MARCH COVID-19
CORONAVIRUS QUARANTINE
We have been following the news about the Coronavirus flu going around in China and spreading to other areas including Italy and parts of other countries and the US. Areas of NYC on quarantine, schools and businesses shut down, forcing people to stay home to slow the spread of the virus so hospitals can keep up with the growing numbers. Experts are still learning how the virus is spread and how long the virus lives on surfaces, so all levels of government and individuals are making decisions on how to handle it when or if it gets to us.
Our email inbox has been bombarded with emails from businesses & memberships telling us the "steps we are taking" to operate more safely like extra cleaning or adjusting hours so that we can feel safe there.
#FlattenTheCurve
14 Saturday -- Wine Tasting was still on (although in retrospect maybe we shouldn't have), Addisyn started her first day of Ice Skating Team (Club), and swim practice was cancelled. The kids hung out with Grandma and Aunt Marcy like it was any other day.
15 Sunday -- at the last minute of swim practice Thursday, today's swim meet was cancelled so we did not have to get up at 5am and drive to Irvine. The team was sad to miss it, but we enjoyed our family day. We are allowed to self-isolate outdoors so we enjoyed an adventure at a "new to us" location with a family walk at Lake Jennings.
16 Monday -- Chris went in to the office and packed up for working from home from now until the government lifts the isolation recommendations. We (*I*) drafted up a schedule for the kids to follow to help break up the monotony of the day and enforce learning of some sort every day. The schedule requires them to be awake, dressed and ready by 9am, then includes daily tasks like regular chores, academic time, creative play, and outdoor time. The kids were great helpers since they had more time to play and get chores done. I didn't wash one dish today!
17 Tuesday -- The kids gave input on the schedule and we adjusted it. And we added in a reminder to make sure we connect with friends and family outside our home, so the kids will call, text, write, or facetime/video call with different people every day. We also put in special time after lunch to prioritize practicing instruments at least 5x/week. The kids are enjoying playing with the crafts and toys in their rooms they don't usually have time for.
We had green pancakes for St. Patrick's day lunch (Piper prepped and cooked most of it) and we got fresh air before dinner with a 2 mile round trip walk to Damon Lane. Nobody caught any Leprechauns today.
California Governor Gavin Newsom shocked families tonight in a conference when he said that schools are unlikely to reopen for the remainder of the school year. I think it's too premature to make that claim so strongly, and I don't want my kids to feel like school is over, so I did let them know that there's a good chance this will take longer than April 20th but I predict a return before the school year is over or a shift to online/distance learning classes. Piper will still be working on her science project due April 20.
School being out forces parents to stay home too due to child care.
Our email inbox is now bombarded with revised emails from saying "dine-in closed", "reduced hours", or "online only."
There are lines for Costco and the grocery stores as people are anxious to stock up on necessities for a quarantine lock-down. I did not stop to stand in this line in the rain, but came back another day and time of day with a much shorter line.
18 Wednesday -- We modified the home schedule again to be sure we were engaged in quiet activity when Chris had an important scheduled work call since he is working from home. Piper was able to facetime/Zoom with AutumnGlenn to practice Violin together later this afternoon. Piper is working on playing the TopGun theme song and hula hooping while playing for the school talent show (which probably won't happen because EVERYTHING is cancelled, but we are going to practice anyway to keep us motivated). The girls all got bonus free/electronics time with an extended bedtime as a reward for being so good today by respecting the schedule and no whining or fighting all day.
19 Thursday -- today's priority was exercise... C&K exercised in our room first thing in the morning. Marissa joined Annabelle's live dance class via Zoom right from the living room. Addisyn tried a pre-recorded video dance class.
Tonight, Governor Newsom announced a Stay Home Order (as opposed to the "request" of the last week) for anyone participating in "non-essential" activities/jobs so more changes are expected as more stores and restaurants close and we are encouraged to stay put even more. Chris' office (WCG) is down to just two staff in the office with everyone else working from home like Chris--they can't close completely because as a financial institution it is considered an essential service. Essential services include police/fire, healthcare, banks, grocery stores, carry-out/drive up food services (restaurants can only stay open if the dining room is closed), delivery services, construction (for some reason), and get this, liquor stores and CBD dispensaries(!?). Many stores and shops were offering phone orders and curbside pickup, but now local shops have to shut down and larger chains can only operate if they have online business out of state.
