2020 - Month 5

I'm getting caught up people!  

The month of May found us with new hairstyles...  

...big plans...

 

...and new housemates!! 

I couldn't take it anymore.  I had to cut Moses' hair!  I knew my hair was getting long too, but I tested to see if it would work in a ponytail.  NOPE.  So I tried pigtails!  Is 40+ too old for that hairstyle?  No need to answer, I decided it is!  I couldn't resist taking a silly pic of it though!  Mo's hair turned out ok.  He wants it long these days but it needed a trim.  How do beauticians cut hair while having both the comb and scissors in their hand??  "Hold this", I kept saying.  "Gimme that."  Then, "Hold this."  We laughed!!  Funny story - well, I have to back up a bit for it to make sense.  (Are you surprised that I am not writing this in a 'straight line'?  I love telling stories but chronology and continuity are foreign concepts to me!)  Well!  We had just adopted a mama cat and 2 kittens a few days before.  In trying to give mama some water and food in her cage, she bolted.  I felt terrible.  She ran in the woods so fast!!  The next day we were on the deck, cutting Moses' hair and I heard the mama!!  She ran right across the deck, only a few feet from us!  So we set the babies outside, trying to see if she'd come back to feed them.  After 3 chilly nights and her only coming to sniff them, we decided to bring them in for good.  We had been bottle feeding them during the day but I didn't want to leave them outside in freezing temps.  Anyway - we still hear a cat in the woods every now and then!!  The cats are outside now, so who knows?!  Maybe they'll meet up w/their mama when they get bigger and go hunting!  

The 'big plans' were many and varied.  We had started the goal of hiking all of the Ice Age Trail awhile ago, but as the weather got better this month, we thought we could step it up and get more done than predicted for this year!  Thanks quarantine!  Other plans we thought we could tackle were things like major home renovation and major yard updates.  The first one we tackled was a garden update!  I used to have a handful of square garden boxes that we moved here from our old house.  The wood was rotting in many places and we had already busted up 2-3 in years past.  I wanted to gain some of that growing space back and get the wood shored up or replaced.  Dave had other ideas!  We started planning something using cinder blocks...I pushed back.  Do you know how heavy those things are??  Yeah, they don't rot, but who is lifting all of those??  The girl w/the bad shoulder would be of no help in that situation!!  In the end, corrugated steel roofing panels in a wood frame won out.  So far so good!!!  I've got lots of plants in, but in true Mel fashion I have found that I switched out pumpkins and watermelon and put them in the wrong place.  So we'll see if we get some frankenmelons or goofy gourds!  

Oh man, I just realized that I should have put that all into my fancy pants DO - READ - LEARN - BE thing....and here I am just stream of consciousness/storytelling babbling...hold on...I'll fix it...

DO - We have been raising kitties, building mega swingsets, drying wild ramps, hiking the IAT, playing games while it rained and rained and rained and rained enough to raise the lake level the highest it's EVER been in recorded history, and building out a new garden.

 

READ - this month I read a chapter book out loud to the whole family at meal times.  (I'm a teacher and storyteller, stuff like that is my jam!). The book I read was Out of My Mind by Sharon M Draper.  I will not spoil it but seriously. click the link, go read the description.  There's even a plot twist they don't mention!  I CRIED while reading it!!  You will too, I don't care who you are or how emotionally even keeled you are.  It was insanely good.  It's probably a lower middle school level book, but when even the 8th grader was begging me to read the next chapter, I knew it was good.  So even though this wasn't specifically a book I read for me, I still believe I am better for reading it.  

LEARN - I learned a lot about raising baby kitties!!  Did you know that they cannot relieve themselves without help until a certain age?  Yeah, Dave got that job!  Also this month, we learned a lot about people's political viewpoints, without even asking them.  (Snark, yes, sometimes I lay it on thicker than others.)  Honestly, between the racial tensions and opinions about the virus, there was suddenly a lot of vocal people around me.  I tried hard to listen and be respectful.  Both issues of race and the virus affect me obviously, especially when it comes to my family and school.  I know I don't agree w/every person in my 'bubble'...and sometimes people think I fit into a certain category that I might not.  I may not shout the loudest (IMO that's not respectful or worth it - it hasn't changed anyone's mind in my experience) nor may I fight every battle in front of me (I just can't...), but I am passionate about certain things and I will continue to learn from various sides and sources.

BE - I think this month I focused on being busy or occupied.  I mean, I struggled being stuck at home so much.  Having new kitties, reading to the fam, making a few new meals, the garden etc...it was sort of like a restart button, trying to distract myself and think about something 'new' so as not to get dragged further down by the circumstances.  I also think I was ready to be DONE w/school and move onto summer plans!  I know I wasn't alone in that!

