I’m writing this weeks after the fact, but I’m determined to document eight weeks of our stay-at-home life. I promised myself I’d write eight weeks worth of posts so I could look back on this later, and I always finish what I start. It’s a curse.

About five weeks after I set it up, I took down the table we had in my office for the girls to do school work at. They’ve been slowly migrating away from my office into the family room, to the couch, on the floor with the dogs, and the table was just taking up space. So it’s gone and it feels nice.

We’re in a pretty good routine. The girls know how to fill their days, when to focus on school work, and when to run around outside like wild animals.

The weather was better this week (finally) after weeks of being gross so we spent a lot of time outside: getting garden beds ready for planting, cleaning up landscaping, and pulling weeds.

Have I shared the patio plans here? I’m too lazy to go back and read the other posts so this might be a repeat. We have a patio off our family room that we’re building a roof over. It seems simple, just build a roof, but to do it we had to complete a bunch of other projects.

The roof will block all the morning sun from my garden beds so we moved my garden beds out away from the house. Then we built more beds, sectioned off a part, and plan to cover it with river rock.

The roof will block what little natural light we get in the family room so Chris installed canned lighting in the family room a month or two ago.

Now that the garden beds have been moved, the whole area outside the kitchen looks pretty depressing. There’s a small concrete slab off the kitchen doors, but it’s so small I could only ever put one lawn chair on it and then it kinda blocked the door. So then we decided to break up the concrete patio (it was about 6 x 4) and have a much bigger one (22 x 8) installed.

I feel like I shared part of this already because the concrete patio is how Chris threw his back out.

ANYWHO. Long story to tell you they started working on the patio this week. They leveled the area, built the frame, and then moved some huge rocks we had near our driveway. I can’t wait to see how it turns out.

Also, this is a detour to the patio roof. This step wasn’t ever part of the plan in getting the roof up. Full disclosure: it’s not a cheap detour, but when we’re finished with our backyard, it’s gonna be amazing.

Stay tuned for more exciting concrete stories.

I took Friday off work to borrow my dad’s truck and haul a few loads of river rock to fill in my garden. Chris’ back is still messed up so if I wanted to get this done, I had to do it myself. I wasn’t sore from shoveling rocks for hours, but I should have worn better gloves because the blisters I ended up with are going to stick around for quite some time. But the garden is *almost* ready and I’m thrilled with how it’s coming together.

Late last fall, I inherited about five plants from my mom’s work. They were getting rid of everything for a remodel/update, and she scored me some pretty sweet houseplants. Except I’m pretty sure one of them had gnats living in it…and I finally lost my mind this week because of them. I don’t know which plant it is and I have a feeling they spread so I went full attack and pulled out every single plant in my house on Sunday. EVERY. SINGLE. PLANT.

45+ houseplants from every room of my house got dragged out to the driveway and front sidewalk, cleaned, treated, and aired out. I never ever want to do this again so I was really thorough, took every tip the internet had to offer, and left no piece of soil or pot unturned.

(The good news about writing this weeks later is I can confidently tell you I no longer have a gnat problem. I don’t know exactly what actions worked because I took every tip suggestion and used it, but I’m gnat free and loving life again.)

You know how everyone and their mom started making bread during lockdown? Because I am nothing but defiant and contrary, I stopped making bread. Literally stopped making the bread I love because everyone else was doing it. I think everyone is almost over making bread now, so I’m sure I’ll start back up again soon.

I’m slowly turning our backyard into the place to be. I picked up a rope/tire swing at Sam’s Club when I went grocery shopping. Our pool goes up in a few weeks. As summer approaches, we’re getting more and more camp cancellations so our backyard needs to pick up the slack if the girls will be here all the time.

All my garden starts are itching to be planted. We’re about a week away from safely planting in zone 6, and I can’t wait. There’s so much to do to get dirt and gardens ready before you can actually plant, but it doesn’t match actually putting the seeds or plants in the dirt. Nothing beats that.

Ellie has been very invested in getting her wet hair French braided after her showers. She wakes up with some fancy curly hair and no place to go, but I admire her energy to not completely give up on her appearance like someone else in this house has.

Her math bowl competition happened online this week. She was really disappointed and bummed at how it turned out. I would feel such relief to not have to do some math problems in front of large groups of people but, obviously, we enjoy different things.

We ate a lot of sweets this week: the party scones and the blueberry almond cake from Let Me Feed You are really good. If you haven’t purchases this cookbook yet, I don’t know what to tell you. Just do it.

Things we watched, listened to, or read:
-We watched McMillion$ documentary on Hulu. It’s so weird and funny and odd. I liked it a lot more than Tiger King. Less horror and heartbreak, but still kinda unbelievable.
-We’re still watching the Michael Jordan documentary; still interesting to watch.
-I’m sure there’s more but I didn’t write anything else down and it’s far enough away that I have no idea what I was reading. This is why I shouldn’t procrastinate so much.

