It’s such a weird thing to say. Day fifteen of quarantine. I never would have imagined that in my lifetime I would experience something like this. Things are different everywhere I go, and I have to say I’m happy not to have come across the racism that I’ve seen online these days. It just makes me feel that the way humans think is just so… weird. So weird that I question why they think it’s okay to act in such a way. Do they have no shame?
THE BEGINNING
Anyway, let’s talk about that later. I live in Washington and the quarantine started on March 17th, 2020. It was a surreal feeling when two of my friends told me about the exact date. One texted and the other called, but nevertheless I felt their shock as well that all of this is real. We all heard it as soon as the governor announced it that Thursday of March 12th. Crazy enough, my friend and I just got home from having a coffee date and a trip to Hobby Lobby. I wonder when the next time we will be going to hobby lobby!
My kids didn’t go to school that Friday or Monday because they were actually sick with a cold. By the way, they were actually sick with a cold and not covid-19 if you’re thinking that deeply in your thoughts of thoughts. They’re all better now, thank you God! My husband and I thought it was just the right decision and it was confirmed by the school that their absences wouldn’t really count, anyway. I get emails of the kids when the kids are absent and the reason was called: SAFETY. Wow, that was a first I’ve seen that.
Since churches are gatherings of WAY more than ten or twenty five or I can’t even remember what it started out as, but now it’s church at home. I’m so thankful that our church has the option of watching it online to begin with, but it’s especially amazing during this time. We are able to hear the sermon together, teach the kids to find bible verses, and to jot down notes. I think this one was just this past Sunday.
I do like that I don’t have to get ready or get anyone ready, but I do miss seeing people and even shaking their hands or giving them a hello hug. How something that was so normal is so sketchy now. I wonder how long it will take us to see it as normal again.
HOMESCHOOLING
For the past two weeks, I’ve been homeschooling them. The first week was so stressful because I have three kids and all are in different grades learning all different things. My youngest who is a first grader, isn’t all too bad because everything is just so easy. I do still have to spend one on one time with her to teach her, but I do NOT get a headache, haha. It’s even better that her teacher wrote out their tasks and assignments on a calendar so I know what she should be doing each day.
Oh goodness, the other two older ones, though… the Eureka math is something else. I want to say that this math is the way math should’ve been taught in the beginning, but I’m honestly just mad that they didn’t start with us! That’s where the headache comes from. I know the answers, but THE WAY to get there is like running a mile around a neighborhood I don’t know. Other than that, it just takes a lot of time to give them the one on one. Usually, it will take most two hours with each kid. That’s six hours total. That’s like school length!
I’m pretty sure one of the teachers caught my stressed out feeling, haha. I like how they started having class meetings with Zoom, though. They get to see their teacher and their friends. I watched as my son laugh and smile as they had a show and tell right there on their iPads or computers.
GROCERY SHOPPING + THE POST OFFICE
The last time I went grocery shopping was almost two months before it all started and luckily for me buying toilet paper in bulk was normal and it was a good thing I even got toilet paper before everyone and their mom and dad and grandpa and grandma and cousins started buying them, lol. Well Costco, everything is bulk so it lasts along time. I haven’t personally gone grocery shopping since the quarantine started. My husband has, though.
The first time he went, he arrived at around 7 or 8 PM which is close to closing time. He said it was normal and no one was crazy. Didn’t buy toilet paper because one purchase from Costco literally lasts two months. He went again today, but during daytime. There’s a que line to get in, but it’s not too bad it seemed like. One moment he was texting me pictures of him being in line, then the next picture he was buying me red wine. LOL. Man, Costco Cabernet wine is so darn good! He got us three bottles because we really shop like that. Nobody wants to go grocery shopping monthly, or even weekly. I don’t know how you guys do it. Once every other month is the most I can do.
Anyways, he went today because we ran out of bagels, tortillas, cereal, paper towels, and we were down to our last twelve rolls of toilet paper. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking but like I said… who wants to go to the store last minute? You never know if you’re going to bump into toilet paper hoarding peoples! We’re good for another two or so months. Hopefully by then, the Summer heat will just burn the virus already.
