It’s been a LONG time since I shared a Peek Into Our Week post… but I figure last week deserves its own post.
What a week it was!
I love being at home — truly, I LOOOOOVE being at home. But last week threw me a total curveball with very little time to prepare!
We went to bed on Thursday, March 13, with zero indication that schools (and basically all civilization) would shut down for the next few months.
When we woke up on Friday, March 14, our inboxes were filled with emails from Dave’s school, the kids’ school, our church, local organizations, etc. etc. All announcing they would be closed for the foreseeable future.
What!
Over the next few days, Dave was flooded with information about how to “flip” his classroom and begin teaching all his classes virtually (what a year for him to have FOUR preps!)
He has spent hours upon hours upon hours reworking lesson plans, making videos, emailing students and parents, holding live office hours where students can ask questions in real-time, and learning all sorts of really cool (but slightly overwhelming) technology to make learning happen for his students.
The kids helped him test out some new technology to make sure it worked before sharing it with his students. 🙂
Meanwhile, my normally almost empty inbox has been inundated with 85 billion emails from all our kids’ classroom teachers, specials teachers, principals, and other leaders.
Their teachers are amazing and working so hard to help our young children continue learning outside of the classroom. I’ve been filing their emails away into special email folders and picking and choosing a few resources to implement each day in an effort to reduce how overwhelming it all feels right now!
I’ve refilled our printer’s ink cartridges once, and it’s already flashing “low ink” again. I’m certain I killed at least 2 trees with the number of worksheets I printed for the 3 older kids last week.
But we’re making it!
And truthfully, aside from the fact that I feel completely inadequate as an elementary school teacher, I DO really enjoy being home with the kids all day.
I love planning activities to do at home (not necessarily school work). And I love including the kids in all the normal mundane parts of my day.
Basically like I do all summer long!
If you’ve ever wondered what daily life is like for our family… THIS is it!
I’ve gotten so many emails and messages from readers saying they finally understand what “living like the Dekkers” must feel like.
Dave and I have also joked about the fact that “social distancing” and staying home is really not a big change for our family.
Aside from missing school and church (and not being able to go to the library or invite people over for dinner), THIS is exactly how we spend our days, our nights, and our weekends.
- We eat simple foods I make at home — often 3 meals a day around the table.
- We grind grain and make our own bread.
- We eat canned goods from our basement pantry — all canned months ago.
- We pull from our freezer stash on a daily basis.
- We get eggs from our friend’s chickens.
- We enjoy lots of downtime and “free play” at home and outside.
- We do projects and make crafts and bake and organize.
- The kids entertain themselves for large portions of the day — building forts, playing dress-up, riding bikes, and jumping on the tramp (they miss their neighborhood and school friends).
- The kids sing while I play the piano (Dave is also learning acoustic guitar!)
- We play games (thank you Amazon for our newest card game.)
- We read and listen to LOTS of books.
- We watch Netflix, PBS Kids, Amazon Prime, and YouTube.
- We put the kids to bed at 7:00 (seriously, sometimes it’s 6:45) and enjoy a quiet house almost every single evening because we don’t have anywhere else to go.
Yes, we have stressful days that are busier than normal.
Yes, we get angry and annoyed with each other at times.
Yes, our kids fight and argue and talk back just like other children.
Yes, we get Culver’s every now and then.
But, the vast majority of our days are spent very simply at home… by choice!
This is not necessarily good or bad, right or wrong. It’s just what WE have chosen for our family for this phase of life.
This is literally what my planner looks like for the week! It’s unreal!
We had my 88-year old grandma over for a day last week.
She ate breakfast and lunch with us and helped peel apples while I cooked, milled, filled, and processed 45 quarts of applesauce.
NOTE: Here’s a more detailed post about how I can applesauce.
It was so interesting to talk with my grandma while we worked.
She’s losing much of her memory, but boy could she remember intricate details of her childhood – specifically growing up in the height of the depression.
She shared how she only had 2 dresses (one for school, one for church), how they “darned” their socks until there was almost no sock left, and how they saved EVERY scrap of usable fabric to make into something else.
Truly, they wasted nothing.
