Quarantined Day 40: Unbalanced in an Imperfect World.

Don't underestimate the talents of the “tic- toc” er in your house.  The efforts put into that 30 second video may take all day, making every recipe concoction they can as they scramble through our home finding things you never even knew you had.  Evidence left everywhere even though you’ve said several times, “I don’t care what you do, don’t leave any evidence”, translation in mom terms, clean up your crazy mess!   They must not think I use the bathroom at all because there it all is, laying out on the counter; coconut oil, baking soda, honey, raw egg mixture to strengthen your nails and next to that lab experiment; the makeup, bag of ice, food coloring and sugar for another face scrub sampling.  Never ending.  Including a Churros Recipe that was found on TicToc with no measurements so timing out the “Pour” with the video seemed efficient enough… what? No?  Yeah, 3 lbs of flour down the drain and we started over finding an actual recipe that I ended up finishing and called the crew back in to eat it when done (I never learn and Flour is too hard to come by wasting it in these times!)  So then I thought I’d join their fun- together WITH them. No, not on the new found experiment of the hour, but on a TicToc dance.  How hard could it be, they are pulling out these dance moves in seconds?  Yeah, that short dance spot took them at least 3 hours to teach me and get it right!  It kept them out of the mixing labs and outdoors with the sun as I shook my big bootie off on the patio with them laughing and loving every bit of it.  My moves may not have been perfect but calories were definitely burned!  Dance class, choreography, chemistry and film all in one day, done. 

Don’t underestimate the cooking in the kitchen together, sure the counters have those little corner crumbs when they complete their “make dinner” task and the dishwasher is not filled exactly the way you would do it but they learned the magic of a measuring cup and why it’s so important to get the perfect ingredients mixed in the best way.  Dry to dry, liquids to liquids.  Or the timing of making a meal  when the breads go in last, the meats first.  Things at the age of... well, 30 plus, haha that I’m still learning myself but expect them to know at the age of 10.  What?!!  Really?  My Nana cooked up the best of meals, she was a perfectionist to the finest;  we watched her pinch this and dash that and we went off to set the table or butter the pans and wash the dishes needed, so we never learned the magic technique of a homemade Italian meal.  Her sauce, however, is something I’ve come to be proud of making myself and should do it way more often than I do! At least I get one thing right when it comes to kitchen time and channeling my inner Nana.  So Cultural Cuisine and serving others, with custodial cleaning skills, done yet barely passing.

Or how about the baking and decorating, simple science itself so let's check the Science class off for the day and another cake complete for us to eat or share at this point, our belly's are caked out! Our baked goods are made quicker than they are getting eaten, unlike they did a month ago. I’m sure you would agree that decorating and baking count also as Art- Done… well, Art is in every lesson in this house, possibly Honors Art Class, haha, so let’s carry on…. 

The Art of tidiness; cleaning their bedrooms, putting everything in its place and organized.  I can’t say it happens as often as I’d like in each room but seeing paints, brushes, and almost finished paint projects are in sight as we speak.    If I’m not hiding objects, they are getting painted.  The staircase is their next project and possibly two wooden chairs after that since the girls feel they need a little pizzazz.  Don’t leave any evidence I say and they do their best shoving it all in a corner, letting me know they are getting back to it, painting is a process.  Yes, of course my perfect little darlings (as I eye roll and calm my OCD down) it’s a process.

Gym Class- Let’s do gym.   Only when you ride your bike, wear your helmet and do everything you can not to fall.  In fact, just don’t do anything that will risk you getting injured because if we see your arm is broken, we will duct tape it to a piece of wood and have you rest with Tylenol/ Ibuprofen doing everything we can to keep you out of the hospitals at this time.  Yes, we want to keep all of you in a bubble to keep from getting sick. If you are at the hospital, you may be alone, we may not be able to go in with you and, IF we are with you, we take the risk of all getting COVID19 not knowing how our body will react.  Possibly walking out with the ability to fight it off at home, or one thing leading to another and breathing off a ventilator.  So no, don’t be too risky in our at home gym class because this mother is doing her best to avoid fear, but it’s there and it’s real.   Gym, we’ll check it off, safely and with as much activity as we can for now; walks, basketball, soccer, baseball, all in the backyard WITHOUT your teammates and friends, that they don't need to be reminded of. So let’s talk video games now, maybe a safer bet, right?

