I taught Lexa how to knit, and she’s really doing it! I’m so surprised after my failed attempt at teaching her last year. Knitting is probably my favorite. I’m almost finished knitting her a Christmas dress that I started in December.
We’ve gotten to the point past always wearing pj’s to where it’s hard to get Hugh motivated to put on clothes at all! He runs around naked until we finally get on him to go put on clothes.
Time is so different. At first it was hard to keep track of the date, then day of the week. The other day Timmy asked me what month it is.
I also noticed it took me an extra minute to remember which app on my phone was my gps map. I used to use that daily. Now I think I’ve driven somewhere twice in 3 months.
I feel so sad for the millions of people who’ve lost loved ones so far in this pandemic even though personally my family haven’t been hit that hard. I miss visiting my dad and sister and feel sorry for my kids missing their friends and getting to go to their wonderful schools. I was thinking about how the great things about moving to Cedar Park last year was all about community: the nice neighborhood friends, playgroups and preschool for Hugh and mom friends, great schools for the kids to go to, Sara and Kenny nearby, a good workplace and coworkers for Patrick. Now we have none of that. We’re just home alone all the time. I keep thinking about living in Sabinal last year where we were so isolated anyway, but we had all that space in the country to enjoy alone. The kids didn’t have any good friends to miss, and I wouldn’t have cared if the kids would have missed those Sabinal schools once Patrick was gone. Then I remember the reality of summers there where the AC couldn’t get the uninsulated buildings down below 80 degree and we’d try to nap until evening.. That was so miserable!
So I started thinking about all the things that have been unexpected good things we’ve discovered during this quarantine. I made a list.
The kids are learning resilience getting through this even though it’s not what they had wanted or chosen.
They’ve been helping out around the house like never before. Lexa and Timmy have often been doing the dishes, Will sweeps, and Lexa has been doing a lot of the cooking.
In fact, Lexa’s cooking has really taken off. She said she never would have learned so much when she was busy or tired from being busy all the time.
I think the younger three siblings have grown closer to each other. They play together everyday.
Slowing down has been wonderful. No rushing around.
Im so grateful for all the time we’ve gotten to spend with each other, time bonding with each kid and with Patrick.
The time has been so good for us. Time for my kids to sleep, get bored, take walks, play, read books, tinker with crafts and sit and talk.
Having nothing on the calendar has been a relief.
No school pickup everyday!
I overall enjoyed teaching Will, especially science.
Fitting in exercise and walks everyday.
No rushing everyone out the door ever!
The kids and I getting to sleep in everyday. I’ll never get tired of that.
Seeing the kids get creative. They have so much time, they just start doing things. Timmy was in his room, apparently he made a puppet of a hand out of cardboard and string that moves when you pull the strings. He also has drawn some really nice pictures. Will’s been taping objects together into sculptures. Lexa’s been making collages out of pictures cut from magazines.
What Timmy was doing in his room.
Some of Lexa’s collages
