This is Quarantine: Day 23

If this were Sesame Street and we had a Word of the Day, today's word would be: shenanigans.

Lots of shenanigans today.

The girls slept in, on account of being up to all sorts of - you guessed it: shenanigans - until all hours of the night instead of sleeping.

When they finally did wake up, it was Zoom conference time, followed by watching mom make oatmeal bars while dying of hunger but refusing to eat the fruit set out for them.

E made e a pretty stellar "art fort", e and I built a pretty stellar "car tower", and Gryff took an off leash opportunity in the backyard and turned it into a game of Chase me into Gibbons Park!

Shenanigans.

While e slept, E and I set the kitchen on fire! Figuratively, of course. We made crazy cake! We made sourdough starter! We made pizza dough!

We would have made more, actually, except that e decided that she only required a 39 minute nap today.

To be honest, that bit of shenanigans was mostly my fault.

I made the mistake of telling e right before bed (after reading a ballet story, as requested, for the one millionth time in a week) that when she woke up we would be taking a ballet class online. So of course, when I went up to investigate why I was hearing her voice she announced "I'm ready for ballet class!"

So up she got. We rustled up one of E's old tutus and embarked on e's very first ballet class ever! We all did it (well, I'm sure J would have done it if he wasn't at work...pffffttt...), and it was so much fun. Not like family workout "fun", but actually enjoyable. I really hope online ballet makes it into our regular activities. It's one more thing in my "avoid playing pretend" tool belt!

J got home a bit early today, a lovely surprise, and we made the most of the beautiful weather by going for a walk with Gryff. When we got home, we whipped up the best homemade pizza this side of Italy for the second week in a row.

And then J got schooled.

e asked J if Gryff had been fed dinner, to which he replied that he hadn't. e then asked J to go and feed him. J said that he would, once he was finished his own dinner. e then fixed J with a murderous glare and declared:

e: Dad, I'm counting on you.
J: *surprised and no doubt unsettled by the glare* Ok!
e: One...two...three...
J: *chuckles, realizing that "counting on you" means something different to e*
e: four...five...six...seven...eight...nine...ten...eleven...NOW IS THE TIME.
J: ...
e: ...
J: *feeds the dog*

Shenanigans.

This Is Quarantine: Day 22

My mom called me this morning to remind me that I hadn't posted yesterday. It's nice to know that I have a loyal following. It may be small and mostly related to me, but it's mine.

I had good intentions, but I'm sure that my reasons will be well understood by present-day readers. I was very busy for most of the evening hitting the Refresh button, trying to convince the Costco webpage to let me confirm my online order. The good news is that I finally figured out how to infiltrate the system by resetting my password. The bad news is that by the time I achieved success, lethargy and Tiger King took away any remaining motivation for blogging. 

So, by way of repentance, I shall post twice today. This first post is dedicated to yesterday. Some people say you should never look back, but perhaps they have never known the sting of my mother's disappointment.

Yesterday, E was inspired by something she had seen online to spread a little cheer during these uncertain days. She and e got to work drawing and cutting hearts out of blue construction paper, and then writing cheerful thoughts on them, like "Have an amazing day!" and "We care about you" and "Hang in there". They made 20 and then ran around the neighbourhood, placing them on doorsteps. Mama was pretty proud. 

As you can see, e was feeling much better yesterday. She turned the corner and returned to her bright and cheerful self, easing a lot of our worries.

Just to keep things interesting though, E woke up with lots of pain and swelling in her gums and a wonky looking tooth. Having experienced something similar with E a few years ago that turned out to be an abscess requiring emergency surgery at Sick Kids in Toronto, I got pretty freaked out pretty quickly. Fortunately, the dentist got back to us right away and reassured us that it's probably just eruption pain and swelling from her canine coming in. And after a few hours and a few salt rinses, she seems to be right as rain again. 

 Fingers crossed that the Cowfam stays healthy from here on in!

Stay tuned for today's post! (If Tiger King doesn't get to me first...)

This Is Quarantine: Day 21

I'd like to say a little thank you to the people who checked in with me today. It's a nice feeling and I'm lucky to know some really lovely folks.

Today had some delicious stuff going on, which always helps to reset one's frame of mind.

I made my tried and true cheater sourdough to go with broccoli soup from the freezer tonight. And, just to kick things up a notch because...broccoli soup...I made grilled cheeses out of the sourdough. Woah. Yes. 

And in a spark of resourcefulness, I decided that there could be a great learning experience for E (and myself) in the land of bread making! I make cheater sourdough, which means that I use active dry yeast to make it. We are lucky enough to still have an unopened jar of yeast in the pantry, but I hear the store shelves are lacking in that department too. I've often thought of trying to make a sourdough starter, but laziness has always gotten the better of me. Well, the moment is finally here! 

