Plog of some Corona days

I wanted to log a bit what days look like during the Corona lockdown so I can remember in a few years time and look back at it. (assuming this doesn't become our long-term routine for the next years).

Tuesday

7:45 Slow breakfast...usually a little later than before Corona as we don't have a (as) strict school and work hour to be ready for.   Beertje started a little earlier than me and didn't have much appetite so he started playing right away while I still had to eat my weekend left-over croissant.

8u10:  Together with Kabouter I look at our schedule and when I have meetings and we fill in our schedule for the first times since a long time (we didn't do this in the "Easter vacation").  Before I start working I spend some time with him working on our puzzle. 

A bit after 8u30 (half an hour than when I usually arrive in the office...hurray for a commuting time of 10 seconds) I take place before my desk in our basement office. Always handy too that my laptop doesn't move anymore and is ready right away. 

When searching a coffee refill a bit later, I am met by 2 warriors in the kitchen. The rest of the morning we walk a bit up and down from our desk to the living room where I help Kabouter making some homework and launch his explanation video's received by his teacher.  I also have some meetings. 

In the afternoon Jan frees up some time to go and get some groceries. Afterwards he takes the boys out of the house. I enjoyed the total silence in the house and tried to regain some of my lost concentration to get ahead in my work. 

Apparently it is a windy day because I notice that my plant has been blown out of the pot for probably the 10th time...It's hopeless, I've dug it deeper, added soil and each time there is wind it falls out of it.

The boys have discovered in our book cupboard some calculation game book I had no clue we possessed it. Must have come there through some 2nd hand gifts from friends but hey thanks to who gave it.  Once I explained the concept, I had a quiet moment again to sneek back down and work a little more. 

I worked until after 18u when Jan had dinner served at the table.  I had the clean up the table then and started fighting with my tupperware cupboard chaos.

I missed the boys bedtime to participate in a Mobile School evaluation meeting of the #blijmetmijnkot campaign

After the meeting I close off by surfing the news sites and social media a little more while watching my daily episode of Thuis with a bit of delay and then it's bedtime.

Wednesday

A bit after 7:  The alarm clock is 15 minutes later than pre-Corona times and as always I snooze a bit while Jan gets the boys out of bed.  Traditionally Beertje then first crawls for another moment back in bed with me and we cuddle together while Kabouter on the other hand races in the bathroom and rushes into his clothes to be able to go downstairs together with Jan.   Beertje and me are the ones that need time to wake up and we take more time now together.  By 7.15-7.20 we finally roll out of bed and get ready in the bathroom.

After breakfast we assign Kabouter to his daily mandatory school tasks right away which he does well.  Beertje profits to watch movies on the ipad.  I profit to slip down to my desk right away at get going. 

The children all of a sudden bring me the postal mail that dropped through the mailbox.  Sweet mail! Apparently Kabouter finished all of his to do's in the mean time. 

I continu to work interrupted to cater the children for their fruit and to read some stories from the story book . Fortunately I didn't have many meetings today so I have the flexibility to take little breaks with them.  They watch some tv or ipad movies when I return back to my desk.

Just before noon I launch Kabouter's class live session where he gets in a little group some math and reading exercises. Fortunately Beertje keeps relatively quiet. 

After lunch there is a short meeting for Beertje individually to chat with his teacher.  At his age that happens rather chaotically but he had a chance to show off some toys, sing a song and have a little chat.

I'm back in meetings while Jan all of a sudden brings a piece of insulation material in between our desks... A clear not so subtle message that we both annoy one another by talking too loudly in our meetings while seated next to each other.

During a little break Kabouter and I put in the last pieces of our 2nd 1000 pieces puzzle and after 2,5 weeks we completed this Paris view. 

Jan takes another break in the afternoon and heads outside with Kabouter while Beertje hangs out in the basement with me with the ipad. They do not want to play together this afternoon and seek each a spot at a different floor for some alone time.  He lets me work in silence and I continue again until before dinner time. 

I've written some cards that I bring to a postal mailbox in an attempt to get some fresh air and some movement for the first time in these 2 days.  I enjoy the abbey carillon playing a concert.  I'm pleasantly surprised with the nice weather that I had not noticed in our basement office.

I join the boys in the garden for a BBQ.

Around bedtime a new bouquet of a local flowershop is delivered and I join for the 2nd evening in a row a Mobile School meeting.  (Quite unusual coincidence to have that many evening meetings).  

Thursday

7:10 I didn't sleep as well and feel very tired when a little monkey full of energy comes to wake me up in the bed. 

7u45 Trying to get some energy with loads of coffee and a yoghurt muesli fruit breakfast. While I finish up, Jan has launched another session of Tynker coding for children...some programming game for children that they discovered last weekend and really enjoy doing together. 

While working the children come ask some explanations for some challenge books we gave them.  Later in the morning I go and check up on them because it's so quiet. Turns out they are playing very nicely together and completely ignored ipads and tv. 

Kabouter asked when he had to start his school work and whether he could first play a bit more and I said that he could of course play a bit more first. I didn't feel like stopping their game now.

During my pre-lunch meeting Jan had managed to boil some fresh soup for lunch.  He was however already back in meetings when I was having lunch with the children. 

Some days I wonder how much break actually hits their stomac compared to the floor. 

The children were well involved in a fantasy game together that involved taking out toys and spreading them all over the house and running back and forth because "the thieves are there". "we have to retreat to our headquarter now". "to the training to the training!" ....  I had taken the afternoon off to spend with the children but I profited from their independent playing in harmony to finish off some things before closing off. 

When I finally close off my computer I feel very tired and my eyes hurt. While the children still play around me I let my eyes rest a bit while listening to their voices whirlwhind around me and sink to the background.  I fail to nap however. 

The children are neither interested in going outside or doing homework or ...so I profit from a rare moment to read a little bit (still trying to finish the book I started on vacation in November!! shame on me. but really trying to finish it since a few weekends).  Some nosespray helps my hurting eyes...maybe it's hayfever.

By 3 pm I decide we've really been inside enough and we must get some fresh air so I tell everyone to get socks and shoes. 

A school friend from Beertje had a birthday so we go and sing happy birthday at the side walk and we cross some other school friends doing the same. 

Then Kabouter can show me where he found with his dad some lizards...and we had success and saw several. Pretty cool. And gosh it's hot outside! I have to start getting my summer clothes out (but not to work in the basement).

Beertje also found a "Canada leave" and a "Canada tree" , lost his sunglasses while searching for bugs so we walked another km to go back and search for the glasses with success.

Finally back it really was time to start dinner and we baked our own pizza's. 

Because it was such a nice day and the children had exceptionally so much fun playing together, Kabouter only started to do his school tasks after dinner and couldn't finish it all before bedtime. That's fine, we'll catch up tomorrow.  He attached a reminder at his little desk. 

This time I didn't skip the children's bedtime but I skipped the online yoga that I take on different Thursdays instead. 3 "online" meetings in one week is too much so yoga will have to wait until next week.   Just some tv and my laptop and the sofa for me tonight and timely bedtime.