I unloaded all my work-related anxieties over on COVID Diaries: Week 8.0...
...so here's to turning the page to the better half of this week...
...and here's to separating myself from all said job worries so I can be fully present to my babies the 6 days/week that I'm home with them right now...
...and hereeee's to sharing the allllll the happy events of week 8 [AKA the events that I can control and do feel grounded in]! These crazy kiddos sure give me plenty of reasons to smile!
I woke up VERY early Saturday morning to Scarlett applying [fake] makeup to my eyelids [luckily Harper was not a victim and got to sleep in until 8:45am!]...
...but thankfully I could distract her from mode: makeup artist and shift her to mode: CHEF! We bailed out of the bedroom and got right to work in the kitchen fixing ham and cheese omelettes, cinnamon rolls, and an extra large pot of fresh coffee for the rest of the sleepyhead family. Brian and Harper were not disappointed when they finally woke up!
After brunch, we spent most of the rest of the day working on landscaping rock [Brian], playing outside [kids], and helping rake rock/cleaning the house [me].
I was supposed to work at the hospital on Sunday, but furlough was in full bloom...
...so even though I remained on-call from 8am-4pm, we got to enjoy a full day of beautiful weather^^! I helped Brian rake around more rocks while the kids played in the yard and splashed in the water. We got a ton done during the day and even got to see our cousins for a little while that evening. [Pause for the know-it-all/self-dubbed social distancing police: go ahead and write me a ticket! More than anything during sheltering in, Harper has missed her grandparents and cousins and friends sooooo much; we have been so strict with following sheltering-in and social distancing guidelines for the past 2 months, and I'm 100% fine with slightly bending the Illinois rules right now as Missouri is starting to open everything back up. End rant.] So anyway! I absolutely loved watching Harper, Scarlett, Kate, and Henry be reunited for a short bit. #worthit
On Monday morning, one of Harper's teachers came by on her "Bubble Run!" She had planned to set bubbles out for the kids and run -- but luckily she did "run" back to chat with us on the driveway [from a distance] for a long while before she went on to the next house. It was great to see her, and Harper was really excited to show off her bike-riding skills as well as some of the crafts she's made during quarantine. It made me sad to realize that the last week of school is quickly approaching and Harper will be off to the "big school" next year with a new teacher! We're certainly going to miss you, Ms. Nicole [and Ms. Leah, too!]. Thanks sooo much for all you've done for Harper from August to now!
Later that evening, Harper asked if she could cut out some cardstock giraffes on the Cricut to decorate a "telescope" [AKA empty cardboard tube that Brian gifted her from the garage]. Unknown to Brian at the time, this was perfect, because the preschool theme of the week was "Outer Space!" While Harper perfected her telescope...
...Scarlett and I stood at the other end of the counter whipping up some banana-nut muffins. [Why do our bananas turn brown so quickly?! Seriously, it's always like 2-3 days after buying them that they're brown and mushy on the back counter!] 30 minutes after putting the muffins in the oven, I opened the microwave to put something in for dinner and saw the melted stick of butter still sitting there.......oops! The muffins sans butter were still really good [just a little more sticky than normal?!]. :)
Tuesday was Teacher Appreciation Day; another post to come on this! After dropping off gifts at both of Harper's teachers' homes, we made it back to our home to learn about constellations! This toothpick/marshmallow activity was a hit...
...especially because it led to a "toothpick lunch"...
...annnnnd because the kids got to eat their constellations when they were finished! Harper thought the Big Dipper was extra yummy! ;) :) We downloaded a stargazing app that we can't wait to try out on the next clear night!
During Scarlett's nap Tuesday afternoon, we had story time with the teacher [Daddy came upstairs for a bathroom break just in the nick of time to be guilted into listening to the book haha!]...
...and then spray painted some rocks to make space rocks.
Tuesday was ALSO Cinco de Mayo, and we caved and did our first COVID carry-out order 'cause WE FEELIN' FANCY! However! I think the Mexican restaurant bit off a thousand more orders than they could chew; we ended up waiting in the car for a full hour past our projected pickup time. The kids didn't seem to mind...
...and we unanimously decided it was well worth the wait when we made it home and opened up the taco tray. Ole´! Yum, yummm, YUM!!!
Wednesday morning brought the weekly preschool Zoom meeting. This week, the students were asked to bring an item that they made or a toy they have that reminds them of outer space; Harper decided to share her telescope!
We also gathered up the rocks that we spray painted on Tuesday and transformed them into space rocks...
...and finished off the day by cooking meatloaf for dinner. Harper and Scarlett are really becoming good helpers in the kitchen, and I especially am enjoying having Brian around during most of the meal preps since he doesn't have his long commute home after work these days!
I had to work on Thursday [my one day at the hospital this week, woooooot], and when I got home, we capped off the day with ice cream on the back porch. It rained rull hard on Scarlett's parade when a little June bug fell out of the ceiling fan and landed near her foot!
On Friday, we finished up our outer space unit by creating our own solar system with coffee filters and markers...
...and then took the stack of planets to the bathroom for a good squirt bottle spray-down! [PS - We included Pluto in this activity, because my old brain cannot shake the fact that it got demoted to a "dwarf planet." My myyyy, how things have changed since I was in second grade!]
We set a timer for the filters to dry...
...and then stapled the finished products onto a ribbon. Harper is sooo proud of her handmade solar system and immediately retrieved the tape dispenser so she could hang it on her bedroom wall.
With the ceiling lights off and her bed lights on, she thought it looked like a pretty authentic outer space situation! Scarlett proudly taped up her planets, too! :)
We wrapped up the theme of the week with Oreo moons [Harper didn't quite catch on to the moon phases but listened intently until I was finished rambling and she could gobble down the cookies!]...
We got a visit from Grammy on Friday afternoon, which was just the cherry on top of a fun-filled week! [Again for the social distancing police: see my bold blurb at the beginning!] Grammy came bearing Easter baskets full of goodies from Suzanne, and my kids have been on a constant sugar high since then. Thank you sooo much, Suzanne!!! So sorry COVID-19 ruined your egg hunt this year!
The Easter basket also included a little fairy garden set which Harper was eager to unwrap. After she finished stuffing the figurines into the tiny Mother's Day flower pot [which is the only one we own, right now!], Brian promised her he'd take her shopping sometime next week to get a bigger/better pot that could be a permanent home for her fairies. She has already asked five times this weekend when they will be picking out a new pot, so I'm thinking she'll have to don her little face mask and hit the road with Dad sooner than later!
^^ We finished off Friday evening by taking Brian's truck to the car wash; it was FILTHY from hauling so many loads of dirt and rock for the landscaping! We drove around for ~30 minutes afterwards, and both of the kids fell asleep in their car seats. Phew! ...Easiest bedtime routine we've had for a month now! ;) :)
I'll leave you with this...
...'cause we're hangin' on tight and literally CANNOT wait until the end of quarantine!!! Gahhh, we miss you so much, friends and family!
To be continued...
