A weekly list of things accomplished, enjoyed, learned, tried and remembered.
1. Keepin em busy. Like most of you, my children are now home full time. It really hasn’t seemed too strange –since this past week was our spring break. Our school closed two weeks ago, but I’ve just mostly treated it like an extended break. No, we were not able to go to hotels and getaways like in previous years, but we found a lot to do and the boys have had a great time. There has been A LOT of movie watching, but we have also enjoyed many hikes around town, they have LOVED having our camper set up to play in and our street is perfect for riding bikes, scooters and green machines.
2. A “new normal” routine. I feel like I’m always a little slow to the party when it comes to life changes and so I am taking my time to adjust a bit more to this “new world” we are living in. With homeschooling starting this week– and with that–more “not normal” changes coming, I’ve kind of been enjoying our MUCH slower pace of life right now. There’s really not specific times, but our schedule this past two weeks has looked a lot like our typical summer schedule and it goes something like this:
- 7-7:30am everyone is up (this is about an hour later than our usual) I’m usually up at 6 for my quiet time and as soon as Super Rockstar gets up, I like to get out for a walk or jog by myself. This is like a daily vitamin for me and ensures that I don’t completely lose it with my family later in the day. Sometimes our dog, Barney comes with–it just depends on his mood and mine. He does make sure to get back scratches from each and every family member. And then he naps.
- 8am breakfast. Most days we have breakfast together (which is not usual. In our “normal” life this is a very rushed and chaotic time of the day) and then Super Rockstar heads upstairs to our spare bedroom (which has now become his home office) and is in there most of the day for work. The boys eat and then play for about an hour. This gives me time to clean up the kitchen, take a shower, and get some laundry (or whatever my daily chore is) going. Sometimes Barney eats his breakfast, sometimes not. We don’t know why–he’s so complex. And then he naps.
- 9am Learning time. When school starts this week– this will go on for a longer time period and with more subjects covered, but this past 2 weeks I’ve had them do Aleks math (and Prodigy once they finish their required Aleks minutes). Barney moves to his next napping place (usually where the sun is creating a nice comfy warm spot on the floor.
- 10am Play video games. Once school starts–this will be eliminated or possibly moved to the late afternoon free time. No change for Barney–still napping.
- 10:30 Play outside. The boys ride bikes, play in the camper, run around, and get their energy out. Sometimes Barney will rally himself and go in the backyard for a roll in the grass and to bark at a neighbor dog, but after about 5 minutes, he’s back in for his late morning nap.
- 11:30 lunch. Super Rockstar is sometimes able to come downstairs for lunch, but most days he has had to eat in his “office”. The boys mostly like to eat their lunch while watching a movie or shows. This gives me some time to myself which I REALLY enjoy. Barney is most awake at this point as he is searching for any scrap that has hit the floor.
- 12:00 Watch a movie or a couple shows. While the boys are watching TV in the basement, I am able to take a 15 or so minute rest, get some writing done, and do housework (cleaning, etc). Barney usually joins the boys downstairs–mostly because it’s a sure thing for a scrap or two and it’s another comfy nap spot.
- 2:00 Go for a walk/bike ride or drive somewhere for a hike. Sometimes we just walk to the mailbox and then they will ride bikes up and down our street, but we’ve found that getting away to hike trails has been a lot more fun than they thought it would be. Barney is definitely along for these outings. He LOVES getting to sniff each and every bush, tree, and leaf—nothing is left uninvestigated.
- 3:00 Reading Time. They read. I read. Barney naps–the walk/hike has worn him out and he is in full snore.
- 4:00 Free time until dinner. The boys sometimes go back outside or stay inside and immerse themselves in their toys. Barney is in a coma–we usually poke on him a bit just to make sure he’s still breathing.
- 5:30 Dinner time. From dinner time on–our life feels pretty normal. We eat at our table together and talk. Barney is given his dinner, but makes a thorough inspection of every square inch of the kitchen floor for scraps first before devouring his dinner.
3. The Marvel Universe. We like to watch a movie as a family once or twice a week. Since it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find something we all agree on, we decided to watch all of the Marvel movies that have come out in the past several years–in order of their timeline in the Marvel universe (just click this link to see the list we are following). So far, we have watched Captain America–the First Avenger, Captain Marvel, Iron Man and Iron Man 2. As you can see from the list–we have a LONG way to go, but it’s really been fun so far.
4. A “Live” concert. A couple week ago, I shared some photos and videos of a gig Super Rockstar played at a place here in town called Boot Barn Hall(you can read that here). Since all upcoming gigs for the next couple of months have been canceled, Super Rockstar put together a 30ish minute video from that gig–and did a Facebook Live event with all the guys chatting with anyone who tuned in. It was a really fun way to watch and remember a GREAT gig and connect with folks I won’t get to see for another while yet. Just click this link and you can watch the video. I think you will enjoy this condensed version almost as much as if you had been there live.
I hope you have a great week!