Today's California update is 126 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours (21% increase overnight)--that's in part due to more screening and testing kits but moreso because it is so easy to catch the virus and not know it because it can take up to 14 days for symptoms to develop. The news reports, "In some parts of our state, our case rate is doubling every four days." Gov. Newsom said "We believe the virus will impact about 56% of California’s population... We believe with a 20% hospitalization rate, that’s about 19,543 people that would need to be hospitalized – above the existing capacity of our system.”
20 Friday -- Piper was supposed to go to San Francisco to meet daddy today, but Chris cancelled the whole trip about a week and a half ago when Coronavirus outbreaks started there. Today I allowed the kids extra Chromebook time for academic time because teachers started sending learning opportunities in the last two days. (Teachers are not allowed to require any work or put any grades in during this time, but they are now allowed to share activities and programs and make teacher-student interpersonal connections.)
I went for a run this morning and combined with the squats and lunges from yesterday that my body isn't used to, I am so SORE it hurts to sit on the throne or bend down to pull weeds, but glad that I'm making myself exercise despite a complete upheaval of routine.
Today we had more yelling and crying, which is normal after a week in close quarters, so I had to intervene more than other days.
Chris is 100% absorbed in following the news daily and hour by hour, analyzing and assessing as it relates to his job and the economy and to our own personal lives as well. He is responsible for a lot of people's financial well-being, which means a lot of pressure to make sure he is giving them good advice that they come out of this economic fallout okay. It's also frustrating that he has worked so hard building up his business over the years, that we hope he doesn't loose too many accounts or account values. It has all been quite a brain-drain.
It is hard to know which "facts" about the virus to believe as we try to find the light at the end of the tunnel. We are following Hawaii news too because we are going on a Hawaii cruise this summer but they are having issues with Covid on cruise ships because of the living in close quarters.
21 Saturday -- no schedule! just family board/card games and family movie on the agenda... which means the kids spend half the day on YouTube. Ha! I was thankful to able to touch base with three friends/neighbors in uninterrupted meaningful conversation on the phone (I'm okay that I was in my bathrobe sitting in the hammock on the patio). We finally got a family game of Life in before dinner and a movie that Chris slept through before bed. We are well, albeit weary of the sudden major life changes that we don't anticipate to change any time soon. At least I can enjoy not cleaning the kitchen by myself anymore--the kids are doing a great job working together to get that job done like it's always been the routine, no whining, just encouraging each other to get it done quickly so they can go on to their reward time at night--I am excited and proud that the only dishes I've washed all week are my wine glasses and a few random items while cooking. And we have had family dinner every single night--we are normally so busy at that hour with gym classes and swim practice that we are enjoying the new consistency and time to be responsible for our own meals and messes.
22 Sunday -- no schedule again. Our agenda was a family hike, and to tidy up and divvy up who does what jobs for tomorrow's major house cleaning day. Chris ended up working half the day in his home office. At the end of the day, not much got done and our hike was demoted to a walk to the elementary school where we played ball at the lower field. Feels a bit defeating, but we move on. I am slightly frustrated, but we are really in good standing so I can't complain... Chris is employed, we have TP and food, a home with space for the kids to move and play, and we are healthy.
It's the end of our chores week and the kids all earned record numbers of stamps. Piper was on a mission and beat everyone by a landslide at 95 stamps for being helpful, taking care of herself, and literally jumping at nearly every opportunity to get chores done--she earned $24. Addisyn earned 51 stamps, and Marissa 34.
23 Monday -- Quarantine means our biweekly housekeeping team will not be visiting us today so we are deep cleaning ourselves. Organizing what to do and who should do it did not interest the kids so they just had to do what I told them. Kids needed me to give direction and if I wasn't right there, they would get off track/distracted and go play--this was all new to them! We learned to clean a room top to bottom, meaning start with ceiling fans and dusting, then move to low ground for vacuum or mopping. We also learned that Windex is for mirrors/glass not for wood, and Pledge is for cleaning wood furniture and cabinets. In the kitchen, they learned that the microwave and stove don't magically clean themselves so they each put in a little elbow work scrubbing. In the bathrooms I couldn't believe how dusty the exhaust fan vents were--the cleaners don't do those or dust the tops of the upper cabinets, so it was good for me to get up there. I also did the toilets myself, but maybe I'll let the kids do those next week :-P The kids lost their screen time tonight due to attitudes and disrespecting our time.
