3 Good Things:
1- Josh said I was “good at Burpees”! This made my day. He has been doing some of the 21 Day Fix workouts with me and it has been fun.
2- I had a terrible and very vivid dream last night (not COVID-related) and while it was terrible, it was such a relief to wake up and realize it was not true.
3- Our weather has been incredibly cooperative the past ~2 weeks. We were able to get outside every day and it hasn’t been unbearably hot, yet it’s been warm enough for the kids to swim in our (unheated) pool in the afternoon.
WEEKEND
I’m so glad it’s the weekend. I need a break from spinning and fixating on COVID-related residency issues. That has taken up a TON of brain space over the past week (more than my clinical work, though I am also relieved to have telemedicine working!) and it has been stressful. I am going to try to take a break from all of it — as much as possible — for the next 2 days.
GOALS / PLANS:
(none of the latter involve going anywhere other than around the block, of course!)
1- Continue organizing! It took me a while but I was finally hit by the nesting bug that many others have embraced during this time at home. I am just going one cupboard/drawer at a time and organizing/decluttering. (And ditching things that do not spark joy, of course!).
2- Meal plan for next week. Unfortunately our oven broke and we are not able to get it fixed right now due to shelter in place (apparently ovens are not considered essential). So . . . slow cooker & skillet & stovetop it will be! I’m annoyed because I really wanted to make a giant batch of lasagna (also: scones) but . . . at least our air conditioner continues to function.
3- Continue to fill in my Full Focus Planner and start making some goals for Q2. I’m so glad I didn’t make them ahead of time because I’d have to get rid of any that involved . . . going anywhere!
4- Continue 21 Day Fix & Headspace streaks. I have a slightly ridiculous idea that I will continue to complete both a workout and a meditation session daily until this whole thing is over. (I think I like the idea of a streak ONLY if it has some kind of an end point, otherwise I’d drive myself crazy deciding when to end it!)
5- Figure out what setup will be for the kids’ schooling. School is back in session at week, but at home until at least April 15. Annabel’s school day begins with some kind of online meeting at 10 and then independent (hopefully) work. Cameron’s teacher has not given us details yet. We need to make sure they both have working laptops & places to sit. (Come to think of it, I should probably also get some more printer cartridges & paper, too). I am much more optimistic about virtual 2nd grade than I am about virtual K.
If I sound happier today, well . . . I do feel better. Probably because I just slept ~9 hours, I have Josh home with me this weekend, and I am giving myself 2 days to not focus on work.
Oh, and if you’d like another positive/thought-provoking link, I liked this article: Looking Ahead at The Simple Dollar. This situation is so sad but there are opportunities for change that will come of this time.
14 Comments
Doing a meditation and yoga streak for the duration – I made myself a star chart for veggies, meditation, yoga, getting outside, and drinking water.
Toaster oven FTW! I make a few cookies with cookie dough I’ve frozen in it all the time! I’ve even used it for biscuits. Try to do a few scones in there. Good luck!
And thanks for the frequent posting. I look forward to reading each morning!
So frustrating about the broken oven. Do you have a cast iron skillet? I don’t have the recipe but I know you can make stovetop scones with one! A friend of ours makes the best scones with a cast iron skillet on a BBQ grill of all things, when we tailgate.
Yes! Stock up on paper and printer cartridges now. We have gone thought a ream of paper since my kids started schooling at home 2 weeks ago. As for independence with online schooling, my 4th grader and 6th grader are completely independent, but my first grader needs someone to sit with him basically the whole time. Then the 4 year old wants to do school too (his teacher does daily zoom circle time and gives them a craft to do) and he needs 1:1 attention too. Good luck!
Oh, and do you guys have a grill? You can do lots with a grill if the weather is cooperative.
April 15th? I am in Canada, where it is a lot less intense than in USA, and they don’t talk about going back to school. I think it will take more time, no? From here, it seems the crisis is just beginning, it will take weeks to even just flatten the curve.
It will probably be longer but that’s the official word so far.
Italy and Spain are still deep down in the crisis… it is still not normal in China and they are 2 months ahead, so it will take weeks or months for America… in Canada, they hope for mid-May, but September is the safe guess.
Yup! I’m a school psychologist in Canada, and we are closed indefinitely but most likely looking at a (physical) return in September. I’m sure US schools will extend their timeline as well; I guess they’re just doing it gradually. Both scenarios are hard for us planners!
First off, thank you for sharing the grief article yesterday. I read it this morning and it is very helpful. I am supposed to graduate with my Ph.D. this semester but commencement got officially canceled this week and it totally put me over the edge.
Secondly, you can make lasagna in your slow cooker. I don’t know where the recipe we used to use is – but this one looks good https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/slow-cooker-lasagna/ .You don’t even have to pre-cook the lasagna noodles. You can also make scones in the toaster oven, just make them in small batches. I don’t know how big your toaster over is, but I would probably make 4 scones at time in mine.
I second the suggestion for a toaster oven! You can bake a lot in them. I’ve done cookies and loaf breads with ease; you just need to reduce cooking time and make sure tops don’t burn.
I agree with you about our weather. That is helping me so much right now, too.
Virtual K has been amazing at our house, so it is possible! Our teachers have really embraced it. There is virtual circle time every morning, small groups online 3x a week and weekly 1:1 with each teacher. The school has also done their usual all school assembly on Fridays virtually as well. My daughter is eatting it all up!
Our dishwasher broke down a few days ago. I know it doesn’t seem essential to some, but especially since we’ve been cooking every single meal in the kitchen it’s been….. Ugh. I’d rather spend that time on house projects.
My streaks have been reading, meditating, and some form of cardio. I was researching YouTube Yoga options yesterday to start adding that in.
Enjoy your weekend!
We had one summer with 5 weeks of no oven or stove! We made do with a BBQ (you can back in it with lid closed), a blender, and a microwave.