By age 10, she was doing almost all the cooking and cleaning (and caring for her younger brother) because her mother was very weak after multiple miscarriages and stillborn babies.
As I listened to her stories about growing up in the Great Depression, I couldn’t help but think how fortunate we are right now.
Yes, there’s quite a bit of unrest in our current economy (we’ve lost a lot of money too), and so many really fantastic opportunities will be missed (vacations, weddings, graduations, field trips, Easter Sunday services). And of course, there are the rising death counts that are so sad to read.
But simply “being stuck at home” certainly isn’t all that bad in the grand scheme of life.
We are alive!
We have closets full of clothing (probably too much clothing).
We have pantries and freezers filled with food.
We have reliable news sources to stay up-to-date on what’s happening (sometimes a blessing and a curse).
We can easily stay connected with friends and families via phone, skype, email, social media, etc.
And there’s always Amazon Prime where we can order anything we want and have it in 2 days!
If you want to enjoy a simpler lifestyle, one of the easiest ways to do that is by staying home and limiting extra commitments.
I know we might all feel a little (or a lot) stir crazy, but in many ways, “social distancing” might be just what so many of us need to calm the chaos of our over-scheduled, over-stressed, over-committed lifestyle.
Mandatory instruction to slow down.
Enforced rules to simplify.
Permission to clear our schedule and just stay home.
Sign me up!
Books I’ve Read (or am reading):
Looking for something to fill your time at home? I’ve recently enjoyed the following books.
- Simplify Your Life by Elaine St. James
- Simplify Your Life with Kids by Elaine St. James
- The Summer Before Boys by Nora Raleigh Baskin
- The Next Right Thing by Emily P. Freeman <– SO good!
- The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin
**Don’t miss Amazon’s fantastic freebie — 2 FREE months of Kindle Unlimited! It’s valid even if you’ve used a free trial in the past! They have audiobooks and children’s books too — it’s a perfect way to pass the time at home.
Our Weekly Menu Plan:
Our fridge is getting emptier (I haven’t gotten groceries in almost 2 weeks). However, we still have plenty of grain, dried beans, rice, oats, lentils, and other baking necessities in the pantry.
We have a freezer full of beef. And we have enough canned jam, jelly, salsa, veggies, and applesauce to last us a full year!
SUNDAY:
- Burgers
- Baked beans
- Potato Wedges
- Fresh fruit
MONDAY:
- Pizza Pasta
- Garlic breadsticks
- Lettuce Salad
- Green Beans
- Applesauce
TUESDAY:
- Baked Chicken Drumsticks
- Mashed potatoes
- Roasted veggies
- Fresh fruit
- Rolls
WEDNESDAY:
- Baked Sandwiches
- Broccoli Bacon Salad
- Fresh fruit
- Potato Wedges
THURSDAY:
- Whole-grain chicken pot pie (pictured above)
- Applesauce
FRIDAY:
- Mango salsa chicken in the slow cooker
- Rice
- Homemade refried beans
- Chips, salsa, guacamole
SATURDAY:
- Beef Roast
- Mashed potatoes
- Baked carrots
- Roasted veggies
- Fresh fruit
- Applesauce
We also enjoyed plenty of goodies as we did lots of baking throughout the week (I figure this counts as “math” and “home economics”… right!?)
I’d love to know what you’re doing to pass the time at home?
I’m working to come up with some helpful resources for those who are “stuck at home” and would like to start the process of decluttering, purging, cleaning, organizing, and simplifying.
If there’s a specific question or topic you’re interested in (regarding simplifying your home or life) please email me or leave it in the comments below!
In the meantime, I’d encourage you to take advantage of my FREE Create! Make! Do! stay-at-home activity bundle for kids.
And PLEASE share it with those who are home with young children!
The activity bundle includes 1 simple creative project, 1 kid-friendly recipe, and 1 family-friendly activity each day for 7 days — all of which can be done FROM HOME with minimal effort!
This is certainly a crazy and somewhat unsettling time, but I think there are SO many life lessons we can learn if we tune out all the media hype and tune into our homes, our families, and our communities.
Not in a selfish way — but simply to reconnect and regroup again after months (maybe years) of living at a frantic pace.
