social distancing

That’s 50 days of quarantine/isolation/social distancing. This post actually takes us to Day 51, the day before my birthday and the start of my celebrations. I’m running a bit behind in posting these because of said birthday. Nevertheless, enjoy!

Day 46: It’s afternoon already as I sit down to put some reflections in the journal. I don’t know how many “digests” I’ve published now since this started, and I’m not hating the daily practice of thinking through the day. But I’m also tired of isolation and quarantine and being so careful about everything. I don’t want to cause anyone harm by actions, and I know things will be different going forward. Part of me is afraid that I won’t know how to go out in the world again when it’s time. I’ve been nowhere that I couldn’t walk or run to and not inside any building except my house. Going somewhere feels foreign.

I started the morning as usual with socials and Pray As You Go. I didn’t know what time it was when I woke up. I don’t remember Phil leaving, which means I was probably sleeping hard. I had a kind of restless nights o maybe the last few hours of my sleep were deeper than the earlier hours. I made coffee and figured out breakfast. Then I took my blood pressure so I could report in to my doctor. She replied later in the morning that my numbers looked okay overall and that I should keep monitoring it, exercising, and limiting salt. I’m to check back in with her if it consistently rises above 140/90. I can probably do better on the salt intake. I don’t really pay much attention to that.

The kids and I met for school check-in, but almost immediately my daughter had a meltdown about something she’d been working on that was appearing on the screen differently than yesterday. I took a brief walk to the mailbox to put some letters in. Then I came back to deal with the rough start to the day. In these instances, I have to consciously calm my exterior and do the opposite of what I want to do (which is run screaming in the other direction). We sat together and talked through it and the solution was simple. Then I met with my son and looked at what he had on the agenda for the day. He got started right away on more coding. I washed dishes and started some laundry. And cleaned out a junk drawer. Then my son needed some help with a writing assignment, so we took a look at that and got started before his meeting.

During his meeting, I read for contest judging and got a puzzle ready for exchange. Our friends were going to drop one off at our house, so I set it out on the porch. Every exchange like this feels semi-clandestine, or like we’re all celebrating May Day early. (Did anyone do this? We would fill May baskets and drop them at our neighbors’ houses. I’m not terribly sneaky. I’m pretty sure I was caught more than once.)

Lunch time. I researched my workouts for the day while arguing with my son about his screen time for lunch. We turned the TV on, which is a gray area some days. His next meeting started at noon, and I read for a little longer and helped him finish the writing assignment afterwards. Then I changed into workout clothes and did the prescribed exercises. It’s beautifully sunny out, and cool, springlike. I’m grateful we’re still getting a few days like this interspersed with all the rain.

The kids worked on projects while I worked out. I made a smoothie. Daughter is tuning in for her band lesson now. I’ll start thinking about dinner prep soonish, but I might try to sit out on the porch for a bit. It’s cooler in the shade, but I can’t resist the lure of spring.

I read a little and started laundry. It’s Taco Tuesday, and we had ours over roasted potatoes. Just before dinner, Phil learned that Jim Gaffigan has been releasing content on YouTube, including livestreams of their dinners. We watched a couple of short episodes of Jim cooking (toast and hamburgers). The kids cracked up. After dinner, they went outside to play for a while, and we’re now watching Dinner with the Gaffigans. They’re raising money with their livestreams, so it’s not just an attention grab.

After the kids went to bed, and we had denied their request (demand) for ice cream, Phil and I watched an episode of The Wall (a game show) featuring a grandmother-granddaughter pair from Lancaster County. It was an interesting show that I could easily get attached to.

Day 47: My intention was to wake up early and go for a run. But I had a hard time sleeping last night. Dreams and restlessness. I saw an article about this that I should go read so I understand why it’s happening. Anyway, I slept in till almost 7 and then dragged myself out of bed to get ready to run. The weather was just so nice and doing the run in the early part of the day frees up time this afternoon for me to write. It took me about 30 minutes to get ready to go. I headed out on a new route that was challenging but fun. I’m needing to see new areas of the world without driving to them. So, the longer I run, the more I’ll see.

I did another 3 miles, in a little bit less time than last run. And I felt good. I’m tired now, both from running and the strength training. Tomorrow is a rest day, and I welcome it.

