The Saturday 7

Just another week . . . in quarantine (you have to sing that phrase to "Just Another Day in Paradise" by Phil Vassar).

1. Thanks again for all the love, kind words, and prayers regarding my breakdown last week. This week was much better. I wish I could pinpoint what makes the difference. Maybe it all just builds, explodes, then goes back to slowly building again? We did have beautiful weather most of the week, and I'm noticing that makes a big difference in my mental state. Regardless of whether or not I personally even spend time outside, having that extra play-space for my kids to burn off some energy is huge.

2. On Tuesday, Justin's dad dropped off our old basketball hoop. (We had it at our old house, but it's been sitting at Justin's parents' house for 7 years. Ha!) It was a gorgeous day (warm enough that I actually broke out the shorts!), and we all had a blast shooting hoops. I was amazed that even Lucy got in on the action!

I was surprisingly good at making baskets, and feeling pretty good about myself until Justin told me it was lowered to 8 feet. Haha. I'm proud anyway. And sore. So sore.

3. The problem with the warm weather is this:

In the past couple of weeks we've noticed some new girls two houses down that are exactly Lena and Levi's ages. I don't think they moved in. I'm wondering if they're staying with grandparents. Anyway, Levi loves them and always wants to be over there. Levi knows he's only allowed to ride his bike two houses down if I'm not with him. So he goes as far as he can, and the neighbor girls meet him at the line. Lena informed me that they're not allowed to pass that line in our direction and "we're not allowed to touch each other." Haha. What a weird world. So now we get to play the awkward game of "No, Levi, don't get too close to the neighbors! No, Levi, you can't go in their backyard. No, Levi, don't chase those people walking their dog so you can pet him!" My poor social child is struggling with this "social distancing" thing.

4. Now that Justin's home all day every day, he's been knocking out all kinds of projects he's been meaning to do since we moved in a year ago. Apparently quarantine makes him productive . . . whereas it makes me lethargic and depressed. Different strokes for different folks, I guess. Lol. On Wednesday, though, I was hit with a burst of motivation and decided to tackle my own project that I've been putting off for a year. I had an idea to display the kids' artwork in a huge gallery wall in a bunch of different frames. So I've been collecting frames and artwork and piling them strategically in a cardboard box in the basement. The pile kept getting taller, and I kept thinking, "I should do something with those." Well this week, I finally did!

It took forever, but it's not like I have anything better to do! I actually hung them all up myself, which is a major accomplishment for me. Haha. And they're on the wall right next to Lucy's bedroom door - which she slams frequently and with great vehemence. But they've all survived the last 3 door slammings, so I think I attached them successfully! Now I just need the thrift stores to open back up, so I can find a couple more frames!

5. On Thursday, we got another official government order extending the "stay-at-home" mandate until the end of April. 3 more weeks. Oh boy. Again, it wasn't unexpected, but it's still hard to swallow. And this time, our governor tacked on a few more restrictions - namely that nurseries and greenhouses must close their doors. And people are losing.their.minds. Seriously, I ended up spiraling back to the pit Thursday afternoon and realized I just needed to get off facebook. It makes me too angry - not at the governor or her rules, but at people's reactions! Maybe I'm just a fatalist, but I have zero faith in the "democratic process." I don't think it matters how many people call or email the governor or other government institutions to insist that this new order has gone too far. She's going to do what she wants to do/what the health experts are advising her/what she thinks is best. An outcry from the general public is not going to change that. It's just going to make an already miserable situation more miserable! I went to Meijer today and all of the departments were open. I didn't check the outdoor garden center, but they had a variety of live plants for sale in the store, plus a huge display of seeds (there's been a major freak out that people can't buy seeds to plant their gardens and everyone's going to starve . . . because, you know, we all survive off of the food we grow in our backyards🙄). I browsed the clearance aisles, I got some last minute Easter basket stuff. The only thing I couldn't get that I wanted was a fountain pop. It's going to be ok, people. Take a deep breath . . . but don't blow it on anyone. #germs

6. That said, I'm feeling a little wary about the next few days. Tomorrow will be the first Easter of my life that I don't spend at church and with family. If ever a holiday was meant to be spent rejoicing with others in church, it's Easter. Watching it on TV just won't be the same. And not seeing my family is going to be hard on me. I'm thankful for my husband and kids, and I'm even going to attempt cooking my first Easter dinner, but it's going to feel a little anticlimactic just staying home. And then this is the week's forecast:

Rain, cold, rain, wind, cold. So we're all going to be cooped up inside again. At least it's not snow, at least it's not snow, at least it's not snow.

7. Lots of pictures