I'm not a fan of the 'corona' puns, so we'll just call this the distance time. Distance from others and distance learning.
Our first week went exceptionally well. Like, so well that at the end of the week I thought "well either I should be homeschooling or it's all going to go downhill from here". The boys were happy to be home. They were excited about distance learning. I was feeling upbeat, committed, and positive which doesn't come naturally to me. Some of this I attribute to my own neglecting to acknowledge just how long this could all last.
Each day putting a loose schedule on the white board really resonated with Henrik. He runs down in the morning to check the board and get a handle on the day...he really likes to know what to expect. I don't put time-frames on anything to offer flexibility but it gives us a good framework for our day and helps the boys cooperate.
Soren is a whole other story. I have sort of resigned myself to more "beyos" for him (videos on my phone) because it's the only way to focus with the boys if he's awake. Otherwise he's clinging to me whining or destroying things.
By Saturday I was so wiped out. I had given so much Monday-Friday and was just so done with being home and being with my kids and the reality of this all hit me hard. I wasn't very pleasant to be around Saturday. Sunday I felt refreshed from lots of sleep and ready to tackle something I had been dreading...
I didn't really even know one could spend so much much $ at Meijer...but this whole grocery store thing is causing me anxiety (the thought of fighting crowds or empty shelves) so my goal was to make sure I didn't have to go back for two weeks. We'll see if I can do it...man, these boys eat so much.
Sunday, after my grocery run I cleared my head with a cold run outside. My pace was way faster than usual so I must have needed to blow off some steam.
It's ironic to me that Devin started a new job last week ready to actually be in an office and is now, of course, remote working again. This time will stretch us all, but honestly we have it so easy. Our financial situation is not affected (I guess technically our investments are but we're so far from retirement), I'm home anyway so can do the distance learning, we didn't have any travel we had to cancel, and no one in our immediate family is medically fragile. I don't say these things lightly and other's situations are heavy on our hearts and minds. Praying we have opportunities to help and serve where needed.
I can tell I'm going to miss people! Last evening's Marco from Leah made me feel sad and I said to Devin "ugh, I'm going to miss seeing Leah!". I think it's important and healthy for us all of us to be allowed to grieve whatever losses we feel during this time.
I am really praying to use this time well. Not to lose focus on health goals. Not to give in to laziness or too much TV, but to instead read more, learn more, and tackle some of the painting and de-wallpapering that needs to happen here.
I'd love to hear what's going well for you in this time of social distancing and if you have any intentions of how to spend your time at home!
Our first week went exceptionally well. Like, so well that at the end of the week I thought "well either I should be homeschooling or it's all going to go downhill from here". The boys were happy to be home. They were excited about distance learning. I was feeling upbeat, committed, and positive which doesn't come naturally to me. Some of this I attribute to my own neglecting to acknowledge just how long this could all last.
Each day putting a loose schedule on the white board really resonated with Henrik. He runs down in the morning to check the board and get a handle on the day...he really likes to know what to expect. I don't put time-frames on anything to offer flexibility but it gives us a good framework for our day and helps the boys cooperate.
Soren is a whole other story. I have sort of resigned myself to more "beyos" for him (videos on my phone) because it's the only way to focus with the boys if he's awake. Otherwise he's clinging to me whining or destroying things.
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| So far Henrik has been an ALL STAR with all of this. I think I'm going to learn so much about him during this time. |
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| Ira's preschool teacher is sending fun read aloud videos and cute assignments. Ira's pig party drawing. :) |
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| photo of the destruction while we did school |
Friday morning's brief sunshine and warmth was a boost to finish the week:
By Saturday I was so wiped out. I had given so much Monday-Friday and was just so done with being home and being with my kids and the reality of this all hit me hard. I wasn't very pleasant to be around Saturday. Sunday I felt refreshed from lots of sleep and ready to tackle something I had been dreading...
I didn't really even know one could spend so much much $ at Meijer...but this whole grocery store thing is causing me anxiety (the thought of fighting crowds or empty shelves) so my goal was to make sure I didn't have to go back for two weeks. We'll see if I can do it...man, these boys eat so much.
Sunday, after my grocery run I cleared my head with a cold run outside. My pace was way faster than usual so I must have needed to blow off some steam.
It's ironic to me that Devin started a new job last week ready to actually be in an office and is now, of course, remote working again. This time will stretch us all, but honestly we have it so easy. Our financial situation is not affected (I guess technically our investments are but we're so far from retirement), I'm home anyway so can do the distance learning, we didn't have any travel we had to cancel, and no one in our immediate family is medically fragile. I don't say these things lightly and other's situations are heavy on our hearts and minds. Praying we have opportunities to help and serve where needed.
I can tell I'm going to miss people! Last evening's Marco from Leah made me feel sad and I said to Devin "ugh, I'm going to miss seeing Leah!". I think it's important and healthy for us all of us to be allowed to grieve whatever losses we feel during this time.
I am really praying to use this time well. Not to lose focus on health goals. Not to give in to laziness or too much TV, but to instead read more, learn more, and tackle some of the painting and de-wallpapering that needs to happen here.
I'd love to hear what's going well for you in this time of social distancing and if you have any intentions of how to spend your time at home!
3 comments:
Thanks for taking the time to post. Love the pictures and glad to hear Week 1 was a success. You can do this! I was so impressed with Henrik's reading when he was here and how he seemed to enjoy reading to others :)
you got this girl! love connecting over video, but i miss seeing your in person face too!! :(
praying for patience + perseverance for you in the weeks to come. also, i love that you got those balloons on your grocery run! :)
Love your thoughts! You said so well how I'm feeling about this distancing stuff.
The white board schedule is a really good idea. I need to think about that - that would resonate with a couple of my kiddos.
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