My Pets Hate Me

Day 46

Well, all the little fat birds are dead.  I had one more left after the massacre earlier this week, but I walked into the kitchen today and saw this little guy laying on the floor. There were flower petals covering the living room rug and multiple picture frames were laying face down on other tables. For a moment, I worried there had been a home invasion, but then I remembered that no one is currently allowed out of their homes and few people even know we live here, so that was unlikely.  It was simply another attack of the crazy cat. 

I think I’ve figured out why she’s wreaking havoc on my home in the night. For many days over the last couple of weeks we’ve been able to have all the windows open in the house all day and night. We have deep window wells and the kitties have made those spots their resting places throughout the days and nights.  Yesterday it was rainy and cold, so I closed up the house.  I also recalled that the night of the last attack was a chilly one and the windows were closed as well.  I think the cat is punishing me for taking away her window perches. This revenge looks like broken keepsakes and destroyed flowers.  

The windows are open again today because it is a gorgeous day – so I assume there will be no further destruction of my collectables.  However, I’m going to have to come up with a solution to this situation because the moment the temperatures rise above 75 I turn on the a/c!  She’s going to have to find some other outlet for her frustration or I will have no decorations left! 

Another thing that greets me each morning are dog food morsels all over the kitchen rug. The dog gets up early, I walk him, feed him, and then I go back to bed. He then goes into the kitchen to eat his breakfast. Romeo is apparently a finicky eater.  He only likes the red kibble.  He is not a fan of the brown or tan kibble that is included in the mix. His solution to this problem is to grab a mouthful of the food and deposit it on the rug. He then noses through the pile to find the desired red bits and leaves the rest. It’s a blessing.  I’ve searched online to see if the brand of dog food makes it with only the red pieces (I’m assuming the red is the beef and the brown and tan are the veggies and grains), but they don’t.  I’m not sure how to rectify this problem, but I need to come up with a solution.  The brown and tan pieces blend into the rug pattern and feel like Lego pieces when you inadvertently tread on them.

Basically, what I’m telling you is – my pets hate me. 

News of the Day

More than 3.2 million people worldwide have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Over 230,000 have died.

In the United States, there have been over 1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases. More than 61,000 Americans have died.

A Northeastern University lab now predicts 100,000 American deaths by the end of the summer.

Another 3.8 million workers filed for unemployment benefits, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. More than 30 million Americans have filed claims in the last 6 weeks.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to order all beaches and state parks closed after tens of thousands of people flocked to the seashore last weekend.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson appeared at his first news conference since being hospitalized due to COVID-19 complications, and vowed to release next week a “comprehensive plan” to reopen the U.K. economy.

Plan of the Day:

Try not to punish the animals too severely. School work. Nothing much more on the agenda.

See you later!

Cheers!

Lovely Little Moments

Day 44

For the first time in several weeks, I got the urge to organize and clean some things today.  I don’t want to give the impression that I cleaned out closets or junk drawers.  Nothing that elaborate!  Let’s not get crazy!

I cleaned off the kitchen table. 

I know, that doesn’t sound very ambitious.  But, as with most other families doing school at home, when this quarantine thing started I transformed my kitchen table and dining room area into the “school room”. Back then (what was that 7 weeks ago?) we were doing most of our school work with paper and pencil, so we really needed the space to spread out for the work.  I had organized all our materials into bins that I stacked around the table and baskets that stayed in the middle. It worked for us for a while, but when the stay at home order turned into online learning, Arden and I made some adjustments in how we do school work.  Now we do 99% of it online, so we have put up TV trays at the couch and tend to do our work there because it is way more cozy.  I didn’t, however, put away all of the supplies and accompaniments that had cluttered up the dining room.  I just moved them to the side whenever we ate and scooted them back when we were finished.  

Today, I just couldn’t look at it anymore.  So I pulled out all the school supply tubs and put the things we won’t need anymore away. I consolidated all our coloring books and word searches and reading books into a small basket and generally straightened the area.  It has made a big difference in my mood.

I also pulled out all my Dave Ramsey budgeting worksheets and got that all up to date – I’ve not been diligent in writing down all the money details lately.  It felt good to do my lists and reconciliations. Nothing really changes in our monthly outlays these days – so I pretty much know where it is all going – but there is something about writing it down that just calms my mind.

