As the Week Winds Down

It has been a good week. Following the productive weekend, I feel like we accomplished some good things this week. I think in part it may have been helped by the updating of the models for COVID19. I don't know where you all live but here in Ohio we were significantly under the model and the updates lowered the expected peaks significantly and brought the peak in a few days. I am starting to believe (not just hope) that we will have a return to normal following the current stay at home order expiration.

Of course, Ohio weather has been typically weird weather. We have had some gorgeous days, where we could get outside in short sleeves and enjoy the sights of spring. We had a couple of tornadoes touch down within a few miles of our house. We had that gorgeous super moon, of course it was partially obstructed but we got some cool pictures when it wasn't obstructed. We had flurries and sleet yesterday and then this morning, we woke to a covering of snow.

I have learned, when we are home we bake. We have always been bakers but in 'normal' schedule time we are generally limited in frequency and often I do most of it. During the break, my son has been doing a good amount of the baking. I had to add flour, butter and eggs to my next order to make sure that we can continue to bake. We have made 2 batches of biscotti, 3 batches of cookies, a batch of macarons (trying all-purpose flour in lieu of almond flour), a batch of beignets and two batches of bread. The kids would like to give another try to an alternate recipe that uses all-purpose flour for macarons.

We also cook. Again, not that we don't do a lot of cooking when we are not on a stay at home order but we seem to be on the go enough that we have a lot of quick fix meals rather than longer prep meals. Over the past couple of weeks, we have made homemade macaroni and cheese and a childhood favorite chicken in gravy over biscuits (and they were homemade biscuits). We have also tried knock off versions of restaurant favorite dishes. Homemade pizza has been a staple of our weekly menu.

Tonight, we celebrate our 21st Anniversary. Normally, we would have planned a dinner out as a couple or with the family. Or, if the timing worked out, we might have even planned a getaway as a couple or a family (Niagara Falls area is one of our favorite getaways). We are getting carry-out pizza from a local place and a growler of beer from the local craft brewery. Supporting local and celebrating us.

I definitely miss people. As much as I am a homebody, I also love being with people and being social. I want to host a game night or sit with friends watching kids sports and visiting or go to trivia with friends or just visit around a bonfire. During this time, it is nice to catch up with friends on the phone or via chat - but it is not the same as in person interactions. I find great joy in crossing paths with others when I am out for a walk. Sure, I cross the street or walk on the edge of the road to allow appropriate space but just waving to the walkers, the runners and the cars that drive by gives me that sense of connection with others. It was nice to visit at a distance with the owners at the craft brewery as I picked up the growler - hearing about their dog and his peculiarities.

The other night, I woke up in the middle of the night. I was thinking about what I had to do the next day and became a little disheartened that we really have gotten to the point where the next day is the same as the last and the next. Even with looking forward to our anniversary and Easter, there still isn't much different. We still don't have 'plans' or get to see family and friends. I am excited for the Easter dinner that I will make and the little bit I have pulled together for the kid's baskets, yet without being able to share it with family, it seems less than it should be. Knowing that this social distancing and stay at home order is really having an impact is the shining light that continues to give me hope and helps me to keep moving forward.

How are you holding up?

A New Week

Today is the first day of spring break for the kids. With my son being on the high school baseball team, it's been a while since we did something more than a day-trip or stay-cation for spring break. Even though we would only get away one day, we generally filled our time with other fun activities - hanging out with friends, mother-daughter pedicures, laser tag with friends, mini-golf and go-carts, sleepovers, swimming and ice cream. This year we simply are home. I have to say, it feels a little weird.

It's not like spring break is the only unusual thing going on though. One positive of this whole experience is increased family time. I am seeing it at my house and in the neighborhood. This weekend we took a family bike ride, just over 6 miles round trip from home to lunch and back again. We picked up carryout from a local favorite and biked back to the school to use the picnic tables to enjoy our lunch before biking home. We have always loved family bike rides (okay, who am I kidding, my husband and I love them and the kids come along because they have to and sometimes with a bit of whine as we plan for it) but finding time for them lately with two very active children (and parents) has been a challenge. Normally we do closer to 20 or 25 miles round trip but the restaurants we use as destinations on the journey are sit down places, that although I assume are doing carry-out wouldn't be as conducive to finding a picnic table or eating outside. It was nice to get in a bike ride locally and spend some active time together as a family. As we were out biking, I saw a lot of families walking together, biking together, doing yard work together and playing ball in their yards. It really was a nice sight to see.

