Living Unabridged

Hello friends! Hope this latest entry finds you well and safe.

We are hanging in there. We've had a good week, overall. Some of the kids are struggling with the stay at home orders more than others. And honestly, it wasn't the kids I expected it to be. (Parenting is funny like that.)

We've been:

• cooking a lot (OK, my husband and oldest girls have. I rarely cook. I do the grocery shopping and help with meal planning but actual cooking...notsomuch.)
• going on a walk around our neighborhood every evening (we've only missed once or twice when it was cold & rainy)
• playing board games, card games, and working puzzles
• doing the minimum on schoolwork (math, history, some writing)
• reading a lot. Sometimes together, often apart.  The nine year old (a late reader) has particularly taken off.
• singing together (especially on Sundays)

What we haven't been doing:

• watching many movies. I honestly thought we'd end up watching a lot of movies during this but we mostly haven't. I have rarely even watched much TV on my computer. Can't settle down to it. The kids still have limited screen time in the afternoon which they mostly use on the Switch or the Wii. (They have more on Saturdays which is when they watch more movies.)
• taking part in all the opportunities online. It seems like every zoo, every museum, every symphony, every library, every author, every singer, etc. has something for people to watch online. And we're mostly skipping all of it. (We've watched a few zoo things from our local zoo and the kids are watching Andrew Peterson read his Wingfeather books each night but that's it.) Overwhelm is real, even when you don't leave your house.
• major home improvements. My husband built a shelf in the kitchen that he's been meaning to do for a while. And a shelf for the boys' room (ditto). But no walls have been painted, no deck built (even though we need a new one), and yard work is usually our most neglected chore and that hasn't changed.

I'm telling you these things for two reasons:

1. To remind myself later. And,
2. To ease any notion that there's a "right" way to live through quarantine. (Obviously ignoring it completely is not the right call.)

There are good days and bad days; good moments and bad moments. If the virus teaches us anything, it ought to be gratitude for the breath in our lungs that enables us laugh or cry as needed.

OK, end soapbox for today. On to the links!

Coronavirus / Covid-19 Links:

• We're going to have to get used to masks as a way of life (even if it's just temporary). Here's an easy, no-sew option: 1 Minute Face Mask from Domino. And similar instructions, from Japanese Creations.
• And here are some more mask options: 3 No-Sew Ways to Make a Face Mask from Real Homes.
• The BBC (!) wrote about my governor.
• Dave Barry took those mask options to heart: Dave Barry Confronts Coronavirus Armed with Bandannas in the Miami Herald.
• Relevant to my family, particularly my game designer husband: Board Games are Having a Bad Time from Kotaku.
• Coronavirus Myth-busting, the truth about empty shelves and toilet paper shortages from Grist. Made sense to me.
• Needful: Grief in Six Stages: A Guide to Finding Meaning in Loss During a Global Pandemic by Jordan Green.
• Our Pandemic Summer from The Atlantic. Kind of discouraging but there's no point in pretending everything will be "normal"
• I've found Scott Gottlieb to be a voice of reason during this. Here's how he's planning to keep his kids safe this summer.
• LOUDER for the people in the back, please, Ed: On Christians Spreading Corona Conspiracies: Gullibility is not a Spiritual Gift.
• FDA's Perspective on Food Safety and Availability During and Beyond Covid-19. I found this interview helpful. (Of all the things causing me anxiety "feeding my six kids" is right behind 1. Any of us actually catching the virus and 2.potentially worse, passing the virus on to parents or grandparents.)
• This was hard to read at times, but necessary for understanding the reality in the hardest hit places: I'm an E.R. Doctor in New York. None of Us Will Ever Be the Same.
• You've probably seen this by now, but just in case: First Lines of Emails I've Received While Quarantining, A Poem.
• Encouraging post: Love, Not Fear, Remains by Aaron McKethan for Fathom. (Subscription may be required to read, but it's free. And Fathom is always a good read.)

Non-corona:

• It Came from the '70s: The Story of Your Grandma's Weird Couch from Collector's Weekly. Long but fascinating (at least, I found it so. I mean, who doesn't remember these couches?!).
• All or Nothing: Why I Quit Social Media by Joshua Gibbs. I'm not there yet, but...
• Some really unexpected titles here: These are the Most Popular Books Set in Every State.
• This one is kind of corona-related since it's about a pandemic, but it's not our pandemic: How the Telephone Failed its Big Test During 1918's Flu Pandemic from Fast Company.
• OK, this is definitely corona-related but it made me laugh (and yes, there's a language warning): Living Through a Pandemic or Potty Training a Toddler? from McSweeneys.
• This is a really cool radio station broadcasting from the north pole (or close to it): Arctic Outpost.

Two more things before this post is done:

1. If you read my post about Prayer Books you know I love Every Moment Holy. Right now you can download several of these beautiful prayers for free. So definitely go and do that right now.

2. I've been updating my Goodreads account lately. If you're on Goodreads, look me up so we can be friends there and I can see your booklists! And if you're not on there, maybe it's time to join. Because you need some more reading ideas right now, don't you?