By the time we hit spring break, we were all desperate for a break from the distance learning that we had been doing since mid March. We all felt exhausted and a bit burnt out so being outside and doing different activities was a nice change of pace. We found ways to be outside as much as possible, but that also took a bit of creativity at times as well.
Cody came with me on my run which was a first!
Kailey had the idea to pick up trash along our walking route to Save the Earth!
We played cornhole in the driveway.
A favorite activity we did was an obstacle course in our driveway based on an idea I got from someone on Facebook. It took some time to set it up, but we all had fun with it!
We also spent a lot of time taking family walks, bike and scooter rides, and enjoying the neighborhood!
We also got a special visitor from school which the made the kids so happy!
Despite all of the great times, there were also some challenging times as well!
I think we will all agree that Easter 2020 didn't go as we expected it to go. I will preface this by saying that I am thankful that we were all healthy but not being with people we loved was really hard. We did, however, make the most of the day we had and despite the circumstances, still had a pretty great day. We started our day out with Easter baskets from the Easter Bunny and the first egg hunt in the house.
We got a little more dressed in time for church and watched the sermon from the comfort of our couch.
After church was over, we headed outside for another egg hunt in the front yard! It was quite entertaining and a bit competitive, but I think they had a good time!
We spent the afternoon outside and enjoyed the day. We even got a surprise distanced visit from our friends and then still got to "zoom" with family for the holiday.
Given the circumstances, we made the best of our holiday!
The weekend that ended week 3 was welcomed with open arms. We were ready for the break in school work and spent a lot of time outside. We explored a new little location close to our house that was a little bit of a walk/scooter/bike ride from our house. I had to laugh to myself because with all of the time in the world, the kids still all complained the whole way there and then the whole way home. "When are we going to be there? How much longer? When will we be home? What's taking so long?"
There are so many things that I am struggling with lately with being quarantined but one of the things that I have been really grateful for is this ability to just play outside at home. This is something we never really did too often before because we were so busy and I have found a new appreciation for my home and little yard that I never really had before.
We have spent way more time in our yard playing, cleaning, and doing things we haven't done in a really long time and I have been enjoying that part.
When the start of the school week came, we were in a pretty good routine but also, ready for the upcoming break. I was feeling burnt out from trying to work/teach and help the kids and getting them motivated to get work done was becoming increasingly difficult. Colin's sleep patterns by this point were not great and he was getting up pretty often at night. This made the early afternoons difficult because he was really tired. I am guessing that part of this is due to anxiety and stress during the day about the unknown (meaning, he knows there is something going on but doesn't exactly understand) and also with the start of his allergies. Our school week was broken up into two parts; school and play.
Colin's teachers have been asking them to draw different character traits and Colin drew his friend Enzo!
We tried to sit outside when we could!
One of Colin's tasks for Math was sorting and counting!
I can tell you that one of the things I miss THE most about this quarantine is people! We all miss our family and friends a lot. We've done/had some drive-bys and they have changed my day! Last week we had a nice surprise from friends who dropped off some fun items for Chris and I!
In all of the fun, Colin has become more brave! He tackled another big hill on his scooter but isn't so good with the brake! He fell at the bottom and was really upset, but I was so happy with how fast he turned it around! I am so proud of him and how brave he has become!
We also worked on a special project for the students of my school, something I was so proud to participate in!
We learned of an opportunity to thank all of the healthcare workers in our town by placing lights in our window and we jumped on it! We are so grateful for all of those who work so hard for our community!
