My family was already a homeschooling, work-from-home family when the French confinement began, but we've still adopted a few new rhythms that I know will forever mark this time in our memories, and I want to record them here.
Family Read Alouds at Night
Somewhere along the way the kids moved into reading on their own in bed before going to sleep, and I was no longer reading with them at bedtime. I've heard it said you don't realize the last time you pick up your child in your arms, and it must be similar with bedtime stories. When was the last time I snuggled in bed with each of my kids to read to them?
Nostalgic rumination aside, Ella suggested a family read-aloud of The Chronicles of Narnia for this lock-down period, and I'm so glad she did! It's worked out brilliantly. The books are short enough to read aloud in a week or less usually, so it's a series that will easily be completed, and while we've each had our own separate experiences with Aslan and Narnia, it's delightful to go on this journey together. Every night around 8 p.m. we gather in the living room for about 45 minutes of reading. When normal life eventually resumes, I know I will miss the every-nightness of this event.
Walking in the Garden
Before the lock-down when I wanted to go for a walk I always laced up my shoes and either walked to the local park or around our town on the sidewalks. But since we've been obliged to fill out a form and carry our ID with us when we go out for exercise, I've only left the little walled garden where we live once. The pacing back and forth began one day with me wondering how far I could manage to walk in the garden keeping track of my mileage on my Fitbit, and it turned into a habit. I was inspired by a friend in church who is keeping up with her 10,000 steps a day pacing in her tiny Paris apartment. Several times a day I'm now out in the garden walking back and forth across the longest part, wearing a path in the grass until my Fitbit buzzes and fireworks shoot across the screen. It's also become a time of day for K.J. and I to talk and share the day's news without the kids listening in on the conversation. We've been having afternoon dates pacing in the garden, and it makes the steps go by faster.
Almost Daily Piano Practice for Ella
Noreen has a beautiful piano, and Ella's been using this time to teach herself how to play. Staying home places limitations on what we can do, and that's not a completely bad thing. She has access to a lot of Easy Piano arrangements through my Scribd subscription; the key to her devoting herself to practice has been learning songs she actually likes. These days if you're in the garden and Noreen's windows are open you will hear Han and Leia's Theme, As Time Goes By, themes from La La Land and Pirates of the Caribbean.
Sports in the Garden
K.J. has told a lot of people he feels like he almost missed out on the time-honored tradition of regularly throwing a football with James in the backyard. This slowing down of time has given space for soccer drills, throwing the football, and James is also regularly out with a bow and arrow purchased at a castle in Wales. Now that the weather is warming up, the big water guns we brought back from the U.S. last summer are making a re-appearance.
In addition to more outdoor play, James has regular Minecraft/FaceTime calls with friends now. He takes possession of my phone and computer, and the voices of boys telling each other to kill things, build things, and teleport can be heard all through the house because little boys just talk loudly.
Those are a few of our new family rhythms. What about you? Are you into puzzles now, watching through a TV series or re-reading favorite books? Shout-out to another friend in Paris who moved her furniture back against the walls and created a Four Square court in her apartment so her kids could burn some energy. These are the stories we'll all be telling for the rest of our lives.
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