Friday Free For All-We’re All In This Together!

Well, we made it through until Friday– was this the longest week ever? 

This is going to be a true ‘Free For All’ post. I have no project to share as this week has been rather unproductive as we figured out how to navigate life at home–together! I thought we’d just have a conversation (one-sided as it may be), about life this last week. 

I wake up each day and get hit with a strange feeling of dread, does anyone else? Though I do what I can to quickly talk myself out of it and remind myself that God is the same today as he was last week, and things are always in His control. 

Post on organizing medical and first aid supplies is HERE.

Things have changed so very quickly this week but I am trying to remain optimistic and focused on hope. I am grateful that I don’t really have to suddenly ‘homeschool’ (school work is optional in our county so as not to penalize kids who don’t have distance learning technology at home). My boys are old enough to handle their high school work, much of it is online anyway, themselves.

What has been really hard (can my other teenage parents relate?) is keeping them home and away from their friends. At some level they understand, but thanks to social media they see kids who are still getting together, people treating this like an early spring break and traveling (with friends in many cases) or just kids hanging out as they normally would because their parents aren’t enforcing the same social distancing measures we are here. It’s hard for them to feel like they are missing things all. day. long. I don’t have an answer for this, except that parenting is hard. 

My heart also goes out to business owners, the self-employed, the service providers who have literally lost businesses overnight. We’re doing what we can to support small businesses around us, I can’t even imagine what they are feeling right now.  Even though I have been cooking more and trying new recipes tonight we will be ordering out to support our favorite local restaurant.

There have been good things—while Facebook can bring doom and gloom, I have enjoyed the chatter in my neighborhood mom’s group. Our neighbors have come together and are swapping books (leaving piles on porches, free to anyone who wants them), sharing where they found toilet paper in stock and swapping ideas to keep kids from going stir crazy. Of course, my dogs are loving have everyone at home—even if I don’t feel like it I have made sure to get out and walk every day because the fresh air really helps. 

Aside from the anxiety of the virus itself, some of my sadness comes from the fact that I have a graduating senior and he’s facing the cancellation of pretty much every tradition that comes in this season. It’s unlikely they will have prom (or the after party, which I have been helping plan for the last 6 months), or their senior picnic, at this point we don’t know if they will attend school with their classmates again. I can’t think about graduation, I am still holding out hope that even if they have to postpone it we will be able to celebrate that if nothing else.

(This picture is of my parents garden, what mine wants to be when it grows up!)

I am looking forward to starting working in our gardens, and I have much to do! Our house was built two years ago and we have almost no landscaping. I love whiteflowerfarm.com for inspiration and high-quality plants, I’d love other garden site recommendations if you have them.

As to what is to come, I have been finishing up a project with our long-time partner Wagner/HomeRight and I’ll have that hopefully next week (fingers crossed the last piece I need comes in). Christy is in the hard situation of preparing for an overseas move that is now currently on hold (I can’t even imagine living that type of limbo), so we’re all just taking it day by day. I have been spending time in recipe and cooking sites trying to make the most of the extra time in the kitchen this week, so expect some food posts coming soon.

Today, I mostly just wanted to say that we’re all in this together, I am sure Christy would agree that we’re grateful for all our readers and we’re hoping that you all are doing OK. That you are staying well and keeping your eyes fixed on the big picture. We’re here so please stay in touch! This is a lonely time for many people so drop us a line if you feel inclined, let us know how you are holding up and share what tricks you are using to stay sane!

A few other things I have found that help is focusing on the good-there is so much of it along with so much bad news. Our local food bank has had an outpouring of donations (you can just go online to donate to one in your area if you choose). Our neighborhood mom’s group just pulled together donations and is sending meals to the healthcare workers at the local ICU with the sickest patients. They are picking up milk for neighbors when they find it, and our church reached more people online than they do on a regular Sunday (because who doesn’t need church right now?)

Here are some other ideas~

My Kindle Unlimited Subscription–unlimited reading material!

This devotion by Lysa Terkhurst was comforting.

All the pretty decor from the Spring Home Tours over at Marty’s!

A few posts that might be helpful right now:

A Two-Week Menu Plan with Shopping Lists

Social Distancing , StayCations + Blizzard Projects

What We’re Reading in February

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