The Daily Hailey

I know we’re not the first, but its worth recording that Brady officially got word that his work is done for the foreseeable future. That sounds SO daunting, but thats how they worded it. I supposed “rescheduled” is a more accurate description, but it has yet to actually be put back on the calendar. It will resurface eventually, but for now, all of his scheduling is postponed until further notice. 

April was going to be a beautifully lucrative month, and to see that pushed back with no prospective dates in mind is a bit ominous. But, health wins. I feel surprisingly peaceful about it. I might feel differently tomorrow, but today, I feel ok. 

I feel thankful that we have some money in the bank and a nice chunk invoiced out that will keep us afloat for a little bit. If this happened six months ago, we would be in TROUBLE. Praise the Lord for catching us up a little before this all hit. I feel thankful that EI exists, and grateful that this will be a first for us. How fortunate we are. I’m thankful for everyone around us, who have lovingly kept us in mind and offered to drop off groceries, activities, etc. 

This is new territory for all of us, but I love that Brady will be home. That removes SO MUCH of the risk of us getting sick, or passing on sickness we may carry unknowingly. It also means my husband is home to hang out with us!!! Woot!! I’m a big fan of him, and we work pretty well together. 

We just received a load of lumber in our garage so Brady can build us some furnace room shelving. Yay! And hey, if the quarantine lasts long enough, maybe we can get a fence up, too! 

See me finding positives?? Lord protect us! 

We snuck in a walk yesterday before the snowstorm hit. And by “snuck in,” I mean we planned and went on a nice hour long walk. We decided to walk aaaaall the way across town to my moms house, with the intention to talk to her through the front window, make some snow angels, and walk back. Just laying eyes on people we love really makes a difference. 

As we walked, we noticed all of the great pictures in people’s windows. Good job, our town! It’s SO nice to see people making efforts like that. It was also really nice to see people along our walk. Everyone is very respectful of space, but its nice to see people and chat and relate. 

We were less than a block away from my moms house when we saw her leave her driveway for her own walk in the other direction. Booooo! Hahaha! But thats ok 🙂 We went and left snow angels anyway…

They didn’t really turn out 😂

But it was clear we had been there, anyway! If there was to be any question, we took a picture with the picture mom left in her window for passers by to enjoy ❤️

She is SUCH a good sport. I really love her. 

The walk back was not quite as nice as the walk there, and we ploughed through the last block or two with heads down, motoring forward. The wind was was sharp when we had left, but it was definitely picking up by the time we got home! We turned Wavy around in the stroller, but she was still pretty chilly, though still pretty pretty, also. 

The kids were rosy and tired when we got home. They snuggled in blankets in the living room rather than helping with supper like they have been doing. We just had hot dogs anyway. It was yummy and easy and the kids were happy. 

It turned out to be a really nice outing, and I’m glad we pushed through when we did, because the snow is upon us again! Hopefully not for long tho 🤞 I’m itchy for Spring! I’m itchy for a lot of things, and it is very clear that all of those things are out of my hands, hahaha! Who makes plans anymore anyway?! Not me! 🙋‍♀️ 

Its Monday. Dekker was supposed to have his poetry house today. Families were invited to listen to his class read their original poems, and then enjoy some hot chocolate and cookies together. We were all going to go. But it seems that has been called off for the moment, like everything else. So, in honour of Dekker, here is his limerick! 

I once had a very young boy.
I decided to name him Roy.
He loved to eat.
He loved the beat.
He ate an entire toy. 

-Dekker (March 2020)

School may be closed, but important things are still important, and Dekker was SO excited for his poetry reading. Even I felt a little disappointed when he told me his poem the day his school stuff came home. I wanted to hear him recite it in front of a crowd, but nope :/ I know there will be more school projects and presentations to come, but this felt like a big one. I’m so sad to have missed it. He is, too. 

Happy Monday, friends. Enjoy the beautiful weather, if you’re doing the outdoorsy thing. I hear snow is on its way, but let’s hope and pray its coming to the end of the snowy season and that with Spring weather comes healing and peace. 

We got out for a walk as a family yesterday evening. It was SO nice and SO refreshing. I was a little nervous as we headed out that we’d run into people along the way, but everyone seemed to be on the same page and kept to the other side of the street. Not long ago, I would’ve felt insulted by that, haha! Now, I’m just appreciative. SUCH strange, hesitant times. 

It was beautiful out! Everyone wore jackets, toques, and mitts, but there was no need for snow pants or anything particularly warm. My little family just added to the beauty 😍

Usually, when we go for a walk, we walk around our little nearby pond once or twice, but not yesterday. The road was almost completely dry, but the path to the pond was totally snowed over. Stroller? Wagon? Sled? We didn’t know 🤷‍♀️ So we opted to skip the pond and just walk down the street and see how far we got. 

