Sequestered 2020: online school AGAIN

Here it is people!  The second installment about online school!  I know you are all waiting with bated breath (what a weird phrase*) to hear how today went.  Well, you're in luck because wonders never cease and I am not too tired to hop on here and tell you the tale...
Yesterday was a dumpster fire.  Today that fire smoldered.  It was still there, but it died down.  A little.  There was a gamut of emotions today.  For example, Dave had to leave the room to join a meeting while we soldiered on in the living room/school room central.  Five minutes later we were treated to a symphony of shouts, shrill shrieks, screams, squeals and squawks**.  No I am not exaggerating!!!  Apparently internet/technology was amuck/amok (you choose!) and so was Dave.  I offered to help but...I wound up laughing and giggling uncontrollably from the other room.  I'm sorry, babe, but seeing you spit hot words of anger is so rare - I forget what that looks like/sounds like!!  Other emotions to make an appearance today were things like overwhelmed, ambivalence, anger, joy, and um....poutyness?  Is that a word?  Spell check says no.  Sullenness?  You get it, I'm sure you do b/c all of you are stuck at home too.  See that's why I'm writing this.  I need something to do that I like that maybe just maybe will makes us feel a little more connected.  People, send me a letter.  Email me.  Call.  Video chat if that's your thing.  I am pretty much a people person and this is ridiculous.  My days are going to be marked by a feeling of helplessness...I'm trying not to think of it in such a depressing manner, but I can't help my kids w/everything, I can't help my hubby w/the stupid internet and I can't help other people I love since I am stuck here!!!  But - I can try to stay connected....right now I feel like there aren't enough hours in the day for 'me' time or time to stay connected but I think it will get better.  I hope to schedule some time - I have a friend who literally makes appointments to talk to people.  I need to do that.  An appointment would help b/c then I wouldn't just say "let's do it" and forget but really do it!  Ok, this story about our day got off the track there, but that's ok.  There probably is no track now.  Whenever something seems off or out of the ordinary let's just yell CORONAVIRUS!  I got off track.  CORONAVIRUS!  I used to say 'squirrel' as a way to explain my ADD tendencies, but hey, we're blaming the virus for a lot right now, so why not?  Ok, back to the story.  We borrowed another friend's daughter's school lunch gimmick at the end of the day today.  It's called pits and peaks.  We went around the table and said one pit (low point of day) and one peak (high point of day).  I started crying when Mo told his peak.  He said it was looking out the window while doing school and seeing the sun and how it moved through the clouds and all the nature outside.  *gulp* First - I busted butt to get an area of school set up.  I chose to put it by the big windows b/c if it were me, stuck staring at a screen in the same room when I had been used to going around different parts of school, I would want to be by a window.  I loved my college classes where I could sit by a window.  I am an outside girl.  I love nature and I love our property out here.  I picked that for them b/c I hoped it would make them feel like they were part of the outside even when they were in.  It made me feel good that Mo liked it and that I actually did something that helped someone!  On the other hand though, it made me feel bad that this is happening to my kids.  I wish I could take it all away!!!  Sure, skip school, go play, that's better for all of us anyway....only we can't.  There's this list of work for your classes...ARG - I have said it more than once - Mom doesn't want to do this either.  At least we get to be together.  We had a few more laughs tonight when we played a family game - Franklin was overreacting when he started to lose, well, maybe he didn't feel like it was overreacting!  He made these faces....we all got the giggles...then Dad kept missing a turn b/c the direction was changed right before it got to him, so he started to over-exaggerate and overreact!  This felt like a really really long day but overall it was a good one.  Not all kids got all their work done but I am over it.  We're doing the best we can.  At one point during the day I ran out to get supplies for a craft.  I need to do something each day for me.  I get so mad and emotional about the difficulty of all of this.  My brain gets stuck and if I don't shift gears...well, I don't know but I'd rather not find out.  So - we're going to make a snuffle mat for the dog!  And maybe some Easter crafts.  More on that in another post - that will probably be more interesting than my rant of the day!  Hopefully you read all this and it was like a hug from me, b/c I miss those too!!  

*Side note that it is not spelled 'baited' as I had previously and erroneously thought.  Bated breath is a phrase that means to hold one's breath due to suspense, trepidation or fear. Bated breath is a phrase first mentioned in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. The word bated is an abbreviation of the word abated, meaning to lessen in severity or amount.  The more you know...

**How is it that I spelled that word 'sqwuak'?  I have been spending waaaaay too much time sounding out words w/my kids!!  Can I just go back to my babysitting job??  Please??  I miss baby talk, patty cake and cheering when a tower is knocked over.  Seriously.  Brain.  FRIED.   It will get easier though!  We get a bunch more chances to practice this whole school at home thing!  TOMORROW IS A NEW DAY!!

