Welcome, sunshine, to Sentence a Day, 04.2020 – my crazy April in one run-on sentence a day. These posts such a great way to journal your day-to-day life. And when things go off the deep end like they have this month, I am glad to have these posts to revisit and reflect on. If you haven’t joined us for this link-up, it’s not too late to start for 05.2020. And if you are interested, let me know in a comment below and I will add you to our email group.
Rebecca at Knit by God’s Hand thought up the SaD idea and Sarah at Foxy’s Domestic Side always keeps us together by creating the link-up code. Hope you will run by to check out their posts and the posts of some of the others linking up with us. I am sure everyone’s month was even more off the wall than March was.
SENTENCE A DAY 04.2020
What a crazy, scary, nerve-racking, emotional, historic month. Did I hit all the adjectives? I imagine you know my pain. PC predicted April’s sentences would all sound the same. More truth than poetry! Check them out.
Sentence a Day 05.2020
Life Changes
- First day of the month, and I am remembering my sentence…it is going to snow! Up with PC to get him off to work, then showered and dressed for a run to Walmart before new restrictions are put into place tonight, grabbed too many groceries, a few Easter decorations, popped in Target to pick up some Easter bunny stuff for my girls, and new bathroom rugs to go with our new spread, leftover chicken tortellini soup, decorated my wheelbarrow and talked to mom who actually cracked some jokes, but then we learned someone working at her facility tested positive for Covid-19. 04.01.2020
- Awake off and on all night, my Prince got up at 7 am to start telework and I must have rolled over and gone back to sleep, next thing I know the phone is ringing, my brother worried about a cough my mom has developed, the facility is going to do a lung check and xray, was out of sorts the rest of the day with phone calls, texts, emails, joined Sue and some other bloggers from ’round the world for an online workout, pork loin for dinner. 04.02.2020
- Did a little better today about accomplishing things, mom was good this morning, my Prince worked from home, I had a teleconference about mom’s release which is scheduled for Wednesday, washed the kitchen chairs in the sunshine, ran 1.63 miles while PC rode his bike beside me, lunch, laundry, weed pulling, PC had to go into work for a meeting, I dashed across the mountain to take the kids some dinner, and got to hold my babies for a few minutes, Subway for dinner, mom sounded good again tonight, 96 cases of Covid-19. 04.03.2020
Figuring Out Our New Normal
- After breakfast this morning, we went for a long 6 mile bike ride, caught up on laundry, took a nice walk in the sun, PC had to go into Ft. Bliss for a meeting so I dropped off dinner for the kids, and Lauren gave me my birthday gift from her, Francisco, Brennyn and Mustafa – a new Samsung fitness tracker – so pretty, got to snuggle my babiest girls, read with Cady, Italian wedding soup for dinner. 04.04.2020
- Walked up to the neighborhood market, stood in line to get in and then bought doughnuts, guac and chips and capriotada, home to enjoy our treats poolside while listening online to our church service, then got a call from PC’s brother that his dad was admitted to the hospital with breathing problems which turned out to be caused by kidney failure, long bike ride in the afternoon, soup for supper. 04.05.2020
Lonesome Birthday
- Happy birthday to me! Very quiet birthday, and a bit sad without loves from any of my girls in person, but showered with well wishes via phone calls, Facebook messages and texts, short bike ride, scrapped with my sister, played Facetime Barbies with Cady, Skyped with my El Paso girls, an array of gifts from Sharon, Subway sammies for dinner, with German chocolate cake for dessert, my mom didn’t remember my birthday. Waaaaa!! 04.06.2020
- Up early so PC could sign into his work computer, enjoyed birthday cake for breakfast and dessert, I ran and Paul biked almost 2 miles but the wind made it very hard for me, as if I had on cinder block shoes. 04.07.2020
New Struggles
- PC had a vacation day today, but we both teleconferenced with our siblings about our parents’ issues, went for a run together, and a walk into the desert, took a drive around this part of town, finished craft projects, chicken and dumplings for supper. 04.08.2020
