I didn't realize there had been such a lapse in the time since I last posted (October!) to this point. It's not that I haven't picked up my camera, as I have. It's just I haven't had the time to really put anything down in writing. We move quickly and furiously through our day-to-day without ever thinking about things, that my blog took a backseat.
However, here we are in March. And time is all I've got at the moment.
Funny, back in January, my cousin posted about having to go into strict lock down orders where she is living and teaching abroad in China over some virus. Not uncommon for a virus to make the mainstream media into a frenzy of exaggerated and scary posts. Not thinking much of it, I didn't think it would actually show its ugly face here, until it did. In late January, early February. And now, here we are, 12 days into a mandated stay home order by our local and state governments, as this virus continues to annihilate the population, varying ages, but primarily our elderly.
On March 16th, our worlds were really flipped upside down when Governor Inslee mandated, Friday March 13th, that public schools would remain closed through April 24. I am not sure if that would be the last day I would see my 8th graders or not. I am hopeful for a return in late April, but if people don't heed to the advice on social distancing, I fear we will be out the remainder of the year. As a teacher, struggling to wrap my head around this has been really mind numbing. We are now forced into a virtual learning world, which, because I am lucky and have the experience doing this anyhow, isn't too difficult to understand or grasp. However, for my colleagues who have never done this, it is quite a mind-shift and really something entirely different then they have ever experienced before. Not only that, parents are thrown into the throes of becoming teachers, and that, in itself, is exhausting. While your typical brick and mortar institution can use 7.5 hours/day to teach kids, homeschooling has gone down to, at least for us, no more than 3-4 hours a day on assigned subject matter. I am so very fortunate my children's teachers have navigated this new virtual learning space as a norm, and are doing everything in their power to actively engage the students, continue their learning, and keep them in touch with each other. It's such a powerful difference between the private school sector and the public school sector: In my humble opinion, and as a public education teacher, the people that send their children to private school seem to value the education a lot more than those in the public sector. It just is evident in the communication, the work expectations, and the immediate opportunities provided while, as an educator, we waited for direction from the state to make sure everything is "equitable." In reality, it never is and someone is bond to complain. It's a lot harder than it looks to build a plane in the sky while it's flying, using my bosses analogy, but here we are.
We've been mandated to stay home, so we have. We spent a limited amount of time on March 15, enjoying the sunshine and escaping the chaos, as well as social distancing, by going to the beach and geocaching. We haven't really left the house since then. Instacart has been a lifesaver and I am finally going to venture to the grocery store tomorrow, for the first time since this thing took over our lives.
We are fortune to A) not live in an epicenter or hotspot, B) live in a rural community with lots of open spaces, and C) have a large enough yard for the kids to play outside in. I am still able to run in the neighborhood, but other than that, we haven't left the house really for anything.
You get creative, really, with your newfound reality. You keep routine. I am up early in the morning to workout and start my workday in peace and quiet before the kids are up. Then, it's a blend between helping them with homeschooling, Zoom meetings, emails, instructing and planning. By the time Brad gets home in the afternoon, I am spent and exhausted, and we do it all over again the next day. Because his job is a high needs job, he comes home, strips out of his work clothes, washes them, Lysol's his belongings, and then ventures upstairs to shower before he joins us for dinner. It's a new norm, honestly, and we have had to talk about the reality if he gets the virus and has to quarantine himself, where he would stay or if he'd come home. Decisions we haven't taken lightly.
Here we are: The end of March, moving into April, and trying to figure this all out day to day. People ask how you're feeling and processing all of this is hard. I am so grateful for every single one of the healthcare workers, first respondents, grocery store workers, truck drivers, law enforcement, and everyone else in the "high needs" category of jobs because they are the ones who are on the front lines of this pandemic war. I am so grateful for everyone that is abiding by the rules and staying home. I worry about those I love: My mom, an asthmatic and in that category that could really be harmed by this virus. My father-in-law, who had lung cancer and is recovering from that, also in the high risk of the virus. I worry about my sister, who works in a hospital that has had its share of cases. I worry about all those infected and affected by this virus and I really hope and pray that it will be over soon, because it is scary. It's hard to be a strong force for your young children, who all they want is to see their friends and teachers. So, sometimes I will cry after a long run or in the shower in the morning, just for the loss, the selfishness of people who think this is some way the media or government is controlling a situation or trying to take away your rights, or some dumb conspiracy theory. This is real and lives are real. Lives are being lost, and that is what should matter. Do your part: stay home.
So, if anything, if anyone reads this, just pray. Even if you don't believe, maybe this will be your conversion. God is so good...He really is. There will be a rainbow after the storm.
However, here we are in March. And time is all I've got at the moment.
Funny, back in January, my cousin posted about having to go into strict lock down orders where she is living and teaching abroad in China over some virus. Not uncommon for a virus to make the mainstream media into a frenzy of exaggerated and scary posts. Not thinking much of it, I didn't think it would actually show its ugly face here, until it did. In late January, early February. And now, here we are, 12 days into a mandated stay home order by our local and state governments, as this virus continues to annihilate the population, varying ages, but primarily our elderly.
On March 16th, our worlds were really flipped upside down when Governor Inslee mandated, Friday March 13th, that public schools would remain closed through April 24. I am not sure if that would be the last day I would see my 8th graders or not. I am hopeful for a return in late April, but if people don't heed to the advice on social distancing, I fear we will be out the remainder of the year. As a teacher, struggling to wrap my head around this has been really mind numbing. We are now forced into a virtual learning world, which, because I am lucky and have the experience doing this anyhow, isn't too difficult to understand or grasp. However, for my colleagues who have never done this, it is quite a mind-shift and really something entirely different then they have ever experienced before. Not only that, parents are thrown into the throes of becoming teachers, and that, in itself, is exhausting. While your typical brick and mortar institution can use 7.5 hours/day to teach kids, homeschooling has gone down to, at least for us, no more than 3-4 hours a day on assigned subject matter. I am so very fortunate my children's teachers have navigated this new virtual learning space as a norm, and are doing everything in their power to actively engage the students, continue their learning, and keep them in touch with each other. It's such a powerful difference between the private school sector and the public school sector: In my humble opinion, and as a public education teacher, the people that send their children to private school seem to value the education a lot more than those in the public sector. It just is evident in the communication, the work expectations, and the immediate opportunities provided while, as an educator, we waited for direction from the state to make sure everything is "equitable." In reality, it never is and someone is bond to complain. It's a lot harder than it looks to build a plane in the sky while it's flying, using my bosses analogy, but here we are.
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| Kitchen table has become our new work space. |
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| Virtual PE |
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| His teacher was Facebook Live to read to them. |
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| Zoom Meeting with her classmates and teacher. |
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| Doing her daily dose of school work. |
We've been mandated to stay home, so we have. We spent a limited amount of time on March 15, enjoying the sunshine and escaping the chaos, as well as social distancing, by going to the beach and geocaching. We haven't really left the house since then. Instacart has been a lifesaver and I am finally going to venture to the grocery store tomorrow, for the first time since this thing took over our lives.
 |
| Geocaching on a deserted portion of the ODT. |
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| Sand dollar art |
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| Digging |
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| Running along the beach |
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| Bumblebee landed on Brad and just hung out for several minutes. |
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| Leading the way! |
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| Jumping off driftwood |
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| Creating together |
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| Geocaching together |
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| Leap of faith |
We are fortune to A) not live in an epicenter or hotspot, B) live in a rural community with lots of open spaces, and C) have a large enough yard for the kids to play outside in. I am still able to run in the neighborhood, but other than that, we haven't left the house really for anything.
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| Sanitize station for Brad |
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| Emergency vehicles always to the rescue in our house |
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| Brad built a greenhouse |
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| The pups get extra attention now that we're home all the time. |
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| Manning the fire |
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| They are eager to help when they can. |
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| Finally big enough to reach the pedals and can ride |
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| Loves when the horses from next door come close to the fence on our side. |
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| When they get along and play |
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| Working hard on her front flips |
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| Helping plant our starts |
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| Puzzles to pass the time |
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| Working together as a team |
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| Flat lay of things to look forward to: A Virtual Run, fresh produce |
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| Reading to Goober |
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| Sidewalk Chalk Art |
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| Listening to Governor Inslee: Stay Home. |
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| Watching his teacher read to him |
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| The horses next door. |
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| Inside the green house with our new plants growing. |
You get creative, really, with your newfound reality. You keep routine. I am up early in the morning to workout and start my workday in peace and quiet before the kids are up. Then, it's a blend between helping them with homeschooling, Zoom meetings, emails, instructing and planning. By the time Brad gets home in the afternoon, I am spent and exhausted, and we do it all over again the next day. Because his job is a high needs job, he comes home, strips out of his work clothes, washes them, Lysol's his belongings, and then ventures upstairs to shower before he joins us for dinner. It's a new norm, honestly, and we have had to talk about the reality if he gets the virus and has to quarantine himself, where he would stay or if he'd come home. Decisions we haven't taken lightly.
Here we are: The end of March, moving into April, and trying to figure this all out day to day. People ask how you're feeling and processing all of this is hard. I am so grateful for every single one of the healthcare workers, first respondents, grocery store workers, truck drivers, law enforcement, and everyone else in the "high needs" category of jobs because they are the ones who are on the front lines of this pandemic war. I am so grateful for everyone that is abiding by the rules and staying home. I worry about those I love: My mom, an asthmatic and in that category that could really be harmed by this virus. My father-in-law, who had lung cancer and is recovering from that, also in the high risk of the virus. I worry about my sister, who works in a hospital that has had its share of cases. I worry about all those infected and affected by this virus and I really hope and pray that it will be over soon, because it is scary. It's hard to be a strong force for your young children, who all they want is to see their friends and teachers. So, sometimes I will cry after a long run or in the shower in the morning, just for the loss, the selfishness of people who think this is some way the media or government is controlling a situation or trying to take away your rights, or some dumb conspiracy theory. This is real and lives are real. Lives are being lost, and that is what should matter. Do your part: stay home.
So, if anything, if anyone reads this, just pray. Even if you don't believe, maybe this will be your conversion. God is so good...He really is. There will be a rainbow after the storm.
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