COVID-19 Days 8 and 9

Day 8 (Saturday) 3/21/2020
- Oatmeal for breakfast
- Ran a  hilly 5+ miles @14:00
- Put sweet potato black bean chili in the crockpot
- Tried out my new bread delivered from across the country.  Delish.  Simple Kneads (gluten free)
- Spring cleaning, husband reorganized cabinets, boys went through drawers to get rid of clothing tha they don't like/ doesn't fit
- Kid 1 made mac and cheese for lunch.  I made kale chips for the fam and had leftover chickpea curry
- I did some quilting and looked up mask making instructions
- Hung up  my jeans that I wear to work.  Don't need those for awhile.
- Drew a rainbow in the front on the driveway
- Played ladder ball with the family
- Hubby cleaned the bathroom
- I started making a cleaning schedule
- Veg box arrived, put everything away
- Taught kids how to vacuum and dust
- Folded laundry
- Decluttered papers and things.  Hubby worked on books
- Chili/ salad/ bread/ ice cream for dinner
- Watched Captain Marvel
- Stayed up too late (9:30) and woke up at 4:30 again.  Time to go to bed at 8:45 like normal.

Other notes: I gave up coffee about a month ago in favor for tea, and my digestive system is much happier.

Meal/ cooking plans for the week:
Sat: chili
Sun: Beet blueberry muffins.  Chicken fried rice.
Tue: Instant pot pasta with sausage
Thu: Chicken potato soup in instant pot
TBD: Order takeout burgers from a local burger place (trying to help local businesses)

Probably won't need groceries until Weds, but may go Tuesday for milk.  We keep a long running list.  My plan is to just go once, hopefully to one store, and get what they have and live without the rest.  We can go a long time by just replenishing on milk and eggs because we get our produce delivered.

Day 9 (Sunday) 3/22/2020
-Went for a hike in the park.  Saw 7 people.  Tried to social distance but...trail.  I turned to the side when they passed.  Saw the sheep!
- Looked up many instructions for making masks.  Made one fabric mask.  It's too big for me.  I guess my husband is doing the grocery run.
- Made beet blueberry muffins from Run Fast Cook Fast Eat Slow
- Worked on the quilt
- Made a lace edged handkerchief (allergies)
- Had some tea
- Walked the dog
- started a puzzle
- Donated a few books to the little free library
- unloaded dishwasher, folded laundry
- ate leftover curry for lunch.  Everyone else had chili nachos, soup, stuffing, raw veggies
- made chicken fried rice with brown rice, and broccoli, for dinner
- read my book before bed.  It's good. I think it was a textbook.  A lot of writing in it.

Photos of week 1

COVID-19 Days 5, 6, and 7

Day 5 (Wednesday) 3/18/2020
- couch sleep, snuggle
- work a bit
- get pup from surgeon, snuggle pup
- takeout lunch, sandwiches
- go for wlak
- lots of TV and video games for kids
- work, shower, snuggle pup
- conf call
- dinner - cabbage and bacon, leftovers, burritos
- will need bananas and apples soon
- make cornbread
- bed

Day 6 (Thursday) 3/19/2020
- Dog woke us in middle of night to pee.  So tired.
- Run two miles in new (trail) shoes
- snuggle dog
- oatmeal with pecans, raisins, brown sugar for breakfast
- work and snuggle dog.  She jumped off the couch (a no no post surgery), so I sat with her
- convince kids to snuggle dog while watching a documentary about the earth, so I can call into my conf call.  In exchange, they get more screen time.
- Lunch - egg salad sandwich (me), creamed spinach (me), soup/ramen/grilled cheese/ salad (everyone else)
- Draw/ color (with little kid), sit with dog on window seat.  Husband home afternoon.
- work in kid's room.  We have a new $120 TV, because there were no computer monitors to be purchased anywhere.
- Lose WiFi.  Play family feud while it is down
- work with dog on lap during another conference call
- hear ambulance.  Hubby and kids witnessed a single motorbike accident while walking back from park.  Hubby calls 911.  I think the driver was fine?
- Finish meeting.
- Dinner: salmon, stuffing, cabbage
- Walk dog with hubby.
- Dishes. Chill. Order eggs for next week's produce box.