2020 Months 3 and 4 (they were sort of a blur anyway!)

Dear blog I haphazardly write in....Thanks for receiving all my rants about online school.  I'm sorry I have mistreated you!  You are not my therapist!  No one is, at the moment, but maybe I should say everyone that gets the pleasure of my company these days is sort of my therapist!  I have been so lucky to see friends here and there lately - I always feel bad, like I'm talking their ear off....anyway, I'm getting a few minutes to write here now so I thought I'd try to get caught up.  My goal this year was to use the Do, Read, Learn and Be prompts each month.  Welp!  I missed months 3 and 4.  I probably would have missed some along the way in a 'normal' year but surprise!  Sequestration has messed w/me.  I'm fighting back though by posting it - better late than never.

DO: March - In the 2 weeks before school went online there was wrestling and life was really starting to get busy.  Two boys on the middle school team, their younger brother having practices too.  At the same time, there were extra DI practices.  DI regionals were scheduled for March 14 and I was starting to wonder how I was going to keep track of everything, keep people fed and get them to the right place at the right time.  I was stressing.  And then...DI was canceled.  Three days later school was called off.  I went from one frying pan to the other - all my stress shifted...A few months earlier, we had planned out a spring break trip to the south, the Gulf Coast, during the last week of March, leaving on the 20th.  We prayed, fretted and probably sweated a little once the whole virus thing blew up.  We were not sure we were still going to go, even up to until the week before.  However, we made the decision to go forward with our plans.  We shared a beach house w/my best friend and his family.  It was insanely relaxing!!  That was a great way to rest up before the 'storm' that was going on in our lives when we got back home.  So yeah, I guess March was eventful...April on the other hand...Real talk - mostly we did a lot of online school and laundry.   I think I already posted about hiking in the IAT and other little things that happened.  Happy little things!  

READ: More real talk - I didn't pick up my book once in April.  I probably read for a few minutes on Spring Break.  I just picked it up again the other day but that wasn't in months 3 or 4.  The lockdown hasn't helped - the library extended the due dates for all their materials!  I didn't feel the rush to turn it in - HA!  I did buy another book though, that I hope to read soon.  

LEARN: Oof.  I learned a lot of new technology...there are so many educational platforms out there and I feel like I have sampled them all.  Can't wait to cancel my subscriptions!  The coolest thing I have learned about is the way they help each other.  "Yeah, uh, sorry kid I have no idea how this program works..."  (Cue some other kid volunteering to teach me how to do it...)

BE: Pretty sure I spent most of months 3 and 4 being crabby.  I can't lie about it - I was sullen, depressed and frustrated.  I sulked.  I felt lousy.  I knew I needed to get up each day and attempt to start school on a good note, but I didn't want to face a bunch of screens and try to interpret the assignments.  Don't get me wrong, the teachers are rocking this.  I'm not.  I have an amazing husband who often would get the day started all while being on a meet or zoom.  I finally figured out a routine that worked for all of us though!  Those months were hard for so many reasons.  We're past that now...so I promise I will 'be' something different in the next month!

Sequestered 2020: It's not all bad, weekend update

It occurred to me that my poor blog has become a place I simply rant about the stupidity of online school, where I am to deliver a cobbled together curriculum I have not created.  I promise all my posts on the sequestered theme will not be about that!  So - today!  I wanted to come here and point out things that fall into the category of 'it's not all bad'.  I will cultivate my optimistic side (do I have one?  *looks under arm, tries to see back in mirror*)...let's see if that part of me grows! I also miss the photos, so there will be some of that too!

IAT badge

First of all - we are doing some laughing here.  We like each other =)  It's nice to spend evenings playing ball together in the yard, talking at all the meals and being silly together.  This weekend was amazing - no technology and no screens!  

We will!!  

Yesterday we hiked over 6 miles on the IAT.  I'm out of shape!!  But it felt oh so good to out, doing what we would normally do on a spring weekend!  Not only that, but I think I forgot about all the quarantine stuff for a few hours.  

Tired puppy after a long hike!

The teenager and I hate online school!!

We bought stamps and have already written a few notes to people.  On Saturday we participated in a worldwide/online 'jump around' party...(For those of you that don't know about this tradition... read about it here!  Dave and I were at the game where the tradition started.)  Anyway, today is another day of distance learning from home and I needed to find a way to make the day fun.  It would have been the NCAA men's basketball championship tonight.  According to the BPI, the Badgers would have won!  I saw championship t-shirts for sale and laughed!  This is the time we are living in...things are happening virtually, in theory, and we're making shirts like we always do!  I might buy one, but for today, I am pretending that they would have played Duke (my favorite!) and the Devils would have been underdogs, so I put my #32 jersey on and decided to cheer for the underdogs.  

She's still tired today!

We've been playing a bunch of games in sequestration too.  I've been keeping a list!  We might need to borrow some games from friends to change it up when we get sick of our usual ones.  So far there's been a lot of Catan since we just picked up some different versions.  No complaints!  I set up the board randomly so it's always different.  With the new versions we've been trying out some different board setups for Seafarers.  WHOA - it's been interesting!  We even did the one where the tiles are added after you reach that part of the board, sort of a mystery board.  Good stuff!  See, I can put out a non-ranting post!  Tomorrow is national coffee cake day so I am planning a bakery visit.  You should too.  

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.