Our Week - The One with Quarantine, Week 14 & Summer, Week 4 (Unpacking, Olivia’s Well Visit, and Father’s Day)

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Hey, y’all!  This past week was all about settling back in after our beach trip, gearing up for Olivia’s dance recital, and Father’s Day!  Here’s the recap…

Sunday, June 14 (Day 93 of Quarantine)

Sunday was pretty low-key since we’d just gotten home from our beach trip the day before.  We slept in (until 9 which is unheard of!) and then we made homemade waffles and watched church.  The grass was out of control since we’d been gone, so B spent all morning and early afternoon getting that under control, and I worked on laundry and getting caught up on blogging and life stuff while the kids played video games.  I also did an extra long dance workout to burn off all of those donuts and beers consumed on vacation.  ;o)

Since we just got back from the beach, we’re quarantining for two weeks before any of our family will see us.  We had started going back to Sunday lunches with my in-laws before we left, but since we’ve been off traveling, they don’t want to be around us until we know we’re free and clear of the ‘Rona.  And I don’t blame them one bit.  It was a shame, though, because my sister-in-law who lives out of town was visiting for the first time in months to celebrate my nephew’s birthday and we weren’t able to celebrate with them.  Such a bummer, but such are the times we’re in right now…

The rest of the day was spent doing more laundry (I had 12 loads to do!  EEK!) and then we pulled a previously cooked dinner out of the freezer because we had nothing in the house to eat.  We watched some of The Mandalorian with the kids, and then B and I watched some TV before putting ourselves to bed early.

Monday, June 15 (Day 94 of Quarantine)

Monday morning, I had several errands to run – the kids’ school, Hobby Lobby, and Publix – and then I spent the rest of the morning putting up groceries.  We were out of so much stuff after being out of town, and I think I spent more on groceries that day than I ever have before… it was a record high bill, that’s for sure. 

It was almost lunchtime by the time I finished, but I had just enough time to pull out the fixings for a red, white, and blue charcuterie board and get it photographed before eating it for lunch.  I had B snap a picture of me photographing it because I don't think I've ever documented the behind-the-scenes like this before.  The kids always love charcuterie boards so they were thrilled.  And if you missed that post, you can see it here for all of the details…

After lunch, I did a nice long yoga workout and then the kids and I spent some time outside because it was freakishly cool and dry outside for this time of year.  My daddy discovered a nest in one of our ferns while we were out of town, so B pulled it down for the kids to see.  We were careful not to touch the nest or the eggs or anything near them and we’re hoping to see some little babies in the near future!  We also found a baby frog behind one of the other ferns and, of course, Olivia had to "pet" it.  Frogs give me the creeps.  Haha.

The afternoon was spent working while the kids watched a movie, and then I cooked dinner.  After dinner, we went on a family walk to inspect the new build and the dirt pile that the kids have loved so much these last few months.  We thought for sure that there would be a lot that had changed while we were gone, but everything was the same as it was before we had left.  The dirt pile is no longer there as the lot was graded before we left, but the lumber that’s been sitting out for so long has been covered with plastic.  That leads us to believe that the build may have been delayed. 

The evening was warmer than we would have liked, so we headed for the walking trail to seek some shade… it was about 10 degrees cooler there, so it ended up being a pleasant walk.  Olivia found a massive leaf, so we had to take a picture of it!

When we got home, we all piled on the couch together and watched the CNN/Sesame Street: Standing Up to Racism town hall that we’d recorded before our beach trip.  We paused it along the way to offer explanations and answer questions, and afterward we spent at least another 30 minutes discussing with Jacob and Olivia the importance of treating everyone equally and embracing all people, no matter what their skin color or hair color or eye color is.  We talked about the Black Lives Matter movement and why it’s so important, and we also touched on the recent unjust killings.  We didn’t get into that too much since they are still so young (mostly for Olivia’s sake) but we didn’t want to leave it out either because it’s so important for them to know that the world is not always sunshine and rainbows. 

I found the evening to be a huge success and both kids took it very seriously (even Olivia who is rarely ever serious) and I felt really good about everything when we were done.  Our work will obviously never be done, and we plan to talk with the kids more frequently about racism and diversity and everything else going forward. 

