All About Spring Break, Easter and Passover

 Well, Doug, Bri and I were supposed to be in Amelia Island enjoying the surf and sand last week and that obviously didn't happen due to what is going on in our world. Hopefully, we will be able to make up the trip when our lives go back to normal. Whenever that is. At this point, I'm wondering if Bri will start high school normally in August. I'm honestly not trying to be negative - I'm just bracing myself. And believe me, I really hope I'm wrong. We've worked so hard at social distancing and I'd hate to see another wave or an upswing in sickness if we give up too early. Then all this work would be for nothing. Slow and steady wins the race - even if it royally sucks.

So let me focus on how I am trying to keep life semi-normal in this not so normal world.

So a couple of weeks ago, I decorated my house up for Easter. It's something I do every year, and this year wasn't going to be any different. And I thought that looking at eggs, bunnies and duckies might cheer us up a bit.

Right before the break, several of Bri's teachers posted videos online wishing all the kids a very happy spring break.

Bri's English teacher wrote a heartfelt e-mail to all her classes and this is an excerpt from it...

Bri misses her teachers and friends so much, but at the same time, she is a true introvert and she enjoys spending lots of time on her own. She is kind of thriving in this environment right now and that is a blessing for me and Doug. Especially with her being an only child not having a sibling to hang out with.

And thank goodness for our ability to be online. B spent quite a bit of time Facetiming and online gaming with her friends last week...

After three weeks of digital learning, Bri needed a week just to chill. And chill she did.

Not only did we all take some time (even Doug took a couple days off from work), we all ate quite well too. I feel very blessed that we have been able to access food during this stay-at-home time (thank you Publix/Instacart and Butcher Box). We have a nice variety of different foods in order to make all sorts of different meals.

We started off our spring break week by enjoying grilled chicken thighs...

 We have a new air fryer, so Doug has been making some delicious chicken wings as well.

Briana requested pancakes one morning (with extra syrup)...

Doug knew that I was very sad that I was not going to be able to see my parents for our traditional Passover/Easter get together this year due to physical distancing. I always look forward to my mom's chicken soup (my grandmother's/dad's mom's recipe). So, my amazing guy found a company online that ships chicken soup, so we could celebrate a Passover meal at home. (He surprised me with it!)

It was delivered on Friday (matzoh ball soup, potato pancakes and matzah) and it was so delicious (not quite my mom's but a very close second!)...

And Sunday evening, we ate the Honeybaked Ham that my hubby ordered for Easter. We ate the ham, Thanksgiving stuffing (that I had frozen in November) and flat green beans. Everything was so good...

Besides eating and chilling, Briana kept up with her drawing...

She also organized her books and got some ready for donation. My girl LOVES to read and has quite the collection of books. She prefers real books to reading books on her iPad. She has re-read these books so many times...

And these are only the ones in her "tween" room - she has more in her bedroom.

Bri watched a number of movies over the break (including Allegiant and Jumani 2) and she has really gotten into the show "Glee" - which is streaming on Netflix.

 Doug, Bri and I watched "Trolls 2" on Easter and it was cute, but really, really weird (I liked the first one so much better)...

And I finally watched "Cats" the movie...

Ok - you all know how much I love my "Cats: The Musical" on the stage. So, I went into this movie knowing it was a flop and my mind was as open as it could possibly be with my affection for the stage version. It was so much WORSE than I even imagined. What did they DO to my "Cats"? I was yelling at the screen the entire time. They just made up all sorts of story stuff and even changed some of the songs. The cats looked super creepy and the scale of it was just weird. It was so disturbing to watch Jennyanydots (Rebel Wilson) eat cockroaches. And I don't know why they made any sort of deal about Taylor Swift being in it - she was in it for one song (one of my favorite songs by the way) and she didn't come close to doing it justice. The best part of the movie was Jennifer Hudson, but I couldn't get over how much her nose ran when she sang and cried. 

UGH!! It was a mess. I can't even talk about it anymore!!! (I think Bri liked it more than me, but she is 13. I rest my case.)

Moving on...

Bri dyed Easter eggs on Friday of spring break...

