Since Ezra had a cold last week, we are technically on day NINE of our social distancing and day six of our actual quarantine (zero human contact due to household fevers that were brief and easy).

The emotional exhaustion is real, y’all. This week I’ve been showing you photos of different “class times,” but I can tell I’m going to need to get far more creative for next week. The good news about this quarantine is that Ezra is in fact practicing piano for 15 minutes every single day, which was not exactly happening before.

Also, Ezra has declared that Fridays are “pajama day” at “school” and, let’s be real, since I haven’t done my hair or makeup all week this feels hilarious to me, but whatever makes the kid giddy, ya know?

And tonight, in celebration of surviving the work week, we are ordering curbside pickup from The Kenwood — one of our very favorite spots in town. If you live in SW Minneapolis, I highly suggest it. Our second choice is Naviyas, which is always phenomenal.

And lastly, there is a very special place in hell for these assholes. I cannot contain my rage, but need to because of the child in the house. And related: You can order wine with your pickup at The Kenwood. And ice cream.

In some ways, we are adjusting. Everyone is getting better at the daily schedule — as evidence by I have not been asked 10 times today when we can watch TV. The dogs are eagerly on board with the daily family walk, and that part of life is smoothing out.

However, it takes a lot of energy and creativity to run a pre school, and I am exhausted. Sure, I can do this. Sure, I am loving all the added time with my sweet kid. But it is still hard. I do not have the time to dedicate right now to the work that moves me the most, and that is hard. It would be easier if we knew this was 2 weeks. That would be fine! But the stories of 18 months or schools closing until next fall have me a bit stressed out.

I’m also trying to keep the spirits up of my sweet kiddo who confessed to me early this morning while snuggling under the covers that he misses his playdates and his friends. That he wishes the virus would have never happened. I know buddy. Me too.

This morning’s main activity was a two-parter. Last night after dinner, I brought out a stack of my favorite travel magazines, mostly Afar. You know those magazines that are too lovely to recycle, but you’re never sure just what to do with them? Well now I know.

You bring out the scissors and as a family you spend an hour ooo-ing and aaah-ing over gorgeous photos and you cut out the ones that make you gasp or laugh or squeal and you put them in a basket. And the next day, you select photos, and you write your own stories about those photos. It’s a really fun activity. We each write a story (Ezra has to write two because his teacher is so mean) and we’re keeping them all in a notebook. I think I will save this notebook for the rest of my life.

One thing I’ve learned over the years working at home is that you can find Magda wherever the light is shining through. I’m trying to mimic that in these hard times.

But it’s tough.

With schools closing for the remainder of the year and talk of things being like this for 18 mos., I am so sad for my kid. When will he get to see his friends again? When can he go back to the playground? We are doing our best to keep him learning and having fun every day, but thinking about this being our life for the next year or so is incredibly depressing. I can only hope that each state’s leadership pulls through to guide people through the best that they can. I know ours has done really well so far — very hard choices, but trying their best to keep options open for low income families. The options for our leadership are so difficult in these times.

And I just want to be clear that the president I did not elect is in no way showing ANY sort of leadership and I hope karma bites him in the ass soon. But back to trying to find the light.

Some of the good that has come out of these circumstances is that we are getting truly quality family time. There’s a lot of reading and drawing and family walks and games by the fire. There’s baking and laughing and dance parties. We’re helping Ezra as he works on writing his letters and learning addition as well as just listening to music and staring off into space (something his parents excel at). In general, we’re getting lots of quiet. And we haven’t had that in a long time.

I think this time is also a great opportunity to teach about selflessness.

I woke up at 4 am today thinking about our nation, and I wrote this on Facebook. Just some food for thought.

Up all night thinking about the selfishness I keep seeing, and it's really getting me down.

+ We would all love to head to the beach/bar/gathering. But this is the time to stay isolated with our families despite our own good health so that we can protect others.

+ We would LOVE to send our kid to the playground with the groups of kids we see playing there (OMG does that sound great). But this is the time for social distancing so that we don't spread illness to those who are at risk.

+ Of course we would feel safer if we could hoard all the supplies to keep our own families fed and clean. But this is the time to only take what we need and make sure there is enough left for those with less resources.

+ We would love to vote for those who only serve our own needs, who would only make us more money and who would protect our own religious beliefs. But this is the time to think of the world as a whole and those who have less than we do.

Pull it together, America.

Well, it’s gotten real fast, eh?