What’s for dinner?
Sunday: red beans and rice with chicken sausage
Monday: grilled chicken, zucchini, and couscous
Tuesday: turkey cheeseburger soup (from this cookbook)
Wednesday: Steak-n-Shake takeout (while running errands)
Thursday: one-pan sausage and potatoes (from this cookbook)
Friday: Egg Roll #1 takeout (after returning my dad’s truck)
Saturday: leftovers

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I don’t know how long I thought self-isolation would go, but it feels crazy to be writing this summary about our sixth week. In January when I was covering the lockdown China was doing, it felt kinda magical. Not being allowed to go anywhere, no reason to leave the house, hunkering down with just my little family.

Flash-forward three months, and it’s a little less magical. I did not see that coming. We’re all getting antsy to go somewhere, but we’re not allowed to and where would we go anyway? Everything feels irresponsible and slightly dangerous. Not for us, but for our community as a whole. I selfishly want to see friends, wander around some stores, and see a movie. But I don’t need to do those things. Seeing social media posts where people are visiting friends, going places with their whole family, and letting everyone know that what they’re doing is fine is helping to show how entitled so many of us are. OOh, you’re allowed to see your friends right now but we should all stay home? Explain that one to me, please.

Entitlement. Entitlement. Entitlement.

We all want to see our friends right now. You’re not special, stop acting like it.

That was a little tangent to tell you we’re still here and still staying home. It is fine, and it is not fine. I had a therapy session Wednesday morning, and I cried for part of it. I think that’s only the second time I’ve cried during this whole global pandemic. I am mostly okay; surviving hard stuff is what I was made for, but spending an hour with someone who only wanted to know how I was doing and feeling was harder than I expected. In lots of ways, I’m the one everyone else leans on and sometimes I forget to check in with myself. I’m glad I still get to see my therapist over the phone. I was going to virtual appointments for a while before the pandemic happened because of my schedule so the consistency of seeing my therapist has been comforting.

The week started off with Chris hurting his back pretty badly. We’re in the beginning stages of a million outdoor projects. A few weeks ago we moved my garden beds to a new spot in the yard. We did this, because we’re covering our family room patio and the new roof was going to block a lot of morning sun from the garden beds. After we moved the beds, the tiny concrete slab off the kitchen looked depressing and lonely. So instead of moving on to the family room patio build, we took a slight detour to break up the kitchen patio and have a new, much larger patio poured.

Which meant on Sunday, to save us a little money, Chris was supposed to break up the old patio.

Except he was about 10 minutes into the project when he tried to pick up a piece of concrete that was way too heavy and pulled something in his back. He could barely walk inside. I had to take his shoes off for him. We got him to the couch and there he stayed.

The mess he started in the backyard needed to be finished and cleaned up so I got to spend Sunday afternoon breaking up a concrete patio and hauling it away. Want a cheap way to relieve some coronavirus stress? Grab a sledgehammer and break up some concrete. It took most of the afternoon for me to break it up, load it into my SUV, take it to my aunt and uncles, drop it along their eroding creek bed, then drive back to do it again.

I thought I’d be sore for a week after that, but I guess the gym workouts (pre-COVID-19) and the sporadic garage workouts (during COVID-19) have been paying off, because I pretty much felt fine. Truthfully, I love feeling sore so I was little let down after the whole episode.

Chris spent the whole week slowly walking from one place to another, going to chiropractor visits, or trying to be helpful but just getting in the way. He worked, slowly, and did a lot of moaning. Then he’d do something dumb he wasn’t supposed to do and be back to lots of pain and discomfort. The only way to heal a back is to rest and he seems hell bent on hurting himself *just* enough every day to never get better. His back injury might be the end of our relationship if he doesn’t just sit himself on the couch and stop doing stuff.

Stay tuned for more announcements about the end of our relationship. I’m sure it will be exciting and involve many more trips to the chiropractor as he keeps doing things he shouldn’t.

Harper was supposed to get her braces off this week. Except, the orthodontist isn’t seeing patients, obviously, so they pushed her appointment back one month. She’s had braces for almost two years, much longer than we originally planned, and the minute she’s finally allowed to get them off, we can’t go to the appointment. Worst timing ever.

The weather this week was perfect. Sunny, warm days we spent outside. Well, the girls did. I mostly spent them at my computer because being an adult is lame, but I took breaks outside as much as possible. Wednesday evening at dinner, I noticed the girls had pink cheeks from the sun. It felt hopeful to see the result of a day spent outside. I’m finding hope and encouragement in new places right now.

My garden! I’ve had people ask for specifics on my garden so I’ll probably do a full post later this week, but I transplanted zucchini and yellow squash seed to bigger cups this week. They were outgrowing their starter containers fast and I still have weeks before I’ll plant them. I probably have more than I need, but we’ll see if they all survive to mid-May when I plant. I’m still prepping boxes for planting too. I weeded this week and put down weed killer/plant food. Sometimes I forget how much goes into the garden before I even plant, but the excuse to be outside and getting my hands dirty is welcome right now.

