We are looking for safe ways to feel alive and enjoy human connection while staying socially distanced. We are taking opportunities to get fresh air and to see others from a distance. We are so grateful for our position in all of this--we have a home with outdoor space, we are healthy, we can travel safely, we have family near, friends supporting each other, and we have our schools and teams working together.
Fuerte Teacher Appreciation Parade -- early May. I enjoyed volunteering for the Teacher appreciation parade and seeing so many smiling faces -- It really was good for the soul. The teachers were surprised, the kids enjoyed getting out and seeing other people face to face, and parents enjoyed seeing each other, enjoyed being able to make small talk with each other (from at least 6' apart). We cleaned, disinfected, and decorated my car so my mom could take the kids, and I volunteered in a yellow vest on my bicycle along the route. Families parked on neighboring streets and teachers were asked to arrive at 10:30 for a promised lunch and "surprise."
Synchro de Mayo / bday party "show" -- This week I was trying to rally a group to "socially distance" for a Saturday morning at a park or parking lot for conversation or land drilling or stretching or something with 10' spacing or at our cars... not everyone was comfortable, but moreso the reason we didn't was because of fear of others judging or reporting us because we are not allowed to gather with people outside our family group still. I would have still done it, but Dani and coach Julee concocted an even better plan... on Thursday team members signed up for time slots to arrive at the curb in front of Dani's house to land drill a routine performance and then pull forward/away for the next person. Dani and Ralph sat safely on their doorstep and Julee played routine music on her speaker from the lawn. We stood on the grass on the other side of the sidewalk to do our thing. We decorated our car with pool toys and since it was also Dani's birthday, we gave her a little gift with a mask (we sewed a mermaid pattern on it) for her bday. It was fun to see each other, even for a short time. Dani was very impressed with Marissa hula hooping with her pool toy on the roof of the car and my headstand routine. It was nice to have something to work for, even if it was last minute planning and we only had 2-3 days to practice.
We are at almost 8 weeks of quarantine now... we didn't know what to expect, but this is longer than we imagined.
It's hard to plan school-year-end events when we don't know if we will be back to normal, modified normal, or if the pandemic gets worse and we have to cancel more things. It is sad to think about how much the kids are missing out on right now, from friends hanging out, to field trips, extra-curricular clubs & sports, graduations and graduation parties, and academic learning. Our Hawaii cruise for my parents' 50th anniversary this summer was cancelled. This week GS camps were also officially cancelled for the entire summer, the ONLY thing Addisyn was looking forward to. (sad face)
For Mother's Day, May 10, Chris took Addisyn and Piper shopping to Target to get flowers and gifts for Karen and grandmas. It was Piper's first time out to a store in two months. Addisyn had gone to the store with me once or twice before. A trip out of the house even to a mundane place is exciting at this point.
We met outdoors for a walk on the beach (and ice cream) with Alli and her mom. Wearing a mask and staying 6' apart was a challenge for the girls so I had to keep reminding them.
Week 8 and I was on Zoom meetings about 5th grade promotion planning and a parent feedback meeting for Fuerte Elementary planning how to do school next year. We are getting the hang of this Zoom thing... muting and unmuting, using earbuds with a microphone rather than the computer speaker, and finding a place with good lighting, non-distracting camera view in the background, and few interruptions from the household. The 5th graders will have some sort of parade (inspired by the teacher appreciation) and I get to help plan it. It looks like next year will be a hybrid/part-time class and virtual school experience.
Two months in of "stay at home" orders and we don't know what's next. We are continually teased that it will go away with the summer weather, but then there's another outbreak or something and it drags on.
Our world is upside down... we are SMH when it comes to figuring out the logic behind what is legal and what isn't. Our family is determined to make our own best judgement calls and live our best life as much as possible. We have appreciated the perks of a slowed-down lifestyle but are trying to balance quality of life with our safety. We can't go out to get haircuts, but we can get OUT. This post is dedicated to everything we are trying to do to get OUT while staying IN.
Sometimes getting out is just enjoying our front yard...
...splashing around...
...a drive to the mailbox...
...or to see the baby birds on Grammy & Grampy's porch.
Connecting with and taking care of each other is so important now, so we made "care" packages to show our love to several friends. The kids had fun packing Cookies in a Jar with a recipe card since so many people seem to love baking these days. (And home-baked goods are a no-no nowadays and I'm no good at baking anyhow.) We got out of the house to drive around town and deliver them to doorsteps, and were able to see people in-person from across the front yard.
Karen ordered more masks...not sure how long we are going to be wearing these, but I keep losing mine... I must be tucking it in my purse or the car.
We might have played beachball volleyball INdoors, but since Piper has taken up an interest in more sports, we got her a volleyball to practice with at home and daddy pulled out his old baseball bag to play with her in the yard.
We got out for some more doorbell ditching deliveries this month for a Girl Scout early bird renewal campaign. As our Girl Scout service unit registrar, I worked with the SU team to coordinate virtual activities troops could do, with prizes for among those who post/share what they did. We had a weekly bird theme and a "rock your world" contest. Marissa painted rocks with the "one is silver and the other is gold" theme. The early bird gets the worm, so when the kids saw the gummy worms I was using for prizes they got interested. Piper helped me deliver goodie bags to doorsteps.
Memorial Day wknd May 22-24 @ KOA -- We were wondering if the park would be open because of social distancing but enough other people cancelled their reservation so they did not have to cancel ours. It was nice to have empty spots around so we could move more freely and extra space to safely hang out with our friends. Even with the pool and jump pillows closed, we enjoyed all the fresh air and time for kids to play and ride bikes and scooters all day.
We aren't the only ones anxious to get away-- we watched the new SpaceX rocket take off at noon PST May 30. The astronauts docked at the International Space Station the next day.
Someone tried to get our mail away too... there's been a lot of broken into mailboxes since the Covid economic stimulus checks were sent out. We were lucky not to miss anything important, but we did have to get a brand new mailbox for our street.
Stretching together--
MG outing with Papa Dave in June--
Expressions hearts for all their students--
Outing to Annabelle's pool--
Chris went on the airplane to visit a Jeff in AZ. (Not something we talked about publicly right away but since I'm so far behind on blogging--and back dating--I feel okay sharing.) Airlines are not filling all seats and Chris wore an N95 mask as precaution.
We can't swim at public pool, so we got private lessons at coach's backyard--
Just for fun... Marissa fish lips have been added to the 13 kiss bedtime ritual--
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