Today I did a little research into the topic, then I had E read an article and answer questions all about yeast and starters and the process of making them. And tomorrow we're going for it! Wish us luck. I will no doubt keep you apprised of our progress.

Also today I felt a hankering for some comfort baking, and was delighted when E said she was thinking the same thing. She decided she wanted to try making chocolate chip cookies all on her own, and who am I to argue with a top-notch idea like that?

Yes, it did mean that I had to stand patiently by while she took just shy of 2 hours to do a job that normally takes me inside of half an hour. And yes, given that we embarked on this journey at 8pm, this meant that I was forced into continuing to parent long after I prefer to be doing so. But the results...

I mean, come on. Worth it.

Unfortunately, Miss e continues to be under the weather. Fever seems to be her only real symptom, and it's running rather high, but we're crossing our fingers that with a day or two of steady medication she'll be back on top in no time. 

Did anyone else notice that it was April Fool's Day today? It seems to have gone by largely unacknowledged, which I found a bit odd. I heard something about it being discouraged this year, and I honestly think that's a missed opportunity. I mean, we're all going crazy with boredom with nowhere to go...why not spice things up a little and maybe make it feel like you're not scaling the same four walls for a day? 

J and I took a picture of us kissing and make it the wallpaper on E's iPad. For those of us who are familiar with her recent abhorrence of kissing, you'll recognize how perfect it was. Very satisfying. She deleted it immediately, but don't worry. I keep changing it back when she's not looking. E and e left all kinds of little surprises around the house for me in places I'd least expect them, notes and pieces of paper that would magically re-appear after I removed them. E got both J and I with the old take-the-batteries-out-of-the-remote trick. And the girls and I removed some pictures from frames and replaced them with various celebrities and models. I was particularly excited to see how long it took J to notice, and so was very disappointed when e took him by the hand and pointed each one out to him as soon as he got home. Don't worry, she's grounded.

It was a fun bit of the unexpected in an otherwise monotonous reality lately. And who couldn't use that?

Did anyone else celebrate April Fool's Day today? I need some material for next year. 

This Is Quarantine: Day 20

Oh no, it's cool.  Not to worry. I believe I mentioned it before, about a very good day being followed by a very...challenging...day? I feel challenged today.

Spending hours awake last night because e wasn't sleeping well was a challenge.

Getting the tv turned off this morning was a challenge.

Navigating Zoom this morning with e, explaining that she can't just talk when it's someone else's turn and that refusing to answer the teacher's question when it is her turn means that she'll probably miss her turn to speak was a challenge.

Patiently reiterating five times that when writing on lined paper, the holes go on the left was a challenge.

Clarifying that the idea behind a rough copy is not to then produce several final copies, each with some errors corrected, but that there should be one, single, perfect, final copy has been a challenge.

Playing with my toddler, helping my older child with schoolwork, helping my husband figure out if he should be going to work, changing my toddler's poopy underwear 5 minutes after she went to the bathroom, making sure the dog doesn't pee his fuzzy underpants, trying to get the kids to finish their smoothies before having the ten other things they would rather eat, all while TRYING TO DO MY TAXES has been a challenge.

I know I'm not the only one. Everyone is feeling challenged these days. And I know that I won't feel less challenged if I ease up on the homeschooling, or if I put off the taxes, or if we just play all day or watch TV all day or spend all day outside or heck, even drink all day.

Because those are the micro-challenges. Do you know what the biggest challenge is?

It's the worry. I think the worry is wearing us all down.

I'm worried about my husband getting exposed at work. I'm worried about my kids getting exposed from my husband. I'm worried about e not feeling well. I'm worried about my parents getting exposed by someone in their apartment building. I'm worried about my brother who has to travel by plane for work and then go home to his family. I'm worried about my in-laws in Toronto where it's always crowded. I'm worried about the next time I have to go the grocery store. I'm worried about how everyone is going to get through this financially, including our country. I'm worried about the girls taking on the stress their parents are feeling. I'm worried for all of the people still going to work. I'm worried about what the world will look like when this is all over.

Worry is different from panic. Panic is in the moment. Worry is the hours and the days and the weeks stretching out and around those moments, wrapping itself around everything you do, around your thoughts and emotions and almost becomes invisible sometimes. But it's weight is always there.

This is getting too deep.

I'm reminded of a flowchart I saw once that I think about often. It's very relevant today:

Also, look at this face:

He's not worried. He's still trying to figure out how he managed to win the lottery 3 weeks ago.

This Is Quarantine: Day 19

Dare I say...best day yet?!

The stars aligned today and, don't worry, it's not going to my head or anything, but I am absolutely marinating in the loveliness that was today.

