A Week in the Life {Fully Isolated - Life in a Parallel Universe}

Monday, March 16th

We were supposed to be at our new state capitol for the homeschool rally.  How sad we all were that this trip was canceled.  After consulting with our doctor and family earlier the week before, prior to everything escalating so quickly, Mike and I had decided we weren't going to take the risk regardless, but finally Sunday night the event was canceled anyways.  I shared my special Hy-Vee bakery muffins with the kids as a balm for their sad hearts.  (Last muffins for a long while - not an essential item!)

Mia made a Lego pencil!

I've been both in awe and a little in grumpus about all the wonderful FREE things that are being offered up in light of every child in America being sent home to learn.  Some of us were homeschooling way before it was mandated or cool.  LOL.  I jest.  Mia has sure enjoyed the videos drawing with Mo Willems.

Tuesday, March 17thHappy St. Patrick's Day!  The children wore green at home.

The weather was decent so we did get outside for awhile

and rode down when it was time for Daddy to leave work.  Yes, unfortunately he's still being made to go into the office.  The campus is barren, stripped of the normal hubbub of college life.

I strapped Ev in with a blanket and let Natalee carefully give her a ride around the flagpole circle, while I walked along behind.

Our nephew's favorite color is green.  This was really his day!!

Wednesday, March 18th
Zayden left the breakfast table complaining of pain in his lower abdomen.  I kinda went into panic mode, which I know is awful, and contacted our nurse practitioner, and chatted with my sister.  I finally realized after talking with Mike that, while I thought he was complaining of internal pain, he had a bruise and red mark from crashing a scooter the day before.  Whew.

I made him some peppermint tea, nonetheless, and he drank it all, and then got up and did yoga with us.

Ev jumped while we did yoga.

Evalynn also had a new tooth when she got up Wednesday!
Xavier made a sombrero from Wikki Stix while I read aloud.

Thursday, March 19th

Happy birthday, Aunt Kea!

We recently finished reading about Helen Keller, and watched The Miracle Worker.  We all enjoyed it very much.  Ev was even baby attentive.

It rained and drizzled all morning.  At around 3, I realized it was only misting and it was 60 degrees and we went outside.  Ev and I sat under the awning and watched the kids ride scooters and skateboards.

All the sudden the mist stopped and the sun came out.  It actually got quite warm for about an hour and a half.  We went across the street to the baseball field and played a little game.  I was pitcher, Ev was cheerleader, and the kids went back and forth between fielders and batters and cheaters.  LOL

While I was getting a late supper around, Mike took the kids back out on a walk and gave me a half hour of glorious peace.

And then that night, this girl started putting her feet under her.  Ahhhh.

Friday, March 20th

And she mastered pulling up.  Sometimes she gets stuck, though, and can't remember how to get back down.

I went down and got out a few of the "bigger baby" toys I still had left.

Zayden has always loved this toy radio and came in when he heard it playing.

What are we going to do with this cutie's hair during social isolation?

This week in school the big kids did long division with a remainder in math.  They read about the Wright brothers and together we finished Little Britches (Wild Country).  We began learning about World War I and I had to reach out to Uncle Lance to make sure I understood what I was teaching (I love history, but the purpose of WWI eludes me.).  In science, we continued our unit on biomes and ecosystems (almost done!).

Ameliya continued with her little readers in reading and with counting by 2's, ways to make 10, and place value in math.  Zayden cut, glued, traced, stickered, and got through the week trying to be as good as possible.

Saturday, March 21st

Another day at home.  Mike finished setting up his home office in hopes he'll be allowed to work from home and minimize exposure. 

The boys dressed alike - aren't they cute?

Zayden sat down while Mike and I were visiting and finished his dad's coffee.

He got his own cup.  Coffee, black.

Aw, we miss our friends and family.

Evalynn practiced pulling up.

We played Legos and dealt with another day of crummy weather.

The kids got to have a pop up tent camp-out, because why not?

Sunday, March 22nd

We had our Sunday morning homemade "McMuffins" and then did church at home. 

Eggs...

I painted the front window.

The kids played downstairs for awhile and did some Legos, too.  The snow fell in big huge flakes, and although initially grumpy about more snow, the children were eventually enticed enough to go outside and play.

We call this window the pass through.  There's no screen but it opens nicely, so I can open it to chat or pass things through.  I opened it to take their picture after I'd come in from helping lift their snow balls together.  Of course Ev wanted to chat.

She thinks she's 1.

Working on tooth #2.

After the outside play I had stew and warm corn bread muffins ready, so we kind of made an early night of things with supper, showers, and bed.

Although Sunday is really the start of a new week, this week it felt like the end of the previous.  I talked to my sister about how it feels like we live in a parallel universe right now.  One half functions regularly and in the other - nothing is normal at all.

The children are missing their activities and we're really bummed about that Y membership that we just got (ha), but honestly the Beelers have nothing to complain about.  We feel relatively safe, we are healthy, and we have what we need.