Our first week of “Virus Vacation” was not much different than normal. We let the kids play in the culdesac with a few neighbor kids and told them to steer clear of older people. We let Reagan get together with friends if they were outside. They were ingenious enough to figure out how to play video games together outside using a sheet and duct tape. He kept going to work at the movie theater and we kept going to the store when we needed to. What was different was my mindset about germs. Every surface had become a threat. The grocery cart handle, the amazon box on my porch, the kitchen counter, EVERY door knob. How much should I clean everything? How often? I knew I would drive myself crazy if I tried to keep up with constant cleaning of every surface, so I didn’t try, but I could relate to OCD people in a way I never had before. I was after the kids to wash their hands every time they walked in the door from being out. I used hand sanitizer every time I got back in my car. I tried for maybe one hour not to touch my face, but gave up on that one pretty quickly. There was an underlying fear about the most basic things sitting on my counter that I have never experienced. How could we live like this indefinitely? We’d all go crazy. Even the people outside our home like the grocery clerk, or the neighbor kid were potential carriers and therefore a threat to some extent. Then the President/CDC mandated social distancing and no groups larger than 10 and our email inboxes began to fill up with endless cancellations. Recitals, choir festivals, concerts, Prom and SAT.’s Cancelled. Doctor and dentist appointments, soccer and track season. All Canceled. Restaurants started closing, then movie theaters (including Reagan’s), then playgrounds and YMCA’s. All Closed.

By the 2nd week of spring break (the real spring break) we had the first case of community spread and the governor hinted at an important announcement the next day. We knew that probably meant a full shut down so Rock went out that night to grab a few last things at the grocery store before there was another run on the stores. It was 9:50 and he had his cart half full of the items from my list when they suddenly announced they were closing in 10 minutes an hour earlier than normal. He had to check out before he could get everything. He then tried two other stores. Both closed. That’s how we learned stores were closing early at night so they could sanitize and opening early just for Seniors. Sure enough, the governor gave the Stay Home order the next day, March 25th. We could go out to get groceries and necessities and to exercise but only with members of our own household. Not a quarantine, but that’s what a lot of people were and still are calling it. A bummer for sure, but at least I wouldn’t have to be quite so OCD about the germs and the cleaning.

Reagan watched the governor’s Stay Home press conference with me that day and I was grateful he was hearing the bad news straight from the governor. I knew this was going to be hardest for my teenagers. It meant no friends. It meant the one who had just barely gotten his license wouldn’t get to use it much, and the other who was getting ready to take drivers ed, wouldn’t be learning to drive anytime soon. Both boys had just recently had their first kisses and would not be allowed to see them again for who knows how long, at least not in person. Texting, usually, the bane of a parent’s existence, was now going to be a life line. But the littles would feel it too. There was a knock on the door one day after all this started and Libby opened it to find this little note from her friend.

This same little friend had a birthday last week but couldn’t have a party. So we ordered a gift from Target, used the curb side pickup service and took it to her. Here is a picture of Libby and another friend delivering presents 6 feet away.

So now we do zoom playdates, zoom birthday parties, zoom church even! Zoom zoom zoom!

All the restaurants in town closed their dining rooms but are still doing take out, so to keep them all in business we are eating take out at least twice a week-once for date night and once during the week with the kids. The kids love it. And I won’t lie, I do too.

The state school board extended school closures through at least April 20th, though I’m betting it will be closed the rest of the year, so the Hymas Homeschool is back in business. Stay tuned for all the awesome learning we’ve been doing even in the middle of all this Covid Craziness.