We have been in quarantine in Nicaragua for a little over 4 weeks. We have only left our house to buy food and one trip in the early morning to the beach (which was practically deserted). We are lucky to be in a beautiful house up on a hill overlooking San Juan Del Sur, but as our days melt together and we cannot go out and explore, we must keep finding new things to keep us occupied.
Physical Activity
Swimming. We have a small pool on our balcony that is vital during the hottest part of the day (1 pm- 5 pm) because the upstairs of our house does not have air conditioning (temperatures average 90 degrees). There is also a larger community pool, and since there are not many people living here, we are often able to go and have the entire pool to ourselves. The boys have been swimming, practicing backflips, and doing handstands. They also enjoy wrestling with us in the pool. Judy does not love to wrestle, but she is a good sport.
Games. The main clubhouse area also has ping pong and foosball. The staff is continually sanitizing the area and we have never seen anyone else playing with the equipment. Henry likes to bet on foosball games. The other day Judy and Henry ended up losing twice and having to do dishes and make breakfast. Henry was ready to go again betting a week’s worth of dishes. Judy was luckily able to talk him down and convince him to cut their losses.
Michael taught the boys how to play sting pong. This is when you play ping pong and then the winner gets to slam a ping pong ball into the other player’s stomach. The boys would play best 2 out of 3 points. It sounds absurd and it is, in fact, absurd (in Judy’s opinion), but the boys laughed so hard and had a great time playing.
Fitness. We have been doing family workouts in the morning. Each day a different person leads the workout. Lucas likes to make us do sprints. Michael likes to work on the core. Judy puts together HIIT workouts. Henry just wings it, but it is still a tough workout. Our windows and doors are always open, but we still get out each day for unobstructed fresh air. We also have our version of Sky Zone to help the boys get some energy out.
Puppy Play. Our neighbors have a puppy named Elena who keeps coming over to visit without her parents’ permission. The boys miss having dogs around, so this has been a nice treat.
Mental Stimulation
Puzzles. We were finally able to find a puzzle. This made Judy happy. Lucas and Henry even enjoy helping out with it occasionally. We travel light, so we did not bring games, puzzles, or a lot of art supplies.
Art Lessons. We did bring enough art supplies to have an art class. Judy, Lucas, and Henry have been going on YouTube to find art lessons. Lucas likes to color more than he likes to draw. Henry is a perfectionist and it can often take him 5 minutes to draw one line because he does not want to mess up. Judy loves art time and sometimes draws and colors on her own.
Gambling. We do not have many games, but we do have a deck of cards and a lot of Cordoba coins for betting. The boys have learned blackjack and poker. It is part of the math curriculum.
Reading. Lucas and Henry are obsessed with Harry Potter. It may partly be because they must finish the book before they can watch the next Harry Potter movie. Judy started reading book 5 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to them after much persuading. She thought it would be too scary for them. Five days in and she has read over 700 pages. Henry wakes up at 6:00 am every day and his first question is: “Can we read Harry Potter?” The boys cannot believe how mean Professor Umbridge is. Judy has also been reading other books with them like James and the Giant Peach and The Secret of the Old Clock (Nancy Drew).
The boys are also reading books on their own. Lucas has been working his way through the Magic Treehouse book series and Henry is tearing through a series about a boy named Roscoe Riley who is always finding himself in time out. Judy has been reading some heavy classics like Anna Karenina and some history books because she likes history.
Watching. We have all been watching movies and tv shows. The kids recently saw Top Gun and now love it. Henry picked up some questionable language from the movie and the boys wondered why people kiss with their mouths open. It is not parenting if you cannot handle the tough conversations, right? If anyone has any binge-watching recommendations, please send them our way. They can be family-friendly or adults only.
While we are making the most out of our time in quarantine, we do long for the days when we can get out again and explore.
