THE GOODS BLOG: Erika's Precious Little Life - April Edition

First off, I trust that the apocalypse is finding you well.

What a difference a month makes!!! This time last month the only thing on my mind was the fact that we are going to be moving again. Now I barely think about that. It’s pretty difficult not to be consumed by the pandemic right now, especially given the amount that it has affected everything in our life.

As awful as the whole thing is, I am feeling very grateful for how fortunate we have been in this situation. Tim was immediately able to work from home, is still making his full salary, and if anything, it has made my life easier and better to have him at home with me. I’m already a stay-at-home-mom so I’m already used to being at home with Archie every day and there isn’t much of an adjustment for me in that way. Archie isn’t in school so I don’t have to be concerned about teaching him schoolwork. (And the government is going to give me an extra $300 per month??) For me personally, I’m well-suited for this. I’m already someone who thrives pretty well as a solitary creature. It’s just a part of my personality. (Take Montreal for example; I didn’t have any physical friends there by choice. And that was for 3.5 years.) If anything, I’m feeling more relaxed and healthier than ever. The stress of being a solo parent every day has melted away.

I AM EXTREMELY GRATEFUL.

That being said, the world is certainly upside down. The virus scares me. I hate that so many of the things that I love have been taken away. I hate the global suffering that is going on.

However, I think that it’s incredibly fascinating that we are living through something unprecedented like this. We keep telling Archie that he’ll never even remember it. Years from now he’ll say “oh yeah, that pandemic! I was only three.”

I truly hope that you are all staying super safe and staying at home as much as possible. Please do what you can to protect your mental health. I know that this is a very scary and difficult moment for everyone and I hope that you are finding ways to stay positive and optimistic. Hopefully you’re even discovering ways for all of this to be enjoyable. You’re all in my heart and I can’t wait until we make it out of this whole thing. We’re all in this together. ♥

March started out fairly normal...

In our last “normal” week we saw friends, unaware that it would be the last time for a while.

And I got to go see the musical Hamilton - which turned out to be the LAST performance before all of the rest got cancelled. I was very happy and relieved that I got to go!!! If my performance had been cancelled I doubt that I would’ve been able to reschedule it because of our move. The show was excellent!! There is so much hype for Hamilton and now I can finally see why!

And then everything shut down.

Tim began working from home. He set up an office in our guest bedroom and it has been working out really well.

We mainly stay at home now. I am eternally grateful that we have a big backyard. We still try to go for nature walks and we still go to restaurants by doing take-out. We’ve started re-watching Parks and Recreation every night and it is bringing me SO MUCH joy. It’s a new normal but I honestly don’t hate it.

We had a great time celebrating St. Patrick’s Day!

There has almost been TOO MUCH good free online yoga happening. While I’m sad not to be able to go to my studio... Many of my favourite teachers/studios from all of the cities that I’ve lived in are offering classes online. So if anything, I have MORE access to the yoga that I love and normally can’t attend because of where I live. I’ve been doing yoga every single day. I’m on day 18 (and counting) of doing yoga consecutively which is my longest record ever!

I joined a yoga challenge called 30 Days of Space that is being put on by one of my favourite teachers, Rachel Brathen. Each day has a theme and a corresponding free yoga class on her website. And then she does an Instagram Live each day to talk about the day’s theme, we do a meditation, and we journal. The whole thing is honestly keeping me SO grounded and sane.

Tim has even been joining me sometimes!

I have also been filling us with all sorts of immunity-boosting voodoo each day. I find that it helps to feel like I’m doing something (anything) to be proactive about our health.

Our house has essentially become a wellness spa.

I apologize that this blog took such a hippy turn... But this is how I‘ve been coping. These are the tools in my toolbox and I’m using them as best I can. I’m channeling my interests into ways that can help us feel better as much as possible. It seems to be working.

So back to the moving... Because that’s still a thing. YES, our move is going to be affected by the pandemic. We are clearly NOT going to be moving while the pandemic is still an active situation. In all likelihood, Tim will quit working for Ubisoft and then will begin working for BioWare - from home in Toronto. The timing of that shouldn’t change much. What will change is the timing of our actual move. We’ll stay in Toronto until things are safe again. Once things are “normal” again, we’ll need some time to get our ducks in a row, and then we’ll move to Edmonton. Obviously I have no idea when that will be because no one knows when this will be resolved.