I don’t think I’ve mentioned this at all, and I need to write it down so I don’t forget: The first week of self-isolation involved cleaning the girls’ rooms and moving Harper’s room around so she could have the optimal classroom setting. She LOVES to play school. The first weekend of staying home, she asked us to come into her room for class. Chris, Ellie, and I spent about an hour being bossed and abused by a very strict Harper Graham. Ellie eventually dropped out due to bullying and somehow became the principal of the school. It was a weird transition, but probably for the best.

Since then every Saturday and Sunday, Chris and I have spent 45 minutes in Harper’s classroom. She creates lesson plans, yells at us for talking to each other, and gives us LOTS of work to do. We had to set a time-limit of 45 minutes because she would keep us in there for hours if we let her. She spends time during the week copying worksheets on my printer, grading work from the prior weekend, and writing notes on her whiteboard for us.

This week she started giving us homework. Things are getting out of control. I had to do a math packet AND read two chapters of a book about a classroom hamster before I went to bed Saturday night. Someone else was given homework but LIED when asked if he did it. I’m not naming names, but my classmate definitely did not read two chapters of his assigned book.

We took the cover off the camper on Thursday. I say “we,” but it was mostly me. Chris can’t lift his arms up high enough to be helpful yet. It’s probably warm enough to un-winterize (is that a word?) the camper, but we just took the cover off so we could get to our hammocks. We have a few we take camping and with the nice weather, I wanted to hang them up in the trees for the girls. They were, as expected, a hit. They read and played in them for the rest of the afternoon as well as the rest of the week.

I’m slowly running out of all the stuff I saved up to dole out when things got dire. The hammocks were one of the last things I had on my list. A few days later, I unveiled the 100-count bracelet thread container I bought a while ago. Since then, our house has become overrun with friendship bracelets. (I’ve got a running list of things that are saving us right now; I hope to put a post together soon and share it.)

Before Chris became incapacitated, we had been spending time in very intense NERF wars. I include all of us, but somehow I never had a gun and just ran around the yard trying to steal bullets from Chris and blocking the girls when they were getting attacked.

It started with just NERF guns, but ended with backpacks, helmets, walkie talkies, and belts. I’m sure people who drove by our house that first night thought something was wrong. The dogs, for sure, thought something was wrong. By the end, the only thing that was wrong was how out of breath my husband was.

School for the girls is going fine. Nothing new to report except they have completely ditched the desk and my office for cozy places by the fireplace. I don’t blame them; if I didn’t need two screens to do most of my work, I’d end up there too.

I’m normally at my desk for lunch, and Ellie has taken this opportunity to open a restaurant in my absence. She dons her waitress apron filled with straws, pens, and notebook, seats Harper at the table, providers her with a menu based on what’s available that day, and then serves herself and her sister lunch. It’s pretty fun to witness. Harper gets a bill at the end of each meal and then she pays with fake money. Food is very expensive at Ellie’s restaurant, but she’s consistently luring in customers so she’s doing something right.

At some point, I’ll break down and order more LEGOs for the girls. Not because they need more, but they’re spending so much time playing with them. I feel like a new set will bring them so much joy and excitement. I think I shared this a few weeks ago, but the LEGOs, Magnatile, Shopkins world that has taken over my family room is entertaining them for hours. They also have sets of IKEA trains and tracks that sometimes get added to the mix. There are storylines, rules, and a whole language I’m not privy to, but walking over LEGO creations is a small price to pay for the hours of fun they have.

One afternoon a Shopkins slide showed up on the handrail upstairs. It’s been there for days now, and they use it to shoot animals and supplies downstairs. Until someone loses an eye, I’m sure it will stick around.

They’ve also started decorating Shopkins with hot glue. I can’t even begin to count how many hot glue sticks we’re going through in a day or what exactly they have to glue, but the hot glue gun always seems to be plugged in. This week I found Shopkins with hot glue hats in my freezer.

Things are getting weird.

