This is Quarantine: Day 81

In this weekend's instalment of The Pandemic Projects, we continue our theme of keeping the kids occupied.

The zipline we put up last weekend got a bit of action this week, though the neighbour's pool was the star of the show on account of the blistering heat. This weekend we added a ninja rope course to the mix. We bought them both last year as part of a master plan for a backyard treehouse. The treehouse project is still floating around in the ether, but we figured we could at least work with what we already have. 

I didn't get pics of the new addition, but I did get a little video of this fella who came to check out what we were up to:

And if that weren't exciting enough, we also found a great outdoor playset on Kijiji. If you've been in the market for such a purchase recently you will know that these babies are the new toilet paper. Sold out everywhere. The only good news is that, unlike TP, there's a market for secondhand playsets. We spent most of the day on Sunday dismantling it and bringing it home. So now you know what we're doing next weekend...

This is Quarantine: Day 80

We're feeling a bit of the Pandemic Blues today.

After much thought and discussion, we've decided that it's time to expand our "bubble" to accommodate our parents and my brother-in-law. We've all been strictly isolating for many weeks, and we've come to a point where we're all comfortable with sharing space again.

It comes with continued sacrifices though, to make sure we're not exposing anyone to unnecessary risks. While some are now relaxing their restrictions around going to stores and getting together, we've decided to maintain our quarantine status to make this bubble expanding venture as safe as it can be.

To that end, I made the decision to cancel a get together I had been planning to attend on Friday night. It was going to be my first social outing in 80+ days, with a group of people I have missed terribly. I could have gone and done my best to distance myself, and I went back and forth about it for a while. But I realized that if I went, then I would have to be okay with everyone else in our bubble making the same decision, and it wouldn't be long before the whole thing broke down. So I stayed home, knowing that fun was being had just across the street, and I felt a bit sorry for myself.

What made me feel better though, was the plan for Saturday. We were going to my parents' house for dinner and hugs and no social distancing whatsoever for the first time in forever. We were all very excited. All day the girls kept asking when it would be time to go.

Finally, the time came. The girls had even negotiated a sleepover and had packed their own bags full of all kinds of fun. We were just getting into the car when my husband got a text.

His office assistant, the only person he has been in contact with at work every day, was feeling ill and was going in to get tested. We all just stood there in the driveway and stared at each other. We tried making excuses. "She doesn't have classic  symptoms. It's probably not Covid." "There's probably a latent period before anyone she infected would be contagious." "We could just try to keep our distance but still visit."

But in the end we all knew that we should just stay home. We called my parents. They agreed that it was the right decision. But it didn't feel good.

So much anticipation. So much excitement. And poof. Cue major bummer vibe.

What had been a pretty great day was now a total bust. We went inside and sat around and moped. Eventually, E had a great idea and made strawberry Nutella milkshakes, which helped a bit. We watched a movie and ate pasta and brownies, which helped a bit too.

But what came out of the disappointment was the conviction that all of our precautions are worth it. If I had gone to the party on Friday, I would now have five new families to worry about spreading the virus to. If we had gone to my parents' house before we got that text, I would have felt awful.

We can't eliminate all of the risk, but this reminder of the importance of what we're doing takes away a bit of the sting of missing out.

Also, gifts like these from my Dog Mom friends:

This is Quarantine: Day 76

I don't even know where to begin.

Man, it's hot. That's as good a place as any.

How hot is it??

It is so hot, that I can be totally fed up with everyone and everything by 8:49am.

It is so hot, that you would have to be a total lunatic to cook anything.

It is so hot, that if you don't have a pool in your backyard or access to someone else's, I personally give you permission to commit a felony.

It is so hot, that a few of us without the benefit of AC are pining for those frigid offices with the locked thermostat and the ubiquitous cardigan on the back of the chair.

It is so hot that my dog is giving the chipmunks free reign of our backyard.

It is so hot, that there's a very good chance that someone, somewhere is being caught naked on a Zoom meeting today.

This is Quarantine: Day 74

Weekends in quarantine are for delicious, deep-fried doughnuts,

and fun backyard projects like Project Zipline!

Dangerous, you ask? Can't be. My husband, the anti-trampoline crusader, gives it two thumbs up.  I mean, what could go wrong??

*stay tuned for next week's episode of The Real Doctor's Kids of the ER...

This is Quarantine: Day 72

Into another weekend we go!

This week by the numbers:

1 puzzle challenge completed (and another one not even close)

2 picnic lunches (also the number of times my children have ingested kale this week without their knowledge)

3 math sheets completed (...feels more like 30)

4 impressive Magnatile creations

5 delicious dinners (pizza, lasagna, chili, tuscan chicken pasta, burgers)

5 more masks sewn

8-ish hours of scooting

10 ice cream novelties consumed

15 cups of coffee consumed (give or take)

18 Zoom meetings

52 new dandelions sprouted one day after weeding

3,672 beautiful blossoms admired on neighbourhood walks

...and one new conquest in the world of bread-making: Bannock!

