Quarantine Reads

I'd love to say that the boys have read all the books in the house at this point . . . as we begin our 11th week being home for Shelter in Place -- but they decided early on that story time was no longer their favorite morning activity. Now they bolt out of bed and start playing with all the toys. Books are pushed aside and only for really "boring" moments.

Except for the audio books. Those have remained a favorite past time. Maybe become even more of a favorite in the last few weeks. The boys love to listen to "Geronimo Stilton" stories. That's it. That's all they want to listen to these days. I'm trying to add in new books, new stories and characters but with very little luck. As long as they are enjoying it, I'll let it be so.

But what about mom? What is she reading?

I've been reading a lot. I've been trying to read the books I have at home, preferring a physical book to my kindle reader and audio books just don't hold my attention much at all. But most of my books are parenting books or I've already read them! Our neighbor has a little lending library shelf near the sidewalk and I've picked up a couple of books there. But for the life of me, I can't remember the titles and already passed them on. Oh well, they were very much enjoyed.

Other titles I've read (and remember) are:
 - Hold on, but don't Hold Still, by Kristina Kuzmic
 - Surprised by Motherhood, by Lisa-Jo Baker
 - The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson (ebook)
 - The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn (ebook)
 - Chasing Vines by Beth Moore (Audiobook)

I'm so thankful that we have online reading options. That we really aren't stuck with the books we own on our shelves. I'm so thankful for the little "book house" (as we call it) around the corner that allows us to share books with neighbors. I'm thankful I get a few hours during the evenings/weekends and random moments during the week to enjoy a book!

What are you reading?

I'd love to say that the boys have read all the books in the house at this point . . . as we begin our 11th week being home for Shelter in Place -- but they decided early on that story time was no longer their favorite morning activity. Now they bolt out of bed and start playing with all the toys. Books are pushed aside and only for really "boring" moments.

Except for the audio books. Those have remained a favorite past time. Maybe become even more of a favorite in the last few weeks. The boys love to listen to "Geronimo Stilton" stories. That's it. That's all they want to listen to these days. I'm trying to add in new books, new stories and characters but with very little luck. As long as they are enjoying it, I'll let it be so.

But what about mom? What is she reading?

I've been reading a lot. I've been trying to read the books I have at home, preferring a physical book to my kindle reader and audio books just don't hold my attention much at all. But most of my books are parenting books or I've already read them! Our neighbor has a little lending library shelf near the sidewalk and I've picked up a couple of books there. But for the life of me, I can't remember the titles and already passed them on. Oh well, they were very much enjoyed.

Other titles I've read (and remember) are:
 - Hold on, but don't Hold Still, by Kristina Kuzmic
 - Surprised by Motherhood, by Lisa-Jo Baker
 - The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson (ebook)
 - The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn (ebook)
 - Chasing Vines by Beth Moore (Audiobook)

I'm so thankful that we have online reading options. That we really aren't stuck with the books we own on our shelves. I'm so thankful for the little "book house" (as we call it) around the corner that allows us to share books with neighbors. I'm thankful I get a few hours during the evenings/weekends and random moments during the week to enjoy a book!

What are you reading?

Preschooler B2: Four Years Old

Today, my baby turned 4 years old. So much of the past four years seems to be a blur and yet I can find myself lying awake at night remembering the night he was born, me loosing my phone at the clinic while picking up the breast pump and not knowing the way home, the rush to urgent care with my itty bitty baby who wasn't keeping food down (it turned out he just had reflux), the drive to the appointment to get his lip tie corrected, racing to the ER after he fell down the stairs . . . the anxieties I've had while mothering this child stay close and like to revisit me when I'm supposed to be sleeping.

But thankfully, the last four years have also brought many reasons to laugh and give thanks. He makes the best faces - especially his angry face, it cracks me up every time.  His smile is pretty great too, obviously! He loves and hates being tickled. His laugh is contagious. He is healthy. He loves to cuddle. He loves being cozy, all wrapped up in blankets with his many stuffed animals.

or playing Zingo with them

Stephen has grown a lot this year-- in body, personality, and skills. He's 41 inches tall and 35 pounds. He is starting to recognize more of his letters and can count to 30 on his own (with a little help with "20"). He loves to draw and sticks to geometric shapes, lines and circles . . . but to him they are diggers and shovels and machines.

He loves to run and climb and jump, all things that have become quite challenging while sheltering in place. We do make it outside nearly every day and more recently he and William have taken up fighting trees with sticks, digging for worms, and climbing trees. Tumbling also came into the mix with our couch a month ago, so I purchased some thick foam so he could have his own tumbling pad in hopes of keeping him and my couch safe from harm, but in reality it made him much more daring.