On Monday, I went to the post office to mail a package to my Jujube winner! Wooo hooo! I didn’t want to take the kids, so I waited until my hubby had a day off. He will be off five days since Monday and going back to work this Friday. I’ve never seen the post office parking lot that empty. Literally had one car parked. As I walked in, the first thing I saw was the HUGE plastic covering the cashier area with just about five inches opening on the bottom. It was just enough to give them your package. It was so weird. I wish I took a picture, but man I did not want to touch my phone and potentially giving my phone covid-19! See my thought process? Different.
HIGHLIGHTS
With all of that said, there are a lot of positivities to report. For one, how awesome is it to see how smart my kids actually are. Sure, I get a headache, but it’s pretty cool to learn with them. Sometimes it makes me feel so dumb, though. Still salty about how I didn’t get to grow up with Eureka math. I love seeing their thought process. I like how I can be outside with them in the morning or noon time without a time limit.
I’ve also taken a long break from my duties as a content creator. It’s a given, though. My kids win any day and I decided I wasn’t going to give myself a break down trying to juggle everything. We are not meant to do everything. Since I prioritized, I’ve actually felt more accomplished than ever. My kids are on their schoolwork. I’m able to cook a home cooked meal everyday (most days, let’s be real), I got my fitness plan on track and today is actually the first day of my mile training. I’m starting off 0.5 miles by the way. My goal is to run 3 miles and to maintain that stamina without injuring myself.
I’ve also been continuing my workout with Sydney Cummings on YouTube. She’s awesome for what she does and what she does actually helps everyone work out at home at a time like this. I’m a mama who likes to workout at home so all year last year, I worked on getting the proper equipment to work out at home. It consisted of stalking OfferUp for an elliptical, saying yes to my sister when she gave me her treadmill (wooo!), and actually finding some really nice neoprene dumbbells from Dick’s Sporting Goods.
When I look back at this, I’m like, wow! This is something I don’t have to worry about. This is an actual top highlight of this quarantine. Working out for me has been something really important and I am so blessed that I don’t have to give that up. I will give up building my business, but fitness was something I shouldn’t give up on. I’ve prayed long and hard for me to continue taking care of myself and I’m happy to report I’m still going! This upcoming May 1st will be my one year of consistent workouts. Speaking of workout equipment, I can’t believe all the dumbbells and anything workout related are all sold out. I was trying to look for some for my sister and I cannot believe that it was sold out everywhere.
The last but not least of my highlights is how much I’ve been able to tackle what I’ve been wanting to do for so long now. Both my husband and I have been wanting to organize the garage for so long but just never had the time. Since he will be having so many days off, it’s the perfect time for this. Quarantine doesn’t mean to sulk, but it can be a time of positivity during a time of storm. I say storm because let’s face it, our lives have been turned and whirled around at least in one aspect. Our garage is walkable, organized, and wooooo so clean!
We moved my “garage gym” to the craft room. I have been wanting this for so long because the craft room next to the garage has a heat pump of its own. I can workout in perfect weather all year long without moving ANY of my equipment anywhere to suit the weather. My husband just helped me move all this stuff on Monday so that’s why on the “Church at home” picture above earlier you can see my dumbbell storage in the living room. I literally have to move my dumbbells during the COLDEST of winters and the HOTTEST of summers every year. Anyway, I love this craft/gym room so much. It has me written all over it! I love crafting and I love working out. It is done! Thank you, Jesus for that determination.
The craft side of the room still needs a bit of organizing inside the shelves. For the most part, it is just how I want it to be. It works and it flows. One side is a work side and the other is the chill side! I think I may want a Keurig in here, but let’s save that dream for later. We moved the book cases from the other side where the equipments are to the wall on the right side that you see here. Now everything craft related is on this side. I love it!
Well that will be it for this journaling post for today. That was a nice one, I think we’ve covered everything for the past two weeks. I hope that you are doing well and that you and your family are healthy and thriving. I pray that you will be kind to whoever you come across. I hope that you will choose patience and understanding to any given circumstances. Above all else, thank you for stopping by and reading this post! I’ll see you on my next one.