- Struggled today with LIFE and Covid-19; mom is in her new apartment but seems more befuddled than ever, sadly her phone is not working so she felt more isolated than even in rehab where she could at least call, ironed, scrapbooked a bit, tried to open my fashion haus but my technology did not cooperate, played bunnies with Cia for a few minutes using Facetime, hamburgers for dinner, lazy evening of blog writing, 225 people testing positive for coronavirus. 04.09.2020
- Up early at 8:00 am with a phone call from my sister and brother about mom, she is struggling to adjust to her new apartment, can’t remember how to use the phone or the remote, can’t find her Depends because she can’t see them, so sad and so frustrating, if only one of us could be with her now; ran 1.5 miles with PC, working back toward a 5K, did a lot of blog reading, finally catching up again, Red Lobster carry-out for dinner after Paul attended an afternoon meeting on Ft. Bliss, 2 deaths and 252 cases of Covid-19 as of today. 04.10.2020
Long Weekend
- Longest Saturday ever; 2 walks and an online workout, soak in the hot tub, multiple phone calls including 45 minutes with mom and some giggles, and 30 minutes with PC’s mom, leftover chicken and dumplings for dinner. 04.11.2020
- Hoppy Easter! Slept like a champ despite the 35 mph wind gusts shaking the pictures on our walls, donned our masks and walked up to Valley Market for doughnuts and tamales, really quiet day at home, opened my fashion haus to snap pics of my Easter dress, good convo with mom, the girls sent photos of my darling grands in their Easter outfits, tamales and tortilla chips with guacamole for dinner. 04.12.2020
More Restrictions
- Monday – my new favorite day of the week because it’s a clean slate – except when I don’t sleep well on Sunday night; bike ride with PC, ham and bean soup in the crockpot that I shared with the kids, dropped it off along with homemade bread and peanut butter cookies and got to see my babies for 5 minutes, scrapbooked with Val, up to 300 cases of Covid-19, lock down has been extended to 05.17.2020. 04.13.2020
- Up early with a call from my brother, began putting out little fires for mom, PC had to go into work for a few hours at sunset to check lighting on the buildings whose security he is responsible for. 04.14.2020
- Fast approaching 500 cases of coronavirus, with the extended restrictions, decided I better stock up again on groceries, had to have temperature taken and wash my hands before entering the store, wiped everything off when I got home, scrapbooked with Valerie, mom sounds like she is settling in. 04.15.2020
Blurring the Lines
- Thursdays used to be my favorite days with the anticipation of the weekend but not since Covid-19 because the weekends are long and lonely and no different from weekdays, scrapbooked with my sister, ran with PC, leftover supper, ice cream that didn’t even tickle my fancy. 04.16.2020
- PC took a vacation day so he didn’t have to work but we really couldn’t do anything more than we usually do – long walk, little video workout, tried a new recipe that bombed, talked to mom, finished a scrapbook layout, soaked in the hot tub, listening to our book and enjoying a glass of wine. 04.17.2020
Our Poor Parents
- Didn’t sleep well or late, did a work out video and went for a run, pretty much a repeat of yesterday only Paul had to go into work for a meeting this afternoon and brought home pizza for dinner, his dad is back in the hospital again with fluid in his lungs. 04.18.2020
- Woke up to discover the kitchen, den and hall floors were wet where something had leaked from the frig, then got calls from PC’s brother about his dad wanting to go under hospice care and give up his fight, listened to church online, drove up to get doughnuts then walked around a nearby subdivision and drove out to the Texas-New Mexico line, ran to Lowe’s for parts to fix the frig, PC worked on it and I cooked dinner, both of us spent the evening texting with our siblings about our parents. 04.19.2020
- Neither of us slept well, PC was up to telework and I jumped into laundry, Mom fell last night so I called her earlier than usual to check on her, Paul talked with his family and the hospice nurse about his dad, we had 2 pool companies give us estimates for cleaning our tiles and plaster, did a workout and took a very short bike ride, chicken and broccoli casserole for dinner, craft room purge underway. 04.20.2020
Facetiming to Beat the Band
- So many Facetime and phone calls starting at 9 am and going until close to bedtime; played Barbies with Cadence, colored with Cia, cleaned my craft area while talking to my sister, ran and did an at-home video with PC, made my coconut pie, and met with pool cleaners to have work done on the pool. 04.21.2020
