Grateful for the beach

There's not a lot we can still do during a pandemic, but we can still go to the beach. 

The dogs, kids, and I are very grateful. 

How things have changed

I was out for my daily sanity-keeping walk, and I was trying to wrap my head around how much everything has changed in the last... how long has it been? A month? When were things normal?

I went to that Wilco concert in Madison. How long ago was that?

It was only 16 days ago, back when we would still have gone into a really crowded room. Back when we thought it was reasonable to do so, as long as we took the "precaution" of standing in the back...

Just a few days after that, 13 days ago, I had my major freak out, realizing the extent of what was going on in Italy. And realizing that coronavirus was here and it was dangerous. I teamed up with another mom to write a letter asking the superintendent to close the schools down the next day. That night I was in tears, scared for our world. I told Dave and thought we shouldn't allow our kids to go to school the next day, Friday, because we were just adding to the problem.

It was the next day, 12 days ago, that we learned that was the last day of school before they were closing the schools for a month.

The day after that, 11 days ago, we headed to the cottage. Since we thought of our quarantine as starting Monday, we spent the weekend with our friends.  And 10 days ago, we saw my parents, since we knew it would be a while before we saw them again.

Then it was just yesterday that we Governor Evers issued the "Safer at Home" order that went into effect today.

Time has been so weird. Everything has been so weird.

11 days ago, at the cottage

10 days ago - our last time hanging out with friends

9 days ago - excited about our first day of schooling at home

9 days ago - St. Patrick's Day

8 days ago - family scavenger hunt

Games of chess

Anna's friend sends her a letter

Games of cards and the dogs loving quarantine

Making cookies

Work out videos with the kids

5 days ago - Zoom playdate with friends

Making fluffy slime

Tapping our maple tree

The kids making meals and cleaning up the kitchen

Painting rocks we found on our hikes down to the beach

Finishing giant puzzles we'd never do otherwise

Lots of reading and Riley begging for her ball to be thrown

Painting a "stained glass" window

Spring gratitude chains

Anna's hip hop class online

Chaotic meal-and-project station

Free kit from Raddish Kids

The kids have time to play together

Zoom etiquette

Ally is having a Zoom play date. She told me she’s watched enough of my Zoom classes to understand that pajama pants are fine since day-time clothes are only required from the waist up. 

Ally got at least one of my genes

I am a big eater. Dave is not. I grew up in a family of big eaters. Dave did not. 

I remember the first time Dave and I went out to eat with my parents. I had gotten a job at a new Applebee’s that was about to open, so they were letting all the families eat for free so the other employees could practice cooking for and serving each other. Dave ordered the riblets. My dad said he should get the “all you can eat” riblets. Dave commented, “That is all I can eat.” Dave and I later laughed that my dad probably wondered why I hadn’t found a real man to date.

My kids all take after Dave. They'll eat part of a cookie and then stop because they're full. This has always blown my mind.

So, I find it comforting that, when it comes to hotdogs at least, Ally has a few Gebler genes.

Me How many hotdogs do you all want?

Kate - Two

Luke - One

Me - And how many hotdogs do you want, Ally? 

Ally - Seven. 

Me - No. You can have three. 

Ally - Okay, five. 

Me - Three. 

Ally - How about four? It’s in between three and five. 

Me - Fine.