And even at 13, she still wanted an Easter basket...

She was pretty happy on Easter morning...

And Doug didn't forget about me on Easter...

While I was preparing Easter dinner, I turned on the TV and last year's Masters was being rerun. I kept it on because it felt "normal" to me (I seriously can't listen to the news anymore)...

And I also watched part of "Jesus Christ Superstar Live" (a lot of it was preempted due to severe weather coverage in Georgia). It's so hard to believe just a year ago, this many people could be together and not think twice about it...

Yesterday, I really missed normal life. A lot. And even when we do start opening things back up again, it will take a very long time to feel not nervous around other people. It will still be in the back of all of our minds.

I am not a crowd person at all, but maybe after all this extended physical distancing stuff, I won't hate being in crowds as much anymore.

And finally, we ended our nice week of Spring Break with some nasty storms last night. Luckily though, no tornadoes touched down in my neck of the woods or near any of my friends or family. I do feel horrible for everyone who was affected by the weather last night.

So that was our week. Pretty successful even though we were stuck at home. Bri was back to digital learning this morning. Her new normal.

I'm still experiencing some anxiety sadly. Some related to this pandemic and some related to my health still. I have triggers and stressors that I still need to overcome at times.

This meme kind of says it all...

Thanks for reading everyone. Hoping everyone is staying safe and sane. I'll be back soon!

A More Upbeat Post

This post is going to be more upbeat today! Told ya - I'm trying! LOL!

Honestly, writing that last blog post was super cathartic for me. I got quite a bit of support and validation and I am SO appreciative of that. And if you read it, disagreed with it (and I gave you lots of outs not to read it!) and are still sticking with me, then thanks for that too! I just had to write my truth (and I still totally stand by it), but just getting all that off my chest did me so much good. It's been festering inside of me for weeks (months) and I just needed to expunge all that frustration. And dang I feel a lot better. So much better that I don't think I'll need to vent like that again (for a long time at least - heh). My opinion is out there and it is what it is. It's time for me to return to lighter and less-controversial content!

But quickly first, I did quietly unfriend and block a FB "friend" on Monday (haven't seen this person in real life in many years). I'd been thinking about it for a while now (pre-corona), so it was a long time coming. When someone is very strongly opinionated, posts (on their own FB wall) propaganda-backed beliefs way too often (and I'm not just talking about politics but a variety of other topics as well) and gives off an "I'm always right" vibe while doing it, then it's just time to move on. So I finally did. It's just not worth staying connected. And just know, I don't unfriend and block people lightly. I know it's a crazy time right now and emotions are running super high (mine are obviously!), but this crazy time is also quite eye opening and allows you to see what and who is most important for your well-being. Pushing out toxicity is a very good thing.

And now it is time to talk about things I am grateful for...

* We are so blessed that Doug has a solid, work-from-home job. He is actually super busy still which is really surprising. Just so grateful for this.

* Briana is handling this whole crisis situation so well. She has been quite calm about all of this. I had a nice talk with her a few days ago and she assured me that she is good. Spring break this week is super helpful. She was tired after three weeks of digital learning. She definitely needed a break.

* I have a nice-sized, comfortable house where I can shelter-in-place. If someone is driving me crazy, I can simply move to another room. It's all good! LOL!

* My neighborhood - I have a beautiful neighborhood where I can walk around and get fresh air and exercise.

* Health - my friends and family are healthy. Besides some aches and pains, everyone close to me is doing pretty well and hanging in there. And as for me, my tonsils are doing surprisingly well but my anxiety is pretty high (obviously).

* Online ordering - we can pretty much order anything we need from any store to get through this. Thank you Instacart!

* Social media - this one is a kind of mixed bag. Some good and some bad goes along with it. But overall, it's nice to be able to stay connected virtually with the world - including my bloggy and FB friends.

* Friends and family - so grateful for everyone who frequently texts, calls, checks on me and keeps me sane.

* My cat - who loves that we are home 24/7. Best cat ever.

* Briana's teachers - for caring so much. Bri was blessed with amazing teachers this year.

