What is normal?
Do you remember the last time things were “normal”?
As things get back to this concept of normal, I continuously have this feeling in the pit of my stomach. At first I was anxious about socializing again. I am a person that even pre-Covid got worked up about social engagements and often cancelled right before and then felt awful about cancelling and slid into full on regret. It was a terrible cycle. Once I no longer had to go to in person PAC meetings, drinks with my friends, family dinners and school events my stress acne cleared up and I felt better than I had in years. This realization scared the shit out of me! It’s not that I don’t have a great time once I’m out, it’s just the lead up that plays havoc with my mental health! Once we were double vaxxed and things began to open up, I felt the nagging anxiety start creeping back. Throwing myself right into summer social engagements with my family really helped. Yes sometimes I have stress break outs again and yes my canker sore is back after a year and a half absence 😂 but I surprisingly felt strong and completely ready for it. In fact, craving it!
The day after school ended my sister and her family came! It was really really really hot under the heat dome so we didn’t go out too much, it was a gradual re-introduction into society 😂 after she left, my SIL and JQ came! More people AND we were going out but lo and behold, I was having fun! When my cousin messaged me that her, her husband, and kids were in town I was excited to see them after not being able to see them last summer. In fact, we saw them at the Oilers game in Edmonton, they actually gave us the tickets, on February 29, 2020. When we left on March 1 we saw masks in the airport and wondered… “Do you think this is going to be a thing?” 😳
It was wonderful to see everybody! I had forgotten how much fun I always had once I got over my initial anxieties. It felt… Normal. Until something happened. Until that ball of fear in my stomach came back with 10 little words. We had just gotten back from the hotel where we had spent the evening swimming with my Cousin’s kids and SBean asked me for a cuddle. She crawled onto my lap, hugged me tight, and said, “why is everybody pretending Covid isn’t a thing anymore Mom?”
10 words. I looked down at her and saw the fear in her eyes. I explained that we were all double vaccinated so that gave us more confidence to be able to go out and enjoy our family, friends, and all the activities our beautiful home has to offer. Her chin began to tremble and big fat tears fell down her cheeks as she mumbled into my belly, “I’m not vaccinated Mom. Aren’t you worried about me?”
😭
I was gut punched. In all of our hurry to get back to normal we have forgotten about our most vulnerable,
They’ve gone through so much in the past 2 years and while we are all feeling safe, they aren’t. It didn’t occur to me that she would be feeling that way but it makes complete sense. I asked her how we could help her feel safe? She told me that she couldn’t wait to get the vaccine and hopes that they approve one for her age group soon but until then would it be OK if we continue to wear our masks? Of course! We made a rule anytime we are feeling unsafe we will wear our masks. She takes hers with her everywhere and I do too, to show support, to help ease her fears, and honestly so I don’t catch a cold! I don’t think I will ever give up my mask! When I was in Korea many years ago I saw people all over the place wearing masks, they were on to something! We had less colds, less flus, and just generally felt better this past year so why wouldn’t I continue to protect myself from other people’s germs? It’s common sense.
I really appreciate that SBean was able to vocalize her feelings. It really made me stop and think. We need to do better. We need to keep our kids safe and make them FEEL safe. It goes without saying that EVERYONE should read up on the vaccination. I really think that if people read the facts, they would gladly choose to keep our younger generation safe. Their families, their friends and themselves. Please. Please get vaccinated so this is over sooner and our kids can start to rebuild their fragile mindset. Thank you.
Check out How Was Your Week, Honey? Episode #236 The Adventures of Mocha HERE! This week, normal activities still don’t feel the same. Topics: articulation, Anniversary, petsitting, movies, Olympics, sleepover, Peachfest, indigenous music & 2On3Pod.
Thai Vegetarian Noodles
Adapted from Half Baked Harvest
8 ounces wide rice noodles
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1 bag frozen Thai vegetables
1 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
1/4 cup cashews, roughly chopped
Cook the rice noodles according to package directions. Drain.
