Survivor Coronavirus

When our  -what turned out to be-  8-week stay-at-home order began, a friend asked me how she could pray for me.  I asked her to pray for creativity and patience.

We are big fans of Survivor and have watched every episode.  In a time of no sports, the 40th season of Survivor turned out to be a weekly high point, and that's where I came up with the idea of doing a Survivor Home Edition.

The rules were simple.  There was no getting off the island, so no one would get their fires snuffed out.  No immunity challenges, only reward challenges.  There were hidden advantages to the challenges, hidden "immunity from chores" idols, and hidden fire tokens - which could be turned in for candy.

Because we were under a stay-at-home order, I had to use what I had around the house for challenges and rewards.  Lydia was selling candy bars for a fundraiser before the coronavirus, so we had 60 fundraiser candy bars! (We didn't use them all!!!)  I also rewarded passes for extra screen time and staying up past bedtime.

Challenges varied from 1-3 a week, depending on how creative and energetic I felt.  The Survivor Home Edition Finale was the night of the airing of the final episode of the 40th season of Survivor.  We had rice for dinner, obviously.

I considered putting together multiple episodes, but that was going to take way too much time.  And probably would have never gotten done!  Here is a compilation of our Survivor Coronavirus.  My videography is not great.  I missed whole sections of challenges and even whole challenges, so there's a good chance this video will only make sense to us!  I also sped up many of the clips in the interest of keeping the video relatively short, so your eyes are not playing tricks on you!

I'm pretty sure God gave me more creativity than patience.  Haha!  But I hope that sometime down the road, my kids will be sitting around a fire together sharing a beer and laughing. "Remember when..." everything got shut down and Mom fetched a plan to help us lighten up during a very sad time in our history.  She's crazy, but she sure does love us.

stay-at-home order comes to an end

After 52 days, our governor has released us from the stay-at-home order.  The guideline now is limiting social engagements to gatherings of up to 10 people.  I think any store can be open now, "essential" or "nonessential".  Even some malls are opening.  There are restrictions on number of customers, social distancing guidelines, and usually employees are wearing masks.  Some stores require customers to wear masks, some only allow one family member the enter, some don't allow children, etc.  Many stores offer curb-side pickup or delivery.  Many stores have reduced hours and hours set aside for vulnerable individuals. So, it is definitely not business as usual. 

More medical specialists are starting to reopen as well.  Dentists and orthodontists are opening up for routine visits next week.  However, we had our first urgent need to see a doctor this weekend.  Reggie had a bloody nose, which is normal for him, but we couldn't get it to stop for over an hour.  It was on Saturday, and we really didn't want to take him to urgent care.  Our neighbor is a nurse and she convinced me it was time to take him in.  Just as we were getting ready to go, it stopped!  On Monday I tried to get him in to his doctor, but they were still only doing virtual visits.

We still can't dine-in at restaurants.  Bars, salons, barbershops, theaters, etc are all still closed.  Many of these places are expected to be allowed to open on June 1st.  It sounds like we should get a definitive answer about youth baseball and softball on June 1st.  Bryan will also be expected to return to the office.

Bryan and I celebrated our 17th anniversary on Sunday.  Obviously we couldn't go on a date, so maybe we will do something special later.

We are in our 8th week of distance learning.  Two more weeks to go.  Distance learning has some of the benefits of homeschooling.  For the most part, we are done for the day when our work is done.  But on the downside, we are tied down to virtual appointments whenever the teachers decide they want them (tho we are told they are "optional").  Yesterday, between 1-3 kids had virtual meetings for the entire time from 11-3.  Juggling schedules and technology and keeping kids on top of things is basically all I get done much of the day.  Another frustration that I don't have with homeschool, but I do have with distance learning is I am expected to carry out the teacher's expectations.  In one specific situation, the teacher told Reggie he could work ahead in his math book, even though he was getting most of the problems wrong.  I disagreed, but I was getting trumped by the teacher. I understand there was no plan in place for how distance learning would work until we were all thrown into it, but I hope there will be some restructuring if we end up here again next year.

