Our Week - The One with Quarantine, Week 21 & Summer, Week 11 (Meet the Teacher and Last Week of Summer)

Well, summer break 2020 is officially over.  I’m relieved that we made it through (it felt six months long since the kids were home for almost that long) and I’m eager to get back to some semblance of structure (even though things will be much different than usual), but I’m absolutely terrified of sending the kids back to school (although, a smidge excited for them). 

I like to think that our kids had a 1995 kind of summer… no place to go, a lot of hanging out at home crafting, drawing, playing video games, watching movies, and not doing much of anything… just like when I was a kid!  When I was little my parents both worked full-time, so we had a sitter until we were old enough to stay by ourselves, but that also meant that we were at home 24/7.  This is about as close to that as our kids have come to that during the summer.  We’re usually on the go, playing on playgrounds, going on play dates, swimming, going out to eat, and exploring our city, so this summer was very different than the last two. 

Despite the fact that we weren’t able to do much, I still feel like both of our kids thrived.  Their creativity flourished and their friendship grew stronger than I could have ever imagined… I’m actually a little worried about how things are going to go when they are separated at school this week.  They’re going to miss each other fiercely.

By the time this post goes live, the kids will have been back for two whole days, so I’m praying everything is going well.  How long they will be there, I do not know, though.  I am honestly not feeling super optimistic about things, and therefore, I haven’t made any major plans for myself for the month of August, as I have a sneaking suspicion that I’ll be facilitating distance learning before long.  It’s only going to take one small outbreak at school, and it’ll all be over.

Only time will tell, though, I suppose.  In the meantime, we have been getting lots of sleep, exercising, eating healthy, taking vitamins, and using essential oils to boost our immune systems and I have been covering the kids in prayer every single day.  It’s in God’s hands now.

Today I’m recapping the last week of our summer break… the one that will forever go down in history as the strangest, loneliest, and longest one ever.

Monday, August 3 (Day 143 of Quarantine)

Monday was a typical day of hanging out at home, playing, reading, and working.  After dinner, we all went out in the back yard to play some wiffle ball.  B’s back was finally feeling good enough to pitch again, although, he’s still not back to normal yet.  He is still struggling to sit for long periods of time and his leg and foot have really been bothering him. 

When the kids went in the house to shower and get ready for bed, I laced up my tennis shoes and headed out for a solo walk/run.  I ended up doing 3.6 miles in an hour and it felt so good to be out of the house alone, just me and my music.  It’s amazing what a little bit of cardio and a lot of music can do for your soul. 

I made it back home just in time to watch an episode of Supermarket Sweep with the kids before they hit the hay, and then B and I watched the Braves game.  I used to love watching baseball on TV when I was younger, but I’m not a huge fan of it now.  In these Covid times, though, it sounds amazing having live sports on the TV again… even if the crowd noise is piped in since the stadiums are all empty.  At this point, I’ll take what I can get.

Tuesday, August 4 (Day 144 of Quarantine)

Tuesday was another typical day – morning routine, lunch, some reading throughout the day, work, dinner, and outside time with the kids after dinner.  The kids played indoors most of the day, and at one point I walked in the room to see this:

I asked them what they were doing, and Olivia told me that she was the queen and Jacob was her servant.  Hahahaha.  They’re always good for a laugh.

It was super hot Tuesday evening, so we cut the outdoor time short and had a dance party inside per Olivia’s request. 

After the dance party, I got in 3.7 more miles, and then I joined B and the kids for America’s Got Talent.

Wednesday, August 5 (Day 145 of Quarantine)

Wednesday morning, Olivia came running in our bathroom bright and early to tell us she had lost her first tooth in the middle of the night.  What?!  She smiled at me, and sure enough, there was a big gap in her bottom row of teeth.  Her tooth has been loose for a couple of weeks, but was in no way loose enough to pull just yet (I had just checked the previous afternoon) but somehow, it fell out while she was asleep. 

She said she woke up at “six-something” (according to her alarm clock) and that her tooth was just laying in her mouth.  She said she pulled it out of her mouth and had it in her hand while she peeked out of her window (probably to see how light it was outside to see if it was late enough to come in our room – LOL) and when she did, she accidentally dropped the tooth.  Face palm.

I was able to find it (it was on the edge of her mattress just about to fall between her bed and the window) and she was ecstatic.  I still have no clue how the thing came out in her sleep, though.  She had to have been pushing on it with her tongue in her sleep or something.  And she must have been being very violent, because as I said before, it wasn’t even that loose.  Haha.