Even for the most extroverted personalities, a little downtime at home can’t be the worst thing ever… can it?
And if you’re one of the amazing medical professionals “on the front lines” working to keep us safe… or working in the grocery stores, for Amazon, or any other job that does not get “time off”, know that we are all so grateful for you!
Tina says
Is it weird that after all the stay at home orders, I immediately thought of you and your canning, lol. Truthfully though, I’m renting and don’t have much space but I would love to start a “victory” garden fo the kids. I’m lost! How do you even start a garden? Would make a great post!
Andrea says
Hi Tina — you are not alone! So many readers have emailed me over the past 2-3 weeks asking for tips and resources to can, garden, make bread, eat from the freezer, etc. etc.
In your situation, I would suggest trying a “container garden”. You can Google it to learn more — but essentially you can just fill large buckets and/or containers with soil and plants (punch drainage holes in the bottom first) and grow anything you like! At the end of the season, you can dump out the dirt if you don’t want to garden anymore or save it for next year.
It would be a very minimal expense… and easily transportable if you move soon!
Obviously, grow whatever YOUR family will eat, but radishes are a really quick-growing veggie if you want to see immediate results. Also, a cherry tomato plant would be a nice tall plant to grow.
Squash, cucumbers, and zucchini might be tricky — especially if you have a smaller container.
Hope this helps!
Faith Semien says
Thank Andrea, we just signed up for Kindle Unlimited. My kiddos were thrilled
Andrea says
yay — hope you get your use out of the 2 free months while you’re all stuck at home!
Kim Thuong says
Thank you so much for recommending The Next Right Thing. I just finished it and it is very good! It helps me with living more intentional!!
Andrea says
you’re welcome! isn’t that book fantastic! I love Emily’s writing style!
Kim says
I, too, appreciate the positive post. My personality leans toward “doing” things, so I have a long, long list. After 11 days of rain, we will have temps in the 80’s for four days this week. There shouldn’t be a weed left anywhere, huh?
Also, I am keeping a daily “blessing” list. Andrea, you are on that list. Thank you for all you do.
Andrea says
thank you so much, Kim! This was so encouraging to read 🙂
Stacy Smith says
I love your blog and have read since before Nora. Will it ever go back to getting the email with all the info in the email? Truth be told I never click on blogs where you have to leave the email to see the content. I miss reading your posts 🙁 Has anyone else shared this opinion?
Andrea says
Hi Stacy!
Thanks for your longtime readership and for sharing your thoughts! There have been a few others who have mentioned the idea of getting a full post in their email, but not many (although maybe they just stopped reading!)
I do have 3 very specific reasons why I don’t offer the full post in email anymore.
1. My current email service provider (ConvertKit) doesn’t offer a way to automatically publish the RSS (full-length posts) every day. So I would have to manually log into my email account every morning and hit “send” on the emails — versus scheduling them in advance like I do now. This is not something I can commit to at this point — mornings are very “full” with getting kids up, fed, ready, etc. and I rarely ever think about my emails.
2. It’s “illegal” to include Amazon affiliate links within an email — and since almost all of my posts contain some type of Amazon affiliate link, I would need to edit every single one of my emails (to remover all affiliate links) before sending it. This means even more time and effort from me every morning. Either that or stop putting affiliate links in my post — and right now, affiliate links are a very large part of my monthly income.
3. If readers don’t click through to my post, I earn no revenue from advertisements — which is one of the main ways I earn an income.
Due to the fact that EVERYTHING I share on my blog is completely free for all readers, I can’t justify removing affiliate links or advertisements — so for now, the option of full-length posts in an email is not something I see happening any time soon. Sorry! 🙁
I learned a LOOOOONG time ago that there was no way I could please every blog ready, and I have to be OK with that.
In my opinion, clicking through to the live blog post offers much more “value” as you can read the comments, see other related posts / recent posts, etc. However, I totally understand if you prefer not to click through. Maybe you’ll just have to stop by every month or so and “binge read” to stay “up to date”!