Things we read, listened to, or watched:
-Chris and I started watching the Michael Jordan series on ESPN. Finding things we both want to watch is a challenge, but watching this show feels like my childhood so I’m just as invested as he is.
-My family is currently obsessed with anything related to Bear Grylls. Our thirst for travel and adventure is so strong right now–I think this is the longest we’ve gone without traveling in years–so we’re living vicariously through Bear and his adventures.
-I finished listening to Open Book by Jessica Simpson. I posted the full review on my book IG account (@themarygrahamreads), but the short version is this book was super interesting. I’m glad I read it. But it’s weird too, not gonna lie.
-The girls spent a lot of their reading time reading books on Epic this week. I’m not sure if it’s free like most things right now (we pay for a subscription), but it’s a good place for kids books especially since the library is probably still closed in your area. Younger readers can choose the read-aloud option and older kids can read novels and graphic novels. There’s a lot of good, high-interest stuff on there and the Graham girls give it two thumbs up. (Edit: It looks like parents can try Epic free for 30 days. Teachers can use it free until the end of June. Ask your kid’s teacher to sign up for a free account then their students can use it free for a few months.)
-I’m running low on audio books right now so I’ve switched my attention back to podcasts. My top three go-to podcasts are: Up First by NPR, My Favorite Murder, Young House Love has a Podcast, and The Big Boo Cast. News podcast every morning as always, MFM when I’m cooking or working outside and wearing headphone (it’s not child-appropriate), and The Big Boo Cast and Young House Love has a Podcast for family-friendly listening. No one in my family wants to listen to it either, but if they happen to be nearby, I don’t rush to turn them off.
-The girls still listen to KidNuz most mornings. If they get up at different times, sometimes it doesn’t happen. But they still love it, and it makes them feel connected to the outside world. They don’t really have access to news other than that; we do our best to limit the things they hear because they don’t need the burden or anxiety it would cause. Between school work, the stories we find okay to share with them, and a morning podcast, that’s enough news for them to handle.

No weekend grocery run this week. Like I shared last week, I’m trying to go three weeks before needing to shop in a grocery store again. We’re starting to run low on fresh fruits and veggies, but I think I found a solution that will keep us out of the stores and help support a local business. I’m doing that next week so I’ll keep you posted.

What’s for dinner?
Sunday: bean burritos with chips and salsa
Monday: hot dogs on the grill
Tuesday: tomato casserole and Brussel sprouts from the Let Me Feed You cookbook
Wednesday: beef stew with dumplings from the Let Me Feed You cookbook
Thursday: leftovers
Friday: leftovers (I refused to make more food until the fridge was cleared out; we had so much food to eat that we had leftovers two nights in a row. It felt like a vacation, to be honest.)
Saturday: lunchmeat sandwiches

Other food-related bits:
-I made a big batch of chicken salad for lunches and ate it every single day this week. I could eat chicken salad with lots of celery and onions constantly and never tire of it. Just top it with a little TJ’s Everything But the Bagel seasoning, and I’ll eat it for every single meal.
-Ellie has been baking a lot. This week she kept us filled with brownies and smoothies.

April 25th marked 41 days of the Grahams staying home. Ellie and Harper have had a few car trips to do porch drop-offs, but otherwise they’ve not left the house in over a month. What a weird, wonderful world we live in.

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Sunday was Easter; our first Easter spent completely at home with just the four of us. The girls woke up to hidden Easter baskets and had Pringles and gummy bears for breakfast in honor of the Lord.

We had brunch, watched church online, dyed eggs, decorated cookies, and hunted for eggs in the yard. It was fun, if not a little weird. The girls got sidewalk chalk in their baskets and decorated the sidewalks and the end of the driveway with messages for passersby.

My brother stopped by the day before to drop off treats for the girls, so they ate cake for brunch dessert. So many interesting food choices on the holidays.

We finished the evening on the couch watching a movie and eating popcorn for dinner. Chris and the girls are working their way through all the Marvel movies so I get to half-watch a lot of superhero stories while I read a book or play on my phone. We FaceTimed their cousin Savannah before bedtime to see what she got in her basket and to say ‘Happy Easter.’

The girls have found a pretty good routine for school. Our district’s schedule is school Tuesday through Thursday. They’re using waiver days for most Mondays and Fridays and a few already-planned days off to finish the year. I’ve been really impressed with how our district handled the sudden changes and the girls’ teachers have been great too. For my job, I spend a lot of time in Facebook chat groups for teachers trying to figure out how to switch to online learning and I know it’s not been easy for many teachers. Lots of school districts have made bad choices, made unreasonable demands, and left teachers and parents in tough spots. I’m really thankful for the school community we have.

The girls’ principal sends out a Tuesday call to kick off the week complete with the pledge of alligance and encouragement. We stand in my office, face the flag in the cemetery, and say the pledge every Tuesday. Routine and familiarity is so important to kids right now, and it feels good to see so many people working hard to make sure kids are well-cared for.

Over spring break, I added a table and work spots in my office for the girls. It’s a good landing spot for all their papers, chargers, etc. but they prefer to do their school work spread out all over the house. They’re pretty self-sufficient so they don’t need to be near me while they work. Harper actually likes to sit on the floor next to the dog. I like to work near the dogs too, so I understand this.

After weeks of getting kicked out of Zoom meetings and hangouts at the 40 minute mark, I finally upgraded my account. They finally got my money. But we needed more than 40 minutes for life group and Thursday morning Bible study. And, let’s be honest, I really wanted the extra background options with the paid version. Hawaii, here I come.

