School

Chef Luk, learning some basic kitchen skills.

The new glasses arrived in the mail.  He still loves the leap pad reading.  

Math.  

My old school dictionary.  I still use it at work.  I brought it home and she had no idea why she should bother since she can just ask Alexa or use her phone.  Because darling...this is Mama School where I don't care what you learn so long as it's learning and you can't be hurt by learning some history and before the internet we used a thing called a dictionary.  Haha.  She found her six words.  

We heard from Jia's teacher yesterday and she is gearing up for online learning.  For starters Jia logged into her fresh grade and wrote back to her teacher.  We have one old dysfunctional and slow computer at home so hoping they can work on their tablets.  My laptop died years ago and I didn't bother replacing it.  Prefer my phone. Curious to see what plans they could possibly have for Kai.  

Lili's boxspring arrived...wild...had no clue you could build one yourself!  Update, Eric said there were a hundred peices in there with a fabric cover once it was built.  We had NO clue.  Also...new canoe for Luk who uses the old one to lay in watching tv.  

Sunday

We made it out yesterday!  Social distancing is WAY better than self isolating.  We waited outside in line, all six feet apart for our turn to go into Home Depot.  I started to feel like I should be six feet away from Eric too!  I tried to do an online order but the system kept closing down. So, Eric shopped, I kept my hands in my pockets.  We did a full cart order including cleaning supplies and batteries!  We had a long list for the three new rooms and a bit for Jia's new room.  Eric is set to keep going now.  There was zero judgement from the staff they are thrilled to help everyone with the projects while they have the time.  

We went home and picked up the kids for a drive and drive through lunch. Lili chose to stay home.  Jia wanted to go home.  Kai fell asleep.  Fei and Luk enjoyed the chance to be out.  

Ok...while online shopping at Walmart for a pick up order this popped up.  Is this not the cutest potty of all time?!  In no way do I want to potty train another human being, EVER again but if I had to, this would have been in my cart ;)

Jia is moving into Fei's old room.  Luk was going to but she wants the purple.  I support any decision that requires no changes.  Luk will move into Jia's old room. Haha.  So she thinks the room is too 'pretty' and wants it more grown up.  She has requested boring, plain bedding.  Then put colors up to the paint and has settled on gray.  Which is bizarre coming from our pink girly girl.  We picked out this modern light fixture and she was thrilled.  Fei wanted to keep her chandelier for her new room. 

We don't normally watch much tv during the day.  The bright light behind is hard on the eyes.  Eric's solution.

Another Update

There isn't too much to tell.  Overall spirits are good.  Kids stay busy.  Not one of them has complained even once.  I'm attempting to ignore my phone a bit in the evening.  Means less pictures. The news is stressing me.  I'm not sleeping well.  Also trying to be more mindful of the kids.  Also attempting to get some excercise in at home since we're not out and about on our walks.  I've been doing 30 minute low impact sessions on YouTube.  Kids won't join me.  Apparently it doesn't look fun.  Go figure.  I'm insanely excited to go for a real walk on a forest trail this weekend.  

Eric is getting lots done.  He's finished putting the cedar up in my new room.  It's gorgeous.  Almost a shame to paint it white!  Tomorrow he is cleaning the room and getting ready for drywall.  Lili's room is really close to done.  A bit of touch up paint to do and her window needs casing.  Can't go to Home Depot yet.  Lili's new mattress is an 8" foam.  It came in a small box so I made them wait to open it so I could see it unfurl.  It wasn't instant. Haha.  Fei reports that it took a day.  Also her platform bed is way too low so I ordered a boxspring.  Keeping commerce and goods moving.  Next we need to figure out a curtain and rod.  Then she can move in!  

The littles used the box as a canoe but no one took any pictures.

We're used to grocery shopping every few days so this once a week order is interesting.  Again, they all just take it in stride.  No complaining.  

School work is sporadic.  Sometimes it's just one on one fun.  

Disney monopoly, math and planning.

Tonight Lili and Fei took over the living room to have their piano lesson on Zoom.  Weird.  Eric and I escaped to our room to watch our phones.  He fell asleep!  Very rare...this was only 6:30.  Didn't last long...they all found us one by one and I shooed them away one by one until Kai came in and made demands loudly.  He wanted a lego kit opened and he has zero respect for sleeping people.  

Normally Sue arrives at the office before me and turns the heat on. Now it's just me and Sasha.  She objects to the cold mornings!

Leap Pad

Kai loved the pink leap pad! It's the perfect level for him. He quickly figured out how it works. He was reading along immediatly and the games were interesting to him. while allowing him a great level of success. Mama school win. Now he can read on his own.