Hope this all makes sense — I do have a “method to my madness” 🙂
Gracie says
Please let Dave know about flippedmath.com. Teachers on military bases in Europe have flipped their entire curriculum. Mthey’ve shared their videos, skeleton notes, and assignments for free. There is no need to reinvent the wheel, especially when he has four preps!
Andrea says
thank you, Gracie! I told him about this today — very helpful!
Yvonne vanderheide says
So funny about men being bad room mates! I too have decided to spring house clean my house which I rarely have ever done.
Andrea says
yay for spring cleaning! We’re of 50/50 split of guys and gals over here, and I think they are equally as messy (at least when it comes to the kids!)
Debbie says
I’m still going into the office as most of my colleagues. We’re following social distancing and other protocols to keep everyone safe. I actually wouldn’t mind if we stay at home, and that may happen anytime. Yet, because of what I do I may still have to come in on certain days to get things accomplished. If I were to stay home there wouldn’t definitely be many things I would like to tackle as well as reflective times I want to do. Stay safe Drekker family!
Andrea says
Thanks Debbie! Also, thank you for doing your job during this difficult time period!
Calliope says
I live in Greece and we are already 12 days into confinement. Today the government announced total lockdown. who knows how long we are going to stay inside! Staying idle makes me crazy!! So I decided to tackle one big thing everyday, workout everyday, prepare meals everyday and do all the daily housework as well. So far I’ve cleaned the back yard, the huge pantry, spring cleaned my bedroom, ironed all clothes and working my way through the kitchen.
I’ve read a couple of books, watched a few series that I actually enjoyed and some movies as well.
I’ve cooked some time consuming meals (because…if not now when??)
In the beginning we ate A LOT. Like all.the.time. Thank God this has stopped!
I’ve also started an experiment to see how it goes: I am washing my hair with olive oil soap and final rinse with diluted apple cider vinegar. So far so good. No frizzing whatsoever. Let’s hope it cures my oily hair as well!
And last but not least, I live with my 13 year old son and husband. And I am fed up seeing them 24/7! I feel a bit guilty admitting this but oh.my.lord men are AWFUL roomates!
Andrea says
Hi Calliope!
Yup, we’re on “lockdown” starting tomorrow too — for 3 weeks, supposedly!
Sounds like you are on a roll with all your house and yard projects — I’m kind of jealous. With all the homeschooling, I feel like I actually have LESS time for house projects right now. Hopefully I find my groove soon because I made a LOOOOONG list for myself!
Thanks for the tips on the olive oil shampoo. I might have to try something like this for Nora — her hair is SO frizzy!
Also, your “men are awful roommates” quote definitely made me laugh out loud! 🙂
Carol says
Remember – if you haven’t already, you can set your printer settings to “draft”. Sure saves the ink and is still decent quality.
Andrea says
yes — good point! I’m pretty sure ours is set to draft, but I should double-check!
Amanda says
We are at home a lot as well. My children are homeschooled, so not much has changed. I am not doing my weekly shopping trip right now and there is no co op or library trips. But we are pretty happy to stay here and enjoy the family time. I have had more time to minimize and organize, oh and clean up. I don’t think the house has been this clean since the last baby was born, 6 years ago!
Andrea says
haha — good for you! I LOVE a clean house!
We’ve felt a little scattered with the addition of homeschooling the kids and Dave trying to teach his classes online from home (so I actually feel like I have LESS time) but I think once we find our groove, I’ll get back to my normal productive self again!
Jen says
We are adjusting to a “new normal” here, too. Just like Dave, Jeff has spent most of his week prepping for online teaching, setting kids and classes up, and helping the other sweet middle schools teachers for whom technology is harder. And, in the middle of all that, we had to make the drive to pick up our college sophomore, who is NOT happy about having to come home. I LOVE my alone time at home working all day so my attitude has needed a bit of an adjustment several times, but I know we can do this! Having two kids far away has also made me a little uneasy but, so far, they’re doing well.
I’ve been reading too! I can highly recommend “The Couple Next Door” by Shari Lapena and “The Woman in the Window” by A.J. Finn. I rarely read non-fiction, but I’m looking forward to reading “Make Something Good Today” by Ben/Erin Napier. I wish I had gotten more library books out before they closed. I STRONGLY dislike e-reading, but I may be forced to go that route. Thankfully, our library has increased the number of e-books, etc, you can borrow during this time so the Hoopla and Libby apps will get lots of use.
