The Covid-19 Files: Pinterest Edition

       I've got some time on my hands. I was fortunate enough to have a long-term sub job that I continued into the first three weeks of quarantine. It was wonderful working from home, in my pajamas, able to throw in a load of laundry when I needed to, or take a break when I needed to. Teachers here weren't really set up to teach digitally and while our state was trying to figure out the best way to approach our new reality, teachers were free to assign pretty much whatever they wanted as long as it didn't involve new curriculum (that has changed now of course). I had fun assigning my 7th grade science students TED Talks, online interactives, and interesting articles about space (which was the unit we had started one day before they closed our school). Then my job assignment was finished and the teacher who had been on maternity leave came back...well, not physically but in a virtual sense.
       So, I find myself with some extra time and the desire to fill it in a productive way. Don't get me wrong, not all my free time will be productive; I'm only on season 3 of a Mad Men rewatch and we purchased the new Animal Crossing game for the Switch the day it came out. I do want most of my time to be productive though.
     Just this last weekend I decided to reorganize and filter through my Pinterest boards. I added new, more specific boards for pins that had grown into their own beasts, added sections to already established boards, and deleted items I no longer needed. During all this, I realized one way I could fill my time is by actually doing some of the things I've pinned over the years. I mean, I'm always saying I don't have time to do them, but now I have nothing but time! Then another thought occurred to me- I should document my Pinterest journey! Let's face it, I'm bound to have some "nailed it" moments and I'd love to share those with you. I'd also love to find good pins and pass them on for others to try.
       My plan is to complete (or at least start, depending on the scope of the project) 3-5 pins a week and post here on my blog Monday-Wednesday and Thursday/Friday if warranted. So stay tuned and I hope you enjoy the show!

The Covid-19 Files: The Stages of Quarantine

       Back in January we couldn't have imagined we'd be where we are right now. We are spending more time at home than we ever have in our lives. Whether you're working from home, displaced and waiting out the storm, or working the front lines- you are spending more time at home. This new reality isn't without its side effects. As the quarantine marches on we shift through different stages, stages that are a direct result of having too much time on our hands and understanding that we shouldn't spend all our time on our phones playing Candy Crush. I've compiled a list of the quarantine stages so you can check your progress and prepare for what comes next.

Stage #1 Panic: This is the first stage most of us went through to some degree. People started hoarding toilet paper, hand soap, and hand sanitizer at such an alarming rate that even the cool-headed bunch had to partake in a little panic shopping just to make sure they weren't left with nothing to wipe their butts when the apocalypse was neigh. If you weren't among those stockpiling Costco toilet paper in your garage than you at least scoped out the paper aisle when you popped into the grocery store and bought a package or two when you were lucky enough to find it.

Stage #2 Movie Night: You suddenly found yourself with more time on our hands. Even if you still had to work during the day there was nothing else to do at night except be home. Suddenly, it was impossible to find microwaveable popcorn at the store as everyone had the simultaneous great idea for a movie night! Some of us binge-watched TV shows while others began shooting for lofty movie goals (e.g., watch every Brad Pitt movie, watch every Best Picture Nominee for 2020, etc).

Stage #3 Bake: You found a way to fill your evenings with TV and movies but now you needed something to do during the day and baking seemed liked the perfect solution. Plus, you were able to use all those bananas your kids didn't eat but were purchased during the Panic stage.

Stage #3.5 Walking: The combination of being a couch potato and baking led you to realize you better start moving or else when you're allowed in public again you'll need to be rolled out and you will definitely not be beach body ready for summer. So you started walking, either with the family, a significant other, or just by yourself- enjoying a favorite podcast as you passed by dozens of others in the same stage. This stage continues in the background as you move on to the next stage. It's simply part of your life now. You walk.

Stage #4 Board Games/Jigsaw Puzzles: You've gotten through every Jack Black movie, or maybe you finally caught up with The Handmaid's Tale, what now? You could jump right into the next TV/movie goal but you feel like you need a break. Time to bust out a board game, dust off your jigsaw puzzles and invite the whole family to gather round (or maybe dive in solo). Puzzles that haven't been put together in years and you don't even remember purchasing take up all the space on your dining room table, forcing everyone to eat on the couch or standing up in the kitchen.

