Quarantine = Time to Paint!

Well, we've been quarantined for over two weeks now, essentially. Still a long way to go! We have an agreement with Scott and Ashleigh that we live as one household, so we still get to see them. We share grocery shopping and meals, and none of us are working outside the home (except David occasionally with necessary precautions). It's a win-win. Ashleigh still gets to hang out with kids from time to time, and I can get things done without having the kids hanging off me! 

Life in quarantine doesn't feel tooooo different than usual, although it's hard to explain to the kids why we can't go into Opa & Oma's house, or go see Gramma & Grandpa. Or why we can't go to Costco, or go to the park or the museum or library. Luckily they're pretty well entertained at home, too. 

This week I decided to put my time to good use and painted our bedroom! Every spring I seem to paint a room (or the whole house pretty much like last year). We had leftover white from that, and leftover navy from Dom's room, so we used those colours in our room. I am in love with how it turned out.

So fresh! Feels much bigger now, too. 

When we get around to it we will likely hang this Mykonos picture (David took when we were in Mykonos and had printed). It matches beautifully!

Before, our room was typical builder's beige. It was fine, but was in definite need of an upgrade/freshening up. The kids spent a few days either hanging out with Aunty Ashleigh, watching TV/movies, or making a major mess of the house while I painted intermittently. 

Clearly my ability to compose a photo has come a long way in the last 4 years... 

Speaking of a messy house... I was painting for half an hour and the kids were getting along, so I just left them. When I was done, I realized that literally every room on the top two floors of our house was a COMPLETE disaster. 

Hurricane Dom-ilia 

In addition to painting, we've been keeping busy on video chats. We're honestly seeing many people more than we usually would. I am missing the Chickalettas though. We'll have to arrange another chat with them soon. 
I wish I had a professional Zoom account so I could arrange meetings with other people that are longer than 40 minutes...

Family chat for Opa's birthday this week

It was actually nice to chat with these ladies without all our kids. 

We chatted with my family the other night, too. Mom & Dad left, but the 8 of us stayed on for another hour or so. Things got rowdy. There MAY have been a few shots taken, dance parties, and an episode of "Cooking with Jeff" featuring a pepperoni pizza from the freezer. 

Thankful Tuesday - 216

Today feels hard, so I feel compelled to do an early thankful post to remind myself there is still so much to be grateful for. 

First, a little message from the kids of the neighbourhood...
WASH YOU'RE HANDS! (It pained me to write that, and pains me to read it still)

Today I am thankful for: 

1. Technology. With the social/physical distancing, we can't see family or friends, so we have been trying out different ways to reach out. Last weekend we had a family Zoom chat, and I have another one or two planned for tonight. My work also had a Zoom meeting this morning with 12 of us. Dom likes to video call Opa & Oma and Gramma & Grandpa, and yesterday we called Rebecca too! So thankful for the ability to stay in touch, but still follow rules!

2. Canadian Government. I am so thankful for everything the Canadian government is doing/has done so far. There are a lot of critics out there, but we need to learn to be grateful for what we have. We have a government that has our best interests as a top priority right now, and I feel that is special and rare. We could live somewhere where the top levels of government have denied there is an issue, spread false facts/fake news, and wants to LESSEN restrictions already!! Yikes... If you're interested in where different countries are at with the virus, this is an interactive site with info on the latest COVID cases. Very interesting!! Canada is doing pretty well so far, so hopefully everyone can just follow the rules and we can flatten this curve!
https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

3. Generous People. A lady in my neighbourhood bought supplies and made some hand sanitizer. She decided to give it away for free, or by donation. We got the last bottle after not being able to track any down the last couple weeks! So kind. 

Sorry... sanitAzer ;)

4. Intentionality. I alluded to it above, but it's interesting how in a time of crisis like this, particularly now, where we're instructed to isolate, I feel like I communicate more with some people. People are intentional about reaching out to each other instead of taking our freedom for granted. David and I are intentional about making time for each other instead of going with the flow day in and day out (though most days are still like this). The other night I bought some steak, and we put the kids to bed and made ourselves a steak dinner and opened a nice bottle of wine. I was saving it for our weekend in Osoyoos, but since that got cancelled we made a special date at home! It was really nice to sit and eat and talk together without interruptions. 

5. Financial options. I emailed our bank to see what it would look like if we deferred our mortgage. After going back and forth, and talking to a few trusted people, David and I have decided to defer our mortgage for 6 months. The fact that the gov't and big banks even made this an option is amazing. In the end it doesn't change our amortization or payments much, and the pros far outweigh the cons. I think because David is self-employed, we didn't have to submit any proof of need or anything. It will all be finalized in around 5 business days, and it will take a huge load off of us. 