Combine the soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, honey, and 1/3 cup water in a bowl.
Heat the oil in a large skillet (I used my wok) over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the onions, garlic, jalapeño pepper, and green onions. Cook 2-3 minutes, until the onions are soft and the garlic is fragrant. Add the vegetables, cook another 5 minutes, until the vegetables have softened. Pour in the sauce and bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until the sauce coats the chicken, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the noodles and basil. Toss to combine, cooking another 3-5 minutes until the sauce coats the noodles.
Serve the noodles warm, topped with additional basil and cashews.
This week was a good one! No, this week was a great one! Like I mentioned above my SIL, JQ, my Cousin and her family were all in town this week! There were even a few days of less smoke and one or two days of blue skies! One of the less smoke-filled days we spent at the beach playing on the Wibit! That evening the kids played in the pool of my Cousin’s hotel as we sat and caught up after a long year and a half. SBean accidentally left Mocha’s (the hamster) door open one night and while we were at the Wibit she hid herself deep under the stairs in our storage 😂 thank goodness Ninja found her and SBean went back to being a petsitter extraordinaire 😜. We had some cuddles, I finished another book, SBean organized her pin collection and we took HBear back to school shopping! She found a perfect LBD that she tested out at her GBesty‘s birthday party! While she was partying, SBean, JQ and I had a sleepover! Ninja and his family went to Time Winery and saw their first live concert in almost 2 years! While they listened to great music we ate s’mores, played Mario Kart, had snacks and watched Stuart Little! The kids had such a nice time. SBean was having a little bit of a rough day but the next morning over waffles she explained to JQ she had been off and apologized for some of her impatient behaviour. Wow, even I could learn a lesson from her 😂. After we all headed over to Grandma and Grandpa’s for a delicious pizza dinner and a swim in the pool! This summer has been so hot that I haven’t cooked that much! Ninja toasted cinnamon buns one morning and I did manage to make a giant batch of sausage rigatoni with all of the fresh basil for my garden. Yum!
On Saturday we celebrated mini Peachfest! We watched the motocross racers, classic rock bands, and an amazing First Nation family, The Bent Family, that taught us how to do a rain dance. It worked… Oh boy did it work! Minutes later the skies opened up and it rained for the first time in over 60 days! When it started I was just finishing HBear’s make up because her dance studio was the next act up! As she watched the audience run for cover, I watched her make up run down her face and her false eyelashes brim with tears. I dropped my make up kit, grabbed her hand and said “let’s dance”. So we did! In the middle of a heavy downpour, we danced! And then the rain stopped. The clouds disappeared and even the smoke disappeared! HBear was so happy and I was even more happy that she was able to finally dance in front of a real life audience for the first time since her finale in 2019. She was so beautiful. They all were! It brought me so much joy to see her so happy. Many of her best friends came out to support her and she was just glowing ❤️ Man am I proud of that kid! In the middle of the rain storm Dad and J took a SBean to the Lakeside to stay dry. However, by the time HBear’s performance was over SBean was still wet and cold so we left but dad, J, and HBear stayed and rocked out to an AC/DC cover band and played some games at the travelling midway. So many items checked off of her bucket list!
It was still raining on Sunday so we cancelled the boat we had rented 😒 and opted for brunch at Slackwater Brewing instead. Delicious! On Monday was our 11th wedding anniversary. We celebrated with small gifts made of steel and a trip to the carnival with our DanceBesty’s and our family! It was the perfect way to say goodbye to our Winnipeg family who left the next day 😞. HBear saw her “boyfriend” for the first time this summer and was able to successfully navigate her time between him and his sister who happens to be one of her best dance friends as well. Holy complicated Batman! 😆 Not for the younger ones though, those 2 are tight and they had a great time playing with each other and JQ. It was the perfect way to celebrate 11 years. In the sunshine, with our families, and enjoying the romance of the carnival lights at night ❤️