We ended up going the length of still another street, and then all the way back. We only had one kid say they were tired, and that was right before we got home. At one point, we walked past Laela’s teachers house. She asked if we could go knock on the door and say hi. I reminded her that we weren’t supposed to really be around anyone right now, and she asked if we could just do it maybe super quick. I told her I was sorry, but no, we couldn’t. Her chin quivered a little, and I took her hand as we walked on. She looked up and me and smiled. It was some good unspoken communication between us. I’m trying to just be grateful she loves her teacher so much, and not sorrow so hard for her loss. 

We got home after a LONG walk, and everyone was just feeling so great. Invigorated, it seemed. And it was oddly early. We made great time! So we opted to get everyone ready to for bed and then watch some music videos downstairs on the comfy couches. That was a pretty solid choice. Not the highest quality of photo, but you get the gist. 

Everyone was nice and worn out, and we enjoyed a little music as everyone wound down. It was kind of the perfect evening. Getting outside, breathing fresh air, laying eyes on a few people we really love (ie: my mom, a few of our neighbours) and listening to music and snuggling up together. 

I’m really thankful for my relationship with Brady in all of this. He makes the whole quarantine thing feel slightly less ominous, because I genuinely love spending the days with him! As much as work is important, I’m very thankful he has this coming week off, and that we can just breathe together. 

In case you’ve lost track, today is Sunday 😉 Have a beautiful end to your weekend, however your next week looks. 

I had to laugh this morning 😆 

Our children LOVE baked oatmeal! Brady (aka Breakfast Man) makes it for them most weekends, and its always a huge hit. Recently, as I’ve said, the big kids are very interested in cooking and baking, and want to get into it more than ever before! So this morning, Brady talked Laela through making baked oatmeal. She loved it, and did a great job. Her egg cracking needs some work 😉 but it was very cute, and it tasted great! 

While she worked on that, Brady talked Dekker through brewing coffee. This wasn’t a first time, but still something that is good to oversee 😉 He got the filter, counted the scoops, etc. I was so proud of them both, working so hard and wanting to learn. And I was proud of Brady being SO patient to let them!

The kids spent the next half hour in the kitchen, staring 😳 No joke. Dekker watched the coffee brew, and Laela didn’t actually watch the oatmeal bake, but she watched the timer count down. Twenty. Five. Minutes. Ya, no joke. 

I started to feel a touch like a horrible mother, because how ridiculously laaaaame are we that the kids are entertained by staring?? Have I trashed their brains somehow?? But then I remembered that they had cooked and prepared thing they were PROUD of!!! No wonder they wanted to wait for the finished product. I’m deciding not to question my parenting right now, and to rather just be thankful that I have content children who aren’t scratching at the doors in a big bad way just yet. 

Dekker was excited when it was time for coffee. “Oh boy, I hope its good!” 

And Laela swelled with pride when everyone thanked her for breakfast instead of me or Brady. 

It was a good day. We may not be “homeschooling” but I’m pretty happy with our new learning curve. 

We are officially all home today! Bradys pre-covid schedule gave him next week off, and as always, God’s timing is the best timing! Its just one week, but its right at the right time. Not only is this within the “ideal” two weeks of quarantine, but its also over the time where we’re all trying to settle into our new normal, whatever that is, and it will go a long way to have him here with us, helping with the adjustment. Now we just pray the work he has scheduled in the future stays put and we don’t find ourselves in a nationwide shut down 😳🤞

We began our day with a coffee and breakfast date in bed before getting the kids. When it was time for them to get up, they were all in good spirits! Set the table and ate breakfast without us nagging them. I think we all like that better! And then the work began! 

Maybe you guys are all a step ahead of me, but we’re on the things today! ALL bedding is being washed and changed out. ALL towels are being washed. I don’t know about you guys, but those things get neglected more than other laundry around here. Especially like, the hand towel at the laundry sink, or the basement bathroom. Kitchen towels. Guest bedding. All that stuff is getting its chance today! Laundry is humming, and will continue all day long. 

I also washed their water bottles. We avoid the “one thousand cups all over the house” situation with each kid having a water bottle, but those also get neglected sometimes, and they can get GROSS. So I washed them all by hand today, scrubbing out the straws, brushing them inside, etc. They have never looked so clean!

Besides those things, Lysol is everywhere. I even wiped off the outside doorknob for the sake of the few people that do come in and out.

There is more to come and do and clean, but we’re in the right mode for it! My hands are pruney. 

Meanwhile, the kids are sitting at the island, colouring, playing with paper punches and special scissors lent to us by a friend to help us survive this time at home. (Thank you, Sandy ❤️) They are completely happily occupied! 

Its been a pretty nice start to the day. I don’t hate everything about this quarantine…

My heart feels so heavy today. Specifically based around school. I had a good cry this afternoon as I emailed my kids teachers and read their responses. I need to print them off and save them. 