We got our stimulus money on Wednesday. Since we aren’t hurting financially right now, we donated some to our church’s food bank (something we’re also doing every time we get paid) and asked the girls to do research and decide where they wanted to donate part of their money. The only rule was it had to help people in our community. Harper was not interested in this at all. She asked if she could donate it to Wal-Mart and they could give her some stuff in return. I said that was called SHOPPING and not what’s happening here.

Ellie went all in, researching, asking questions, and reading reviews of charities. Harper decided wherever Ellie picked was good enough for her too. Ellie went with the Midwest Food Bank for her funds (and Harper’s). We put the rest in their college savings accounts. I understand the money was meant to help me provide for my kids if I needed help with food or bills, but we don’t so I felt it should be put up for them for later. We’re also using part of our money to hire a few small businesses for some projects.

(The donation idea came about on accident. For Ellie’s birthday in February, I got her a sewing machine. She’s been wanting to learn how to sew and make things for a few years. It wasn’t on her list, but I felt confident it was going to be a hit. It was not. She was kinda bummed about it and asked me to return it. But now that everyone needs masks and is making masks, she really wishes she had kept it. She wants to help but doesn’t know how. There has been a few good cries over sewing machine regret. She looked online to see if she could buy one, but they’re sold out everywhere, of course. Also, I was hesitant to buy one right now, because I don’t know how to sew, neither does she, and I had exactly zero minutes to learn or teach her. After we taught ourselves to sew, we’d have to source materials which is also tough right now. It was going to turn into a giant, frustrating production for a girl who is very hard on herself when she messes up. This was not the time to start learning something new with the pressure she’d put on herself. I made a mental health call even though she didn’t like it. I gently discouraged her from the idea, and she was pretty disappointed about it. So I suggested the money donation as a way to be involved. it immediately made her feel better and helpful. Kids want to help–they see the need and struggle right now-but often don’t have the means or ability to do much. I know what that helplessness feels like. I think I’m going to include her more in the weekly donation we’re making too; maybe ask for her help in deciding where it goes or involving her in the process. I haven’t thought that one out completely yet. But we are supporting a few friends who are making masks as well. I don’t have that skill, but I have the money to keep you going if you want it.)

Thursday night we watched the Disney Sing-Along on ABC. Did you watch it? It was fun, something new to spice up an evening at home. The girls and I sang our hearts out. I’m serious, I woke up the next morning with a scratchy throat from the intense scream-singing I did. The girls found the whole hour enjoyable, giggling and singing along with me. Chris Graham cowered in the corner of the couch with the dogs, all three of them very confused and afraid. We regret nothing.

Friday morning we drove to school to pick up Harper’s classroom belongings. The teachers are cleaning out desks and lockers, and we have a designated time to drive up and get them. We saw Harper’s teacher and one of Ellie’s favorite teachers from the door, and it was oddly emotional. They yelled “we miss you!” as the girls rolled down their window to wave. My girls love school and have such positive school experiences that realizing the things they were giving up right now hit me hard in the school parking lot. It was the first time we’d been back since things got so gloomy in the world and the wave of emotion I felt was unexpected.

It got cold again. DISLIKE. On the bright side, I got to pick all my tulips before a frost and ended up with the prettiest jar to sit on the kitchen table all week.

My garden is slowly making progress. We installed weed barrier, and Chris put down edging this week. Next on the list is spreading rocks and getting the soil ready for planting in May.

I have a compost bin (hidden behind the shed) where all our fruit, veggie, coffee, and egg shells go. I occasionally throw in some ash from the fire pit and lawn clippings. I fill it from March to November, stirring it occasionally, but mostly leaving it alone. Lots of people ask how my garden grows so well, and I think that’s one of the tricks. In November, I spread the compost on, cover the beds in leaves from the yard, and let it sit all winter. The compost and rotting leaves mean magic for spring gardens. I have a few other tricks, but that’s it for now.

Things we read, listened to, or watched:
-I listened to The Upside of Being Down by Jen Gotch. I liked it. I know Jen Gotch isn’t for everyone, but her mental health journey has made a lot of people feel less alone, and I’m a big fan of that.
-Ellie devoured Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson. I haven’t read it, but from what I can tell, it’s similar to the Goosebumps series but for older kids and with a Disney spin. Ellie read the book in less than 24 hours. Harper’s reading it now. I’ve got the next books checked out from the library, the girls are spending a lot of time reading during the week and I have 0.00000 complaints about that.
-Chris and I finished watching the Tiger King series. By episode five, when Travis accidentally kills himself, I was done. I’ve been writing a response to Tiger King in my head since we finished it, but the main thing that stood out to me was just how dark it was. Our country’s love and fascination with mental health struggles and the addictions those often bring isn’t funny or entertaining to me. Tiger King is full of ruined lives and hopelessness and it breaks my heart to see how many people just find it thrilling to watch.
-The girls are still doing the LEGO challenge most days. They don’t do it on the weekends so that’s stretching out the 30-day challenge way past 30 days. Occasionally Harper skips it if she’s not feeling “inspired” with the suggestion.
-The girls and Chris are going through the Running Wild with Bear Grylls series on Disney+. They’re picking and choosing the episodes where they know a celebrity guest and really enjoying it. Seeing Brie Larson, the woman who plays Captain Marvel, was a favorite.
-I started a new morning devotion with the girls. Indescribable: 100 Devotions for Kids About God and Science by Louie Giglio. I’m excited to read this with my kids. I struggle a lot with how many Christians believe you can’t believe in science and God at the same time. It’s okay to say God is in control of the world and science helps us understand a little part of that. I’m hopeful this book doesn’t gloss over those connections. I’ll let you know how it goes when we get into it more.