Not a tricky one, by any stretch of the imagination. But a great recipe to have when it's an hour until dinner and you're looking for something to smother with goat cheese and tomatoes!

This is Quarantine: Day 71

Today, my friends, I earned my homeschooling stripes.

We found ourselves, once again, in a situation where E was wrapping up her work for the day, eager to get outside, only to find out that mistakes were made. Many mistakes. Many small, easy to make mistakes that, when added together to create a sea of erroneousness, meant that work needed to be redone.

This news was not well received.

It's not the first time this has happened. Which is what makes it all the more frustrating for everyone. One party is frustrated that they have already spent so much time on an assignment, only to have to start all over again. One party is frustrated at having their sage advice ignored and their warnings unheeded, only to see the same mistakes repeated ad nauseam. Both parties are frustrated to see a beautiful day being wasted, stretching on into an afternoon otherwise intended for scooters and sunshine. And each party is frustrated with the other party for their role in landing us in this situation once again.

Sigh.

But this time, I was determined to keep my cool. No temper tantrums on this end today. No sir. The grown up will be the grown up. Come hockey sticks or high water. Or something like that.

I sat down, dug my heels in firmly, and calmly directed our attention to Question #1. When my eager student (obviously) didn't jump in with me, I remained calm. I stayed the course. I explained that we would be redoing the assignment, that we would be doing it together, and that the sooner it was completed the sooner we could get on with our day. My eager student communicated to me (through the use of various turns of phrase, vocal ranges and some expressive interpretive choreography) that she would prefer to a) not redo the assignment, b) decline my offer of assistance/supervision and c) discontinue homeschooling, full stop.

I clarified my role as educator, as a supportive presence to assist the process and perhaps identify potential errors at their source, thereby preventing multi-step backtracking, which would translate to decreased work time. I assured her my contribution would be a value-added experience, that I would maintain a positive attitude and calm demeanour in an effort to improve morale and smooth out any bumps we encountered.

She was skeptical, and expressed this skepticism in the form of a directive. I elected to ignore the insubordination and instead accepted the challenge.

We completed the assignment together in about 20 minutes. She smiled, she thanked me, and said "I know you are just trying to help. You're the best."

I will be waiting patiently by the mailbox until my award arrives, counting my grey hairs to pass the time.

This is Quarantine: Day 70

It was a picnic lunch kind of day today. Glorious sunshine, cloudless skies and warm breezes. We're in the picnic sweet spot right now. Warm enough to lay out in the grass without getting a chill, but not warm enough to melt the food or bring the bugs out. It was so perfect, in fact, that our picnic lunch turned into a whole afternoon, basking, reading, zooming and snacking...all from the comfort of a picnic blanket.

We did peel ourselves off long enough for the girls to continue their intense scooter training regimen and for me to decide that dandelions have enjoyed our lawn for the last season. With the help of a handy tool from a neighbour and over the course of two hours, I evicted every last visible dandelion from our property, including the boulevard. It was backbreaking work, but so satisfying when it was over. Sure, my husband didn't notice, even as I paraded him up and down the length of the property, prompting him to take note of any landscaping improvements as we went. But I know. And I'm happy with that.

This is Quarantine: Day 69

Today is the day we learned that the girls will not be going back to school until September.

This is Quarantine: Day 68

Do you ever have those days when you really want it to be a good day, and you try and try to make it a good day, but the forces of nature seem to be conspiring against you and nothing seems to work out?

No, me neither.

But I've heard that there are people who have those days sometimes. So I thought I'd offer them some free advice.

1. On those days, do not watch Inside Out. Jesus, that movie. I can't keep my eyes dry on the best of days with that one. Stay far away from it on emotionally fragile days.

2. Take a loooong shower. Shave, scrub your feet, do a face mask, put all the lotion on your skin...do all of those things that get skipped most days when you're just trying to get in and out to start your day. And make sure to turn the fan on to drown out your family regulate the humidity.

3. Don't pin your happiness on anything involving cooperation.

4. And if whatever it is is so important to you, then just do the damn thing yourself. If you're lucky, FOMO will get the others to join you after all.

5. Find that thing that feels like a warm hug for you. Put on a cozy sweater,  pour another cup of coffee or tea or wine, find someone who isn't grinding your gears to give you an actual hug...just find something that makes you take a step or two away from the ledge and spend a few moments just enjoying it.

An absurdly large puzzle can be an excellent diversion

A lap full of cuddles can be an adorable distraction

6. Understand that a lot of the time, those precious ingrates will push back simply because they've discovered they can. Introduce fun ideas the way you introduce broccoli - don't expect success the first time, just hope that eventually they'll go for it. If you plant the seed, it won't necessarily take root immediately, but with a little patience they'll come around. You know, once they've decided that it's their idea.