Anyway, now that the dining room is back to “normal” I’m able to more fully appreciate the fresh flowers that are gracing the center of the table.  The arrangement has what I call “funeral lilies” in it.  I don’t like “funeral lilies”. But these flowers are so happy in their color – or I am just in a mental state when anything colorful is bringing me unprecedented joy – that I can’t fault them for being “funeral lilies”.

The day started sunny and warm, but a storm is moving in and the temps are dropping. We have two more days of predicted rain and then it is supposed to be lovely.  Terry moved one of the many site picnic tables to the grassy area nearest our house.  I’m looking forward to the end of the week – I would like to sit out there and eat lunch or read a book. Having something to look forward to – even something that insignificant – is also helping my mood.

Arden had another call with her class today.  It was show and tell. She brought her sketch pad and showed some of her drawings. It was fun to eavesdrop on the conversation.  I’m so glad that her teacher has made this a part of their week. At one point each student was just sharing what is on their minds during this time, one student’s grandmother is in the hospital with Covid19; one student is bummed that she can’t get the braces she was supposed to get last week; Arden shared that she has really been considering blue streaks in her hair and wanted to know if her classmates thought that was a good idea.  News to me!  One friend told Arden not to do that, because she has such pretty hair as it is!  Little tears pricked my eyes at this, because Arden has a lot of insecurity around her curly hair (and I have no idea how to help with it because mine is board straight). I was so thankful that one little friend gave that bit of encouragement.  It was such a small thing, but I watched Arden’s face light up with joy.  It was a good moment.

Also,  the bird vases got some flowers from the bunches I bought.  I really love these little guys and am SO glad that they didn’t suffer the same fate as the other little fat birds yesterday.

News of the Day:

More than 3 million people worldwide have tested positive from the coronavirus, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Over 213,000 have died.

In the United States, there have been over 1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases. More than 56,000 people have died.

With cases in D.C. mounting, the U.S. House of Representatives will not return to Washington next week.

Plan for the Day:

Enjoy my straightened dining room. Enjoy the sound of the rain. Watch old tennis matches. 

See you tomorrow – maybe.

Cheers!

Keep On Keeping On

Day 43

Another Monday.  I took a long weekend from writing the blog. I wrote other places, but didn’t really have anything fit for public consumption to say here. 

The weekend was OK. I made my weekly trip to the grocery store to pick up my order.  I even braved another store, while wearing a face mask, to purchase fresh flowers. I needed something fresh and alive and happy in this house.  While at the store with the flowers, I found a large package of the “good” toilet paper – it was the last one. I felt like the Lord was showing me great favor in that moment, so I grabbed that package and pretty much ran for the check out. There was no need to try to shop for more – TP and Flowers – you gotta know when to hold ’em, when to fold ’em, when to walk away and when to RUN!

So, in addition to groceries and fresh flowers, our posteriors can get a break from the sand paper that was passing for toilet paper in our bathroom!  Let the people rejoice!

I then went to Walmart to pick up the grocery order.  As I checked in, the associates who were supposed to be loading my car had a difficult time finding my order. Turns out the car next to me was occupied by a woman named April as well. They had put all my groceries in her car!  Thankfully, she hadn’t pulled out and left before the error was discovered! 

Although, I’m wondering what was in her order? Did I miss out on a fun week of mystery groceries?  Maybe she bought a bunch of really great food and I totally missed it!!??  Anyway, they switched out the bags and we each got our own order. Everything was correct when I got home.  So, crisis averted!

Is anyone watching The Last Dance on ESPN about the ‘98 Bulls? I am. I am LOVING it! I’m so happy they chose to release it early instead of waiting until the initial drop date in June. The 90s were when I was really into NBA basketball and I am totally loving this walk down memory lane. Plus, I’m a sucker for sports documentaries – really any documentaries, but sports are way up there in favorites.  No one does sports docs like 30 for 30.  It is just terrific stuff. 30 for 30 is doing a follow up podcast after each episode, so I’m listen to those on Mondays.  In this time of no live sports, this series is totally filling a void! 