I even came across this that Olivia had written.  <3

Tuesday, June 16 (Day 95 of Quarantine)

Tuesday morning we did our usual routine of getting ready, having breakfast, and reading the kids’ devotionals together, and then I let the kids watch some TV while I started getting caught up on some blog reading.  Since the quarantine started and the kids have been home every single second, I have found it impossible to stay on top of blog reading.  I’ll finally get caught up and then two weeks goes by where I don’t have another moment to read blogs again.  I really enjoy following along with all of my favorite bloggers and I’m so ready for things to get back to normal so I can start reading regularly again.

Olivia’s kindergarten teacher is just amazing, and she offered to continue individual live Zoom sessions with the kids once a week throughout the summer to keep the kids on task.  It’s obviously optional, but Olivia adores her teacher and she adores school, so we didn’t hesitate to sign her up.  Every Tuesday morning during the summer, she’ll meet privately with her teacher via Zoom for 15 minutes to work on her reading.  She had her first meeting this week and she loved every second of it!  She even got all dressed up for it.  <3

After Olivia’s meeting, the kids and I spent the rest of the morning outside doing sidewalk chalk and playing on the scooter, and the kids also practiced balancing on their bikes in the driveway.  We’re STILL working on bike riding.  Sigh.  The weather was insanely cool so we wanted to enjoy every second of it before the yucky heat settles in again. 

After lunch, I paid some bills and started going over all of the requirements for Olivia’s recital.  Her dance school is still putting on their production of Snow White on the big stage at the theater, but things will much different due to Covid and social distancing rules.  That said, she still has to be in full costume with several different accessories, so I spent the afternoon ordering what we needed and getting prepared. 

I had a Zoom appointment with my therapist at 1:15 and then immediately following that, Olivia and I went to the doctor’s office for her six-year-old well visit… only four months late.  Sigh.  The office required everyone to stay in their cars until a room was ready and everyone was required to wear masks inside.  Her appointment went well – she’s growing like a weed! – and her doctor said that she’s in the 70th percentile for height and 40th for weight… tall and skinny just like her momma was at that age!  I could never ever find pants to fit!

We headed to the library to return an overdue book and get curbside pickup for a couple of holds that were available, and then we went home.  We all did breakfast for dinner and then tossed the football in the back yard afterward because the weather was SO nice and cool. 

We watched some of America’s Got Talent when we came inside, and then the kiddos went to bed and B and I watched another episode of The Blacklist… which we’re thinking of giving up altogether. 

Wednesday, June 17 (Day 96 of Quarantine)

Olivia had been begging for a pool day, so Wednesday morning I decided to forgo my shower and I went for an early morning run instead.  It was only 57 degrees which is unheard of this time of year!  As a matter of fact, we almost broke a record.

After breakfast, B blew up the pool, and the kids and I spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon outside, only stopping to eat Chick-Fil-A that B had gone out to grab for lunch.  I had just started Emily Giffin’s new book The Lies That Bind, and it was so good that I couldn’t put it down.  I ended up reading the entire thing in less than 48 hours.

Once we’d had our fill of the sunshine, we all came inside and the kids spent the rest of the afternoon playing with Play-Doh.  They played with that stuff for no less than three hours and they were still sad when I told them they had to clean it up and put it away for dinner.  They love that stuff!

After a delicious dinner that I made that really hit the spot (barbecue chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, and green beans), I sat outside and read some more while B sprayed off all of the beach equipment, and then we all went back inside to watch the remainder of AGT from Tuesday.  I ended up staying up late to finish my book and I absolutely LOVED the ending. 

Thursday, June 18 (Day 97 of Quarantine)

Thursday morning, I did some more blog reading and then I finally got the kids started on their summer homework.  Usually I like to get it started pretty early in the summer so we don’t have to worry about it later, but we were all so burned out after home school that we all needed a break.  We took the first three weeks off completely – I didn’t even make them read if they didn’t want to – but this week I knew it was time to get started so we didn’t drown in it later.  Jacob did an hour of Kahn Academy (online math work) and Olivia and I read together the whole time in an attempt to catch up on her reading log deficit… we’re, like, 300 minutes behind.  Eek!   

