What Covid-19 Is Like For Us (this was started 2 weeks ago just finished it)

I have been wanting to do a post like this for a little while now, but with my kids home all day everyday, I am a little fried by the end of the day, and so my writing isn't as often as I would like. However, I jump ahead of myself.

We were hearing about the virus in the US shortly before Kylee's baptism, but at that time it seemed like a joke. People hoarding toilet paper for a sickness like the flu. It all seemed so weird. However, things kept spreading and getting worse and by the next week (Mar. 13) Boulder County had its first confirmed case of Covid-19. With that confirmed case the schools closed and all crazy broke loose. I knew with the panic that was already being felt coupled with cancelled school that the next day would be crazy at the store, so I went that night. It was really crazy. The line to the check-outs was clear to the last isle of the store. We really only needed milk and I got milk and couple other things. It was so hard to not fall prey to the chaos that was all around. People had huge carts of food--HUGE! One thing I worry about the debt people might have incurred 'stocking up', because there was so many huge carts. We were really out of cheese which is a bad deal for us, so I made a pick-up order for Sams earlier that week for cheese a few other things. Cheese got cancelled on the order, but because Gaupo went to pick-up he went inside and found us a substitute for it. He feel a little prey to the choas and bought 30lbs of cheese, but you know what we eat a lot of cheese, and they have since put a limit of 1 bag on the cheese, so we would always be running out. Anyway, we got pretty much what we needed. It was so scary thinking I couldn't get food that I know I 'needed.' I put needed in quotes because really we would manage without cheese, but the complaining would terrible. I totally got caught-up in the panic as far as the feeling of unprepared. We had food, we have money for a rainy day, but I still felt unprepared. Anyway, it was a very emotional day for me. Then the weekend came. Gaupo was home. I had time to thing through ideas of what to do for my kids. I wasn't worried about being home with them. However, Kylee and Tia are kind of struggling in school and I don't want them to fall more behind by forgetting what they do know. I was planning to do a little something over the planned Spring Break (Mar. 20-27), but it came faster because of the virus. We figured out a plan that's been working well, but beginning tomorrow we have to do what the school sends us, so we will see how that changes our lives.

This is the checkout line the night school was cancelled.

As time has worn on, I have had ups and downs emotionally with all this virus stuff. No Sunday meetings, temple closures, and missionaries coming home have sometimes caused me more stress because I trust the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and so when they start making changes I know that it isn't just a joke. I really don't understand it to be honest with you, but it does kill people and so I am trying to abide by the social distancing protocols, and the stay at home order that was recently mandated statewide in Colorado. It was so hard for me to decide to tell my brother not to come visit me. I really could use some family out here and our kids would have so much fun, but I just didn't feel now was when we should do it. Its lovely to have so much time to play, and hard to not invite friends to do our fun things with us. So, there are ups and downs all the time.

I have really hard time expressing the feelings I have had throughout this pandemic--thus far, but one I feel almost everyday is gratitude. I know the pandemic is awful. For some it means a loved has died, for others it means they feel like they want to because they are sick, for others its so tired because they are trying to help those that have it, others have lost their jobs and are worried about what that means for them and their family, others struggle with the demands of working or having or not having kids home, and some have other troubles I haven't thought of. So, I feel so blessed. Gaupo has a job and is getting paid his full salary despite the fact he has worked far less hours these past couple of weeks. He feels blessed because he does get to go into work and work on a project that they have been trying to complete for the last year and finally have the time without people to do it. I love the extra time with him, but I also love that he has some place to go to work on something he loves. I think he would feel slightly lost here at home with no work after awhile, even if he was getting paid. Because we have food, although our supply of white flour is very quickly depleting, Gaupo has work, we can pay our bills, and none of us our currently sick I feel so blessed. I hope that if any of these circumstances change I still look for causes to rejoice.

So, what does our life look like for us. It looks a little different everyday, but has similar routines. For school, I made checklists for everyday. Everyday, had the same objectives that varied depending on the child--Reading, Writing, Spelling, Math, I-Ready prep, and Piano. At first I just tried to cram it all into the twins naptime, but that wasn't working very well, so then we tried to do two things before we left on an adventure which before the stay at home order was a visit to a park via biking or walking. After the stay at home order we still went on walk or ride we just didn't stop at parks. Then we would do the remainder of the activities after the twins were down for a nap. The girls got better at just getting it done and usually had sometime to spare before the twins woke up. As the weather has been wonderful this week, I have used that time to call my family to chat with them. I learned the first week that I really still need my time to chat with people. It really helps me feel better. Anyway, the twin LOVE being outside and the big girls have gotten quite creative out there and so even after the twins are awake we spend until about 5:00PM outside. Then we come in and the big girls watch a show while I start making dinner. It works pretty well. Although, I will be honest Monday was AWFUL! No, one wanted to do anything and the girls were not playing well together the twins were demanding my attention, and it was just rough, but we survived and luckily the rest of the week was better.

Playing throw the ball through the hulu hoop.

Kade 'fixing' daddy's lawnmower.

Abby carring stuff around

Gaupo and all the kids fixing out wagon.

At the park in the sand before our stay at home order.

The twins in the sand.

Sliding on their snowman.

Hunting for worms

Jumping while its still cold out.

Still using the little trike.

Family bike rides.

These two ride up and down the driveway in this wagon.

The side effects of having school shut down and doing our own thing here is that I have been able to help my kids with things that I think they need help with. For example, I noticed Tia was having problems with writing her numbers, so I looked through her math books found the lessons on that and she worked on that. She obviously found it kind of boring, so we changed it up with somethings she thought were more interesting, but she now does pretty well with them. Kylee has been working hard on math facts and we think we have passed off 3 second addition. I don't know for sure, but I do know she has gotten tons better at it and has better confidence in her ability. Another benefit is that the kids seem to not be so grumpy at the days end. There was one day and I remember it being a hard day, but I don't know exactly why and we finished with family prayers and Tia looks right at me gives me a big hug and said while smiling, "I love you, Mom." I haven't had that said to me with that much sincerity at the end of the day in a long time. Not because my kids don't but because we have had to spend so much time getting homework, dinner, and whatever else done that its not whats in their minds at the time. I told Tia, "I love you too." Then once she left, I told Gaupo "this moment brought to you by Covid-19 school cancellation." I feel like that with a lot of the moments both good and bad, but its true. My kids have jumped on the tramp and tired doing flips and cartwheels, learned how to ride the wagon down the driveway, ridden bikes, played in the sand, laugh, been bored, played, played, helped with chores, looked for worms, been silly, watched movies, gazed through a telescope and a bunch of other things, because for the first time in a long time we have time. I love the time we have to be together and I am so grateful that we have this time.

Had time for giddle breakfast,Yum!

Enjoying it together.

The girls made this Enos diaorma one Sunday afternoon.

The first Sunday we didn't gather for church we took time to learn about Joseph Smith. Then we took everyone out the the habitat area and had them write in their journals about thoughts that centered on Joseph Smith. It was pretty fun to be outside for church.