Family time thanks to Quarantine

We are so thankful to have an escape – a place we can go for (usually and mostly) unplugged family time. Right now we are holed up by the lake here abiding by the “stay at home” order our country is now facing. During these uncertain and scary times, we are doing our best to find the positives and bask in the slower pace and family time we aren’t accustomed to.

Truth be told, I’m quite enjoying the past two weeks we’ve had of homeschooling and not having my nights filled with driving back and forth to activities. Thankfully, my older two are pretty self-sufficient with the homeschooling so I’ve just had to help my fourth grader the most. She’s pretty self-sufficient too so my heart goes out to all those who have little ones in the early elementary, preschool and baby stages. Bless you! This too will end and you will come out stronger on the other side!

Currently we are on spring break and while we were supposed to be on a warm beach, we now are enjoying the break in the woods by a lake and some private family time. We’ve hiked, baked, cooked, read, played games, thrown balls, shot bb guns, roasted marshmallows, kayaked and sat by the fire pit.

My highlight was hiking to a nearby waterfall. I am sometimes caught off-guard and pleasantly delighted when my kids clamor to be the one to walk next to me. Sometimes even just 3 kids feels like 4 or 5 and they often talk over each other or at the same time to be the one heard so when they have a chance for one-on-one time, they take full advantage. On this particular hike, my oldest and only son, Isaac (15 years old at the time), was walking with me at the back of the pack and we were having the best conversation. Whenever I’m in those moments, I specifically tell myself to remember and cherish it because, as of right now, he still wants to chat with me and hang out. Well, some of the time, ha!

It is always so cool to get out into nature and see your kids flourish. I think even the most “city”, “gaming” or “inside” kids can find they have an innate desire to explore when put into nature. We traversed a creek at the beginning of the week and while my youngest started off timid and scared of slipping, thorns and ticks, she quickly embraced the challenge and was leading the way hopping from rock to rock and climbing her way up the banks of the creek. Isaac ended up slipping and soaking both shoes, I ended up with mud splashed up to my knees, a few of us had ticks (gross and why are they so bad in March!?) and we all came back to the house with a sense of accomplishment, family bonding, pride and memories. It was one of those days that make you wonder why you don’t do stuff like that all the time. Oh yeah, because of the never-ending list of activities, chores, commitments and crazy over-scheduled calendars that we all allow in our lives.

I’m choosing to find the joy and positivity in this time of social distancing and self-quarantine.

I’m so thankful for my family and the gift of time to spend with them uninterrupted. We’ve literally been “forced” to spend quality time together as a family and I’ve cracked down on the screen time so we’ve played a lot of games, jumped on the trampoline, gone on lots of walks, and I’ve realized that I love TikTok!

Chalk the Walk and neighborhood Scavenger Hunt

I’m thankful for my neighborhood who has bonded and had all sorts of community bonding activities such as pictures in windows, “Chalk the Walk” days, scavenger hunts, etc. It warms my heart to see other families out in the neighborhood on bike rides, walks, throwing balls and showing their artistic side through sidewalk chalk.

I’m thankful for Zoom that has allowed my kids to have online class, for us to continue our Supper Club with dear friends and for online dance classes.

While I’m sure this will get old really fast, I’m determined to find the joy and enjoy the gift of time with these kiddos. They aren’t getting any younger and with two teenagers in the house, the attitudes can be in full effect a good deal of the time.

I can’t undermine the fact that these times are hard too. A lot of family time means, well, a lot of family time. Stuck in the same house and space with your family members with little escape can wear on you so we’ve already had a few heart-to-heart conversations about treating family members with respect, not saying something if it’s not nice, not assuming the worst and basically showing love to your siblings. I think we are in for the long haul here but for right now, I’m thankful for this past week and forced quality family time. How are you hanging in there during this time? How are you passing the time? I’d love some new ideas to keep busy!