Our Little Beastie Blog: Keeping Balance in Quarantine

We promise, we won't just talk about yoga.

Evie in "semi-truck" pose - March 28, 2020

If you're reading this, you have internet, so you are aware of the global pandemic happening right now. We live in California and are two weeks in to government-mandated "shelter in place" meaning we may only leave our homes for essential business and exercise (while keeping appropriate distance from others). Schools are closed. We are working from home. We only go out for food, medicine, and walks / hikes. That's it.

For reasons that may become clear while reading, we're not getting into the more serious topics surrounding this pandemic. We are appreciative of, grateful for, and worried about our healthcare workers. We empathize with those who are already economically impacted. We acknowledge the fear, anxiety, and uncertainty this all brings. Because of these serious topics, we wanted to focus on balance.

Hiking - March 21, 2020

Our Minds

This is temporary. We don't have to do the best at everything, this isn't how we will be judged for the rest of our lives, it's merely an episode.
A lot of our focus is in the present. The kids help a lot with that - planning and doing activities, meals, naps, storytime, snuggle time, what have you. There's not a lot of time for the mind to wander and that's probably a good thing.
We are both working from home full time, which is a challenge. Tag-team parenting helps one of us have more clear focus while the other one juggles and then vice versa. We are super grateful for naptime.

Climbing on Mommy during Cosmic Kids Yoga - March 27, 2020

Kiss Immy, she's Irish! - March 17, 2020

Our Bodies

It would be so easy to just eat junk food all day. While snack food has certainly ticked up, we're also focusing on vegetables in our litany of home-cooked meals.
Getting outside at least once a day is so helpful for all of us. A little Vitamin D, stretching the legs, and waving to the neighbors are each little boosts.
We are observing all the directives in the "shelter in place" order. We are keeping our 6ft distance and staying home. We aren't in the highest risk categories, but none of us want coronavirus and we don't want to become carriers.

Tee ball became "real tee ball" with live pitches - March 19. 2020

Evie getting really good at hide and seek - March 18, 2020

Our Hearts

We check in with each other, to make sure our emotional states are OK. We know how quickly things can get very dark and very heavy, and we want to be there for each other if that starts to happen.
That said, we've been pretty fine. What matters most is family, and we are staying close to our little unit right now. We aren't in deep grief, we aren't in postpartum purgatory, we just are. We know what fear, uncertainty, anxiety, pain, and loss really feel like. This isn't even close.
Our stock portfolio obviously is taking a beating... but we have a stock portfolio. While it would be easy to get swept up into economic anxiety, we aren't doing it. We are comfortable and it feels wrong to obsess over any economic hits we will take when so many people have it so very much worse.

Sidewalk chalk to encourage neighbors (Evie wrote the OBIE) - March 20, 2020

Pretend lunch... NOM NOM NOM - March 23, 2020

Our Beasties

They need a lot of attention at these ages (2, 4) and that can be tiring. While the days seem long (so long!) we aren't worn down emotionally. It's GOOD to spend this much time with them and it's a happy, content type of tired at the end of the day - not a stressed out, frazzled one.
They don't really "get" what's happening, so they aren't fearful or anxious about it. That is a bonus for us as we don't have to navigate through those complicated emotions. Our biggest hurdles with them emotionally are (1) isolation from their friends and (2) distracted parents when we're working. These are surmountable.
When they look back on this time, we truly hope they remember feeling loved and supported. That it is simply a blip on their personal experience. When they learn about it in school, I hope it helps give them perspective that even in uncertain times we can be kind to each other and ready to work together.

Ready, set, go! - March 24, 2020

Playtime on the swing set between raindrops - March 18, 2020

Activities We Love

Making a list of what we (mostly the kids) want to do each day
Cosmic Yoga
Sensory Bins - we like these & these, but making your own works great!
Practice Easter Egg Hunts (filling eggs with small toys at night and hiding them around the house to be found the next day is time well spend each evening)
Reenacting their missed activities - The Little Gym & Swim Class
Sidewalk chalk art to brighten our home and the neighbors' walks
More movie time than ever before
Sticker and coloring time
Pen pals
Creating a store and shopping
Jazz up the snacks - branded crackers / cookies go a long way (Scooby snacks!), sprinkles in the yogurt, mochi ice cream, s'mores - it's time to indulge a bit

Evie paints one of Obie's Bees - March 23, 2020

Making Puppy Chow: Immy wanted to get messy, Evie did not - March 28, 2020

It's really been a nice mix of technology and not. We use technology to stay connected, to occupy when we need to focus on other things, and to give us ideas. On the flip side, most of our day is totally disconnected. Chalk, crayons, glue sticks, toys, blocks, plastic eggs, these are the things getting the most use. Aren't we fortunate to live in a time with both?

At the end of the day, we love our family. We love our kids and we love spending time with them. Of course, when things settle down we'll find happiness in socializing with our friends and family, in coffee dates, in group experiences. It's because those things bring us joy, not because we need an escape from our home life. We know not everyone is so lucky, and we feel for them. We hope you find the things that bring you comfort during this quarantine. There sure is a lot out there!