Time marches on. Our routine remains the same, with slight variations for nice weather, of which there is still not enough.
1.We introduced the kids to the A-Team recently. For all the explosions and shoot outs, Teddy was expecting more dead and wounded, but we explained that prime time TV didn’t show those things back in the 80’s. At least not in my house. Tony’s parents had HBO so I don’t know what he was exposed to.
2.If you haven’t been reading any of Amy Welborn’s recent posts, you’re really missing out. I enjoy the historic perspective she gives to our current situation, plus her insight to how the Church has and hasn’t prepared the faithful to deal with life in quarantine.
“To put it simply, if you’ve been teaching people that all they need to know is that God loves them and they’re awesome as they are, and all they need to do is live their best life here on earth and that the value of religious rituals is rooted in their social aspect…that’s not great disaster prep.” – A.W. 4/30/20
Some favorites:
3.New Jersey schools are officially closed for the rest of the school year. Distance learning continues, and Fulton and Teddy are quite happy with the situation except for the fact that we’re not going anywhere. Fulton asked if he could come to the store with me, “I’ll wear a mask and social distance! I’ll even hide in a different aisle away from everyone!” Sorry bud, but that’s gonna be a big N.O.
4.After postponing a dose of Spinraza in March, we finally got to reschedule for June 15. CHOP’s new policy means the boys will need to be tested for COVID-19 prior to their dose which means I need to take them to an official CHOP drive through testing center a few days prior to get swabbed. Until a faster acting test is available, this will be the procedure for the remainder of the year. I know CHOP is treating kids with the Corona virus, and while the boys procedures are in a totally different part of the hospital, I’m still nervous. We really can’t delay this dose of Spinraza any more but I’m not looking forward to heading into the hospital, even with all the precautions in place.
5.I’ve been able to order more shelves for our basement, and Tony got recessed lights installed, so I’m finally getting our library set up. I’m rediscovering so many great books that were buried. I have a book on infinite loan from our local library branch I’m trying to finish up, but for the remainder of the year, I’m committed to reading more of my bookshelf vs purchase or check-out new titles. I’ve already started a collection of mystery stories, plus a title Ave Maria Press sent me months ago (which I didn’t agree to review but they sent me anyway, and it seems good so I might review it after all). My newsletter goes out tomorrow and I’ll show a picture of my efforts downstairs thus far plus there’s a new free download. I’m working on a list of my favorite family read alouds too. Sign up here if you’d like.
6.The longer daylight hours mean Tony and I are taking our daily walks after supper. The needs of the boys have made lunchtime or afternoon walks difficult, but thankfully, we have not had to miss too many days of getting out. Although many people are out riding bikes and walking, it’s easy to keep a safe distance, and the only downer is not stopping in places and buying treats for ourselves away from five sets of greedy paws. It’s been a great way for us to vent any frustrations or concerns we have away from the kids, so that when current events do come up at dinner or in conversation we’re able to keep a level head. Addie follows news on Twitter, Byron chats with friends online and reads some headlines, but otherwise, we’ve kept the kids pretty insulated from a constant barrage of COVID-19 news. Edie is sort of obsessed with Victorian clothes right now so she’s only vaguely aware there’s a global pandemic going on. Fulton and Teddy are focused on learning as much as possible about American military conflicts (mainly from the 20th century) so again, between watching history videos and then telling the rest of us about said videos too many times, I think they’ll remember the great quarantine of 2020 as filled with lots of war and battles and family members telling them to be quiet and go outside.
7.I wanted to compile a brief list of posts that might be useful to y’all during quarantine. Check it out on this page and let me know if there’s other topics you’re looking for. Also- Mother’s Day is Sunday if you want to send this post to your husband and kids.
How was your week? Write it down in Seven Quick Takes and link it up below. Be sure to include a link back to this post so your readers can find the rest of the Quick Takes. I look forward to reading your posts!
Thank goodness for the infinite library loans! Just before it closed indefinitely, I checked out an overly ambitious stack of books for myself – so maybe I’ll actually finish them! But if the last month and a half is any indication… probably not.
I’m so glad CHOP is letting you go! We were supposed to be there for a week at the end of May but they won’t let us come anymore (even though we made it very clear we’d be fine coming). I will say a prayer you are protected from any exposure while there!