We are still here, all together, only now Travis goes to work everyday. Last week was supposed to be spring break, so Travis was supposed to have off for the week. He had off part of the week. We had a plan to visit four colleges with Tayden and Zach and then spend some time in Indianapolis and see Tessa and Taryn. It all sounds so glamorous now. Not as glamorous as many other people’s cancelled vacation plans, but glamorous next to our new reality. Instead, we are here together. I am appreciative to have the kiddos. I don’t know how I would survive quarantine all alone. If you are alone, FaceTime me. I will walk you around my messy, full house. Every once in a while, I find a quiet moment. I savor it. Other than that, I have a few observations from the past week.

I think Tessa is trying to kill me. We work out together nearly every morning. I am trying to figure out if she knows that there is an old life insurance policy out there on me. She wouldn’t get any money directly, but it’s more money than I bring to the table, so she might get some extra vacations or something. Right now, that may look good. 

I am tired of cooking dinner for seven. They eat A LOT. I can’t even count on any leftovers. Or maybe just enough leftovers for one or two lunches. Which means, it gets pushed to the back of the fridge and forgotten. Everyday, I wake up wondering what I am making for dinner tonight. UGH! Tonight, we order out. And by the way, I am NOT in charge of breakfast or lunch. And potato chips do not count as a meal. Except for me. Don’t touch my potato chips. Remember when the kids were young and we Moms hid food? Yup, that’s happening again.

We all get to see Travis walking in from work in his underwear. It’s part of our new normal. The hospital has made it part of home protocol. He changes out of his clothes that he wore at work in the garage and leaves them there until he has a full load. We don’t wash anything less than a full load around here. Travis then walks to our bathroom in his underwear and immediately takes a shower, including washing his hair. He hasn’t washed his hair this much since we were in college diving. And his hair is getting LONG. He may have to let me cut it.  YIKES! 

Most of our kids still sleep through anything. Only Taryn wakes up. Last night, the power went out, so one of our carbon monoxide detectors was beeping. Travis, Taryn, and I ran into each other on the stairs trying to figure out where the beeping was coming from. Since it only beeps once a minute, and we have a two story living room, the sound bounces everywhere. So, in various sleepwear, we would hold position (think freeze tag) until the next beep, then run in the direction each of us thought it came from (which was three different directions), yelling instructions to each other, as if one of us was an expert on the echo effect of high pitched beeping. We never did find it because it spaced further apart and eventually stopped beeping. It needs a new battery, but now I don’t know which one it is. I have a bit of a carbon monoxide phobia, so I have a lot of detectors. Please don’t try to reason with me on this. I already have them, and I am using them. Besides, it helps me sleep, so that’s enough for me. And Travis. 

I can’t sleep during wind storms. It seems like we have had at least three wind storms since quarantine began. So, Travis doesn’t get to sleep during wind storms because I have to talk to someone during the night about the grill cover, fire pit cover, patio furniture, and the newly erected trampoline. Seriously, these things could tumble off into the neighbors’ houses. Travis calmly asks what exactly I am going to do about it at 2am in my tank top and underwear. Then he gets slugged in the gut. After that, I get up and start doing unproductive stuff around the house. The only kid I wake up is Taryn. Poor Taryn. She would go back to school in a heartbeat. She probably slept better in the dorms. 

More exciting discoveries during quarantine next week. I miss work! And the photo is an attempt at gym class during quarantine.