Day 21: Easter Weekend

Saturday, 11th April 2020
Weather: Keeps getting better.

What an amazing Easter weekend! The sunshine!

Much of the same was done today as every other day, except that today I didn't do much. That doesn't happen often. I sat around drinking tea, some time in the jacuzzi and then time in the sun. Lunch in the garden and more relaxing and just sitting around. It was lovely.

See what I mean. This is  what I did today.

Here is what the rest fo the family did.

Ok, I did do this too in the morning. We've been doing a lot of this lately. Pretty nails.

Andre thought about doing some gardening.
He did actually do a lot of gardening. I did a lot of watching.
I'll do gardening another day. Maybe tomorrow.

Isabella set up a cafe. I watched. Then I just had to visit the cafe and be served pretend food.

Oh yes I did this too. Isabella really needed her hair washed. I'm not sure how long it's been.
She didn't want to as usual. So we had fun doing it outside and she loved a relaxing hair salon treat.

What did you do today Mr Adrian Tabby?

Same as I do every day Isabella. Eat, play, sleep.

And I decided to wear the tunnel.

Isabella has been home for three weeks now and we've been working from home for 4 weeks, with Andre in the office on and off only the first week. It doesn't feel that long.

Happy Easter!

Day 15: Another one in the garden

Sunday, 5th April 2020

Today was a gorgeous sunny day and we spent most of it in the garden. The temperature was up to 21C and Isabella even had a run through the sprinkler for a bit.

Isabella made some lovely paintings while I did gardening.

Our Kitten 

The camellia

BBQ for lunch.

Tabby had a relaxing day too!

Day 4: The sun is out to make us all feel happier

Day 4 of Coronavirus Stay at Home. This morning we even received an official text from government saying "New rules in force now: you must stay at home." No more just keeping your distance. Just stay at home.

So we joined Joe Wicks and the nearly 1 million other families at home to do today's PE session at 9am. It's a good workout that. Well for me at least! My legs were definitely aware of yesterday's session.

Then we did what we did after yesterday's PE session: had cake!

Late morning Andre played school with Isabella and they covered a lot of work. I was very impressed by his teaching skills! Big part of it is really also Isabella's eagerness to learn. While they were busy with school work, I did office work.

Andre gave Isabella a word each time to create a sentence with. Next we need to
practice joining ideas using 'and'.

In case you missed it, Isabella wrote the previous blog post all on her own. I just showed her how to add pictures, but
she did it herself. It took a while, so we need to work on speed.

Isabella and I spent the rest of the day in the garden- trampolining, blowing bubbles. AND we cleaned the greenhouse! I have been wanting to do that for YEARS! And it was so easy to clean actually. You can now see right through the (glass!) greenhouse to the other side! Seeds are getting more sunlight too. The glass was a yucky green before. I should have taken a before picture.

You can kind of still see the 'before' dirty glass to Isabella's right and the clean glass obviously to my left.

We're enjoying three meals a day TOGETHER now too which is lovely. Breakfasts aren't rushed, lunch we never had together before, and dinner we can start earlier, cooking together because we're less rushed to and from activities and Andre's commute is only a couple of steps now instead of 30 - 40 minutes drive!

I know this must be super hard for many people, especially those who had to close businesses and those getting really ill, but we are so thankful for all the good that is coming from this. Time to eat, play, learn and work together. And time to just be at home. It feels good not having to rush anywhere.

Day 3: Isabella's classroom

This blog post has been written by Isabella.

We are doing exercice in the morning.  

Welcome to my classroom. 

This is my reading corner. 

I am doing PE with Joe.

 

I played with mummy's phone. I am a angel and when i nod my head i
am a little devil.

I did my phonics at home.

I can do fractions.

We play outside a lot.

This is my cat leaflet I wrote.

Day 2 of social distancing: Mother's Day

I was so looking forward to going out for a cream tea for Mother's Day today, but will have to try that again another time.

We still had a lovely day at home with the sun being out. More gardening: we planted tomato, cucumber, courgette and sweetcorn seeds plus some more sunflower seeds, all still in the greenhouse. We're going to have a full garden!