Well, if when they start coming out of their room looking a little pale and the stink follows them, they may need a major scrub down from the week of coming out of the video cave.  Video games, no, my very least favorite at all but hearing them from the room yelling at friends through the headset, laughing,  and from what I think they are doing when I peak in, directing one another where to go and what to do?  I find them learning to be an effective team member and how to conference call in the future.  How communicating together, with a friend through a headpiece to achieve a goal may be beneficial in years to come when looking into the workforce, whether it be owner, employee, adventurer, whatever and wherever their journey may take them.  A little far fetched right?  The personal connection not exactly on, but working together, in any way possible and communicating with the outside world, through electronics, yes! So Communication Class, check, done.

40 days being quarantined at home would’ve sounded completely crazy and never possible as many of

Fox 6 News 4/2020

the new home classes above were all so not lesson planned.  But we are doing it, we are all doing it.  Each in our own way.  The best is there, in each day, nothing wrong and nothing right but what works best for your family.  Some days you’ll wonder what was best at all and other days, you wouldn’t trade for the world.  But when we give each day our best in whatever it is we do THAT day, does it really matter? Absolutely.

Some teachers are giving it all they got, going above and beyond teaching their students in every way they know how and most teachers do it while taking care of their own families at the same time!  Maybe even with little ones at home while their spouse is working or on the front lines working directly with COVID19!  Maybe some restaurant owners are doing everything they can to keep their employees working and their businesses afloat by doing pick up orders from their parking lot.  Maybe postal workers are going in each day covered from head to toe, in fear one minute but grateful to have a job the next, along with grocery store workers and truck drivers feeling the same way. 

We are in this together, however surviving it in all different ways.  I wake up creating a perfect breakfast one day and grab your own bowl of cereal the next.  Then breakfast turns into lunch because we are all staying up as late as we want and everyone sleeping till they are no longer tired.  The fork left in the sink and the crumbs on the counter made me a crazy woman flipping out that our house is a disaster when in fact, it’s not the entire house, it’s just my “dishes in the sink” chaotic mentality and no sleep the night prior that made me lose my mind over the dirty dishes.  Thirty minutes later, we are all at the park together flying kites and playing soccer while running up and down the hills.  

Movie nights come and go and family games become old quickly but we come together and laugh and yell and lose it with the best of each other.  We are not perfect, we never will be but we are family and that family never changes.  What does change is the way our world will slowly come together again. How we will look back at this as our kids struggled to be with friends and what they are missing out as their last year of school, how parents found the best of times and still needed their adult space even from one another, how we felt blessed and guilty at the same time, knowing we all had one another at home while others were dying and risking their lives to help others.  We may be in a Howie Mendell introverted, and germ free  world not touching one another or even coming close.  This introverted world is uncomforting to me and unacceptable but I’ll still hug and hug as much as I can... with my own family for now and feel ok with that. 

I’ll bake each day and let them make their messes, I’ll spazz on them one day and laugh and love it the next, I’ll let them find their own daily life lessons each day, I’ll turn off their WiFi to force them out of their rooms one day and let them play it out the next.  I have many more years on them when it comes to taking care of our home, and patience is something that tests me but we will pass it together.   I’ll let them teach me TicToc Dances and fold laundry with them even though it’s not to perfection.  I’ll make breakfast for lunch because they slept in and I’ll make all frozen foods one day and a hopefully delicious meal the next because I can.  

I’ll hug, pray, and reach out to a friend each day.  I’ll take my “me time” getting outdoors completing a grateful mile each time, telling myself all the good I have in my life and yes, it’s there, we just have to take the time to see it.  I may even shut down the next, meditating and refilling my cup.

These past 40 days have not been easy, but I’ve been able to take a breath each day, with my family together, food on the table, and a roof over our heads. As the chaos remains and the unbalanced life still holds firm under this roof, I am always and forever grateful….one day at a time, imperfectly unbalanced.

Until then as I complete this blog at this noon hour, my kids are slowly coming out of their rooms as they smell food from the kitchen; my pancakes need mixing, my bacon is burning, and maybe I’ll turn the WiFi back on when we’re all done… have a beautiful day my friends.

Imperfectly unbalanced is just the way I live, and tomorrow I'll do my best at it again with a smile.