* Those who are doing the right things - there are lots of people who are doing their part in during this crisis - helping others and physical distancing. I have to try not to focus on the people who aren't trying because there really are so many people who are.

I know there is so much more that I could probably list, but I think you all get the gist.

There are so many people who are struggling greatly right now (financially, physically, emotionally), and I have a sense of guilt about complaining when I really don't have much to complain about in the grand scheme of things. I just need a kick in the pants once in a while. :)

 

And to keep this post upbeat and happy, here is a picture of Mei Mei for your viewing pleasure...

So that's it for now folks. We are enjoying a very quiet spring break at home. I'm feeling much lighter. Still wishing I was at the beach this week, but now I have something to look forward to when this is all over.

Stay strong and safe everyone!

Another Coronavirus/Physical Distancing Post

Well, here I am again posting from my house. I've left my neighborhood two times since since March 16th. It's tough being home this much - but I am not an essential worker, so I am lucky I don't have to leave the house and I try not to. We are having groceries delivered, we are cooking a whole lot and we are ordering from Amazon (probably too much). Now we finally have a "shelter in place" order as directed by our governor. Took him long enough to put it into place.

I have to admit ~ I was pretty down last Thursday. I think everyone is going to have up and down moments and Thursday was a big downer for me. I took a walk around the neighborhood with Briana that afternoon to try to lift my spirits...

It was a gorgeous day ~ blue skies, perfect temperature, slight breeze, flowers blooming. It's hard to believe that there is a horrible invisible virus floating around able to make people so very sick.

When I hear the stories of perfectly healthy people dying because this virus got a hold of them, I am able to handle this physical distancing stuff a lot better.

And I am going to start calling what we are doing "physical distancing" and not "social distancing" because we can still stay connected without seeing one another in person. It can be done. We just have to be patient and think about protecting our loved ones and those who are most vulnerable.

Ok...

I am going to step on a bit of a soapbox again and give my two cents about some things I've observed about this pandemic. Some of you may not agree with me and that is ok, but I'm gonna have my say anyway (feel free to read or skip ahead - my "soapbox" is in italics).

I've never been this vocal with my opinion in my entire life. It does scare me putting my thoughts out there because people with differing opinions can sometimes be judgemental and cruel. But, my frustration is bubbling over and blogging my thoughts helps ease my stress... 

I'm going to do this in bullet points...

* If our top officials had not downplayed this virus for so long, then maybe we could have avoided just how nasty this pandemic has become in the USA. And yes, the president and his administration downplayed it for weeks. There is proof all over the place including direct tweets.

* The Georgia governor downplayed it too. And now we finally have a shelter in place order after Kemp “just found out it could be spread though asymptomatic people” - um, it’s been a known fact for months. Except in GA I'm realizing now, shelter in place doesn't mean all that much. People can still go to beaches, state parks and churches as long as they continue to practice physical distancing. You know, because we are all so good at that.

* Trumps biggest talking point - he restricted travel from China. Well, he did and he didn't. He still allowed American citizens to fly to the U.S. from China as well as immediate family of U.S. citizens and permanent residents after the “ban” was put in place. The virus doesn’t give a crap if you are an American citizen or a Chinese national. So technically, the virus was still able to enter our country. Besides, the virus was here already when the restriction was set. We should have focused not only on trying to keep this beast from continuing to enter our country but also on sheltering in place to stop the spread within our borders from the beginning.

* The economy - yes, the economy is very important. I know that. My heart breaks for those struggling. But this virus was going to tank the economy no matter what. That is what global pandemics do - they mess up everything in every way, shape and form. In my opinion, if this virus had been taken seriously from the start and all the measures that are now having to be put into place (begrudgingly by some) had been put into place weeks ago, we could have possibly gotten a hold of this sooner. Less people sick, dying and spreading disease. THAT would have helped our economy. We are now doing the slow bleed instead of just ripping off the band-aid and dealing with the wound head on. This is going to take longer to fix now - medically, economically and emotionally. And we definitely need a vaccine as soon as possible (but it will take at least a year).

