Distant Memorial Day Weekend

While we are still taking Covid-19 seriously, we did finally step away from our home and into some backyards this Memorial Day weekend. It felt nice and “normal” while still keeping our distance and outdoors where the risk is lower.

Saturday afternoon we spent a little time in my in-law’s back yard. The girls played and swung while we all sat/stood around for about an hour or so. It was the first place our girls have been since school closed on March 16th. 

On Sunday we made a reservation at the Cincinnati Nature Center - it’s open to members only at this time and it was really great - very few people and since the Playscape and center are closed, we finally walked on a trail 😆

We had a little kiddie pool time in the yard, then cleaned up for Tim’s nephew’s graduation “party.” My SIL was very creative and among the few people invited, we signed up for time slots to avoid a crowd - which I know I appreciated. The gathering stayed outdoors. Nora probably talked nonstop since, again, she’s seen no one for so long, she was so excited. 

Afterwards, we picked up some Dewey’s curbside carryout, then had a group friend Zoom chat that evening. 

Monday we had more kiddie pool time and took it easy. 

It was a good weekend that felt partially social but in a safe manner. 

Quarantine Week 8/9 + Mother's Day

Nothing major of note for week 8 of quarantine. 

We had Hannah’s IEP/Kinder transition meeting via Zoom on back in the first week of May. It was fairly straightforward and I’m just a mix of emotions about it. I was already nervous because Hannah is leaving our beloved preschool, but we didn’t make the lottery for full day at our “home” elementary and were offered a full day place at another district elementary, which we took. 

The new specialists, principal, and teacher were incredibly nice. I just wonder if Hannah will even step foot in a school for her Kinder year. There’s no way kids are going back to full time school in the fall with nearly all scientists watching for a 2nd wave of C-19 to come. 

So if Hannah doesn’t even walk into the elementary for the 20-21 school year, it’s almost as if we could have attended our own “home” elementary... if that makes any sense. 

Also - I better not pay for full day Kinder with this coronavirus around! Ha! 

Mother’s Day weekend was lovely. I got to plant flowers and spread mulch. 

Quarantine Weeks 6 & 7

Week 6 and 7 were much better than Week 5. No emergency vet trips, coworkers are a bit more understanding of parents’ situations, so we were in a better place. 

Nora still hates doing her schoolwork at home. It’s a struggle to get her to do one hour - which is all it takes. And she’s smart - she can do it all, she just doesn’t want to. 

The weather has been mostly good which is helpful - lots of sun-filled walks and runs. I’m grateful for a grassy, wooded lot for exploration. We found four new trees growing in our yard! 

This past Saturday was amazing - high of nearly 80. I was able to call in a flower order at our local greenhouse, pay over the phone and pick up. Spent all day outside. We had deliveries from two local breweries 😄Saturday we picked up food from a 3rd brewery. 

Unfortunately all Saturday while driving to our food, people just don’t seem to care about public health. Lack of distancing, nearly zero masks anywhere. The general attitude is selfish and “personal freedom” trumps public health teamwork. It just makes me sad and scared. I truly think there will be a rise in infections by mid-May. I understand it’s hard, especially when the weather becomes nicer, but Ohio’s shelter-in-place is still in effect. 

For God’s sake, people.

That’s not 6' apart.

My office is slowly getting people back in this week (voluntary)... of twenty employees only about five have said they’ll go back. Our desks have to move further apart. We can’t even have meetings anymore, nor sit in the kitchen space. It’s nearly pointless. 

Our school-offered summer camp has been cancelled. One of the college girls who worked there has babysat for our girls and I jumped weeks ago to see if she’d be available to help us this summer and she is. She has been in quarantine this entire time and we trust her. It’s not ideal, but it will be a massive help to Tim and I with our workloads. We can only afford to have her about 6hrs a day, so Tim and I will have to stagger our schedules a bit. Our employers are fairly understanding that parents have a lot of hard logistics during this pandemic. 

Trying to keep my eyes ahead; we have two great jobs, our health, food on the table and a roof over our head. We are doing well, and trying to keep balanced.