- Quieter day, lots of blog reading to catch up, a quick trip to Walmart wearing masks, got an estimate for having our vents, chimney and fireplace cleaned, took a 30 minute bike ride around the neighborhood, Subway sandwiches for dinner, pie for dessert, tucked Lucia in with a bedtime story. 04.22.2020
- Got a jump start on our day by doing an abs routine and going for a run; expected the pool guy to be here by noon but he never showed up all day, real bummer; read with Cady; fixed this cheeseburger soup for supper; mom called in a tizzy about having pictures hung in her apartment; took an after dinner walk to measure out a new route to run. 04.23.2020
Little Tastes of Normalcy
- Friday…Lauren asked me to come over to watch my babies for a few hours!!; had fun playing hide and seek – Cami and I against Lucia, got baby girl down for a nap then played Barbies with Cia; home where Ocean Pools was scrubbing our pool tiles; Monte Cristo sandwiches and hash browns for dinner. 04.24.2020
- Really nice day; Hasfit workout online and run; trip to Lowe’s for wax for pool tiles; enjoyed first swim of the season; Casita Linda carry-out for dinner, beautiful day. 04.25.2020
- Slept late…delightful; walked and jogged a path on the westside of the mountain; pulled weeds, played 3-way Barbies with Cady and Lucia; scrapbooked with Val; leftover soup for dinner and “90 Day Fiance” for desert. 04.26.2020
More Busyness
- Another 08.03 shooting victim died today, so sad; he had been hospitalized since the shooting. Started my day off right with quiet time, breakfast, exercise, made maple bourbon chili for dinner, took some to the kids and took Cia on a bike ride to the park; laundry and blogging tonight; up over 25 more cases and there are cases at PC’s office. 04.27.2020
- Could hardly open my eyes this morning, just wanted to sleeeeep all day; finished and put up laundry, put together my craft cart, grocery run for meat with the fear that meat packaging companies are closing; vacuumed and mopped, fixed steak for dinner, blog reading tonight, finally finished a book, The Dressmaker’s Secret. 04.28.2020
- Kind of a backwards day…we jumped out of bed, did a quick workout and ran before 8:00 am when Southwest Chimney arrived to clean our ducts, vents and fireplace, cleaned the pool, ironed, took a walk and bike ride, leftovers for dinner, paid bills. 04.29.2020
- The rust spot in the pool that we had removed last week is baa-acck, this pool is cursed; vent/duct cleaning continued all day downstairs, early morning run, painted rocks, scrapbooked, delivered masks, KFC for dinner. 04.30.2020
Sad to say, May isn’t sounding too much more exciting!! We are staying home, wearing masks and trying to remain healthy.
Your Turn
How did your April pan out? Was there a lot of staying at home, eating at home, Netflix bingeing at your house? We watched the 6 episode “Waco” on Saturday night and even stayed up after midnight!! Trying to wean ourselves off the news.
If you have a Sentence a Day or month in review post to share, please link up with us. Then get a start on your sentences for May, if you haven’t already.
Before you go, here’s my 1 second everyday video for April. Thank you for the visit. Hope you and your loved ones are staying well.
Hugs and kisses,
Joanne
Sorry to hear you had so many struggles with your parents this past month! I love that sisters scrapbooking page. It is so precious.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you. Would love to do a scrapbooking post with you!!
Kellyann Rohr
What a month! Such a blessing that you are still able to have long conversations with your mom, I know it is heart wrenching that you are not physically closer to her and I bet she’s on your mind very often (especially when there’s a big transition like a move). God bless her, she looks so happy and alert!
It is so nice that your PC exercises with you. No one living under my roof works out except me and it really stinks! That coconut cheesecake pie is so darn good!
xo,
Kellyann
Natalie
Another busy month for you, Leslie. Glad you had some fun time and cuddles with your cute granddaughters. The coconut cheesecake looks yummy. Hope your Mom and PC’s Dad are comfortable to ease your worries. Take care, stay safe and well.
Deb
I can imagine how good it felt to spend time with your girlies, how lucky you are to have them close and be able to be together. That must have been the highlight of your month!
Sorry to hear that both of you have worries with your parents, hard at the best of times but right now you must feel so helpless.
