One Dae at a Time: Social Distancing

Sunday, March 22, 2020

Social Distancing

I've been putting off this week's post because writing this requires a type of energy I have hardly any of right now. What a crazy time to be alive. We spent our entire week either in our house, backyard, or on a walk. We had so many moments of connecting with each other more than usual, doing fun things together, and slowing down in a lot of good ways, but of course that is also super challenging for three little kiddos and a mom. Friends and places really break up days, and we have been working out our own new routine through this unique time. It's also hard to send Michael to the hospital every day. Fingers crossed we're distancing ourselves early and enough for him to not be in too serious of a situation.

Our Socially Distant Routine:

We try to do prayers and scriptures and Bennett's songs (days of the week, months, ABCs) during breakfast so they're checked off our list. We also make a whiteboard list of "Thing to have fun, Things to get done" which drives Westin throughout the day. He loves lists like his mama.

During the rest of breakfast time I do my daily diastasis recti workout and stretching. Then I put Camden down for his morning nap and the boys play outside while I drink my same smoothie every. single. day.

When the boys come inside we do some of the things on our list that are school or cooking or craft oriented. Then we read a lot of books.

When Camden wakes up we load up and walk one mile to the sloped tunnel that the boys love to speed through on their balance bikes. Between walking the two miles and taking a few rounds on the hill through the tunnel, that's usually 45 minutes of outside sunshine and moving.

Then we head home, eat lunch, and everyone has quiet time or nap time. Westin gets up first, and he and I then do yoga. (Cosmic Kids yoga for him, currently-free Down Dog yoga app for me). If Bennett stayed awake during quiet time he joins us, otherwise he has a good nap.

After that, we finish other things on our list -- Facetime family, email Westin's teacher, more backyard time, make food, etc. We always end the pre-dinner day with picking up the house before the boys watch Wild Kratts, and I finish dinner.

Then dinner and stories and bed.

This routine worked itself out pretty well and we stuck to it every day this week. My kids are so much happier when they know what's next, and when they have choices within a frame. They decide what we do, but the routine and the types of choices are pretty patterned. Westin chooses what we focus on for school time -- he wanted to learn about noses, how to draw a shark, why chameleons change color, etc.

I've loved my time with my boys this week. I haven't loved getting lost in reading statistics and news articles about months of social distancing when I'm finally left to my own thoughts at night. I can't believe this week was only one week. I wish I knew what the future looked like more but I know that's how literally every person in the world is also feeling.

There are A LOT of quality memes out there right now. I've laughed at so many.

But this has been my favorite thing I've seen posted:

It took him 45 minutes to write his teacher his first email.
He loved it.

He's doing SO GOOD at reading.

I really loved listening to this talk this week while I folded laundry.
Quarantines do nothing to slow down laundry.
No one told laundry that the world has significantly changed.

Leprechauns brought breakfast!

Green Yogurt Parfaits for lunch

They loved this leprechaun craft.
I'm not a cutesy crafty mom BUT Westin loves celebratory food and celebratory crafts,
so we do them. And they make him really really happy, so then it's fun for me too.

Green Eggs and Ham and Green pancakes and Green grapes for dinner.
(Lemon Chia seed pancakes with Maple Greek yogurt topping -- my favorite pancakes ever.)

Bennett paints this reusable watercolor pad every single day. They're great.

Wednesday is Chef of the Week day at school,
and Westin was pretty excited when I told him he was our Chef of the Week at home!

Apple Monsters!
I'm glad I randomly put those eyes in my walmart pick up one day for my baking cupboard.
And thank you, Pinterest, for fun snack ideas with zero prep.
I don't know how moms used to mom without google and pinterest,
my creativity is not very innate.

This is how Bennett woke up on Thursday, and kept complaining about his ear.
This was his first ear infection. We did a drive through pick up of antibiotics and he's been feeling way better.