Day Four: (Tuesday, March 17th)

Today I decide to put on makeup. I don’t really know why since I have been wearing the same clothes for three days.  But even though I am doing my part in conserving detergent, somehow the laundry is piling up.  How can so many clothes be dirty when WE AREN’T EVEN LEAVING THE HOUSE?? I call a family meeting to discuss laundry rules: Pajamas can be worn more than once.  Pants can probably be worn twice.  Shirts and underwear go in the laundry at the end of the day.  People pretend to listen.

Speaking of rules, it has only been four days and the “stockpile” of food I wrestled for last week is diminishing faster than you can say, “Who ate the last apple?” Which happens to be exactly what I say when things come to a head.  Like some sort of combat warlord, I start telling the kids they can have only one non-water drink a day.  “These Gatorade and ICEE’s and La Croix are expensive and not meant for casual drinking!!  I show my proficiency for homeschooling by inserting division into everyday conversation. If we have a total of 30 cans and bottles, at four people having two a day, we will be out in FOUR DAYS, people!”

Meanwhile, Franny has continued to keep her earbuds in non-stop.  Even while doing homework she is talking to her friends.  Most of the time I can’t tell if she’s talking to me or them.  When she doesn’t have the earbuds in, she is face-timing with them.  I make a mental note to make sure I am always dressed when I walk into her room after I see a friend’s dad in the background of one of the calls.

Day Five: (Wednesday, March 18th)

By Wednesday I have lost track of what day it is.  Are we at the weekend yet?  Is it still March?  Did I miss a big holiday or anything?  It rains all day so being stuck inside is making things worse. And even though the days are long, for some reason the evening always seems to arrive too quickly with my kids asking, “What’s for dinner?”

Menu I made to make things seem more fun around the house.  Notice all the meat crossed out as my attempt to be funny!  It did not work. They tossed it aside and asked for plain waffles.

Did I mention we are fasting from meat for Lent?  As if it weren’t bad enough to be sitting around eating all day with nowhere to go, we are surviving on carbs and junk food.  I started out with high hopes that I would create a meal plan of 14 healthy and varied meals and rotate through them three times leaving some days for leftovers and eating out. Unfortunately, eating out is no longer an option. And “left-overs” don’t really exist with four people in the house.  Add that to the fact that my kids don’t want to eat anything with eggs, tuna, or beans in it, and we are down to a rotation of pizza, pasta, and soup and salad every three days.  Not even kidding.  I am like Fat Bastard over here shouting at everything in my line of sight, “Get in my BELLY!”

Day Six (Thursday, March 19th) 

It’s raining again.  If it weren’t for this being another e-learning day, I would be huddled in the corner in the fetal position.  This is the day I hit my low point.  (But remember, I am blogging a week behind here, so hindsight has shown me I am nowhere near my low point).  Adding to my irritation,  Ted has been randomly quoting The Shawshank Redemption to anyone and no one.  I finally reach the end of my patience and yell “Just so you know, the more you talk the more you end up in the blog!  Anything you say CAN and WILL be used against you!”

But those stories I will save for next week. 🙂