The rest of the day was spent doing the usual things.  Olivia asked me to paint her nails one last time before school starts, and she went with a strawberry banana theme (pink and yellow).

After lunch, I made a solo drive to the library to drop off one book and pick up another, and then I spent the rest of the afternoon reading and getting some work done.

After dinner, B mowed and his back held up well (yay!) and then we spent the rest of the evening watching the Braves and reading.

Thursday, August 6 (Day 146 of Quarantine)

Thursday morning, Olivia was thrilled to find money under her pillow from the Tooth Fairy, and then we all got ready because Jacob had Meet the Teacher at school.  During a normal school year, the entire school holds Meet the Teacher for everyone at the same time.  We all go into the school, see the kids’ classrooms, talk to their teachers, find their lockers and their desks, and we always look forward to seeing all of our friends and hanging out for a bit.

This year, however, things obviously had to be different, so instead of the usual socializing, things were very clean and concise.  The school hosted specific grades on specific days, and we had to sign up for our own individual appointment via a sign-up genius that the school sent out.  When we arrived, we pulled up as if we were in the car line, I put our car tag in the review mirror, and Jacob’s teacher came to the car to get him.  He put on his mask (she was already wearing hers), she took his temperature, and then she led him to the classroom while Olivia and I waited in the car.

She showed him around the room, explained some of the new safety protocol, gave him some paperwork to complete as well as a fun little eraser, and then she walked him back down to our car.  It breaks my heart that I won’t be seeing our kids’ classrooms and desks this year, but it is what it is.  I know the school is doing everything they can to keep the kids safe, and not allowing guests in the building is one of the ways they’re doing that. 

Jacob was all excited when he got back in the car because he had found out that both of his best friends are in his class.  We already knew that one of them was, but we hadn’t heard from his other friend.  There are two classes for each grade, and typically, they are able to eat lunch together and play on the playground together so it’s not that big of a deal if you’re not in the same class together.  But this year, as another safety precaution, the school will not be combining any classes in the lunchroom or on the playground, so if his BFFs had been in the other class, he wouldn’t have been able to spend any time with them at all.

Unfortunately, we already found out that Olivia’s very best friend is not in her class this year, and neither are the other three girls that she was super close with last year.  Ugh.  She is heartbroken, but she’s optimistic that she’ll make new friends.  She does have one friend in her class this year, though, so that’s good.  Oh, and the boy that she has had a crush on for the last year is in there, too.  I think she’s going to be just fine.  Hahahaha. 

As we were leaving the school, my mom stepped out of her office to say hello to us, and then we headed back home to spend the rest of the day.  I stepped back out to pick up Panera for lunch, and we ended up having a huge debacle with our order.  Apparently, some other person at curbside pick-up claimed to be Brian (the order was in his name) and they took our order?!?!  WHO DOES THAT?! 

So when I pulled up, our order had already been processed and sent off.  Obviously, I didn’t know that, so I sat there for about ten minutes watching everyone else coming and going before realizing that there had to be a problem.  B called them, and they came out and explained everything, and I ended up having to sit there for 20 more minutes while they remade our order.  They apologized profusely for the wait and they threw a cinnamon roll in there for our troubles, though, so all was forgiven… until I got home and realized they’d forgotten to include my cookie.  Waaaahhhh.

After lunch, I finished the book that I’d just started the day before, and then I worked some while the kids played video games.  Jacob got Minecraft for their new Nintendo Switch and he and Olivia are obsessed with it.  They stay in creator mode the whole time and they just build their cities and animals and stuff.  Haha.

We had breakfast for dinner, and then the four of us went for a walk around the neighborhood.  I dropped B and the kids back at the house and then I headed back out to complete an additional 3.6 miles for a total of 4.7 miles for the day.

Friday, August 7 (Day 147 of Quarantine)

Friday morning, we headed to the kids’ school again, this time for Olivia to meet her new teacher.  They followed the same procedure that Jacob did the previous day and it was a success!  Again, I wasn’t allowed in the school with her (to prevent the spread of germs), so her teacher came to grab her from the car and take her temp, and they went inside together. 

The girl who runs our school’s social media accounts just happened to be there when Olivia went inside, and she was able to snap a few pictures of Olivia in her classroom and by her locker.  She sent them to me, and I was so grateful to be able to see her in action!

My mom came out of her office to chat again after Olivia was done, and we also got to chat with our pastor who has totally recovered from Covid.  We haven’t seen him in person since March, and it was so wonderful to talk to him and see him live in person rather than on a TV screen. 