I also thoroughly enjoyed the NFL Draft last week and weekend. I loved going inside all the homes of the coaches and GMs and the players.  It was delightful. I guess what I’m saying is my sports tank is full and it makes me so, so happy!!

You know what didn’t make me happy?  Starting the week with the Monday of all Monday moments. This morning one of the cats decided, out of the blue, to launch herself on top of the china cabinet I have in the dining room.  I use it as a kind of mantle for seasonal decorations.  I change it out a lot.  Yesterday, I put some of the flowers I bought over the weekend in a small vase up there. The cat has a thing for fresh flowers, but she has never jumped up there before, so I didn’t think anything of it.

I was in the laundry room when I heard a crash this morning and ran in to see the vase knocked over, water running down the cabinet and all over the floor.  Because it is spring and I love little fat birds, I had 4 little bird figurines scattered through the decor – 3 of them were laying, smashed to bits on the tile floor. Their little fat bird faces looking up at me with disappointment that I hadn’t anticipated this turn of events.

The cat had also sent a small glass bottle to it’s untimely death on the kitchen floor, and knocked over about 3 more.  It was a mess. The poor thing was standing up there on top of the wreckage, looking scared to death, so I reached up to help her down.  Big mistake. HUGE.

She did not appreciate my attempt at assistance, and showed her disapproval by scratching the foo out of my hand.  It was a moment to say the least.  I tried to get it all cleaned up without stepping on glass or dripping blood all over the place, and then checked the clock – it was only 8 a.m. I nearly went back to bed and called it a day.

I didn’t.

We did school. I’ve done laundry. And I’ve now written this.  No more tragedies have occurred since this morning – but the day isn’t over yet.    I’d cross my fingers in the hope that nothing else will happen – but I can’t – the cat scratch goes all the way down my left pointer finger.  Dang cat!

News of the Day:

More than 208,000 people have died from the coronavirus, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Over 3 million people worldwide have tested positive.

In the United States, more than 55,000 people have died, while there have been over 970,000 confirmed cases.

President Trump’s economic adviser said the jobless rates from the coronavirus will be comparable to the Great Depression.

The World Health Organization director said the pandemic was far from over and expressed concern about children.

Plan of the Day:

Try not to destroy any more decorations or draw any more blood.

See you tomorrow – or whenever.

Cheers!

Good Grief

Day 33

We were “blessed” with about 10 inches of snow overnight. Which promptly melted in the 50 degree temperatures of the rest of the day.

The Governor announced the end of the school year – at least in an actual school today.  We, parents, are required to finish out the learning year at home. I’m totally great with that…not….I suck at this.

There is a 3 stage plan to reopen the economy (which no state except for Idaho is ok with) that was announced yesterday.  

So, basically the whole thing is GREAT.  Everything is FINE. We are all going to be OK. Nothing to see here.

I have nothing else to say.  Today basically sucks. 

I’m not writing anymore today – because nothing goes away on the internet and I don’t want to be held responsible for my emotional outbursts at a later date.

News of the Day:

Over 2.2 million people worldwide have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. More than 149,000 people have died.

The United States has had over 683,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 34,000 deaths, leading the world in both numbers.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo unloaded on President Trump after the commander in chief criticized him for “complaining” about a lack of federal assistance.

Cuomo called Trump’s new federal guidelines to help states reopen the U.S. economy meaningless. “He didn’t announce anything,” Cuomo said. “He’s doing nothing.”

Plan for the Day:

Yeah, who cares.

See you tomorrow!

Cheers!

Full Of Whine

Day 32

Did you notice I didn’t post yesterday? Probably not, because every day seems like the day before and all of these just run together. I really am running out of things to say – which, for me, is very troubling. I never run out of things to say!

Our internet service is not bringing me joy right now. We are using it all day long and it isn’t keeping up with what we need. When we moved out here, we had to get satellite internet service and it just isn’t great. It is fine when just one of us is trying to stream things or do online shopping or watch Netflix, but when all three of us are trying to do things all at the same time – it is SLOW.  I try to do some of the things I need to do online when no one else is using the WI-FI, but even this morning when Terry has already left for work and Arden is still in bed – the daggum thing isn’t doing very well. I’ve tried to adjust my Wal-Mart order 10 times this morning and it just keeps buffering. It could be a problem with the Wal-Mart app but I’m betting it is our junky WI-FI. Just one more thing to complain about this morning I guess.