This weekend we also enjoyed a family movie night in. We are definitely a movie family and have even included destinations like the dine-in theater as part of one of our staycation adventures. We watched Onward on Friday night on Disney+. It wasn't a movie that we had talked about going to see or were anxiously awaiting, in fact, even when we suggested it, my daughter wasn't really interested in watching it but we all did and discovered it was a good movie and everyone enjoyed it.

We also tackled a few projects around the house this weekend. We are entering the eleventh season with our Ultrabuilt playset this year and the kids (my daughter much more so than my son) still enjoy it. In the early years, I was very consistent in making sure that we gave it a fresh coat of paint each spring or at least every other spring to help protect it from the sun and rain. More recently, we have been a lot more busy and it has fallen to every three (or at least that is how long we think it was) years. This was not the best idea as we found a couple of boards that had not maintained the seal created by the paint (or maybe I missed a spot during the last one?) and had a bit of rot within those boards (or was it carpenter ants or something similar?). We made the repairs that were needed and then I used the paint we had on hand to paint the main slide platform and adjacent rails. We will need more paint so I can seal the rest but the store we bought it at doesn't carry that brand anymore and we tried but couldn't figure out how to do an online order for a paint blend - we could get the base gallon but there was no where to enter the color or see/select the color from samples. The rest will just have to wait until we can get back into the stores. We also had a water issue on the frame for our back door. We put in french doors several years ago and it looks like the flashing above the frame wasn't properly overlapped and so we have had a slow trickle of water in around the frame. This caused some of the wood to rot. We used some caulk to address the issue with the flashing and then tackled the frame. We dug out the bad part and filled it with wood filler to rebuild the space, sanded it and will paint it. Again, we don't have the paint we need, so in the short term we will use what we have from the front porch and will have to repaint later when we can select the color we need at the store.

I have found that I have fallen into a steady routine. I know that I am cleaning things more often trying to reduce risk. Each morning, I get up and feed the cats. If I sleep longer than they like, they make sure I am up by climbing up on my bed and sitting on my stomach to cry about eating. Then, I open up the blinds on the first floor to maximize the sunlight we are getting inside. Then, I start by cleaning up the kitchen - put away clean dishes, address any that were soaking from the previous night, take out trash and recycles, and then I wipe down all of the counters. To be fair, I had wiped down the counters and cleaned up after dinner too but I want to make sure that we are starting each day fresh. I then wipe down the counters, the faucet and the toilet in the main floor bathroom. It is the first place we go when we walk in the door to wash up from being outside the house - whether just out for a walk or coming in from the store - so I want to make sure that nothing was left behind on a surface in there. Then, I wipe the inside and outside door handles for all three entry doors and the button on the garage door opener. Then I swap the towels in the kitchen and half bath and add them to the washer to be cleaned with the next load. Then, I will typically work a bit on our puzzle, check e-mail and Facebook, have breakfast, maybe watch a show or movie, check out job postings and hopefully apply to one or two viable options. I typically will go for a walk in the afternoon but adjust based on weather - so far, I have found a way to get in at least a 30 minute walk each of the days that have passed since social distancing began.

We found out last week that school closures have been extended to May 1st and then that the Stay At Home order has also been extended to May 1st. I am glad that they didn't go as far out as some other states; I have heard June 10th for some state(s). I am hopeful and pray that we will be able to start to return to normal come May 1st. I know it may be a gradual return but a start to return is at least a beginning and something to look forward to.

Interestingly, I counted and May 1st represents 40 days of social distancing. I counted because I saw a blurb on Facebook about the number 40 and the significance. It referenced among other things, the 40 days of the great flood, the 40 days of Lent and so on. Of course I left to verify something and couldn't find the post when I went back into Facebook and I can't remember what friend had shared it. My husband found a similar one but it had less of the connections. One of the things it referenced (and one of the things I left to verify) was that even the word quarantine comes from the Italian word meaning 40 days (from Wikipedia: The word quarantine comes from quarantena, meaning "forty days", used in the 14th-15th-century Venetian language and designating the period that all ships were required to be isolated before passengers and crew could go ashore during the Black Death plague epidemic).