It was hard to hear them genuinely express their love for my children. It is SUCH an uncertain time, for the parents and the kids, but also for the teachers. They invest SO much, and now everyone has had the rug ripped out from under them. To not be able to say goodbye has been grossly unfair to all involved. Laela had a good cry about it yesterday. 

Maybe I’m foolish, but I’m still holding out hope that school will be back this spring. When the time is right, anyway. I anticipate a celebration when we can all be back together!! Its possible I’ll be a big ball of tears if that day comes, but today, I was a big ball of tears anyway. 

To our teachers, we love and appreciate you. You make a HUGE difference in our lives, and our children feel lost without you ❤️ I hope we see you again soon. I’m a hugger. Be ready.

God protect us, and heal the sick. I believe in You, and I expect miracles!

I feel like all anyone is talking about these days is the Corona virus, myself included. And understandably so. I’m not sure anyone ever anticipated things looking like this, maybe ever. Yet, here we are. School is closed. Stores and services are shutting down. Everything is cancelled until further notice. It feels a little “end of the worldy,” yet I think a lot of that comes from our life of privilege, not ever really knowing an uproar.

I am so grateful to have the ability to stay home with my children already, and not be in the compromising position of losing a job or my income. 

Brady’s work continues to look normal, at least at this point, and thankfully he works mostly independently, so we don’t worry too much about him coming in contact with the virus. 

I’m feeling some peace about the weeks and months to come, at home with the kids. Hopefully that continues, haha! But for right now, I feel less fear and more peace. 

Three kids reading, one kid tossing paper airplanes, and one kid dancing through the house to Walk off the Earth playing in the background. 

I’m going to make a point of not constantly talking about COVID-19 very very soon. I want normalcy back, even if its a new normal 🙂 

Its day one of the quarantine. Not for everyone, I suppose. I know not everyone has the luxury of being home with their kids, and for that, I am SO grateful. It doesn’t feel so different than just an average Saturday over here, but I’m not dumb to the reality that, by the end of a weekend, the big kids are ready to get back to school. Its going to be pretty interesting!

I have lots of goals. Maybe “goals” is the wrong word. I’d LOVE to do a good job of having my kids home for this length of time. I’d love to have some semblance of schedule, where the kids do some workbook stuff for a chunk of the day, and a time where they for sure read. An artistic, colouring/crafty time. So their days are interesting and productive and not just a total free for all. Though there is definitely a place for free for all days. Lots of them. 

I’m for sure taking this first week to just feel it all out. I’m curious what will happen at the end of the week, when school is officially closed closed. I hope, by then, I can be somewhat organized, and make the most of our months. I want to be hands-on, but gentle, and calm. We’ll see how that all turns out. Not all of those are my strong suits. 

I’m happy to say this morning has been fairly smooth 🙂 Apart from one good solid meltdown from Solomon, everyone has been happy and docile. We began with cinnamon buns I found in the freezer yesterday.

The kids LOVED that. It was as though we were celebrating the quarantine. See? Making the best of it. Dekker and Laela finished breakfast first and I asked if they’d help me a bit in the kitchen. I was going to ask them to help me unload the dishwasher, but then as I ran around, doing things for the other kids, they finished that up and loaded it together, too! I’m so grateful for my kids. Once dishes were done, I started to assemble supper in the crock pot, and while I didn’t give the kids much to do with that part (its a VERY sticky supper) I talked them through the recipe and how to read it, how to use a slow cooker, etc. They listened great from their spots at the island. Both of the big kids have been asking more and more to help make meals, so I guess we’re going to do that now!

Since the help in the kitchen wrapped up, this has been our morning. 

All on their own. Just reading to each other, and themselves. There are stuffed toys, blankets, and books littering my floor, and I’m really happy about it. I know every day won’t look this way, but its a pretty sweet kick off ❤️

So it begins. 

You guys all know what I’m talking about. 

The Corona Virus, COVID-19, is upon us. Whether you think its a scary, deadly problem or just a dumb over blow inconvenience, it’s undeniable that its having an effect on just about everything, everywhere. The topic is pretty controversial in terms of perspective, so I’m not going to delve into all of that. 

Because of the situation at hand, schools are closed. Indefinitely. Many are speculating all across the map whether it’ll be a couple of weeks, months, or until Fall. There’s no way to know for sure at this point, so we’re going to do what we can to make the best of it! 

Conveniently/unfortunately/fortunately, my big kids have colds bad enough that I decided to keep them home today, and then this all happened in the afternoon! So, now that we have our answer for the time being, it would seem we’re jumping into quarantine with everyone else!! 

What a bizarre time. I never thought I’d say something like that in my lifetime, but 🤷‍♀️ here we are! Brady went for a good solid grocery shop today after work, so hopefully that will last us a nice long while 😊

Time to get a bit extra creative with our food. Learn how to homeschool, however loosely. Maybe finally start up a chore chart. Potty train. We’ve got nothing but time!!