Day 21

What’s Happening: The CDC and Federal Government previously put out information suggesting that there was no need for the use of face masks in the general population even though masks are used frequently in Asian countries. They even went as far as to release statements saying wearing masks may make you more susceptible to catching the virus. It seemed completely counterintuitive and now they’ve changed their tune. Of course you can’t buy masks anywhere now so people are getting resourceful and making their own. Luckily, my parents were able to find some masks about 5 weeks ago before everything went crazy so we have a small supply of N95s. 

There are DIY videos online that show how to make a face mask from a bandana and two hair ties. I tried constructing one. It works ok but is very bulky. 

We have 30 N95s.

What’s Going On at Home:

The weather is nice so Scott did a bunch of yard work. Will helped out for awhile. 

We are cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner almost every day and it’s getting tougher to come up with unique meal ideas. I saw this idea for tot-waffles online so we gave it a try tonight. Basically you make waffles out of tater tots. Charlie said, “that is the weirdest thing I have ever heard!” The kids were so confused but once we explained that you don’t put syrup on them they seemed more convinced. We topped them with cheese, onion, bacon and sour cream. The kids used ketchup. Overall I think this crazy meal was pretty well received. Quarantine is making us do strange things. Ha!

Day 20

What’s going on: Data is suggesting that 20% of the people infected with COVID-19 require hospitalization. This is the number that is causing surge demand at hospitals in the hot spot. Currently, New York is in the surge. Governor Andrew Cuomo is doing daily press conferences explaining the issues and solutions for New York. President Trump and his task force are also doing daily press briefings. There seems to be great disagreement on what is actually happening. Governor Cuomo and other governors are asking for extra ventilators and PPE (personal protective equipment), we are hearing from medical professionals on the front lines that they lack the quantity of equipment they need to handle the surge in demand. However, President Trump claims there are no shortages. We can’t seem to agree on what the facts are. I’m not sure how we overcome this failure to be on the same page. Meanwhile, known cases in Iowa continue to increase but stay relatively low. Our ER doctor friends report that hospitals in Iowa are not overwhelmed.

What’s happening at home: The kids have become big fans of monkey bread. We made it for the second time today. The girls helped me this time. I pulled the kids away from electronics this afternoon to do a fun experiment that included building foil boats and seeing how much weight they can hold. Will outdid his sisters. Charlie couldn’t seem to come up with any design that worked and she named her last design the “sloppy jalopy.” What she lacks in engineering skills she makes up for in humor. We ordered Mexican (including margaritas!) for dinner. Scott and the kids played flag football outside after dinner while I got the kitchen back in order. 

Social Distancing Day 19

Movie Night - Onward thanks to Disney +. Scott was in charge of snacks hence the massive amount of candy. 

Got our book order from Sidekick. Charlie and her friends are doing a book club. Sarah Plain and Tall and Tale of Despereaux for book club. 

Today all of the kids had to clean and dust their rooms. Charlie’s room was a BIG project!

I’ve been needing a home office space for sometime so we decided to get this project done while we’re at home. 

The kids had fun playing in the box. 

Social Distancing: Day 17

Home School:

Everyone is getting tired of it. Lots of whining today, especially from Charlie. I try to keep their lists pretty light. 30 minutes of math, 30 minutes of language, 20 minutes of reading and then a few chores. 

School House Rock:

There are several episodes on YouTube so I offered this as an option today and everyone seemed to prefer it over other assignments. I think I'll add it to the rotation. Today they "learned" about conjunctions, adverbs, nouns and how bills become laws. 

Bo:

I think Bo is enjoying having his people home. I've never been a huge dog fan so he doesn't get a lot of attention from me. He likes that the other humans in the house actually pay attention to him. 

Things Hit Home Today: Yesterday my parents found out that one of the guys my Dad has been working with on a restoration project at Hotel Manning may have COVID-19. He was in the hospital but no word on exactly why. By the afternoon they were hearing he had tested negative. Well, this morning it was confirmed that he tested positive. My Dad last worked with him on Friday (5 days ago) so we are all anxiously hoping that he remains symptom-free for the next 10 days. It is thought that symptoms of COVID-19 start appearing between 5 and 14 days after exposure. 