I went to the grocery store on Saturday after two weeks of avoiding it. In the beginning, I was trying to make it to the store once a week but that felt unnecessary. I selfishly wanted the break from my house, but it wasn’t in the best interest of everyone else so I stopped. I wore a mask in public for the very first time. It felt weird and hot, but important. I was shocked and disappointed at the number of people not wearing masks. It’s humbling, for sure, but it’s REALLY IMPORTANT. We know the masks won’t keep us 100% safe, but they will drastically reduce the transmission of our germs to others. I think it’s especially important for young, seemingly-healthy people. We don’t know if we’re carriers because so many of us are asymptomatic. But we could really hurt others by not wearing them. WEAR A MASK when you go in public. I’d get used to it, I don’t think it’s going away any time soo.

What’s for dinner?
Sunday: Easter brunch & movie night with snack food
Monday: pork chops & potatoes
Tuesday: eggs, leftover gravy, and potatoes
Wednesday: taco night
Thursday: chicken and orzo soup (recipe here; everyone loved this)
Friday: make-your-own pizzas & breadsticks
Saturday: leftovers

How are you doing? Tell me what’s keeping you partly sane right now. We need all the help we can get here.

Good weather all week felt like the greatest gift.

Staying home all the time is okay, but sunshine and warm weather made for walks and playing outside is just so much better.

I mowed our grass for the first time this spring. It felt too early, but it was getting obnoxiously high. I enjoy mowing the grass, but starting too soon means you might be mowing in between snow flurries so I try to hold off as long as possible.

My flowers and plants are growing. Spring is always full of hope and renewal, but especially right now, I like the reminder that even when it feels like the world is falling apart, nature is continuing her rhythm. It’s really grounding and calming to see God’s creation remind us He’s in control, there is nothing new under the sun, and we’re gonna be okay.

Chris got a flat tire on the way home from work on Wednesday. Not that I was *excited* he got a flat tire, but we did get to go rescue him on the side of the road and take the tire to the tire store to be replaced. (He should have a spare in his car, yes. He’s been reminded of that. But he won’t buy one or be prepared for the next flat tire emergency, he’ll just keep putting it off forever. It’s the Chris Graham way. And having good boundaries means I can’t do it for him even though his lack of preparedness will end up hurting me too. Woah, this is a social distancing recap, Mary, not therapy, calm down.)

It was late enough in the evening when we got done with the tire fix that the girls were starving so we went to the Steak-n-Shake drive thru for dinner. It might have been the most delicious food I’ve ever tasted. It was manna from heaven, a most glorious feast.

We didn’t eat out a lot before this, about once a week, twice if we had a busy weekend, but I’m a month into making all the meals for my family and the luxury of having someone WHO IS NOT ME make food made me want to cry. This is where we’re at, people. Maybe I’ll pray for another flat tire so we can do it again. (Just kidding, get a spare tire for your car, Chris Graham.)

The nice weather meant we grilled out for dinner a few nights. Hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken–if I could grill our breakfast I would have.

We’re continuing our Wednesday night life group meetings over Zoom. Sitting outside talking to our friends with bellies full of food I didn’t have to make or clean up made the evening pretty much perfect.

We had some tree stumps in our yard ground. That was an exciting hour when everyone got to stand at the window and watch guys cut down trees and grind the stumps. Seeing another human for any reason is thrilling to us right now. Maybe we’ll even start getting up early on Mondays to cheer the trash men on. Stay tuned for more details about that.

I’ve said it before, but my weeks don’t feel very different. Chris goes to work, and I work all day in my office. In the evenings we eat dinner and do regular things we’d do year round (play outside, laundry, play games, make sure the girls bathe, etc.). The girls are here, and they do school work two hours a day three days a week, but it sorta feels like summer or a school break. They play and eat constantly and make messes. Because Chris and I are still working, we’re not experiencing the extra down time or boredom others might be. It’s a bittersweet experience; I’m thankful for our jobs and their consistency, but I’d also like to spend the afternoon on the couch reading a book or working in the yard.