The embarrassing story of the day was just after 9am during Chris' weekly meeting with Fides staff--My lesson is to get dressed right away rather than waiting around... because when I went into my room to quietly get my clothes so not to disturb Chris on a call, <<pause to *laugh* and predict what I'm about to tell you!>> as I was picking up my bra out of my nightstand drawer I noticed he had moved something off my nightstand which means he was clearing a clean background for his video call, so I look over at his computer monitor to see the camera lens is NOT covered! I dropped my bra as I hit the deck so FAST and crawled out of view, re-robed, and with a beet red face, left the room! aack!! Yes, he was on VIDEO conference--so we got that home-office faux pas out of the way! Thankfully I was standing exactly behind him and was fast so his coworkers didn't see anything, or at least they're making me feel better telling us that. LOL!
24 Tuesday -- Karen run. Kids sleeping in. At 10am Mrs. Miller, Piper's teacher, invited kids to zoom for a hangout and see what they've been up to. Piper enjoyed seeing and hearing from her classmates, and finding out how different families and handling the new stay-at-home routine.
25-27 This week we worked on staying on schedule and making sure we are engaging our brains. the kids did well on morning quiet/OYO time, a sanity saver for me. I helped make some sight word games for Marissa to play.
30 Monday -- Addisyn & Piper went in for scheduled immunizations; they were given masks to wear in the clinic. I had them save them in case they need to wear them out one day. We went to the feed store on the way home and they had to wait in the car due to quarantine.
31 Tuesday -- We did more yard work while outside waiting for the quarry to blast because the kids wanted to see it. Today was also grocery day... I try to maximize my purchase to minimize visits but they don't always have what we want. Today there was no flour nor ice cream on the shelves. I got the last packet of yeast on the shelf--we were going to try making bread but it'll have to wait another week or two till I have to go back to the store--no quick unnecessary trips... it was a strange feeling at the store trying to avoid aisles with other people in them, and 6' space (2 carts distance btwn customers in line).
Nationwide health-wise, the latest controversy is over whether masks are helpful for those not sick or working on the front lines. Many in the public believe they were lied to in order to preserve resources. I think the public would be better off with the truth. [Front line health care workers are worried about having enough masks and PPE. We the general public are told we don't need masks so it is very confusing.] I will raid my fabric stash and attempt sewing a few DIY masks for personal use for when I go to the grocery store, basically the only required/essential outing I have. The kids ask to go with me just to get out of the house but I can't let them.
In international news, China is being accused of hiding the truth how the Coronavirus spread which is causing other countries (including USA) to alter their approaches to fighting this pandemic.
More parks and public locations are being closed because there are still people disobeying the stay-home order and the 6' rule.
New Orleans announced this week a surge of cases in the 3-4 weeks post Mardi Gras.
Spring Breakers in Mexico and Florida are unknowingly spreading the virus when they return to their hometowns.
Trump being accused to being self-serving, a slow response; he is clarifying this week what difficult decisions he is making balancing people's health with the economic turmoil.
CARES Act passed -- Economic relief plan
Don't cough or sneeze in public--
4/1 Wednesday -- April Fool's Day -- No kidding, I went to bed last night not feeling well... Chris took my temp 2-3x today as I laid on the couch for 7 hours. I've got a headache, coughing, and fatigue. I didn't want to take any medicine that might suppress my immune system, nor take on an empty stomach, but around 3pm I finally had enough energy to eat some sorbet and take Excedrin so I could function. Thoughts of, is this allergies or a cold or seasonal flu, or do I have *IT* swirl my head, and how do I keep from getting anyone else in my house sick? Chris convinced me I have the same cough I always get with a cold, so I rehydrated, took Mucinex, and tried taking care. If we think one of us has the dreaded COVID-19, we'll bring the motorhome up to the house and whoever is sick will have to live in there for 2 weeks.
