Household Happenings: March 2020

Here I was just going along, living my best life. And BAM! World changes overnight, well, over a week.

I'm a person who thrives on routine. I like knowing what's expected of me so I can do it. I like to plan. I like order. So this "whole world up in the air" thing is tough for me. Day by day, week by week. What does the future look like?

One of my biggest problems is balancing my kids being at home and trying to figure what to do with my piano students. Most teachers are going to a digital-remote lesson. I have never even face-timed anyone. It's like setting up shop all over again. It's been a huge stress. I owe all my students lessons since the month had just started and I don't know if I should just buck up, or issue refunds.

I've written this post over and over again. Somedays I feel energetic and pumped and positive and other days I can't even bear to think about things. And it's not like it's SO BAD. I have a great house to be stuck in, and in normal circumstances, I don't even leave the house much. Having my kids home is awesome. Tyler's home and he actually likes what he's doing right now. But online school is really really hard. My kids all miss school (except maybe Maddie). It takes all my time with just Wyatt and Amelia because both of them are basically non-readers. And it's the sameness. Over and over. Wake up, get bombarded by emails from every teacher x every kid. Force the people to watch videos and fill out questionnaires. Try to get Wyatt to write nature poems.

I saved this to fill out at the beginning of the month. Little did I know March would be a surreal nightmare. 

I had so many things to look forward to, and they're all gone. I had really great rhythms and they are messed up. I taught piano every afternoon and enjoyed it. Every day I did things. And I practiced. And kept the house tidy and had alone time. I had some big concerts coming up. It's just all different. And I've been mourning and generally not taking things well.

I think if my kids were all self-sufficient with school, I would be totally loving this bonus time. I could do projects and my brain would be relaxed. But I hate being tied to computers and fighting people to do things that seem pointless.

Wyatt was just accepted to the special education program in our district which I am really happy about. He's been diagnosed with dysgraphia (I think there's dyslexia in there too, but he passed that test well enough...) and I'm glad he'll be getting some help. But that's also the thing preventing me from withdrawing all my kids right now and schooling them myself. Then I could do math together, at one time. And reading together, at one time instead of everyone doing their own busy work thing. And then I think about the fact that I've got to teach piano over a computer and I just want to curl up into a ball and cry.

I can do it. I will be stretched, and then I will be proud of myself.
But I don't want to be stretched. At least not in this way. Having everyone home 24/7 and cooking meals everyday and cleaning up the never-ending mud feels like stretching enough. And I'm envious of people who just get to chill, or have time and brain-space for other things. I have not been on my keto diet lately either. I  made some really good progress before this all came crashing down, but I've said before, losing weight is like a full-time job. And I just don't have it in me right now.

Pre-Corona Time:

 I got to accompany a local junior high choir for their UIL competition. It was scary, but fun especially since Mandie played the primo part of one of the pieces:

Amelia got her spacer put in. There is no end to the teeth problems with her.

 Wyatt had a 2nd grade class field trip. To a super muddy, smelly farm. I pretty much despised the whole experience, but should have appreciated it more, looking back.

 Love that dude so much.

 So ready for lunch.

 Then, to kick off our spring break, we got to babysit Hazel the cockatiel for the weekend. We loved having her around.

 Some practice.

 Baby goat. Out of order.

 Tyler has taught the older kids some card games. I like watching them play.

 Our PCC dress rehearsal at St.Thomas Aquinas. I've been so excited to sing in this space since I joined PCC. I was even more excited about it than singing in Carnegie (don't tell MCO). We sounded pretty darn good in there and I didn't know it would be my last time to sing together.

 Wyatt's art work. The kids do so few art projects at school I feel I must document.

Amelia, Maddie, my mom and I took advantage of the one sunny day during spring break to go to the Arboretum. It was packed even though people were beginning to talk about social distancing. It was a beautiful day and the tulips were amazing.

 I loved the succulent instruments all over the place. I had to have my photo with the piano.