Our week days still feel like normal weekdays and our weekends are still weekends. We do house projects and church, stay in our pajamas and watch movies. We have more normalcy than most, I think. It’s making the time go fast, but it almost feels like we’re missing something too.

The girls still follow a weekday schedule, and I know that helps them to not be bored or restless. There’s a lot of playing and creating, and they always have something to look forward to. As long as the weather is nice, I can talk them into taking a walk with me. Harper normally rides her bike or scooter, Ellie brings a dog, and we hit the road. I try to be gone an hour, but the girls are not really fans of that.

Things we read, listened to, or watched:
-I listened to the audio version of Heartburn by Nora Ephron; it was just delightful. It’s about a marriage falling apart which sounds like the opposite of delightful, but just trust me. Nora Ephron is such a good writer, I’d read her description on paint drying and probably be entertained.
-We finished watching New Girl this week. If you’re looking for something light hearted, I’d highly recommend it. It felt good to put the girls to bed and laugh at night. Not that our days our laugh-free, but the show is just so funny and a little ridiculous that you can’t help but giggle. Bonus points to New Girl because Chris and I don’t always find the same things funny.
-We started Tiger King. I have some thoughts and they probably aren’t as funny and light as everyone else’s. I know the entertainment factor is high: animals, weird people, drama, etc., but I found it pretty dark. We’ll finish it next week and I’ll share more then, but I’m not loving it like everyone else.
-The girls and I finished Fearless Faith: 100 Devotions for Girls by Melanie Shankle. I’ve ordered a new study to start next week. It’s completely different from this one, but I think they’re going to like it.

What’s for dinner?
Sunday: pizza & breadsticks
Monday: pork sliders and Brussels sprouts
Tuesday: hot dogs and veggies
Wednesday: Steak-n-Shake, from where all blessings flow
Thursday: biscuits and gravy
Friday: teriyaki chicken with cauliflower rice and pot stickers
Saturday: grilled pork chops & roasted potatoes

And finally, my seeds have sprouted! Normally, I buy starts for my garden but this year I upped my farmer game a little bit and planted seeds. This was an experiment only. Seeds are cheap and I figured if this didn’t work, I’d just buy the starts like normal.

TBD if I plant them, but they sprouted this week!

We’ve got into a pretty good rhythm for this weird lockdown situation. Each week I’m sure I won’t have anything to write about, but then I remember that little things are important too. One day we’ll look back on this and it will be a foggy memory. It won’t feel as real as it does now. I don’t want to forget how we felt, what we did, and how we survived this global pandemic.

I hope you’re documenting your weeks in whatever way you feel most comfortable. Even if it feels endless right now, this too shall pass. Stay safe and healthy, friends.

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All the days are running together, please help.

We’re set with a good routine, but I don’t really have to know the specific date to make life work right now so when I look at the calendar, it often surprises me.

April, hello! Thanks for the sunshine!

That’s the best part of week three, I think. After a few weeks of cold, rainy weather, we got warmer temperatures and sunshine. Spring sunshine always feels special, but right now might top all the other spring suns.

We finished March with a birthday celebration: Harper turned nine on Tuesday. We knew this birthday would be especially rough since there were no parties, no classroom treats, and no traveling. In anticipation, I asked my Instagram followers to send a birthday card to Harper. Nothing fancy, a homemade card on lined paper would be more than fine, and my followers came through.

It was overwhelming, truthfully.

So many people (more than 70!) sent cards, stickers, pictures, bookmarks, puzzles, and more to my girl. She woke up to stacks of cards and packages. It was more than I could have imagined.

I scheduled her day full of FaceTime “meetings”: breakfast with Meme, lunch date with Poppy, cousins called in the afternoon, and friends sent messages. Then in the evening after dinner, we had her party.

About a week before, I had texted friends asking them to make a cake and join us via Zoom to sing and celebrate together. I offered to drop off cake mix and icing if they needed it. Everyone made cakes (so many cakes!), and then at 6:30 we surprised Harper with a Zoom call with all her people. We sang, everyone blew out candles, we showed off cakes, and then we ate together. Eventually, the party turned into a pet parade with guinea pigs, cats, dogs, a lizard, and a snake joined the festivities.

It was such a good evening. Our people showed up big time, and I am so thankful for the people who show up no matter what. Even if they do bring a snake with them, Christine.

This week was full of Zoom calls. After a few weeks of settling into our new life of never leaving the house, we got back to our regularly scheduled events.

The girls started e-learning and spend two hours a day doing work their teachers assign. I’ve decided two hours is all they get to spend on school, we’re not spending more than that on schoolwork a day. Our district is only asking for three days a week (Tuesday-Thursday) so if what they need to do is taking longer, we’re making it up on non-school days. But that has yet to happen. Trying to explain to my over-achieving eleven year old that her teachers are not in charge of our time at home has been challenging (even though her teachers have said the same thing). We made it through the first week without much struggle.