6. And if you've tried everything and once again, everyone is screaming and whining and crying and objecting vehemently to all of your best efforts, just quietly make your way back to bed. It's nice up there. And it usually elicits at least a few minutes of remorse.

A wonderful neighbour dropped off some timbits for the girls yesterday, and as we were chatting, she suddenly stopped mid-sentence and said "You know, you are a very good looking girl." Just like that. A propos of nothing. If I had a day today like the ones I described above, I might have gone back to that nice memory a few times to lift my spirits.

She called me a girl.

This is Quarantine: Day 67

As far as I'm concerned, there are two types of people in this world.

There are the people who clean as they cook, and then there are monsters.

I am a lucky lady of late. My devoted husband cleans up after dinner and does the dishes every night. I think I've mentioned it before, but one of the highlights of my day is wandering into the kitchen after the girls go to bed and not seeing another chore to take care of.

Having said that, I cook a lot. A lot. And while I know J enjoys the fruits of my labour, I see the look of defeat in his eyes (and also in the words coming out of his mouth - he's not the "suffer in silence" type...) when he can see that I've been cooking up a storm. The baking really does him in.

For that reason, and also because I'm not a monster, I try to help him out a bit. I almost always empty the dishwasher in the morning and fill it up throughout the day. On days when I dirty a lot of dishes at breakfast or lunch, I usually wash the dishes at some point. And whenever I cook, I clean as I go. It's mostly for my benefit - I get frazzled when it gets too messy. But also, I just can't leave things looking like a bomb went off for someone else to deal with. Especially when I can just tidy things up during the time that I'm waiting for this or that to mix or sauté or boil. Basically, I try to put away what I take out and leave him with a relatively organized stack of dishes to wash and room in the dishwasher.

I tend to assume that everyone thinks like me. But I'm curious. Do you do the cooking and not the cleaning? Or the cleaning, but not the cooking? If you cook, do you feel like it's courteous to tidy things up a bit as you go, or do you feel like you did the work of cooking so someone else should do the clean up? If you're the cleaner, do you have any expectations about the state of the kitchen when you get in there, or is it all fair game?

If you ask me, I can't imagine complaining about cleaning a baking sheet if I can do it with my mouth full of homemade cookies. But what do I know?

This is Quarantine: Day 66

Long weekend, quarantine style!

We don't usually do anything big for Victoria Day weekend, so I can't say we feel like we're missing anything this year. J is just happy to have an extra day at home, and so are we!

Riding on the high of the last couple of super-productive weekends, we have a few items on the to-do list. For example, I try not to brag, but my husband took down the Christmas wreath over our front door today.

When your day starts with that kind of take-charge initiative, there's no telling what you can do! But with today being the only sunny day in the forecast, priority number one was getting outside.

A couple of weeks ago we presented the girls with new scooters as Corona Gifts. Of course E is a seasoned pro, and e has been chomping at the bit for her own set of wheels. After a couple of shaky starts, along the endless patience of her big sister's tutelage, e is now a scooter pro in training! And the two of them have been tearing up the neighbourhood all week. The scooters got plenty of miles in today, as I patted myself on the back for coming up with the world's best way to get a 3 year old and an 11 year old to play together and be equally entertained for hours on end.

With the kiddos riding wild and free and out of our hair, we got cocky and pruned a bush. At least, it was once a bush, when we moved in 4 years ago. Since then, with the freedom to spread its wings and dream big under our persistently neglectful stewardship, it resembles something along the lines of a...giant orb-like rampart.

I can't say it looks better. Heck, without before and after pictures I couldn't even say for certain that it's smaller. But we can now drive into our garage without having the right sight of the vehicle getting a good brushing, and we now have plenty of kindling for campfires.

Speaking of, now that the fire ban has lifted, we had our first legal campfire of the season! I'm afraid I was woefully ignorant of the fire ban on our last go-around. But once I was educated, I obeyed the rules like the upstanding citizen I am. I'm just glad we finally got the green light or all of those marshmallows might have met their end in a Chubby Bunny competition.

Oh, and the girls found a couple of snakes. So that was awesome. For them.

This is Quarantine: Day 65

Today I made the executive decision to give us a mental health day.

e has been exploring the limits of her emotional range and flexing her threenager independence all week.

E has been coasting a little on the schoolwork front and getting sucked in to the threenager drama more than a little.

Mama is staying up too late and feeling terribly worn down by all the arguing, negotiating, nagging and conflict resolution...just the incessant parenting of it all.

So today, apart from Zoom meetings, I made no demands. Stay in pj's as long as you want, skip the shower, eat what you want, watch what you want, and let's see if we can reset ourselves a bit going into the weekend.