This week, I was able to schedule a grocery pick up, so I should be able to stay out of the stores this week but likely will do my own shopping next week. In part because it is so hard to get a time and in part because I still find shopping for myself easier but also a little riskier than I want - we learned this weekend that someone that works at our grocery tested positive. We are on about a 9 - 10 day schedule for groceries at this point. I am buying two weeks worth of bread and milk products each time so that we can stretch the visits out and have partial coverage if they are out of stock. The one thing that is harder to stretch is produce. We just make sure that we get our fruits and veggies fresh when we first shop and then we can move to frozen or canned later in the time between grocery trips. When we have a Friday evening without plans, we like to stop by the store and pick up a fresh baguette to enjoy as a snack. Not wanting to go to the store for one item, this weekend I made bread. I have made bread before but it has been a while. It turned out good and was a nice accompaniment to our dinner on Saturday as well. I will definitely plan to add flour to my shopping list so that I can make more.

How have you been doing? What adaptations have you made? How long are things 'closed' in your area?

Keep on Keeping on

This post contains some sponsored content (or links).

Did you have a good weekend? Were you able to 'break it up' from the everyday?

With the kids back to doing school work, the weekend was a nice break for them from spending their day doing school work. We learned yesterday that the schools will remain closed through April at this time, with a reevaluation towards the end of April. Next week is spring break, so the kids won't have work that week but then will have three more weeks of online learning. They seem to be doing good with keeping up with it and still finding down time.

The weather was pretty good at the end of last week and into the weekend. If we have to be at home, warm and sunny weather is definitely a welcome break. Somehow it makes me feel less 'locked in'. We were able to leave our doors and windows open and get some fresh air in the house. We were able to get out and get some fresh air, on walks and runs. My son got a chance to get out and do a some throwing and a bit of hitting at a nearby field and batting cage. My daughter spent some time playing on the swing set and then did some chalk art on the driveway. Look at the intensity of the colors in that art, I am pleased with the crayola chalk we picked up. (you can see that even following a rain, the color is still pretty intense) On my walks, I took in the sights and sounds of spring. There were daffodils blooming and birds singing, there were people grilling out and and having bonfires. It was also fun to see the different chalk drawings, pictures and encouraging messages. There were several notes written to friends and teachers on the sidewalks. Some made me smile, some made me a little sad - it is not in our nature to be isolated and not interacting, especially the kids.

Being home all day, every day has also caused us to think more creatively with eating and trying to find some old favorites to mix in to avoid feeling like we are always eating the same thing. I also have been saving some new recipes to try that friends are sharing...I am hoping that they leave a review so I know whether to try the recipe or not. I am still trying to cook once and eat multiple times and providing 'flex' options for the protein each night. I am also trying to make sure that we use up everything and don't allow any leftovers or food go bad or be wasted. Last week when I made a chipotle sauce for a restaurant knock off that is a family favorite, I threw in the remaining fresh tomatoes that were starting to get soft and a little bit of enchilada sauce that we had from dinner earlier in the week. Last night, I made homemade drop biscuits (usually use a mix) for having chicken in gravy over biscuits. I made a whole chicken in the pressure cooker and when I cleaned the chicken I set some aside to be used for Chipotle-style bowls and put the rest in the gravy. We are trying to mix up the sweets too. On Sunday, since we couldn't get donuts, we made beignets and this morning we used up some milk to make mini-muffins. When I go shopping (or do grocery pick up), I always include a good amount of fresh fruit, knowing that if it isn't all eaten that we will freeze it. Then, when the fresh stuff is out, the kids can still get fruit by making smoothies. I really appreciate the Ninja blender we got in the fall because each kid can make their own fruit combo and I don't have to hear about she used that or he didn't use that.

