Quarantine Week 2

Week 2 of the quarantine and we stayed inside.  A lot.  Probably a little too much.  Laziness set in and productivity went down.  At least it felt that way for most of the days.  Maybe that was just my mindset.  Monday started off really well for Caroline.  She finished her first grade math book.  She had a cumulative test and scored a 98%, only missing one problem.  That's my girl!  She usually scores really well in math.  She was pretty proud of herself.  I had her doing worksheets the rest of the week because we somehow ended up with extra worksheets.  Tomorrow she starts second grade math and she's excited.

Since everyone seems to be baking during the quarantine, we raided our pantry for random things I bought during after-Christmas sales.  We had a sugar cookie/Christmas light mix, which Caroline helped make.  She was an equal partner in this and helped during all the steps.  When the cookies were cool, she transitioned to decorator.  Can you guess which one she decorated for herself?


By Tuesday evening both the county Todd works in, and the county we live in, issued Stay At Home orders.  So, he packed up all his work things and set up office at home.  The only quiet place we could give him was Henry's bedroom.  Henry was very accommodating and cleared off his desk and night stand so Todd would have ample work space.  The kids have loved having him home.  They have brought him meals, drinks, and snacks.  Josiah put a sign on his door indicating it was Todd's Office and the rest of us needed to knock to enter.  Todd said he's never had so many visitors during the day.  Also, to Todd's delight, he discovered he can do his entire job at home.  He enjoys both the commute time, the relaxed dress code, and the extra sleep.  We are very grateful he still has a full time job.  With things changing daily and weekly we never know what the future brings.

The kids were really excited to do virtual school with our CC group.  For this week, the tutors had to introduce the new material for 30 minutes and then the kids were able to do their presentations virtually for another 30 minutes.  Caroline's class went the first hour, then Henry's, then Josiah's.  Because they're kids and can learn new technology at the drop of a hat, the boys already learned how to chat with their friends.  Essentially they were passing notes during class.   During Henry's class, he also would not stop walking around the house.  I kept telling him (motioning him with big hand gestures) to sit still!  He didn't listen.  (It did get me cleaning the house, though.)    They also learned how to change their name which appeared on the screen.  Potty humor reigned supreme with that one.  They were able to eat lunch together, too, as the classroom was kept open.  I'm glad they enjoyed it and got to see their friends for a bit.  We also went over virtual classroom etiquette. 

Other days this week, the boys were both able to chat with different friends.  Again, they walked all over the house while doing it.  Henry was giving his friend a tour and walked into my bathroom while I was cleaning it, so now I have to keep our bedroom doors shut during all virtual meetings. No kid needs to see that!

The boys were issued a push-up challenge by one friend.  I'm glad my friends don't challenge me with such things.

We have had many movie nights since this quarantine began.  Last weekend, Todd and I each showed the kids one of our favorite movies from our childhood.  For me, they watched Pollyanna.  Todd showed them Davy Crockett.  A few days later Caroline was pushing to have another movie night.  And I quote, "We already watched movies from your childhood.  Now can we watch a movie from my childhood?"  So we watched Toy Story 4.  From her childhood.  The days have been so long.  We eat dinner earlier since Todd's home, which leaves a ton more time in the evenings.  I think just about every evening, we look at the clock and say, "Ugh, it's only 7:00!"

Henry and I did toss his baseball in the backyard several days.  That kid can throw.  I leave each time with a very sore hand.  (I do have a glove, but he can throw hard.)  I had to have him teach me to throw again because I had no power behind my throws.  I love tossing balls with him, though.  It's relaxing.

We have drawn and colored tons.  Caroline loves her color-by-number book and we've worked on many pages together.  She and Josiah each drew a picture of our family.  Caroline's was sweet and happy.  Josiah's showed two haggered looked parents, a sporty Henry, a princess Caroline, and a very dapper Josiah.

Caroline also drew a sign for her door.  It lets us all know if she's in.  Or not in.


She also drew what I call a "wrap text" picture.  Why separate words by syllables when you don't need to?

Josiah is still very much into the Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems and watches it daily.  

Finally, Josiah has been making my coffee in the mornings.  It's been quite the week for coffee.  In fact this may be the root of my lazy mindset this week - I had no caffeine in me.  He doesn't make it quite as strong as I usually make it.  Then, one morning, he insisted on putting in the creamer.  So, he poured 2/3 cup of weak coffee and 1/3 cup of creamer.  The sugar made up for the lack of caffeine.  Another day he didn't pour a lot of water into the machine, so I had about a mug and a half of coffee total.  He nonchalantly said, "I guess you don't get to drink as much today."  Yeah.   Thanks.  I did tell him that I really appreciated him making the coffee and that he was more than welcome to double/triple the coffee grounds for future days.