Well, we continue to live our lives, mostly in our home, together, 24/7 and its working. No one has run away, killed anyone and very few meltdowns. We have been blessed and I personally feel that we've come closer as a family. I also know my kids better now than I have in a while. Blessed. Here are some pictures from the beginning of April.
Kedzie and Coseth have the most school work of all. Ethan has a lot too, but intermixes his with youtube so it takes longer. They are getting good grades and are successful at home learners. But, let me be clear, we are not home schooling, ever, I mean ever.
There's always some fighting whether real or fake. Ethan has a stash of sticks that the boys play with at some point every day.
Triston and Alex are done with school before I even wake up at 7:30. I don't know how they do it and if they're really reading 30 minutes, but they say they are and we've only had one email from school saying someone was missing some homework. Once that problem was rectified, they've been champs, and they are eager for middle school.
Every day I see a patient, probably once a week, I have to take my temperature to make sure I don't have a fever and have no Corona signs or symptoms.
I just had to throw this silly picture in here of Matthew. The things we do when we are home all the time!
The boys have also had fun on some FaceTime calls with classmates.
Alex as a puppy. Wiley gets sooooo mad!
The boys finally found a picture of Phinneas facing forward!
Got to FaceTime with the clappers. Love them and all the memories.
This is what soccer looks like right now. All on zoom, three days a week and no friends. Its tough, but they do it, almost always. I'm proud of their efforts.
Bought a new soccer volley net. Not used as much as I thought, but still a play option.
Ethan on his first venture out of the house. :)
We take walks and bike rides almost every day.
Me on my first quarantine outing to get medicine at kaiser. As you can see below, they had everyone 6ft apart and only so many people allowed the facility at a time. It worked, its weird, but it worked.
Social distancing hugs and treats for besties like Kedzie and Melanie.
Quarantine will make you crazy. Like the time Alex put milk in his bowl of nothing!
People are nice though and share treats. Marx's are always feeding us.
We let Ethan out of the house with the Foran's to go fishing. He needed it, we needed it. He had the best day and even caught a fish. He later ate it and didn't like it. So glad he could go out.
Kedzie looking like Judah Friedlander from 30 Rock. We laugh. She doesn't like it when we laugh, but we still do it.
Corona
Just so I NEVER forget..... April 2, 2020
-Gas price a mile from home was $1.85
-School cancelled - yes cancelled. All online. (students left March 13 and won’t return)
-Self-distancing measures on the rise. 6ft apart.
-Tape on the floors at grocery stores and others to help distance shoppers (6ft) from each other.
-Limited number of people inside stores, therefore, lineups outside the store doors.
-Non-essential stores and businesses mandated closed.
-Parks, trails, entire cities locked up.
-Entire sports seasons cancelled. Doing training via zoom.
-Concerts, tours, festivals, entertainment events - cancelled.
-Weddings, family celebrations, holiday gatherings - cancelled.
-Churches are closed.
-No gatherings of 50 or more, then 20 or more, now no gatherings of 5 or more.
-Don't socialize with anyone outside of your home unless you happen to see them on a walk and can stay 6ft apart. Or through email, zoom, texting.
-Children's outdoor play parks are closed. Caution tape covers them.
-Shortage of masks, gowns, gloves for our front-line workers.
-Shortage of ventilators for the critically ill.
-Panic buying sets in and we have no toilet paper, no disinfecting supplies, no paper towel no laundry soap, no hand sanitizer. (In the first two weeks).
-Manufacturers, distilleries and other businesses switch their lines to help make visors, masks, hand sanitizer and PPE.
-Government closes the border to all non-essential travel.
-Fines are established for breaking the rules.
-Stadiums and recreation facilities open up for the overflow of Covid-19 patients.
-Press conferences daily from the President. -Daily updates on new cases, recoveries, and deaths.
-Government incentives to stay home.
-Barely anyone on the roads.
-People wearing masks and gloves outside.
-Essential service workers are terrified to go to work.
-Medical field workers are afraid to go home to their families.
-the bank is drive thru only
-food is only drive thru
This is the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic, declared March 11th, 2020.
4.10.20
Bed time has been hard for me since my mom died, but I got used to it until the last few weeks again! Bed time is the worst. I want to cry right now. I’m so tired. I was up until 3am yesterday in and out of a daze cuz I couldn’t sleep. I worry. I think. I pray. I ponder. I think about wayyyy too many things. It’s so frustrating and makes me sad and tired.
So Travis is asleep. All kids in bed and I’m anxious about going to bed. Anxious about what tomorrow will be like. Anxious about how long we will be stuck at home. Will the kids go to the pool this summer? Camps? School in the fall even? How long will we wear masks? Aren’t we free of this at our house? No ones sick here. Will Wiley get it? What’s my mom doing? How can I be more present tomorrow with my kids? We forgot scriptures today. Kedzie really needs to shower. The boys need less screen time, the girls too. What does next week entail? Can I sleep tonight? I’m exhausted.
Just a few thoughts from my brain. Not sure how to turn it off and just sleep. But, I’ll keep trying. Go away covid19.
Today was the world wide fast president Nelson presented at conference. I made it until 1pm. So did triston! Travis made it to dinner. Kedzie and Alex made it until 10am! 🤣 Hope our prayers are answered. I know they will be. I guess I’m hoping for sooner rather than later.
