April 2, 2020

It's been 3 weeks since I was last working in the office. Schools closed for March break just under 3 weeks ago, and aren't scheduled to re-open until at least May 4th. 

The family has adapted surprisingly well so far. After a "March break" where everyone was home but social contact was limited, and mindless netflix and disney+ watching was a near-all-day activity, we've settled into a bit of a routine.

The kids are doing a couple hours of khan academy and other online learning (Prodigy, Extra Math) each day. This week the dance studio started sending out videos and some text instructions to the kids for them to practice at home. In the spirit of "work with what you got" Nicole and Megan have been doing the best they can to practice in the living room, youtube videos and emails on the big screen of the tv. Nicole and Julia usually have lunch together (hash browns are a current favorite) and play cards or another game like Unstable Unicorns. Megan will sometimes join in, but just as often will be chatting with friends while in her room. The number of her friends who have been granted access to a phone / tablet along with messaging apps has exploded, so she is able to enjoy lots of "virtual play dates" or group chats. I think it's hard to underestimate how important this has been to keeping her happy and occupied. With some nicer weather this week, the three of them will sometimes go for a bike ride around the neighborhood, frequenting the reservoir (near the Camilleri house) and the long track around the pond. 

For Kelly and I, work generally continues as it did before, except at home, obviously. Her setup in the basement is comfier, but I've made do so far in the bedroom using a craft table and now a sewing machine as my desk space. (I may try upgrading to the folding card table this weekend.) I've replicated my work setup (including monitors) and I finally have a window seat again. :)

On a nice self-improvement note, today marks 21 consecutive days of exercising. Part of the new routine involves elliptical around 7:30, which is made doable because Megan doesn't need to be shepherded through her morning routine to get ready for school. I haven't done as much strength training as I should be doing. It's surprisingly challenging to want to do that after a day of staying in the same building, cooking dinner, and then spending some time with the kids. I will improve that in the weeks to come. And it does seem like there will be weeks to come; I expect these preventative measures of distancing, work from home, etc. will continue at least until the end of May. Numbers are still climbing here in Canada, although thankfully (and selfishly) nowhere near what's being see in Europe (Spain, Italy) and the US. At this point I'm glad that the borders are closed between the countries. 

-MES