Quality Quarantine

We could get used to this. Unfortunately it looks like we HAVE to with no other options.

Maggie's sweet gym coach is coming to our house for social distanced private lessons. The beautiful spring weather makes lessons in the front yard ideal!

Rosie is enjoying all the forced time at home most of all with endless walks and endless attention.

This Is Not So Bad

We are almost finished with Week 2 of social distancing, and everyone seems to be settling into the new normal. I am afraid to admit it, but I am starting to love our little bubble.

The break from all the rushing around has been so good for our family. After the morning of school work, the kids are able to play outside and we can eat a home cooked meal as a family. Tuttle and Maggie even made dinner by themselves with very limited help from Daddy for the first time ever. It was very yummy!

I have tried to mix up the learning with unconventional projects, including a stain glass painting in the playroom. All three kids took the assignment very seriously, and now our windows are shining bright with colors!

We are getting outside as much as possible, and the weather has been GORGEOUS. I could not imagine being stuck inside with cold temperatures or constant rain.

Maggie and Daddy completed a 750 piece puzzle almost by themselves. I typically take over puzzles, so I tried to stay away until the end. Maggie was dedicated to finishing it in just a few days.

No one is complaining about sleeping in and wearing pajamas for majority of the day. The children may be turning into sloths, but at least they are cute and snuggly.

The only complaint I  have is ALL THE DISHES. I forgot that everyone has to eat three times a day plus snack. The dishwasher is constantly on. I have been able to clean and organize the house for spring. All the winter clothes are packed up!

I know we will be ready to escape out of the house soon, but right now we are all enjoying the social distancing from others and more time as our little family. Having Daddy home all the time is spoiling us! :)

A Magical Escape

We drove to Madison to pick Rosie up from the vet on Saturday and stumbled upon one of our most fun family days ever. After cruising around Madison and enjoying the absolutely beautiful weather, Jay checked in with his childhood friend, Andrea, who offered to let us stop by her empty family farm to explore. With the focus on social distancing, it was a dream to visit such a magical place without anyone in sight. 

I cannot begin to describe how amazing the farm is. I literally called Gram and showed her every nook and cranny. 

We left the city and all our troubles behind while we fished, jumped on the trampoline, visited the cows, and roasted s'mores around a fire pit. I could not resist calling Andrea and asking if we could spend the night. We were not ready for the escape to end.

The kids proclaimed it one of their best days ever. I could not agree more. With all the stress back home with the pandemic, the unexpected spring day in Social Circle was welcomed with open arms.

We cannot thank Andrea and her family enough for allowing us to visit. We will never forget our social distancing day in the country!

Social Distancing

We are on day 4 of social distancing. We have not left the house except for a quick run for more groceries and to drop Rosie off at the vet this morning to stay two days for a routine surgery. To be honest my emotions have run all over the place.

The first day was exciting. I was able to return to my old love of teaching, and both kids (especially Maggie) were motivated to complete the assignments. Sleeping in until 8am was also an added bonus.

Day two was a huge struggle. I think the reality hit me that this self quarantine is serious and there is no end in sight. The kids' virtual learning seemed never ending. I had to make an emergency stress run to Costco to load up on snacks and easy meals. After spending $300 and stuffing my car with all the things, I did feel a little better.

I am now earning a Michelin Star over here....

Wednesday started off better, but the evening ended with an early bedtime for the kids because of bickering and disrespect. I take some responsibility for adding some anxiety because I was discussing the virus so much and the impact on our reality. There is such a fine line between being honest with your kids about a life changing stress and trying to make everything happy. I have to remember that the older ones are still little despite how mature they can act.

Today we broke the schedule and drove to Madison to drop off Rosie. It was a quick trip with very limited outside contact, but it helped to get dressed in actual clothes and see spring flowers in bloom. We are trying to escape outside as much as possible without interacting with others.

Luckily Daddy has been able to work from home all week which helps tremendously with the stress and extra mess that the kids create throughout the day. He is able to work from his office with limited distractions, and we see him at breakfast, lunch, and frequently a walk around the block for some fresh air. We are so lucky that Amazon is flexible enough to allow their employees to observe some social distancing.

I do not think we will be returning to a normal schedule any time soon, but we are healthy and reconnecting. I need to relax and accept that I cannot control the future.

Coronavirus Crisis

Our lives have changed a lot in the past week with the news of the Coronavirus spreading across the United States. We have stocked up on food, prepared to start school from home (with no set date to return), and eliminated upcoming plans.

The most heart breaking cancellation was Anne and Matt's wedding this weekend in Athens. We had been looking forward to this momentous occasion for a while, so Matt could officially join our family. We met together with close friends and family in Athens to be there for the couple. I hope they reschedule in the future although we already view Matt as a Corbitt.

We are hopeful that this self quarantine will help flatten the curve of the spread of Coronavirus. I know the Thorne household will feel like a circus in the next few days.

But at least my circus family is going to stay healthy, and we are ready to hunker down.

Sunshine and Soccer

After 100 days of rain, the sun finally showed up and everyone was eager to get outside!

Jacob participated in his first ever soccer game on Saturday despite never practicing with his team due to all the rain. He was very excited to take the field, but he quickly got a little intimidated with the action and refused to play after about ten minutes. Tuttle and Maggie even tried bribing him with a sleepover in Tuttle's room and a trip to the gas station for candy after the game, but Jacob was not budging.

Today Jacob had his first practice and was adamant that he did not want to play soccer- he said he was a baby. While I love hearing that he is still a little boy, I convinced him to try it out, and he had a blast. Hopefully we can get in back on the field for a game, too!

We are crossing our fingers that this sunshine means warmer weather is in our near future.