This morning I turned on the news and saw that we have the potential for 8 – 10 inches of snow tonight. What in the ACTUAL HECK IS GOING ON!?!? I know it can snow in IL in April, I just don’t want it to. Thankfully the temperature is supposed to be up near the 60s this weekend, so even if we do get the snow they are predicting, it won’t stay around long. I just dread the mess that 10 inches of melting snow will bring. One of the interesting and different things that we discovered when moving to this area is because we are very near the River, our ground is very sandy. Because of the sandy ground, things dry out pretty quickly – but the clumpy, sandy mud that results after a big storm or snow gets EVERYWHERE in the house because it sticks to your feet like glue. I suppose this isn’t a big deal now, because what else do I have to do other than vacuum for hours on end. Sigh. I would not be upset at all if the weatherman was wrong this time. I’m not looking for 100% accuracy in this forecast – it would be totally OK with me if the snow skipped us altogether – I would throw an internal party if this forecast was completely WRONG!

Yesterday, Arden’s school posted a video for the kids of a lot of the teachers saying hello to the kids.  I didn’t get the chance to show Arden last night – it is on the list of things to do during our “school” time today – but I just sat in my bed with tears running down my face as I watched it. I am very sad about how this whole thing has upended her life and the lives of all the kids at school. Moving to a new school district is HARD and she was kind of hitting her stride of having a group of friends and starting to “fit in” when this all blew up. As much as she says she doesn’t want to go back to school, I know she is struggling with not knowing if she will be able to keep up with that momentum of settling in when they finally allow schools to reopen. Yet another unknown in this cornucopia of unknownness.  I keep asking her if she needs to talk or if there is anything I can do to help her cope, but we both know that other than just “being here” there isn’t much we can do other than walk through it and pray for a quick end to the separation.

For the first few weeks of this stay at home situation, I kept up a lot with the news and the predictions of the “experts”, but I have found in the last 4 or 5 days I just can’t watch or listen much anymore. The predictions are so disheartening that I feel my anxiety pick up with each news report. The idea that we will not have sporting events or gatherings until 2021 or 2022 is not something I can wrap my brain around. Predictions of business not opening this summer. Companies failing and not being able to reopen at all. I can’t even envision how that would work. I can’t imagine how people would be able to live and eat and survive.  It is just too much. So I’ve turned it off for the most part. I listen to one or two news updates in the morning and try to find other things to occupy the time. I suppose if something really important happens, there will be an alert on my phone and I can deal with that when it occurs.

Well, I guess I haven’t run out of words!  Thank God! Crisis averted! 

Tomorrow is Friday – just in case you needed that reminder. Praying for some good news this weekend – I think we could all use it.

News of the Day:

Over 2 million people worldwide have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. More than 138,000 people have died.

The United States has had over 639,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and over 30,000 deaths, leading the world in both numbers.

Another 5.245 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits for the week ending April 11, according to numbers released by the U.S. Labor Department. In just the last four weeks, the number of total unemployment claims has reached 22 million.

Germany, Europe’s largest economy, has extended its lockdown until May 3.

Plan for the Day:

Try to get my grocery order fixed. School work for Arden – we finished fractions yesterday, so today is a “Play” day, which means I trick her into doing math by using a game app. Prepare for the snow apocalypse. 

See you tomorrow!

Cheers!

Darling Girl

Day 29

It is the beginning of week 5. How are we doing? Everybody still hanging in? We have two days left of “spring break” before we start back up with “school days” on Wednesday. Arden informed us last night that she thinks she should “pull an all-nighter” last night and tonight because she wanted to see if she could. 

First, how does she even know the term “all-nighter” and Second, what kind of mother does it make me that I was like “good luck to you, I’m going to sleep!”?  I’m fairly sure she made it until about midnight, and she is still asleep. So, if you see the Mother of the Year Award folks around, send them my way – because I am definitely WINNING that prize this week!

Before you call in the parent police – we will return to our regularly scheduled bed times Tuesday night.  But there are battles I’m willing to fight right now and others that I am not. And making sure the child was asleep by 9:30 p.m. was not a hill I was willing to die on last night.

