Preston's 8th Birthday

Preston's birthday was last Thursday. Unfortunately, we are still dealing with the novel coronavirus.  That means we are still under lots of restrictions and are practicing social distancing. We were unable to gather with friends or have a big birthday party, which is what Preston really wanted to do. Fortunately, we found some creative ways to help Preston celebrate and he had a very good birthday!

We ordered a large birthday display for the front yard. Preston loved that when he was outside, people that were walking by wished him a happy birthday. I also asked friends and family to send videos to wish Preston a happy birthday, which he absolutely loved. We went over to Grammy and Granddaddy's house, so they could see Preston and Evan play outside and we could have lunch. Uncle Ron stopped by with a gift and took Preston and Evan for a ride in the bed of his antique truck. That was a HUGE hit! Our neighbors decorated their bikes and strollers and had a birthday parade. They even sang to him! To make the day extra fun, we did some fireworks that were leftover from last summer. Uncle Teddy, Aunt Rachel, Caroline, Alex and Andy came to watch. Of course all of this was all done from a VERY safe distance. 

Our New Normal

We are continuing to adjust to our new normal, as the whole world is still dealing with the novel coronavirus. As expected, the kids will not be returning to the school buildings this school year. We are continuing to homeschool and are very pleased with the way our district has worked together to make it work. Carl is still working from home and I expect this to be the case for a very long time. Restaurants are only open for take-out or curbside pick- up. We try to get outside when the weather is nice, since that is one of the only places you can go. Movie theaters, trampoline parks, libraries, etc. remain closed. We go to the store once a week for food and avoid making unnecessary trips. We are bored, but try to find ways to keep busy. The boys really enjoy video games and video chatting with their friends and family.

Since we could not have the garden at school this year, several families have offered to continue the Chancey Garden at home. I enjoy tending to the plants and I am excited to harvest some vegetables this summer.

We are continuing to keep up with our chalk drawings. It is fun for us and the neighbors seem to really enjoy the art as well.

Preston likes to go outside and ride his new "Nerf Mobile." He was very excited to find a turtle while he was riding.

Preston was really bored one day, so I took my friend up on her challenge and let Preston do my make-up and hair. He had a blast and was very pleased with his skills. He told me he is a "make-up master." It was so much fun for me as well, so maybe we will do it again.

Preston LOVES his pajamas, so he often wears them all day long. It makes less laundry for me, so I am actually totally fine with it.

Preston made a mask for one of his school assignments. He followed the direction online and created this mask from a sock!

Preston really enjoys Legos, so he and I spent an afternoon working together to create Fire Fang from Ninjago. 

Cheese!

This is what I look like while shopping. I feel like I resemble a bank robber, most everyone else looks like this too. 

It has been weeks since I have been able to get toilet paper and paper towels at the store. For some reason, people hoarded it. I guess they are finally figuring out that there will be enough toilet paper and have stopped hoarding it. Just this week, I saw shelves that had plenty of toilet paper and paper towels. Kroger also had napkins and tissues, which they haven't had. I am hoping cleaning supplies will become more available soon. People have also stopped hoarding food, so most of the time you can get what you want at the store, which wasn't the case for the first few weeks of this mess. 

Hair salons continue to be closed. Jessica sent me the things I needed to color my roots though, which I really appreciated. Carl helped me, since it was hard to do on my own. He did a great job! I haven't had him cut my hair. Hopefully the salons can open with some special safety measures before I have to resort to a hair cut at home.

Easter 2020

We celebrated Easter on Sunday. Everyone humored me and we got dressed up like we normally would for Easter, even though we were at home due to social distancing. I loved feeling "normal" for awhile, which is something that doesn't happen often during this time. We also did some of our usual Easter activities, including discussing why we celebrate, having an Easter egg hunt, and dying Easter eggs. Instead of meeting up with our family for lunch or dinner, we cooked at home. Carl made a delicious meal and then we had family movie night. We definitely missed going to church and seeing our family, but I think we made the most of it.

I love the pictures that we took on Easter morning, before the rain came. I was very grateful for a little sunshine that morning.

The Easter eggs dried a bit funny. Carl joked that they were the "breast" Easter eggs we ever made! 

Koontz Barbershop

Barbershops and hair salons have been closed for weeks, so we have not been able to get our hair trimmed. We are now operating Koontz Barbershop right here at home! I have done a pretty good job of keeping Carl's hair trimmed and Carl recently took on the task of giving the boys haircuts. I advised him a bit and I think they turned out pretty well. For now, I am letting my hair grow, because it is way more complicated to cut women's hair. I think we will all be very happy when we can get the professionals to cut our hair again!

Here is a picture of Carl after over two weeks of social distancing at home. He looked handsome, but neither of us really cared for the beard. I was super excited when he shaved.

Koontz Barbershop 

Here is a picture from Easter, which is right after Carl, Evan and Preston got haircuts at home. I think we were pretty successful!

Homeschool

We started N.T.I. this week, which is also called homeschool. The first day was pretty hard, as we had to figure lots of stuff out, especially with using Google Classroom. I also struggled with trying to help each child when they both needed something at the exact same time. There was frustration and some tears. It was tough.

We have now completed the first week of homeschool and I can say that each day got a little easier than the day before. We are in a routine and it feels good. The kids have worked. Although it is not as good as being in school, we are making it work and the kids are learning new things.