Stephen has always been more aggressive than his brother but as long as we kept active this was usually not a huge issue. But with staying home more and not having our normal outlets for active play, he struggles keeping his emotions and body in check. He is a little boy with very big emotions and oftentimes doesn't have the words to ask for what he needs.

The one thing I want to remember about Stephen at this age is his love for his brother. They have been doing everything together for 8 weeks at this point and Stephen loves it. William thinks it's "annoying" but I treasure it. Stephen is learning how to do so many "bigger boy" things just to be able to keep up with William -- play Pokemon, building with legos, imagination play and using a computer (eek!). 

can't forget that we are in our 9th week of Covid-19 Precautions

Other things that are his favorites: construction toys (he says he wants to be a construction worker when he grows up), building with duplos or legos, Richard Scarry books, Little Critter books, and collecting sticks.

He is growing so quickly, it's amazing to watch all the things start to "click" - like counting and letter sounds and listening/doing what we ask him to do (sometimes). He is a handful a lot of the time-- with his risk taking and need for adventure but this growing boy is also a joy and my heart is full.

Today, my baby turned 4 years old. So much of the past four years seems to be a blur and yet I can find myself lying awake at night remembering the night he was born, me loosing my phone at the clinic while picking up the breast pump and not knowing the way home, the rush to urgent care with my itty bitty baby who wasn't keeping food down (it turned out he just had reflux), the drive to the appointment to get his lip tie corrected, racing to the ER after he fell down the stairs . . . the anxieties I've had while mothering this child stay close and like to revisit me when I'm supposed to be sleeping.

But thankfully, the last four years have also brought many reasons to laugh and give thanks. He makes the best faces - especially his angry face, it cracks me up every time.  His smile is pretty great too, obviously! He loves and hates being tickled. His laugh is contagious. He is healthy. He loves to cuddle. He loves being cozy, all wrapped up in blankets with his many stuffed animals.

or playing Zingo with them

Stephen has grown a lot this year-- in body, personality, and skills. He's 41 inches tall and 35 pounds. He is starting to recognize more of his letters and can count to 30 on his own (with a little help with "20"). He loves to draw and sticks to geometric shapes, lines and circles . . . but to him they are diggers and shovels and machines.

He loves to run and climb and jump, all things that have become quite challenging while sheltering in place. We do make it outside nearly every day and more recently he and William have taken up fighting trees with sticks, digging for worms, and climbing trees. Tumbling also came into the mix with our couch a month ago, so I purchased some thick foam so he could have his own tumbling pad in hopes of keeping him and my couch safe from harm, but in reality it made him much more daring.

Stephen has always been more aggressive than his brother but as long as we kept active this was usually not a huge issue. But with staying home more and not having our normal outlets for active play, he struggles keeping his emotions and body in check. He is a little boy with very big emotions and oftentimes doesn't have the words to ask for what he needs.

The one thing I want to remember about Stephen at this age is his love for his brother. They have been doing everything together for 8 weeks at this point and Stephen loves it. William thinks it's "annoying" but I treasure it. Stephen is learning how to do so many "bigger boy" things just to be able to keep up with William -- play Pokemon, building with legos, imagination play and using a computer (eek!). 

can't forget that we are in our 9th week of Covid-19 Precautions

Other things that are his favorites: construction toys (he says he wants to be a construction worker when he grows up), building with duplos or legos, Richard Scarry books, Little Critter books, and collecting sticks.

He is growing so quickly, it's amazing to watch all the things start to "click" - like counting and letter sounds and listening/doing what we ask him to do (sometimes). He is a handful a lot of the time-- with his risk taking and need for adventure but this growing boy is also a joy and my heart is full.

Shelter in Place: Week 7

We just finished week 7 of sheltering in place . . . 50 days since William has been home from school. March moved at a snails pace and we struggled to find some sort of structure that could be maintained as long as necessary. April did go by much faster, but last week San Francisco announced the mandate to shelter in place would be extended for another month, with a few restrictions being loosened (construction workers can work, realtors can sell homes and people can move, and a few others).

April had a few special celebrations -- I should say holidays that I tried to make special. The first was Easter -- we decorated eggs, did virtual church, and I hid eggs in the common area of our building. The boys loved it.

The second was Chris's birthday. Typically on his birthday I would give him the day "off" --he could go wherever he wanted for the whole day (usually includes a museum, movie, cafe, etc). Since that wasn't happening this month we will postpone his actual day off. This year, I made him homemade ice cream and brownies, put up a banner, had the kids make cards and he opened gifts from his family. The kids thought it was great and a lot of fun. Chris can't wait for his day off.