Caged

The girls were catching up on tv shows they watch with me and I left the room to get the boys snack. When I got back they were on their old Webkinz site. Hillarious.  Possibly hitting a bit of boredom? I'm totally surprised their old accounts still work.

Eric picked up our order this morning.  I pay online.  He drives up, opens the hatch, calls the number, they load the groceries, he drives home.  Works pretty slick.  Even better when most of the order was there!  I've already started another order to make sure we get a spot.  Next Saturday at 1:00.  

Hmmm.  Found a turtle just wandering around by himself.  It was another quiet day.  Baths and clothes as though we might go somewhere.  We have a list of errands we would love to get to.  Oh well.  

Hidden Millie. These two are lovely together.  They hang around in my room most of the day.  Although Millie is letting me and Jia pet her occasionally she still much prefers Fei. 

We were all scattered in different rooms today. Socially distanced at home.  I texted the girls and told them to meet us in the driveway at 3. Haha.  Lili texted back that she was busy.  I responded with 'you don't have a lot of party invites these days'.  I told Luk the plan and he started asking questions.  I put my hand up and said 'this is your homework...meeting in the driveway at 3, figure it out'.  He looked excited and ran to explain to Kai.  Cute.  The boys were changed, shoes on and on time.  We played outside until super time.  We opened the big gate and the dog yard gates so we could do big laps around the house.  The outside breaks REALLY help. 

Saturday

I'm up. I'm dressed. Chores are started.  How boring.  Saturday is meant for fun.  The girls are still sleeping.  The boys are playing downstairs.  Eric is working.  I think putting mouldings in Lili's new room.  She needs a quieter place for online schooling.  So I asked Eric to shift gears to getting her a quiet space. So I've contemplated doing laundry or sorting clean clothes or cleaning bathrooms and instead parked myself on Sundays couch.  With my phone.  Me time.  Should last until someone is hungry.  

Sasha is enjoying some me time too. Haha. 

Eric Update

So most of you know Eric is continually asking me to slow down.  He often doesn't join us.  We invite him to everything.  Bonus when he comes.  He isn't thrilled with visiting parks and playgrounds and little nature walks and little outings just to fill the day.  He isn't fond of movie theatres or local cheesy entertainment and shopping isn't always fun for him.  He often joins mostly because food is involved.  Haha.

He also doesn't love how busy the kids are and wants them to have more time to actually get bored.  To have lazy days.

He is in a perpetual loop of too much to do and not enough time because he's always driving someone somewhere for something.  

So, ya, he's not struggling through the new reality.  He's been working in my sitting room this week. He also thinks we're the only people around to build a cat room.  I assured him we're not the only ones.  With a separate entrance to the little outside deck and a little kitchen put in the new room it's just a few seconds from being a rentable apartment.  Which we're not doing but it's a possibility and possibilities are good. 

Updates

We're all good. All healthy.  A week of isolation tomorrow.  Looking more and more like this will be the new normal for a long time.  I will be thrilled to be able to send Eric out for groceries in another week.  In the meantime we do have everything we need right now.  I have panicked about supplies for Luk.  I have spent a lot of time online and calling.  I didn't quite reach the point of calling out on facebook but it was getting close.  Yesterday part of an amazon order came.  I tried to reorder and they're out.  I tried Walmart online one more time this morning and it was up and running and I was able to put in an order.  Waiting to hear that it has shipped but cautiously optimistic we'll be good for a month with supplies and meds.  Phew.  

I'm still at work.  Not a lot to do but it does help things feel normal.  For all of us.  Routine is still in place. Sort of.

Mama school still carrie's on.  Luk and Jia love it.  Kai would rather be left to his own devices.  I have discovered that he likes to be included but only so long as it doesn't get hard.  So he joins for a few minutes and then I tell him he's done and he takes off to play.  I thought they could all just start at his level and have some time together but that was way too boring for Luk and Jia.  Luk is pretty clever.  He is slow but almost able to do what Jia is doing.  School is about half an hour with me.  Trying to get their reading done during the day so that's on Eric.  Luk is easy, he just does it.  Kai requires someone to read to him.  He has a few electronic reader books happening for on his own.  The girls had leap pads with read along pens that I'll resurrect for him.  He'll love them, they're pink :)  There were 3 of them, one of them must still work.  Jia finds reading boring. Trying to think of ways to get her to sit and get it done.  If only I could convince her the dogs want to hear her voice reading to them ;)  She says I need to bribe her.  Ugh.

So school is almost the same as any other day with the kids but we're pointing out what they're learning as we go. 