Sunday was another family game night using Jackbox Games.
Tuesday evening I held book club over Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson.
Wednesday we had life group and helped some technology-challenged people get set up with video chatting.
Thursday morning Bible study started back up.

My friends and I had our monthly First Thursday gathering, but this time in a parking lot while sitting in our trunks. We stayed six feet away from each other, ate our own snacks, talked about what life was like right now, and stayed until the streetlights came on. It was good to see my girls and hear what’s happening in their lives. Yes, we text, but face-to-face just feels better, especially after the things that have happened since our March dinner.

Last week felt busy. Our evening schedules were full, and I’m still working 40+ hours a week. Chris has one day off during the week with his reduced hours so it’s helpful when he can take over parenting duties when he’s here. I am not complaining that we both have jobs and so much hasn’t changed, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel a little envious of the people who are home with less to do.

We’ve been finishing up lots of random house projects that needed completed. Chris added trim to the kitchen bookshelves, he moved my garden boxes and built some new ones, he got the lawn mowers ready for the fast-growing green grass. I finally painted the trim in our bathroom, only two years after we did the remodel. I hung up picture frames in our room hoping it would annoy me enough to finally order pictures to put in them. That trick hasn’t worked yet, unfortunately.

We have a giant rainbow drawing in the garage window that says “Have a nice day!” and a tie-dyed bear in the living room window. We don’t have lots of foot traffic by our house, but if anyone happens to drive by looking for rainbows or on a teddy bear hunt, we wanted to be prepared.

Things that helped us this week:
-We spent Sunday and Monday baking cookies and brownies then spend Monday evening driving all over the east and south side to do porch drop-offs. This is a highlight for the girls because there is nothing more fun than trying to sneak up to someone’s porch and leave food when everyone is home. We got caught a few times, but the thrill makes the girls giggle so much. We’re still doing a weekly porch drop-off for friends and family. We do a different set each week and instead of the list getting shorter, we just keep thinking of more people to share with.
-The girls aren’t watching much TV. During the first two weeks, their schedules included an hour of TV each day, but now that school is back, there is no time. The weather is nice, they get an hour to play on their Chromebooks while I make dinner, and that’s been enough. It’s making Saturday morning cartoons and Sunday night movie night more enjoyable too. Having things, even routines, to look forward to each day is really keeping us going right now.
-Disney+ released Onward so we got to watch that this week. That was one the girls were bummed we didn’t get to see before everything closed down so it was a good surprise when it showed up.
-Walkie talkies! I bought walkie talkies for Christmas but when I wrapped everything up, the girls had too many presents. Somehow I got excited and went rogue from our four-gifts theme. So I put them back to use for camping, thinking it would be a fun surprise on our first outing of the year. One day the girls were outside playing some elaborate cops and robbers game outside, and I figured it was the perfect time to bring out the walkie talkies. THEY WERE A HIT. I don’t think I saw them the rest of the afternoon. Seriously, three hours later, they were still out there playing. Way to go, December Mary, your mistake really saved the day in March.
-Have you seen the Harry Potter escape room that everyone has been sharing? I put that on the schedule one afternoon and the girls gave it two thumbs up. J.K. Rowling also created a pretty sweet Wizard World website with fun stuff for Potterheads.

I did my weekly grocery store early Saturday morning. Walmart finally put up barriers, closed an exit, and started being more vigilant about social distancing. It took a lot longer than it should have. I knew the face mask recommendation was coming so I ran by my friend Casey’s house and picked up a mask on my way home. The bad news about being immersed in the news all day for work is that it’s very wearing and mentally exhausting. The good news is I’m aware just a *little* bit sooner than most people about what’s coming next. So I made sure to get enough food and supplies for two weeks during this trip. My goal is to not leave the house for 14 days. Those quick weekly trips need to stop for now, even if I look forward to them. It’s a relief though too. I was starting to get anxious and angry going out and seeing all the people who don’t seem to care about the rules or recommendations or the health of others. It was just getting to be too much for me. (I realize the privilege we have to be able to buy more food and stay away from the stores longer. That feels heavy too. All of this just feels so heavy.)

What’s for dinner?
Sunday: beef tacos
Monday: hamburgers & chicken on the grill
Tuesday: Skyline & noodles
Wednesday: eggs, sausage links, and biscuits
Thursday: frozen pizza
Friday: sub sandwiches
Saturday: grilled chicken, zucchini, and couscous

My tulips and hostas have started emerging from the ground. The tulips have been working their way up for a few weeks now, but this week actually felt like spring. I washed our winter coats and put them away for the season. This normally means there will be snow one more time, but I am in denial of this possibility.

I hope you survived week three! Tell me what you’re doing to stay busy!

DISCLOSURE: AFFILIATE LINKS USED