Quarantined Day 28: Traditions

Good Friday, "District Wide No School".  So that is what our school calendar says but our new way of life is another story.  No "Virtual" classes today while we are all quarantined at home.  I listen to Mia and Julia Face time Emery and Layla, their cousins in Virginia.  Even though we are far apart, our "Quad-Force" has been doing everything together face timing all day long laughing and singing away with one another.  We went on a bike ride, they went on a bike ride.  Last night they all made bath bombs together, through Face time of course, them there, us here.  They even called in Auntie Fran and had a group chat together to see what she was up to and visit with their new dog Apollo.  Our screen shots with one another smiling as if we were all together were fun but just not the same.  

Maximus and Cameron watch "Endgame" tonight with Julia and Mia.   A year ago, we were all counting down the days, to hours, to minutes then seconds and had Cameron's excitement firing us all up throughout the day to see the movie premier when it was released in Virginia.  A couple of us may or may not have even known what the movie was going to be about but we couldn't help but be just as excited with him, as if Santa was coming.  It was fun, Cameron made it fun and we loved every bit of our "Schebfest" movie night out together including the movie and especially the soundtrack!  That's what our holiday was, it didn't matter where we were, as long as we were all together, we had the best time.

"Schebfest"  a tradition that started years ago.  Spring break.  We had Zoe & Cameron and Mia and Layla were just babies.  We were all at Disney World together, my sister Heather, our kids and husbands all together.  Eric went to rent a stroller from the park.  A name tag is on the back of every stroller, since they are all identical.  Eric flies in on the back of the stroller, flips it around and says so proudly clever, "SCHEBS"  as both our last names combined were written on the name tag, Schneider and Eberle.  We were cracking up and hence, Schebfest was then created.   Every year our Easter Holiday was spent together over our Spring Breaks. 

As the kids got older, we started venturing off to new locations and
loving every minute of it.  Our parents even joined us on a couple adventures.  As much as we always wanted our nephews with us, they always had sports or another adventure happening and unable to join us (it made our Christmas holidays and summers together even more exciting when they made it).  

Every year, we traveled our Chocolate Italian Easter Eggs wrapped in shiny paper from Mom or Aunt Clara and a bag of Easter yummies from Aunt Pat, along with Easter Bread fresh baked with the boiled egg in the middle.  We colored and decorated eggs together. These little traditions from us growing up carried all the way over to our kids annual Schebfest come Easter morning.  The kids would wake up with over 300 eggs that were all found within less than 10 minutes every morning as they rolled right out of bed and went to hunt their little hearts out.  Beautiful Church Services were celebrated together.  Last year, I still laugh at our conversation after church.  One of us wanted to just hug all the little cuties running around that parents were frustratingly trying to control, another one of us thought how it felt like that was just yesterday with our own and another one of us thought, the one time you come to church you expect that poor child to sit down and then the other one of us didn't even make the church fun at all, not naming any of us either. lol.

So this year, our tradition is our own. The six of us home alone, a celebration breakfast will be made (I love making a big breakfast and do it as often as I can.)  Easter eggs will be found, not quite as many.  Maybe we'll get a bike ride in together if the weather cooperates and church service will be viewed from home online.   No communion, no Easter songs, no physical gathering of hugs, handshakes and fellowship.

I digress for one moment....Watching the news this week, the voting polls were all open with dangers of the Corona virus being spread because of it.  Packs of people waiting in line close to one another, not the 6 feet apart as recommended. Large groups of people all together to get their votes in while putting themselves in danger of the deadly Corona virus.  Yet, priests are encouraging parishioners to stay home and stay safe and watch the church service from home.  I've heard it several times and agree, God is not a location, He is everywhere.  

So for the sake of history, I write, we were able to stand next to each other and vote for our politicians that strongly ridicule one another but were recommended not to sit together in faith.  Absentee Ballots were also mailed out with the error of not getting them out and in on time, another political mess. Sunday no matter where we all are is a celebration that Jesus has risen and we plan on celebrating together as a family in our own home.  No dinner with Nana and Grandpa, no Easter egg hunt with the cousins and no family and friends gathering together in one home come Sunday morning, or any other day before and after until the CDC tells us to "UnQuarantine".  Our curve has been lowered as the news says and our social distancing is working, slowing down the virus.  Prayers are made everywhere for everyone and staying apart for now, is the safest way to do it.