Stage #5 Organization/Cleaning: You've baked your weight in flour and sugar but the stores haven't restocked yet so you look around and find there are lots of things to do around the house that don't cost any money and will improve your daily life. So you start cleaning. It starts with the most common of chores; sweeping, mopping, dusting (not in that order, I'm not a barbarian) and then it moves to the more uncommon ventures; cleaning all your blinds one-by-one, wiping down the top of the baseboards, taking apart your dishwasher and cleaning all the little traps and doodads. You find something to alphabetize, you organize all the files on your computer and finally figure out what "the cloud" is.

Stage #6 Remodel/Buy things: While cleaning and reorganizing your house you start to notice little things (and later, big things) that could stand to be replaced or changed. Maybe it's time to order and install new flooring, or buy a new piece of furniture online. For some, it's major projects like building a new deck and for some it's small, rearranging your living room furniture to be more feng shui.

Stage #7 Online Shopping: While online, looking for inspiration for your home, you maybe ventured over to Amazon to check the price of something, then you took a look at your wishlist, then maybe you decided you could use a couple of those items now since you'll have so much time to use/play/admire them. Maybe you ordered yourself a few new lounge-around-the-house outfits since you seem to be going through the ones you already own at alarming rate.

Stage #8 Obscure Small Projects: Online shopping led you down a rabbit hole that included a world of tie dye, paint-by-numbers, macrame, and wood burning. You order a couple projects but two-day shipping appears to be a thing of the past so you'll have to wait a couple weeks while your packages are making their doggy paddle across the Pacific, so you might as well go back to Stage #2 and repeat until it arrives.

In Memory of Blue

     We adopted Blue in October 2005 from a shelter in Arizona that was having an Adopt-a-thon. We waited in line for three hours just to walked through the kennel and view the dogs. As soon as I stepped foot inside I decided to just take the first dog that wasn't already adopted because if we passed on a dog I'd worry that they didn't get adopted. We walked past a dozen kennels that had "I've been adopted," signs on them, then there was a kennel with no sign. The dog inside was a German Shepherd/Chow, she was seven months old and believed to always have been a stray before she was brought to the shelter. She was a good medium size dog (at the time at least) and her orange fur and spotted tongue made her stand out. I told Adam, "That's the dog, let's get her," and that was it.

     I've never really thought about how events could have been altered  just so, and we may never had adopted Blue. For starters, one of the hundreds of other people in line that night might have chosen her before us. What if we weren't even there that night because we never saw the advertisement? The truth is; she was always meant to be a part of our lives.

     Our relationship wasn't perfect; she barked at everything, she constantly stepped on my bare feet with her raptor claw toenails (my own fault for procrastinating making her grooming appointment), and sometimes, if I'd put off sweeping (and again, getting her groomed) I'd sweep up enough fur to make a whole 'nother dog. In my darkest moments I'd think about getting rid of her. I'd think that she was just too much for us and she'd be better off living with someone else. Thank God I never went through with it.

       I remember the first time she got out and ran away. We had only had her a few months so she was still less than a year old- and boy was she fast! I had opened the front door for something and she just bolted, in just a few seconds I couldn't even see her anymore. I put Riley and Allie in the car, they were only four and two, and we drove around the neighborhood. The kids were young and panicked that we wouldn't find her, I assured them that I'd keep looking until we did but after circling around for the umpteenth time there was nothing else I could do. She was gone.
      I turned down our street and as I approached our house there was Blue! Sitting in the front yard with her tongue hanging out, one ear perfectly pointed up and the other a little floppy. I parked and opened my door, ready to grab her if she tried to bolt again, but she didn't run away, she ran right up to the car with her tail wagging. She got out a few more times over the years but it was always the same thing; a few minutes of exploration and adventure and then she'd come back home, ready for a drink and a nap. That damn dog drove me crazy.

     But she was our Blue dog. Named after a children's cartoon the night we adopted her. I thought of the name but told Adam the kids came up with it so he'd think it was cute and go with it. I didn't tell him until years later that I lied about that but it was too late to change her name by then.

