Oh, 2021. So different from 2020. And still so different from everything before 2020.
See what I’ve been up to all year, in baking, books, and life events….
Tag: covid-19
Miryamisms (age 5)
Miryam, my Little Miss, has just turned six! She is a never-ending source of entertainment and love. Behold, her past year in quotations….
Another Underwhelming Covid Birthday
So, yes, Luke turned four! But, it was during “coronavirus times.” So, it was underwhelming. As expected. Miryam had a lovely birthday in February 2020, pre-covid-panic. Justin had the first pandemic birthday, and I managed to actually take a photo of his birthday angel food cake this year, but otherwise it was not particularly exciting. Cecily’s birthday went not-as-planned… My birthday was downright depressing.
Luke’s birthday remained.
A couple months ago, I had dazzling dreams of his festivities. Maybe we would….
How to Refinish Your Hardwood Floors When Kids Live on Them
Or, How I kept children entertained outside the house for hours on end, for multiple days–including a rainy one–during a pandemic.
I’ll be upfront: If you really want to DIY refinish your hardwood floors, I highly recommend searching YouTube for how-to videos that will actually be helpful as far as the methods and materials you’ll need to use. But if your spouse is willing to do all the nitty gritty work, and you just need to keep the kids out of the way while he does, and you can’t go spend the week with relatives or in a hotel, because of a pandemic or anything else, then I might have some insight for you here!
I’ll begin halfway through, when my amazingly talented hubby admitted I was right about something for once….
The Perks of the “Stay Home” Life
I am (and have been for five years!) a full-time stay-at-home mom. Now, I am a stay-at-home-all-the-time mom. There is a difference.
Before, that was just my job title. AKA homemaker. Now, it’s a state-mandated state of existence.
I’m not complaining. I’m not interested in engaging in debate about whether we should be “stay home”ing or not. I’m naturally a rule follower. For now, I’m happy to comply with what the governor says. Sure, my kids are a little stir-crazy (no playgrounds, no school), I’m a little over-talked-to (there is little to no sacred silence to be found in my life right now), and I’m sad my mom probably won’t get to come to my big girl’s preschool graduation. I’m not sure that graduation will even take place.
But….
Squishy Sand
Or, A Lesson in Flexibility, since a lot of the rules are changed these days.
I must preface this with: I love my next door neighbor, she is an absolute gem, and so thoughtful of my kids pretty much daily. She’s like an extra grandma for them, which is so special when their real grandmas are far away in other states. Like a grandma, though, she sometimes falls into thinking only of the fun the kids will have, and not the mess the mom will have to [at minimum help] clean up, when she finds something cool.
She’s been going through some old boxes in her garage, and my kids have been…
Okay, just one thing about toilet paper.
This Thursday was the worst day for me, so far, of The Pandemic.
Aside from the pandemic and everything that goes with it, Cecily is in a weird place with her naps, where I’m lucky to get one “real” nap (where she’s asleep in her crib rather than on me/while nursing, for more than half an hour) per day. The rest of the day, she cries if I put her down, and if she manages to console herself after that offense, she cries if I leave her sight. I thought Miryam was a “mama’s girl.” Not like this! So…
Social Distancing Spelling Trivia
Taking care of three kids age five and under is full of interruptions, demands, cleaning up crumbs, and never sleeping more than four hours straight, like, ever. So, my brain is both in survival mode and at capacity. Blogging, as a non-essential activity, has been moved to the back burner. I think about it often, but seldom actually write words for it. However, since all my non-essential outside-the-home activities are currently canceled, here I am on the blog!
The English language is fascinating, wonderful, and sometimes a real pain. Today’s topic falls under “fascinating,” in my humble opinion. I do have a bachelor’s degree in English, so I think I’m allowed to have opinions on the subject…