Time at home and online during Covid19

What a time. There’s a pandemic, a recession, and a revolution going on.

Due to Covid19, we have not stepped foot into a public library in three months. BUT! There are amazing library resources that can be found online, even when you can’t go to a brick and mortar library building, in person.

And we do miss going to our libraries in person.

However, as everyone else has been doing, we are finding ways to have fun at home and online during the pandemic. (And finding ways to support Black Lives Matter during the revolution).

Since March, when Riley turned 4 years old, I’ve been reading Harry Potter aloud before bed. We’re about halfway through the first book. I’m not sure how much Riley is paying attention while I’m reading to her, but she does often request another page. Eventually, I will then get her onto Nnedi Okorafor’s Akata series as well.

Riley has been writing and drawing in her journal, too.

She is coloring, gardening, cutting with scissors. . .

She is piano playing, laughing, and spending lots of time in the backyard.

Riley misses her friends from preschool . . and it’s unclear when school will reopen in Glendale.

Luckily we have many activities at home that make us happy. I am so grateful for a backyard.

I am also grateful we have the space for a trampoline in the backyard. . .

And I am thankful that we got to recycle a kitchen not being used by other people. . .

We are so lucky that there are so many online ways to be engaged too – such as The Everywhere Book Fest.

There are so many Library Storytimes that are streaming on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube – from libraries all over our area. . . Los Angeles Public Library, LA County Public Library, City of Glendale Library Arts and Culture, Pasadena Public Library, Burbank Public Library. . . and every other city in the world. There’s a website called Storyline Online, that has actors reading books aloud. It’s pretty great (and very LA).

Riley got her 4 year vaccinations. . . and got a book while at the doctor’s office too (thanks, Kaiser!)

We are trying to take advantage of our time in lock-down during the Covid19 pandemic.

We hope you are too. And we hope that you are all staying as safe as possible during the pandemic. Remember, a book can take you anywhere you want to go! And we will be very excited to return to our libraries only when it’s safe for our librarians. Thanks, public libraries!