6. Work from Home.  So glad this is an option. This is what work looked like for me on Monday! (Okay, 20 minutes of work because it was a lot colder than it looked). I miss the Nespresso, but this beats my window-less office for sure. 

Meetings look a little different now, but arguably better and more efficient!

7. Family Time & Less Diapers! I am appreciating all this family time while our kids are little. These years go fast, so we're being forced to slow down. Also, life is so much easier since Dom potty-trained himself. We're 4 days in and he has a 100% success rate, with zero prompting. Haaaaallelujah! Haaaaaallelujah! 

Sometimes you just have to let it happen!

We're practicing proper social distancing now, and Oma & Opa are video chat only. :(

These ones have no idea what Physical Distancing is! Haha

8. Food! Scott made us a loaf of sourdough bread, and I have had two friends add my items to their Costco shop for me. How amazing is that! 

"K is for Kimber"

Potty Trained!!!

I never thought I'd see the day! Dominic is potty-trained! At home at least; luckily, that's where we'll be for the next few months. 

A few days ago I put the kids on the potty for fun to watch TV, and Dom agreed to not wear a diaper (a big deal at the time). Later on that day we went to see my mom, where he told her, "Oma! I'm doing potty-training!" News to me, but okay!

The next day he woke up in the morning, so we went to get him and put him in underwear and he agreed he was done with diapers. Okay...? No accidents on day #1. However, he only peed on the potty once that whole day, and pooped a raisin by accident while he sat on the potty about 75% of the day. We have a pretty awesome reward system I set up, and I guess that worked for him! *details to follow*.

Day #2 (yesterday), he just got up and walked over to the potty, sat down, asked us to hold his hand, and peed... He had a bit of a sad/scared moment in the morning, but I think he just held it until it hurt, so we explained that to him. The rest of the day he marched around like he owned the place, knowing exactly what to do. He earned himself a new car and a dinosaur toy, and he couldn't have been more excited. He was hesitant to poop on the potty, but I could tell he had to. I scrounged up a diaper and put it on him to poop, and then sure enough, within a minute, the deed was done. That's fine with me. Poop takes longer and I was excited about his progress at that point already.

That brings us to today. He is completely independent with the potty. He has a 100% success rate all three days so far. He does not need reminders, he doesn't need encouragement, but he does LOVE the reward system! We had skipped quiet-time the last two days to be close to him, but decided he needed a break today. We put him in quiet time, and put the potty in his room. We anticipated him coming out of his room right away, or having an accident. Five minutes into quiet time he yells, "Mommy!!! I Pooped!" I go in there, and sure enough he had a big ole poop right on the potty! All by himself!!! He is so unbelievably proud of himself. It just so happened that that poop on the potty earned him another toy, so he got another dinosaur to play with during the rest of his quiet time.

Quiet time isn't over yet, so that is as up to date as it gets. He's doing amazing. I guess we really did just have to wait until he decided he was ready. What a different experience than last time we tried with him a couple months ago! I'm sure we will have good days and bad days, but it's been a very encouraging and not stressful experience so far. WHEW!!

Reward system - THE POTTY RACE
I set up a "potty race", so each pee the car gets to move 1 space, and each poo the car moves 2 spaces. When the car reaches the finish line, I have a special bag of toys he can choose from. For every pee or poo, he also gets a mini chocolate bar, which is inside the box this "race" is posted on. We introduced it a couple weeks before we tried potty training the first time, so he knew about it, and he was prepared.

Speaking of being prepared, I'm so glad we had everything ready to go when he decided he was ready (especially in the midst of this lockdown). We had potties, pull-ups, underwear, reward system, treats, special prizes, juice, etc. all ready to go. 

There's one good thing that has come out of this isolation at home! Go Dom!

He got his second prize just before dinner yesterday, so he brought it to the table and we discovered it could help him eat his hot dog!

Thankful Thursday - 215

Well I'm super disappointed to report we've had to cancel our much-anticipated weekend away in Osoyoos this weekend. There were a few reasons we had to cancel, but it mostly resolves around health and keeping loved ones healthy. Emilia is very snotty, and I just can't in good faith send her to my parents all weekend when Mom is seeing Oma often, and my dad works with vulnerable people in health care facilities. Our marriage really needed this weekend away, but it's hard to feel sorry for myself when almost everyone in the world has had to cancel plans the last few weeks. David offered to stay home with the kids and let me go alone, but I have decided I'd rather wait until we can go together. It was supposed to be a marriage maintenance weekend. As nice as it would have been to go away and be completely selfish for a weekend, it felt very selfish haha! Maybe if it wasn't so far away. 