After lunch, the kids settled on the couch for their movie and I settled in at my desk to get some work done and – BOOM – our internet went down.  We saw that the outage affected most of our neighborhood and the estimated time of restoration was not until the next day.  Waaaahhhh.  We removed our phones from our home network and tried to make them hotspots for all of the things we needed to use, but the whole network was so bogged down that nothing worked.

That meant the kids couldn’t watch their movie, I couldn’t work, I couldn’t do my YouTube yoga workout, and B couldn’t work (since he’s still working from home).  He was able to get the hotspot working just enough for him to do what he needed to do for work, but the rest of us were in the dark.  The kids didn’t seem to mind, but I was freaking out because Olivia had her first live Zoom ballet and tap class that afternoon and it was pertinent for her to join so she could finish learning her two routines for her recital.  Sigh.

We managed to rig a hotspot using B’s phone and our iPad and she was able to be on for her class, but every time the teacher would start doing the routine, the internet couldn’t keep up, and it was all a jumble.  Olivia was very frustrated and didn’t even want to continue and I was frustrated because I knew how important it was for her to be in the class.  She only has one more live Zoom lesson before her recital and she barely knows her routines.  Fortunately, her dance school posted the routines on the website and I’m going to learn them so I can teach them to her this week before her recital.  I never took a single ballet or tap class, but I guess I’m about to learn.  Haha.

After all of the technology frustrations and the fact that my blog post still wasn’t done for the next day (and the day was nearly over), I could feel my anxiety kicking in for the first time in a long time, so I did a yoga workout.  I’ve done so many YouTube yoga workouts now that I know enough to do my own routine… you know, since I couldn’t watch a class since the internet was down.  You never realized just how much you use the wifi until it’s down!

Once I was calm and much more centered, I headed to the kitchen to cook dinner, and I grabbed a glass of wine to enjoy while I cooked.  I turned on some jazz and put some happy scents in the diffuser, and it ended up being a great evening… until it was time to try to work on my blog post again later that evening.  Sigh.  I despise when technology doesn’t work, y’all.  I know it’s dumb, but it’s like the one thing that pushes my buttons and really makes me mad.  Maui was ready to party, though.  Haha.

What would normally take about 2-3 minutes to do, ended up taking 30 minutes using the hotspot, but I finally got the post scheduled.  I kid you not, two minutes later, our internet came back up.  Sigh. 

We watched some Mandalorian with the kids that evening, and then B and I started Modern Love on Amazon.  I absolutely L-O-V-E it.  Each episode stands alone so there is no continuous storyline or anything, but as I type this, we’ve seen four episodes and I’ve adored every single one.  And every single one of them has made me cry.

Friday, June 19 (Day 98 of Quarantine)

Friday morning I finally got caught up on all of my blog reading (we’ll see how long that lasts) and then I had a bunch of errands to run – gas, drop some donations, library curbside pickup (again), Barnes and Noble, Hobby Lobby, and Publix.  I wore my mask at every single place, and I was just shocked at the lack of people wearing masks in the stores (probably about 80% were NOT).  Considering that cases are climbing at a very fast rate in our city right now, that's a huge cause for concern.

I know it’s a free country and everyone has the right to not wear a mask if they don’t want to, but unless you have a medical condition that prevents you from wearing one, you should wear the mask.  I have asthma and anxiety and wearing a mask negatively affects my breathing most of the time, but I still wear mine every single time I enter a public place.  I hate the thing, but it’s the right thing to do.  

You may not enjoy wearing the mask (who does??) and you may not be afraid of getting the virus, but the experts have said time and time again that you should wear the mask TO PROTECT OTHERS.  It's about human decency... it's not always about you.  And the experts wouldn’t be preaching it right and left if it didn’t make a difference.  Why anybody would choose not to just because “it’s an inconvenience” or “you don’t like it” is beyond me… you could literally be protecting someone else from getting sick and dying by wearing yours.  

The lack of compassion and complete disregard for others in this world right now is just mind-blowing... it's been a very eye-opening and sad 2020 for me.  I can only pray that B and I are doing enough to raise our children to be kind and compassionate towards others so they'll grow up and do their part to turn this thing around for future generations.  

When I got back home, we had lunch, Olivia and I played a few board games (Jacob wanted some alone time… he loves his alone time and doesn’t get much of it these days), and then we all took 30 minutes of reading time.  Jacob had his new novel from the library, and Olivia and I grabbed one of her chapter books that we still hadn’t read that she’d gotten from the school’s last book fair. 