I was surprised by some things:

For two kids who beg to stay in their pyjamas on any given day, they both decided on their own to get  dressed much earlier than expected.

I came back from picking up groceries to find the girls in the dining room, with E at the sewing machine making masks and e playing happily on the floor beside her.

Nobody asked to watch any more TV today than usual.

They played happily outside for about an hour and half while I slaved away in the kitchen, and neither came in to file a complaint about the other's behaviour - not even once!

We made ice cream together, we had a little spa day with face masks and nail painting and we had a movie night when dad finally got home. It wasn't without its share of bumps in the road, but it was a nice break from Google Classroom.

I was grateful for a few things:

Free ice cream novelties from the grocery store for spending so much money!

Getting a solid chunk of time in the kitchen to deal with the 5lbs of ground beef I procured earlier this week. Lasagna, chili AND burgers. BAM! BAM! BAM!

Finding several hours of warm sunshine on a day that was supposed to be grey and rainy.

Along with the trifecta of beef and fresh strawberry ice cream, I also made a loaf of bread in the breadmaker and a double batch of brownies. So it's safe to say that I had my fair share of kitchen therapy today. I hope that the girls got what they needed today too.

This is Quarantine: Day 63

If today were a toddler diet, it would be stuffed with broccoli and carrots and chicken and salmon and chia seeds and spinach and...you get the idea.

Today was so productive that I can pretty much coast for the rest of the week.

Sure, I still have those masks to sew. But the fabric has been cut! And sure, there are two bedrooms that still need to be put back together. But the painting is done! And yes, I have resorted to just picking up dust bunnies as I walk by them instead of pulling out the vacuum. But I washed the kitchen floor! And 3 bathroom floors! And emptied all the garbage cans! And laid down grass seed! AND played outside with the kids!

And yes, I'm mostly writing all of this down for my own benefit, in an effort to gloss over the guilt of semi-losing it on both of my children today, in separate instances for separate crimes.

Did I mention I also put a cheque in the mail AND didn't fall asleep repeatedly while trying to read to e in the middle of the day? Two things I can't say about yesterday!

Speaking of that hot-headed little drama queen, after a very full day of defying everyone and everything around her, she was pretty worn out.

When I told her it was bedtime and that it was time to give night-night hugs and kisses, I heard a deep sigh behind me, followed by a frail little voice declaring:

"I...don't...think...I'm...going...to...make...it..."

And I turned around to see this:

I hear you, sister.

This is Quarantine: Day 62

May 12. It was exactly 2 months ago, on March 12, when we locked it down.
The strangest part about it to me is thinking about what it looked like at the beginning compared to now. 2 weeks. Then back to school, back to work, back to normal. And now, 2 months...and I don't have the foggiest idea of when I will see normal again, or what it will look like.

There are a few things I'm getting to the end of my rope with. I want to hug my parents. I want my kids to hug their grandparents. I want to talk to people without precaution and apprehension. I want just a little tiny bit of time to myself to get something done without distraction or interruption or feeling guilty. I WANT MY HAIR NOT TO BE SO GREY AND MY PANTS NOT TO BE SO TIGHT.

But overall, things are ok. I'm glad we've slowed down a bit. I'm glad we've tried some new things and changed the way we do other things and I'm glad we're healthy.

And I'm glad I finally got around to making these:

Shortly after quarantine started, E went on a serious english muffin tear. I can't buy enough of them. It's all she wants to eat most of the time, and if I let her she'll just eat one after the other. And I didn't get it.

To be honest, outside of a breakfast sandwich or eggs benedict, english muffins are a solid so-so for me. I prefer pretty much any other kind of bread.

And then I made these babies with my sourdough starter.

And the rest is history.

Mmmmm....

♫They got the Empty Plate Blues...♫

This is Quarantine: Day 61

Our morning walk today was filled with the the chatter of two Canada Geese, perched atop adjacent roofs, calling back and forth to one another. I'm not sure what their deal was - mating calls, competitive chatter, alarm bells, who's to say? What I do know, is that when one of them flew away suddenly, the one left behind kicked it into high gear and began calling out frantically. I felt bad for the fella. e did too. As we walked away, she asked me why the one goose had flown away, and I replied that I didn't know, but maybe it was going to get a snack and bring it back for the two of them to share.

She stopped dead in her tracks, turned on her heel and marched back to the lone goose.

"Hey! Goose!"

*honkhonkhonkhonkhonk...

"HEY! Your brother is just going to get a snack for you guys and then he'll be back."

*honkhonkhonkhonkhonk...

HEY! GOOSE!! YOU'RE BROTHER WILL BE RIGHT BACK WITH A SNACK FOR YOU, OKAY??!!

*...silence...

When I told her that it looked like she made the goose feel better because he stopped honking, she shrugged and said:

"I guess I'm a superhero."