Day 7 (Friday) 3/20/2020
- Wake at 3:45 because: dog had to pee
- Cannot sleep.  Awake 1.5 hours.  Stress purchase coloring books for myself and my nieces on Amazon at 4 am.
- Wake again at 6:30 am. 
- LIIFT4 back and biceps week 1
- snuggle dog, drink water while husband eats
- oatmeal and tea for breakfast
- Start rosemary olive oil bread in bread machine
- start work, more tea
- snack.  Boys off electronics for reading.
- Husband working in LR all day, me in boys' room
- use package of TP as a footrest because I'm short
- conference call
- Learn that my 25 kg kettlebell I ordered is gone forever.  And amazon is out.  Finally find one to order from REP fitness
- lunch - leftover stuffing, stew, cheese/salami, grilled cheese, cabbage, raw veg, hard boiled egg
- do art with little kid, and origami.
- Hubby working on industrial tech with big kid, building a new cabinet for the bathroom
- another conf call and more work
- My gluten free bread came from NC!  Simple Kneads
- King's game in front parking area with family
- Pizza and nachos and broccoli for dinner

COVID-19 Days 3 and 4

Day 3

Wake up at 4:19.  Husband snoring.  Go pee and to couch.  Fall back asleep.
Wake up at 6:10.  Workout from 6:20 to 7 am.  Beachbody LIIFT4 Chest and Triceps week1 (ow) 50% weights, 50% HIIT
Shower, make breakfast (eggs, bread, bananas, cereal, tea)
Start "the schedule".  Electronics, academics (they both read for an hour!), exercise (teenager napped), art/crafts (they did not do this, and this is when I heard how awful I am).
Hear (twice) how I'm ruining my teenager's life because being home with me is BORING compared to school.  Yay me.
Work during the schedule
Make lunch (salad/ ramen/ hardboiled eggs), eat lunch, do dishes.  Play a board game (family feud).  Husband comes home.
Escape to work.  Stop at sprouts on way in.  No milk.  I think this is a theme.  At least I bought flour last time I went out.  Apparently, it's hard to find now.
Work for a few hours.
Come home, get a call from husband on the way.  No bueno.  See: dog.
See a rainbow on the way home.
Drink wine, eat lentil soup, rice, and kale chips.
Our dog (we adopted her in November, she's elderly) has a hernia.  It was bothering her today, and it was hard.  So he left to take her to the vet.  Did I mention that her surgery to correct said hernia is WEDNESDAY, a day and a half from now.
Cut more fabric for this quilt along.  Yell at kids.  Tell big kid to drink his fucking water.

Day 4 (Tuesday, I think?)

Wake up in the middle of night.  Husband snoring.  Go to couch.  Get up at 5:30 am.
Look out, not raining!  Get dressed, drive to track for Track Tuesday.  Track is closed due to COVID-19 (obv).  Park at beach.  See, good thing I expected it, brought my Noxgear light up vest.  Tried to program my Garmin, won't connect to phone.  Also, glad I bought those leggings at Costco "you don't need new leggings Marcia!", but they have POCKETS.
Start my workout (15 min easy, 5x200m repeats with 200m recovery, 15 min easy)
It starts to sprinkle.  I run my 15 minutes
I mark out a 200m section for my repeats.  By then it is pouring and I'm 15 minutes from my car.
Do 4 repeats.  Do the 5th on the way back to the car. 
Did not do my 15 min "easy" cool down.  I was running hard.  I was soaked.  I had to stop every 2 minutes to wipe my glasses.
Eat breakfast (eggs, toast).
Attempt to work.
Today, little one read for 1.5 hours, finished his book (3rd in Percy Jackson series).
Big one read 1/2 hour and watched a nature show.
I field several calls from the Vet (dog surgery went fine) and Marriott (NO I DON'T WANT A FREE STAY)
Big kid did 15 minute walking workout on Youtube, little one slept.
We played some family feud.
Lunch: mac and cheese and broccoli.  Salad.  I also had tuna salad and potato salad.
Work some  more.  My back and neck are killing me.  I need a better ergonomic setup for home.
Go for walk with kids and hubs to the park, play two square.  Explain to little one that no, he cannot play on playground with his friend: social distancing.
Come home, call into conference call.
Husband gets kids to help clean.
Dinner: favorite chicken (fingers) for boys, roast Indian potatoes and cauliflower.  Bean burritos and tacos for parents.
Watch movie.
Read that school is probably going to be out until FALL
Cry.
Drink wine
Eat brownie and ice cream
Discuss getting a better office chair with husband
Go to bed.