Movie and work time was next, and by the time the kids’ movie was over, B was done working for the day.  He headed out to pick up pizza from our favorite local place, and we spent the evening eating, tossing the football outside, and watching Mighty Ducks 2 with the kids for the first time.  It was one of my favorite movies EVER when I was younger, and it was so much fun seeing it with the kids.  Fun fact, my neighborhood friends and I used to play street hockey on rollerblades in the culdesac together when I was a young teenager, and we would blast the D2 soundtrack on our boombox while we played… we all thought we were badass.  Hahahaha.  

After the kids went to bed, B and I watched some more of Modern Love on Amazon and I’m kicking myself for not starting it sooner.  It is so good.

Saturday, June 20 (Day 99 of Quarantine)

Saturday morning, I made homemade waffles and then B took the kids to the lake behind his mom’s house to go fishing.  Meanwhile, I spent the morning relishing in the silence at home.  I think that was the first time I’ve had the house to myself since early March.  Crazy.  I did a good, long dance workout and I was able to BLAST the music since there was nobody to disturb, I stepped out for 20 minutes to pick up Olivia’s recital costumes from her dance school, I meditated (in actual complete silence), and I sat outside in the sun and read my book (also in silence).  It was so nice.

B and the kids didn’t catch anything at his mom’s, so they headed over to try the pond in my parents’ neighborhood, and they were able to spend a few minutes with my parents.  My momma took the picture below.  They ended up not catching anything there either, but B said the kids still had fun!

They got home around lunchtime, and afterward, Olivia was dying to try on her dance costumes.  She's a "chipmunk" and a "little mirror" in her dance school's production of Snow White.

We were all really lazy for the rest of the afternoon.  B and the kids played video games for hours and I got so much work done on the blog.  I feel like I’ve been on a sinking ship since March when the kids got out of school, and I’m constantly trying to bail myself out.  I’d love to be able to get a little bit ahead so I can take the time to focus on some housekeeping stuff, but sadly, that probably won’t happen until they go back to school.  It was nice to have a bit of a head start on this week’s posts, though!

Saturday evening, B picked up Five Guys and brought it home for dinner, and I made some Moscow Mules to go along with it.  We may have gone out to eat while we were at the beach, but now that we’re home, we’re back to quarantining and doing very little in public again.  Covid cases are actually on the rise in our city (and not just because of more testing), so we’re being extremely vigilant.  We also want to be able to start hanging out with all of the grandparents again, so we are keeping their well-being in mind as we make our decisions.  You just can’t be too careful right now, especially since so many people are asymptomatic. 

After dinner, we all watched an episode of Be Our Chef and The Mandalorian, and then B and I watched more Modern Love after the kids went to bed.  We’re almost done with the first season already.  And unfortunately, season two isn’t out yet.  Boooo.

Sunday, June 21 (Day 100 of Quarantine)

Sunday was Father’s Day, so B opened his gifts and then we had cinnamon rolls for breakfast per his request.  We watched church from the couch, and then I squeezed in another dance workout and showered for the day. 

I chatted with my momma on the phone for a nice, long time Sunday afternoon, and then B and the kids played more video games while I did some more work.  They’ve been playing another Zelda game and they’re moving right along. 

Sunday evening, I made my mom’s baked ziti recipe per Brian’s request, and then we all piled in the car to get Dairy Queen Blizzards for dessert.  We brought them home to eat them, and then my parents came over and spent the rest of the evening with us on the back porch.  We had an evening rain shower which cooled things off tremendously, so our visit ended up being quite pleasant. 

We’re still technically quarantining from them since we were at the beach, but we wanted to get in at least a few minutes with my daddy for the special day.  I’ve seen my parents less these last few months than I ever have in my entire life and I HATE IT.  I just want this virus to hurry up and run its course so I can be with all of the people I love without worrying about the consequences. 

Now for some current things…

Currently Reading

This month, I’ve been reading like a crazy woman… I’m currently on book #5 for the month and I’m sure I’ll complete it before the month is over.  First up, was Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes.  I thought this book was cute, the characters were relatable and lovable, and it was a nice read… not super exciting or fantastic and a little predictable, but it was a solid read. 