What made it so great? Oh, I'm glad you asked. I'd be pleased to fill you in.

Both girls did a larger than average amount of independent play/work which, in the land of isolation and homeschooling, is a big deal. e spent a good deal of time building with Mega Bloks and tending to her babies and animals in her playroom, and E crushed her to-do list for the day. I made a running list of assignments that need to be completed this week (mostly assigned by her school with a few of my own details sprinkled in), and she almost finished the entire list! She was pretty much nose to the grind from about 9am to 4pm, just like a regular school day.

How did this happen?

Shhh...don't question it. Actually, I shouldn't even be mentioning it except for the fact that it's over now and I can't jinx it after the fact.

While the girls toiled, I slogged away at my taxes, which are still nowhere near completion. But it's a process, and at least I'm on the road. I also spoke with the girls' school about how to continue paying for private school after having most of our income wiped out, and I was so pleasantly surprised at how completely understanding and accommodating they were. It turns out I needn't have lost all that sleep over the past few days after all! Now let's cross our fingers that the bank is equally helpful. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA...

After dinner I suggested to E that she do a little running on the treadmill. She and her dad have a little challenge going, and she stands to make some cash if she wins. She has been given 2 weeks to meet her goal. She crushed it on Day 1. That's MY GIRL.

So, what's brewing for the rest of the week, you wonder? Let me check my calendar...

This Is Quarantine: Day 18

After deciding on Friday that I'm handling this quarantine super well, I've had the weekend to reassess, and I think this whole ordeal might be getting to me just a tad.

For example:

1. Yesterday my husband came downstairs wearing jeans and a Donkey Kong t-shirt, and *I swear to god* I wondered Why is he all dressed up?

2. All it takes is the threat of being seen on your kids' Zoom conferences to make you realize Sure, I might be Quarantine Day ready, but that is something very, very different from Regular Day ready.

3. I gave making Instant Pot wine a thought today. I don't know if that's more embarrassing, or the fact that the reason I decided against it was because I'm not willing to make an extra trip to the grocery store for grape juice.

4. I am so completely obsessed with food and eating on your average day. Quarantine has taken this to a new level. This article really spoke to me. I would be happy to spend the entire day in the kitchen.

6. Day 18 is the first time I went ahead with the day drinking, and it turns out I dice a mean onion with a buzz. Behold:

7. Day drinking has so many more benefits than I had anticipated. Spontaneous dancing, a heightened ability to tune out whining and in-fighting, and a complete disinterest in your children's response to dinner are just a few.

8. And, once again, I am reminded that you can take basically anything in the world, wrap it in a tortilla and my kids will eat it. For example:

I am not even kidding.

But I digress. I think we were talking about how quarantine has been messing with my head. So, one double caesar, one gin and tonic and a glass of scotch aside...

9. After years of weeding out most complex carbs from our average diet, I am now completely unable to serve a meal without bread. 

10. At one point I'm sure that having my children walk around with zombie face paint while my husband declared them "COVID Zombies!" would have led me to disown the lot of them and bury my face in shame, I now roll my eyes good-naturedly and continue our walk through the neighbourhood, unphased.

Onwards and upwards, my fellow shut-ins!

This is Quarantine: Day 17

It's the Weekend!

After a week of some lovely highs and a few too many lows, we barely limped over the finish line on Friday.

So imagine my surprise and delight to be presented with breakfast and coffee on a tray by my perfectly perfect children this morning! And in an example of positive reinforcement in action, when they jokingly asked for jars of nutella for breakfast, their efforts were duly rewarded:

I kept the bar low for today. No grand plans, no lofty goals, and a very loose leash on screen time.

I did set some standards though. Not inclined to face another endless series of My Little Pony/Paw Patrol/Peppa Pig nonsense, I queued up The Incredibles.

As a result, e spent most of the rest of the day running laps around the house and the neighbourhood as your favourite superhero and mine, complete with tag lines:

Super Girl! "Into the night we SAVE THE DAY!"

Or sometimes,
Infra Red! "We're ON A ROLL!"

Or, during our reprise of last week's wildly successful family workout,
Workout Girl! "Workout girl is GOOD ENOUGH!"

I really get Workout Girl.

I also spent some time revising my meal plan. I tried to err on the conservative side, so that when I went to whip up the chickpea salad I had slated for dinner (much to my family's chagrin), I realized that we already have several leftover meals in the fridge. So, I pushed the salad to tomorrow (much to my family's delight), and decided to finish the curried lentil soup from earlier in the week (back to chagrin).

Understanding that this might not have been anyone's favourite meal, I decided to try to jazz it up a little. The original recipe had cubes of fried paneer to top the soup, which I just skipped. But today, I wondered if fried feta might be a thing...and it is! I found a really neat sounding recipe and threw it together while the reheating the soup on the stove. I added a box of breadsticks to the mix and voila! Leftovers, revived!