COVID-19 Days 1 and 2

Day 1 (Saturday)
- Ran 5 miles with my group, but alone (social distancing!)  Not hard, I'm slow.
- Bought new running shoes.  9 people in the tiny store, social distancing fail.
- Bought tomato and other plants for garden (hubby), another fail (lots of people)
- Skipped a surprise anniversary party that I REALLY wanted to go to, you know, distance
- Started a new quilt, because: why not?  Sewed strips and pressed them open. (It's going to blue/ turquoise/white)
- Went through bookshelves.  We are spring cleaning.
- Did a 15 minute indoor "walk" video with 7 year old
- Handed off 16 books to the neighbor for her 1st grader.  We are done with them and: cleaning!
- Made sesame cashew noodles for dinner.  I can't keep the brown rice/ quinoa pasta from getting gluey
- had birthday brownies (14!! the age, not the brownies) and ice cream.  And red wine.

Day 2 (Sunday)
- Woke up at 5:15 am.  Sigh. Not intentionally.
- Started cutting out quilt strips
- Got frustrated at my inability to get into the iPad to read my Tiny House Magazine.  Spent an hour.  I hate Apple.  Changed my password.  Did not work.  I still hate Apple.  I think I'm just going to spend a bit more time on it.  If I can't get it to work, cancel.
- Walked the dog with the hubby, kept going, did 3 miles.  Got rained on a bit.
- Made fruit salad
- Washed carrots and snap peas for lunch
- Put rosemary olive oil bread ingredients in bread machine.  I miss bread.
- Washed bell pepper, onion, carrot, chard (and chopped) for tonight's lentil soup.
- Folded laundry
- Kicked the kids off electronics.  This is going to be a theme this week.
- Started a quilt with this "quilt along" I found on facebook.  Made zero quilts last year, first time in 20 years.
- Baked bread, made lentil soup, drank wine, ate cake
- Bed by 9, read my book - it's about women in the workplace, zzzz

So, the Pandemic

I think this is worth a post.  I'm not going to give anyone medical advice.  I'm not going to lecture.  I'm not going to mention how not having national health care is NOT helping.  Okay, maybe I am.

I'm just going to use this space to talk about we are hoping to manage the next 3 weeks of "social distancing" + no school + work.

First, let me say: we are privileged.  We can both work from home.  We can afford to take time off.  Our kids are old enough to stay at home together.  Our employers aren't going to necessarily immediately run out of money (we aren't in the hospitality business).  This is NOT true of everyone.

So here goes:
1.  Cancel the cleaning service for the 2 weeks we are affected, but pay them anyway.
2.  Set up a daily schedule.  Thus far, the schools have not sent home any work, though they may for the junior high kid.  Much of his work is already assigned and turned in online.
3.  Plan work accordingly.
4.  Plan meals accordingly.
5.  Exercise

The daily schedule - there are many floating around online, with the idea that you want to limit electronics time.  To be honest, when we work from home with kids, they spend nearly 100% of their time on electronics, because then they will LET US WORK.  The point with a schedule is to get the same effect, with less electronics time (max 1 hour at a time).

An example would be:
Breakfast
Electronics
Academics
Exercise
Creativity
Lunch
Academics
Electronics
Play
Exercise
Chores
Dinner
Electronics
Bedtime

The goal would be to have the electronics, exercise, and creativity be MOSTLY parent-free.

Ideas on how to fill these slots:
Academics: reading, learning apps, math pages, science, writing, spelling, educational TV shows, robotics, snap circuits

Exercise: walking, yoga, online exercise videos, Wii fit, Dance party 2020 on the switch, Foosball, Jump rope, 2 square, kickball, walk the dog, "kings game" out back.  No parks, we need to maintain a social distance. 

(I have already stopped going to the gym, there are a lot of old people!  I am working out at home with Beachbody On Demand and going running.)

Creativity: Legos, coloring, drawing, painting, play doh

Fun: cards, games, foozball, bey blades, puzzles, sudoku, word search, board games, lite brite, origami

Chores: laundry, dishes, cleaning, spring cleaning, help with cooking.


This schedule *should* allow us 7 hours a day of solid work, more if we work after dinner.

2019 Groceries

Groceries 2014		$10,261.00
Groceries 2015		$5,706.05
Groceries 2016		$6,864.21
Groceries 2017		$6,997.16
Groceries 2018		$7,789.01
Groceries 2019		$8,772.90

Well, that's how we did last year.  Quite a bit more than the year before, even though the kids get free lunch.  I'm cooking less (I work late, so husband cooks).  I added a second produce box, which is cheaper than price checking the stores.  I gained 13 pounds last year too, so...some of it muscle (I started weight training), some of it not.

The kids are getting bigger and eating more.  I had another full year of eating gluten free (since September 2017).

And...well that's all I have to say about that.  We are still under 2014, so whee!

Tonight I'm making this.

I haven't roasted a chicken in YEARS. I'm trying to feel the JOY of cooking.