Next, was The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren… I loved this book!  It was hilarious and I found myself laughing out loud on many occasions.  I flew through it and I highly recommend it… it’s the perfect light and fluffy summer/beach read. 

Third, was The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee, and oh my goodness, what a great book!  This book actually falls in the YA category, but I didn’t find it to be juvenile in the least.  It takes place 100 years in the future in New York City and I was riveted from the very first sentence.  I barely put this book down once I started it… I read it in less than 48 hours because I just had to know what happened.  The best part is that it’s the first in a trilogy, so I still have two more books to look forward to!  EEK!   

I would have immediately picked up the second book in the Thousandth Floor series next, but I had to wait for my hold to be available from the library, so I picked up The Lies That Bind by Emily Giffin next.  If I had to pick one favorite author, I’d choose her.  I have read and loved every single one of her books (although there was one that I wasn’t as crazy about), so I buy all them to have in my home library.  I pre-ordered this book before it was available, so I had it sitting on my nightstand ready to go.  The story takes place before, during, and after 9/11 in New York City so I think that added to the allure.  9/11 will be forever emblazoned in my mind from start to finish, and it’s a day that I will never forget, so I think that’s why I found it to be such a fascinating read, even though it was fictional.  The first part is a bit slower, but around a quarter into the book, things start to pick up and I was riveted for the last three quarters of the book.  I absolutely loved the main character and I truly felt for her during her entire ordeal… and believe me… what an ordeal!!  Things go from crazy to crazier to craziest over the span of this book and it kept me guessing all the way until the end.  And then I LOVED the ending.  I highly recommend this book… it may be the best one that Emily Giffin has ever written.  And she wrote, Something Borrowed which is one of my favorite books of all time so that is quite an endorsement.

Finally, my hold became available for The Dazzling Heights (the second book in The Thousandth Floor trilogy) so I started it immediately after finishing The Lies That Bind.  I’m only about 30 pages into it, but I can tell already that it’s going to be another one that I can’t put down.  It continues from the moment the first book left off, and I’m HERE FOR IT. 

Currently Watching

We’re still (sort of) watching The Blacklist but we’re thinking of giving it up.  There are questions that I want answered so that’s the only reason I keep hanging on… otherwise I probably would have kicked it to the curb by now because it just doesn’t interest me all that much.  And I think B is even less impressed with it than I am. 

We’re also occasionally watching The Office, although, I’d be totally okay with kicking it to the curb.  I just don’t think it’s funny.  Or all that interesting.  I know I’m in the minority and I’m really wanting to love it, but it’s just not happening.  B enjoys it, though, so we’ll probably stick with it.

We’re also flying through Magic for Humans on Netflix and Be Our Chef on Disney + and we just finished The Mandalorian (again), this time with the kids. 

B started watching that new series with Steve Carell on Netflix called Space Force and he likes it.  I’m not too impressed with it, but it’s also not really my thing, so I’m probably not the best person to ask for an opinion. 

We had started True Blood on HBO, but it’s pretty explicit and a little too disturbing for my taste, so we haven’t watched an episode in a while.  We haven’t necessarily made the decision to stop watching it altogether, though, so only time will tell… 

And as I said earlier in this post, we just started (and finished) Modern Love, season one this past week and I LOVED IT.  Each episode has a completely different cast and story, but every single episode is fantastic.  The casting is phenomenal… I found every single character to be so incredibly endearing and I kind of want to go back and watch the entire season again.  Every episode just made me feel so good, even though I cried at every single episode, too.  If you haven’t watched it yet, you should!

Currently Listening To

I’ve had the Surfaces album on repeat for weeks now.  I’d never heard of them prior to hearing their song Sunday Best on the radio a couple of months ago, and I loved that song so much that I checked out their whole album.  All of the snippets on Amazon sounded great, so I bought the whole thing, and I love it.  The whole album just has the best vibe!  It’s perfect for lazy summer days. 

I’ve also had my 90s and 2000s R&B playing a lot while the kids aren’t around.  Most of the songs have explicit lyrics so I can’t play most of them around the kids, but I have been listening while they’re watching TV or when I have to run errands somewhere without them.

And, of course, jazz and old standards are always on repeat every evening while I cook.  <3

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