The kids got a late start on their academics because I was back late from my run. We accomplished a few things in the morning, though. And I took a shower. Sometime in that time, my new wireless earbuds arrived, a birthday present from my parents. I can’t wait to try them out on a run. No more wrestling with the cord when I try to put my Buff over my face! It’s the little things. I struggled through some poetry work with my son and then he had his class meeting. I don’t feel like the morning was super productive from a housework standpoint because it takes so long to prep for, do and recover from a run.

The mail arrived, and with it a Target order and a card from a friend, so that was exciting. Phil had to run to the post office to send a piece of paperwork because the mail came to our house so early today. I did some reading for the contest. And then it was lunch time. The kids are eating and watching the Minecraft channel on our TV, which is only slightly better than staring at a screen. We’re trying to institute a new screens policy, and the TV is different because you can walk away from it. I guess. We’ll see how it goes.

I washed dishes. And helped my son with his school work. Then I did some more reading and took a couple of hours to write. Phil worked on dinner. He baked shortbread for dessert and made cornbread muffins, sweet potato fries and spinach salad. He cooked brats on the grill. It was all delicious. We watched Dinner with Gaffigans again. Family dinner is pretty universal, no matter where you live or how many kids you have. 

The kids are going outside now to play.

We ate shortbread when they came back in. I wanted tea with mine, and the kids also wanted hot drinks. We decided they could split a cup of tea. Too much sugar/caffeine potential with hot chocolate. The shortbread was delicious. We sat around doing not much before bed. Our son showered. I colored some pictures to send to friends. The kids went to bed. Phil and I watched The Office while I finished coloring.

Day 48: Whew. I don’t like where this daily count is going. And at the same time, it’s another day we’ve made it. That’s what the radio DJ said yesterday. Every day is another day we’ve gotten through. We can do this.

Sleep was better last night. Dreams still vivid. In one, I dreamt that the school district turned our classroom into a teacher’s lounge. Except it didn’t look anything like any room in our school currently. Weird.

I made breakfast and got my letters ready to send. I created another post for my birthday challenge. Put the letters in the mailbox and met with the kids about school stuff. When I went out to the mailbox, the lilacs were so fragrant that I had to bring some inside. So I did.

Son plowed through his schoolwork, and we celebrated the positive comments on the paragraph he wrote yesterday. Because writing is a struggle for him. But he did it and did it well. He worked on a secret project for his student teacher. I went outside to read for a bit because it’s supposed to rain hard later. It’s windy outside and a little bit cool but still pleasant.

Phil worked out and is now watching an old F1 race that our son has joined in watching. It would seem that we’re in for a sort of calm day. Or at least, we are for the moment.

It’s 7:30 p.m. now, and I would say the day has been mostly that. It rained all afternoon which kept us indoors more than usual, although I’m not sure anything is “usual” anymore. Academic time was logged. Dishes were washed. Laundry was folded. As I was folding laundry, I decided to start matching the mis-matched sock pile. Last week Phil did a major cleaning of his part of the bedroom, and it looks amazing. I wanted mine to match, so I started sorting through all the stuff that just piles up on the floor. Why it does, I don’t know. Sometimes making decisions is hard. I threw a bunch of stuff away and salvaged a bunch of stuff to make more masks. There’s a towering pile of potential materials on my sewing box sitting right at the dining room table, so I can’t ignore it.

I managed to create order out of my own personal chaos in the bedroom and I feel so much better about walking in there and living in there. I did some reading for the contest judging. I made a second pot of coffee and realized the coffee pot needed to be cleaned. It’s always good to discover this in an afternoon or evening instead of morning, so I ran vinegar and water through once and then two pots of water. I’m hoping tomorrow’s coffee will come out better than today’s. 

Confession: sometimes I make an afternoon pot of coffee so I can eat something sweet. Remember the shortbread Phil made yesterday? Yeah, I’ve been snacking on it today, and it tastes really good with coffee or tea.

We struggled a little with active time and chore time, but overall things went pretty well today. Dinner came together well–butter chicken thighs with rice and roasted vegetables. We watched Good Mythical Morning’s Ice Cream Tournament of Champions. A family member recommended Good Mythical Morning and it looks like it will not disappoint. We’re doing okay with family shows to watch. I’m about to be in a show hole myself, so I’m auditioning new evening companions via Netflix and Prime. If you’ve got a rec, I’d love to hear it. (It’s not that there’s nothing to choose from; it’s that there’s too much to choose from and I want it to be good.)

