Captain’s Log 24 March 2020
To see yesterday’s post, click here.
Too many emails, relatively happy kids, a rocking boat, piles of things to be grateful for, too much electronic input, and a messy house, online groceries and those without groceries. Those are my thoughts today.
OMGEE! I cannot take all the emails. I cannot keep them straight. About 40% of the stuff in my Inbox this week is needless communications from various businesses I have bought something from in the last oh, 20 years or so. Y’all, just stop for a minute! You are really bugging me. I realize many businesses are struggling right now. The economic impact of this pandemic and subsequent shut down is immense. But could you just please hold off for about 10 days until I can get my feet under me? Then send me all the emails you want.
I really have to focus on the other 60% because they are almost entirely from my children’s teachers. Oh, these poor teachers. Can you imagine how hard it is for them to get all their lesson plans changed for an online class? Setting up Google Classroom, finding links to videos that are pertinent and appropriate to grade and age levels? Knowing all the while we parents will do our best but likely fail miserably? And they will be there to pick up the pieces when our children go back to school. They are working overtime and for them I am grateful.
After school time yesterday I thought I had only missed one email. Bahahaha, I had missed several. I thought we were cruising on smooth waters but today this boat was definitely rocking. It’s not leaking yet but we have hit some choppy water by missing assignments and kids rushing to get done to play video games etc. To alleviate some of that chop, Mark and I decided there will be no electronics this week until after school ends on Friday. We have hesitated on this because electronics are the only way our kids can be social right now. Maybe we will allow them some FaceTime or Zoom in the evenings in a day or two but, for now, we need them to focus. I say that as my ADD hits 120 mph. Anyway, I have thus far chickened out on laying down this mandate. I just don’t want the drama. Pray for me my friends, it may blow an eardrum or two.
Despite all the changes and lack of outside human interaction both boys are relatively happy. I wonder if that is due in part to our constant travels. In an average year we as a family spend about 14 weeks on the road, usually abroad. The boys have come to rely on one another for companionship in a way most siblings don’t. They are often the only kids in a given place. When we are around other kids it is usually for brief visits. I am incredibly grateful they are as close as they are.
Twice in the past week Liam has shed a tear or two in worry over the health of his grandparents. He knows they are at higher risk for CoVid than the rest of us due to their being, well, grandparent age. We calm his fears as best we can. But it is difficult. Caleb however, always finds a way to take Liam’s mind off things in a way we can’t. They have built a nest and a pillow fort and have acted out a book they read together. I fell asleep the other night to the sound of laughter. Mark waited to sleep until the boys did…he stayed up far too late doing so. But dang, does that make this Mama happy.
School today was different. We started even later than yesterday. Caleb is working on all of his subjects every day. Liam decided to finish the whole weeks’ worth of Math today and continue to focus on one subject each day. This is the glory of homeschooling. It is interesting to see them find what works best for them. They still took their breaks, practicing for the Fungi Olympics—you know where you sit and become mold-like. I pushed Liam to do a kickboxing workout with me today. That was great fun for about 10 mins. Then he decided it would be ‘math’ if he just sat down and counted my reps for me. Fungi.
My house is a mess. I should just come to grips with that for the next couple weeks, months…does anyone have any clue what timeframe we are looking at here? Anyway, it is a mess and I should just suck it up and love the mess because it means my family is here and active and healthy. But I am not very good at that. Why can’t people just actually get the garbage in the garbage can? If you have to step over something 16 times in one day why don’t you just pick it up? How many action figures does Mark really need to have out at one time? Yes, Mark. He is using them as ‘Easter Eggs’ in his videos for his students to make it more fun. But really it is just an excuse for him to play with them like it is 1986.
I drove my virtual shopping cart around Meijer today. It was actually kinda fun. I made a game of it. I tried to order things according to my usual shopping pattern. Every time I go to the grocery store, I have a very specific pattern of navigating the store so as to get what I need while avoiding the sections I get sucked into. Do other people do that? Well, it helped me remember that I needed dish gloves. And yes, I use gloves when I wash dishes. Madge ain’t got nothin on me! Am I the only person who remembers Madge and her dishpan hands?
I spent an hour or so sewing a shower curtain for the children’s bathroom for which I bought fabric a year ago. I got the big parts started and then realized I need another curtain rod. Shoot, I should have ordered that from Meijer! It felt good to do something creative. I need to pull out some paints and things and do more of that. I really should be using my time home more wisely.
In all the mundane things I did today I thought about how very lucky I am to be home with my three little pigs, safe and sound. I know that while I am worrying about how I am going to get my kids to do all their school work there are many mothers out there worrying about how they will feed their kids now that school is closed. Mark and I are working on something to support our local foodbank. I imagine all our foodbanks are going to be catering to more people than usual. We need to keep our eyes on one another and do what we can where we can. I am going to spend some time this week working on that…
Until Tomorrow,
Jocelyn