So traditions, as we walk away from being quarantined, whenever it will be,  how many new traditions are being created in your own home and how many traditions will be carried on for years to come? I'm ready to be with my nieces again and our annual "Schebfest" will be put back in place after this quarantine, but as for new traditions, I'm excited our family may have begun a couple new ones while home together, and I hope, these traditions will last for years to come.

Celebrate one another, be patient with learning new ways together.  God is and always will be everywhere with us, know that and know Him.  Respect one another's space and most importantly, stay safe and embrace all the moments when you can with the people you love. Live in Faith always, and Happy Blessed Easter Weekend.  

Quarantined Day 24 Simplicity

"Let's look back and take pride on how we responded to this challenge." 

- Queen Elizabeth

Many times, I tend to overthink things.  Ok, all the time.  I have friends that I know are in my life to simplify my complex mind and keep me focused on a clear cut direction, when I let them.  I can name at least five of them right off the top of my head and can't imagine how even more complex my mind would be without them.  My mind is a very, very busy place, and many of you who know me know exactly what I mean.  My life, is full, but my mind, now that's just busy.  Big difference.

We are now 24 days into our mandated, worldwide, quarantined life.  My family kicked off our Monday and did our virtual life as usual; work meetings, work, school work, soccer, dog for a walk, tackled chores, well, a couple of us did, watched a movie together, painted the windows with our new window chalk markers and had breakfast, lunch, dinner and baked.  Nothing exciting, but grateful for every little bit of it. Oh, the smell of gas and the furnace man, all is fine, but that's another story.

So the baking.... chocolate chip cookies should be pretty simple.  Oh no, no, no.  There is a lot more to such a "simple" little cookie!  This past summer my girls and I wanted to make the "perfect" chocolate chip cookie. 

We recorded about 15 different chocolate chip cookie experiments.  For example;  when you melt the butter, when you don't, when you refrigerate it, when you let it sit out. When you add less sugar and more brown sugar, when you use more baking power than baking soda thinking it will rise or be chewier.  When you leave them on the pan out of the oven for 2 minutes versus 5, when you butter the pan or put foil, THEN butter the pan.  Oh yeah,  you name it, we experimented with it and thinking we had it to a perfect science.  Until months later and it was day 1 of quarantine, we baked a batch, even doubled it being that confident, and I'm pretty certain someone in this house switched the salt and sugar on us because it's probably the worse batch I've ever tasted, and I take full responsibility for it.

So here we are today, baking chocolate chip cookies.  Mia quick whips up her peanut butter batch, simple, easy, came out perfect, dishes cleaned and she's done (simple like her daddy).  I look up "Best Chocolate Chip Cookies" thinking I'll just scratch off all our experimental cookie history and pretend it never happened.  I toss in the butter (as is, letting it soften itself while turning in the mixer), both sugars, vanilla, eggs, baking soda, flour and of course the chocolate chips.  Done, scooped them up with the girls help. I followed the time exactly of 10 minutes at 350 degrees, let them sit on the pan for 3 minutes out of the oven and there we are a perfect, professional tasting, and photo finished cookie!  Simple, not over thinking one bit of the recipe. So where am I going with this?

Here we are with a life in full reset at home while watching on the news of the war going on with this virus that feels as if no end.  The medical staff at the front lines risking their own lives along with truck drivers and food store employees and postal workers and many more essential workers doing their best to stay safe and keep their families safe all while taking the chance of getting the virus themselves.  We watch the news of people dying and see the daily reports wondering are we coming close to finding the cure.  We watch the scary world from inside our homes looking out our heart colored windows.  We fill our life with the true reality and can only help by staying home to avoid getting the virus or finding other ways to somehow help the outside world.

Simple Rules; Wash hands, wear face masks, stay safe, and stay home to keep from spreading or getting the virus.  Slow the curve of the number of people filling up thousands of hospital beds.  Sounds like our simple daily routine while growing up; wash hands, say your prayers, make your bed.  Mia laughed the other day while washing her hands and said, "We had lessons on how to properly wash our hands every year up until 3rd grade.  We all thought it was silly, now everyone even adults are relearning it!"

Simple little rules that make the biggest different each day.  As little a task as making your bed will make the difference in our daily lives...if you want to know the power behind making your bed, check out this amazing and 'well worth the watch' clip below.