After dinner, I did some Just Dance songs with my daughter because she wants companionship when she does things. I won’t say I killed it, but I killed it on a couple of dances. I may also have uttered the phrase, “You know TikTok didn’t invent dancing, right?” (She’s not on TikTok but watches YouTubers who are.)

This brings us close to bedtime, and I haven’t yet decided what my evening will look like. I may try to make another mask. Or get closer to finishing the cross-stitch. There might also be ice cream. The possibilities are endless! (Okay, not really, but there are at least possibilities.)

I made masks and watched two episodes of The West Wing. I think the straps are too small on one of the masks, but maybe they’ll fit around one of my children’s large heads? Dunno.

Day 49: Here we are again. It’s Friday. I didn’t sleep soundly. This is becoming the norm. In one dream last night, I left my son at a movie theater with older adult friends. (He’s 10.) And for some reason, I couldn’t get back to him. Maybe it was the influence of The West Wing episode I watched where three staffers are left behind by the motorcade and have a heck of a time getting back to D.C. I don’t know. It doesn’t make for good sleep.

I used my new wireless headphones to listen to Pray As You Go. And scroll through social media. I woke before my alarm went off, so now the coffee is brewing and I’m ready for breakfast. The kids are on screens. Fridays can be as hard as Mondays to get motivated, sometimes.

So I planned to do my workout this morning instead of this afternoon, just to get myself moving. I put on my workout clothes then checked in with the kids about their schoolwork. Son had a virtual field trip as his assignment today, which was really cool. He learned about Yellowstone. I did my workout while they did schoolwork. Then I transitioned to housework–the ever-present dishes and laundry. The mail came. I got a birthday card from a writer friend. And a package for the whole family that we’re waiting to open till Phil gets home.

Later, I got a birthday present from my grandmother. It’s a scale because ours is broken, and it’s not that we’re obsessed with our weight numbers; we just like to have the information. It’s sleek and fancy-looking. No weighing myself till tomorrow, though.

We had lunch. Son’s class meeting went long, which was no problem, but now the kids are lingering a little over lunch, the boy especially. Daughter is doing more schoolwork. A pile of laundry sits in the living room for them to fold. I took a shower then went out to the porch to read. I’m feeling sleepy, but I think I just need to drink more water. I’ll probably go back outside. It’s just too nice not to be out there.

This was pretty much my afternoon, bouncing back and forth between the porch and inside. At one point, I had to call my doctor’s office so they could complete some paperwork that I hope will lower the cost of my next injection. It was a five-minute phone call but I’m so grateful for the nurse who is working on this for me.

I made soup for dinner and Phil got home from work. I talked to my mom on the phone for a bit. We opened a package for the family during dinner. There was a little something for everyone in it. We watched another episode of Jim Gaffigan’s “Let’s Get Cookin” because it makes the kids chuckle hilariously. After dinner, the kids went outside to play. I worked on a shopping list for Phil, who is going to the grocery store tomorrow. And I made a hummus for my meal plan snacks in the coming weeks.

I started listening to The Outlander Podcast earlier in the day. It’s definitely not like Office Ladies, but it’s an interesting look behind the scenes. I don’t know what it says about me that one of my leisure activities is listening to podcasts about shows I love. After the kids went to bed, I finished listening to episode 2 while coloring a picture to send to friends.

Then, on the recommendation of a friend, I started watching When Calls the Heart. I know there’s a big fandom out there for this show, and I enjoyed the first episode, although I was a little bit distracted. It was kind of hodge-podge day so I think my attention span was limited. That doesn’t mean I’m giving up on it.

Day 50: So that’s a fun number. And by “fun” I mean “not at all fun.” I know we’re getting restless. I read it on social media, and there just seems to be something in the air. Phil and I have both noticed more cars on the road. My fear is that our restlessness will make us reckless and we’ll be in a worse position than we are now. Sigh. One day at a time.

I weighed myself this morning, not because I consider it torture but because I like concrete information. I’ve gained about 3 pounds in the last two months, which in all honesty, could have been a much higher number considering how much dessert I’m eating. I don’t berate myself for numbers on the scale, just use it to make adjustments as necessary.

