Quarantine Week 2

It's not really a quarantine, since we can still leave the house if necessary. But, last week, we completed our second week of "self-distancing." Thomas and I worked from home 5 days in a row. We gave the kids a list of things they had to accomplish each day. It was 45 minutes of a school-approved math program; read for 30 minutes (not really an issue, our older kids frequently read for hours); make sure their rooms are clean; do one thing to make the house a better place; and 1 hour of physical activity. We had mixed success. One day, we made up a point system. But, that was met with surprisingly intense anger by one child (and, not the child you might guess). So, then we just did a schedule. Which was better received, but did not yield as great a result. We made it through the week, but everything will be different next week anyway, since the kids start distance learning.

Working from home is going okay. I like that I can take lots of breaks. As long as I get in 8 hours, it doesn't matter what hours (although, I frequently have scheduled phone meetings, so it's not 100% flexibility). I generally start at 6 and end between 4 and 5. One day, Thomas and I did a lunchtime swim with the kids. On Thursday, I even ran to Walmart. And, I often take a break at 8 and do a 30-minute bike ride with whoever is up and interested. I just make sure to keep track of my hours.

No one seems too bothered by the staying in part. In fact, I asked Luke if he missed Disney World, or if he was happy staying home everyday and he said it was a tough choice, but he thinks staying home is better. I think most of the kids would rather be at school, but obviously there are things they love--like getting up whenever they want and wearing pajamas all day (Luke will literally change to go outside and then put pajamas back on).

We have now watched 9 of the Star Wars movies. Just 2 to go! It has been fun seeing them in order. I will wait until I see the last 2 before ranking.

My dad's birthday was Tuesday and my brother Kevin's was Friday. Both live in Winter Haven. These were exactly the kind of events that we were looking forward to celebrating together when we moved here, but my dad is (now) 78 and we don't want to expose him to anything, so it will have to wait. We are taking social distancing seriously and have not socialized with anyone outside of the immediate family.

I still think the most frustrating thing is a lack of new information. Other than the number of cases increasing exponentially, there isn't much new information. I don't know if the flattening of the curve is working. I thought we would know more today than we did two weeks ago and I don't feel like that is the case. There is still so much uncertainty and I would really like concrete answers. But, I guess it is better to live with the unknown than to have false information.

Let me see if I can come up with 5 positives from the week:

1) The teachers did a car parade through the neighborhood on Tuesday. We saw Luke's teacher, but did not see either of Kara's. It was fun to stand outside and wave. They drove through with signs telling the kids they missed them and honking their horns. There are a lot of teachers! It was a nice gesture.

2) Our neighborhood did an "Animal Safari". We rode our bikes around and saw tons of stuffed animals in people's yards and porches. Some people did funny scenes, like a circus scene complete with tent and another with animals "playing" on a toy slide. It was really cute and fun.

3) Jack finally sang with us for karaoke. I had to bribe him, but he did it! And, he has a good voice. Who knew?

4) Jack, Anna and I found a bike route that is almost exactly 5 miles and takes us 30 minutes.

5) We have everything to live at home as long as necessary. We have steady employment, food to eat and a comfortable home to live in.

Every single picture I took this week is below:

My Sunshine Bear and a new one I found for Luke (both made in the early 80s). My Sunshine has been through a lot! That could be a whole blog in and of itself. 

Luke with a "reverse mohawk". He likes his hair really short. 

We got the cars washed, they were disgusting. 

Luke singing Karaoke.