I have been very impressed with everyone from our school district as they have worked hard to quickly create a way to effectively do distance learning, when it is something that has never been done before. I think they have done an amazing job. I am also very impressed with the teachers. They are connecting with the kids as much possible and creating new ways of helping the kids continue to learn.

First Day of Homeschool 4/7/20

We usually do homeschool in our pajamas. Preston works up in the kitchen and Evan has a space down in the basement. 

I don't know if having a routine has greatly helped or if something has "clicked" with the boys, but they have gotten along really well this week. They have gone entire days without bickering and they have seemed to genuinely enjoy playing together. It has been really nice.

We have had a few fun highlights since my last post, which includes more chalk drawings, playing in the hot tub, fishing, crossing the big creek in waders to get to the other side for shed hunting, and a fun game of "Quarantingo." 

Carl and Preston created a large chalk drawing of a dragon.

The boys enjoyed spending time in the hot tub one afternoon.

We have been fishing several times. The boys have also done some exploring on the creek. They found some crayfish and salamander.

There are still lots of beautiful flowers. I don't ever tire of seeing them. They are beautiful!

Evan and Carl donned waders and crossed the big creek to shed hunt. They didn't find any sheds, but they had fun getting across the creek.

Carl made a BINGO style game called "Quarantigo." He created different BINGO style cards and we walked around the neighborhood trying to find things on the card. Preston was the first to get a "BINGO" and Evan worked very hard to get a "cover all."

Novel Coronavirus

We are in a very strange and scary time in our world right now. There is a novel coronavirus that is rapidly spreading all over the world. It is spread very easily and it makes many people get very sick with a severe acute respiratory illness called COVID-19. Many people are dying all over the world. In many places, there are not ventilators for the sick people and there is also a lack of personal protective equipment for the doctors and nurses that are helping.

A few weeks ago, we were told that social distancing would help the virus stop spreading so quickly. This is important, so that hospitals don't become overwhelmed. We are told that it is best to be at home and to not get together with anyone else that does not live in your house. No one is playing sports. The NCAA tournament was cancelled and other big events, like the Kentucky Derby have been postponed. All non-essential businesses are closed. We go to the grocery only when it is necessary. Some people are hoarding things like toilet paper, household cleaning products, soap, hand sanitizer, and food. We always have food, but sometimes we can't get what we want to purchase. When we shop, all carts are sanitized and you are asked to stay at least six feet away from other people. All restaurants are closed, except for food carry-out or delivery. Schools have been closed for over two weeks. We will soon start N.T.I. or distance learning. Anyone that can work at home, is doing so. We have no idea how long we will be doing this degree of social distancing.

Some days have been pretty good. We are trying very hard to focus on the good things we have or are able to do. On our good days, the boys get along pretty well and we are able to enjoy fun things like fishing, movies, games, walks, baking, etc. Some days are much harder and the boys misbehave and argue a lot. Those days are especially stressful. It is hard for the kids to understand stress, but acting out is definitely one way that they exhibit the stress they are feeling. We try our best to be understanding and help them cope with our new normal.

We are doing our best to stay connected to family and friends. We use social media to stay connected, as well as webcams to "get together." Evan and Levi played a virtual game of chess, Carl and I have had virtual happy hours, and Preston does virtual martial arts classes. We are trying to make the most of a bad situation, but it can definitely be hard.

I am sure I will be adding additional posts about what happens over the next several weeks and months. No one knows exactly what lies ahead, but I know it will definitely be different than how we originally planned.

Here are some pictures of our "bright spots."

Preston and Daddy made gummy worms.

Preston and I have been enjoying cooking and baking. He especially likes baking banana bread.

The dogs love going on lots of walks. 

We all like the extra cuddles with the dogs and cat. They seem to like it too!

Even though there is no school at this time, the boys are continuing to read and doing some optional school work. 

We have gone fishing a couple of times. 

We started to write encouraging messages on the sidewalk, to bring some cheer to people walking by. Carl joined in the fun and we made some really cool art! Evan and Carl made Baby Yoda. When it was washed away in the rain, Carl and Preston worked together to create a new level of Super Mario Bros.

The boys get creative! They had a water gun fight with puddles, played in the hose and found new ways to exercise.

The teachers and staff at Chancey Elementary School held a parade! They decorated their cards and honked and waved as they drove through the neighborhoods near school. Preston and I drove over to watch. He was so excited to see everyone!

We are fortunate to have several parks that are close by and we have gone on several hikes. Preston caught his very first snake, thanks to some help and encouragement from Evan.

The neighborhood and parks are beautiful this spring. I'm enjoying being outside and taking it all in. I especially love all the beautiful flowers.

Preston really likes his virtual martial arts class. I am happy that he can still keep learning.

Even though they quarrel a fair amount, I often find Evan and Preston together. 

We put the boys to bed separately each night, but when Carl and I go upstairs to go to bed, we almost always find them together. It is one of my favorite parts of the day. They really do need and love each other.

The boys know how much I love flowers, so they picked some from the woods for me. It made my day! 

I tried to highlight the good things, but I thought it would be interesting to add some of the unusual things that have happened as well. 

All salons are closed, so I had to touch up my own hair at home. Jessica gave me enough dye for my part and hairline, but I may have to use boxed dye at some point. I am not sure what I will do for a haircut. I did manage to cut Carl's hair and I am sure one of us will need to cut the boys' hair soon as well.

When I grocery shop, I sometimes find areas where all of something is gone. The first picture shows a store that is completely out of flour. The second picture shows a store with no toilet paper or paper towels.