Graduation Commencement Speech 

by William McRaven, US Navy Admiral

"If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed."  

(Again, I digress but it's worth the watch)... so....

We complicate our lives with spreadsheets and tight schedules, etc. Trying to make life as perfect and as flawless as possible and loosing ourselves within the mist of all of it, forgetting who we really are.  Looking at life right at this moment, what does matter the most now that the world has stopped for us?  Our sense of priorities was lost because we never prioritized, we just filled our lives with doing everything we can, all the time and squeezing every bit of it in, for what? Well, why not, right?  It was the quantity of our life, not the quality.  What we have, how much we have, who we know, how we know, what we drive, where we work.  Everyone is on the same playing fields "resetting" now.

Here's my point,
when we all look back at this we want to make it worth it.  

We want to look back and say, YES, I did stay home as requested, YES, I did help in this way, or YES, I did help that way, or YES I did recoup and realized I needed to slow down or maybe even YES, I did learn to get moving more and pick up the pace.  Whatever is fit for you and your heart, what will you look back on when you think of this time and what will you remember the most, what was learned from this moment of history in your very own household?  A TV show or certain Netflix series absolutely does NOT count all you cool cats and kittens!

Here is something, (besides the Chocolate Chip Recipe that I'll share below) that my friend Kathy, shared with me and it stuck, so I want to share it with you.

Each day, focus on your HAPPY (5 letters, 5 things):

1. Brain, what did you do for your own brain health today?  Maximus & I are Wordscape Champs
2. Heart, what did you do for your heart health today?  I made it a daily goal to walk/ jog 3 miles.
3. Yourself, what are you doing for your own happiness? I write this blog. I journal.
4. Others, what do you do for others? I pray, everyday, for all those  listed on our Dibbs17 Page that are on the front lines and I baked my people cookies today, so that counts too!
5. Gratitude, what are you thankful for and JOURNAL it!  One thing you are grateful for today; my healthy family.

I added the last one!  Feeling gratitude towards something or someone fills my own heart.  So I feel having gratitude each day, definitely completes your HAPPY!  This is important to know, because many of us may feel guilty or depressed or alone during this time.  All feelings that are ok to feel, but not ok to feed and focus on.  The people that are risking their lives for us, would NOT want us to feel that way.   So yes, #5 is write something you feel grateful about and choose to feel good about it.  Choose your HAPPY.

When looking at my best days and how I felt even before the quarantine, it was because I put prayer first and my body second; keeping healthy and eating right.  Everything after that fell into place because I had His direction and stayed obedient to it.  Until, I got a little lost going in every direction with no direction pleasing everyone else but me.  It happens, its ok, I learn and move forward.

Don't overthink and waste your time overthinking.  I laugh when my friends and I share the honest truth of waking up, thinking about all the things we have to do that day, feeling overwhelmed before we even start it because we don't know where to start, so we chuck it all and don't get any of it done!  What?!  That sure sounds crazy, right?!!

Lets trust the message, look back at our quarantined life and see how God has worked through us; living our best each day the best we could, while taking care of ourselves and doing right by others.  Keep it simple, keep it HAPPY.

Be the one person that makes an impact; starting in your own home, with you. Choose your HAPPY and be the blessing for others to see. Do it for our heroes.

Photo Source Unknown.  If you know, tell me! #COVID19

  Stay home, Stay Safe & Save Lives. 

"Best Chocolate Chip Cookies"  Recipe Link.

and don't forget to leave on the pan for 3 minutes after you take them out of the oven!

Quarantined Day 21 Costco, Teacher Parade & Oreo Balls, Oh My!

Day 21

Governments Orders Still: In the house, no group gatherings, only going into stores as needed. Outdoor walks and individual, or family only, outdoor activity acceptable.  No "3 on 3's" at the basketball courts unless you are a family of 6 (us) and no use of parks playground equipment.  Recommending one person from each household and limiting your store shopping to 1-2 times a week, keeping social distance in the checkout line.  Wipe groceries down before going into the house and wash, wash, wash your hands.  

It's no longer blue or white collared workers its now essential and non essential workers.  

