Rate of Consumption

COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 26

Just realized we've used up a third of our rice bucket which was filled about a week ago.  A stroke of panic immediately set in.  The only difference from prior to SIP is we'd eat out a few times a week.  Our grocery bills are amazingly expensive! Power and water bills are probably shooting up.  But with not eating out and eliminating gas...  is it a wash??

Amazing Race - Family Edition

COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 25

For the past week... I've been running the Amazing Race at home.  Coming up with challenges for the kids to do in a race against each other.  The challenges range from mental challenges, facetiming friends and family, physical challenges like doing 50 pushups or bouncing a ping pong ball 50x using your left hand, scavenger hunts and any sort of weird stuff I can think of.

The first night... NN blew SW away.  I set the rules...win or lose, you don't boast and you don't cry.  Poor baby had to hold his tears in when he lost.  So I ended the night by saying "This is not an elimination round."  Immediately he was beaming with a smile... but that resulted in me coming up with 2nd night.   And I said SW can recruit Joyce to be on her team, but he had to incur a time penalty.  This time, I purposely chose challenges that SW should win and NN would have trouble with. But NN blew past all those challenges and came in first again.  Night three... I felt guilty for playing favoritism so I only allowed Joyce to join in on 1 challenge.  Surprisingly... one of the challenges was to draw a picture and for some reason, NN spent a lot of time on her masterpiece when all I needed were some chicken scratch allowing SW to catch up and win that leg of the race.   This set up a 4th and final night.

Was running out of ideas... but really... how can you run out of ideas when there's so many things you can do around the house.  Tie your thumbs to do something.  Walk around with a book on your head.  Hit 5 HR's in Wii Sports.   In the end... NN came in first.  SW didn't get to finish his challenges cuz he had a zoom call.

But what's amazing about all this is... how loving NN can really be.  She'll wait for SW.  She'll encourage him.  Figure stuff out with him.  Yes... she's competitive.  Yes... she hates losing.  Yes... she wants to win.  But deep down... she loves her little brother.  So who really wins in this amazing race???

So thankful for siblings.  So thankful I, too, had a sibling growing up.  Mmmm hmmmm...

Obsession

COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 22

For the past week... I've been utterly obsessed and addicted to untangling a ball of yarn.  That's right... a friggin ball of yarn!!

There were times I thought about the bible verse, it's harder for a camel to go through a needle's eye, cuz that's definitely how it felt.  There were loops that were so small... so tight... I couldn't pull and yank.

There were times the pieces of yarn were stripped and all there was left were bare string!!!  And when the bare strings get tied together it's nearly impossible to untie.

There were times I wondered if I was pulling it to emancipate? or pulling to further incarcerate.

There were times I needed to stretch out the different arms and legs of the star... to which I used my knees, my feet. and even my toes to keep things straight.

My eyes were out of focus.  My neck was stiff.  My back was hurting. My finger nails were aching.

Tuesday night / Wednesday morning... I was up till 4AM.
Wednesday night... I was up till 12.
Thursday night... I was too tired and gave up around 11.
Friday night... I didn't sleep at all.  Even though I promised Joyce I wouldn't work on it.  I had Netflix on in the background and just kept tugging, unraveling, picking, pulling.  Before I knew it... the sky went from black to blue.  I started to hear birds chirping.  Friday came and went... it was Saturday.

I knew I was gonna get in trouble... so around 6:50AM, I snuck back into bed before the kids woke up.  I initially was gonna take a 45 minute nap.  Ended up waking up around 11:30.  Boy was I tired....

And what did I do when I woke up??? Made lunch.... and then went back at it.  Hahaha... I even hired NN to be a partner cuz my knees and toes just weren't enough to spread things out.  And then.... at around 2PM... this adventure that I set out on that unassuming Tuesday night... came to an end.  How dumb can I get????  HA!!

Well well well... look what we have here... 

It's real. This is real.

COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 19

Went to get some gas yesterday (yes yes.. I don't have an EV) and wandered into the mini mart to grab a bottle of soda.  Been drinking water the past 2 weeks and really just wanted something different.  When it came down to it... there was really just one choice. 

1985 - We've Got a Taste for You
1985 - America's Real Choice
1986 - Red, White & You
1986 - Catch the Wave
1987 - When Coca-Cola is a Part of Your Life, You Can't Beat the Feeling
1988 - You Can't Beat the Feeling
1989 - Official Soft Drink of Summer
1990 - You Can't Beat the Real Thing
1993 - Always Coca-Cola
2000 - Coca-Cola. Enjoy
2001 - Life Tastes Good
2003 - Coca-Cola... Real
2005 - Make It Real
2006 - The Coke Side of Life
2009 - Open Happiness
2016 - Taste the Feeling

In other news... stayed up till 4AM last night trying to untangle a ball of yarn.  And I'm still not done!!  

