Yearn for Surrender: Safer at Home Week Five

Thursday, April 30, 2020

Safer at Home Week Five

Week Five of Safer at Home didn't have huge events, but we did get some big news. The kids had a four day week, with no school for Easter Monday. It was nice to have a slower start to our week. I wrote about week 5 in THIS POST in real time. I am getting so close to just blogging in real time! We are currently in Week 7.

Monday, April 13th

We enjoyed time puzzling and playing and watching a movie. It was a good day.

T: I created this during family Bible time.

Both kids took a nap on their day off. I always get nervous that naps will lead to a rough night of sleep, but recently it seems the kids are able to take a short nap and still sleep OK at night.

So cozy.

My little sleeper girl.

Tuesday April 14th

On Tuesday it was a little rough to get back into the swing of things. Extra cuddles were needed. M even needed to sit on my lap.

M: I just love cuddling with her.

Sunshine is very loyal to T!

T's teacher assigned COVID-19 time capsules. I thought this was a GREAT idea. It was an 11 page print out where they can write memories from this time. We did part of it during week five and plan to finish it once things are a bit more back to normal because I told the kids we really couldn't say all the highlights at this point since we could still have a ways to go. They didn't like that answer, but they were glad to not totally finish it.

T: I worked really hard because sometime I am going to show my grandkids this book.

There are several places online where anyone can print these type of things. I highly recommend families take time to do this. I forced M to do one too, even though it wasn't assigned. I really want them to have some memories recorded from this time in their own words.

T made up a new game in her swing. She uses these building sticks to grab other building sticks. It seems like good OT to me.

T: It is actually really easy.

M: I made this great tower all by myself.

Wednesday, April 15th

It wouldn't be mid-April without at least a dusting of snow!

T: I insisted on a picture of Buttercup lounging.

My mom sent me some pics of their visit to my grandma's house. My grandma now has an indoor cat named Lucky. The kids really enjoy Lucky and were able to FaceTime and watch Lucky play. He is such a good companion for Grandma.

Grandma and Lucky

Check out his eyes.

On Wednesday afternoon T and I tried a new chocolate cookie recipe. It was incredible. We loved the cookies and I think we have made them twice since our first batch. Yummy!

T: Oh yum, this is so good!

Thursday, April 16th

One amazing thing about this season is creating lots of new routines. We have different chores we do each day. On Monday we pick up around the house and put away clothes. On Tuesday we wipe down surfaces. On Wednesday we sweep. On Thursday we vacuum. On Friday we clean bathroom. The kids have weekends off, but I do laundry on Sundays.

I really struggle with vacuuming. I am a sensory avoider so the volume of the vacuum overwhelms me immediately. I have two other vacuum issues. Our outlets seem to be loose so the cord unplugs frequently and needs to be replugged. My other issue is our specific vacuum. We bought a new one last year and over all it is awesome. In February it fell down two stairs and the handle broke off. We now have to use the extender as the handle. It flies out of the vacuum frequently which is frustrating. I am thankful that the kids are able to help with the task, but I still end up doing parts of it. I am writing this post on a Thursday, so we vacuumed this morning. I was very prayerful and it is amazing how much easier and even quieter vacuuming seemed. God truly cares about the details.

She is getting better every single week.

The front room is M's favorite place to do school. The cats like to join him.

This picture makes me dizzy.

After years without the platform swing, we made some fixes and were able to hang it back up. The kids loved it and acted like it was a reunion with an old friend.

M and T: We missed this swing.

T: It sure is working well!

Friday, April 17th

Today was the day we learned that Safer at Home was being extended and that schools were closed for the rest of the year. It was a rough day for our family. Thankfully FaceTime with family, an afternoon movie, and special snacks redeemed the day.