Essential; not only 1st Responders and medical workers, but truck delivery drivers, post office carriers,  retail grocery store employees and a few limited others working on the job.  Each worker at risk, being in contact with people that may or may not have the virus.  The government is trying to avoid food hoarding, and stores are limiting toilet paper and water cases to 2 or less per person.  Of all things when this pandemic started, toilet paper was the hottest item.  Store clerks bringing out full fork lifts with Toilet Paper and setting them down in an aisle to have people swarm them as they hand the TP packages out one by one.  Crazy, but let's face it none of us want to be left at home with the last square! Honestly though, the way people were hoarding TP at first made many people question their bowel movement issues before the entire pandemic started.  Well, we are all safe in our own house for now.  TP is always fully stocked here and hoping it stays that way.

Hubby (Hubs) & I went into an early morning appointment that couldn't be rescheduled.  

It went like this:

Sign 1 "Stay in Car if you are not needing to sign anything today." 

Sign 2 "Bring in your own pens, or if you use a pen from the box, please take home with you, do NOT return it to box or leave on our table." 

Sign 3  Next to a large sanitize pump bottle "Please use hand sanitizer before coming in."
Sign 4 & Final, "DO NOT ENTER if you have the COVID-19 VIRUS or fever!"

No hands were shaken, sat down, quickly signed, did our best to barely touch door handles and out we were.  Fastest paper signing appointment we've ever been through.  Was good for us though and 5 feet apart from others the entire time.  (I think Social Distancing all began in our own house years ago... 6 feet away at all times... lol)

Next stop, Costco (local Wholesale Store):

Floor Lines Marked the distance

Employees were working their tails off and you couldn't help but feel the sterile cleanliness as if you were walking into a doctors office.  Employees quickly directed us into one door, entering 6 feet apart from one another in a single file line.  They just opened so there were about 10-20 people entering the building at once.  The line inside the door was clearly marked with tape on the floor staggering 6 feet apart to show you where to stand keeping your required distance.  This was all new for us. Swirling through the marked off line like a Disney Ride but this one completely germ free, hoping at least.  An employee had gloves on while handing each of us our cart as we walked by.  The exit door had another employee collecting carts coming in or going out, and an additional employee spraying and wiping down each cart one by one.

When we entered the store, people respected the distance and kept their 6 feet apart as best as possible, even waiting aside for one another to pass if needed.  The large walk in coolers also had a divider of "in this way, out that way" to avoid the close passing of one another.  Employees were wiping cooler handles down and the clothes were folded to perfection showing that no one is taking the time to touch, dig through and shop for the clothes on the center tables.  Even if it was early in the morning, those piles are usually tackled into every other time.  The Checkout Lines had the staff working with masks and gloves keeping the lines flowing with another person directing traffic.

Each register had a clear vinyl piece protecting the workers from the customers and there was also a separate person filling your cart with gloves on.  The food counter was a limited menu for take out only and the soda machine was closed.  The receipt checker on your way out the exit also stood behind a clear vinyl and asked you to show your receipt without him touching it.  He did his visual cart check and off you went.   Kudos to Costco on keeping your team members and customers so safe.  Those employees were busy making sure everything was getting done.  I stamp a big "Essential" Stamp on their card with an A+ all around!  We left with all of our household goods and even the Toilet Paper was well stocked!  

So for my first time being out in an actual store since this pandemic hit, it was an eye opener to see this is it, it's here, and we all need to work together to do our part, "Social Distancing and staying home".  Face masks and gloves were also worn by many customers.   Pumping gas was also a concern.  Sanitizing hands before and after pumping.  Gloves were recommended to be worn when pumping gas as the virus could also be transmitted on the pumps.  Home made masks are recommended for everyone to wear if outside.  Shortage of masks in the medical field are still an issue as well as the ventilators.  Paramedics and doctors are now needing to make life and death decisions of which patient gets the ventilator, meaning the other will die.  Wisconsin now has the virus in all but only a few counties with 51 deaths.  So here we are Day 21, a look at what the Quarantined life is like for now, Staying Home, Staying Safe and Saving Lives;  a time we'll look back at as when the "world completely stopped turning" as Alan Jackson sang heavily in 2011. 