Social Distancing: Day 16

Community Spread:

We are learning that the COVID-19 virus is being widely spread by individuals with no symptoms so it's virtually impossible to know who has the virus until it's too late. The CDC is using 14 days as the suggested length to quarantine after expected exposure. Since we've been in isolation for 14 days and so have Grandma Joan and Papa Jake we were planning to go to Keo for a couple of days for a change of scenery. This morning my parents called to tell us that Papa had possibly been exposed. A man he was working with had been admitted to the hospital and had not yet gotten the results for his COVID-19 test. We called off the trip. Just like that is how this thing is spreading. Quickly and quietly.

Life Skills:

I've been trying to use this time at home to teach the kids basic life skills. We're working on how to properly shake hands and other household jobs. Today Evy washed the dishes and loaded the dishwasher by herself. She's done it before but never completely on her own. Watching her try to open the lid on the Cascade was entertaining. 

Curbside Pick-Up: 

Pretty much all businesses except for grocery stores and pharmacies have been asked to close. If restaurants are able to provide a drive-through or curbside pickup they can be open. We've been using Target's drive-up service pretty frequently and Chic-Fil-A at the mall has created a temporary drive-thru. Our library is offering a curbside pickup from 12-1 and 5-6 each weekday. Today I had to return some items using that system. 

Lots of Meal Prep:

We've been pretty good at making breakfast and dinner every day but lunch has been a struggle. Today I sat a bunch of stuff out on the counter and had the kids pick one item from each food group. 

Outside:

The first two weeks of isolation the weather was cold, rainy and windy. It has been such a relief to have good weather this week! The kids have been into sidewalk chalk and today we did some cartwheel contests and races. 

Lots of Baking:

There's been lots of baking going on. Today I picked scotcheroos because I've been craving them. I made them this morning and at least half of the pan was gone by evening.

Sanitize Everything

There are so many unknowns with this virus. We're not really sure how it spreads. Through droplets like saliva? Or through the air? There are reports that the virus can live on surfaces far longer than any other viruses. We are being advised to wash hands frequently and wipe down anything that comes in contact with the outside world. We are keeping supplies of hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes in our cars. Luckily we bought these items weeks ago because you have been unable to purchase either of these items for the past 4 weeks - sold out everywhere. They are no longer allowing reusable bags in grocery stores. When we go grocery shopping we are being advised to wipe down all items that we bring back into the house. We are also being told to use gloves or to put bags over our hands when getting gas. There's mixed advice on what to do if you order carry out - most are suggesting that you immediately transfer food to your own containers at home and then dispose of the containers that came from the restaurant. I'm not sure if we are being diligent enough but it's enough to make you crazy if you get too obsessed with it. So many unknowns. 

Social Distancing Day 15

Will's preschool is meeting a few times each week via Zoom. Today, Miss Jenny hosted circle time. The kids sing, dance, do their calendar work and check in with each other for about 30 minutes.

Will's preschool is also doing YouTube videos where the teachers will read a book and then show a craft or activity to go along with the book. Today's book was A Home for Hermit Crab. 

This is the first day with sun and nice weather that we've had in 15 days!! We spent a large chunk of the afternoon outside. This sidewalk chalk project was cool. Charlie and Will were so into it that they made two more on their own.

The teachers from the girl's elementary school paraded through the neighborhood at 3:00. It was fun to see them all and give us something to do!

Watching the parade and enjoying the weather.

Finished sidewalk chalk art. We went through a lot of tape!

Evy was in the middle of an art class when everything was ordered closed so her teacher has gotten creative and is offering one-on-one lessons via zoom. We were able to pick Evy's painting up last week so that she can continue to work on it at home. 

We've been cooking a lot. Lots of desserts! This was a chocolate Peep creation. Supposed to resemble S'mores.