On another note, if any of you have wondered what online learning looks like for a Montessori Toddler, check this out:

I know. She's a GENIUS!

And finally, if anyone was wondering if I was kidding about the socks...

This is Quarantine: Day 60

Happy Mother's Day to my mom, my mother-in-law, all of my mom friends and every one of you moms out there. Frankly, there is no non-cliché way of describing just how deserving we are of a day to be celebrated.

I was celebrated with homemade gifts, which I love, by my family, whom I adore, before getting down to painting, which I continue to be utterly grateful for, despite slogging away until midnight last night.

I'm afraid we're not quite done, but man we're close. And the only reason we're not finished is that we ran out of paint. One more gallon and another hour or two should do it! So I don't yet have after pictures, and I forgot to take before pictures, but I have some in progress pictures for your viewing pleasure!

Goodbye peanut butter!

Adios, horrible tiled corner!

See you later yellow!

2 exhausted onlookers and their bodyguard, relegated to the guest room for the night

This is Quarantine: Day 59

I believe it was Day 2 of quarantine when I first mused about taking on various ambitious projects like, say, painting. For those of you wondering how long it might take your reluctant husband to be worn down, I have an answer for you.

57 days.

Unless you're talking about convincing him to have baby #2. But I have an answer for that too!

7 years.

I digress.

This weekend, a dream I've had for the last 4 years is finally coming true.

This weekend, I finally bid adieu to the nauseating shade of peanut butter that has surrounded me while I sleep, taunting me with its icky brown-ness and overwhelming me with a sense of blah. Today, in fact, I will wipe it from my walls and my memory, replacing it with a most bright and refreshing shade of white.

Once that's done, I will adorn the white with all sorts of leafy greens and natural woods and a pop or two of something whimsical, but that is for another day.

Today, and tomorrow, but please god not into next week,  WE PAINT!

And while we're at it, the girls' room is getting the same treatment. Their pale yellow hue was not so objectionable in and of itself, but it isn't working with E's black and red theme and so it's out. White it is, along with two sections of - BLACK chalkboard paint. I am both terrified and excited.

It wasn't planned as such, but this is the very best Mother's Day gift my husband could have given me. And even though the 72 pairs of socks he ordered for me (nope, not kidding) didn't come in time, I couldn't be more tickled about how I'll be spending the weekend.

Theoretically, of course. This is one of those times when I'm fairly confident that I will be happy to have painted once it's done, as opposed to loving every minute of it as it's happening.

Let's do this!!!

This is Quarantine: Day 58

Today was a good day.

I don't mean to brag, but I suspect I might have the best kids ever.

The oldest decided to blast through her schoolwork this morning and use her free time to bake not one, but TWO Mother's Day desserts for yours truly.

Kitchen-tastrophe

The youngest exhibited monumental levels of empathy, grace and painfully adorable sweetness by telling her teacher:

"I will always be here when you need me."

And by telling her dog, who had just eaten her rice krispie square:

"You're still a good dog. I'm so proud of you."

I also banged out one more face mask to meet my quota for the week and folded 3 loads of laundry.

I'm riding a high right now, heading into the weekend with a smile on my face and a drink in my hand.

Silly Potato Head games

E's first ever solo cake!

This is Quarantine: Day 57

I think e might be getting sick. Again. For the second?, third? time since quarantine started. I'm no contagious disease expert, but shouldn't one need to be exposed to a pathogen of some kind in order to become sick from it? Or are our bodies just spontaneously producing viruses now? Maybe e has been sneaking out of the house and licking doorknobs when I'm not looking? Picking up garbage on our walks and rubbing it all over her face when I turn my back?

Who knows. And honestly, I'm trying not to spend too much time thinking about it because I go a little squirrelly when I start considering what could be lingering on blades of grass in our yard and pinecones on the sidewalk. So far she's a little whiny, her nose is a little drippy, and her skin is a little rashy. Once again I'll keep her rested and hydrated and cross my fingers and remind myself that not every sniffle is the plague.

Oh, and did I mention that we're toying with the idea that E might be developing a sensitivity of some kind to gluten? For those of you who have had any kind of a conversation with my husband about the g-word, you'll know that it would be just the divinest of ironies if he were to have a child, a human possessing his very DNA, with a gluten sensitivity. In fact, now that I think about it, I'm kind of ticked off at him for jinxing us.

I mean, at the best of times it would be inconvenient and kind of a bummer. For E too. But I have a basement full of pasta and a 10kg bag of flour on the way. She's really going to hate watching us eat through all of that.

Of course no diagnosis has been made, and we're not going to any extremes just yet. But if someone could let my kids know that I'm not actually so bored in quarantine that I need them to start manifesting diseases, I'd appreciate it.

Ask the Expert - Episode 2

Dinner conversation tonight centred around working out the details of a weekend painting project, and I think it got a little boring for the shortest of us. 

e: Okay guys. Okay. Listen up. So...