     She never failed to greet us when we returned home and every night she slept right outside Riley and Allie's bedroom doors, even though she had a nice comfy bed downstairs; she wanted to be near her family.  When we moved from Arizona to Washington she made the trip with us and rode next to Adam in the moving truck for 1,400 miles, and when we arrived at our new house with its big backyard and lush green grass, the first thing Blue did was flop herself down on the grass, flip over to her back, and rub back and forth for, I swear, five solid minutes! She was in heaven.

      She was the best dog. She didn't deserve the ending she got. She didn't deserve to struggle. She didn't deserve to be terrified. She was supposed to be seventeen, an old dog, who's body had started shutting down so we make the hard decision to put her down. It's sad, but it's peaceful. She wasn't supposed to die in the seat next to Adam as he raced to the vet at 6am, knowing already that it would be too late. Adam, with his hand on her the whole time, yelling at her to hold on and fight!

     The vet thinks Blue had a tumor that must have ruptured. There was no way for us to know.

     When my mom heard the news she started crying, she told my brother, "I just loved that dog," his reply was, "We all did." That's true, everyone who met her loved her, how could you not? She had nothing but love to give and love was all she wanted in return.

     We will miss her terribly.  Our hearts are broken.

    

Jan: The Plight of the Middle Child

Originally written in 2014.  
  
     Shortly after the babies were born, Adam's mom was at our house visiting and she was telling us at what ages Adam had hit certain milestones; rolling over, sitting up, walking, etc. I was trying to recollect when Riley and Allie had done these things but for the life of me I couldn't remember. (Gimmie a break- I had just had twins and I was lucky if I remembered my kids' names at that point!) (Side story: the other day someone asked me how much the twins weighed when they were born and I couldn't remember!! I told her they weighed six pounds each just so she wouldn't think I was the worst mom ever.)

     Anyway, I decided I would go out to the garage and unearth Riley's baby book. We had a lot of fun sitting at the dining room table, looking through the pages and reliving the memories written inside. When we finished going through the book Allisan, who up to this point had been enjoying hearing all about when Riley was a baby, looked up expectantly,

     "Can we look at my baby book?"

     I stared at her unblinking. I was in trouble.

     "Umm, you don't have a baby book..."

     Oh my goodness, you should have seen the look on her face. The unfortunate truth is that Allisan was victim to the Second Child Blur. Riley was two when Allie was born and I had no time or energy to put together a baby book for her. I was changing diapers, wiping booties, nursing, cooking for a two year old, and oh-by-the-way I was working nights at Game Stop.

     My own mom put together a beautiful baby book for me, I still have it. For James; she purchased the book but only filled in the first couple pages. Katie has a book that remains completely blank. By the time she had Vickie and Chris she had given up buying the books because she knew she wouldn't do anything with them.

     Allie couldn't believe that I didn't have a book for her. I asked if she wanted me to put one together for her birthday and she told me yes. So now I have to pretend I remember enough to write it all down. I'm in trouble.



     




     

 

Nanny nanny boo boo!

     Last night, after the babies went to bed, Adam and I played Settlers of Catan with our older two. As always there was laughter, yelling, and more than a few tears. This is just how board games go at our house; Allisan talks a big game for an 11 year old but when you start dishing it back to her, out come the waterworks. Good luck stopping them once they start too:

     "Allie chill out, we're just having fun."

     "I can't help it!! (sob sob sob) I don't like when dad/Riley/you make fun of mehehehe!!"

     "Oh my God. We aren't making fun of you; we're teasing you the same way you were teasing us when you were winning. Calm down, stop crying."

     "I'm trying!! It doesn't help when you keep talking about it!!"