Now, we’re all awake and sliding into Saturday with what I’m sure will be low motivation to do anything except veg out. I feel it, too. But it’s going to be almost 70 outside today. Outside time is a MUST.

Well, it’s almost 10 o’clock and all of us have been outside for at least a little while. I ate breakfast and read a book, then got ready to do my workout. Switching to mornings the last few days has been helpful for the rest of the day, I think. I don’t know if I can keep to this schedule, but for now, it’s working. The kids went outside and rode their bikes. I washed dishes. The boy is taking a bath because he talked me into skipping shower time yesterday. Hmmm…

The kids told me they’ve made a scavenger hunt for my birthday to find my gift so if I find any clues don’t look at them yet. I can’t wait!

Made a snack. Then I’m going to transition into some work time.

A little writing, a little reading, then lunch. More reading. And then my second workout of the day, live. It was a challenge, but kind of fun to be participating at the same time as thousands of people around the globe. Then it was another snack and a shower.

More reading and responding to Phil’s grocery texts. I cooked bacon and prepared a salad for dinner. When Phil got home, the kids helped put the groceries away, and then wanted to do the scavenger hunt right away. We decided it would be better to let Phil shower and eat dinner before we did that. Our daughter kept trying to tell me the instructions for the hunt, but I kept telling her I wanted to wait until just before the hunt. It was almost an ordeal.

We ate dinner and watched an episode of Absurd! Planet which was less gross and a little funnier than the first episode.

Then it was time for the hunt. I was handed a notebook with my first clue along with a card I could not open until I found the gift. There were eight clues, each hidden in some part of the house. For one clue, my son basically told me where it was because I was taking too long to find it. They both hovered, waiting eagerly for me to find each hidden piece of paper. Finally, I was led to their bedroom and under my daughter’s dresser. I took my gift back to the couch to open it. I read the card, which was full of alphabetical adjectives for me, and admired a hand-painted gift from my daughter. Then I unwrapped the present.

It was Code Names, a board game, and we decided to play it. After a short call to a friend who had been trying to reach us, we paired up and played the game. It was fun and not terribly difficult.

We put the kids to bed, then watched the Parks and Rec special from Thursday night, and the season finale of Brooklyn-99. Both provided some much-needed laughter.

Day 51: I woke up with the intention of going for a run. It took a little time to get out of bed and get going. I did listen to Pray As You Go. I got up and had breakfast and made coffee. I wanted to drink a bunch of water before heading out because I was feeling a little bit dehydrated. By about 7:45 I was ready to go, intending to run 3 miles again this morning. The humidity is starting to increase. I could feel that right away, and wearing a mask made my face hot pretty quickly, but I persisted in wearing it until I was through the park. I’ve encountered enough walkers not wearing masks that I like to have mine ready just in case.

I knew sort of where my stopping point would be and I reached the 3 miles before that point, so I kept going. I did a 5K distance of 3.1 in about 40 minutes. Felt good.

Phil drove to a store to get a few things that were missing from yesterday’s grocery trip, but the line to get in was so long, he came home so he wouldn’t be late for online church, which is going live every Sunday now. I took a quick shower and we got our Communion elements ready. Participated in online church and sermon discussion. The kids spent some time on screens and some time outside. It’s a gorgeous day outside. I can’t wait to be out there more.

I ate lunch after church. Phil got ready to go for a run. I washed dishes after I finished eating. The kids are getting bored with quarantine life, I can tell. Son is reluctantly sorting through his collection of cars to figure out which ones work on his Hot Wheels track or not. Phil is finishing his workout and our daughter is coaching him a little.

I spent most of the afternoon on the porch reading fiction because that’s how I wanted to spend my pre-birthday celebration. Phil and our daughter made a cake. And Phil ordered our food for the evening.

We had a delicious birthday feast. I had three tender lamb chops. Our daughter had pork cutlets. Son ate pork sliders. Phil had shrimp stuffed with crab. We also ordered a bottle of wine that cost the same as my age, and I make zero apologies. We each had a glass with dinner. Then with dessert. Then later when we toasted with friends via Zoom. More on that.

After dinner, we just turned on the TV and watched Little Big Shots followed by The Wall. And ate the chocolate cake. Delish.