All these days alone or at least separated from everyone but the three of us has me thinking back to the past. I’m sure we are all wool-gathering, as my grandma used to call it, these days. I get Facebook memory reminders everyday – and some of those have sent me down memory lane to more fun times, more connected times.

One of today’s memories was a picture of Arden in dress up clothes. She was dressed as a princess with a paper crown on her head. She was smiling a big smile and the caption read – Ready for the ball!

I remember those days of dress up.  She would try to put on every piece of play clothing she had. I would hear her sweet voice talking to her dolls and stuffed animals – instructing them on proper behavior. 

I would sneak down the hallway and stand outside her room and just listen to her.  She could talk to those “friends” for what seemed like hours. She has always had an extensive vocabulary – probably because we always just talked to her like “normal” – so those times of instruction with the dolls were full of very familiar phrases. It was like listening to a four-year old version of myself talking!  A very good reminder that little ears are always listening.

Now that she is 10 years old and nearly as tall as I am, there are times I miss those days, but mostly I love this stage of her life.  Listening to her explain things or reason through problems or tell a story, is one of the most fun things of my day. I love how her mind works.  I love how intuitive she is. I love how empathetic she is. I’m less enthusiastic about the emergence of some significant “tude” as Terry calls it.  She actually said “whatever” to me last night and, even though she was kidding, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up in fear of what her teenage years may bring! Lord, give us all strength!

Well, the princess has arisen from her slumber and now requires nourishment. We do live to serve!

News of the Day:

The worldwide death toll from the coronavirus passed 115,000 on Monday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Over 1.8 million people have tested positive for the virus.

The U.S. has had more than 22,000 deaths and 558,000 COVID-19 cases, leading the world in both reported numbers.

A U.S. Navy sailor assigned to the USS Theodore Roosevelt died of COVID complications at a military hospital in Guam Monday.

The U.S. Supreme Court announced that it will hear oral arguments by telephone beginning next month.

New York State passed 10,000 deaths, but Gov. Andrew Cuomo said “the worst is over.”

Plan for the Day:

I pulled out some Bible studies I bought when the Lifeway store in Springfield went out of business a few years ago.  I never got around to doing them before now. My brain is dying for some study – so I am going to start one of those. Arden has a plan to do a lot of nothing. We will likely stay inside as much as possible today – the winds are gusting around 30 mph and it is 30 degrees out there.  Not fit for man, nor beast – especially on April 13th!!!

See you tomorrow!

Cheers!

Breakfast and Boredom

Day 27

Another weekend. Have I mentioned the weekends are the hardest? Looks like, yes, I did – last weekend. I will reiterate – the weekends are the hardest. The lack of plans gets to me. Not that we had a lot of weekend plans before this, but we always COULD have weekend plans. So, I guess the lack of the possibility of plans is what is getting me down.

We are due for some nasty weather later this afternoon and all day tomorrow – so that is a bummer as well.  This morning I woke up early (thanks, Dog) and couldn’t go back to sleep. Couldn’t really concentrate on anything on T.V. Couldn’t calm my mind to read much.  So I got up, turned on some music and made a big breakfast – sausage, eggs, cinnamon rolls, coffee. My family was a bit surprised. I don’t often make breakfast.  I don’t really eat breakfast, so I don’t spend a lot of time making breakfast. We sometimes have breakfast for dinner, and I can whip up the full spread. But in the morning?  Nope. Morning breakfast is grab what you can and Mom makes coffee.

After breakfast, I baked brownies. I cleaned the kitchen. I took the dog for another walk. I took a long bath.  I AM BORED!!!! I guess I’m not actually bored in the real sense of the word – because there are things that can and should be done, but I don’t want to DO any of them. 

Easter is tomorrow. I have all the things to make a big meal. I found Easter basket materials and Terry found plastic eggs – so the child will have an Easter surprise awaiting her. I am pretty much sure she knows there is no Easter Bunny, but she is clinging to the hope that there is – so we will lean into that. No sense shattering any more illusions just now.

I will have an Easter service ready on the computer in the morning and hopefully we can spend the day eating and singing and celebrating. I guess that is something of a plan.

