Archives for April 2020

Coronavirus Journal Entry 8: Quarantine Routine for the Soul

by SoCalledMom · Apr 17, 2020

coronavirus journal, so called mom, mom vlog, quarantine vlog

I pretty much have a quarantine routine down pat as we round the corner on day 50 in self-isolation. That’s just about one-seventh of a year, eek!

This routine is not about productivity or goal setting or getting back to the way things were. This routine strictly exists to feed my soul, here and now and well into the future. I’ve found that developing a simple plan to get through each day helps me reconnect with myself, my family and with others.

My morning consists of waking up at 7 am and making coffee. I spend time catching up on news and then get Chia, my special needs bunny, from the downstairs bathroom. A week ago, our neighbors dog got her and now her spine is severed, resulting in paralysis. She is taking medicine, is eating and drinking although we do need to help her go to the bathroom every few hours.

After Chia is set up Outside, I let out Francis & Demergatroid (our silly french Duclair ducks) and fill their water. Then out comes our hens: Clementine and Chickybaby for a day of free-ranging in the sun/rain. And Penny, the newest little chicken joins in too.

And just like that, we have plenty of time to fly the kite Milla got for her birthday
(that was in September!)

By this time, all 7 kids are waking up and getting their own days going. Some have opted to login for school, some not. They’ve been getting their own dose of fresh air time too. And we’ve been collectively reinventing family time. Our family used to wake up and rush the day away. Now it feels so much more considerate, all around.

We love our bread machine!
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I’m working very limited and remote hours at my day-job creating content to keep the University Club of Portland alive and kicking each morning. Afterwards, I reel the focus back in: For myself, there are three things I like to do every day, no matter what. They are read, write, and get exercise. These things provide us with natural ways to become a better human all around and will ground you with connection and daily purpose.

Outside of this routine, exists few and far between trips to the store, household upkeep and other things to not just pass the time, but make the most of it. Ingredients go into the bread machine daily. Fruit is sliced and dehydrated. What can we learn today? What can we try out? Take a time out, decompress and rest. It’s all important.

I prefer to be productive but sometimes I’m not and that’s ok too. All in all, we’re striving to make this new normal, better than the normal we had before. And it’s working.

xo, So Called Mom

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Coronavirus Journal Entry 7: The Ballad of Make-Believe Homesteading

by SoCalledMom · Apr 10, 2020

Now that we’ve passed 40 days in self isolation, it feels like things should be getting easier, but it’s still touch and go. We’ve been keeping ourselves occupied with household tasks that occasionally get so punchy, it’s out of control. I revel in these great distractions when you can forget about how hard things have gotten for awhile and just laugh uncontrollably.

Another perfect distraction: a lonesome and very needy chick…

Outside of our tiny utopia and make-believe homesteading, I’m at a loss. There’s too much change taking place at once and too much left to the unknown to find comfort in much of anything. On a good day, the best we can all do is wring our hands and pace the floors until another day goes by. And call it good enough.

The next best thing is to try to do little things each day, to positively affect our collective mood. Before all of this, we were in the midst of buying a house, I was finishing writing my book, and some of my older kids were becoming full grown adults with a pretty solid idea of who they want to be. Now that everything is up in the air, I’m trying to gauge how it will land. And when it does, how do I help transform this tragedy into something with an upside. But it’s hard to look at things with a fresh perspective when the weight of the world is pushing down on us.

Truth be told, I’m out of my mind because we’ve lost so much. Just like you. But it’s because I have you that I’m able to get through this. Thanks for that.

xo, So Called Mom

Coronavirus Journal Entry 6: Unschooling During a Pandemic

by SoCalledMom · Apr 7, 2020

I’m not sure what this whole craze is about pressing ahead with homeschooling. This isn’t a time to accelerate, especially with our kids. If anything, this is a time to completely take your foot off the gas and re-connect with them over super slow days jam packed with a clean slate.

Now is the time to talk about what is going on in the world. It is time to ask them what they think. It is time to ask: if you could do anything at all, and know you aren’t going to be judged or graded, what would that be? You might be surprised with the response.

In the past I have repeatedly lost the war over screen time. This is not the time to go at it again. On a similar note, I have let my kids quit school before to take up homeschooling. It went well enough for them to survive it. I feel like this is another one of those times where letting our kids off the hook is a good thing. This definitely includes school.

Instead of logging into ZOOM, do something else. Go for a walk, make some art, build a huge fort in Minecraft together. Do something that previously might not have mattered and let it take up your time together. Now is what we have, so seize it by zeroing out the stress of perseverance.

If you’re looking for a few neat projects (without pressure!) to do together, I have a list of things that have worked for us noted below: The Eames House of Cards has been a fun tool for us; sometimes we’ve created wacky structures while talking about tween life, breakups, ways to approach your new boss and also plain talk, free from weighty subject matter. It’s a self explanatory zen game, really, and just as fun to work with others, as it is alone.

We’ve had success making the planetary mobile above as it has led to some long term interest, conversations, questions and fascinations about space. And I cannot SING enough praises about what a difference adding a growing fixture has made to our little indoor garden. For instructions on how to grow one using materials your quarantined-self already has, check out this handy-dandy video tutorial I made.

If you know me at all, you know I love dressing up…even if I have nowhere to go. In any case, this ensemble reminds me of my kindergarten teacher when I went to that funky hippie school in Connecticut. Just go with it, no one will see you, you sexy beast. 🙂

Finally, here are some really great books that have helped me transition from traditional school, to homeschool and finally unschooling. Side note: The book titled: What your Second Grader needs to Know is one of those state assessment/common core nonsense books. I appreciate this one because it merely serves as a guide to see where your kid is at versus what society is expecting. It barely matters to me, so I’ve used this as a jumping off point only, when Leopold transitioned last year.

I hope everyone is doing alright out there. At least doing the best they possibly can be. We are stronger together and our kids are right here, are by our side.

xo, So Called Mom