Phil arranged for a FaceTime toast with our dear friends who live in Arizona. So, at 9 p.m., after we put the kids to bed, we called our friends and talked and toasted for nearly 2 hours.  It was such a gift. Sunday felt like my birthday even though the actual day is not until tomorrow.

We went to bed late, having split a bottle wine. I feared the morning might be rough.

Five more days in the life of isolation and quarantine. We cover a lot of ground in this edition. I realize I made a counting error. I get a letter from overseas. We have porch visitors. And, as always, there’s food! Shall we begin?

Day 41: I’ve seen others with different counts for the day of quarantine/isolation we’re on. I’m not sure how we all arrive at different numbers. Maybe some started earlier than us. Anyway, for us, it’s day 40. Unless I miscounted somewhere along the way. I have big feelings about this number. And it’s supposed to rain all day. Hoping I can stay positive and not lose my shiitake with the rest of the family.

I DID miscount. I counted day 35 twice! That’s okay. It’s officially day 41! Maybe it’s good that I didn’t know yesterday was day 40. I still can hardly believe it.

Breakfast and coffee as usual. Phil is working out in the living room.

School went pretty well today. I don’t know what the “secret” is to a good day. Maybe it’s not anything I have any control over. It’s mostly not. My son got through his work before 9 a.m. and then did some coding online. I washed dishes and listened to Office Ladies. And read some more for my judging job. Phil worked on the tub drain, clearing it out, and patched a blow-up cat chair that’s had a leak for months.

We tuned in to The Price is Right again for high schoolers during kids’ week and it was as entertaining as I hoped it would be. More academics after lunch. Sometimes this middle of the day time span feels like a blur and I can’t remember exactly how I spent that time. Maybe it doesn’t matter, but it does kind of bother me. After the second class meeting, I worked on some things I needed to do for the judging job and printed my materials for the next week of my fitness and nutrition program. The kids practiced band. There was a little bit of fighting. And they folded towels. Everything having to do with the checklist went better today.

I talked to our friend David on the phone briefly. Phil came home and I started putting dishes away and working on dinner. Dinner didn’t go exactly as I had hoped. We ran out of parchment paper last week and I forgot to put it on the list for the grocery store. And we’re not making extra trips to the store. So, I used foil instead and the fish stuck to it and one piece didn’t cook so well, but it was mostly edible. We watched a Mr. Bean episode that was hilarious and hinged on a long joke. 

Now the kids are doing Just Dance to round out their active time since it’s raining outside. Phil and I made the produce list for the week. He’s looking though cookbooks for a pickled ginger recipe. I picked a new puzzle and I’m considering getting it out and starting it. I also need to stretch and I may take a bath tonight. My muscles are sore from all the ways I’ve been working them this week. New exercises start tomorrow, and I’m kind of excited.

After Just Dance it was chill time. I opened the puzzle and started sorting pieces while listening to more of Andrew Peterson reading book 1 in The Wingfeather Saga. The rest of that video was my cue to put the kids in bed. They went to bed without much fuss. Considering how the day started, I wasn’t sure we would have an okay day. And we did.

I put on the last episode of season 3 of The West Wing while I stretched and rolled out my sore muscles. Then I worked on the cross-stitch project. I ended the night with an episode of Grace and Frankie. This is my balance on nights when Phil has to go to bed early for work–a little drama, a little comedy.

Day 42: I woke at 5:15, a full hour before my alarm goes off. And I felt rested, which is a new feeling for me these days. I drank water, took my medication and grabbed a book. I listened to Pray As You Go and scrolled socials, then read for about 30 minutes. Since I’m starting a new set of workouts today, I decided to take body measurements again. Our scale broke last month, so this is the way I’m tracking progress. Although it’s not really about that for me. I like the way I feel when I’m exercising. It helps my mental state and gives me something to look forward to and check off on these endless days of sameness.

I made coffee. The kids are still sleeping. Our son lost a tooth yesterday. I’m waiting to see if the tooth fairy remembered to pay him a visit. At least there’s a pandemic to blame if he didn’t.

The kids are awake now. I’m about to sneak in to the bedroom and see if the tooth fairy came. Asking my son outright always feels a bit obvious. I need to eat breakfast, too. And now I have a puzzle to work on. It’s Friday, which in some ways is a relief because the school work pressure eases, but in other ways is not because the weekend is no longer the weekend. We can’t go anywhere, and I’m not always good at making our own fun. 

