What's Up Wednesday: March 2020

Welcome to What's Up Wednesday for March. I've said a few times before on this link up that my WUW post will be one of the most unique ones I've ever written -- like the one I wrote from Kenya (which you can read here) or the one I wrote from our road trip last summer (which you can read here).  However, I really do think this month's posts will be the most unusual any of us have ever had to write. I'm looking forward to reading all of your posts and realizing, once again, we're all in this together. Solidarity friends.

image from here

What we're eating this week... I've been taking the extra time to do some extra baking. I've been getting a lot of inspiration of things to do from friends on Instagram. So when I saw that a friend had baked cinnamon rolls, I asked my mom for her recipe. Sadly, in the handing down of the "recipe" (she had to sort of make it up for me), a semi-important step got missed so I ended up with ENORMOUS cinnamon rolls. Oooops. I'm looking forward to trying to bake these again later this week to see if I can get them right this time.

I was also trying to find yeast and flour at the grocery store last week. Given that I couldn't find it anywhere, I'm guessing I'm not the only person upping my baking game!

What I'm reminiscing about... As always, at this time of year, I'm reminiscing about baby Sam! How is this kid turning ELEVEN on Monday?!?! (Yes, I ask that every time one of my kids has a birthday! Ha!)

I should really get an updated picture of Sam and a drinking glass. We thought it was a good indication of how small he was! :)

Also, Sam has decided that this year, his birthday is going to be on May 30 instead of March 30. I am devastated that he feels this way, although I totally understand it. So while I will quietly mark his birthday on my own, we will not be acknowledging it otherwise. Unless Sam changes his mind...

What I'm loving... Our weather is not at all Spring like but we do get a teaser every now and then. And when it's slightly warm-ish out, you can bet we're out there for as long as we can taking advantage of it.

What we've been up to... All the things to keep us entertained.

Someone in our city had the idea to post pictures of things in our windows so people taking walks could enjoy them. On Monday we made animal faces. Today we're going to work on "encouraging words" for Thursday. Later this week I think it's "flowers."

We attended online church for the first time. Our church has been streaming its service for awhile but this is the first time we took advantage of it. It was kind of nice to attend church in our pjs!

The kids made some bases and set up a baseball game. And they've also been using their bases outside to have games in our backyard. (We've also streamed a few games on YouTube.)

Dave has set up his work space in our bedroom, webcam and all. He posts his meeting schedule on the door so I know when it's safe to enter. And I always triple check that the webcam is off before I get dressed!

Rachel has taken up sewing. I think she was making herself a wallet here. Soon I'll have her take on my mending pile!

What I'm dreading... How long will these cancellations, closures, and social distancing last? I'm dreading that we could be in for months of this. As I wrote in my post yesterday, I am behind all of these measures, but that doesn't mean I have to like them.

What I'm working on... Not going insane! Too honest -- ummm, well, trying to keep the kids entertained during the day without using screens 100 percent of the time! Success rate thus far is undetermined :) Our province has not put a lot of emphasis on online learning just yet. Last week was our March Break and so we're only into the first week of what should have been school. I'm taking it a day at a time as, like most of you, I didn't sign up to home school and my kids didn't sign up to be home schooled.

I find both of these pieces of advice speak to me and I'm not stressing about my kids' education. Granted, they are in Grades 3 and 5, and don't struggle in school, so I realize I have the privilege of being able to be laid back.

What I'm excited about... Opening day of baseball is TOMORROW!!! Whoooo hoooo!!! I am seriously giddy about this!!! I tend to pre-write bits and pieces of these WUW posts throughout the month. I wrote the crossed out sentences in early March because I was sooooo looking forward to baseball returning full time. And then, well, we all know how this story ends...

So I guess now I'm excited about... well, life eventually returning to "normal" or at least, some semblance of normal -- when the kids go back to school, I go back to work, and we can hug our friends again.

What I'm watching/reading... I've been watching a lot of old baseball games on YouTube or Sportsnet (whenever they decide to re-broadcast them). I need my fix somehow :)

As for reading, I've been reading a lot of light, predictable, fluff. I just don't have the concentration for more in-depth novels these days. I'm really hoping that will change soon but for now, I'm just giving myself grace and going with it. I'm making excellent progress on my re-read of the In Death series by JD Robb. And I was actually able to concentrate on the second book in the Morrigan Crow series. If you haven't checked it out, I highly recommend it. (It's written for kids but I'm really loving it!)

What I'm listening to... I've been listening to a lot of the kids playing with each other. I've been so thankful that we have two kids and that they play really well together. I've been feeling for only children and for parents who are having to navigate a lot of sibling fighting.

What I'm wearing... A mix of pajamas, yoga pants, dress shirts, and my new favourite cardigan. It's really quite the look I have going on these days. Ha! I bought the cardigan to be a lighter one for work for spring but I can't stop wearing it.

What I'm doing this weekend... Ummmm.... I really don't know. Sportsnet is showing some old baseball games so we'll watch those. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and we'll be able to go for a walk (or five!). We'll likely stream church online. Maybe we'll play some games. And I'll probably have a couple of naps.

What I'm looking forward to next month... Life returning to "normal" possibly... I really hope and pray that by next What's Up Wednesday, the kids will be back at school, I will be back at work, and that we will have won the fight against this virus. Also, hopefully Spring will make a full return in April and we can spend a lot of time outside.

What else is new... I really think that's about it. We're all in the newest situation of our lives and we'll make it through together. Right? Right.