26 days of Sheltering at Home. Twenty. Six.

You guys!!!! The yeast arrived today!!!!

Seriously a total highlight!! One anxiety about cooking and baking that is no longer nagging me.

We received some books in the mail from a friend and they are funny and the illustrations are lovely and it was so nice to have a surprise show up.

Before the world paused itself, Vivian had started piano lessons again after Christmas break. She takes them with the same company, The Studio, that the older two girls have participated in musicals for the past two years. The Studio is their other home for so much of the year, and when this pandemic hit, Julia was set to perform in the ensemble for Music Man with them on top of Vivian receiving lessons. This past week, The Studio figured out a way to continue lessons through video chat and Vivian was really excited (despite her very brisk manner with her teacher--the child is just curt in learning environments with others).

 I would love to one day have a piano, but need to have a reason to own one. Vivian is interested enough that I think we'll need to actively start looking for one within the year. I have always wanted to take piano lessons and it is a total bucket list item for me. Right now, we do have this awesome keyboard that her Godparents gave to our kiddos, so lessons can continue and maybe I will start seriously looking soonish.

Vivian decided she needed a pet rock. So she found one.
Her pet rock joined us for school yesterday.

Yesterday I went out to look at our garden and more things are blooming!!!

 My daffodil has friends now!

Then it we had a massive hail storm and I was very worried it was going to ruin the flowers, but it only knocked out a couple of the daffodils.

Vivian is usually starting her soccer season this month. She's been putting on her old uniforms and practicing in the yard. The boys are all about helping her out and Thomas was de-lighted to find out he had soccer clothes of his own. David prefers to dress preppy even when sporting. The soccer organization is moving the whole season back a full month, so hopefully they can start it up at the end of May. I signed her up because I still believe in hoping for the near future to not just be the four walls of our home.

Homeschool: Second Grade.

Julia's youth group met tonight via video chat. She was so, so excited! It went well enough that they're planning on doing it again next week!

Thomas desperately needs a hair cut. His hair is starting to get in his eyes. This is how he handles it:

I have decided he looks more like a rugby player than a soccer player.

Yesterday was really, really hard. I had a stress headache all day that turned into a migraine. I felt really trapped in our house and had a lot of anxious worries and thoughts running through my head. My stomach felt tight and I just wanted to find a spot in my house where I could cry and/or scream alone.  I keep talking to my kids about having big feelings about all of this, but, man, the big feelings are hard and they suck. Honestly, there's so much of this to digest and soak in. I know some people deal with this kind of stress by attacking everything--organizing things, tackling projects, keeping busy to help keep the cabin fever from seeping in or the anxiety from overwhelming them.

 I don't work that way. I tend to feel heavy and find myself moving slower. I seek stillness and silence instead of constant noise. I have to take breaks. I have to keep busy, but it's in small ways--spending an hour or so sitting and reading; baking something in the kitchen; only focusing on laundry and not letting all of the other household tasks try to smother me; making sure that if I think about someone that I'm saying a prayer for them; giving myself enough structure to function, but not too much to stifle. Some days are better and I can handle life like I normally do (which, quite honestly, is never at a truly busy bee pace because I am Sanguine Phlegmatic, which means I rarely feel rushed) (although, I do hate being late, which I usually am, but I never like it) and get stuff done. But yesterday? Yesterday I had to just focus on not sinking into the depths of despair.

Today was better. Even though I stayed up with insomnia until around 2:30 in the morning. Even though I survived on mainly coffee. Even though the same stressors were still there.

It's a constant ebb and flow. I'm glad today flowed better.

Day 24

Another weekend in the books. A lot of the same stuff that goes on most weekends now. 

The boys still love having their own school work to do on the computer with ABC Mouse. Thomas needs someone to help him, but he is always very thankful.

With the CDC now recommending everyone wearing masks when you are out in public, I am SUPER DUPER thankful my sister-in-law sent us some masks when she started making them. Elisabeth claimed this mask because it is the same material my mother-in-law used to make her a bonnet when she was younger.

We came to eat lunch with Elisabeth at her school on November 2nd, 2012.
She wore her bonnet to school almost daily for a whole year and it is one of my favorite memories of her.

Spring has sprung in our garden!! First bloom of the year!

This weekend, I did decide I needed to learn how to sew. Evan has some ranks he needs sewn on his uniforms and we can't have him ask someone else to do it right now. So, we hauled up the sewing machine that my mother-in-law bought for me at least 10-12 years ago, that I have never used because I have always been intimidated by it, and decided to learn.

I started by finding some videos on YouTube that would show me how to set up my specific sewing machine. Evan made me my new favorite treat--the whipped coffee I talked about!! I still big puffy heart drinking it!

 Evan took this glamorous picture of me talking to my phone about how I needed to rewind because they'd gone too fast.

