COVID19 - Week 5 at Home

Monday :

• A fairly quiet and smooth Monday for the Mondell's but cold and snowy YUCK

Tuesday : 

• Another chilly day but another smooth one as well
• Maci enjoyed connecting with her reading small group on Zoom and then her Descendants music and dance class in the afternoon

Wednesday : 

• Maci created a cute imagination story line about her dolls having birthday parties - she also got to talk to her pal Natalie for a while on a video call 

Thursday : 

• Maci kept her doll birthday parties rolling and the weather is getting significantly better again!
• I had a happy hour virtually with my pals Megan and Lisa which was a great way to be wrapping up the week 
• Later that night, we did hot tub cocktails with the Harty's and rolled right on into our Friday plans

Friday : 

• A nice day mixed with productivity but also excitement for the weekend R&R
• I realized I hadn't gotten any videos or pictures of Connor who is now full on riding a 2 wheel bike sans training wheels
• We had a super late family dinner, watched Toy Story 4 again and headed to bed at a decent time to get some rest!

Saturday : 

• Maci did a zoom soccer practice and afterward showed off some of her muscles
• We enjoyed a gorgeous day of mid 60 degrees, Clint did lots of work outside including aerating the lawn, I finished laundry and caught up on some more Schitts creek.
• The Harty's came over to enjoy a kids dip in the hot tub, a treat they have been begging for 
• Lots of outdoor play, LaRosas's pizza in the oven for dinner and a family walk with Maci on rollerblades, her Saturday obsession
• Ended the evening with a fire up on top our hill - Clint burnt a lot of brush and the Harty's and Joans' joined us with good social distancing

 Boomer enjoying the Sun :)

 Happy Kiddos!

Sunday : 

• Clint and I jumped into cleaning mode first thing this morning - Maci had to get in on the "fun" b/c she needed to clean her room, playroom and help with the guniea pig cage cleaning
• The house now looks and smells amazing and Clint is napping while the kids watch a movie downstairs.  I am once again enjoying some Schitts Creek :)
• It is another gorgeous sunny day but only in the 50s today.  I will likely take a walk later with our crew and also do some work prep after I get in a quick cat nap.

We hope you all are finding ways to enjoy your new normal and pray for the days when things are normal again in the hopefully near future.

Lots of Love,

C, K, M & C

COVID19 - Week 4 at Home + Easter!!

Monday : 

• 1st day of e-learning for M and she was so excited to see Mrs Sheldon on the screen!
• We had a good Monday at home and we are ready to get rocking and rolling into the week

Tuesday : 

• What a gorgeous day!!!  It hit 70 and sunny here. 
• Unfortunately I facilitated a meeting from 10a-530p my time so I watched all the fun from my window until I could get out and enjoy the weather with our crew
• I signed M up for a weekly Tuesday virtual 1 hour singing/dancing theatre class for Descendants - she loved it!

Wednesday : 

• Not much to note on Wednesday but we are rolling through another week just fine together!

Thursday : 

• Another good day, we are rocking through e-learning in the mornings, Liz (sitter) helps in the late morning and then the kids play outside after lunch - good lil routine we have here.
• After my nightly walk with Tena we decided to do a few cocktails and hot tub with the guys

Friday : 

• A nice fairly quiet but productive Friday for both Clint and I 
• I wrapped my work day with a team happy hour and color session 
• After work, we each took our walks and then had movie night with the kids - Trolls World Tour
• Such a cute movie and a fun night with my lil crew

So sweaty after a bike ride on the Peloton

Saturday : 

• Gorgeous day outside!!
• We started our morning with the Harty boys coming over to watch the Trolls movie again - so cute!
• We got things done around the house in the morning, took a quick cat nap and then hid 128 eggs between the Harty's and Mondell's
• The kids had a blast hunting for eggs and then rode bikes until dinner time
• We had a yummy taco pizza, did some more clean up around the house, Clint took a walk with Nate while I put kids to bed and then worked on my new hobby (Gemify gem mark by numbers)
• We wrapped the night up with a few drinks around the Harty's firepit

Finishing the last bit of homework for this week's learning

Rock sorting

 Trolls Movie Fun!

