Working through family life in a covid-19 world.
"Get me on the court and I'm trouble, last week messed around and got a triple double."
It didn't exactly go down like that today, but that's how it felt. Nothing could go wrong and everything I touched turned to gold. Every idea that I had and every activity we did fell into place like every line in Ice Cube's epic '90's rap "It was a Good Day". The only difference being I'm a middle-class, white-in-every-way-type-guy, dad-bod'ing it up with my kids in the back yard, and Ice Cube was riding around the hood getting beeps from Kim and seeing his name in lights on the Goodyear blimp. Subtle difference, but worth pointing out.
Let's rewind for a second - yesterday, I made a bangin' breakfast - scrambled eggs, diced potatoes seasoned to perfection, and delicious breakfast sausage I got from the Butcher Shoppe. The wife brewed some fresh coffee french pressed to perfection, and we topped it off with OJ. It was a tasty breakfast and I had enough left over that I knew I could throw together another solid breakfast the next day, and I knew exactly what I was going to do for it.
Fast-forward to today. This morning, I awoke with enthusiasm, ready to tackle the breakfast I had been salivating over for the past 24 hours. Getting straight to work, I used the left-over potatoes and sausage; took the diced peppers and onions I had leftover from dinner last night, and put together the most delicious sausage and egg sandwich in the history of breakfast; grilled cheese style. I reheated the potatoes on the stove, and in about 15 minutes, we had ourselves a gourmet breakfast. The wife helped top it off with some delicious chocolate chip pancakes, more freshly brewed coffee, and another glass of OJ. Added to the mix was a fresh strawberry and red grape medley, and we were off and running again.
"I gotta say, nothing makes me feel more hardcore than walking around with an axe slung over my shoulder."
After some quality family time at the breakfast table, we dispersed and did our own things for a bit. The kids played together peacefully (definitely a line in Ice Cube's rap), the wife did some housework, and I worked on my blog. As I was working, I decided I had three goals for the day: spend time with my family, exercise, and cook a delicious dinner. If I could somehow accomplish all three with the same activity, even better, which brought to mind an all-encompassing goal - make the day an adventure, and make it educational for my kids. LET'S GO!
We started by going outside to the front yard. My four year old, three year old, and 20-month-old got their bikes (the younger two have balance bikes, the oldest has a pedal bike); and rode around the development. I got a soccer ball and started dribbling it and kicking it around the yard while I 'supervised' the bike riding.
After about 45 minutes of kicking the ball around, I decided it was time to chop some wood. So I went to the garage, got an axe, and made my way to the woods behind the back yard. My kids were naturally interested in my activity and followed close behind.
I gotta say, nothing makes me feel more hardcore than walking around with an axe slung over my shoulder and chopping wood. My wife and I used the opportunity to teach the kids about axe safety and where firewood comes from.
Then, we took a break and played a game of family soccer. We got some aerobic exercise, worked on sharing, learned how to work hard and chase after a goal (literally), and stay persistent no matter what.
Once we finished our soccer intermission, it was back to work, and, oh, yes boys, we are making a fire tonight!
And while we're at it, let's cook dinner - who's up for some chicken?
When the chicken was done, I used the leftover pasta I made the night before, sauteed the onions and peppers that were already cut up from the morning, cut up the chicken, added it to the pasta, and topped it all with olive oil, garlic and fresh tomatoes. Not the most fancy meal; but simple, easy, and put together within the flow of the day, which is what I loved most about it.
For the kids, I turned the chicken into "smoked chicken tender bites", added some bar-b-q sauce for dipping, and served it with the left over fruit from breakfast, and we were off to another great family meal.
The highlight of family dinner was a riveting game of "What do you miss most about the YMCA?", where each family member had to pick a different family member to ask the question, and we all shared our feelings. Jackson missed swimming with Daddy, Jordan missed Ms. Sara, Ellie missed Ms. Kathy, and Daddy missed his swimmers (Mommy missed her friend Cheryl from her work).
After dinner, it was clean up time, then off to tubby and bed, so we're ready to do it all again tomorrow.