the Yankees again.

Day 8- March 21, 2020

Day 8- March 21, 2020

One week of house arrest officially completed.  I think the hardest thing is not knowing how many more weeks of this are on the horizon.

I'm still pretty sore from the fall yesterday.  I was doing alright, and then rolled over around 4AM and woke up to find I'd definitely aggravated something in my back.  I spent the next hour and a half doing the deep breathing exercises my friend Lisa went over the other day during a Facebook Live meditation session.  I fell into a restless sleep eventually, and woke exhausted.

The girls were eager to leave their rooms (they had listened to our directive to PLEASE let us sleep), and each had a bowl of cereal.  The last soymilk container is getting woefully light, and I rationed out less than I normally would for each serving.

I made myself a tofu scramble, and ate about half, saving the rest for when I need more protein on another day.  I also took the advice of my friend Andy, and used some of the water I'd drained out of my cannellini beans in place of an egg in my pancake mix.  Since I was already using water in place of milk, I figured it was worth a shot.  The frozen blueberries I added and the syrup made it so you couldn't really tell the difference.

E's Mars Spaceship

I spent some quality time cleaning the kitchen- it has been a few days, and we've been traipsing dirt in a lot from our outdoor playtimes.  I got the counters pretty clean, but sweeping did not agree with my back, and I ended up having to spend much of the next few hours lying/sitting in bad watching Cheers with Jeff, and then rewatching the 2012 Olympic Final between the US Women's National Team and Japan with Ella.  I also took a few more Tylenol, which seem to be helping.

Yoda's Home

The girls completed new Lego Challenges.  E. did today's, which was to create a return vehicle from

a Mars expedition, and R. did one from a few days ago, making a set for a new Star Wars Movie.  "It's Yoda's house, and the clear piece is so it will look like he's levitating.  I wanted it to be for a movie that's a Yoda prequel," she explained.

We did some Facetime with Grammy and Granddad, and I talked to my mom for a while.  It's so strange to not see them in person, since normally, we're all at one another's houses several times a week.  G&G are supposed to be going on a family vacation with us to Delaware this summer, and we had to face the very real possibility that it may be canceled.  We have until May to make a decision and get our money refunded, so we're going to wait it out a bit, but it's seeming more and more that this is going to still be going on over the summer.

I also had a video chat with one of my best friends who lives in Colorado.  We reminisced over an adventure we had going to Montreal and my sister's farm several years ago, how adorable her dogs are, and how we are worried for our parents and grandmas, who fall into the "high risk" category.  It was comforting to see her face, though, and to walk through the anxiety of this new existence.

Governor Murphy shut down all nonessential businesses officially today.  I wish it had been done earlier, as more and more people are testing positive, and it feels like the actions being taken now should have been done a week ago.

People walk past our house a lot, and I saw a post on social media about drawing chalk messages on sidewalks and driveways.  Despite the chilly temperatures, we took out some warm snow boots, coats, and gloves (bonus: they protect hands from getting covered in chalk and go straight into the laundry), and headed to the driveway.  The girls made a colorful rainbow heart (R.), a disco ball (E.) and both made messages such as Happy Spring! and Hoppy Spring ("because frogs!").  E. wrote a letter saying Good day people.  It's cold out so I hope you wore a coat!  Happy Spring!  I hope you have a a good weekend!  When we went inside, the girls had a blast making popcorn, and then standing by the window, hopping from foot to foot every time someone approached, and squealing "They're reading it!" when people stopped.

Dinner was another example of culinary genius, with Annie's Mac and Cheese (my children's favorite), mixed veggies, and leftover vegan gravy from the comfort food I made yesterday (mashed potatoes, gravy, and veggies- a deconstructed chick'n pot pie without the pie crust).  We promised the girls a movie, so we settled in and watched Jumanji: The Next Level.  If you want to feel better, watch Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson imitating Danny Glover and Danny DeVito.  It's a special kind of really funny comedy.

Midway through, though, I had a group hangout scheduled with a few of my mom friends.  It was wonderful to see their faces, and hear their voices.  Texting is good, but being able to actually talk, and see each other's faces, is necessary.  I keep thinking how lucky we are to have these types of technology- texting, talking on the phone, video chatting.  In How We Got To Now (the book I've read, and the kids' version Riley and I just finished), one of the chapters, Sound, goes through all the steps and coincidences and innovations it took to get to the telephone.  In the chapter on Clean, it refers to all the occurrences that led to the chips that are now used in smart phones.  In both instances, creative minds working towards singular purposes created tremendous advances.  I keep thinking that in this crisis, we have similar great minds working towards a cure, and towards prevention, and it gives me hope.