Isabella has been spending a lot of time on the trampoline.

And instead of scones, Andre and Isabella baked a Mother's Day cake in the afternoon while I relaxed with a book in the sunshine.

Tomorrow it is work and 'school' for us at home. Isabella is actually very excited to be doing school work at home and can't wait to get started. I need to read through the planning her teachers sent home, but I know we'll have more than enough to keep us busy with educational activities. Luckily she enjoys that.

We have a bit of a schedule ready for weekdays, although it will be flexible and is just to help us get back on track if things start getting a bit tricky or if Isabella gets bored. It's something we can then refer back to for ideas.

The sheet at the top is from The Organised Mum Blog and is where we write down things
we'd like to do during the day so we don't forget. Also a bit of meal planning. But all open
to change. The sheet below is a list of things Isabella can pick from of things to do.

A slightly more detailed routine for the day, but all it basically says is Isabella to try play
on her own and once that fails mum or dad to take turns playing and working. With a bit
of screen time in between of course to help us out.

Day 1: Coronavirus Isolation

It has been strange how quickly life has changed these past four weeks or so. From only hearing about this coronavirus/ Covid-19 starting in China when it felt so far away and not affecting us at all, to hearing about how quickly it started spreading through Italy and then through the rest of Europe and becoming a risk affecting us and everyone worldwide. It's such a strange thing this way we're living now and how quickly we got into keeping our distance from others whenever possible. Becoming suspicious of a cough.

We started working from home on Monday, with Andre still in the office some days. We've set up a second desk at home and it's been working well. This coming week Isabella will be joining us at home  so things will change some more once again, but I'm sure we will be keeping it interesting and making it work!

It has been a lovely relaxing day at home today. I am absolutely enjoying not having to rush anywhere. No where to be and no one we need to see. 

We started the day playing vets with Isabella's soft toys. ALL. OF. THEM. She has no favourites and loves them all equally. That was what she told me when I asked and it's absolutely true.
(You can click the [ ] at the bottom right of video to see it full screen.)

We then moved downstairs and Andre built our outdoor chairs which arrived yesterday. We're still waiting on the table and I'm suspecting an issue here so will probably need to contact the supplier on Monday. But so excited that we'll finally be able to eat outside this summer! We went for this cast aluminium set as it seemed the most durable for the shady (damp) spot the table will be spending most of the year.

Isabella started working on a cardboard house for her soft toys using the empty boxes.

We spent some time in the garden, I planted flowers, Isabella went on the trampoline, Andre and Isabella washed the motorbike and then also went for a short ride around the village on it. Isabella also got back on her own bike for a cycle! Something she's not done since summer. I didn't join them, but apparently she was doing well on her two wheels. I will capture some evidence of that next time.

Isabella was excited to start her school pack she got on Friday evening already, but we have decided to keep weekends as weekends and start that on Monday. All of Isabella's after school activities have now been canceled, her two dance classes, gymnastics and ice skating, and restaurants and gyms etc have been told to close too.

A Portrait a Week: 22/52

We had a lovely sunny weekend after more than a week of rain and grey skies. Saturday we spent with friends at a church fair. Isabella loved every minute of it there. She never once complained. She loved looking at all the people, enjoyed the loud music (and even had a quick nap when we got there with the loud music playing!), she went on the swings and generally just enjoyed standing on the grass with her bare feet laughing.

Sunday was spent in our back garden. Andre did a lot of gardening while I did the entertaining of the little one. Also went for a quick walk in the afternoon to the park where Isabella had another go on the swings and even down the slide, with Andre holding her all the way down of course.

We tried getting a family photo of the three of us but Isabella can't keep her hands off any piece of technology. Camera, phone, remote- she's got to have it! (Wonder where she gets that from...)

And finally, long awaited photos of the toothies! The first two are now well and truly out and visible, although still small. And very very sharp. She managed to draw blood, gnawing my finger this weekend!

*All the good photos courtesy of Andre. (The average ones are me with the iphone!)