Tuesday Tidbits: Quarantine Edition
How's everyone doing out there? Are people struggling more as this quarantine continues, or are you settling into a routine that supports your needs? What is most surprising? What have you discovered about yourself?
I'm coping pretty well with the isolation and the staying at home, keeping busy with my own projects and goals, but I'm certainly challenged by trying to meet the needs of my little family. Three-year-olds and infants are very demanding in different ways and I often feel stretched to my limits. But we have more good days than bad days, and here are a few tidbits about the good things happening in our week:
1. Social distancing sports: Ady was really looking forward to starting tee ball this season, and she misses her gymnastics class, but we're discovering new ways to stay active during this time. We hike when the trails aren't too crowded, we played a modified game of baseball in the yard, and we had our first session of solo tennis lessons this week. I'm so thankful that the weather has been so warm and sunny!
2. Running: I started running again this week for the first time since Meredith was born. I'm out of shape and starting from zero, but it felt really good to get into the groove again! (Plus, I was so focused on my audiobook and on not peeing my pants that I actually forgot about the virus for a few minutes!)
3. Yarn projects: I haven't had enough leisure time (or two free hands!) to fulfill my grand ambitions of knitting this season, but I am working on these cute little Anna and Elsa crochet dolls for Ady! I do a few minutes here and there. We're also getting creative with yarn and popsicle sticks in homeschool art class!
4. But first, coffee: I took the plunge and bought myself a Ninja Specialty Coffee Maker last week. (I claim that it's my early Mother's Day gift from Meredith.) I've been really happy with the freshness and quality of the coffee, and I'm saving tons of money making my own cappuccinos and lattes!
5. Gratitude tree: To stay positive and hopeful during this time, I started a Gratitude Tree with Ady. Every morning she tells me what she's thankful for. It usually has something to do with animals, or flowers, or the characters from Frozen, but she's getting the idea.
6. Easter: Easter seems like an afterthought this year with everything else going on, but Ady and I carved out some homeschool time to dye eggs together. (Not pictured: the messy kitchen and multiple tantrums. Sometimes these things are more trouble than they're worth for a 3-year-old, but she had fun and really loves eating her colorful creations for breakfast!) I also had plans to buy some beautiful, overpriced, personalized Easter baskets from Pottery Barn this year, but shopping is just not a priority right now, so instead we made our own!
7. Baking: I'm really enjoying baking now that I'm home all day -- banana muffins, raisin bread, cookies, and cakes. This week I tried a new recipe for Almond Ricotta bars. I'm a sucker for anything almond or hazelnut flavored, and I love the texture of ricotta in baked goods. These were a hit! The only downside is not having anyone to share them with!
8. Virtual learning: There are so many fun learning opportunities we've discovered during homeschooling! Our favorite part of the day is the virtual safari with the Cincinnati Zoo, but we also love story time with Collected Works book store, Books and Babies YouTube videos, astronauts reading books from the International Space Station (Story Time From Space), FaceTime story time with grandparents, and this hilarious video of Grover reading Monster at the End of this Book. I think some students will really thrive with the online learning format.
9. Spring reads: And a few books on my reading list this month:
The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin
What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff
Lady Be Good by Amber Brock
Sula by Toni Morrison
The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum
Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates
10. Gardening: I'm feeling motivated to plant some bright, pretty flowers for spring now that I'm home all day, but I'm not sure how to go about buying flowers during quarantine (and I'm also not entirely confident that winter is truly over), so this is on hold for now. But I'm excited to see the bulbs I planted in the fall blooming!
Quarantine is hard and scary, and I think the most challenging part is the unknown. What was expected to be a couple weeks of isolation may now be 18-24 months of distancing until a vaccine is developed. But I believe that humans are resilient and adaptable. We got this.
I'm coping pretty well with the isolation and the staying at home, keeping busy with my own projects and goals, but I'm certainly challenged by trying to meet the needs of my little family. Three-year-olds and infants are very demanding in different ways and I often feel stretched to my limits. But we have more good days than bad days, and here are a few tidbits about the good things happening in our week:
1. Social distancing sports: Ady was really looking forward to starting tee ball this season, and she misses her gymnastics class, but we're discovering new ways to stay active during this time. We hike when the trails aren't too crowded, we played a modified game of baseball in the yard, and we had our first session of solo tennis lessons this week. I'm so thankful that the weather has been so warm and sunny!
 |
2. Running: I started running again this week for the first time since Meredith was born. I'm out of shape and starting from zero, but it felt really good to get into the groove again! (Plus, I was so focused on my audiobook and on not peeing my pants that I actually forgot about the virus for a few minutes!)
3. Yarn projects: I haven't had enough leisure time (or two free hands!) to fulfill my grand ambitions of knitting this season, but I am working on these cute little Anna and Elsa crochet dolls for Ady! I do a few minutes here and there. We're also getting creative with yarn and popsicle sticks in homeschool art class!
 |
| Crochet Anna and Elsa |
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| Yarn turtles |
4. But first, coffee: I took the plunge and bought myself a Ninja Specialty Coffee Maker last week. (I claim that it's my early Mother's Day gift from Meredith.) I've been really happy with the freshness and quality of the coffee, and I'm saving tons of money making my own cappuccinos and lattes!
 |
| Working on my cappuccino art |
5. Gratitude tree: To stay positive and hopeful during this time, I started a Gratitude Tree with Ady. Every morning she tells me what she's thankful for. It usually has something to do with animals, or flowers, or the characters from Frozen, but she's getting the idea.
 |
6. Easter: Easter seems like an afterthought this year with everything else going on, but Ady and I carved out some homeschool time to dye eggs together. (Not pictured: the messy kitchen and multiple tantrums. Sometimes these things are more trouble than they're worth for a 3-year-old, but she had fun and really loves eating her colorful creations for breakfast!) I also had plans to buy some beautiful, overpriced, personalized Easter baskets from Pottery Barn this year, but shopping is just not a priority right now, so instead we made our own!
 |
 |
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| Homemade baskets |
7. Baking: I'm really enjoying baking now that I'm home all day -- banana muffins, raisin bread, cookies, and cakes. This week I tried a new recipe for Almond Ricotta bars. I'm a sucker for anything almond or hazelnut flavored, and I love the texture of ricotta in baked goods. These were a hit! The only downside is not having anyone to share them with!
 |
| Almond ricotta bars |
8. Virtual learning: There are so many fun learning opportunities we've discovered during homeschooling! Our favorite part of the day is the virtual safari with the Cincinnati Zoo, but we also love story time with Collected Works book store, Books and Babies YouTube videos, astronauts reading books from the International Space Station (Story Time From Space), FaceTime story time with grandparents, and this hilarious video of Grover reading Monster at the End of this Book. I think some students will really thrive with the online learning format.
 |
| Virtual Safari - learning about flamingoes today |
9. Spring reads: And a few books on my reading list this month:
The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin
What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff
Lady Be Good by Amber Brock
Sula by Toni Morrison
The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum
Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates
10. Gardening: I'm feeling motivated to plant some bright, pretty flowers for spring now that I'm home all day, but I'm not sure how to go about buying flowers during quarantine (and I'm also not entirely confident that winter is truly over), so this is on hold for now. But I'm excited to see the bulbs I planted in the fall blooming!
Quarantine is hard and scary, and I think the most challenging part is the unknown. What was expected to be a couple weeks of isolation may now be 18-24 months of distancing until a vaccine is developed. But I believe that humans are resilient and adaptable. We got this.
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