Quarantined

We are over here on day 10 of quarantine due to potential Covid-19 exposure at church, so I thought I should sit down and write about what it's been like. While we miss seeing people and especially meeting with the church, it hasn't been bad for the most part. I tend to be a homebody anyway, so being home all day every day doesn't typically bother me too much. Finding things to keep us occupied has been surprisingly easy, and the slower pace of life has definitely been a blessing. Every moment of every day certainly hasn't been perfect or easy, but we have tried to enjoy this time together and not wish it away.

We've been doing what we can to spread a little cheer to families who are having a harder time. One afternoon, we spent several hours creating this mural on our driveway. 

As you can see, it was quite large! Sadly, the rain washed it away after just a few days, but I know several people enjoyed it because they told us that it made them smile. One lady even brought her husband by to see it (it was washed away, though).

We also spent a lot of time sending good old fashioned letters to family and friends. We sent something to every family at church, much of our physical family, and several school families and teachers. I think we sent letters to a total of 37 families. It was a labor of love at times (motivating small children to write letters isn't always easy), but so worth it. Several people gave us a shout-out on FB, and I was so happy to know the joy it brought! 

In the screenshot of the FB post above, you can see the panda drawings the twins sent some of their friends. We've been watching drawing tutorial videos on YouTube, and we thought that sending the drawings in the mail to others was a great use for them. My kids have a great time drawing them, and others enjoy receiving them!

Not being able to go to church has been the most difficult thing about this quarantine. My parents have been coming over on Sundays so we can study and watch a service online together, but it in no way compares to being there in person. The kids especially miss their friends, but we've been FaceTiming with them some. Modern technology has been so great to help us not feel so isolated.

Spending time outdoors has been helping keep us sane. We spend a lot of time outside during the spring anyway, but we've been making extra effort to get out for bike rides and walks every day.

Brecklyn, Brenson, Brooke, Brianna, and Chris at our neighborhood pond

I love doing BIG puzzles, so I've taken advantage of the extra time we've had to feed my puzzle love. The kids are all good helpers, but Brenson and Brecklyn especially love puzzling with me.

Bren and I worked for about a week to complete this 3000 piece puzzle! Whooop!

From the very beginning of things being shut-down and canceled around here, I've tried to create a solid schedule to keep everyone motivated and stable. We typically spend our mornings in learning time. I've had several education kits and activities I've been wanting to do for a while, and they've been perfect for this time.

One week, we did a whole themed unit about the Solar System. I love themed units, and the kids really enjoyed it, as well!

We did all kinds of fun activities, but the big kids especially enjoyed building a small model demonstrating how we have day/night and seasons. 

While they were building their model, the little girls were building a great solar system puzzle!

Another activity kit had us building this cool constellation lamp.

We also had a kit to build a working speaker. It wasn't the easiest thing to do, but the kids were amazed when the speaker actually worked!

Grampy and G-Jo are the only other people we are seeing in person right now (and vice versa). They've joined us for learning time a few times, and I've definitely been grateful for the back-up!

We've had our share of quiet moments, watching movies and reading books. I think it's so sweet when my kids snuggle together.

Brianna, Brooke

I mentioned that Grampy and G-Jo have been coming over on Sunday for Bible study and to watch a service online. We take this time very seriously and have even been dressing nice for it. It's easier for me to focus when I'm not in sweatpants, lol. We sure miss our church family, though. So much. 

Yesterday, the kids officially began "distance learning" through school. It didn't go very smoothly, but I'm hopeful that will improve. Their amazing PE teacher, Mrs. S, has given the kids an opportunity to continue running and tracking distance for running club. They run, and I submit their distance to Mrs. S via email every day. I think this is great, and my kids are very motivated to keep working toward their 50 mile (silver) medals. Brenson is not too far! I also think this will be good for their mental health.

Brianna's piano lessons have been on hold for a while, but Brenson is continuing his guitar lessons through FaceTime. This has not been easy, but Mr. Muns doesn't really have a choice as he's been forced to shut his shop down for a while. Like with many other things, we're trying to make the best of it!

I hear and see a lot of things on social media about how this time is miserable and horrible, but I personally think that it's what we make it. I hope you can see that I'm determined to make it good for my family! I know it's different and I know it's not always easy, but that doesn't mean it has to be bad. It has been precious in its own way, and I hope that we'll all look back on it someday and smile.