 My new Gemify Hobby 

 Eggs are hidden

bunny is having a cocktail 

Sunday : 

• Happy Easter! 🐇 🐰 🐣 
• The kids got up around 7a and we found eggs, looked through baskets and then all went back to bed for a bit 
• We joined the Gohs family Easter zoom call which it was great to see everyone!!!
• We then finished getting errands done around the house.
• I am going to get some work prep done in a bit and then we head to the Harty's for our Easter dinner around 4p

Kids Easter Pics

Connor was having none of it but they were going to wear the outfits and give me a pic!

 

We hope you all had a blessed Easter and are finding ways to remotely connect with family, friends and loved ones during these interesting times!!

Lots of Love,

C, K, M & C

COVID19 - Week 3 at Home

Monday :

• I nice little Monday at home - good weather, stayed on top of work, kids behaved, had a walk with Tena and then a relaxing evening - great start to the week!!

Tuesday : 

• Happy 42nd Birthday Clint!!!
• Unfortunately today was a little more hectic with work so dinner was a little more stressful than intended but we had a nice time, enjoyed a yummy chocolate/peanut butter cake thanks to the Harty's and just enjoyed our birthday boy!

Wednesday : 

• Maci got to have a trial zoom call with her class and bless that 1st grade teacher Mrs Sheldon - I only heard about 5 mins of it and it was chaos HA
• Clint and I got to FaceTime with the Brubachers at the end of our day so we could catch up and give Clint a belated happy birthday shout out!

Thursday : 

• Busy evening for us sheltered at home peeps!
• Clint hung with Nate for some pool
• I had a coloring happy hour with my team, so nice!  Then I joined my high school pal Emily's virtual baby shower with my Cincy 6 girlfriends!  Thank goodness for technology and helping us all to stay connected at all times but especially right now!

Friday :

• Nice close to the week!
• After hanging with the kids and enjoying some pork chops and potatoes off the grill we took a family walk 
• We put the kiddos to bed and then had a hot tub night with the Hartys
• I drank of bottle of wine and regretted it a good part of Saturday but we all had a fun time Friday night

She loves my blue light glasses

Living her best life dozing off in our bed 

Saturday : 

• Clint and Nate installed a new air exchanger for us - thank you Nate for all your handy work and teaching skills!
• I got Easter fun ordered, finished laundry and put away some delivery groceries 
• It was a nice sunny day so after watching Onward (so cute!) Maci and I went on a mom/daughter bike ride before coming home to join the Harty's for an afternoon fire/smores
• We then made pizzas at the Harty's and enjoyed dinner before heading home to kiddo bedtimes
• I crashed on the bed after getting home but Clint went and joined them for an evening fire

Sunday :

• I started my day with a shower and then Mommy/Me friends video chat
• We have been doing some random to dos around the house but M is outside, another nice sunny day, Connor is playing a game quietly in the basement and Clint is on the Peloton sweating out all the booze from the last few days
• I am hoping to get some coloring/reading in during this afternoon before taking a walk + getting a little work prep complete 

We are having fun with so many random and new apps

We hope you all are finding ways to keep yourself busy, entertained and enjoying this additional time with your closest loved ones.  We are constantly attempting to find ways to count our blessings because things could be so much worse for our crew.  We are thankful this weekend for our health, some sunshine and our comfy home.  

Lots of Love, 

C, K, M & C

COVID19 - Week 2 at Home

Showing off new jammies - Star Wars

Monday -

• It was interesting having full week 2 of all of us at home
• I had a bumpy day at points - it feels like a hamster wheel
• Kids had a blast with Liz and Connor had so much fun he fell asleep on his floor a little before dinner

Snoozing on his floor

Tuesday -

• Typical day - weather was getting a bit better so kids played outside for quite a while which was nice for them

Wednesday - 

• I got up early to sign the kids up for summer activities - touch football 🏈 for Connor, Ninja Warrior camp for Maci, ⛳️ Golf lessons for M and family 🏊‍♀️ swim night - we are so hopeful summer feels "normal" again
• I had a ROUGH day with work - it is crazy what this isolation can do to your outlook and mindset but I have some amazing coworkers and spouse who helped to turn around my view
• It also rained all day which did NOT help!  And that means I didn't get to take my daily walk which is one of my few small pleasures right now 😉 
• Connor took a HUGE nap in the afternoon, seems we all are feeling it 

Thursday - 

• I woke up with a way better outlook, probably helps that we only have 2 days left in the week oh and the sun was back!!  It also didn't hurt that I had fewer than normal number of meetings.
• Kids played outside a ton!
• I had a busy evening : virtual happy hour with Megan and John - former Cargill co-workers, then took a nice walk outside and then had another virtual catch up with my high school gal pals ❤️ 