This conversation is over. Let's throw it away. *mimes throwing it away* Mom? I see you throwing it away. Good. E, let me see you throw it away. Dada? Throw it away. Good.

Now, talk to ME.

So, we did.

1. What is your favourite colour?

A: Pink

2. What is your second favourite colour?

A: Purple

3. Do you have a third favourite colour?

A: Um, my dad.

4. What is your favourite thing to do?

A: Play with my sister

5. What is your favourite thing to do with your sister?

A: Everything!

6. What is your favourite thing to do when you're alone?

A: *hangs head, sad face* Play in my playroom.

7. What is your favourite animal?

A: My dog.

8. What animal would you like to put up on the wall in your bedroom?

A: A pig! No. A dinosaur! No. A dog! No. Santa. 

9: Santa?

A: YES! And then I could always look at him and remember him and smile.

...

A: No. A SANTA DOG!!!

This is Quarantine: Day 55

I don't want to jinx it, so I probably shouldn't say anything. Also, given my self-proclaimed expert status, one would assume that it wouldn't have taken this long...but I must confess.

55 days in, and I think I'm just now starting to settle in to this lockdown.

Truth be told, the first 50 days or so were a bit of a blur. Between homeschooling, housecleaning, meal planning and trying to figure out how to maximize the experience while minimizing the stress...it was pretty stressful. And no matter how I tried to tackle it, it somehow still felt like there weren't enough hours in the day.

E said it out loud a week or so ago, and it really hit me.

"We have so much time, but we still don't have time to do the things we want to do!"

Ugh. How is this possible?!

If I can't make time when we're in quarantine, I'm doing something wrong.

I think that's when my brain made the subconscious shift, and I just started noticing it yesterday.

Stop. Slow down. Stop trying to just get through it and take the time to experience it. Whatever it is. And if you can't enjoy it, ask yourself if it's worth it.

Taxes? Sorry. You've just gotta do it.

But pretty much everything else? Surely you can squeeze some enjoyment out of it.

Today I vacuumed. Do I like to vacuum? No sir. But buying a good vacuum cleaner made the experience less terrible. And taking a few minutes to tackle a couple of problems areas rather than setting aside a couple of hours to get knee deep into cleaning meant that a) I took care of the spots that were bugging me in short order and b) the kids barely noticed I had walked away and by the time they did I was done!

Taking it week by week rather than day by day is also a game changer for me. I think I mentioned the whole toddler diet thing the other day. Rather than a daily checkmark-dependent to-do list, I'm working with a weekly, chip-away-at-it plan instead.

Today was a good day. Besides the vacuuming, I laid down some more rocks in the backyard. I painted with e. I did a spelling test with E. I folded laundry while introducing the girls to Modern Family. I made scrambled egg nachos for lunch, which were awesome, and refried bean tacos without guac for dinner, because grocery days are sometimes disappointing. I didn't knock it out of the park today, but as they say in France, I didn't shit the bed either.

And isn't that what most of us want written on our headstones at the end of the day?

I call this: Cheater Chilaquiles

Lighter than a load of rocks...cuter too

This is Quarantine: Day 54

Now that the ball is finally rolling on our face mask adventure, I'm feeling quite motivated to churn them out. We have about a month to make as many as we can before they are added to a group donation to the Children's Hospital Foundation.

When I started tossing around the idea of making masks, I didn't have any idea how many I thought we could make. At first, I had the number 50 in my head. After spending about five minutes with my sewing machine that number dropped to zero. Once we did the tutorial and completed our first mask, that number started to creep back up to about 10.

This afternoon I found myself with some downtime when the world's crankiest 3 year old opted in to naptime and E went down a drawing rabbit hole, so I sidled up to the sewing table (read: dining room table) and decided to see how far I got. I had a goal in mind of completing a whole mask from start to finish, but just under the surface of that goal was a more realistic vision of jamming the sewing machine almost immediately and giving up shortly thereafter.

Well, guess what? Not only did the machine not jam, but the seductive whirr of the machine even coaxed E away from her drawing and we worked away together through e's epic 2+ hour siesta.

Behold, the work of 2 sub-amateur seamstresses thus far:

4 handmade (with a sewing machine) custom face masks. Custom, you ask? Oh yes. This is the real deal.

Mask #1: Designed for a person with a very large face and very small ears.

Mask #2: Designed for a person with a very small face and very large ears.

Mask #3: Designed for me, as it is dotted with my blood from a finger prick that apparently I didn't feel because my fingers are now numb to finger pricks.

Mask #4: One size fits all.

My goal for this first week was 3 masks. Nailed it!

Now with all of the joys and challenges of parenthood, the math on how many more I can get done this week is tricky. Maybe none. Maybe a bunch more. Same goes for next week. But in the last 54 days I've been working on a brand new skill. Do you want to know what it is?