During the stay-at-home order, we have tried all different ways of grocery shopping.  We did an Aldi's delivery through Instacart, curbside pickup, and Amazon Fresh delivery, in addition to physically shopping in the store.  Amazon Fresh was probably the most hassle free. We knew what was out of stock ahead of time and actually got what we ordered and it was delivered to our door the next day.  But it was more expensive than Aldi's and Costco and on many items more than HyVee. 

The hardest items to find in stores have been toilet paper, hand sanitizer, disinfecting spray, and disinfecting wipes.  Toilet paper is pretty easy to find now.  My mom bought hand sanitizer and mailed it to us.  We finally got disinfecting spray last week from Amazon Fresh, but we still haven't found wipes.  We haven't run out yet.  I used to use them around the house for convenience, but now they are being rationed.  For the first time, the kids have to use actual cleaning cloths for their cleaning chores! 

It is not uncommon for stores to limit purchases.  All of the above items have limits.  I always buy 2 big jugs of vinegar when I go to Costco (once a month).  I use it in the laundry, for washing produce, and cleaning windows and mirrors.  The last time I was at Costco I had my two jugs, and the cashier took one back.  Apparently I had missed the "limit 1" sign.  Many stores have been limiting meat purchases.  Fortunately, we stocked our freezer before there were concerns about meat shortages, so that hasn't been a problem for us. Other items with limits or that have been out of stock when I've shopped include canned soups, vegetables and fruits, frozen vegetables, pasta, flour, crisco, hand soaps, cleaners, vitamins, and cold remedies.

Today I paid almost $3.00 for a gallon of milk at Aldi.  Before, I was paying less than $2.00.  How ironic that I used to pay close to $3.00 for a gallon of gas and now it is around $1.70.  We have probably been going through more milk than gas! 

This post is written to help the kids remember what life was like during the Covid-19 pandemic.  I have a couple of fun posts in the works.  We've been doing some silly games and we also did the Special Olympics Virtual Summer Games, but it's taking me a lot of time to sift through the pictures and videos.  Stay tuned.

Rube Goldberg Challenge!

Here was today's "class" project!  I've always wanted to do this but never had time!

Coronavirus Mother's Day

I have to allow myself to be a little vulnerable here.  Mother's Day wasn't great.  It's not that Bryan and the kids didn't try to make the day special for me.  I got the day off from cooking, Bryan the kids got me a new canvas chair just like I asked, and the kids bestowed lovely handmade gifts and cards upon me.  They also complied (tho begrudgingly) with my request for a Mother's Day picture.  But it was a cold and dreary day which had us all cooped up mostly inside for another day of quarantine.  I spent too much of the day thinking about past mother's days we spent with my mom or mother-in-law and grandmothers.  Last year the kids "took" me to the greenhouse to pick out flowers for our front yard pots.  I just couldn't muster myself up to embrace this situation and be thankful.  But today is a new day and despite the cold, the sun is shining.

Last week was interesting.  First, we got new appliances.  Our dishwasher has been needing a lot of maintenance. Back in January, there was a small leak again.  We decided to finally make the switch to stainless steel and replace everything.  I am an indecisive person.  When making big purchases, I have to research every option. So when Covid-19 hit, I had almost made my selections but was comparing two refrigerators. Once the store could take orders for delivery and installation again, I called and ordered my appliances, but over the course of time I mixed up the two refrigerators and ordered the wrong one.  On Tuesday, the range, dishwasher, and microwave were delivered and installed, and the frig was sent back because it was too wide.  We got the right frig on Saturday. 

The kids played with the box for four hours!

