COVID-19 Pandemic, for Cal

This is the continuation of the Leatherkids' exercise to put some thought behind and capture what COVID-19 has meant to each of them, this time with Cal's.  I was really pleased with his creativity in using the 10-letter word "Quarantine" to help shape his thoughts.

Anyway, here are Cal's 10 feelings (missed punctuation left uncorrected).

Q... Questionable - I feel safe but some people question Covid-19.

U... Underrated - people don't really follow social distancing measures.

A... Angry - I feel angry at our failed government and especially Donald Trump! He fired our only chance out of this! Like, what? Even my 8 9 year old sister would've made a better choice.

R... Really Boring - when Spring Break came, it was the most boring of my life!

A... Anxious - I am anxious to get out and see people.

N... No Days Off - I train for basketball every day!

T... Tiring - we've had so many weeks at home and it gets boring.

I... Irritates me to no extent when a word about "fake news" and "disinfectant" comes out of Trumps mouth!

N... Need to get out - I really feel snug and really need to go somewhere.

E... E-Learning really stinks.

And with that, we have a little insight into what Cal's been feeling for the past two months.

COVID-19 Pandemic, for Ella

I asked the Leatherkids to spend a little time capturing independently what COVID-19 means to each of them and said that I'd post it them in my blog.  "I don't know what to write in a blog," they complained together.  I told them not to worry about that and to simply write down how they've been feeling while being holed up with shelter-in-place orders for two months because of the worldwide pandemic.  "Ten things," I directed.  "And I'm not logging you in to play Roblox until you do this." They got right to it.  Unfortunately, I have to do that.  These types of requests are typically met with incessant "I don't want to" or "I don't know how to," and that's where this one was headed.  While unfortunate that I have to, fortunately, I have that play.

Anyway, I thought I'd start with Ella's -- her list was done first and actually with more thought put into it than I expected given her reluctance to do the task.  Here are the ten feelings Ella captured (misspellings and grammar errors left uncorrected):

I feel bored.

I feel happy to be with mom.

I feel mad that Trump doesn't care about the pandemic.

I feel sad not being able to see teachers and freinds.

I feel grateful to have a house during COVID-19.

I feel excited because school is ending.

I feel weird having to stay home all the time.

I feel grateful to have a older brother to play with.

I feel good to have a grandpa who makes me laugh during this Pandemic.

I feel great to have a awesome family who helps me get threw this.

And with that, we have a little insight into what Ella's been feeling for the past two months.

COVID-19 Sheltering in Place Is...

Having officially sheltered in place with my family since March 21st, our everyday life has been disrupted, I believe, worse than we think.  We've had to adjust to new rules and boundaries and had to find new sources of entertainment and inspiration within those boundaries.  Dan and I have good jobs and have been able to work without disruption throughout this, so we haven't struggled financially.  And we have our health.  Even still, this hasn't been normal. It's entirely unknown.  With that, I've run the gamut of thoughts, observations and feelings.  I thought I'd share some of them, in no particular order.

Sheltering in place during the COVID-19 pandemic has been...

... working all the time because it's so convenient and because there's plenty to do.

... Supergirl - the four of us can't get enough of it; and with four seasons, a fifth on its way and 23 episodes per season, there's plenty to be seen.

... discovering the comfort of yoga pants and buying more.

... not wearing a bra that doesn't have the adjective "sports" in front of it.

... mentally surviving an April snowstorm and now a May flash flood, thinking, "really?"

... encouraging Ella to learn how to play a song other than "Hot Cross Buns" on her recorder, being proud of her for learning "Happy Birthday" but wondering if you're the only one who recognizes the high note on the third round of Happy Birthday lyrics isn't quite high enough... every... single... time.

... hanging up the towel in the widely-used half bath outside of my "office" almost every time I go in to use it because the kids just can't seem to remember to do so.

... finding new outlets in virtual yoga and 30-work fitness classes with Ron, our company fitness center manager and, I've learned, life coach.

... occasional check-ins with the kids about their eLearning progress each week, feeling guilty for not checking in more but being grateful I don't have to... except for that one time early on when we learned Cal wasn't doing his work.  He did after that.

... being grateful for having two kids who play and just be together really well, who are both independent and who each make up for the other's shortcomings - Ella lets us know when they've done something they know they shouldn't have while Cal lies through his teeth, and Cal is patient and speaks calmly as Ella screams her head off about some supposed injustice laid upon her.

... telling my kids "no" more than I ever have and feeling sad about it. 

... being grateful for the internet and screen time and feeling no guilt about letting the kids have it.

... playing basketball with Cal.

... doing crafts with Ella.

... wearing my "plantar fasciitis shoes" all day, every day, unless I need my running shoes for a workout or my bike shoes for a ride, and finding they work!

... staying connected by playing Trickster cards and having Zoom meetings with friends and families.

... feeling sorry for my kids, even as they smile.

... worrying that my kids are becoming too comfortable at home and that they'll have to re-learn some social skills as they re-enter society.

... not shaving my legs for days and wearing my "bad" underwear because why not get some more life out of it?

... finding out how gray my hair really is.

... responding to my kids' shock at our two across-the-street neighbors who have regularly spent time playing closely together with, "well some people are just practicing distancing differently," but wondering what are they thinking?! myself.

... being concerned using the right judgment during re-entry as restrictions are lifted - it's just so much easier to have black-and-white rules and follow those strictly.

... finding that the utter insensitivity of people about recent events -- racism, deaths, suffering -- and that our federal government is doing the wrong things to help are really getting to me... I'm just so sad.

... watching Dan work in the living room tirelessly for hours on puzzles that took him days to complete -- it turns out that having hundreds of the same-color pieces isn't exactly conducive to finding two that fit together.

... wondering where to put Dan's completed puzzles that's not back in their boxes because of the aforementioned tireless work on them and coming up empty... and so they still sit in the living room.

... being interrupted during work meetings when I'm actually talking with, "Can I go on the iPad?" or "I love you, Mom" or "Can we make a smoothie?"

... being the one who shops for necessities, making trips to Costco, Trader Joe's, Walgreens and Jewel without my trusty sidekick, Ella, wearing one of my "In the Buff" headbands as a mask and feeling the pressures of getting it right so that I minimize the trips and exposure as a result.

... finding the 6am to 8am window on weekdays to be the most relaxing and productive times of my days.

... drinking wine.

... not emptying the dishwasher because Dan actually has the kids being responsible for it.

... letting the kids fend for themselves for breakfast and lunch but fixing dinners... when I get to it, which is, oddly enough, oftentimes later than when I was going into the office.

... getting back out on my bike.

... watching or hearing a bird fly into our office window repeatedly almost every morning and wondering how he's surviving it.

... hearing the kids fight over time with Zoe, our family cat -- Ella wants to read to her, and Cal just wants to be with her.

... being the B-Dubs picker-upper 

... celebrating my birthday and Mother's Day while holed up and finding each to be pretty much what I would have wanted anyway.

... being really proud of my kids for the way they've handled all of this -- aside from the occasional rift and complaint about having been wronged, they've both stepped up and accepted the reality of all of this better than I could have imagined, not that I knew what to imagine, but neither could they have.

It's endless, really, the things I've experienced, observed and thought.  These are a start and reflective of mine and my family's time these past couple of months.  It's all becoming more and more routine and normal every day, and some of that worries me.  We settled into this quite well - I think we're going to have a difficult time adjusting as we come out of it, however that looks and whenever that is.  Perhaps that summer is almost here will help to facilitate re-entry - it'll be a natural invitation to get out of the house and do things and enjoy our lives.