So moving forward onto the JOY of today- OUR TEACHERS!!!!!!  It has been 3 weeks since our kids have been in the classroom.  Their elementary school did a parade through all of the students neighborhoods and it was awesome!  As we all did our best keeping 6 feet apart, we watched our teachers parade through our neighborhood with signs on their cars of how much they miss the students and encouraging words that "we'll all get through this together, Stay Active,  & Love Art & Keep Creating!".  It was a great way to kick off the weekend; beautiful weather was outside and he kids loved seeing everyone.  I loved seeing everyone and it was just what we all needed to bring a little community and comfort to one another.  And yes, the school made sure to remind us to practice social distancing as we watched the parade go by!  Monday is the official day their virtual classes start and I know the teachers have been working like crazy learning the new technology while putting a different style on the students learning from home, all while doing it with their own families too. 

My friend Meghan said it perfectly, "This is a Reset."  and I felt exactly the same way.  A chance for families to grow with one another, put things in perspective of appreciating one another, appreciating the work of so many others that often went unnoticed and just putting family and our own health first.  At least that's what my perspective is, and I think many others would agree.  

Mia put the Kitchen apron on once again today to try her Oreo Ball Recipe!  Julia put together 

Chocolate Chip Frappuccinos and both were a chocolate delight for a sunny afternoon treat!  I got Orso out for my run/walk this morning, and I'm leaving him home tomorrow.   I'll never beat my time the way he stops and sniffs everything like a hound dog, but it is nice being out early with him!  Maximus, Mia and Julia played a little volleyball over the fence with Layla and Joe next door and even learned about a few essential oils from Meghan (distantly of course).  Cameron and Mark went to load up on Mulch and Dirt to get our yard summer ready.   

Another simple day of prayers and kindness to our world in all ways possible.  With today's end, I leave you Mia's simple and yummy Oreo Ball Recipe :)  and for those of you reading,  be careful, some stinkers may be hitting up your neighborhood next... Toilet Papering & Egging your house during this Pandemic Time!

Thanks to some fun neighbors putting a smile on our faces!

Mia's Oreo Balls:  

36 Oreos Crushed in Ziplock or in Food Processor until powderlike  Set 2 Spoonfulls aside for later.
Mix 8 oz. Creamcheese with the crushed Oreos (minus the 2 spoonfulls) until doughlike.
Roll into mini balls and place onto a baking sheet.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes or Freeze for 20 min.
While waiting, melt white chocolate for frosting.
Once the 20-30 min is done, take a fork or cake pop stick and dip each ball into the white frosting.
Sprinkle the Oreo sprinkles that you set aside on top of the frosted oreo balls.
Pop in the fridge/freezer for 10 more minutes and boom! there you have a yummy oreo treat!

Quarantined Day 20 The New Normal

4/2/2020 Day 20

The first day I put on an actual pair of jeans since quarantine. I was truthfully hoping they’d be a little bigger since I started my daily outdoor goals of 3 miles; either walking, jogging or bike riding and no skipping weekends; even if we’ve only had a couple quarantined weekends, who’s counting? I guess 20 days doesn’t get rid of past years habits; sweet teeth and inconsistencies of exercise. “Dude whatever, don’t judge,” says nice self to mean self! Just like anything else, the weight crept up on me like everyone said it would at age 40. Ticks me off that everyone was right including the sagging of unwanted skin.  No matter how much I went in denial.

What sticks with me most is my friend, Becky, who said “we are either getting out of this quarantine 50 lbs lighter or 100 lbs heavier!” She has walked the walk losing an entire body since high school so she’s someone that I listen to and admire when it comes to making your health #1. I’ll be darned if I’m letting any more weight onto this body!! So here, I digress… jeans fit like usual and it didn’t make me happy but did motivate me to keep moving more. What am I going to do at this point, quit after only 20 days because of my jeans? Really?! I’ll just put yoga pants back on and hope for a better next jeans day!

Hard to believe it’s been 20 days since our schedules hit a complete halt with everything closing and cancelling, and hard to believe how quickly our days at home have become the norm with a scary lifestyle change for many. Our “Zoom” video calls are slowly filling up our calendars between work, the kids' school work and sports teams all doing the best they can keeping one another engaged for human interaction outside of the six of us and these four walls. Mark’s work is non-stop with teachers and students via conference calling. He is such an amazing leader and if I weren’t married to him, I’d definitely want to be a team member at his school. We hear him laughing and chatting away from his home office as he and teams of educators continue the virtual learning around the clock with students at their own homes.  Mark created his new office in Mia and Julia’s classroom downstairs.   (Least distractions)