April Fool's pranks: fake brownie (sponge painted brown and real icing), cardboard under toilet seat, stack of amazon boxes by front door, CNN screenshot with Trump saying students will repeat a grade next year (kids didn't think that was a good idea!) -- they weren't going to believe me but I showed them a picture of him on the news with a caption that said so...then explained to them how easy it was to fake.
2-4 Thur-Sat Marissa has suddenly been asking questions like "What's the meaning of life?" Gosh, is she asking because of current events or where did this come from? I told her good question and I've been trying to figure that one out all my life too. She says she's been wondering about this question "since forever/she was born."
I started sewing masks. I made one for me and used an old goggle strap instead of elastic. I don't have any fun colors or prints, mostly old sheets I've saved for a random project one day. I even salvaged the elastic from an old fitted sheet (not fun, and it took forever, and some of it was frayed looking anyway). Piper made one for herself with my assistance. There's a lot of steps you have to do in order, so I'll have to jot a list down to follow next time.
Earthquake Friday night 4.9, felt all over the county, and neighboring areas. What else will 2020 serve us?
Gas prices are incredible! We filled up the motorhome for $2.45/gal. We took the whole family out in the MH just to take a field trip. (We were excited to get it at the Costco grand opening price of $2.99 a few weeks ago) ...the irony is that oil prices dropped and now we are hardly driving. Our mpg in my car right now is about 3 weeks to the gallon.
We let the kids swim in the jacuzzi, then C&K soaked in the jacuzzi at night... We are trying to break monotony and relax -- we've been stressed, my inner monologue is cussing a lot, and luckily they are not slipping out loud, but we've all been showing frustration in our voices out loud.
We turn to laughter to cope so there are lots of funny memes floating around social media--here are some:
5 Sun -- We took a family Jeep adventure today on Otay Mountain Truck Trail. We started in Jamul on a road literally carved into the slope (hill up 60* on our left, and 60* down on our right), and ended in Otay near the border, with a GATE at the end of the dirt road. We almost had to off-road from the dirt road to get out but someone came and unlocked it. The Jeep tires are proudly dusted white now. We got our FIRST take-out food in 3 weeks, from Alberts, and glad to be supporting local business.
6 Mon -- SPRING "BREAK" but also HOUSEKEEPING MONDAY -- kids were not thrilled. I had to make a list of every room/area in the house and list things to be done in each room so they can mark things off as they get done. They didn't want a schedule today, but it was pulling teeth trying to find out WHEN I could expect things done, trying to teaching them how to block time so they don't try to do 3 hours worth of stuff in 30min before dinner.
I gave the kids a light schedule to follow today--they all slept in, so the morning was light. I made them each declare a goal for making them a better human today before letting them veg out more. Today I declared chores and lunch 12-1pm. Music and reading in afternoon before outdoor and more free time. I am NOT going to let them get away with doing NOTHING--they need to contribute to the household they live in, even on spring break.
7 Tue -- Grocery day... I didn't want to go but we are out of milk... I actually got anxious and I stalled getting ready to go... prepped with cleaner for the cart, gloves, face mask, hair up in a bun, hand sanitizer, cc up for minimal touching.
My sister needed distilled water but the store was sold out, so I tried making some... an hour later, I got about 1". I got a gallon for her on the next visit "Limit 1".
Spring Break tents in the living room. They had to solve the padlock riddle to open the tent door.
12 Easter Sunday -- Before Church on TV, The kids had their traditional Easter egg hunt. They were wondering throughout the week if the Easter bunny was quarantined or not, and were happy to find he had come! I cooked a ham and we picked up side dishes from a restaurant for a nice Easter Sunday meal, even though it is just us 5. Grandma Joyce stopped by on her motorcycle with some little gifts for the kids, and Susan and Bernie stopped by with Easter gifts for the kids as well, Stacy and Justin even stopped by just to say hi. We socialized out on the patio with space and fresh air between us.
13-14 Mon-Tue -- Kids yard project on front hill. weeding, shoveling, sweeping, brought furniture down to enjoy their refurbished area. We had dinner down there one night. It was nice seeing the kids outside working together for the family's sake.
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