It’s night now and the kids are not sleeping. I think it was the chocolate cake for dessert. Or maybe there’s a full moon and I don’t know about it. They’re mostly just talking but it’s loud enough for me to hear it through the wall shared with the living room. I’ve been in there numerous times, and I’m afraid the only thing that’s going to work is turning the light off. Then there will be screaming and I’d really like to sleep tonight.

A recap of the day:

The tooth fairy came as usual.

The day was so-so overall. Because it’s Friday we’re less motivated to keep up with our schedule, I guess. The kids started out doing Just Dance at 8:30 this morning.

They did this for more than 30 minutes without fighting, so I’ll take it. Then they moved on to coding while sitting next to each other at the table. I washed dishes and did some work reading. And I made progress on the puzzle. I purposely picked a smaller one so I could finish it sooner. I’m still not over the last puzzle I did.

My son played a form of Bingo with his classmates as they reviewed time, and he was one of the winners. After his class meeting the kids kept coding online. I put together some lunch for myself and turned on The Price is Right. College kids today, which is not all that different than adults. Still, it’s fun to watch. The kids weren’t as interested but did wander in after they grabbed some lunch. 

The afternoon was hit and miss. I folded some laundry and got ready to work out. Daughter went back to academics and I had to take the computer from my son so I could follow along with some of the videos to learn some new exercises. He got bored and I had to keep interrupting. Meanwhile, a friend was expected to stop by to drop off some planters we’d loaned them. We waved through the window because it’s goodbye for now as they’re moving out of state.

I finished my workout and helped my son with his homework a little bit. We were still working on it around 3 o’clock, which is frustrating for a Friday. But he finished most of it. Our daughter had a music lesson with her band teacher, and that was fun to listen in on. I’m looking forward to my kids getting back to regular lessons for their instruments.

I started prepping for dinner: homemade pizza night. I chopped the ingredients for toppings but waited till Phil got home to work on the crust. It’s a no-yeast recipe we’ve been using regularly so it doesn’t take much time. After he got home, I finished the pizza prep while he showered. He finished just in time to help me get it into the oven. We cook it in a large cast-iron pan that’s hard for me to handle. 

We watched a new series on Netflix called Absurd Planet. It’s … uh … interesting. The kids enjoyed it, though. The kids took showers and zoned out on screens. I did some work on the puzzle and took a shower. Phil turned the NFL draft on and we watched a little until he had to go to bed. It is 9:40 p.m. as I write and I can still hear the children talking. Lord of Heaven, please let them sleep in.

I’ve watched a couple of episodes of Grace and Frankie and did some online shopping while prepping meal plans for the next week or so. I should have been in bed a while ago. It won’t be long now and I may sleep in tomorrow.

Day 43: Weirdly restless night. I mean, I slept, but it’s not good sleep. But I didn’t really wake up till almost 7, so maybe that’s good? Not sure what time the kids got up but they’re already on screens. I made coffee and took my blood pressure, which was high, so now I’m waiting a few minutes to take it again. Seems like it’s high in the morning but comes down during the day with the medicine’s help. I’m not sure if that’s better than what it was doing before, keeping it consistently low. Stress and dehydration, I feel are contributing factors. Only one of those can I do something about with any consistency. (Drink. More. Water.)

Another Saturday. What shall we do with our day? Daughter has a book club this afternoon. And I have a live yoga session I could attend, which I’m considering. There’s the usual housework. The puzzle. And random cleaning projects I keep putting off. Also, I have reading and writing work I could do. So. Many. Choices. I think that’s one of the hard things about all this unscheduled time. I don’t always know how to spend it. And maybe I don’t need to always know either.

I took the garden plants outside to water them and repotted the gerbera daisies to give them a little more life. We haven’t done the garden yet–too wet and too cold–so digging in the dirt a little bit was good for my soul. The kids had come outside to play as I was finishing up. It was pleasant out so I took my work to the porch and sat down. Not long after I’d settled in, the kids were done biking. After only 15 minutes, they were tired. This is not a good sign. I feel the need to push them a little harder to stay active. I did strongly suggest that they stay outside for a while because it had rained all day yesterday and tomorrow is calling for rain. Daughter brought her book club book outside. Son brought the rest of his breakfast then complained constantly about how it was so boring sitting outside. I gave him a bunch of options for things he could do while outside and he rejected all of them. He did stay outside until 10 a.m., which was the cutoff time I had set, but he wasn’t happy about it. C’est la vie!