 I decided to start small and make a little pillow for my girls' dolls. I had some fabric lying around from a project. At first, the tension was all wrong in my threading and it did this to my fabric.

 Once I figured that part out, I ended up getting the hang of it and finished the pillow.

 I now feel confident in being able to sew his patches onto his uniform! Plus, we found an old sheet that I ripped the seams out of and am going to make some masks from. Evan ripped apart one of his old ABUs so I can make masks to match his uniform. I am not fast, but am no longer intimidated! I wish I could call my mother-in-law and tell her I finally am using the gift she gave me. I know full well she'd roll her eyes and say, "Well, it's about time!".

On Sunday, the kids all gathered around the computer for a Zoom birthday party for one of our favorite new 10 year olds! It was very cute. He had games (one was quiz game about himself and the other was a scavenger hunt around our house for things)

 When it was time to sing, all the family's lit candles in their own house and sang and the kids blew out the candles. My kids had cookies to eat while the birthday boy ate cake at his houses with his family.

We had waffles for lunch on Sunday. Waffles are hands down the best thing that has happened to the boys.

For our new traditional Sunday Dinner Party we had popcorn, a veggie tray, cookies, and homemade pretzels (that I ate too many of and ended up with a belly ache).

Today I went to the grocery store to get meat, produce, and all the things Walmart didn't have for my pick up last time. I'm trying to decide if doing the pick up is worth my sanity because there are NO TIMES available, ever, and they either don't have or won't let you pick out certain items. It's such a giant crapshoot that just ends up with me having to make a bigger trip when I do go into a store, I just don't wonder if I should stick with going to the two smaller stores I like and not worrying about Walmart. I thought about Woodman's pick up, but their times are even worse than Walmarts! They were out of time slots for pick up until May! It's complete insanity.

I did wear my mask that Kyle made for me, which was good because 95% of the people in the store were wearing one of some sort. And!!! I did see TWO of my friends at the store. TWO!!!! It was like a grocery store playdate but with social distancing and trying to keep my brain focused on groceries.

I was able to get everything on my list except for toilet paper and yeast. We have yeast coming from Amazon, hopefully this week, and I ordered toilet paper from Amazon that will come in mid-May. We are totally going to have to get more toilet paper before then, but at least if I can only find a couple of smaller packs to tide us over, I know there is more on the way.

Here is our menu for the week:

Elisabeth shared these pictures with me that she took of her and Thomas that are so adorable!!!

Hope you all are having a decent Monday!

Day 21...I think...is it Friday?

We are totally taking advantage of the free online resources this month. My kids are loving ABC Mouse. We used to have it years ago when Julia was homeschooling for Kindergarten, but after she got too old for it, I cancelled the subscription. These three are very happy to have it back.

The kids have been outside almost all day, every day. I am so, so thankful for spring weather!!!

We have temporarily converted the dining into the Lego area. Legos used to be a weekend only thing (I hate dealing with Lego messes), but the kids have been quietly playing in there off and on every day and keeping the mess to that room, so I feel pretty good about this set-up.

I was totally influenced on Instagram to make this whipped coffee. I love it! Elisabeth loves it! Evan thinks it is nasty.

Recipe:
1Tbsp instant coffee
2Tbsp granulated sugar
2Tbsp hot water
Beat on high in mixer for 7 minutes.
Pour over cup filled up half way with ice and at least a cup of milk.
Stir.
Add more milk as needed.
(Some people talked about adding flavored creamers with the milk, cinnamon on top, but I do like it just the way it is!)

More Lego-ing:

This kid. No, he didn't draw on his face, he drew on his hand and then LICKED HIS HAND.

Julia dressed up yesterday and she looked beautiful!!! She said she is going to wear this to Mass the next time we're allowed back into public places.

Evan taught Julia how to make this equivalent of fried rice and she has been making it almost daily for lunch this week. It's actually delicious, if you like peas (which I don't) (I usually omit them).

Digging for worms! 

Playing video games in my childhood rocking chair.

Evan and I been going on pre-dinner walks and the clouds have been awesome lately.

We turned the calendar and all of a sudden, April seemed a lot more daunting knowing we weren't gong anywhere for the whole of it. I was able to add a few things to it (virtual piano lessons for Vivian via Zoom; Julia's small group from her youth group are going to meet on Wednesday for an hour with their leader on Google Chats).

I have to tell you guys that this whole quarantine stuff is David's dream. Seriously, this kid is thriving. No seeing other people. No loud, crowded public places. No chances of strangers or kind of strangers or even people we have known and loved for ages trying to involve him in conversations. He knows where we all are, isn't fretting over when people will be coming home from work or school, doesn't have to worry about the girls ditching him to go play at their friends' houses. He's biting his nails less, is less whiny, and is genuinely happy. I told Evan yesterday that we will have to ease back into socializing when the time comes again because it will be a real slap in the face for David. (To be fair, I also love having a free-er schedule, even though we purposely don't over book, it's nice not having busy days of running around that totally drain me.) (Also, Evan is loving us all being home as much as David, he just wishes he could still go into his office.)