Brett had an eye appointment on Wednesday.  I had assumed it was canceled, so it's a good thing the clinic called to tell us to bring masks!  The appointment was awkward. I feel like I have to relearn social graces for the current times.  We were screened for Covid-19 over the phone before we arrived.  Then we were told to wait in our car until they called for us to come in.  They were limiting the number of patients in the waiting room at a time.  The doors were all propped open.  When the person before us left the waiting room, the front desk worker immediately went and wiped down all the surfaces that he had touched. And for the first time in my life, I did not have to fill out any paperwork in a doctor's office!  I'm fine with them keeping that protocol!  The exam was pretty normal, except we were both required to wear masks and Brett had not yet been in a situation where he had to wear one.  He didn't like it, but at least he understands why it is necessary and was relatively compliant.  We were sent back to the car to wait for his eyes to dilate. It's time for Brett to get new glasses, but our insurance changes on June 1st, so that was a nice excuse to put off picking out new frames.

Wednesday was the best weather day of the week, so we did something I've been wanting to do for a long time.  A couple years ago, a new bridge was built across the St. Croix to Wisconsin.  There is a nice walking/bicycle path on the bridge, so we walked across it.  Lydia had an injured toe and didn't  want to walk the whole way, so the boys walked all the way to Wisconsin and back and Lydia and I walked halfway! 

marathon

We've heard we are in a marathon.  That this virus is going to be a long struggle.  Our governor said last week that we were in the 20th mile of the marathon, and that miles 20-26 are the hardest.  He said this as he announced our stay-at-home order was being extended for two more weeks.  At the same time, he has taken baby steps to open up more businesses and get people back to work.  It feels like a paradox.  Businesses are opening but we are being told to stay at home.  We are told to only be out for essential shopping and close-to-home recreation, and not to gather with anyone outside our household.  But when we go out, traffic seems nearly normal and stores are packed.  Parents are being asked to return to work even though children aren't attending school and childcare is only available for essential workers.  I understand and appreciate the great amount of pressure the governor and other leaders are under - to balance between the well-being of our community and health of our economy.  There are certainly no easy answers or quick resolutions.  

And yet, we stay home.  

Here are two things we have done to try to keep things fun at home recently.  Both were Bryan's ideas.  We had each kid plan a meal of their choice, find a recipe if we needed one, make a list of groceries we needed, and help prepare it.  Lydia even shopped the grocery ad and calculated how much it would cost.  

Brett has a cookbook with a collection of recipes from different baseball parks.  He chose pizza baked potatoes and chocolate banana malts.  These were the only recipes that were actually new to us.

Lydia wanted our version of Philly cheesesteak sandwiches, pineapple, and Doritos.  Lydia eats the sandwich like cheese bread and the steak on the side.

Reggie wanted to make homemade pizza and have cherry coke.

The other idea Bryan had was to give each kid some money from our stimulus check to "give, save, and spend".  The giving amount had to be given to an organization that was in some way supporting needs related to the pandemic.  Reggie chose a local ministry that supports urban youth and families.  Lydia chose an organization that feeds children worldwide, and Brett chose the red cross.  The kids pooled $20 of their money and bought a new PS4 game: WWE 2020.  In addition, Lydia bought a set of 120 colored pencils and the rest of her money was spent on robux.  Brett is working hard to earn extra money and is almost to his goal of buying a hoverboard.  Reggie is undecided on what he wants to spend his money on, but I think he's leaning toward a scooter. 

playing sports when all sports are canceled

While I had hoped our stay-at-home order would expire today, the governor has extended it for two more weeks, which will bring us to a total of 53 days. 

Saturday was supposed to be opening day at Reggie's little league ballpark.  The weather was perfect and it would have been a great day for it.  Last year was drizzly cold, but so much fun!  They made a big production of it, with "carnival games" and concessions and speeches and the national anthem - even our city's minor league team mascot was in attendance.   Instead, I fertilized the fruit trees and cleaned out the snack drawer.  Can I please go back to sitting in the cold drizzle?

One of the biggest events of the year for us is the Special Olympics Summer Games.  They have been canceled, which comes as a major letdown for Brett and Lydia.  They would have competed in the track events.