The cats are content. They don't seem to mind that we are hanging out more. We continue to tackle our puzzle and to play games. The other night, I even made my kids both answer one of those 'ask your kids' that is out on Facebook. I didn't share their answers on Facebook but I did keep them for my own memories.

This morning, I set an alarm to go to the store. I didn't need it, I was tossing and turning all night worrying about making the trip to the store. Unfortunately, pick up times are all booked so it was the only option that I had. I am trying to stretch time between shopping trips and got a little more than normal today to help facilitate that. They were in stock on most things on my list, except yeast, soap and toilet paper. On other items, I had to use a different brand than normal but things that were out last time I went were back in stock. I'm hoping that I might be able to do a small pick up order sometime early next week to get the couple things that were out of stock and a few things to extend the time to my next visit to the store. Thankfully, I was able to use Scan, Pay and Go and keep my time in the store to a minimum and only handle the groceries once. There were several people at the store wearing masks or scarves to cover their mouth and nose and I saw some wearing gloves as well.

Out of an abundance of caution, I let most of the pantry type items sit outside in my garage for several hours before bringing them in the house. For the refrigerated and frozen, I did what the one doctor suggested and saturated a paper towel with cleaner and gave them a quick wipe down before putting them away. For the fruit, I cleaned it and put it in a bowl, throwing out the original package. I don't know how much is too much or too little. The articles I have read seem to be contradictory (who do you trust - NIH or CDC - normally, I see them both as authorities but the data they have is not consistent) but many have talked about the fact that although the virus can be detected on the different package types that the risk may not be as high because the virus begins to decay right away, so even though it can be detected there is likely a diminishing risk over time; someone would have had to cough or sneeze right on the package or into their hands and touch the package to put virus on the package to be transferred to you; and even then you would have to touch that 'right' spot and then touch your face. So, I feel like giving them a few extra hours for any potential virus to decay before handling the packages again to put them in the pantry and knowing that we aren't going to 'touch' them until we use them which may be a few days or more, I feel I took ample precaution.

How are things in your area? Have you tried any new dishes?

This post contains some sponsored content (or links). All opinions and content are my own.

Bright, Sunshiny Day

Wednesday is Day 12 of Social Distancing and Day 2 of the Stay At Home order. I've started to lose track of how many days its been and sometimes have to count what day it is.

Wednesday was a bright, sunshiny day with birds chirping and reasonably warm out. When I went out for my daily walk, there were simply more people out and lots more cars too. Most of the groups out were families playing basketball or scooting around the block but there were reports that there were groups congregating at parks (wondering how much was they all had the same idea and how much was coordinated meeting). (Un)Fortunately, on Thursday morning they posted a note saying that the skate park (as an example) was closed. They had hoped to keep it open for recreation and fresh air but because too many people were gathering there that to be compliant they had to close it for the time being.

My kids got out and spent some time in the backyard, my son and husband threw the baseball, my daughter spent time playing on the swing set and riding scooters.

Wednesday evening, with my doors and windows open, I also decided to bake. We have stuff in the house but everyone seemed to be looking for that baked good option, so I made a batch of chocolate and butterscotch chip cookies, a batch of caramel macchiato biscotti and a batch of M&M and chocolate chip biscotti. They smelled great and tasted even better. Hopefully, they last us a week or so, but with everyone home all day, I'm not sure how likely that is.

Wednesday evening was spent like many other recent evenings. Curled up in the family room watching some tv.

I'm looking forward to Thursday, which is supposed to be more sunny and warmer.

How are you holding up? What are you doing to occupy your day?

The week ends the week begins...

The past two days have been a tale of two seasons. In the wrong sequence. Yesterday it was beautiful, when it wasn't raining, and today we woke to snow flurries and some light accumulation on our deck and playset. We took advantage of the warmth yesterday. I had the windows and doors open to let in the fresh air. I just love the way the fresh air smells when it is blowing into the house. It's funny, when I am outside, I don't really notice how the fresh air smells (at least when I'm not in the country) but as soon as you open the windows you can smell the fresh air. It's that smell that sheets hung on the clothes line to dry smell like. I went for a walk and my husband tried to fit in a long run...unfortunately, his run was about a mile too long. The skies broke open with him about a mile from home and since I had just returned from my walk, I was able to drive out and rescue him. Today was a typical Saturday, modified. All of our beds have been washed and remade, I ran to Target to get a drive up order, we picked up dinner out, and we plan to enjoy some beer from the local brewery as we watch a movie as a family tonight. It felt good to go out and patronize two local businesses that are carry out only for the time being. I was even happier to see the steady stream of people picking up food and beer, properly social distanced within the establishment. The brewery is collecting perishables to share with the local organizations that are helping to make sure that families have food during this unprecedented time (sorry, couldn't resist using the word).