Day 7- March 20, 2020

Day 7- March 20, 2020

This morning was quiet.  Last night, we gave the kids explicit instructions to PLEASE stay in their rooms if they woke up early.  No more "stay in bed if it's dark, but you can go downstairs if the sun is up".  Because frankly, I am WAY too light of a sleeper and wake at the slightest floorboard creak.  In a house built in the 1890's, that's a lot.  The new rule is keep a book where you can reach it, and if it's light enough for you to read, you can do that.  But no getting out of bed until I come to get you.

They listened (!).  My younger daughter was sitting in her room, reading a mermaid book to her stuffed animals.  I offered her pancakes, but she shushed me and went back to her rapt audience.  Sneaking into R.'s room, I quickly noticed she was nowhere to be found (though her blanket, several toys, a painfully placed Hatchimal, and numerous clothes were strewn about).  I ducked down the stairs and discovered her on the couch, where she gleefully pointed out that she had heard me go into E.'s room, and had taken it upon herself to turn on Boss Baby (the new season that dropped last week). She was eager to partake in pancakes, so away we went.

School this morning was relatively uneventful.  E. was excited about her writing (we shared her "friendly letter" that she wrote to her grammy with Grammy, and got a sweet text back), and eagerly jumped on an assignment to watch a drawing special on Youtube and create her own fish landscape, complete with clown fish (anything Nemo related and the child is happy.  I blame her broken leg when she was a year old, when she watched non-stop Nemo and Monsters Inc. for about four weeks.  It was the only thing that kept her from trying to shimmy across the floor in her cast).

One of my best friends, a nurse who has been working all week, called while I was putting in time sending online resources to some colleagues, and I took my "prep" period.  We were chatting away when I decided to head to the basement to switch the laundry- and promptly missed the railing and slammed my left shoulder and back on the stairs as I made my way (painfully) down them.  The girls, thankfully, heard me fall, and I sent R. running to find my husband upstairs.  Fortunately, if you're going to fall down the stairs during a pandemic, it's really great to have a smart, caring RN on the phone who can walk your husband through a check up to make sure you don't need to go rushing into the fire for X-Rays.

I was really sore, and R. brought me icepacks while E. worked on her homework.  With Mommy hurt, both girls were remarkably self-sufficient on finishing their work, and I'm very proud of their resolve to not fight once while I was stuck on the couch.  Jeff brought me Tylenol, and we spent about two hours watching Kids' Baking Championship and The Great British Baking Show.  We then decided that perhaps this wasn't the best idea when rationing food, when the idea of an upside down tomato cake with tomato jam started to seem appealing.

Once the Tylenol kicked in, I started to feel a bit better, and was able to get up and move around a bit.  This was key, because the weather outside had gone from rainy and dreary to sunny and warm.  I couldn't pass a soccer ball with the kids like I normally would, but Jeff took over, and I got to videotape E. showing off some moves, and enjoy the kids taking on their dad in a game of 2 vs. 1 (he won- he refuses to let them win, but he did keep it close at 5-4, and a few of their goals were completely legit).

I treated everyone to lemonade (happy to have CountryTime mix in the house since we ran out of juice three days ago), and we sat on our front porch while people watching.  A giant Newfoundland walked by, and I told the girls that is what Aunty Coley's puppies, Jack and Bonanza Jelly Bean, are going to look like soon.  We saw a friend of R.'s, and they played invisible catch (this game is really catching on), and my old co-worker/work bestie jogged by with her husband and we sent air kisses.

We did a Facetime Happy Hour with my mom, stepdad, sister Nic and brother-in-law David.  There was much laughing at the kids insisted on doing extreme close ups of their faces, and David and Nicole explained people keep showing up at their house, knocking on the door and wanting to come in.  "We tell them we're isolating, and they keep knocking, or hold up a six pack."  We talked about how so many people up by them, in rural upstate New York, aren't taking this seriously, or think it's some sort of conspiracy cooked up by "the liberal media".  It's a little frightening to think about, that there are still people out there (see Spring Breakers from yesterday) who don't seem to grasp the gravity of the situation.

There was family dinner time (Annie's Mac and Cheese was the star) and then the kids and Jeff settled in to watch Clone Wars.  Today's good news of the day was discovering that Ashoka would be appearing in the new Mandelorian season (granted, who knows when it will get filmed, but we're all rather excited).  This gave me a chance to catch up on writing, and on a new idea I had today, a Facebook Group called #WaldenChallenge.  The idea behind it was what I wrote about yesterday. 

