COVID-19 Lessons

We have 3 weeks of shelter-in-place under our belts now.  Three weeks of remote learning.  Three weeks of Zach heading into the basement each day for work.  Three weeks of Zoom get-togethers and google duo video chats in lieu of in-person social engagement.  Three weeks of not playing with friends, not attending any activities, not having anything on the calendar.  Three weeks of keeping an eye on the news and watching as COVID-19 continues to rapidly spread throughout our community, throughout our state, throughout our country, throughout our world.  Three weeks of doing our part to keep ourselves and our community as safe as possible.

With three weeks under our belt, I've learned some valuable lessons about myself and about our family during this time.

1.  As we have had to rely more on technology for interaction, I've become acutely aware of how technologically challenged I am.

2.  Trying to help Staley with some of her schoolwork has taught me that third grade math might be my ceiling.  There have been several instances where she's asked me to check her work and I need to defer to Zach.

3.  I've realized that my favorite wardrobe choices have ample use during quarantine life--stretchy pants, comfy sweatshirts, and headbands are all I've worn for the past 3 weeks.

4.  I've come to appreciate how well my kids play together and how much they enjoy each other all the more now that the only playmates they have are each other.

5.  It's amazing how I can be a much more relaxed mother when we never have to worry about getting anywhere at a certain time.

6.  No schedule + always being home = plenty of time for home projects...and plenty more opportunities to look around our home and put more projects on the list.

7.  Having a running partner since last summer has really increased my consistency with running.  Having a running partner AND having all this free time means I'm in the best shape I've been in for at least the past 12 years.

8.  The start of spring weather has made everything SO much better.  Social distancing is way more tolerable when we can be outside enjoying beautiful spring days.

9.  Although COVID-19 has brought so much suffering for so many, both physically and economically, it has also brought good with it.  I see families spending so much quality time together, individuals finding time for exercise and health, communities rallying together in support of one another, teachers embracing a new way to reach their students, people reconnecting with old friends, and everyone being forced to slow down and take life one day at a time.  Although this is not how any of us would have planned it, there is good that can come from this worldwide pandemic.

10.  The most valuable lesson I've learned is that there is no one I'd rather be stuck at home with than my family.  Sure we've had our moments, but the fun we've had and the quality time we've shared is something I will always cherish when I think back on this time.  I have truly loved our opportunity to slow down and just be together.

This is life right now...and there is a lot to love about it!

Volleyball

Staley played her second season of volleyball this winter.  And with my stellar knowledge from my several years of playing middle school volleyball, I helped out as her assistant coach.  Although her season came to an abrupt end due to the coronavirus, it was still another sport's season that Staley enjoyed and progressed in her skills.  She was very disappointed when the final tournament of the season was cancelled.  

Staley's team

This year Staley moved up from the 1st/2nd grade league to the 3rd/4th grade league.  What a difference!!  There was a huge jump in the skill level between the two leagues.  There were volleys.  There were girls that served overhand.  It seemed like there were girls on every team who also played league volleyball, elevating the level of competition for everyone. 

Staley learned a lot throughout the year.  There were several strong players on her team, which I think intimidated Staley as she would often just watch the ball and hope one of them would get it.  However, with a little incentive the last game of the year (a special dessert treat for the family if she tried to get the ball 5 times throughout the game), Staley had the best game of the year as she was being more aggressive and trying to get to the ball.  I was looking forward to watching her build off that for the tournament, while also wishing we had put that incentive in place at the beginning of the season rather than the end.

Nevertheless, by the end of the season, Staley was pretty consistently getting her serves over and had returned the ball over the net a few times.  She even scored the game winning serves during 2 different games during the season.  She also made some new friends on her team and had a lot of fun.

Although the end of the season wasn't what anyone hoped for, Staley enjoyed her season, had fun with her friends, and progressed with her volleyball skills.  I'll call that a success!!

Adelie's Birthday

Adelie had big plans for her 7th birthday.  She was going to have a combined family party with Briggs.  She was going to bring treats to school.  She was so excited for me to take a half day off work so I could eat lunch with her at school and spend time with her after early dismissal from school.  She was going to take the train and have a girl's day at the American Girl Doll store in Chicago.  And then coronavirus hit...and all that went out the window.  Did coronavirus ruin Adelie's birthday plans?  Absolutely!  But did it ruin her birthday?  Not in the slightest.

We decorated the house, got out the party hats, and Adelie woke to some yummy monkey bread for breakfast.

Adelie was showered with attention all day long.  She got texts and phone calls from friends and family, video texts from several of her friends from school, and video chats with aunts, cousins, grandparents, and even her teacher.  She had a friend and grandparents drop off gifts for her to open.

And there was even a special visit from Aunt Jill and her cousins...all while maintaining the appropriate social distance, of course.

After her dinner of choice (a Family Feast from Michael's) and some birthday cupcakes, Adelie got to open a few more presents from us.