Anywho, I'll get over it. These are some things I'm thankful for:

1. Beautiful views. It was so warm and beautiful this week! I pulled over driving home from Maple Ridge the other day just to take a picture of the view. It's not like me to slow down and appreciate things like that :)

From our dining room <3 So thankful for this view every night

2. Adventurous siblings who cook for you. Scott made us pizzas this week with sourdough pizza dough from sourdough yeast he's been making/growing(?) SO delicious!! 

3. Outdoor time in the sunshine. Dominic is really good at getting me outside lately. What this really means is that he asks nonstop until I give in.

I picked up this Strider for $25!!!

My station in the sun. I really didn't get to sit there for long, but maybe eventually they'll just play and I can sit and read a book!

Had a genius moment. We have these large stones beside our driveway and I thought to bring down some water and paint brushes so they could paint the rocks! We did this happily and quietly for over half an hour, until it was time to go in for nap time. WIN!

#ProofofMom

4. He might be ready!? Today the kids were playing and sat on the potty for a while. Dom sat without a diaper on, which is a big deal. He then randomly told my mom today, "Oma! I'm doing potty training!" He is excited about the idea of peeing on the potty, and seems to really want to. He told me he's done with diapers. I mean... okay! We have nothing better to do this weekend, so might as well put this lockdown to good use! Wish us luck as we cautiously attempt potty training of two toddlers at the same time. 

Changing my tactics this time and using the TV to make the potty a positive place. This is probably what life will look like a lot more than usual for the next little bit!

There is no such thing as a candid photo of Emilia. 

5. Opa and Oma's kitchen is almost fixed! Dom and I went over after nap time today to see the kitchen with the appliances and everything. It looks so beautiful and bright! 

I didn't take a picture of the kitchen, but here's a cute one of Oma and Dom reading a book while I sit at the new island!

COVID-19: What Life is Like Right Now

I feel like I should write something about what is happening in the world right now, because I know future Renee would want to know how I was feeling, what was happening, etc. etc. 

I don't really know what to write though since things are changing so rapidly.

The COVID-19 virus is a pandemic. There are currently 400+ cases in Canada, with 5 deaths. There are 103 (as of yesterday) and 4 deaths in BC alone. All 4 of these deaths are from one care home in North Van. The focus of our country right now is "flattening the curve". Everyone is encouraged to stay inside and practice social distancing as much as possible. All community centers, libraries, schools, etc are shut down. Churches aren't allowed to meet. It was just announced that schools will likely remain closed until the fall. At this point daycares are still open, but it is a rapidly changing situation, and I predict by the end of the week they'll be shut down too. There is a ban on all public gatherings of 50+ people. I know people who have had to cancel their wedding and many who have cancelled vacations. 

There is a travel ban, which bars anyone who is not a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, or a US citizen at this time, to enter Canada. Anyone exhibiting any signs of the virus will not be allowed on a plane (this includes Canadian citizens, who will have to recover fully before coming home). If you are abroad, or even cross the border to get gas, you have to self-isolate for 14 days upon returning home. 

This all happened in less than a week. Last Wednesday our small group met and we found out the church was going to have a meeting to discuss the possibility of cancelling our service. By Friday gatherings of 250+ people were banned, and over the weekend closures of public venues started. Every couple hours I get a notification from News 1130 on my phone about more closures, more cases, more panic. 

A few weeks ago everyone in the world started panic-buying toilet paper. I still don't entirely understand why toilet paper was the target, but now grocery stores stress me out. First of all, Independent, where we usually shop, is almost always empty. Now there is a lineup of people with full buggies at every open till. The shelves are nearly bare. I was there yesterday to pick up a couple small things and there was no paper products, no hand sani, no lysol wipes, one box of waffles, no potatoes, no cucumbers, large gaps in the bread shelves, no rice, no pasta, hardly any canned goods... those are just the aisles I went to. Dairy and meat are being hit hard, too. People are just stock-piling food, which makes it tough for those who are trying to be responsible, or who have young kids, or who are older, or who have disabilities. 

Our personal life hasn't been impacted significantly at this point. David is still getting shoots, I am still able to work, and could work solely from home if it came to it, our kids aren't in daycare or school, and we don't really get out much. We have a vacation to Osoyoos planned for this weekend, but if the resort gets shut down or something, we're prepared to reschedule; we won't lose any money other than the two jobs David had booked in the Okanagan that weekend. 