Love that green dress on you, that colour really suits you – now all we need is for things to get better so you can go out for the evening wearing it to a nice restaurant 😉
Kristin
Oh goodness! I love this! I like how you keep track of each day with just a few words, sentences. It’s nice to look back on all that’s happened during the month. Sometimes it’s hard to remember what happened during the month especially when there’s so much going on. I’m sorry I’ve been so long in between blog reading! Happy belated Birthday. xoxo
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you!! Come do Sentence a Day with us for June!! The month is young. And it is a great way to keep track of your dreams, goals, and accomplishments.
Jill
You had quite a busy month! Happy Belated Birthday! Cake for breakfast is the best! I love that you and your PC are so active and workout together! My husband and I used to workout together but it’s pretty rare now. Glad you got to spend time with your precious grandkiddos!
Jill – Doused in Pink
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Oh, yes, cake for breakfast is the best. We enjoyed the coconut cheesecake pie I made recently for breakfast as well. That is often the only time I eat sweets. Do you work out at a one time or in one way while your hubs does some other type workout? We have worked out together since we first started dating. It was a way we could see each other without spending money!!
Penny Struebig
My April calendar was full of cancellations. May and June are looking the same. I’m back at work so my daytime routine is back, but the evening and weekends sure look different! Saying a prayer for your mom.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you, Penny, for your continued prayers and support. I keep thinking with each new month we will see some improvement in our Covid numbers and a loosening of restrictions but so far we are pretty well still where we were in March.
Carrie @ Curly Crafty Mom
That is so nice you two work out together! And run together! Keep it up! I’ve been working out 7 days a week instead of 5 during all this, because I have the time! I love how you share all your dinners for the week, it is making me hungry, tho! Ha! We have just been going on a lot of walks here and this week I’ve been working on my garden and trying to tidy it up.
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Leslie Roberts Clingan
I think I share my dinners in these SaD posts so I can see how long it’s been since we ordered pizza or I made meatloaf!! Ha!!
We have pretty much always worked out together from the time we first met. The only thing form of exercise we haven’t shared are
PC’s baseball – I could never play a team sport (klutz). And my pickleball. PC has played a time or two with me but I think I
am more enamored with it than he.
Sue from Sizzling Towards 60 & Beyond
What a fabulous idea your video is! How did you do it? I can’t believe the Workout session was only a few weeks ago it seems like months! It is such a worry for you with your Mum and I hope she is okay. My MIL will be 94 in June and fortunately is happy and healthy in her aged care home so fingers crossed. It is lovely to be back as SaD and hopefully it means I am back now regularly. Have a lovely April, say hello to your workout buddy PC and belated Happy Birthday greetings to you. xx
Leslie Roberts Clingan
So glad to have you back at SaD!!
Retirement Reflections
Hi, Leslie – Thank you for sharing your daily sentences. They give great insight into your life. You are one busy lady!!
I hope that your mom is doing well and continuing to settle in.
Happy belated birthday!! xxoo
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you so much for visiting! And for the sweet birthday wishes.
Gail
Your life is busy and productive even in lock down. Seems like we do the same things all day, although you have more video calls and tasks for your mom. Sorry she didn’t remember your birthday. That must have been tough. Stay safe my friend x
Leslie Roberts Clingan
My poor mama continues to struggle. Often can’t remember our names. Her physical therapist suggested I make a family tree, which PC helped me with, to help mom remember names, faces and who goes with whom.
Debbie Harris
Oh Leslie, you have had some hard days haven’t you? Hoping your mum and Paul’s dad improve, I know the constant worry that’s involved when you’re away from them. Those little girls are growing up so fast and you must love visiting them when you can. Lots of running, biking and walking – so pleased you are managing to get out there when you can. Strange times the world over. Take care and stay well. Happy Birthday (again) x Deb
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you, Deb, for the birthday wishes and encouragement.
Natasha
My birthday was a few weeks ago and I had birthday cake for breakfast the next day too!
I’m sorry to hear about your struggles with your parents. There are certain things which make this whole Covid situation much harder and I can’t imagine the stress of trying to take care of parents while having to quarantine. I hope this is a better month for everyone.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Yay for birthday cake for breakfast!! I could do that every day. Happy belated birthday, fellow Aries.