I gave away almost all of our puzzles after the flood.  Regret.  Haha.  

We must still be too freaking busy because it took us three nights to get through Frozen 2.  Just hard to fit it all in.  Also, Eric and I still have an episode of Outlander on the pvr and we're usually on that one.  

The real sadness is really for Lili.  Missing the last of her high school days.  She was full steam ahead with so much going on.  This is hard.  She did get a reference letter from her vice principal last night that was so amazing I wanted to cry.  

Pretty cool that our classroom was already in place.  

Jia was dressed! 

Luk's school work.  Make a rootbeer cake.  Diet cake. Made with zero calorie pop instead of eggs and oil.  Turned out great, just a bit crumbly but still moist.  I asked him if it tasted better because he made it.  Nope, apparently tastes the same ;)

Jia's school project. Learn Nertz. She had a hard time controlling her noises and movements. However.  She learned in ONE hand how to play. We did three rounds, Fei joined us for the second two.  We didn't have to watch her or remind her of how to play.  We weren't brutally fast with her but honestly she'll clearly be able to keep up in no time.  She liked the game.  The zany speed and competition will really work for her. She's already asking if we can play again.  She was also jealous that Luk's work was in the kitchen.  So tonight I'll have her make the salad.  She won't eat it but she loves cutting.  Tonight she'll have to do all the measuring too.  Math.  

Groceries

Staying home is hardish. We have food.  However, we don't have a large surplus.  I want to go to the store and see what's up.  But shouldn't. I've put two orders in so far...both came with lots of missing items.  I've had to order personal care items from Amazon.  That's new.  I haven't tried yet to get soap, tp, or hand sanitizer.  Oy.  I just tried to put in another order and can't get a pick up time until Sunday!!  So not that easy.  Three of us are still calorie counting and it's a tad more difficult if we can't get the lower calorie options.  I'll just keep ordering them over and over I guess.  Such bizarre times.  

Mama School

Mama School has started.  Mrs Nelson is pretty strict but school goes in short spurts.  Last night they loved it.  Today they were happy to get to it right up until the science experiment went south.  Haha.  Gross.  

Kai is a big toddler.  He has very little personal care skill.  Think age 2.  Possibly younger.  The sibs are often horrified at the levels of gross he perpetuates.  So tonight's lesson was how important soap is against germs.  Yes...the pepper in the bowl, dip a finger it's covered in germs/pepper then dip a finger in soap and the pepper shoots away when you dip the clean soap/finger in.  The kids dipped into the germs and had dirty fingers. Then they dipped in soap but before they could dip in the pepper Kai sneezed an epic sneeze that flew in all directions and mostly into the bowl.  Fei was leading the experiment and she leaped back so far she's not in the picture.  Check out the look on Luk and Jia's face.  Bah Hahaha.  Seriously.  You can't plan this stuff.  They really, really didn't want to stick their fingers in, so Kai did, happily and the circle that shot out around his finger was impressive.

For a history lesson we talked about what Saint Patrick's day was all about.  

I have a few other things planned for tonight but mostly I just want to hit the couch and watch Frozen 2 on Disney plus.

Day 1 of Quarantine

If we drove across BC we wouldn't have to self quarantine.  Because we crossed a border we're supposed to do our civic duty.  Because germs respect borders...oy.  We over 200% believe we all should self isolate if we're sick.  We are all still healthy.  

I don't work with the public and my co-worker is out sick with a cold so I am heading into work tomorrow but with the door closed.  

Eric picked up our groceries from online ordering today.  They did a pretty good job this time. There were only a couple minor swaps and a few items not available. Navy beans, canned corn, tinned soup and ground chicken. 

I sorted my undies and socks today. Amazing how good it felt to do that.  Combined them into one drawer. Trying to move out of my armoire slowly.  It's in the hallway.  Giving it to Luk.  Eric has been doing laundry all day.  I got a lot sorted and put away.  I did an online workout mirrored from YouTube onto the TV.  Couldn't talk kids or Eric into doing it with me. ;) We had a follow the leader dance party to some seriously silly country music. I went outside with the littles and the dogs to walk laps in the driveway versus walking on the treadmill. It was cold but sunny.  Jia kept a tally of laps. Luk and I did 25...Kai kept going and did 26. Jia worked like a mad fool making a track for us then zooming back to the beginning to mark our laps. We had a tight rope, jump spot, monster tracks, dance circle, spin spot, places to shout out who hoo, dog run and yes boi.  Haha. What a nut.  She also put in encouraging sayings for us.  Good job, you can do it, yay, keep going.  I didn't have my camera.  Isabel of course ran laps around us.  Jia marked her every time she crossed the line, she was well over 40.  Sasha did 3 1/2 laps!  She was following right behind me. Love it.  Just like Lacie.  Then she asked up and did the rest tucked in my coat.  