Monday we are still on “spring break”, so no formal school assignments – I know Arden likes that – but I feel like we are trudging ever closer to complete slothfulness.  I need to get something pulled together that we can do that doesn’t feel like school, but actually IS learning. Unfortunately, my creativity button broke about two weeks ago – so that seems like a very daunting task!  I did put together an indoor and an outdoor scavenger hunt idea before my creativity deserted me (and by “put together” I mean copied with some adjustments from something I saw on the internets). Maybe we will do one of those. 

The question that keeps coming to my mind throughout this entire thing is – are we there yet? I don’t know where “there” is – but I’d like to get there.  “There” holds a lot of unknowns, but at least it would be a kind of destination. The ambiguity of this present time is a lot to handle – especially for a personality type that thrives on a plan. 

Hope you are having a more productive Saturday!

News of the Day:

The worldwide death toll from the coronavirus passed 100,000 on Friday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Over 1.67 million people have tested positive for the virus. 

The U.S. remains the epicenter of the pandemic, with over 500,000 cases and more than 18,000 deaths. More than 2,000 people died in a single day. New York State now has more reported coronavirus cases (161,000) than any country except the U.S. as a whole.

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is out of intensive care and said to be “in good spirits” able to take “short walks” in the hospital.

Plan for the Day: 

A plan would be nice.

See you tomorrow!

Cheers!

Covid19 Playlist

Day 24

Good morning, friends.  I hope you are doing well today!  Today I’m bringing you a little gift I made.

I’m not sure if anyone has noticed, but the titles to all of the blog entries I’ve posted since starting this Covid19 journal have been the titles to songs.  Everyday, I tried to find a song title that linked with whatever the “topic” of that day’s entry happened to be.  To be honest, some days that was the thing that got me writing – I was on a streak of songs!

So, today I put together a playlist of all the songs from that list.  There are 23.

As I was compiling the playlist, I realized that there is really something for everyone in there – old and new; country and Christians; Rock and Blues – it is QUITE eclectic! I hope you enjoy it.  It is just a way to say “thank you” for walking along this road with me.  I appreciate the encouraging words and “keep it ups” y’all send.

Today is our last day of school before “Spring Break”.  So we will soldier through our assignments and then put away our work for a few days. I’ll keep posting, but now that I’ve let you in on my little “secret” with the songs, I’m going to have to come up with something a bit more clever to title the posts!

Here is the link for the Spotify playlist:  Covid19 Playlist

(If you don’t have Spotify – it is a free music app you can download. No pressure, but that is where this playlist lives if you want to listen.) Enjoy!

News of the Day:

There are over 1.4 million cases of the coronavirus worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University, and more than 83,000 deaths.

The U.S. leads the world with more than 399,000 reported COVID-19 cases. The death toll has surpassed 12,000.

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has tested positive for the virus, spent a second night in the intensive care unit at a London hospital, where he is “responding to treatment” with his condition described as “stable” on Wednesday.

Wuhan, China — the original epicenter of the pandemic — has ended its lockdown, 76 days after closing its borders.

President Trump on Tuesday acknowledged that African Americans have been disproportionately affected by the virus.

Plan for the Day: Finish up school work before “spring break”.

See you tomorrow!

Cheers!

I’m Henry VIII, I Am

Day 23

Second verse…same as the first…I’m Henry the 8th, I am, Henry the 8th, I am, I am! 

Sorry, this song has been in my head all day.  Along with the idea that I never really enjoyed the movie Groundhog Day because it seemed very depressing – despite the humor of Bill Murray! 

I’ve seen a lot of people say that this experience is like Groundhog Day – but I don’t agree. We aren’t doing the same day over and over. It is a new day. Every day it is a new day. Time is moving forward, even though we seem to be doing the same thing every day.  I’m trying to take solace in the fact that each day we move through this experience is another day closer to the time when we can be with our friends and families again. It is another day closer to the containment of this virus. It is another day closer to normal – whatever that is.

Arden and I have started doing homeschool on the couch with TV trays instead of at the kitchen table. There is something a bit more comforting about being touching close when reading or doing math.  I’m sure there is something wrong with this approach. I’m sure I’m supposed to make a more formal learning space and all that – but I think we are both in need of the connection that being on the same seat is providing.  So until it gets too distracting in figuring out of improper fractions, we are going to go with it. We did all our school work before lunch today – so this afternoon is wide open. It is pretty warm today but really overcast. I think we will try to take a walk this afternoon, just to get some fresh air. I’ve got all the windows open and there is a nice breeze going through the house. Days I can open everything up make me feel a little lighter.