Love em
4.11.20
Today has been the best corona day thus far. We got a package of soccer shorts in the mail for the boys. Travis found a hefty savings account that I didn’t have access too. We took a normal trip to target, in our masks. Visited with Anne and Brennar at a social distance. Gave a cupcake to Tristons kindergarten friend Morgan for her bday. Ate a delicious pasta salad. Ethan broke out and went fishing with the Foran’s and actually caught one and brought it home. The boys laughed. Kedzie showered. Our house got cleaned by all of us in 45 min. My hair got cut and colored by my favorite hairdresser Mr. Travis and now we are all chilling as we await for Easter tomorrow. I’m so grateful for this day. We needed it for morale. It was a winner.
4.13.20
It’s time to explain how this pandemic is affecting me and my family on various levels.
Tonight id like to mention family. Alex is down on the couch after being busted for being on YouTube. He knew he shouldn’t be on and he was, so he doesn’t get video games again tomorrow. I say again because he lost them today for doing something very wrong to Ethan on Sunday evening. In general, he’s the youngest and has a very hard time accepting anything he’s done as being wrong. He’s a great manipulator and can turn the tables on you with precision. Spending so much time together this past month doesn’t allow for him to get away with as much and that frustrates him to the core. So, he’s chosen to sleep on the couch tonight and I’ve chosen not to participate in the battle.
He is far more emotional and tearful and often raging when things don’t go his way. He gets school done quickly and does extra math for fun. He gets bored quickly, yet doesn’t like any of our suggestions, not a surprise. He also makes sure we know he’s bored. He’s bored people. Bored. It’s heart breaking to this mom to have him treat me with less respect than I deserve. I’m anticipating some similar things mental health wise as Ethan as we enter 6-7th grades. I hope I’m wrong. I digress
Ethan has been a lot more agreeable and polite. Far less irritable and angry. He listens and takes time to understand why we’ve said something. He does his work, takes breaks on YouTube and does more work. He definitely gets more screen time than I would like, but he’s working hard at his job of school. He is more present with his family. He plays more with his siblings. He talks more with Kedzie. He’s even made us a few delicious meals. He’s participating, willingly most of the time in scripture study. It’s been really positive in my opinion.
Kedzie has been doing great in all things, she’s just slow and needs to be reminded and encouraged. She talks with her friends on the phone or text everyday. She misses them terribly, but made cupcakes for her besties and we dropped them off. She misses school. She misses seminary. She misses her life, but she’s doing a great job at home.
Triston seems to be doing great too. He has his moments as we all do, but he and Ethan are getting along much better. He really tries to be kind and helpful when asked. He does get frustrated being around everyone at times, but so do I!
Coseth is quiet and moves throughout her day methodically. I think she’s speaking less at home than she would at school but she’s getting her work done and staying connected with friends and family in Ecuador. Assuring that they are well there. Can you imagine being so far away from your parents during a time like this? She wants to finish school here and she will. Things aren’t great in the big cities in Ecuador right now, but her family and town are doing well. We don’t know when she’ll go home.
Travis works from home every day and is patient with me and the kids needing him. He works hard and fast and he’s always home to make dinner for us! I know it’s hard to work around loud kids, once they get their work done. But if it becomes an issue, he put on headphones or asks them to go downstairs. It’s working and he’s working. We pray for work all the time and it keeps coming. Nuf Said is going to be just fine at the present time. We are blessed. Travis is our anchor and life support! He keeps us all happy or works really hard to get us back to happy. He’s always asking each of us what he can do to help. He is still teaching online seminary twice a week which is hard, but needed for those few kids that need his words. He’s a good, good man. I’m grateful for him.
As for me, the days feel like two, and I’m awesome and optimistic during the first half and ready to
Throw in the towel the second half. I have a hard time going to sleep because I worry or think about anything and everything. There is literally nothing to do other than clean the house and the corners so I’m on my phone a lot. I’ve tried to be present with my kids. Alex and I have played some games and I listen to kedzie and Ethan talk about things. I want to finish a quilt, but need some guidance and guts. I could organize photos and corners but don’t want too. I do yoga every day and when it’s not snowing, we go on a 45 min walk together as a family. I text with friends and have zoomed with some friends. I zoom with young women and had a lesson this past Sunday. It is really hard for me to be home so much. I’d say my family handles it better than I do, but I’m managing too. I’ve gone through stages of grief and anger, denial and depression. Quite interesting I’d say. I’m sad that all plans we have until August are basically cancelled and hope that true summer can be more exciting than fighting my kids over screen time and what they can or can’t do.
This is hard, but in the same sentence, our family is closer to each other, we know each other better, we are eating together, studying scriptures and school together, praying together, playing together, living our life together and it’s the best thing ever.
Spiritually I have grown closer to my Savior because of Easter and daily scripture study. I have more faith that my family will make it back to Heavenly Father. I miss my mom more and wonder how close the 2nd coming really is. But what a blessing to be able to have this time to help myself and my family grow a little closer to the Lord.
I mentioned school and social needs. I think they’re going okay. My mental health is probably the biggest challenge and Alex is struggling a bit now, but I’m strong enough and so is he. Mostly we are strong enough because of our Savior and the support and love of our family. We are truly blessed
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