Jacob had opted to stay home while Olivia and I were gone, and he was so excited when Olivia got back… Brian said just 20 or 30 minutes after we left, Jacob was already asking when Olivia would be back.  It’s so sweet how much they enjoy each other’s company.  This summer has definitely brought them closer together than ever.

When we arrived back at home, I made some lunch for all of us, and then I finally got my act together and started getting everything in order for the start of school.  I decided to order a few more masks for each of the kids, got their backpacks loaded up with their summer homework, and started working on switching the bulletin board command center back over for the school year instead of the summer.

Friday evening, we got Carrabba’s takeout and poured some wine.  We’re still working our way through the bottles we ordered from our favorite winery, and it’s been such a treat to have those.

Friday evening, we had another family movie night, this time to watch The Croods, and I fell straight to sleep yet again.  B and the kids liked it, though.  Haha.  After the kids went to bed, B and I watched a new Seth Rogen movie, An American Pickle.  The concept actually sounded somewhat entertaining, but the delivery was less than stellar IMO.  I was not a fan. 

Saturday, August 8 (Day 148 of Quarantine)

Saturday morning was homemade waffles followed by a 3.3 mile walk for me.  I had fully intended to get in five miles, but by the time I got out there at 9:45, it already felt like 97 degrees, so I didn’t last as long as I wanted to.  This heat is just so miserable.

We spent the rest of the morning tidying the entire house, doing laundry, and getting everything ready for the kids’ first day back at school, and then we had lunch followed by some outside time.

Saturday evening, my father-in-law and sis-in-law and her family all came over to our house to celebrate my father-in-law’s birthday.  We had pizza, watched the Atlanta Braves game on the back porch, and played cornhole.  I was so busy being present I didn’t take a single picture.  :o(  But it was a great evening.

After everyone left, B and I got the kids down for bed, and then he and I watched the movie Yesterday.  Did y’all ever see that one?  I saw it at the movie theater with my mom, grandmother, aunt, and cousin last year and I loved it.  I think I loved it even more the second time around.  It was great.  If you’re a Beatles fan then you’ll really appreciate it, but you don’t have to be a fan to enjoy it.

Sunday, August 9 (Day 149 of Quarantine)

Sunday morning was cinnamon rolls and church on TV, and then I did a short strength training workout as well as a quick yoga workout.  I spent the rest of the morning getting things prepped and ready for Monday, and then we all headed to my MIL and step-FIL’s for lunch… probably our last Sunday lunch for a long time. 

Since the kids started school this week, we’ve all decided to take a break from Sunday lunches and dinners to protect the grandparents.  The last thing we need in 2020 is for one of our kids to silently spread Covid to one of our more at-risk family members.  Sigh.

My MIL and step-FIL had made a whole Mexican spread – homemade enchiladas (traditional beef with red sauce or chicken with white sauce), along with rice, refried beans, fresh green beans from the garden, and homemade jalapeno poppers.

It was boiling hot on Sunday, so we spent the afternoon sitting around the kitchen table chatting, and just soaking up our last bit of time together for the foreseeable future.  Makes me so sad.

The kids spent the rest of the afternoon playing video games while I worked and prepped lunches for the first day of school.

Sunday evening, we headed to my parents’ house for our last Sunday dinner for a while, and to celebrate my daddy’s birthday.  The birthday boy chose my mom’s homemade spaghetti, which is a favorite of all of ours, and we had salad and bread and birthday dessert, too.  My dad and B and I all shared a bottle of wine, and my dad opened his gifts. 

My mom and dad had found one of my old New Kids on the Block pins that I had gotten circa 1990 from the Easter Bunny!  Lol.

It kills me that this is the last time we’ll be doing these typical Sunday things for a long time, but with all that’s going on in the world right now, we know it’s the safest thing for everyone.  Hopefully, we’ll be able to sneak in some social distancing yard parties soon, once things cool down.  Bring on fall, y’all!!!!

Bye, house!  See you sometime in the future!

Happy Wednesday!

Don't forget to link up with us below!  

Time for a link party! Blogging friends, share your post below and meet your hosts! 

Jaclyn https://coffeepancakesanddreams.com/

Brittany https://www.dreamsandcoffee.com/

Tiffany https://www.lakelifestateofmind.com/

Mary Leigh https://www.livewellplaytogether.com/

Lindsay http://www.lindsayssweetworld.com/

Keri https://kerilynnsnyder.com
Holley http://www.simplyholleymarie.com/

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter