Today was all good....

Right up until it wasn't.

We got back on track today.  Kids helped with meals, school work was done with minimal fuss.  We hit a snag for our afternoon session when we couldn't find our field guides for plants anywhere - but they all adapted and found something else constructive to do. 

Even with the chilly weather, the kids decided around 3:30 they were ready to brave the cold to get some fresh air.  And THIS is where things took a turn.  We had our first tumble on the new sidewalk out front.  After cleaning it up and consulting all my Facebook nurse and healthcare friends...we decided that:

- yes, he likely needs stitches
- however, it is on his shin, not his face or some other 'meaty' area
- and lastly, we could probably steri strip it together and avoid the ER or Urgent Care in the middle of a pandemic.

This was also yet another moment when we felt our pediatricians office has really let us down and we need to be looking elsewhere after 11 years.  It is sad, but our doctors left - and then Valley Health took over.  There are waits over an hour with an appointment, phone messages not returned, days you call and are told there are NO PROVIDERS in the office, and then today when we called about stitches we were told they wouldn't be able to see him until at least a day or two....ummm...that is not how stitches work.  So there you have it. 

Deep breath -- week 2 is here.

We started the day with our regular breakfast / school/ free time routine.  School is going ok, but it takes all my time and I am drowning in Keystone work.

By the end of the day I was about to lose my mind, so I asked Doug to step up and help by taking two out of the house for a run while Grayson and I made dinner. 

Weekend Survival

Saturday Morning

I am having a hard time finding time to do this!  Last week I did over 30 hours online for Keystone, plus Sherando stuff, and 'homeschooling' all the kinds single handed.   I need Doug to pick up more without me having to direct it, circle back, and then run interference clean up when it explodes.  What are the chances that will happen??

I am not sleeping.  I am still up at midnight planing/grading/etc., then I can't fall asleep and can't stay asleep.  Then I am up by 7:00 am and get started on all the million things that need to be done.  Everyone else is asleep and snoring, but they drag out of bed -- I'm running on 3-4 hours of sleep days after days. 

The weekend was a mixed bag.  Saturday was pretty good, lots of cool stuff and not too chaotic.

Much needed piano tuning

Reubens! 

Gabe made a red velvet cake

Trail walk with the twins

 












Gabe wanted to learn to make a red velvet cake from scratch, so that was the big weekend baking activity.  Next weekend will be Grayson's turn.

I can't seem to get these pictures to go where I want them to go.  I think I am going to maybe start making a collage on another site and then putting that in.  

Sunday was less good - kids are antsy because the weather got cold/wet and we are all inside.  Kids are driving us a bit nuts - but the grown up yelling is about to push me over the edge.    I am running on empty, but have to make the kids a schedule for tomorrow now - so I am moving on and hanging on by my finger nails.

Sunday night numbers

End of Week 1 : All's well that ends well

Morning Numbers

Reece's Red Robot

We made it through the first week.  It was crazy, and stressful, but we made it.  We continue to tweak the idea of a schedule for everyone's sanity and we are still figuring out what works.  Kudos to those of you that have kids that don't need a schedule.  Mine need one or chaos erupts.

I am swamped with online grading from my not-so PT job.  Had a emergency response meeting online with my FT job this morning.  Now I have to start getting things in place for that, too. 

On a mission to map the plants

 I am mostly documenting this now because I think the kids are too young to remember a lot of it when they are older.  This is a defining moment in our history ...not just "no school."  The no school part is really nothing compared to what is going on outside our little 5 acres on the hill.  We are trying to do academic time each day because we honestly don't know what is going to happen next.

We are keeping the news off when the kids are around for the most part.  We are hearing scary messages that no 9-11 year old can understand or have to deal with.  If things don't get under control soon there is a high likelihood they are going to lose people they love to this - and our family circle is really small.  It s really scary.

So today's run down - as we try and let kids be kids:

- virtual field trip to Yellowstone - this kept them occupied for about 90 minutes.  They each picked something they wanted to learn about and explored the Yellowstone site.  I asked them to make a PPT of the interesting things they learned just to document the activity.  
- reading (this happens all the time anyway)
- Grayson tried out  social skills course online with a SLP and helped make and serve lunch
- built a one color challenge LEGO creation
- Gabe and Reece took photos of things that are currently flowering in the yard, along with map, and they are going to identify them in a collaborative Google Doc next week as a science/writing project
- played baseball with a bunch of hardened old oranges I found hiding in a box
- lots of outside time (it was really warm today)
- mowed the grass
- a little math on Khan Academy

Not all rainbows...Gabe got in trouble for hurting Reece.  Reece whined about the TV being off limits all day.  Grayson won the day. 

Early evening numbers

Day 4: Still seems not quite real...

Morning COVID numbers

Things are still going pretty well, all things considered.  By no means are they perfect, but there are things that are going pretty smoothly - so I am hoping to build from there.  It is hard to know how much effort to put into all the "school" stuff for the kids when we honestly don't know if we will be going back to school even on April 14 - which is not the projected date.  I think if we knew for sure we were done for the year, we would cut our home school type activities maybe in half.  I know the kids are getting ther stuff done, but I am drowning in planning lesson for them, carrying out those lessons, and doing ONE of my online jobs.  Now tomorrow I will learn what I need to do for my other "regular" job.  I don't know how to fit more into my day because MY kids took the place of my SCHOOL kids - and now I might be getting my school kids back on top of homeschooling.

LEGO Challenge:
Science class gone wrong

Today the kids had math, music, reading, did a lego challenge and writing for schoolwork.  It was a nice warm day, so a lot of time was spent outside doing kids stuff.    Then we watched/listened to an hour long live stream living room concert from the Indigo Girls - which was very cool.

Live Indigo Girls Concert

While victories are great (more please and thank yous), the struggles are also very real.  We struggle with Gabe's tendency to ramp up and do mean things physically to his bothers.  They never see it coming until he takes it too far and hurts them.  We are also seriously struggling with Reece's explosive temper. It is so over the top and out of control, and then he feels bad because he swears he can't control it (ADHD??)

LEGO Challenge:
Bird in the Classroom

He is not taking meds because he hates that they make him not hungry, but we have to find something that works for him.  The irony is that right now would be a great time to figure it out without having to worry about school - but you can't really get to the doctor to have it managed and tweaked.  So it pains me to see him struggling so mightily.  It also kills me that every time I have backed off and let Doug take charge in the last 2 days all hell has broken loose EVERY SINGLE TIME.  I don't understand what the cause is - but they are not able to hold it together when he is in charge...and he explodes, too.   He is great at being "fun dad," but he cannot be follow a schedule, keep things from escalating dad to save his life...then I end up frustrated at everyone and having the kids run to me to defuse the situation.  This has to change.  I just don't know how.  The struggle is real.

Evening COVID numbers
+ 20,000 world wide
+ almost 4,000 in the US

Day 3: New Normal?

I'm going with No, not quite yet.    Today's numbers started like this...

On the "Actual" school front - we had until today to go gather our personal belongings from the school and get what ever we will need to work from home.  The twist - we have not had any meetings/memos/guidance yet on what that actually means.  So what do I bring home???  Apparently it is 3 trips worth of 'stuff' from the building to the car.  Let's hope I am prepared.

On the way home I attempted to do our regular grocery shopping for the week.  People with the crazy hoarding - you must stop.  Some of us did not hoard and now there is nothing for us to buy.  I even didn't get y full regular amounts of items when I DID find them because so few were left I didn't want to take more than my fair share.

And the Virtual School situation - I am behind.  Things are going faster than I can keep up.  I think it is because everyone is stuck at home, so now instead of kids submitting 1 item a day, the are submitted 3,4,or even more.

And the "Home School" situation (I need a new term for this), it was not as smooth as I would have liked, but I had to be out of the house for about 3 hours this morning and apparently that is all it takes for all hell to break lose and my house to look like a bomb went off. 

HOWEVER, we started a math program that was suggested for kids with dyscalculia and it has been really interesting to see how Grayson is working though the basics.  His sweet soul - I don't know how he has made it this far.  It is so clear he needs real instruction geared towards working with his disability so he can actually develop some number sense.  Screw the "test," he has to live the rest of his life.  A little number sense would really be nice to have.  Anyone that thinks he doesn't try hard enough should see the amount of effort it takes for him to even count backwards from 20 or rank 3 numbers fewest to greatest.  It is so hard to watch, and yet he soldiers on.

←←←  I also learned that even with 4000 other square feet of house to chose from, every time I try to sit down - every person (and dog) under 5 feet tall must be within 8 feet of me.  Here is proof.  Every person home at the time (and dog) all on the 6 foot long couch I sat down on.

 Quick recap

- Gabe had breakfast duty (green pancakes because we missed St Patty Day yesterday)
- kids discovered their names had been painted green in their sleep
- Khan Academy and Math Stacks / Reading / Journal Writing
- Reece had lunch duty
- Gabe started and online course on Fibonacci numbers
- outside
- and lastly, wreck the house and erupt into chaos the 90 min I was gone with a friend (and I drove off with a glass coffee cup on my car ... it did not end well)
- baths and bed

Hoping for peace and calm tomorrow.   I continue to watch the numbers and deeply worry, but solider on with a "it will be ok" mantra so the kids won't be scared.  Numbers are climbing (actually sitting at 218,000 and right t 9,500 in US as I type, but I snapped the picture a few hours ago...so here it is:

And moments of fun....

when the box full of air pillows came and Gabe decided to wrap himself in them and trying falling (he later came to his senses and just rolled around.)

Day 2: Still figuring it out

Day 2:  COVID-19 numbers

I think today the reality 'started' to set it in that we really are staying home and to ourselves.  Reece woke up in a majorly grumpy mood, but it did get better as the day went on.  I think his mental health is really straining against all of this.  He is our high anxiety kid and this is about all he can take.

We are still trying to have a schedule (of sorts) and to make things as normal as possible.  We haven't hit our grove yet.  There was less "school" today - and more "learning through doing," which is the direction I prefer to go anyway (says the school teacher of 25 years...I know...)  All three kids had music lessons, Gabe and Reece got set up on Khan Academy for math, and we all worked on making a raised bed and getting in some early plants.

I haven't figured out what to do for writing - they read like crazy but I know they need to work on writing.  This is still under construction.

We ended the day deciding that tomorrow we will take a virtual field trip to Yellowstone National Park (so now I am up working on curating this experience!), baking a cake from scratch (maybe), and Gabe has an online class on Fibonacci numbers that he is really excited about. 

I will be going back to school tomorrow morning to get my "stuff" - as we have been told we are not going to be allowed back in the building after this time.

It is scary times.  The kids are doing ok for now.  I am trying really hard to figure it all out and keep it as normal and engaging as I can.  What else can I do?

Ending the day:

Day 1 : Dry Run

Morning Stats:

Today is "Day 1" of what is fast becoming an 'everywhere' shut down.  We are not expecting perfection at home (seriously, I have 3 boys), we are just aiming to not drive each other over the edge.  We have a rough schedule that we will try and follow and reassess as we go.  My hope is we do some school, get outside (though it is cold), do some creative something, and work on life skills as they naturally fit into the day.  My big "I can dream" wish for this whole thing is that when it is all over everyone is kinder, more in tune to what it takes to keep a house/everything running, and we are a more cohesive unit that helps lift each other up rather than battle with each other.

Fingers crossed.  I'll update at the end of the day!

Interesting Times...COVID-19 Pandemic and Quarantine

It was a crazy week - things happening really fast - lots of uncertainty.  Now here we are.  It's official.  The virus has been spreading, the country ignored it - didn't prepare - didn't (still isn't) test people and the WHO and other scientific groups are telling us it is going to be bad.  Really, really bad.  The numbers are climbing at an alarming rate.

A little after lunch the governor declared a state of emergency and closed all K-12 schools for at least two weeks.  People are panicking and buying a years worth of toilet paper (???) even though this is a respiratory virus.

Our house is not worried - we will be fine.  We have a schedule for the kids, are confident we can continue creating an educational environment for our kids, and understand the concept of social distancing for the greater good.  What DOES worry us is the number of misinformed ignorant citizens that DON'T understand it.   

This seems to be the perfect time to get back into the blogging habit.  We will try and document what happens in our little corner of the world.  This is probably a once in a life time event.   We will see how it unfolds. 

We have a pretty good social network on FB (twins group and NVLD group) and we are thinking up cool things to video and share among our kids so they can see how things are in lots of different parts of the country (and even the world.) 

Amnesia...blog? what blog?

Woah....what happened here?  Every have a moment where you remember something that was a regular thing and somehow you forgot it and then all of a sudden it is back?  Like selective amnesia?  I swear I just had that moment. 

I was sitting here trying to meal plan for the week and feeling pretty uninspired and in a rut - so I was thinking about whereto get inspiration and like a bolt of lightening I remembered - "I HAVE A BLOG"  Holy cow.   Where did 5 years go?  I totally blacked out and stopped posting...which is sad, because it was a nice little scrap book of kids.  So today I remembered I was doing this - and I am going to try and get back on track.  I am aiming for 1 meal plan and 1 update a week.

In looking back, we ate a lot better back then - of course I had only one job and now I have 3.  And my kids sat at home and played and now they have Scouts, Cross Country, Piano, and school - but that is all the more reason to get back into planning. 

Rough draft meal plan for a crazy week that involves 2 faculty meetings, a CC meet, closing on a rental house, and driving to SC for my 30th reunion:

Sunday: Big Taco Salads
Monday: Chicken bog w seared okra and sauteed zucchini and carrots
Tuesday: Something with tortellini
W: Soup and Grilled Cheese
Th: Left overs night
F: Homemade pizza/calzones
Sat:  Doug's choice - I'm in SC

Mothers Day Flowers.....ok, maybe not

Grayson set off to pick all the white flowers with yellow centers in the yard today.  Silly me - I thought someone was doing something nice for me for Mothers Day.  Nope.  Grayson quickly informed me that they were NOT for me.  They were for PopPop.  Oh well...he's still pretty darn cute.

3.5 yrs old!

I can't believe he is 3.5 years old!
He pretty much always looks like this.  Dirty, disheveled, and grinning ear to ear.

Tomato Bed is Almost Ready!!

It's not much to look at, but it makes me happy.  Its four feet deep and about three feet wide and it has been triple dug - by hand - every little weed or root that was invading it removed, and not it is ready for my tomato plants.

Enough already!

I am done, done, DONE with the snow this winter.  We have had 19, yes 19, snow days at school.  It is like the winter that just keeps on giving.  Only it isn't really winter any more.  It is spring.

I see my SC/FL friends posting their pictures of flowers in bloom, having lunch outside, playing in the green grass with their kids, laying by the pool, splashing in the garden hose, and so on.  And you know what, I'm jealous.  Yep.  Green as green gets.

I'm not proud of this fact, but it is true.  You might be wondering why would something so silly make me so green with envy??  Well, let me tell you why!  THIS is what March 17 looked like out my back door ---------------->>>>>



And THIS is what March 18 looked like when I was driving to
work in the morning:

He's feeling better

Yeah, he is feeling better!

So I think he is feeling a little better.  Gabe was told he needed to help clean up a bit.  Since his throat is still tender, he ran and got a piece of paper and wrote this:

It says: "I'm not cleen in up!" 

I think this is first ever sentence he is written all on his own. (It supposed to say "I'm not cleaning up!)  

New Glasses!

After our visit to UVA last week, we learned Grayson's vision had improved slightly.  We had noticed he was looking over his glasses a lot and the doctor said the new script should help.  We went to pick out his glasses on Friday.

He got two pairs (because they get broken pretty often) and he was THRILLED that he found TWO pairs that were blue:

Chilling with Grayson

It's time for another overnight trip to UVA with Grayson.  Even though this involves going one doctor to another to another - he loves it.  Leading up to the trip he kept asking when we were going to go to the "show and tell--" (hotel.) For reasons only a 5 year old can understand, staying in a hotel is the BEST thing ever.  His favorite things about the hotel are the unlimited access to the tub (he stayed in for over an hour!) and getting to use the iPad all by himself.  We packed snacks and just spent some quiet time together after a really busy day.  

He also thinks the second bed is for him to put his "stuff," because he is thrilled with the fact he can sleep in the big bed with me.  

Other exciting things about this trip - getting to go to a restaurant.  Of course, he gets to do this at home - but going all by himself with Mommy makes it super special.

While I don't really like having to travel and spend two days visiting various doctors - I do enjoy the time spent with Grayson by himself.  Without his brothers around to compete with his super sweet personality really shines.  The meltdowns and "grumpy" fits are pretty much non-existent. 

I love him so much :)  I hope he stays this sweet forever.

Windmills

Today we took a quick drive to take the boys skiing/snowboarding.  Gabe was really enthralled with the windmills along the mountain ridge during the drive.  Later that night he drew these.

He's a pretty cool kid.

Strep followed by another mystery illness

So all the boys tested positive for step the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.  Woo Hoo!  Thankfully, after a few days of antibiotics they seemed to all be feeling better.  But then this happened...

Gabe gets sent to the nurse at school on Tuesday a week later with 101 fever - while still on his meds for strep.  Then his eyes start swelling up...geez.  So back to the doctor we go.  The poor kids endures 3 more days of 101-103 fever (while on Ibuprofen, mind you) and another round of bigger, uglier, drugs.  His poor system is not handling Kindergarten well.  He has now been on antibiotics four times since school started - about 100 days ago! This is totally not cool for his little body.  And now it has been officially deemed required that we get his horribly over-sized (3+) tonsils/adenoids out so he can breathe at night.  He is not thrilled.

After two days at home with mom taking it easy and doing quiet work, he has started to perk back up.  Apparently, his hair has, too.