Curious, if you think you’ll need to hit the grocery store at some point or do you plan to use all that you can from your “stash” first? Also, is that a chicken coop in that photo? Have you guys gotten chickens?? Inquiring minds want to know. 🙂
Stay safe and well!
Andrea says
Hi Jen!
I was actually just telling Dave about you today. I said “she’s basically me in another 10 years” (I’m just basing that off the age of your kids. I really don’t know how old you are!)
ANYWAY… regarding the Chicken coup — it’s our friends’ coup and we’ve been buying eggs from them for the last 2-3 years. We have wanted to get our own chickens but said we wouldn’t do it until we were DONE with the ‘baby stage’ — which we are now!!!!!!! (plus 500 more exclamation points!) So, we have been learning more about the process from them and hope to MAYBE get chicks this year (or for sure next year). I’ll keep you posted.
Also, I will most definitely need to get groceries SOON. We’re almost out of all fresh produce and I feel like it’s worth a trip to the store for that. Canned and frozen are OK, but if fresh is available, I’m willing to “risk” a quick trip to a small local store to get some. I probably won’t do big box stores right now though (unless I have to) and I leave all the kids home with Dave so they aren’t getting out.
Oh, and I had to smile about Jeff teaching the other teachers about technology. Dave and I have had that conversation many times over the last week — we are SO thankful he has already been doing a lot with technology in the classroom, otherwise he’d be lost right now. It has been a tremendous amount of work for him, his staff, and the school to make this switch. We just all hope it’s beneficial and worthwhile for the students. It’s so sad for all the seniors who are missing out on so many fun end-of-year activities (and maybe even graduation!)
Thanks for the book recommendations. I have really started to like reading over the last 3 years — I actually prefer it to books now. I did get 8 books from the library a couple of weeks ago (and our library has unlimited checkouts right now — no late fees) so I should be good for a while. I’d highly recommend getting Kindle Unlimited for the 2-month free trial. there are THOUSANDS of books you can read for free!
Happy Monday 🙂
Jen says
LOL! I’ll take 10 years, but it’s actually 20! I could be your mom! 🙂 Our girls are 27, 24, and our boys are 22, and 20. And I agree with you, other than our 22 yo son, who is just like me, the boys and girls are equally messy! But, in our experience, the boys are MUCH easier (as a whole!) to raise. LOL!
My sister, who lives in GR, has a son who is a senior at FH Central. They are so sad about all they’re missing this year. It’s heartbreaking for everyone. Our son graduated from college last year and I would have been so sad to miss that celebration of all his hard work, not to mention all the money! Hoping we can get through this and the schools can figure out a way to celebrate these kids.
Andrea says
Well, I’ll give you 10 years 🙂
And yes, it’s all SOOOOOO sad. Our kids are young, so not as big of a deal as missing graduation, a sporting season, or a wedding, but even still — they all missed field trips, special chapels, Easter activities, teacher appreciation week, and so many fun projects at school (way more fun than anything I can come up with at home).
Plus, we’re still paying for tuition all year long while pulling our hair out at home trying to figure out how to homeschool 3 kids with zero notice and, no curriculum, and an overwhelming number of resources to pull from!
Sigh… what a week it’s been (and it’s only been just over ONE week!)
lyss says
Just curious why you would have no curriculum. If you paid for it, you should be able to take it home for homeschooling! Our kids were able to go to the school and pick up all their things. That can be done even with “social distancing”. Printing everything sounds like it will become a big expense for everyone! : (
Cynthia says
I am working on spring cleaning. I am going through every closet, cabinet and drawers. By the time this over I will have a clean organized house. I’m also enjoying having my husband home.
Andrea says
yay — gotta love a little extra time at home with the hubby… and lots of extra cleaning! Way to make the most of your extra time at home.