Sequestered 2020:school at home/online day 1

(I wrote this last night...)
Nothing like disappearing for a week, right?  I didn't write because we were on spring break.  I attempted to relax and calm myself before what I would like to label as the storm.  Tomorrow we begin school...here...online...if you know me, you know I don't home school.  You know, that even though I am a trained teacher, I have zero desire to teach my children at home.  I love them and I randomly teach them many things here and there, but a structured, actually-counts-for-DPI kind of thing is not my style.  Nevertheless, here we are and many parents are in the same boat as me!  We've set up all the desks, we've charged the myriad of devices, we've put each kid's books, folders, binders, etc at their spot!  We're ready!
(Today...)
Welp!  Pride goes before the fall!  I was soooooooo noooooottttt readyyyyyy.  I didn't even know how not ready I was!!!!!  Online school today was pretty much a dumpster fire.  Rolling down a hill.  Crashing into an art exhibit or something.  I dunno.  I'm shaking my head vehemently as I type this.  First of all - the teachers are kick butt awesome!!  They have all these emails and assignments and cool tech things for my kids.  THEY (teachers) were ready.  I logged in to the first kid's stuff and there were videos and tutorials and I attempted to set that child up.  On to the next.  Same, only this kid likes to click around and push buttons during a 10 minute video, so I had to sit there and prevent that.  Third kid kept trying to mess w/their background on the home screen, not necessary, just get back into your classroom and do the task!!  Another child started up a video chat and didn't know how to hear the teacher but kept taking headphones on and off, yelling, all while the final child was attempting to use talk to text but kept getting the sibling's words in their document.  Make sense?  Yeah me neither.  I tried to watch all the videos too so I could understand just what we are doing.  I think I've got it now but in the meantime I have no idea what everyone did today!!!  Oy vey!  We muddled through half of what we should have done.  TOMORROW WILL BE BETTER.  There is nowhere to go but UP!!!!!  A lot of my kids' work requires input or assistance from me, to be sure they are staying on that task or understanding what to do.  There are 4 of them and 1 of me.  As a classroom teacher, there are usually around 30 kids, but they are mostly all on the same task.  This is 4 diff. grade levels, 75% of this class has special needs, and I am a few years behind in the tech.  FUN!  I know I am not alone in this, so many people I know are working from home AND trying to get their kid/s to do school too.  YOU ARE ALL SAINTS.  Tomorrow is a new day. 

In other news - my daffodils are coming up.  It's too wet to 'rescue' them from the leaves but hopefully I will get to do that soon.  I was happy to find some fresh veggies at the store today.  We have been set on supplies for a while now, but I was starting to fret when I saw how empty the produce section was at the store last time.  Don't come between me and my morning smoothies!  The new furniture that we received before we break is working out very well.  I hope to find a rug soon.  We are all healthy.  Aside from me feeling overwhelmed by school responisibilities today, I am so glad to be w/my people.  We start and end the day w/snuggles and there is always music.  Every person in this family is very musical.  I do play instruments but don't sing - the rest of the crew does.  Oh I sing, I mean I love to sing, but it's not good.  They are all really good singers though and it does my heart good to hear them!  On that note, I think it's time for me to blast some music and dance it out.  That's probably the best way for me to end the day!!

Sequestered 2020: part 2

Today’s news....it snowed!!  Spring break (the original one) is days away and it snowed. This is not out of the ordinary for WI, but it just felt weirder to me today. We had new furniture delivered, so that was exciting!  The kids did well playing legos together. I had a chiro appointment. I’ve decided to try and blog each day if possible. I feel like if we don’t remember at least something about these days, they’ll blend together. Today we also started a few things that will be crucial to our morning and evening routines. Baby steps to the new normal!

Sequestered 2020 part 1

School was supposed to be in session Monday and Tuesday...today is Tuesday. It was called off before the day was over yesterday. So we went for a walk at Kohler Andrae State Park, ate ice cream (drive thru) from Culvers for St Patrick’s Day and then stopped by school to pick up more supplies.

The teachers have informed us that ‘school’ doesn’t start until the 30th. Until that time we are able to play, create and use our minds in many other ways!  Mostly we are reassuring the kids and helping them relax. There’s a ‘new normal’ coming since the governor just announced that school is suspended indefinitely. There is a time for everything under the sun, and this is the time for bonding and setting the tone for our ‘home team’ to work together for awhile. Adoptive and foster families don’t operate the same way other families do...if we jump too fast and push them too hard, it will not end well. It is more important that our children have relationship skills and life skills than book skills. So here we are. Making a list of ‘yes’ activities!  Yes, you can go get muddy and build a fort in the woods!  Yes, you can haul out the art supplies!  Yes you can try to cook that!  All this uncertainty will pass - it’s a large task to keep anxieties at bay and our attitudes in check at the moment, but this is what will get us through.

