Quarantine things in the time of COVID-19 pandemic

Friday, July 31, 2020

It’s been 4 months since COVID-19 decided to take us by storm. 4 long months of quarantine and social distancing that seemed like eternity. For some it was too much but for us, it has its pros and cons.

Being locked up (metaphorically) with my husband and kid, It was like a rollercoaster. But I am still glad that I get to spend more time with them. The feeling of keeping my family safe and within reach is still the most important thing for me. I mainly was the tribute, braving the treacherous outdoor to do the basic things. It was the only choice (hubby has weak lungs, son has a lot of allergies) but I didn’t mind it at all.


Social Media usage have been quite high from both me and my husband, while my kid was busy learning Dutch with Ryder and AJ (hands up for moms that can relate!). Anyhow, we still tried to limit it and try other stuff while being isolated together.


Here are 5 things that kept us busy this quarantine season:

  • I brushed up my Dutch and moved forward to the second tower in Duolingo

I am aware that I need to learn Dutch to integrate into society (and start making local friends), but the language is complicated. The inverse sentences and the guttered phonics makes it hard for my deteriorating aged brain. The difference from the American English that I knew my whole life was too broad.

Screenshot of my milestone!

Despite all my complaints about the language, I was happy that I managed to stick learning it for almost two months. I can say that my vocabulary has improved, but I need to study more about the Dutch grammar. I can’t wait to use some words into conversations (Dax’s mentor was shocked I was able to pronounce the Dutch “G” like the locals).

  • Perfected a lot of dished that my husband is willing to eat seconds.

My husband is a picky eater and I like recreating delicious food in the kitchen. I want to cook for people who will appreciate the effort I put into it. Imagine having to cook for myself and criticising my own cooking, it was too frustrating. My son is a toddler so he doesn’t count for he will eat what he likes to eat.


Banana Cake/bread
 Pinoy Spaghetti
Pandesal

This quarantine was a breakthrough because I was able to make my husband like some of the things I made. I perfected my own recipe of banana bread (hubby doesn’t like sweet pasty), pandesal, bacon aglio olio, pinoy spaghetti...

He now eats these eagerly! Hooray for this momma!

  • Took on some fitness challenges to jumpstart my metabolism

I did Blogilates May fitness calendar fully, like I finished it! Cassey’s exercises seemed easy, but they hurt like hell the next day. I can feel that the proper muscles are targeted, despite my lack of balance and coordination during the exercise. I also liked that she is so bubbly and encouraging throughout the exercise while you are cursing like crazy. I am aware that our fitness level is waaay to far different. She can still talk endlessly throughout the whole exercise while I was grunting and puffing the whole time. She tells you that she also struggle throughout the exercise but her face doesn’t seem to show it.



I did Chloe Ting’s Hourglass challenge for two weeks only for I got bored, but I did see some difference in my glutes and hips. Her exercises are for beginners, building up on strength and endurance. You can see that she also struggles because her form is breaking midway, which is somehow relateable in all levels, like she’s your exercise buddy. She has a cool soundtrack for the routine, and gives out these weird motivational voice overs to help you push through.

  • Continued to mind what I eat after finishing my 1 month on Keto

I went from strict keto to low carb after a month. I was anxious to have my veggies and fruits, specially in this pandemic. Most of the essential nutrients are in fruits and veggies. The goal is to strengthen our immune system to lower the risk of further damages caused by covid.





I swapped my white rice with cauli rice or roasted veggies. I liked my cauli rice chopped by hand (or store bought if I am lazy) to mimic the rice texture. But the easiest and yummiest way to get my carbs is through oven roasted/stir fried vegetables. My go-to mix is what is locally available; such as broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, string beans, bellpepper, and celery. Another favorite of mine is braised cabbage with sausage, easy, tasty and quick.





My go to when I have a sweet tooth is fruits and nuts, specially berries since they are in season and full of antioxidants. I still eat pasta and noodles every now and then. There is a low carb bread available in the store and I grab it whenever I can, but I still indulge in homemade pandesal once in a while.

  • Potty trained and gave my kid a haircut

In the mommy group I’m in, this is one of the suggestions to do while being on quarantine (aside from keeping a sane mind while juggling working, distance learning and keeping the house tidy). I did it with my son and we were successful with peeing in the toilet by himself. There are still accidents every now and then. He is still holding it when he is busy playing, but I get his cues that he needs to go. 

Multi-tasking hehehe

Pooping is still a struggle for he refuses to poop in his potty and in the toilet. I didn’t want him to hold his poop that leads to constipation, so I focused on peeing for now. 

We finally tackled my son’s long hair, and gave him a proper cut. Goodbye to always mistaking him for a cute girl. Daxton looked like a big kid, ahhh how time flies!

Before

After

I can say that we were able to keep ourselves healthy in the quarantine period. We were a bit paranoid of getting covid whenever we have a little cough and sneeze. I am lucky that we are in a country where we have access to all the help we will need in this pandemic. “New Normal” may still be a weird phase for everyone (including us!) until a vaccine have been tried and tested.

No tiktok for me and my family for we are still hesitant with the privacy and data of the app. Here in Europe, data and privacy is big and protected which is a good thing.



What kept you busy this quarantine season? 

As always, stay safe and healthy

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