2020 Quarantine - Day 15

 I haven't changed much of my routine, guess being an introvert isn't a bad thing during a pandemic. "Stay home, save the world." I can do that! Oh, and the research! I love reading, watching, and soaking up all the news. Fact-checking, projections, conspiracy stories, oh my! But I can only take so much before I empathically explode. My biggest trigger is all those Gen Z kids acting invisible, not treating this emergency as such. Every day M* asks to go to Starbucks, and every day the answer is "NOPE." Now she asks every few hours just to be funny. :) I'm enjoying blogging again, reading (although I miss the library), organizing, long walks, Netflix binge-watching, staying up late, and sleeping in. Not enjoying cooking, cleaning (Dane does), lagging internet, politics, kids bickering (similar to politics), kids playing (too loud), kids staying up late and waking early!

 

2020 Quarantine - Day - 14

 

Can you guess mine? I can't imagine the stress of adding school work to the mix!

2020 Quarantine Day 13

We thought a Pandemic would be the perfect time to raise a couple of ducklings. They are getting a lot of love and attention. Still haven't decided on names but we're getting lots of ideas.

 

 

2020 Quarantine - Day 11

 

Christian was born on April 9th, 2001, at 5 months old, I sat glued to the TV watching 9-11 unfold. Everyone mourned and came together during an uncertain and scary time.  Fast forward 18 years. This June is another monumental event that will be forever clouded by a world shutting down and mourning.

2020 Quarantine - Day 10

March 22nd

The weather has been so beautiful during this time of self-distancing. Daily walks and bike rides with the littles have been so refreshing during a time when there's not much else to do. Downtown Gladstone, I saw kids playing on the playground, teens having picnics in the park, and the Pickleball courts were full! I've never seen so many families out and about enjoying each other. So not looking forward to being cooped up indoors for the foreseeable future, shit's about to get real!

2020 Quarantine Day -

A couple of weeks ago, I was explaining to Sam how the Coronavirus was killing elderly and medically fragile people more than young healthy individuals. He shared an interesting insight after I explained how the immune system works (ie.. your neck has adenoids that fill up with "fighter cells" when you have a cold). He said something like this...

"What I think is happening is the immune system of older people or people who are already sick, is that their immune system is already on high alert so it goes overboard."

2020 Quarantine - Day 9

 After feeding the ducks this morning... Oh yeah, that's a memory I won't ever forget during this crazy time. We are now the proud parents of baby ducks! Anywho, Emma begs me once again to go ride her bike. Although she's now a big 8-year-old, we still don't want her to ride by herself. Therefore, am getting lots of forced exercise. After her ride, she decides she wants her training wheels off! After 4-5 times holding the back of her bike, I let go! Wow, that was a surreal moment! My last kid to take off on their own. There wasn't even that moment of being upset that I let go. Just a confident, "I got this!"

Happy 8th Birthday Emmalyn!

Emma has been such a trooper during this time that should be filled with lots of family and friends. The original plan was to celebrate with all her classmates (today being the last day before spring break) at JJ Jumps. Then the plan changed to having a small party with grandparents, but with Sam coming down with the flu, we had to change the final birthday celebration to a small porch party with Grandma & Bop-Bop Harkey. I'm so thankful for their gift, a bike & helmet. Our gift... ice skates lit up her face but she understood they would not get used for some time.

2020 Quarantine- Day 8

For the past few days, I've done nothing but snuggle with Sam and watch lots of movies; Star Wars, Marvel, DC, and YouTube. And give lots and lots of back-rubs. The muscle aches and cough are the worst symptoms of this flu. I'm pleasantly surprised no one else in the family has caught this horrible virus.
 I confirmed today with Baskin Robins that they will still be open and Emma's cake will be ready. I also received my first online/pick-up order from Fred Meyers today. I was not surprised to find that many of the items on my order were out of stock! I ventured into the store to check if they had re-stocked TP... NOPE! Good thing we have a bit of a stockpile, but it won't last forever!

2020 Quarantine - Day 7

Today Sam's fever came back along with increased ear pain, so we've decided to start the antibiotics. When Sam is sick, particularly when in pain, he is the grumpiest grump ever! After his Tylenol and back rub, he slept most of the day. I hate to say it because I know he feels horrible, but once he feels better there is gonna be a lot more unrest in this house. I don't know if unrest is the word I want, but definitely more loud fun, and nasty fights for sure. One kid down makes a huge difference in a family of six under quarantine in a small house.

2020 Quarantine - Day 5

Taking Sam into the clinic was something out of a movie, the usually busy parking lot was bare. Upon entering the building an employee stopped us to ask a few questions such as, do you have a cough, are you experiencing shortness of breath? Sam still had a bad cough and was given a mask. In the pediatric department, only one other family was waiting to be seen. I was grateful to see it wasn't busy, that was our biggest concern about going in. I offered my phone for Sam to play on but he just wanted to sit and mope. We were called back right away by a nurse in full PPE (personal protection equipment, an acronym we all now know). While being evaluated they must have changed gloves 10 times! No wonder there are now shortages everywhere! Take history; change gloves, take BP and temperature; change gloves, type results in the computer; change gloves. In the end, the doctor couldn't tell me if his ear pain was bacterial or viral. Said it could go either way and gave me a prescription "just in case." Hmm, isn't that what I suggested in the first place? The good news that came out of the visit, I convinced them to do a flu test. A short time later we received the call that confirmed Sam tested positive for influenza A. While it sucks he caught this horrible flu bug, it's a blessing to know it will be over soon!

Tik Tok wannabe

 

This past year Emma discovered the app Tic Tok. Thankfully our older teen warned us of the dangers and addiction this app poses on many levels. Emma loves the spotlight, but my phone shared with my blog family will have to suffice. 

2020 Quarantine - Day 2

Sam is sick, very sick! High fever and body aches, just plain miserable. Phoned the advice line and was given the typical advice: Tylenol, hydrate, rest, etc. Then there was the added advice, to call back immediately if he starts to have shortness of breath. I asked to have him tested for the coronavirus but was told there are no tests, not even for those in the hospital! I'm not too worried, as I know the odds are in his favor that this is just a bad cold or flu. I am concerned however with how lethargic he is. Dane and I take turns giving him back massages to help ease his muscle aches. Needless to say, we check on him often throughout the night to see how he's breathing. A scary time to be sick!

2020 Quarantine - Day 1

Emma was so excited to finally get back to school yesterday after 24 hours of antibiotics for strep throat, an infection Sam passed down a few weeks ago! We heard late Thursday morning that the school would close until March 30, the kids were super excited to be getting an extra week of spring break.
Waking up this morning was surreal! Snow in mid-March! The last time it snowed this late in the year was March 2012 the year Emma was born!

Emma's first time on the ice

I don't know why I haven't taken her before, she's a natural at roller skating. I knew she'd love the ice as much as I did when I was young. She got the hang of it before I did, which was a bit embarrassing! My muscle memory was lost! We had so much fun, I can't wait to go again!

https://www.facebook.com/brandalynwenzel/videos/10222899136485975/?t=7first time ice skating

"Medic!".............."That was the medic!"

Tomorrow is "Everyone Reads" day at school. The students are encouraged to dress up as their favorite book character. Sam, never passing up a chance to wear military fatigues, decided to go as Private Desmond T Doss WWII veteran. What? I'm sure he's a character in someone book!?