I’m sad because we were supposed to be doing lots of “Toronto things” right now, before moving away. And clearly we aren’t anymore. I’m looking forward to when we can make up for lost time.

Life with Archie:

He seems to be handling the pandemic pretty well. I don’t think that he really understands what is going on. We’ve told him that there are “too many bugs” outside right now and that’s his basic understanding of the situation. He does seem a bit more stir-crazy than usual, which causes him to act out a bit more. But all in all, I think that he’s doing pretty well.

He does sometimes mention going to the playgroup or talks about his friends and asks for them to come to our house.

The last time that Archie was with a pal!

I still get Archie outside quite a lot, which I think has been good for everyone. Not only do we have a large backyard but there are also some nice wooded areas nearby. We have some favourite spots that we visit each week.

We also found a Cecropia Moth cocoon, which I’m pretty excited about!

Not my photo.

I found it on the ground because the stick must have broken. So we took it home and put it somewhere safe in our own backyard. These are GIANT silk moths (see photo). Their wingspan is seven inches across. They go into their cocoon in the fall and don’t emerge as moths until the spring. I’m really hoping that we’ll get to see the moth when it comes out!!! So yes. This is the kind of learning that we’re already doing all the time. I hope that it counts for something.

What else have we been using our time at home for? Potty training!!! It seems like a pretty opportune time. It’s going alright. Archie completely understands that he’s supposed to use the potty and we’ve been spending most days with him bottomless so that he can use the potty easily. He’s had some accidents. But he has also gone on short outings without a diaper on and has been totally fine. I would love if we could get him trained while we’re stuck at home anyway!

What are our plans for April?

Um. The apocalypse?

It makes me sad every time a new week rolls around and different things that we had planned to do get cancelled.

Things that were *supposed* to happen this month: a girls morning doing yoga and eating brunch, I had an appointment to get a new tattoo done, Archie was supposed to start new swimming lessons, we had reservations to have Easter brunch in the CN Tower, I was excited about the annual Healthy Moms Marketplace, we had a Muskoka cottage weekend at the end of the month... All cancelled. :(

On the plus side, Easter will be happening and I’m really looking forward to having a fun Easter at our house.

SHINE BRIGHT.

In this time of uncertainty ~ shine your light brighter than ever, keep your love and joy endorphins moving, eat and sleep well, be informed yet not over-informed, trust your instincts, observe and discern where societal/political FEAR is taking over.

Stay calm, grounded, and keep doing what you LOVE.

Connect with your loved ones, practice radical KINDNESS and COMPASSION.

Remember: This virus too will pass.

Give yourself permission to invest and upgrade in your self-soul care.

THIS MONTH’S SHOUT-OUTS!:

April 2nd is Jaelyn Knudslien’s 38th birthday!

Wishing you a wonderfully special day in these crazy times. I know that you’re still going to work and I appreciate you so much for that. I hope that everyone around you showers you with love. Love you! ♥

April 7th is Melanie Santiago’s 39th birthday!

I wish that we could be celebrating your birthday together like we were supposed to be! It’s the last year of your 30s and you should send them out with a bang! I’m thinking of you from down the road. Love you very much! ♥

April 10th is Amy Bull’s 35th birthday!

You’re my hero!! I am so amazed and proud of all of the hard work that you’ve been doing. I hope that you get to take a break to be celebrated! I can’t wait for us to be moms together so soon!!! I love you with all of my heart! ♥

April 18th is Colen Quinn’s 38th birthday!

Again, I wish that we could be celebrating together like we were supposed to be. At least you were the last human that I saw before this all went down! I can’t wait to hug you again soon. Wishing you a very special day and I love you so much forever! ♥

April 18th is Nadine Ottenbreit’s 38th birthday!

I love that we are always in touch and that we feel close even if we’re not. It’s actually perfect for right now! I hope that you have an amazing day and that you feel truly celebrated because you deserve no less! I hope that the “event” at your house does something special!! Love you! ♥

April 18th is Lacey Suttie’s 40th birthday!

This is an incredibly special milestone birthday Lacey! I know that you are going to find a wonderful way to celebrate, even if it isn’t exactly what you had envisioned. You are such a special and inspirational person. Love you so much! ♥