     So then you just have to ignore her because if anyone even tries to speak to her during the calming down phase we have to start all over.
     Look, I can totally relate- I'm a cryer too; I cry when I'm sad, I cry when I'm mad, I cry when I'm happy, I cry when some college student wins a car on The Price is Right and when the Star Spangled Banner is sung before a sporting event. I hate it. So, I feel for her, I really do, but look:
     Teasing is an important part of the family dynamic, especially in a large family. I'm the oldest of five and any of my siblings will tell you that picking on each other was an important part of growing up. I'm not talking about big T Trauma here, just a sprinkling of verbal jabs.
     With a kid count of four we qualify as a large family now and it's every man, woman, and child for themselves.
     During one of the more fun moments of our game I caught myself thinking about what it'll be like when the babies are old enough to play the games we enjoy- and then I realized by the time they're old enough to play Settlers and Smallworld and Ticket to Ride and Pandemic, Riley will be in his...twenties!...excuse me while I pass out.

Taking Forgetfulness to a Whole New Level

     (This story has been sitting as draft for months now. When I went to publish what I had written the computer froze and I lost all but the first two paragraphs. I had poured so much humor and wit (!!) into round one that I was too mentally exhausted to redo it. Now months have gone by and I've finally finished it.)
     I had just put the twins to bed and I told Adam he was in charge while I stepped out to grab half & half along with a few other groceries. It was dark and it had been sprinkling on and off all evening. I really enjoy my grocery store trips- it's my little break from poopy diapers and warm spit-up- and this evening was no different, I rolled my window down just enough to let in some cool autumn air, I cranked up the radio which was playing Iggy Azalea's Fancy, and I did my best to rap in time while gesticulating in my minivan.
     I arrived at my local Fred Meyer, got my cart, took out my list, and charted my course. I took my time choosing bell peppers- looking over each one individually, chose my bananas at a leisurely pace, contemplated buying a cheesecake (my will power held up and I passed), and checked out a few clearance carts. After grabbing my last item- the half & half for our morning coffee, I made my way to the check stands.
     After paying for my goods ($56?!? I swear all I bought were a few produce items and creamer) I left the store and made my way back to my van. I could tell that something was off even from a distance because the cabin light was on, I thought that was weird. The van was parked with the driver side facing away from the store but as I rounded the back of the van I saw the reason for the light being on. The driver-side door was wide open.
     Crap! Someone broke into the van. This was my first thought. I jumped in and did a quick check, "Hmmm strange, the only items that someone would bother stealing are still here." The realization sunk in: I had parked, opened my door, gotten out, and then just walked away from my van. Who does that?? Obviously an exhausted mother of four including twin newborns does that. Thank goodness no one took anything, it would have been so easy. This was probably what kept would-be thieves from taking anything; it was too easy, it must be a trap, or someone else must be inside the van- why else would the door be open?
     I have a feeling this is just me now- this is what I do. I suppose I should just embrace it, people will understand.

Claiming Originality is Unoriginal

There are a number of amusing lists out there that begin with, "You know you're the parent of twins when..." and for a parent of twins these are pretty funny to read. Each time I read something like this there are two items that always make my chuckle because they're so true:

1) "You will hear the same questions over and over again from random strangers every time you venture out with the little ones." I would also add, "and the people who ask these questions will believe they are being original."

2) Every time you see a parent with a baby you will instantly look for "the other one".

I'm going to address both of these thoughts here because this is my blog and that's what it's here for- my trivial musings.

Item number one: I know we've all been guilty of this from time to time. I'm sure that when I told that guy at the grocery store who was really tall that he was really tall I wasn't the first one to point this out to him, but now I'm on the other end of things and it's annoying! Here are phrases and questions we hear nearly every time we leave the house:

Oh look, twins!
Wow, you have your hands full
You must be busy
Both boys or...?
Do twins run in your family?
Are they identical?
At least you have some helpers! (speaking about the older two)

These seven things are all we ever hear come out of people's mouths anymore. That's it. Nothing else. Just once I'd like someone to ask about the consistency of their stools. You know, just to spice things up.

Item numero two: I didn't really think this would happen to me but I catch myself doing this all the time now. I'll be out at the mall and there's a mom and dad sitting on a bench getting baby out of the stroller and I glance around to take a look at the other baby, only there is no other baby because not everyone has twins. I'm crocheting something cute for my sister who is pregnant with her first baby and when I was figuring out how much yarn I would need I caught myself thinking, "Ok and times two would be..."