 I do wonder if the piano is where I picked up strep throat because 2 days later I had a seriously swollen gland in my throat and terrible ear pain. It was only on one side and came on in an instant, but only got worse, not better. I was in terrible pain and there was no way I could sing at our concerts, which ended up being canceled anyway.  I had to go to the doctor. No one wants to go to the doctor right now. Will also was positive for strep.

Then our world kind of went nuts. No one could buy toilet paper, or meat, or milk, or bread, or anything with the panic buying. Here's a text from Maddie:

 She's still got a job which we are all grateful for.

Church canceled, temples closed, missionaries coming home. Earthquake in Utah, Moroni drops his trumpet. My parents are in Utah. My brother and family test positive for Corona. My parents are exposed. My grandma possibly also. Kind of some big stuff.

But I love church at home. It seems so special and sacred and I am so grateful I can still partake of the sacrament ordinance because we have worthy priesthood holders in our home.

Then, Maddie falls out of the hammock. The high hammock like 5ft off the ground and lands on her head and tailbone on the cement. She was lying in the mud of the backyard, sobbing and covered in ants and it was really hard to watch. I didn't know what to do. Move her?  Don't move? She said she couldn't see right and her eyes hurt. She was in a lot of pain, so I ended up taking her to the ER. Right in the middle of all this stupid covid stuff. We had to wear masks and were well taken care of, but there was not soap or sanitizer in sight which really bothered me. She checked out ok, just concussion and bruised tailbone and I'm super grateful it was nothing else.

Some isolation activities:

Tyler was sent home which I guess we knew was coming. He was fine staying at his building making overtime pay. We decided the quietest part of the house was the little kids room, so we moved them to our bedroom and Tyler set up camp.

 He also bought a smoker.

Here's the kids all snug. Wyatt said, "FINALLY!" He loves sleeping close to us. Still.

 This is how we do our sacrament meetings. We have had some really great talks and some really neat experiences. One of the few perks.

Girls doing school outside. Poor Giselle misses her classes and friends and teachers and coaches and all her boys.

 It's the small things. Like when a rubber band looks like a treble clef. This is the second time this has happened BTW.

I've been sewing homemade surgical masks, but ran out of elastic. I ordered 24 yards from ebay, but in the meantime I sewed up this dress which I had been meaning to make for years. It was so quick and easy and satisfying. And cute.

 It was inspired by this simple vintage dress that I just loved.

I also got out my easter "nativity" and finally stained it. I love it, but it needs some more styling. I'll keep working on that.

I decided that on Fridays we will get Braums. We all deserve ice cream after making it another week. We went to a park and just enjoyed being outside. Luckily no one turned is in.

 Tyler has been using his spare time to dig out all the overgrown plants in our front yard. I am so excited about this. Even though I personally never see the front of our house (I park in the garage in the back) I know lots of people do, and it was time for a change. Those things were huge. Tyler used the jeep to pull out a few of them, but after the big ones broke the 4-ton towing straps, he did it by hand.

 World piano day. I love this piano so much.

 25 masks done. Still no elastic.

 Empty and smaller beds. I've got some new, simple, minimalist ideas.

 Will. Oh this boy. He's like Sid, from Toy Story, always creating new and horrific bike creations.

 Pointless column no more!

 New door mats. Corona makes that exciting content.

I told Amelia I would play with her for 1 solid hour if she pulled out her very loose front tooth.

 Well, she couldn't do it, and I still played with her.

If you look really closely, that tiny doll is actually holding another tiny doll. Amelia liked this nesting doll idea.

And that is March. I really hope that in one year I'll be blogging something awesome. However, for the past 3 years March has been a tough month. 2018 is the year I nearly died from the tragic miscarriage, last March I was sick and passed out and busted up my face. This year I got strep throat and the world fell apart. What's next? What's April? What's tomorrow? One day at a time.

PS. Blogger removed the spell check feature. I can't imagine anything more stupid than that. Of all the tools they offer, that's probably the most universally used. So if this is a mess, that's only one of the reasons why.