The Ryans are also a "minimal screen family" - meaning no television until 6.30 pm.
“It means I don't get any time out, but that's okay. It seems to be much easier this time around because we know the routines and the rules,” Lisa said.
Colourful chalk drawings on the pavement outside their central Shepparton home were evidence this was a place where young children live and play.
Oscar, 8, Patrick, 5, and Matilda, 3, were aware of COVID-19 and the rules around social distancing and isolation, and mum Lisa said they were coping well.
“We can't see people. They can't see their friends or grandparents but they understand,” she said.
However, there are anxieties.
“If I say no to something - sometimes they ask ‘is that because of coronavirus?'. And Patrick can be quite anxious - he will ask questions,” Lisa said.
Lisa and husband Matt run a construction project management business which takes him away from home for long stretches - which can present problems. When the NSW border closed Matt was stuck in Griffith for five weeks.
“They really missed him then - and I had to explain why he was gone for such a long time,” Lisa said.
She said during the first lockdown in March and April, she kept Patrick and Matilda out of kinder and day care.
This time around, Patrick attends Rodney Neighbourhood Kinder three days a week while Matilda spends one day a week in childcare.
“We made the decision to send them back because things seem a bit more certain now, and they did miss their friends,” she said.
She said her family was lucky they had space to play, and their income had not been affected but she was aware many other families would struggle in lockdown.
“If you had to cope with loss of income on top of all the other stresses it would be really difficult,” she said.
She believed a program such as the Victorian Government's free Triple P Parenting would benefit many parents.
“Any extra advice or information in the toolbox is always useful,” she said.
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