Good Dad, Poor Dad

COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 17

While lying in bed resting... SW rolls in and asks if he can watch TV.  Sure...why not.  It's the weekend and they've been extremely well behaved today.  But in the spirit of making them earn it and know the value of something... I ask him to come up with 10 Things You Like About Bah-B.  Haha...  it took a while, and some were disqualified because he repeated them.  But the 10 things are:

• funny
• plays with me
• fun
• happy
• lovable
• loving (they're different!)
• reliable (I asked him to spell it... he got it)
• responsible
• smart (cuz Mah-Mee says you're smart)
• protective

Good moment... nay... great moment.  Which got completely trashed when I snapped at NN not once, but twice.  Over stoopid, stoopid things!!  

One time, was when she say some 5th graders do math (in a movie) that she didn't know.  And she just would not let go of the fact that she's not the smartest person in the world. Ugh...

Then when we were getting ready for bed... and SW was pooped... she kept on bother him until she literally woke a sleeping dragon.  "What are you doing!?!?"  "I don't know." =(

I apologized.  Lied down next to her.  Used my feet to squeeze her feet.  She returned the double squeeze.  But we did not tackle the crossword puzzle together tonight.  Sigh.... it's finally gotten to me.  Not the infectious CV-19... but cabin fever.  Ugh.... so real. This is so real. 

Change of pace

COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 16

A lot of things happened today... but one thing that didn't happen... for the first time in who knows how long... we didn't get anything delivered to our doorstep.  What did happen was... I stood in line at Pineapple King... 6 feet apart from the person in front of me and behind me.  And I ended up delivering the 12 heavenly pillows to big bro.  Wish I had more cash on me so I can get 2 dozens.  Just wasn't meant to be.

The fax of the matter is...

COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 15

Was asked to fax something today.  Can I scan and email? Nope.  Fax.
Isn't scanning and email the same thing? Apparently not.
Isn't fax less secure, cuz it goes to a tray and anyone can snatch it? Why the heck are we so prehistoric?!  And where do I find a fax machine!?!?!??

This can't be real.  But it's real.  This is real.

Everyone's on edge...

COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 14

Cabin fever really setting in and everyone's on edge - some more than others.  For the 3rd time this week... NN and Joyce got into a huge shouting match.  Earlier this week... the night after I popped some Nyquil and slept in a bit... I woke up to NN screaming and yelling.  .  Yesterday... what started with a half-@$$ed homework assignment turned into me pulling SW out of the room and closing all the doors of the house.  I alas relented and had to step in "Ok... 夠喇."  Got 2 minutes of peace and quiet before WWIII broke out again.  To a point where we're eating lunch now and all I hear is NN wailing.  As a parent... you can't help but shed a tear when your child is crying like that.  And today... over an innocent squabble of piano technique turned into... WWIV.  It always starts out with a fairly trivial topic and escalates and escalates.  Joyce, to her credit, did not take the bait and did not feed the fire.  But NN was delirious.  Bringing up all these things that made zero sense...but was so very true from the deepest pit in her heart.  How I wanted to just run out there and slap her for talking back to mom that way.  

Makes you think that one day... she'll end up saying the words, "I hate you!" before running out of the house.  Can it happen? Probably.  Will it happen? I can't even dare imagine it.....  

Oh and btw... the principal sent an email saying school is closed till at least May 1st. Cabin fever.  It's real.  This is real. 

好juicy!!

COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 13

Shelter in Place isn't all bad.  One great thing about it is... we've been able to commit to family TWA every day.  And instead of doing the "official way" - I improvise a little.  And if we're reading OT or NT that day... I tell them to look for 8 things that jump out at you.  Why 8?? I don't know.

There are days that we have to squeeze water out of a dry towel.  Then there are days like yesterday where SW kept on say... "嘩！ 今日好juicy呀."  Heh... haven't heard anyone use that word to describe TWA before.  Is this real?? Can this be real??

雪中送炭

COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 12

Around 3:45... got a text from Big Bro saying to expect a delivery at the door... a little gift for the kids.  Turns out he had a pepperoni pizza delivered to us... knowing full well that we've been cooking every single freakin' meal the past two weeks.  An amazing gesture... inspiring me to pay it forward and order some takeout for other people.

On the sadder note... NN was doing her online piano lesson when the pizza arrived.  And SW simply couldn't control himself.  He gorged down 4 slices all by himself.  Leaving just 1 for NN and 1 for Mama. Sigh... he's only 8.  I didn't come down on him..  but it was a teachable moment.  Not the first time he's been so self-serving.  But it's real.  This is real.

TP?!? Who needs TP??!

COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 7

Ever since we saw Jce with one... Joyce has been wanting to install a bidet in our home.  And with TP flying (rolling?) off the shelves like... well.... I actually can't think of an analogy at this point.  (Warriors Championship gear in 2015??  Flat screens at Walmart on Black Friday? Hamilton Tickets during their first run?) Anyhoo...  the short of the long... installed a bidet.  Kids love it...for obvious reasons.  But the verdict is out.  Does it clean better? Does it actually save you money?

In other news... both the kids and I are so sore today after yesterday's HIIT.  They opted to play HORSE with a little indoor basketball hoop for PE.  I wouldn't have mind pushing for another session, working another muscle group.  Ended up going for a jog as the sun was setting.  It took a near pandemic for me to go jogging again. Go figure. Can't get sick now... it's real.  This is real.