Staley made Adelie a whole bunch of coupons for things like playing Barbies for 10 minutes, picking the movie for movie night, a lullaby before bed, talking for an extra 5 minutes before going to sleep,...  Adelie LOVED them and has been taking advantage of many of her special choices already.

Briggs made Adelie a card, a picture, and an airplane out of paper.

And then Adelie got a new bike and a new bike helmet to cap off her special day.   It may not have been the birthday that we had planned, but Adelie had a day full of attention and love.  What more could a girl want??

Interview with a 7 Year Old

Favorite color:  Blue
Favorite food:  Grammie meatballs, monkey bread, donuts
Least favorite food:  Broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, baked beans
Favorite restaurant:  Culvers, Steak and Shake, Rainforest Café, T-Rex Restaurant
Favorite dessert:  Ice cream
Favorite toy:  Everything I play with
Favorite stuffed animal:  Fuzzington
Favorite animal:  Penguins and monkeys
Favorite game:  Go Fish, Uno, Monopoly, Spot It, Candyland
Favorite movie:  Frozen II, live action Aladdin
Favorite sport:  Swimming, running, tumbling
Favorite activity:  Stage Kids, tumbling
Favorite thing to do at home:  Draw
Favorite thing about school:  Reading, lunch, writing
Favorite place to go locally:  State Farm pool
Favorite place to go on vacation:  Disney World, Pentwater
Favorite thing to do with Staley:  Do shows
Favorite thing to do with Briggs:  Play Pud, play fairies and Spike, draw, listen to "The Pond", play Mr. McGreely (all games they've made up to play together)
Favorite thing to do with Mommy:  Cook, go running, when you tuck me into bed
Favorite thing to do with Daddy:  Paint pottery, make pancakes, read
Favorite book:  Pollyanna
Favorite princess:  Ariel
Favorite superhero:  I don't have one
Favorite outfit:  I have lots.
Favorite pajamas:  The nightgown I just got from Staley with the girls on it
Favorite play you've been in:  Peter Pan
Favorite play you've seen:  Wicked

What are you excited about doing when you are 7?  Opening presents, doing the mini track meet, swimming lessons
What are you scared of?:  Going upstairs by myself, the house breaking, the swingset breaking, the porch swing breaking, and spiders
What's the best thing about you?  I'm funny and fast and awesome.
What are you good at?  Singing, reading, math, being silly
Who is your best friend?  I don't really have a BFF, but I have lots of friends like Lola, Jaci, Faith, Aizlee, Max, William, Zola, and a lot of people.
What do you want to be when you grow up?  An author, illustrator, and teacher

My big 7 year old!

Happy Birthday, Adelie!

How can it be that Adelie is already 7 years old??  Seven years ago, I  had so many fears and worries about moving our family of 3 into a family of 4.  Would I have enough time?  Energy?  Attention?  Love?  Would there be enough of me to give to 2 children?  But from the moment I held Adelie in my arms, I knew that my love for two could be just as big, just as fierce, just as powerful as it was for one.  And each day getting to be Adelie's mom, my heart has to grow a little bit more to accommodate all the love I feel for her.  I may not always have my full share of time, energy, or attention that my kids deserve, but love?  I will never worry about not having enough of that!

This is what love looks like...

at 6 months...

at 1 year...

at 2 years...

at 3 years...

at 4 years...

at 5 years...

at 6 years...

and at 7 years.

I can't imagine loving this little girl anymore than I do right now!

Happy birthday, my little love!

Happy birthday, Adelie!!

Adelie Quote of the Day

"The one bad thing about God is when you're in heaven you can't do a surprise for him because he always knows what you are doing."

Our Quarantine...in Photos

We have one week of COVID-19 quarantine under our belts.  One week of home school.  One week of no activities.  One week of no playdates, no church, no get-togethers, and no appointments.  One week of getting into our new routine and getting used to our new situation.  And although the situation in the world around us is troubling, I have thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity to wipe off the calendar, set our own schedule, spend days in our PJs, and just be.  This was what week one looked like in our house:

Family movies nights

Several multi-generational runs with varying members of the family

Lots of reading

Daily schoolwork...

…even for the pre-schooler among us

A few science experiments

Plenty of drawing, writing, and coloring activities

Some baking and cooking

Giving the kids more "opportunities" to help around the house

LOTS of family games, including introducing the kids to Monopoly.  Briggs lost interest about 40 minutes in, but both girls stuck it out for the duration.

Plenty of playtime

Fun craft activities, like finger weaving

There has been the installation of a new TV...and then using said TV to attend our virtual church service on Sunday morning.

Marking things of our long-standing to do list...like installing a new downstairs vanity, cleaning out all the kids' closets, and sorting through all our children's books to see which ones we no longer need.

If we are up against this coronavirus quarantine, we are knocking it out!

I don't love our country's situation right now, but I sure am loving this time with my family.

#countingmyblessings