Friday -

• Let's keep that great outlook rolling right into the weekend!
• Clint and I were both pretty pumped for a Friday especially with nice weather outside again
• I wrapped my day with a virtual happy hour with my team - I keep trying to find ways to keep us all connected and having fun/laughter!
• After we all called it a day, we had dinner and then took a family walk but unfortunately the rain rolled in sooner than we thought and so we got caught in a little bit of chilly sprinkles
• I then hit the hay early as I could tell my body just needed some rest!  Clint had a few cocktails and hung out for a bit.

Burr Rain

 Before the rain came, cool dude!

 Mom I am Fresh 😂 

Saturday -

• LAZY Rainy Day!
• We started the day with a walk before all the rain 🌧 moved in
• We got home around 1030a and I plopped my rump on the couch with Clint and that is where we were until almost 4p - we binged Tiger King 👑 😳, caught up on Vanderpump rules, watched some Office and concluded with the end of Back with the Ex (I think that was the name - reality show on Netflix)
• We finally got up and did some dinner before putting kids to bed and some hot tub / cocktails 

 Pretty Hair

Sunday - 

• Another rainy day but today we were a bit more productive and alive
• Clint and I did a good house clean and some laundry in the morning 
• I rode Peloton virtually with Nikki (former co-worker and friend) and Lindsay (current team member) - it was a great sweat and a good message 💜 
• We both have been doing chores around the house which feels good after a nice lazy day and the kids are watching some movies in the basement - they are having their own lazy day now
• We are really looking forward to drying out and having more sunshine ☀️ hopefully a few good days in this week ahead 

We hope you all are surviving this timeframe!  Hopefully we put this behind us shortly and by then the weather will be 💯 Please stay safe + healthy and check on your friends/family/loved ones!

Lots of Love,

C, K, M & C

COVID19 - Week 1 at Home

Monday : 

• First day at home with Clint, Me, Maci and Connor
• Mary (high schooler in the 'hood) came and watched the kiddos from 9a-4p
• The kids did pretty well and Clint and I tried to figure out our new normal

Tuesday : 

• Happy Anniversary Dustin & Tiff!
• Super sad St Paddy's day - I didn't even remember so none of us wore green
• The kids were a little more rowdy for Mary today 
• I started a fun "question of the day" game with our HR team to keep some happy upbeat conversations going in the midst of all of this

Wednesday : 

• Daycare switch - Liz (college girl) now took over and will be our "nanny" until we learn when normal life comes back again 
• The kids are really well behaved for her and have a blast playing games, learning new card tricks etc
• Clint and I ordered them some new games and crafts from online to give her some new options too
• We had doordash bring Chick Fil A which was a fun lunch treat for all 
• No Religion Classes - Cancelled until further notice

Thursday : 

• Another good day with Liz and all of us at home
• Clint did the curbside pick up at Oak Eatery which was another yummy lunch option
• Our new home computer came and now everything moves so much faster!!!
• At night, Tena/Nate/Clint and I played some pool and had a few cocktails

Friday :

• I may have hit my sloppiest attire to date with sweatpants and a fuzzy sweatshirt, I got to get back to doing my hair/makeup/getting "dressed" and feeling normal 
• Kids were good again and we did a fairly lazy lunch today with PB&J
• We paid Liz, I expensed our daycare costs for the week thanks to a work reimbursement program and then paid some bills
• While I did that, Clint ran for a 2nd grocery stock up
• I then ordered us some Chipotle through doordash - thankfully so many options are available through that and we are trying to help keep some of our favs in business
• No more gymnastics until further notice 
• We then had hot tub and cocktails post kid bedtime

Cool New Hat

Saturday : 

• Somewhat lazy day b/c no more soccer until further notice but the internet was causing us issues so Clint worked with Nate to get that fixed
• After it was all fixed, I took a late nap while watching my fav junk tv shows and Maci played with Tyce 
• We doordashed our fav Benihana which was super yummy
• After kids were in bed, we did another hot tub and cocktail night

Sexy Shower Cap for Hot Tub Time 😂 

Sunday : 

• Clint let me sleep in and man did I need it because I didn't wake until 10a which is NOT like me
• We then made some coffee and watched mass together streamed from our parishes website
• We then put away some laundry and did some chores around the house before my Sunday Peloton ride with my pal Nikki (she is virtually doing the same ride from her home)
• Now we are waiting on our Governor to give the latest update before I prep work for the week and enjoy the end of our Sunday 

This is crazy times but I am attempting to find the silver lining.  Examples include, the love I have for my house and family or my appreciation for our kids who are rolling with it better than I thought or just having this time forcing us to slow down and do more hobbies at home (we have some art pictures coming for M and I to do together).  We hope you are also able to find some things to be grateful for during this crazy time.