I keep seeing on social media that people are eating a lot more during this time.  I’m finding, to my complete surprise, that I have little or no appetite. Most days I don’t eat until dinner and then I’m not interested in whatever I’ve cooked. I’m sure this is a sign of something ominous, but maybe my pants will start to fit better. I’m not going to worry about it too much.  My appetite will kick back in sooner or later – it always does.

We only have one more day of school this week.  We were supposed to be on Spring Break starting Friday until next Wednesday, so there are no school lessons assigned for those days. This causes me a bit of angst because what in the heck are we going to do during those days??? I’m going to have Arden do some guided writing and maybe we will try another couple science experiments from our science book.  Anything to keep us doing something everyday. Or maybe we will just watch ALL the movies!!! Who knows. I’ll worry about that Thursday. Thursday is another day!

News of the Day: 

There are over 1.39 million cases of the coronavirus worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University, and more than 79,000 deaths.

The U.S. leads the world with more than 379,000 reported COVID-19 cases. The death toll has surpassed 11,000.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said 731 people died in the state, the most in a single day.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court overruled a last-minute attempt by the state’s governor to postpone today’s primary election.

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has tested positive for the virus, was taken to intensive care on Monday. He is receiving oxygen but is not on a ventilator.

France recorded another 833 coronavirus deaths, its highest one-day total.

China, where the virus originated, reported no new deaths on Tuesday for the first time since January.

Plan for the Day:

Get out for a walk. I think I’ll read a little. Not sure what else.

See you tomorrow!

Cheers!

 

 

Wish I Didn’t Know Now

Day 22

So it’s Monday. That’s about all I can say about that. Arden and I slept in a bit today.  I just couldn’t make myself get out of bed until 9:30. I woke up initially at 6, but the pillow beckoned and I gave in to the call. 

We did our school work for the day. Have I mentioned that initially, when all this crazy at home work started, I was told that I should be scheduling between 4 – 5 hours a day of organized work.  I’m an obedient kinda of gal, so that is why our daily schedules looked the way they did. I made sure that throughout the day, I had 4 – 5 hours of work planned. I also planned a lot of breaks throughout the day, but we were doing work of some sort for the hours I had been told to fill. 

When our online classes began, in addition to not getting credit for the work we had already done, I was informed that for Arden’s age we should really be doing at least 60 minutes of school work a day but not more than 120 minutes. In case you aren’t good with math (no judgement – I am awful at math) that means 1 to 2 hours a day.  So I have been over-scheduling our days for nearly 3 weeks. I feel like I’ve typed this story before, but maybe I’ve just told it a lot. Anyway, I am all for being an overachiever, but I can guarren-damn-tee you I was the ONLY parent following the 4-5 hours rule. The only one!  

We now do about an hour and a half and the fighting to get the child to do work has gone WAY down! Go figure!  Shocking! I know!

Other than that, nothing much to report. Oh, I cleaned out the deep freeze and have plans to tackle the fridge later, because we’ve just basically been shoving things in there for the last month and I have NO idea what is in some of those containers.  Man, do we know how to live large in a quarantine or what!?!?

News of the Day:

There are over 1.3 million cases of the coronavirus worldwide, according to tracking from Johns Hopkins University. The number of global fatalities has passed 70,000.

The U.S. leads the world with more than 337,000 reported cases. President Trump warned Saturday that “it’s going to be really some very bad numbers” in the U.S., where the death toll has surpassed 10,000.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has tested positive for the virus and was hospitalized Sunday after persistent symptoms, was taken to intensive care on Monday.

Wisconsin’s governor signed an executive order postponing in-person voting for Tuesday’s election after concerns over the safety of polling places.

Italy posted its lowest daily death total in over two weeks, with 525 reported, taking the country’s total to 15,887.

Plan for the Day:  Clean out the fridge. Finish the laundry (people need to stop wearing so many clothes). Make tacos.

See ya tomorrow!

Cheers!