Nancy says
Such a lovely day with your grandmother, and wonderful memories made! Our neighbors when I was a kid became like grandparents to us, and among many stories of the depression I remember them saying that they mended shoelaces when they broke. While we are sheltering at home, my sisters and nieces and I, in four states, are together completing a small task each day and sharing the photos. Things like sorting socks, cleaning a junk drawer, writing and mailing a letter, triaging kitchen linens, picking up litter outside (50 items for the 50th anniversary of earth day). Today: painting our nails!
Andrea says
Hi Nancy — I just found your comment in the “trash” — so sorry about that!
Also, LOVE your idea about working with relatives in other states to clean and organize. So fun!
Jen O says
Going from living alone to two reluctant students here full-time has been a challenge. I’m an extrovert, but I LOVE living alone. My 17 and 20-year-olds are struggling…my daughter could have her apartment to herself if I’d let her go back to NC (she’s like me), but I won’t, and my son is struggling without a dorm full of kids and having senior year over…no last lax season, no prom, no graduation. I’m hoping this week will go better, as they will have work again (spring break was last week).
It’s also a) confirmed the fact that I DO NOT enjoy cooking and b) if I DO end up dating after this, I have NO interest in living with someone ever again
Sheila Smith says
So happy to see this post on the blog. I have missed them. My son is a college
Senior and his graduation ceremony was canceled and he has moved back home. So sad, I have been looking forward to that moment for years. He’s handling it ok, but such a sad way to end your college career. Now to find a job in all this mess!
Andrea says
Thanks Sheila — I didn’t realize how long it had been since I last shared a peek into our week. I think I missed writing these types of posts too!
And yes, it is SUCH a sad time for so many. We have friends and relatives who have had to cancel their dream weddings. We have 3 siblings who are all having babies soon (one probably next week) and they won’t be able to have any family come to visit them in the hospital. AND… the graduations… so sad! That’s such a big and important time for so many students and parents. It’s very unfortunate for all seniors. So sorry for your son (and for you)!
JJ says
You are very good at processing and moving forward by making the most of things. So fun to play games!!!
Andrea says
🙂
We love games!
Nancy says
Yes, we are so thankful for truck drivers, store workers, and healthcare providers!
Andrea says
oh yes — I forgot to mention truck drivers!
Annette Silveira says
I’m an introvert, and a homebody, so I’m basically living my best life. Thankfully, we hit Costco about two weeks before it really hit the fan so we haven’t had to experience needing something we can’t find (yet). I’m the designated shopper if any of our old people need anything. It was very strange at the grocery store Friday morning seeing so many empty shelves. It made me feel for the bread lines we see on the news and never really connect with.
I’m thankful for Dave and all the other teachers who are working so hard to do well by their students. As if their jobs weren’t hard enough!
Stay well. We appreciate you.
Andrea says
haha — “living my best life”! I love that and feel the same way too!
Also, I totally hit up Costco about 1 week before the craziness and boy am I glad I did! We’re stocked up for a while now — thankfully!
And yes, we’re thankful for all the teachers who are trying to make this crazy situation work for students. Dave teaches AP classes and has lots of seniors who are supposed to take the college-level exams. It’s so crazy, and they don’t know exactly what they will do yet. So sad for seniors especially!
Mary says
Link to recipe for the apple pie in cast iron skillet, please!
Andrea says
It’s actually a chicken pot pie (and the recipe IS linked to in the Menu Plan section) 🙂
However, here’s a link to a Dutch Apple Pie I have on the blog
Linda says
I love a positive post and I loved this one. I homeschool so I have just thought of it as being snowed in. My husband has been home but he does not have to be here everyday, the men in his office are taking turns.
Your grandmother looks great! Such sweet pictures and memories you will have.
I must add that I still darn socks. I know many throw them out but during music lessons I darn.
Andrea says
I remember my socks being darned as a child too — I always HATED how it felt on my feet, so we choose to use “holey socks” for other things like rags, dry erase board erasers, etc. 🙂
Chris says
Once again, another positive post with such a level-headed perspective!
Your children look thrilled to spend time with great-grandma!
My husband works at Wal-Mart and it’s been crazy sometimes. He’s been working overtime. We’re thankful for the job.
Andrea says
oh wow! I never shop at Wal-Mart, but tell your hubby is work is appreciated!