To be honest, the consensus declared the boxed breadsticks to be the star of the show. But not to worry, I'm no stranger to pulling off a big finish:

This is Quarantine: Day 16

I know this will come as a surprise, but before this pandemic hit, I was a quarantine novice. And I'll admit it. I didn't plan for this exactly perfectly. I've had a lot of time to think about things, and I've come up with a list of lessons I've learned for next time.

1. I spent far too much time googling recipes and making meal plans. 

2.  I spent far too little time googling fun, educational activities and making lesson plans. 

3. I didn't buy any rice. 

4. I don't think I bought enough coffee beans.  😱

5. I treated this whole thing more like an exciting opportunity for decluttering, rather than a true emergency stock-up.**  So rather than buy a whole lot of new food, I took stock of all of the existing (mostly partly used) bags of dried beans and (steadfastly ignored) tins of oddities like sardines and kippers and decided this was the perfect time to use them up!

**DO NOT tell my husband this. He gets real twitchy around the "D" word.

6. I didn't sit the family down and have a meaningful conversation about what everyone expected this time to look like. I'm pretty sure E thought she would just be running the show from here on in and giving e the title of Assistant to the Regional Manager, because nepotism. 

7. I should have pulled the trigger on that steamer/sanitizer I've had my eye on. 

8. I really should have gotten around to booking those hair appointments. 

9. This would have been a great time to build a treehouse. Paint the house. Take on some kind of massive home project. If I had just thought of that with enough time to gather supplies, then surely...oh nevermind. You and I both know when we're setting ourselves up for abject failure.

10. I wish I had spent more time thinking about places to live after J's residency. Like Guyana. Or Botswana.  Turkmenistan sounds lovely.

This counts as a treehouse, right?

This Is Quarantine: Day 15

2 weeks ago today we started this journey.

Wow.

I'm definitely a homebody, and that has become even more apparent to me throughout this adventure. Two weeks in and I can't say I'm stir crazy. There's nowhere that I'm dying to go, and I still don't feel any particular need to leave the house.

I do sympathize with people who like to go out and do things regularly, and people who have lots of bodies stacked on top of one another in little tiny spaces. Even though we're all in the same boat, we are also very much on our own personal journeys, and we're all dealing with challenges.

My biggest challenge has definitely been trying to convince everyone to just do what I tell them to do. You know, listen the first time I say something, believe that I've put way more thought into this than you have, stop fricking resisting and just go with the flow. My flow. Let me run this show!

We're not there yet, but I think I'm wearing them down.

Despite this struggle, we've had some great moments. Like when they do decide to listen and things go as smoothly as I had hoped. But even sometimes when things don't go to plan and turn out better than expected. Who knew?

One of my favourite things to come out of this is E's budding photography hobby. I may be biased, but I really think she has that je ne sais quoi that can't necessarily be taught. She has the eye. She sees perspectives and angles that I think the average person doesn't. There are many, many things to learn about the subject, but she seems to have that little spark that, with the discipline to really learn the craft, could lead to great things.

These are a few shots she took yesterday:

As I was looking at them, I was reminded that she has been interested in taking pictures for a long time. And she has always had a unique viewpoint. Here are some shots she took on a trip to visit her Grandma and Papa in Toronto in 2014, when she was 5 years old:

You see what I mean, right?

Ask The Expert, Revisited

This was a fun thing I started a long time ago with E, and I have no idea why we didn't continue, as she certainly never ran out of clever ideas. Reading through the blog for old times' sake the other day, I came across the ones we did and read them to the girls.

This gave E a very clever idea. I present to you:

Ask The Expert, e Edition 
Episode 1

1. What is your favourite colour?
A: PURPLE! PURPLE!

2. What is your favourite plant?
A: Spiky ones!

3. What does Daddy do when he wakes up?
A: Falls asleep! And then I say "Snooze or Lose Dad!"

4. What does Daddy do when he gets in the shower?
A: Falls everywhere!

5. What does Daddy like to eat for breakfast?
A: Squid that squiggles around. And LIVE ones!

6. What would you do if you had wings?
A: Fly.

7. What do you want to be for Hallowe'en next year?
A: Dinosaur.

8. What colour do you want your eyes to be?
A: Blaaaaaaaack!

9. If you could be any animal, what would you be?
A: A TIGER! Roooaoaaaaarrr!!!

10. What does it mean if your poop turns green?
A: STOP! Stop pooping and stop peeing.

11. What would happen if the dog turned into a dragon?
A: Then he would be fierce and I would jump into your arms?

12. What should Daddy wear if he wants to be fancy?
A: Makeup!