It is a little crazy to think that this social distancing began a week ago, today marks the first day of week two. This time last week, restaurants were still open and gyms were still open. School had been closed and we were advised to keep distance. Stores were crazy with long lines and sold out of everything.

I find that days and hours blend together, even with trying to create some sense of order. Starting Monday, the kids have school assignments, so maybe that will help redefine days. Some of the classes have provided a daily schedule for next week, others have provided a week by week schedule of what needs to be done. One teacher plans to have daily Zoom meetings to meet with the class and share the content. The one worrisome part to me is that it is all enrichment and review. Technically, during the next two weeks we are closed they aren't supposed to be teaching anything new (with the exception of the one college course my son is in). I know that they won't be taking the time for standardized testing this year so they will have time the rest of the year to teach but it still feels like it could be hard to be motivated reviewing things remotely.

Some observations from week one.
- We have created a lot less trash this past week. I would have expected that with all of us home all day that we might have created more. I'm not really sure why it is less. Any thoughts?
- The dishwasher fills quicker and has to be run about every other day consistently. That one makes more sense.
- The laundry is less than normal. I guess without the gym and sports we have less changes of clothes, even with daily running, walking, playing outside.
- We don't eat as much snacks when we are home. We still snack but we snack on different food I guess. I know that no one has grabbed a granola bar this past week. I may have to start suggesting them just from an overall shelf life perspective.
- I miss listening to music. The kids will play things on our Alexa from time to time and we have music stations and radios in the house but I am realizing that most of my music listening is done in my car. I might have to take advantage of some of these live streams coming up - James Taylor has a thing on Sunday and Garth Brooks is doing a live stream on Monday night.

What have you noticed? What was different than you expected it might be?

Now that I wrote that title, Dave Matthews music is running through my head. Maybe I will go turn on the radio.

Tulips are Blooming!

I love the progression of spring flowers.



This post shared at Wordless Wednesday.

Spring Has Sprung

This post shared at Wordless Wednesday.

A Glimpse of Spring

Finally, the weather has broken here. It has been warm and the sun has been shining. Of course, warm is a relative term, but compared to the weeks of cold and snow that we have been having, even the mid-40s feel like spring. I know that it is still early March and will not allow myself to be lulled into believing that winter is over yet, but certainly there is something very energizing about the weather and the promise of spring that is in the air.

It is nice to allow the kids to go outside and play for a while in the evening and not worry about hats, gloves and boots. (of course, yesterday we had swimming after work, so that didn't happen.) It is amazing though to see the number of kids that are outside without coats and even a few in shorts! In the fall, when it hits the 40s, everyone is bundled up. My what a difference timing can make on the perception of temperature.

It is nice to finally see roads and yards. There are still piles of snow that are not melting, but they are getting there. Don't get me wrong, I love snow - when it's fresh and new, pretty and white. By the time it has been salted and plowed, it usually winds up with a lot of black sludge in it which is just so unappealing.

It is nice not to worry that I will ruin another pair of pants or shoes because they are attacked by the ever present salt and slush of the recent weeks. I have one pair of pants that have a really great white line about 1/2" up from the bottom (anyone have cleaning secret - treating with a standard laundry spray and washing didn't do it?).

I am a little worried to see sprouts of spring flowers. I know that winter isn't over and that some of the tender ones might not make it to bloom as a result. But, on the flip side, seeing the little sprouts is like another promise that spring is coming soon.

I for one am ready for spring when it finally arrives to stay, but in the meantime, this glimpse of spring works for me!

This post shared at Works for Me Wednesday.