For the first time, I registered Lydia for fast pitch softball through the city league.  We don't know if they will have a season yet. 

Little League International announced last week that they will not have the regional tournaments or the Little League World Series this year, but Reggie may still get some play in locally.

Even though sports gatherings have been put on hold, sports abound at home.  Reggie has virtual wrestling class three times a week.  They have no-partner and partner (has to be someone you are quarantined with) options.  Sometimes I can bribe Brett to be Reggie's partner, and Bryan and I have also partnered up in a pinch.  It's the best substitution they can offer, but it's just not the same as a real practice.

The Special Olympics is hosting a Virtual Summer Games.  There is a list of events to "compete" in using the honor system by submitting your results online.  The upside to virtual games is Brett can do both track AND basketball.  Normally, the Lumberjacks only has the "A" team compete in basketball, and the rest of the athletes compete in track (otherwise there would be scheduling conflicts).  The obvious downsides are no fanfare or team component.  Lydia doesn't get to compete because she's a unified athlete, but she is training alongside Brett.  So is Reggie, and so am I.  See my spreadsheets?  We are keeping active!

Reggie's Little League is also hosting a contest.  Players have to do five drills every day for two weeks to enter a contest for prizes.  I have played more catch this week than I probably ever have!  I told Bryan that Reggie was teaching me how to catch.  Bryan told Reggie, "Good Luck!" 😜

We were very happy that our city opened up baseball fields last week, so we can hit balls at the neighborhood park again!

pastimes

pastime: something that amuses and serves to make time pass agreeably

I posted 8 posts in the month of April. The last time I wrote more than 6 posts in a month was in September of 2016.  After the kids returned to school, I caught the blog up on all the happenings of summer.  I guess you could say that writing is one of my pastimes, and in my normal life, I don't have much time or energy to do it.  

Another one of my pastimes is gardening. I have kept a vegetable garden nearly every year since we've owned property, but I usually have bigger ambitions than I have time for.  This year, I am way ahead of  schedule.  I planted an early spring garden in the second half of March.  It was an abnormally warm day for March.  Had we not been experiencing this pandemic, I would have been in a smelly gym crammed wall-to-wall with wrestling mats and people.  But I wasn't.  I needed some therapy - gardening therapy.  So Reggie and I went out and planted radishes, bok choy, and cold-weather loving lettuce varieties. The seeds were from previous years, so we had nothing to lose. I covered it with a plastic hoop house and a prayer.  And it grew!  I was sure when the temps dipped into the 20's for a few days, my experiment would have been lost, but hope prevailed, and we are already pulling up the radishes.  

For a couple of years, I've been planning to pull up my weedy asparagus patch and move it to a new box.  I finally got that done this spring.  I'm done planting the rest of my cool-season veggies - peas, kale, collard greens, and carrots.  I started my squash and cucs indoors and I'm getting them ready to go into the garden once the danger of frost is past (or a little before😉).

I've also been sewing masks.  I'm not talented enough, and I don't have enough time to make them to donate. I've only made them for us to use.

Bryan has taken on many yard projects that we've put off due to busy schedules.  The kids have been helping for extra money.

The kids have also been enjoying pastimes they normally don't have time to do.  Lydia has been playing her piano...even with lessons on hold...even without me nagging!  She has also already read the whole stack of used books Meemaw bought her in March.  Reggie in particular has spent more time building with Lego than he ever has before. And Brett, as usual, creates. Menus and mailboxes and shows and albums and stadiums and games.  He is an idea factory - that usually gets side tracked before the task is complete.  The boys spent 3 or 4 days trying to build a raft to use on the pond. Of course I knew they would fail miserably and that's why I wasn't worried.

Lydia and Brett even created this Lego stop motion video, and Reggie is also working on one.  I will post it when he's done.

I've always believed boredom birthed creativity and quarantine has certainly proven my case.  At an age where kids are starting to "grow out of" toys and playing, in a sense the quarantine has revived their childhood.