I had a snack and worked on the puzzle some. I’m down to all white pieces, the spray from Niagara Falls, so it’s taking a little longer. Then I grabbed some materials and my computer and decided to try to make a cloth mask. I had a no-sew T-shirt pattern that I wanted to try, but it didn’t turn out right. There was too much material left when I was done. So, I tackled the sew version even though I don’t have a sewing machine. It took me a while to figure out, but I’m happy with the result. It’s not pretty or fancy but it works. It was close to 11:30 by then so I got myself some lunch and reminded the children that they, too, should eat lunch. I worked on the puzzle a bit then started gathering things for my live yoga session at 1. The training program I’m part of is offering a series of live sessions in the coming weeks. I have not done yoga really before–one time during a women’s group when I was volunteering with refugees–so I was kind of nervous. It was rough because I’m not familiar with the terminology and I’m not flexible. I think I may need to add some yoga into my workout routines. I gave up before it was over because the Instagram feed quit on me. So, I quit on it and went to my workout for the day. My arms and shoulders are killing me as I transition back to strength training after a month of cardio. I can’t wait to run tomorrow.

I started washing dishes after that so I’d have some things clean for dinner prep. Phil came home while I was doing dishes. We caught up on our days a little bit, then I got to work on dinner because our son was playing a handheld game on the couch and the noise from it was causing some minor insanity in my brain. I retreated to the kitchen to put some distance between myself and the sounds.

Soup and salad dinner night while watching Night at the Museum 2. This one Phil and I hadn’t seen, and the kids laughed as much during this one as they did the first one. A good way to spend the evening. I made a second mask after I was done with dinner. Cross-stitch skills come in handy when you don’t have a sewing machine.

The rest of the fam helped me bring the plants in from the porch. Now we’re killing time till the kids go to bed, which will be early tonight because they were up so late last night and still up early this morning. My son swears he’s not tired and won’t go to sleep right away. I’ll take that bet. This isn’t my first bedtime rodeo.

Phil and I watched Brooklyn-99 and an episode of Poldark.

Day 44: This is the first day that I haven’t tracked the entire day, or anything about it really until it’s already night. Part of that is because we did a screen-free afternoon with the kids and put our devices in the bin as well. Here’s a little bit of how things went today:

I made breakfast and coffee. The kids were on screens all morning. I decided to spend the morning working on a breakfast dish for the rest of the week. I wanted to get that and some dishes washed first thing this morning so that I could go for a run this afternoon. I made the baked oatmeal and got through the dishes, then I got dressed and worked on the puzzle while we waited for church to start. It was live church today. Phil worked out this morning.

Live church started at 10, so Phil and I tuned in. The kids were a little bit out of sorts. We told them our screens were going away after it was over. By the time we took a break for our sermon discussion, the kids were throwing fits about not having screens. They both curled up under blankets on the couches and sulked. Our son actually fell asleep and napped for a little bit.

Things turned around a little as we worked on lunch. Phil and I sat at the table and worked on the puzzle. Then it was time to go for my run. I was waiting for the temperature to warm up since it was going to rain all day. It was raining when I left, but it wasn’t too cold. My plan was three miles, and I did three miles. It took me 40 minutes, which feels like a slow pace but really wasn’t too bad.  I’m just really glad to have done the miles. I’m going to keep going with three miles on future runs. The kids were occupying themselves pretty well when I got home. Phil was working on the puzzle.

I showered. Phil got ready to nap. I put some laundry in. The kids were fussing with each other a little bit. Things got a little heated. I yelled. The kids got irritated. There was a rough stretch where our son needed to be escorted to his room and a cup of watercolor water got spilled in the living room. It was the low point of the day. But I rage cleaned the bathroom sink and organized our growing pile of stuff to give away. These two things took not a lot of time but offer me a lot of joy right now.

I worked on the puzzle in the quiet of the house. I finished it before dinner, then worked on making dinner. We let the kids get back on screens around 5 p.m. We did a quick video call with grandparents before doing another video call with our niece to play a game of Uno with her. She fell asleep partway through and we still had a nice visit with the kids’ aunt and uncle. Playing games via video call is something I never considered before this time of our lives, and it’s something I want to continue when it’s all over.