My first post was:
I used to teach my Philosophy and Literature students about Walden by Thoreau, and as a project, they had to answer "What would they do if you went into isolation for a period of time, stepping away from society?" Inevitably, they had books they wanted to read, instruments they wanted to learn to play, languages to learn, art to create. I never really thought there would be an opportunity for such things as an adult- as a college student, perhaps over a summer or between semesters. But I am challenging myself and challenge my friends and former students- figure something out. Take advantage of this precious time if you can. Share with friends- hoping this is a bright spot for all of us! And I hope you have fun! #WaldenChallenge

I figured it would hold me accountable for trying to find positives in this lockdown, and hopefully give my friends, and their friends, and maybe even their friends, a good outlet and wealth of ideas. 

Day 6- May 19, 2020

Day 6- May 19, 2020

Today was a relatively good day. Yes, there were tantrums. I may have threatened to throw a Chromebook through a window. My daughter may have let me, lest cooler heads prevail upon realizing this would be detrimental to both online learning, and keeping the house warm. There are at least 2-3 fights a day between my daughters that escalate into tears, but I'm thinking that is just par for the course. Close quarters, no outside contact, strong personalities- if there weren't fights, I'd fear someone had replaced my children with pod people.

Math was easier now that we are doing the basics instead of fifteen steps. The silver lining to
this whole thing may be the elimination of common core math. It's a gift for the teacher gods. R. couldn't find any vocabulary words in the nonfiction texts she was supposed to read that she didn't know.  She also informed me that the grades 4-6 texts ALSO didn't have anything, and could she please use her new Periodic Table of Elements book to find some terms?  Her teacher was extremely supportive (I emailed him and had a response within about three minutes), and her words ended up being nitrates, nitrites, galleons (full disclosure: I have no idea what their definitions are, though I have heard of them, and Honors Chemistry was the only class in high school where I earned a C for the year- and I mean earned.  I worked my butt off for that C.).

I fully expecting her to win a Nobel Prize when she's in her twenties. 

I hate that ChromeBooks don't scroll as well, or work half the time when tapping the cursor. Then again, I'm comparing them to my MacBook Air, which (at eight years old) is markedly superior. The Spanish issue has been solved as we went to using Rosetta Stone through our public library (bless them for having that option). One of my friends said her son is going to learn from Dora (which is awesome- I remember learning Spanish words from her too).  I'm thinking we'll start watching Miraculous in the original French (aka Miraculous, les aventures de Ladybug et Chat Noir) and then we can learn multiple languages.

Speaking of which, decided yesterday I'm going to devote some time to re-learning French using Rosetta Stone. I remembered back to a lesson I used to teach my Philosophy and Literature class- we would read Walden by Thoreau, and then I would ask the students what would they do if they went into isolation for a period of time, stepping away from society? Inevitably, they had books they wanted to read, instruments they wanted to learn to play, languages to learn, art to create. I never really thought there would be an opportunity for such things as an adult- as a college student, perhaps over a summer or between semesters. But with children and a job? Forget it. Until now.  So I hope to be fluent shortly.  Or at least back to French 5 level like I was senior year of high school.

We watched some quality television- more Zach and Cody.  And we were able to watch The Indigo Girls perform a live concert.  I teared up just seeing how many of my friends, and random strangers around the world, were sending such positive messages during the performance.  In these crazy times, we need things like this to remind us that there is much good in this world.

The news said two people in my town are now infected.  My friend who lives across the street from the hospital sent a video to our group-chat of the line of cars of people getting tests (there were pop up tents that made it look like a really bizarre craft fair).  In the video, the song "American Idiot" by Green Day was blasting in the background, and we all agreed it was apt.  

People seem to finally be taking the social distancing a bit more seriously, though we could still see

self-involved morons on the news talking about how they are on the beaches because they didn't want to give up their spring break trips.  Every one of them was clearly toasted, and I wish for loud noises in the morning, the smell of something awful, and no coffee.  I do not, however, want them to get sick.  I think a terrible hangover would suffice for now (no one should have this virus wished on them).

At a little before five, my friend Rachel who lives in DC texted me to remind me of a Virtual Happy Hour she had created on a Google Hang Out.  It was an odd sensation to get to know a few of her friends virtually, and catch up with her.  We all agreed that it was a good thing to be able to connect to others, especially in this crazy situation.

We ended the day with family snuggle time, watching Schooled with the kids.  Family Snuggle Time is something we invented when we were living with my mom.  We didn't have our own living room, and the only tv in our space was the one in our bedroom, so the girls would come jump onto the bed, curl up between us, and watch television.  Last night, they had to go to bed before Schooled aired, so they were very excited to see it.  They got to learn about Four Non Blondes, and the importance of safety when driving a helmet-shaped car.