Easter Things

Although it has been almost a full week since Easter, I felt as though it was only necessary that I share a thing or two about how I celebrated Easter this year.

I’m sure just like most of you, this was my first Easter spent in quarantine. In addition, this was my first Easter to not be celebrated with my family. Even more, this was my first Easter to celebrate as a parent(ish) myself. A lot of firsts, and a lot of pressure to make the day as special and joyful as possible.

Growing up, I was blessed to have a mom who would always take special care to ensure that Easter was done right. Sunday morning, my sisters and I would wake up to beautiful and personally packed Easter baskets; Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were all big, home-cooked, and absolutely delicious; The beautiful and heart-wrenching story of Jesus rising from the grave was told in such a way that we knew we were deeply loved. My mom was good, and I wanted to be good for Corey and Jax.

Eggs are thought of as a little more precious this year than previous, so we decided that boiling and dying were not the way to go, and Jax is still a bit too young for so much candy. So, I filled his basket with a tiny chocolate bunny, some bubbles and bubble accessories (his fav), and hid cascarones around the house for him to hunt. I wish I had pictures of Jaxon’s face when we presented him with his basket that morning—pure delight.

It was to my delight though a couple hours later when I discovered that neither Jax nor Corey had even ever heard of cascarones. The surprise, the excitement, and the joy on both of their faces as each one cracked, having their contents spilled everywhere was truly amazing. I couldn’t help but smile at how lovely their happiness was.

We spent the rest of our day outside, soaking up the beautiful day. Corey manned the grill, making us a delicious Easter meal, and I mostly followed our precious boy around with a camera. He’s still a bit too young to understand, but as I dressed him for bed and gave him his night-night kisses, I made sure to tell him that Jesus loved him so, so much.

It was by no means a normal Easter, or the one I imagined us spending together, but it was still pretty darn good if I do say so myself.

Working from Home: Week One

Remember the days when we wanted the weekend to last just one more day? Or spring break just one more week? Remember when we just wanted more time at home, and away from work? For me, these thoughts were pretty frequent. Finally I had a truly happy home, all I wanted was to stay here…but now I have to.

Now don’t get me wrong, I still have a very happy home, but being forced to stay in the actual house all day, everyday is starting to drive me a bit crazy. I’m not sure how everyone else is coping, but I know I have been running with high emotions and missing the things and people who brought value to my life as I left the house daily.

Fortunately, this week brought me a bit closer to my prior life. This week was the first official week of my school hosting classes online. Thus, this week I was able to attend faculty meetings, teach class, and interact with students just like I normally would…just this time via Zoom. To be honest, the faculty meetings gave me a headache and kids were way off topic, but it all brought me such a joy. I needed some normalcy.

In addition to my 8-4 online teaching gig, I was also embracing the full-time stay at home {step}mom life I had always dreamed of. Between and during read alouds and lesson plannings, I chased around a toddler, changed diapers, and washed dishes. While it was super nice having such an adorable coworker that I could kiss on, I have to admit that I am beat after this week!

I feel like I have been hit with one of the biggest learning curves of my life. I have the greatest respect for all the pre-corona stay-at-home mamas and daddies, because this life is wild! It is all a beautiful kind of chaos though. I am blessed to still be working and beyond blessed to have the greatest boyfriend with the sweetest son. This being said, I can’t help but wonder What are people doing to stay sane during this time?