Sequestered 2020: the Intro

(Written yesterday...)
One of the old definitions of to sequester is to commit to safe keeping a person or item. To quarantine someone or something means to keep isolated due to illness. We are not under quarantine, since no one is sick but now that school is called off, I consider us to be sequestered!  This is history in the making, in my opinion, so being the story teller that I am, I thought it would be interesting to document some of our thoughts and activities to look back on some day.
Quick back story, over the past month or so, much of the world has been dealing with the spread of COVID-19, better known as the CORONAVIRUS. As a nation, the U.S. watched as little by little, it spread through contact and reached us. This past week there was much speculation about whether or not towns near us (WI) would take action and begin canceling things...well they did. The governor announced the closure of all public and private schools from Mar 16-Apr 6. Some districts had already closed, some even through the 13th.  It’s the weekend and that means we have school Mon and Tues before this long break. Unless of course they cancel that too!
So far we have not joined the panic hoarders, but we did go grocery shopping. We’re trying to plan for spring break so there were some things we needed.  Guys, the veggies were gone!!  I walked into empty shelves...all I wanted was 2 zukes!!  Meat was empty, no bread - hope you kids like bagels!  It was eerie. I keep our fridge and freezer pretty full since 4 kids eat a lot, so I’m not too worried.
The other weird thing about this is planning for schoolwork. The kids can do some stuff online, but our internet is spotty, so we’ll see how that goes. Dave went to school today to try and get some things set up for his students. He’s not locked out yet!  We joked that if he couldn’t get in, it would be a sure sign that we’re not doing the next 2 days of school. As of this writing, there are 3 cases in our county. School is on for tomorrow, life will be normalish for 2 days...and then?  We roll with whatever comes!

2020 - month 2

Lightning has struck twice!!  I'm actually taking a few minutes to blog about February...

Do - February has not been very exciting...I’ve been playing in the snow, re-arranging furniture and trying to keep up with the chores! Dave has parent teacher conferences tonight and ACT testing soon. We wrapped up the basketball season with Moses and all 3 boys started the wrestling season. Destination Imagination practices are in full swing! Colleen is a magician in their skit and they have a machine that will shuffle cards. She really can't shuffle cards! It sounds like a joke in the skit, that a successful magician can't shuffle, but their idea was born out of something real. Franklin's team chose an improvisational challenge and we are all looking forward to seeing how it turns out. Ezra will be playing a principal in his skit! He was very proud to tell his principal that he is dressing like him for the part.


Read - this month I read Come Rain or Come Shine: a White Parent’s Guide to Adopting and Parenting Black Children. Truth is, I skimmed some of it. A few of the beginning parts were about adopting an infant, meeting with birth mothers and things like that. I think the book focuses more on private adoptions, so the premise was a little ‘off’ for what I was looking for. That being said, each chapter has an amazing list of resources, not just for adopting black children but anyone of a different race, a lot of which I found useful! I am thinking of compiling those into one big list and working my way through. Transracial adoption has been on my mind for a long time. Over the years we have had kids of various races in our family through foster care but in adopting, these are not just passing issues or thoughts. I have an amazon list of books similar to this...I'm happy to share this book w/anyone who is interested!

Learn - I learned Proverbs 25:28 this month! It was pretty easy, mostly b/c I had already attempted to learn this one in the past. I also learned many things about owls from Colleen. That girl soaks up all new learning and loves to share it!! Moses initiated a discussion about what would happen if the president died while in office. We looked up the succession process and discussed how usually the Prez and VP are not in the same place together. All that led us to look up things about what happened when Reagan was shot. Did you know that there were some VPs who were acting presidents for a few hours at a time, like when the presidents were in surgery? I never thought about it and although it seems like random Jeopardy trivia, it was an interesting discussion about stuff I never knew. Another thing I have been trying is stitching elastic into waistbands. So does that mean I'm learning to hand sew? Not really!!! I literally am taking a stab at trying to make clothes work for us instead of buying new or paying a tailor. It's hard to find stuff for people w/little waists!! I have a machine and have watched videos, but...so far the 3 I have tried are working.

Be - this month I focused on staying involved. Spring seems to be a time when the kids are busy but I don't do much for myself. So I signed up to do nursery at church - my favorite! The kids' behavior is sketchy during worship so I never felt comfortable leaving them w/o an adult in the row. We're at the point where I think they are getting better - I took one of them w/me to statistically cut down on the incidents. I also attended women's game night. I usually talk myself out of those - for being and ESFP, I get anxious a lot and second guess myself...it's a bad habit! Those ladies are my friends and they don't care if I dress fancy or whatever! It was fun and I need to remember to stay involved in things for myself.

And now....

***that's just what we say when we are ready to move on w/o much comment.  I'm equal parts proud of myself that I have completed 2 months of this, and still wary that I will stick with it the whole year.  Moses is a big Patriots fan and that's Coach Bill Belichek.  For you non-sports fans, you should know that he's not a very good interview, he always seems uncomfortable talking to the press and he generally does not smile.  He comes off as a grumpy troll who wants to tell everyone to get off his lawn!  This comment was in response to the media pestering him after a tough loss.  He repeated the phrase a few times...it has become our family's go to line when we are trying to move on!  We have a couple of them we love - "We talkin' bout practice", "Playoffs?", "I'm just here so I won't get fined", and "Don't you EVER talk about me!"  I love that we share these jokes between us!  And I miss football.  It's almost time for March Madness which holds me over for a while.  GO DUKE!!!