Our routine has changed a bit with William's class beginning distance learning. He has a zoom call with his class three times a week that lasts about an hour and then a couple of extra small group calls during the week for extra help. I love that he is getting more exposure to Spanish and that his teacher is really focusing on William's reading, speaking and comprehension in the language. In just two weeks his pronunciation has gotten back to where it was back in March. His reading level will get back to where it was too with a bit more practice.

How does William like distance learning? He really doesn't like it. He loves his teacher but he doesn't like zoom calls; he would also much rather play than do homework or read. He does really well in a classroom environment but that isn't the same as Zoom. After each call he says it went fine and he had fun, but he still struggles before every call.

Stephen loves being home with William. He sits right by his side most of the day and thankfully William doesn't seem to mind it too much. When we don't get outside he literally bounces around the room. He runs up and down the halls and jumps on everything. I bought a big foam cushion for him to have some extra padding . . . both for his safety and to save my couches. He is having some fun learning to do somersaults and handstands.

I don't know if it is an actual regression or if he is just out of practice having to talk, but he doesn't use words as much as he used to. He groans to get our attention and tries to tell us things with grunts and sounds. We are working on this with him, but I'm hoping that once we can be around people again, his speech returns to normal.

We've been taking the boys to the nearby park to play in the trees. They've been collecting sticks and making weapons to fight the trees and now they are in a bug collecting phase. Please, let this be a phase. They haven't been running around as much with this type of outdoor play but I also like that they can be in nature instead of on a soccer field everyday. The truth is, they probably need both everyday and that's hard for me to make happen.

Chris and I are doing well; Chris manages working from home with ease. Although I know he'd prefer to be in the office and face to face with his co-workers. We have a nice rhythm for our days and I enjoy the extra help with the boys and getting to eat all our meals together. We started ordering take-out dinner once a week - to give me a break from cooking and to just have a little fun with new food.

Not much else is going on in our house!

How are you hanging in there?

We just finished week 7 of sheltering in place . . . 50 days since William has been home from school. March moved at a snails pace and we struggled to find some sort of structure that could be maintained as long as necessary. April did go by much faster, but last week San Francisco announced the mandate to shelter in place would be extended for another month, with a few restrictions being loosened (construction workers can work, realtors can sell homes and people can move, and a few others).

April had a few special celebrations -- I should say holidays that I tried to make special. The first was Easter -- we decorated eggs, did virtual church, and I hid eggs in the common area of our building. The boys loved it.

The second was Chris's birthday. Typically on his birthday I would give him the day "off" --he could go wherever he wanted for the whole day (usually includes a museum, movie, cafe, etc). Since that wasn't happening this month we will postpone his actual day off. This year, I made him homemade ice cream and brownies, put up a banner, had the kids make cards and he opened gifts from his family. The kids thought it was great and a lot of fun. Chris can't wait for his day off.

Our routine has changed a bit with William's class beginning distance learning. He has a zoom call with his class three times a week that lasts about an hour and then a couple of extra small group calls during the week for extra help. I love that he is getting more exposure to Spanish and that his teacher is really focusing on William's reading, speaking and comprehension in the language. In just two weeks his pronunciation has gotten back to where it was back in March. His reading level will get back to where it was too with a bit more practice.

How does William like distance learning? He really doesn't like it. He loves his teacher but he doesn't like zoom calls; he would also much rather play than do homework or read. He does really well in a classroom environment but that isn't the same as Zoom. After each call he says it went fine and he had fun, but he still struggles before every call.

Stephen loves being home with William. He sits right by his side most of the day and thankfully William doesn't seem to mind it too much. When we don't get outside he literally bounces around the room. He runs up and down the halls and jumps on everything. I bought a big foam cushion for him to have some extra padding . . . both for his safety and to save my couches. He is having some fun learning to do somersaults and handstands.

I don't know if it is an actual regression or if he is just out of practice having to talk, but he doesn't use words as much as he used to. He groans to get our attention and tries to tell us things with grunts and sounds. We are working on this with him, but I'm hoping that once we can be around people again, his speech returns to normal.

We've been taking the boys to the nearby park to play in the trees. They've been collecting sticks and making weapons to fight the trees and now they are in a bug collecting phase. Please, let this be a phase. They haven't been running around as much with this type of outdoor play but I also like that they can be in nature instead of on a soccer field everyday. The truth is, they probably need both everyday and that's hard for me to make happen.

Chris and I are doing well; Chris manages working from home with ease. Although I know he'd prefer to be in the office and face to face with his co-workers. We have a nice rhythm for our days and I enjoy the extra help with the boys and getting to eat all our meals together. We started ordering take-out dinner once a week - to give me a break from cooking and to just have a little fun with new food.

Not much else is going on in our house!

How are you hanging in there?