As we march or hum or stumble or simply crawl along through this period of lockdown and quarantine...I figure I will just share little snapshots of our days. Many days feel like a replay of the day before, reminiscent of that movie from the 80's - Groundhog Day, but the days where I allow myself to dive in and reflect on my inner-workings, those days are vastly different. Alas, that is hard to show in a picture and also hard to describe in your kid's blog. So, I'll just stick with these pictures for now.
 |
| Grizz likes to hold her sticks like cigars |
 |
| the cat that thinks he's a dog (chewing on a dog toy) |
 |
| my first homemade cinnamon bread from scratch ~ so good! |
 |
| as I finally was able to set up my new work station at home... the cats are infinitely pleased that I enjoy open doors and fresh air during that work day - I just need one more stool... |
 |
| they also enjoy napping while I work...I call this "hump day nap train" (it was a Wednesday) |
 |
| walking through the neighborhood has turned into an art show of sorts |
 |
| ha, funny and helpful reminder |
 |
| and you may be growing up and turning into a moody teen, but, there are still glimmers of childhood peeking through (note, Silky is always close during home school time) |
And speaking of all of this growing up that you are so intent to do these days...the following is a little snippet of what I shared on Facebook as we navigate both new experiences of quarantine and also this liminal period between childhood and teen-dom:
Growing independence. Pulling away. Spending more time w friends. More hours in their room. Needing more privacy. Asking me to knock on their door, now. Being embarrassed by my mere existence sometimes. This is where we are now. And it's normal. It's healthy for a tween/teen to be in the middle of this phase. Becoming even more of their own person. Needing to separate from Mom and Dad. I see pictures and videos of when they were tiny and they needed me for so much more and still thought that Dad and I were kinda cool. Sometimes I get sad. But, it's a good sad. It just means that I've thoroughly enjoyed being a part of this human's life from the word go. It can be challenging to learn how to be a parent of a tween/teen. Like it's a whole new animal that we need to form a relationship with and earn/keep its trust. It's an interesting, somewhat rocky phase of this life. So, forgive me if I got a little more excited than normal this morning when they asked me to make them strawberry banana pancakes. Instead of the sigh, shrug or eye-roll so common nowadays, they actually *wanted* me to "mom" again in one of the old familiar ways. It seems small. It felt big. This quarantine has got me in all the sticky, deeper feels lately. Guess this is what happens when we are forced to pause and think and feel. Definitely not a bad thing. I just might miss it when we go back to "life as usual".
#silverwareisoverrated #coronavirus #stayathome #family #tweens
 |
| no matter how old you get...I will always be up for making you pancakes |
 |
| we've had a new visitor during quarantine...his name is Howard and he likes nuts |
Holidays during this lockdown are going to be strange. Hopefully, Easter will be our only one, but who knows!? We made the best of it, though. Easter egg hunts and copious amounts of candy were not missed.
 |
| #sugarcoma |
 |
| can you spot the kitty in the corner / mess of blankets? |
 |
| my friend sent me a gift during quarantine... a naughty coloring book and pencils |
 |
| we social distance visited with Audrey and just before this, we had done a drive-by "wave and dance" on Avery's front lawn |
 |
| quarantine can't stop my bluebells from blooming |
 |
| Howard is getting bolder...showing up each morning at 8am looking for breakfast |
 |
| the doormat / cats combo made me giggle (seems like a trap, no?) |
 |
| more artwork on the trail...the art show continues |
 |
| we even decided to get in on it and leave a thank you note for all of our delivery drivers |
 |
| making new friends during quarantine has been interesting |
This entire lockdown has been full of fits and starts, up-time and down-time, mundane to lots of change, all in short amounts of time. Or so it seems. Time seems relative lately, and that's not always a bad thing. It's hard to explain. The good, the bad, the up, the down, the happy, the sad, the busy, the boring...all of it has its place.
I suspect the weather may have a lot to do with how active or inactive we feel...there was one 24 hour period that was fuller than most. On this particular day, you learned to mow the lawn, baked your first solo batch of brownies from scratch (they were delicious), and helped Dad dig up tree stumps for 2 hours(!) to help him clear out the giant, chaotic, overgrown area behind our patio. Out of nowhere, you surprised me with your fortitude and tenacity. It turns out that you like helping in the yard and doing this type of hard work. I had no idea. You are always surprising me, kiddo.
Speaking of hard work, Lao Lao has been busting her butt in her new home. As I was walking by one night, I stopped to take some pictures because the way the evening sunlight was hitting it was spectacular. It may sound funny, but this house has just started beaming with a warm and cozy glow since Lao Lao moved in and started putting her love into it. Is that weird? I don't think so. See for yourself.
 |
| the proud homeowner |
Along with working on home projects and such, we also put together a few silly videos for ourselves and a surprise video message for Stacy's birthday.
 |
| T-Bone and Captain Sexy wished Stacy a Happy Birthday! |
 |
| this is the picture we sent our neighbor Mike when he missed the ring at his doorbell (this is his deck - LOL!) |
 |
| it was hard to get back to work after making such a fun video, so I decided to keep my fancy costume on for a bit longer |
Michael Franti (the amazing artist and human being behind this song) even took notice on Instagram and enjoyed our performance. How cool is that?!
He even shared it in his own IG story!
You and Daddy have gotten to spend some nice one on one time together as well. Fishing at sunset has been your latest activity of choice.
 |
| clever photo trick! |
Slowly but surely, day by day, we are making it through this quarantine/lockdown. Such a strange time in our family's (our country's!) history, but also a time filled with opportunity and a slower pace which has brought surprise blessings as well. Nothing is ever all bad and I am definitely finding the silver linings in this scary but unexpectedly calming and re-centering experience.
Love,
Mama
No comments:
Post a Comment