Lots of Love,

C, K, M & C

COVID19

I really don't have a fun update for us this week.  I worked some long days Monday/Tuesday as talk of COVID19 concerns started to escalate.  By Wednesday, I was working from home indefinitely until this all slows.  My team worked long hours through the entire week with more questions than answers and a potential case in our Denver office.  Clint will now join me at the house as of Monday since we just got word that MN schools are closed as of Monday and through what would have been her spring break (April 3).  Fortunately, we have a high school girl coming to watch the kids 9-4 tomorrow and Tuesday and then a college girl will watch the kids starting Wed until life returns to normal.  The house will be full but at least we will be able to work and the kids will have entertainment.  We are all attempting to stay calm, level headed and do what we can to help those who are most at risk.  Prayers that this starts to slow the spread and that the vulnerable are able to stay healthy.  I hope to take more pictures of our crew this week so we have some things to smile at during the unknown.

Please wash your hands, stay calm and take care of your loved ones!
Love,
C, K, M & C

Back in Reality

Monday : 

• Back to the routine for all parties involved - man are we tired!!  HAHA

Tuesday : 

• Clint and I got back into our Jack Ryan show due to our scheduled TV date night :)

Wednesday : 

• I decided to work from home last minute to have a quiet day of catching up at home
• Maci's religion class was back in swing in the evening after Ash Wednesday the week we were out of town 
• While Maci enjoyed her class, I caught up on work at Starbucks

Thursday : 

• Maci's spring conferences were at 520p - I almost cried tears of pride for how well she is doing and most importantly she is a great listener and friend!!
• We headed home for dinner and I cranked on some more work until Nate came over to play pool with Clint (Golden Tee is under repair) - I enjoyed one cocktail with the boys and called it a night

Friday : 

• Work from Home Day means I caught up on laundry!  I also had a fairly decent schedule which allowed me to feel very productive
• We headed to gymnastics and Connor just wasn't in the mood this week 
• We ate at Broadway pizza afterward and then put kiddos to bed 
• After kids were in bed, we then enjoyed hot tub and Dixie Chicks retro music

Saturday : 

• I took M to soccer in the morning while Clint and Connor ran errands 
• We met up for lunch at the "piggie place" - aka Ham's Sandwich Shop
• When we got home Clint and I were both dead so I took at nap upstairs with junk tv and he snoozed on the couch with college b-ball 
• We got up and moving again to take M to her hip hop dance class/pizza party from 5-9p
• After dropping her off, Clint and I took Connor to River Inn for a yummy dinner!!
• We headed home for a bit to watch the end of the MN State High School Hockey Tournament before needing to pick up M
• Once we got the kids down, later than usual, we headed to the Harty's for some drinks around a fire - it was a little rough for a fire due to the wind and I was anxious about getting to bed b/c I hate losing an hour of sleep :)

Clint and Connor picked up the wine I ordered a few weeks back at the Cassem house

Connor got to spend time with his girl Stella

Waiting at River Inn for our Table

Sunday : 

• Lazy morning around our house filled with Maci Math Homework, Coffee and Clock changing
• I rode an awesome Peloton ride with my pal Nikki for Women's Day that got me rolling for the day!
• Clint helped Nate change a garage door chain and the kids all played outside since it is 60!!!
• We finished clean up around the house so we can be prepared for the week ahead.  I am enjoying a junky show (Love is Blind) while catching up on some work prep.
• I promised the kids we will head to the park before dinner, enjoy some pizza dinner before baths.
• Clint is going to head with Nate to basketball tonight after kiddo bedtime.

Awesome Ride!

 Cael & M being goofy on her kid phone

We hope you all are enjoying signs of spring and I am so grateful I am no longer traveling this week. I love being with my pact and avoiding all the airport ickiness right now.  We hope you all stay healthy as well!

Lots of Love,

C, K, M & C