I'm trying to find enjoyment in things as I do them, rather than getting the enjoyment from plowing through them and checking them off of my to do list. So if 4 is the number of masks I make this week, great! That's 4 masks I now have to use for my family or donate to any large-faced, small-eared or small-faced, large-eared person who needs one. And I'm happy with that.

Now here's my challenge for you:

What task can you work on tomorrow that you can take the time to enjoy doing, rather than just get through?

I want to hear about it!

This is Quarantine: Day 53

I dare you to have a bad day when it starts with one of these bad boys:

Sourdough waffle...glorious.

And two of these bad boys:

Minions 1 & 2 reporting for duty

I woke up this morning feeling right as rain after last night's self-medication regimen.

Ready for Day 2!

With the sun shining and our bellies full of carbs, we got down to business. It took us longer than expected to finish up the mulch, but finish we did and then got a start on that pesky rock pile before lunch. I suspect it took longer in part due to the vast amount of this:

 

and this:

that transpired compared to yesterday. 

Some may argue that an unconscious 3-year old could do wonders for productivity and they wouldn't be wrong, but when the 11-year old charged with keeping an eye on her ends up taking up the space next to her for her own little siesta, well then the absence is noted. 

To be fair, E did eventually pry herself off of the grass and return to work without being asked, and did put in another solid effort today, whereas her sister was more window dressing than workhorse. 

Did we eliminate the piles? Well, no. We may have overestimated on the rocks a bit, but we're also thinking we'll let things settle and maybe go in with a second round. 

But we achieved our goal for the weekend and you've never seen four people devour their bowls of pasta at dinner, along with seconds...or thirds...with such fervour. I only know it was cheesy sausage rotini because I made it; I don't think any of the rest of them could tell you what they had eaten, or rather, inhaled.

Speaking of food...(never gets old)...here's one thing that has changed drastically during quarantine. There is NO WAY in any realm before this one that we would have gone an entire weekend of solid manual labour without eating out at least twice. At least. In fact, the phrase "we should order pizza" was uttered at least 6 times in the last 48 hours. In the past we would have probably started both days with a Tim Hortons run for motivation, had pizza or sushi for dinner one night and most likely lunch at Five Guys one day too. 

This weekend, instead, I made three proper meals both days. And it wasn't much additional work, because I've learned to be prepared. We have oatmeal squares in the freezer. I've been cooking extra meat when I make a meal so I have something to add to a quick pasta dish or to throw in a tortilla. I've been making a point to use up leftover vegetables to round out lunch. And recipes that have to sit overnight (like those beautiful waffles) make it easy to whip up something awesome quickly in the morning. 

Plus, you don't feel like garbage AND you save money! 

You know, I'm so pumped about what rockstars we were this weekend that I barely even noticed that it was grocery day! 

We also got groceries. *shrug*

Now THAT's saying something.

This is Quarantine: Day 52

I gotta go to bed.

Today was a day. Perhaps the most productive day the Cowger family has ever seen. And by that I mean that it might be the longest that the four of us have all worked together (more or less) toward a common goal in a 24-hour period.

What, pray tell, brought on this surge of productivity, almost two months deep into our never-ending saga of togetherness??

Mulch.

And rocks.

Mulch and rocks.

6 yards or cubic yards or however you measure mulch when you get so much mulch that it comes on a truck instead of handy bags you can lug around to wherever you want them.

We got a lot of mulch.

And a matching pile of rocks. Or, as they say in the business: chips and dust. Sounds fancy, I know. We're very fancy.

And let me say this: I am very proud of us. So proud of us. We got up this morning and wasted no time getting down to business. By 10:30am we had shovels in hand and were attacking that mulch pile with determination. And if you're not familiar with our family and our ability to leave the house before noon on weekends, let me assure you that you should be duly impressed.

But we weren't just laying mulch. Oh, no. We were weeding, we were raking, we were bagging, we were yelling "Hi! Hi!! HI!!!" at passersby, we were finding toads and terrorizing the neighbours with them, we were trying to beat the world record for longest hugs ever. Distractions aside though, we (mostly) pulled together and worked like dogs and got through at least 5 yards of mulch today. We were out there for six solid hours, with at least 50% of us actively working the entire time, and with only one break for lunch in the middle. Heck, e even peed outside so we wouldn't lose precious daylight. When it started to sprinkle a little, we laughed at the rainclouds with such defiance that they just skulked away, fluffy tails between their legs.

It was pretty close to a perfect performance.

If there was anything that could have taken just a smidgen of the shine off of our self-satisfaction today, it might have been timing. The universe seems to have a way of keeping us in check sometimes, and today it came in the form of our neighbours across the street. The professional landscaper. Who happened to be mulching their yard today as well.