* I do think we need some sort of national organization regarding all of this stay at home stuff because it’s just going to cause the virus to continue to slowly spread all over if every state is just doing whatever the heck it wants to. And having states bid against each other for medical equipment is counterproductive. We all need to be on the same page NOW so we can eradicate this health crisis quicker and get our lives (including our economy) back.

* What do we do now? Look forward. Buckle down at home for a while longer - until we are over the peak of this (this is supposed to be a BAD week for numbers in the U.S.) Hope the government can continue to play catch up somehow. Try to support businesses as best we can while continuing to truly physical distance. Encourage and praise our essential workers to keep going and stay strong. Pray we can get back to our normal lives as soon as possible. The damage is done now - nothing we can do by looking back.

* Doug always tells me try to focus on myself and not to worry about what anyone else thinks or does. He’s right for the most part. But in this case unfortunately, other people’s decisions are keeping me away from my friends, family and my normal life longer than I want to be. And that just sucks.

And that is my two cents.

Ok now that I've said that, I feel better - sort of.

 There is a lot of "positiveness" floating around right now - which is great. People are trying to see the silver linings in things, there are uplifting news stories and funny videos all over television and the internet, lots of "games" and "challenges" are floating around on FB, etc. I'm just not feeling it right now. I don't really feel like watching or reading anything super positive because I can't seem to get into it. I watch "Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist," "The Voice," and "The Masked Singer" with Briana in the evenings. It's time that she and I (and Doug) get to spend together, but I'm finding it difficult for me to really concentrate sometimes though. Life just feels so weird. (I will say "Tiger King" did keep my interest this past week. Scary but true. It was a total train wreck I couldn't look away from. It was comforting watching people 1000 times crazier than me. Heh.)

And the funny thing about anxiety...anxiety is something I felt on a daily basis in my regular life, and now everyone is feeling it. That feeling of uncertainty, dread, helplessness, restlessness - that was/is my normal. I'm always bracing for the worst things to happen. I can say a pandemic ranks up there as one of the worst things. I've preparing for this for a very long time.

So, that is my post for now. Not a super positive one, huh? Sorry about that. I'm kind of a "glass half empty" type of person on a normal day and I'm a work in progress about it. Hopefully my next post will be more upbeat. I'm going to aim for that. I promise that I am trying.

And just a quick reminder in closing...

 Stay safe everyone.

A Briana Art Update

Now it's time to show off some of Bri's artwork. :)

Before all this coronavirus stuff happened, Bri had an egg drop assignment for her physical science class. She came up with a design (with a little help from Doug) to keep an egg from breaking when dropped from a high place. This is what they came up with (I wish I had taken a picture of the real thing too)...

Of course Bri has been continuing to create her amazing "Briana-type" characters...

The next two were inspired by St. Patrick's Day...

And this one inspired by Easter...

Briana was really enjoying her art class this semester, and luckily, her teacher is continuing to give the kids cool assignments now they are home for the rest of the school year.

Briana had to come up with a "propaganda poster" for the coronavirus (this one ended up on the art class instagram page)...

This was Bri's anime assignment...

The response from her art teacher on her anime picture...

How to draw a house assignment...

How to draw a tree assignment...

How to draw a python assignment...

How to draw a horse assignment...

How to draw a zombie assignment...

Bri also had to do a photography series for art class. She and I walked around the neighborhood one afternoon and she got these cool shots...

And lastly, I gave Briana a "One Year Doodle Challenge" calendar for her birthday last year (something she asked for). She started her challenge in January 2020 and she's been so consistent with it ever since then. All on her own. My girl LOVES art...

I just love to see everything she comes up with. There is no doubt in my mind she will pursue something in the art world for her career. It just makes her so happy.

And now Briana is officially on "spring break"...

I'm seriously so proud of her. She wrapped up her third week of digital learning and now she is ready for "spring break." We were supposed to head to the beach today, but now we are sheltering in place instead. She kept to her schedule each day and that helped her to stay on track and organized (with a pandemic going on all around her). Every assignment was turned in on time. Her teachers have been total rock stars through this and we are very blessed by that. Now B can sleep in and just "be" for an entire week. She's definitely earned it.

 Hope you enjoyed all her creations!!