How am I feeling? Honestly, I am not afraid of getting sick. I'm very afraid of spreading sickness to loved ones, particularly those who are older, undergoing treatments, or who have autoimmune diseases. I am feeling anxious more just about the unknown. Daily life is changing by the day/hour, and there are many people who are out of work or will be stuck with young children who can't go to school or daycare anymore. The government will be announcing financial help tomorrow, but then I can't help but wonder how many people are going to take advantage of the system, whatever it is, and abuse it, taking away benefits from those who may need it more. The air is full of anxiety and uncertainty. Everyone looks at everyone else with a sense of caution. Lord help you if you cough in the grocery store. Suddenly you're patient 0! Even if you're not coughing, everyone gives each other a wide berth at a grocery store in the aisle. 

I don't work in a hospital, and hopefully don't have to go to a hospital at any point, but that's a whole other thing. They're all under outbreak protocol, and have cancelled thousands of surgeries. Anything that isn't urgent/emergent has been cancelled. They are freeing up beds in anticipation of an onslaught of COVID cases. In Italy there are so many sick people who require ventilators, but not enough ventilators. They're having to prioritize treatments based on age. If you're over 65, you pretty much don't get a ventilator. If you're younger but have other health issues, they'll pick the person who's around your age, but is more likely to recover quickly to treat. 

We are living in a movie. Dave and I actually watched "Contagion" the other day on Neftlix. It made me feel yucky, but a lot of it was really interesting since we're living through it right now. 

I know I should probably turn off the news and just go through life and check in once a day, but I can't look away; it's like a car accident! 

*Please note, facts in this post are ones I've heard on the news or from what I consider to be reputable sources, but please do your own research!*

This is the toilet paper and cleaning supplies aisle, but many others looked similar yesterday. 

We played a very appropriate game of Pandemic the other night. We lost...

Celebrating David's Birthday

David's 29th birthday was this past Thursday, March 12.

On his actual birthday it was mostly a normal day. He worked, I cooked dinner (buddha bowls as per his request), and then he went and did our "Doomsday Shop" and we watched a movie in the evening. I felt a little weird not doing anything special for his birthday, but I knew I was planning a celebration for him for Saturday. 

We woke up yesterday morning at 5:15 when the power went out. Dom's sound machine turned off of course, so he awoke in a panic. We brought him in to our bed in the hopes he'd go back to sleep. He talked for an hour and a half, and then maybe slept for a little bit. I got about 20 minutes of sleep after that. Since we couldn't make breakfast or anything we took a little family trip to Tim Hortons. While we were there we bumped into a neighbour who said our power just came back on. Phew!!

Emilia was clearly very excited to be out of the house.

I was planning to have our families over for dinner, and then everyone was going to go bowling at Clover Lanes, and come back here for dessert/snacks/beer tasting. With the whole COVID-19 outbreak, MANY things are shutting down, and crowds/public gatherings are being strongly discouraged. Given the potential for germ transmission at bowling we opted to cancel the reservation. I wasn't sooo set on bowling, I just wanted to do something different. 

In the end, we had 14 adults and 3 toddlers at our house yesterday! Everyone showed up around 4:00. I made two big pots of tortellini soup (one hot, one mild), and asked others to bring a couple sides and snacks for later. The soup went over very well and every last bite was eaten! Lots of people brought beer, and we opened and sampled them as we wished throughout the evening. It was an informal tasting. Everyone had their own glass, and just tried whatever they wanted, or whatever was open!

Since we couldn't go bowling, Dave secretly asked his parents to bring their Wii so we could do some Wii bowling. That turned out to be a super fun idea! Dominic also very much enjoyed Grandpa's old hockey table he brought over. He sat at that thing all evening asking people to come play, and cheering that he scored no matter which net the puck went into. 

I had picked up some sponge cakes, and washed/cut up blueberries, strawberries and raspberries; and made some whipped cream to have angel food cakes for dessert. Perfect light dessert to follow up all that hearty food! 

Grandpa and Opa were standing together and Emilia got confused pointing at them and saying, "TWO!"

After the littles went to bed, those who remained played a game of Pictionary and ate more food/snacks. Larry, Shelley, Allana and myself VS Scott, Ashleigh, David and Gabriel. We won :)

Larry & Shelley went home, and the last 6 of us played some Cards Against Muggles. It was a super fun evening, and I hope David felt special, loved and appreciated!