The kids went to bed. Phil and I are watching episodes of The Office, and we realized that this season first aired while Phil and I were recovering from our marriage crisis. So we don’t remember these episodes as well as some of the other ones we’ve watched. 

Overall, this day had some ups and downs. But I think we’re going to do the screen-free again next week.

Day 45: The highlight of this day so far–it’s 11:30 now–is the letter I received from my friend in England.

She and I have been pen pals for more than 20 years. We met in the general store of the college I attended for a semester there, working together and learning the trade together. She is one of my best treasures from that magical semester. We only communicate via mail, and I was worried about her and how she’s faring in these trying times. A letter from her was such a lift to my spirits. We also received our postal order–stamps and postcards–today. More mail to send!

I had trouble getting out of bed this morning. I silenced the alarm twice then picked up my phone and scrolled a little before listening to Pray As You Go. Today’s lingering question is what do you need from the Lord to fill your Spirit? The letter from my English friend was part of the answer.

Breakfast and coffee. I planned my week for work (mine) and meetings (the kids’). It’s not a lot of scheduling but it’s necessary for me to find the time I need for my own work and goals. I met with the kids a little after 8 to look at their plans for the day and a little bit for the week. We have band lessons scheduled now, so I want to make sure we don’t forget those. Phil worked out. I researched wireless headphones for my birthday gift from my parents.

While my son worked on his schoolwork, I read for my judging job. Daughter also did schoolwork. Son met with his class as usual. And then it was lunchtime. I didn’t do any housework yet this morning, and I’m not sure why. Wasn’t feeling the need for it immediately. I have the usual dishes to wash and laundry to fold. I have time this afternoon.

Our daughter was able to video chat with her best friend this morning, too, and that improves her mood greatly.

I also spent part of the morning planning my birthday celebration. It’s a terrible time to be having a birthday, but we’re still going to celebrate. We’re ordering fancy takeout from a local restaurant, something we haven’t done at all yet, fancy or not, since the quarantine. And I launched a birthday mission on social media. (You can check it out here if you want.) Just trying to have a little fun when life is not always so much fun.

As I ate lunch, I watched some videos related to today’s workout so I’ll be prepped and ready to go for that. I still can’t believe I ran three miles yesterday. The question now is how high will I go in mileage? I want to run the three miles a few more times before increasing the distance, but I’m just thrilled right now at my body’s ability to recover. Six months ago, I was approaching surgery and spent an entire month in recovery, unsure what my body would be capable of when it was over. Maybe in some ways, we’re all in recovery right now and we’re not sure what’s going to happen on the other side of it. I still want to believe there is good on the other side. But I know it’s hard to keep up that hope.

I forgot to mention yesterday that the mourning doves are back. I left a hanging plant outside overnight and they rediscovered it. Today, they’ve both visited the potential nesting site. I’m guessing we’ll have baby birds later this spring.

Laundry and dishes took up some after lunch time for me. The kids did more of their academic time and our daughter had another Zoom meeting in the afternoon. I read more of my book for judging. Around 1:30 I got ready to work out, which meant I had to ask for my computer back from my son and pop into the background of my daughter’s Zoom meeting to get my workout clothes from the bedroom. 

My workout was challenging. I’m building strength again, so I’m trying new workouts and working new muscles and generally enjoying the change of pace. The kids both showered and practiced band while I was finishing up  my workout. Not long after I finished my workout, while I was preparing my snack, Phil got home from work. There’s a nice little stretch now before I need to start working on dinner. These are the moments that stretch out and feel like longer than they are. When you’re used to being busy, all the down time can be jarring. It’s like when I was trying to practice yoga on Saturday. My body starts to resist before I can even get started. Rest. Sitting still. These things don’t come easy to me.

I made a beautiful and delicious soup for dinner. We watched Some Good News that left Phil and I in tears. Then Phil switched to some Cubs content. It only made me miss baseball more. Our son went outside to play. Daughter had ice cream. Son had ice cream when he came in. I took a shower. The kids went to screens, and I filed out some more cards to mail to people.

Put the kids to bed. Watched Outlander, followed by the last episode of Season 6 of Grace and Frankie. I colored a picture while I watched my shows.