We've taken on a lot, and somehow managed to stay in tact. Living life now as a family of 4!

Today is the start of the last year of my thirties. An aging milestone, of sorts, if you believe the society hype about '40'. I've never liked my birthday, really. I never liked getting older for reasons I couldn't always articulate. I'm making peace with it though for a few reasons. First, I have gotten everything I wanted. I am married to a great person and we have tons of fun together. We have TWO CHILDREN, which is still completely mindblowing to me, even as I have to unlatch one to put the other one on the toilet, and make supper with one in the sling and the other on a chair beside me 'helping'. We have jobs we enjoy and are good at and which give us lots of time off to travel and explore. I am content in a way I've rarely experienced before. Second, I'm kind of excited to put my 30's behind me. I know they're not quite over but it was such a rollercoaster. Some great highs, for sure - renovating, getting married, our kids. But ...

I will say this for this time of #stayhome and #quarantine; I have learned some things. I have learned that it actually IS possible to stay inside your house with your 2 small children all day and not lose your mind. I have learned it's possible to stay home all day and have fun. I have learned the value of slowing down with my immediate family. I have learned the value of a little well-timed screen time. I have re-learned and re-emphasized that all of this at-home time goes infinitely better if I do a challenging and vigorous workout in the morning. I have learned how much I take travel for granted. This is a big one and I'm struggling with it more and more as the weather heats up and we wonder what our spring and summer will be like. Like so many people, we had to cancel travel plans. We were suppose to be hitting the road today, heading west, for a family adventure to the west coast, ending in our favourite place of Tofino/Ucluelet. It was a 4 week trip that incl...

Is it silly to title blog posts about this period this way? Maybe. But for now it seems appropriate. Before I get into this post I feel it's important to acknowledge my absolute privilege: my home is safe, I have money for food, my relationships are safe and secure. It seems crazy that 4 weeks ago we thought nothing of being in close proximity to other people, 3 weeks ago they gave notice they were shutting schools, 2 weeks ago it started to sink in: this is serious, and now even just going for walks around others is distinctly uncomfortable when they pass too close, or the sidewalk is too narrow. How long will it take to feel normal being in a close group again? Our daily habits have changed significantly over the last three weeks and although I and my family have paid very little for this I still struggle with the little voice that says 'how can they change my life so much?' In the next second I remind myself: I'm struggling with freedoms being taken becaus...

I've written drafts of a few posts and had a few more ruminating in my brain, but on week 3 of the pandemic, it feels fake to write and post as if our whole world hadn't been put on pause for the foreseeable future. What odd times we are living in! I feel obligated to write and reflect on what we're doing, or rather, not doing so that one day we can look back and remember what it was like. At the same time, it's almost like there is an absence of what to write - this is the first spring break in 4 years that we haven't gone on a trip, trips the grocery store have changed from being an enjoyable family outing to being a solo mad-dash to simultaneously stock the house without forgetting anything and touch as few things as possible. Now we spend all our time at home. Honestly, not that different from before with two small kids, but small changes make big differences. Rudi isn't going to daycare any more. There are no music or library groups to join. Even walk...