It really is true that this is the time for introverts to shine. But, all the extroverts in my house are suffering daily. I'll never see them again once this quarantine is over...which will make David fret...

So, I am someone who always has to wear slippers when I am inside. Ever since breaking my foot when I was pregnant with Vivian and the terrible plaster fasciitis that I got in both of my feet afterwards, if I am not wearing something. The thing is, I usually leave my house daily, so I switch out of my slippers to put on real shoes. But, ever since we've been in our house for 21 days straight now, I have realized that #1-I probably need to wash these suckers, and #2-maybe I should invest in a second pair so I can switch off and on. (These are the thoughts you have when you stuck in quarantine in your house with your family and you don't get to think very deep thoughts because the kids don't ever stop asking questions or asking for you to help them get something or ask you what you're doing when you're just trying to find one place in this house that isn't being occupied by another person.)

A Chat About Menu Planning and Pantry Staples

This is probably one of my favorite cartoons I have seen during this whole pandemic scenario:

Another day at home, another day sticking to our very loose schedule yesterday.

We did school work:

We pretended to be Olaf by "living the dream".

But, it mainly looked like this yesterday:

The robins are back and I am really, really hoping they decide to make nests in our poisonous Hawthorne tree outside our bedroom window.

Today the weather is lovely and I am kicking my kids out asap to get some fresh air and to get out from under my feet.

I thought it might be helpful to kind of write out what our staple foods are right now. I know food is a big anxiety for a lot of people and that providing three meals a day for everybody in your house can be overwhelming, even three weeks into this situation.

Besides meal planning from what we have in the pantry and refrigerator, I am trying to keep the foods I am looking for at stores to be pretty much the same so that it is not overwhelming and so I am not disappointed if they don't have what I need for specific recipes. We're leaning heavily on family favorites and repeat dinners.

Here's what most of our meals are right now:

BREAKFAST:
Cereal (which is now doled out by serving size with a two bowl cap and the knowledge that when it's out, it's out)
Oatmeal
Eggs and toast
Waffles (due to our much beloved new waffle maker)

LUNCH:
Leftovers from dinner (which is what Evan usually had for lunches at work, but now he eats them at home)
Sandwiches (meat or pb&j or egg)
Ramen (plain or with an egg and peas, like fried rice)
Frozen chicken nuggets or other frozen meals if we have them
NO BREAKFAST FOODS FOR LUNCH

DINNER:
If we have Chicken:
Chicken and rice
Chicken and noodles
Pan cooked chicken thighs
Chicken tacos or enchiladas
BBQ shredded chicken sandwiches

If we have ground beef:
Tacos
Lasagna
Shepherd's Pie
Sloppy Joes
Spaghetti with meat sauce

If we have Pork:
Pan cooked pork chops
Sausage (like kielbasa or Italian) and pasta of some sort or rice
Pulled pork for tacos or with bbq for sandwiches

The staples I am trying to have on hand in the pantry are:
Baking cabinet:
Flour
Sugar
Baking soda and powder
Yeast
Salt
Cornmeal
Cornstarch

Pantry:
Pasta
Rice
Bread
Canned veggies (corn, green beans, carrots, chickpeas)
Canned tomatoes (paste, sauce, diced)
Oils (olive, coconut, vegetable)
Marinara sauce
Salsa
Syrup
Chicken broth
Vinegar
Peanut Butter

Fridge:
Milk
Butter
Eggs (hard boiling a dozen for snacks)
Cheese

Frozen:
Veggies (corn, broccoli, peas)
Fruits (blueberries, strawberries)
Meats
Extra butter
Extra cheese
Extra bread

Fruits and veggies I buy weekly and we are creatures of habit in what we like with those:
Bananas
Apples
Grapes or oranges
Celery
Carrots
Radishes
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Asparagus or brussel sprouts
Radishes

I'm not sure if that will help anyone to see what we feels are important to make meals and feed our family, but this what is working for us right now in this situation. If we're out of some of the things on this list, I can at least make meals with the rest.

We're really being strict with snacks and serving sizes of them, so I try to grab pretzels, veggie straws, tortilla chips and popcorn, when I am out getting produce and put them on my Walmart cart order every time. I, of course, am stress baking a lot as well, so we often have breads, cookies, and brownies throughout the week (which last maybe a day with the seven of us).

Thankfully, the kids have been really good about listening to us about not wasting, compromising with the each other if there is only a certain amount of something left that isn't enough for everyone. We've talked a lot about not just running to the store for one or two things because they have run out and we want more. These are all great character building lessons, I suppose (silver lining!).

What are some of your favorite meals that are getting you through right now? Go-to things that you'd recommend? I'm making favorites, but am always up to trying new things still (as much as I can, obviously).