Dispatches from Quarantine

I'm feeling a little cooped up on this, the sixth day of quarantine. 

Quarantine Chaos

My kids seem very needy, and I'm wondering if I've nurtured them to be overly needy or if this is an appropriate amount of "needy" for their ages. Eva is currently at my feet, "Moooom!"-ing, and I can't help but think It's my fault she's this way! I have created this monster!

Now that I'm back to managing the kids and trying to keep them quiet so Scotty can work, I'm not sure how I did it everyday from March to August of last year. It's no wonder my hair has gone so gray! 

Besides going gray, stress makes me clumsy. If I'm feeling the tiniest bit tense or overwhelmed, I am dangerous. I drop things, spill things, and burn things. The other day I felt stressed while prepping dinner, and I almost chopped the tip of my finger off. I reacted quickly enough to keep the knife from going all the way through, but my hand was a bloody mess. 

The glove I wear to protect my finger while I do the 2-3 loads of dishes 

that accumulate each day from being home for every meal

I'm trying to not be stressed while we're quarantining. I want to be chill and just let it be... a couple of weeks at home shouldn't be that hard, especially when we're all healthy (so far... may it stay that way). But I can't deny the mental toll it takes to have everyone in such close quarters for so long. I'm not trying to complain - I'm just saying how it is. 

Here are some of the things I've done to pass the time:

• Played 5 games of Wingspan on the Nintendo Switch (I am not a natural video game player - it has been so hard to figure out the game, even after a tutorial. I didn't even know how to turn the Switch on! Also, I have lost all 5 games - mostly because I can't figure out the controls, and I keep selecting the wrong things).
• Learned how to play the Oceania expansion for Wingspan
• Baked 4 loaves of French bread
• Eaten 1,000 cookies (please send vegetables!)
• Combed through our budget 18 times
• Accidentally made three car payments for January (DOH!)
• Read three books with three more underway
• Watched 15 episodes of 30 Rock
• Finished watching Lord of the Rings
• Gotten tested for COVID
• Texted 53 people
• Cleaned out my recipe binder
• Rearranged my plate rack
• Tried four new recipes
• Inventoried the freezer and storage room
• Made a fish out of diamond art
• Worked on kindergarten and 2nd grade school work
• Gone to the car wash three times (even though the car hasn't been anywhere to get dirty)
• Done a clay face mask
• Bought the kids three new video games from the Nintendo e-Shop
• Completed a few interviews for a COVID-19 research study
• Walked around the block
• Made a triple batch of play dough

My kids rotate between doing schoolwork, playing on electronics, doing arts and crafts, and jumping on the trampoline (thank heavens we got a trampoline for Christmas, and the weather has been mild this month!) My house smells like hot glue and wet dogs (a result of the trampoline jumping), and there are pony beads everywhere due to an unfortunate incident this morning (believe it or not, it wasn't me). 

Eva is going to go back to school next week. That should help because there will be one less child doing school from home, and she'll be able to get out and socialize again. Woohoo! 

The rest of us will just hang out and try to stay healthy til January 30th. 

My goal for the next week: blog about something else!