They got their start before 9:00, rendering our mid-morning start ever so slightly less awe-inspiring. But no matter, it's not a competition after all and besides, they don't have little kids slowing them down. And it was a nice sense of cameraderie, all of us working away together.

They were, of course, working with a bit more efficiency than we were, having a few extra adult bodies involved, an extra wheelbarrow and several decades of landscaping experience. But they were also working with 30 yards of mulch. I figured we'd all finish up around the same time.

So imagine my utter astonishment to see their 30 YARDS disappear before we broke for lunch around 1:30.

Just to clarify, that's FIVE TIMES the mulch in LESS THAN HALF the time it took us.

Showoffs. It's a good thing we adore them,  otherwise I might have to toilet paper their house.

I'm kidding! We don't have a square to spare.

Tomorrow we plan on obliterating the rest of our piles. Provided this muscle relaxant/wine cocktail does its thing.

This is Quarantine: Day 51

What a week!

Day to day I felt like I just collapsed over the finish line. In the evenings I didn't even have the energy to convince my husband to stop playing his video game so we could watch TV. I just wanted to stare at nothingness (or my online grocery order) and wonder why we're not having this idyllic experience that the more optimistic and contented of us seem to be enjoying.

But tonight, after a pretty good day and having a little energy, I'm looking back at pictures I've taken over the week and realized that we've had some pretty great moments.

We went on a really great walk that started out as just a break to take the dog out for a pee. But the sun was shining, the kids were in good spirits and it turned into a bit of an adventure. We veered off the path whenever the mood struck us, and had a great time exploring. Gryff even got to have his first swim of the season in the river, although he's clearly out of practice and essentially sat in the water chewing a stick until I called him back. I'm sure he'll get his swimming legs back in no time.

We've been watching the show Nailed it! for quite some time and E has been asking to make a cake inspired by the show for a while. Then as luck would have it a cousin was having a birthday and invited friends and family to do a Nailed it! challenge! So we did! Our first experience with fondant was as hysterical as I expected, but the cake was DELICIOUS.

e's class focused on musical instruments this week, and gave us the opportunity to make a tissue box guitar and a toilet paper roll maraca. e spent the week strumming her guitar and singing, so much that I had to reinforce it for her zoom concert today after she wore it out!

After talking about it for weeks, E and I finally got down to the business of actually making our first mask! We've (ahem, I've) been dragging my feet when it comes to gathering supplies and getting a real start, mostly because of the love/hate/abject terror relationship I have with my sewing machine. But this was the week that I sorted it all out-ish, mostly thanks to a wonderful friend who did a Zoom tutorial on mask-making for E's school, and we have finally turned out our first product! It's definitely a starting point on which to build, but I have to say I'm so proud of us.

And as if we didn't learn enough new skills this week, E also dove into the world of buttercream flowers! Our birthday cakes are about to take on a whole new level of sophistication...

And, as compensation for a few days of radio silence, I offer you a glimpse into the ongoing genius of my Quarantine Expertise:

A Tip!

Plan your day.

But don't be married to it.

Let it veer off course and stall and stop and start a few times.

Let it fall apart.

And take more of a weekly approach. Like feeding toddlers. They tell you when looking at your toddler's diet, to not worry so much about what they're eating day to day. Try to make sure that at the end of the week they've had a good selection of all the good stuff. One day they might only eat pepperettes. Then one day they binge on cheese. The next day might be bananas, culinarily as well as emotionally. But by the end of the week, try to make sure that you hit all the food groups and it will be fine.

One day you might clean something. One day you might hit it out of the park with dinner. One day your kid might complete an assignment, and one day you might have the most fun impromptu dance party or couch snuggle. Every day won't have all of these things. But even those of us who are really struggling can probably cobble together a handful of wins over the course of a week. And that's awesome!

...and an Observation!

Who out there predicted the whole mass puppy adoption thing?? I, for one, did not see that coming. Pregnancies, sure. Adopting a few extra pounds? Yep. But taking on a new, fully formed yet totally dependent, super needy, socially illiterate baby creature who needs the hell out of you and has an unlimited supply of energy to burn is not something I had considered that people would be clamouring for.

Upon reflection, and diving deep into my empathy stores because I'll tell you right now if there's something I do not need right now it's ANOTHER BEING TO NEED THINGS FROM ME, I do see how it might be the perfect thing for some. Do you have older kids who are going squirrely, are in need an outlet and are capable of taking on responsibilities without them becoming another one of your responsibilities? Are you quarantining either alone or with another adult and the idea of introducing a distraction seems like a life-saving venture? Are you drowning in the absence of any semblance of normality and crave some kind of routine and structure to your days? Do you have a stockpile of cleaning products and would really like to get some use out of them before they expire?

I'm sure these people have thought it all through, and I'm sure for some it's the ideal solution. It just reminds me, once again, that we are all experiencing this process SO DIFFERENTLY.