We barely saw the big girls. They came out for food.  Overall day one went well.  

Drawing contest.

In Canada

Our last public appearance, on the ferry.  They won't let you stay in your car on the lower deck.  We have the pod on the car which makes us overheight so we're on the bottom.  I put in an online grocery order with Superstore but the earliest pick up we can get is 5 tomorrow.  Now the rumor is the store is closing tomorrow.  Anyone?  Really?  Should we try to shop on our way home?  

Another fun drive.  

Border even quieter coming home.  It's eerie.

No issues.  They did casually ask if any of us were sick.  That was it.  

Heading Home

Shocking how fast things are changing with the pandemic.  We're on the way home. We were planning to slowly cruise home and find things to do along the way.  Instead we plowed through.  Had lupper at Heaven on Earth which was lovely. The giant cinnamon bun was awesome. Then right back to it.  We didn't want to stay in Washington.  Just in case the border people ask.  So booked a hotwire hotel in Portland.  It's a Quality Inn so at least we know it's a good breakfast tomorrow before we zoom through Washington.  Feels like our last bit of freedom here.  Quarantine tomorrow once we hit home.  Sort of scared to see what changes happen by tomorrow.  Also shocked at the stories of empty shelves.  Eric bought a giant bag of flour before we left so with 14 days of nothing to do will leave us time to make noodles everyday if need be.  Crazy.  None of us are sick.  None of us have seen any sick people.  Lots of fresh air.  Should never have joked that I could use the time at home to get stuff done!  Kids took the news in stride.  Jia was dismayed at first but once she knew she could still ride her bike in the yard she relaxed.  Boys were happy to hear more time off school.  Lili and Fei are quiet.  No panic yet.  Just me wondering what we'll do for 14 days!!  Just us.  Wondering out loud if moving into the moho and driving around would still count as quarantined...like if we kept to our site and did the social distance thing??  Or should we consider tackling watching a long series like Friends?  Wish I could offer to help anyone in need but we're going to be mia for a while!  Grateful we got to travel, grateful we get to come home to Canada, grateful we'll be quarantined at home and grateful we're all healthy.

Virginia City

Another family came up the stairs and we were all sitting posed, I asked if they'd take our picture.  They were happy to and while our crew filed out I stayed and took their family photo. Jia was horrified, apparently I'm SUPER CREEPY and she forbids me from ever doing that to them again.

The boys amuse themselves quite happily in the room.

New guard rail the whole way to Virginia City. Can not quantify how much I love that!

I was last up the rock stairs with Kai and found these two perched dangerously. They're insisting they're perfectly safe...I'm insisting they are not and demanding they get down.  Sheesh.  Like there isn't enough to worry about already.

Fun exploring the lookout spot we took pictures at on our wedding day.

The wedding photo up in our bedroom is this pose in this spot. Us looking to our future. Kids wanted to recreate it. Just sad really. We were soooo young then. 

Proving he will max and relax at every opportunity.

Kai was calling for my attention because he thought this pose was better.  Haha.  The leg in the air looks totally casual.

First stop...the old fashioned candy store.

Eating said candy.

Next, onto the Silver Queen for the traditional chili dogs with sarsaparilla. It's good to have family traditions, even if they're weird. Or maybe especially if they're weird ;)

Hello our Queen.

Of course.

X2

The haunted chapel. 

Most of the kids wanted to see the haunted hotel again so Eric walked them through.  Kai and I watched candy makers make fudge.

It smelled so good on the street. We got fresh warm samples. Yum.

And then we shopped a bit. Kai had another fit so Eric and the boys found a bench in the sun and chilled while the girls and I explored. I of course was chatting in all the stores.  Jia was telling me it's creepy and trying to move me along.  Haha. Virginia City is doing great. For off season there was a fair amount going on.  We walked for four hours.  It was good to get to the car and drive through Silver City and Carson City. 

We looked up an In and Out burgers and ate there on our way back to the hotel.  None of us wants to leave yet.  There are a few things/places we'd still like to visit.  Another road trip another day. Reno was a hit with the kids.

Heading out tomorrow morning. Planning to drive out on the boring highway.  Avoiding the narrow, curvy, snowy mountain pass.  Also...super bonus...we should be passing by Heaven on Earth around dinner time. So we're all cautiously excited about those dinner plate sized cinnamon buns.