Schools are officially closed here on Wednesday, but we opted to keep the kiddo home anyway. There are more than 20 confirmed cases in our county right now, and that’s concerning — especially since you can only be tested if you’ve traveled outside the country or been in contact with someone who is infected. How are we supposed to know everyone who has been infected if we cannot get the tests? Crazytown.

Today restaurants and bars are closing along with hair salons and the like. Grocery stores are changing their hours, and some are having hours specifically for the elderly and those who are the most at risk (to keep them away from the younger folks who don’t show symptoms).

I canceled my next seven shoots (kiss all that income goodbye for now!) and settled into our new “home school” schedule. We baked bread and watched nature shows for “science” and Ezra read some books on his own. We had snacks, took the dogs for a walk for “recess,” colored and drew pictures for “art class,” practiced piano and had a basement dance party before handing over the Disney Plus at 4 pm.

In between all of that, I took a few photos of the action (and the morning snowfall), worked on a personal film project that you’ll see in April, processed a few photos from last week and cooked 2 dozen cookies because today is the kiddo’s half birthday and we need something to celebrate.

Also, this bread you’re seeing is my first loaf ever! I have NEVER made bread before and was stunned at how easy it was. You, too, can make this bread by following this recipe. Enjoy!

So here we are.

Of course, we’ve been following the updates on the coronavirus continuously since last Monday. Personally, I think I refresh this website and this one maybe 15 times a day. It’s insane watching those numbers climb.

On Thursday, I was a bit nervous about sending Ezra to school since clearly the virus was in Minnesota, and since the president that I did not elect is only allowing people who have flown out of the country to be tested, I am sure there are so many more cases that are not being caught at the moment. I was going back and forth on sending him to school, and then he woke up all congested and that answered that. So he’s been home ever since.

But to say we are already getting a touch of cabin fever is putting it lightly. I was reading about how the restaurants in Europe are closing (many for good) and how those businesses and their staff aren’t making enough money right now. And after much deliberation, we opted to go out to dinner one last time on Friday.

And I’m glad we did because the restaurant was DEAD. We tipped well, ate well, brought home lots of leftovers, and have been home since then.

Ezra still has a runny nose, so we told him today that he would have to miss his friend’s seventh birthday party. He was so upset by that news — it really was heartbreaking, but I wouldn’t want a sick child at any event these days, even if it is only a mild cold.

We’ve been drawing a lot, playing games, cooking, listening to music, reading books and watching nature programs on TV. Oh, and we’ve been vacuuming. I mean, Hazel up there is so gorgeous, but man does she shed.

And speaking of Hazel, our girl has been settling in quite well. I’ve even witnessed some grooming between Magda and Hazel, and last night they were sitting on the couch with their paws touching. Adorable.

Frankly, I’m assuming that even though I’m booked solid the next few weeks that work will die down soon, and this might become more of a personal blog again. We’ll just have to see what’s in store.

In the meantime, I hope you all are staying healthy. Wash your hands and read a book. That’s the best advice I can give at this point. Maybe I’ll put together a reading list for you all later this week of my past favorites.

Sweet Magda here has something going on in her right eye. Can you see it? Her vet thinks it might be a harmless tumor, but we’re having it checked out by an canine ophthalmologist. We made the appointment in January, but the soonest we can get in is April 21. I am on the cancellation list, don’t worry, but we are hoping it is nothing. Please hope with us.

In the meantime, this girl is getting more and more and more snuggles as the spot grows bigger. And, of course, more photos.

Here is my baby picking out his own outfit and getting dressed by himself and then going downstairs and making his own breakfast. This both makes me so proud and breaks my heart. I know, I know. It’s a cliché. But it goes too fast.

We had a fantastic weekend around these parts. I felt a tad bit better and we went on walks with the dogs and made delicious dinners and went out for breakfast had tons of play dates and saw friends and did a tiny bit of yard work and left the windows open. It was glorious.

I am trying to take more photos of the day to day with this kid before he gets even bigger. So here we are. Enjoy.

As I mentioned last week, I’ve had some really sweet baby sessions lately. One of my favorites was this one. I feel like you can just see the love in these images, and I also adore how tiny this baby is. He arrived more than 3 weeks early, but look at how he lifts his head! What a trooper!

ALSO A SIDEBAR: If you would like to learn just how I take photos like these and up your own photo game as a parent who maybe has a fancy camera and isn’t sure how to use it, I’ve got a workshop for you. Check it out.