Happy Saturday!
I finally got up early to do a little blogging before the whole house is awake. I have been meaning to do this for a while, but it always makes it way to the back burner. Between the kids 24/7, a little bit of school work, and trying to exercise as a way to help my mental health it has been a busy two weeks at home.
But before we get into all that, a little back story.
The whole coronavirus pandemic first started to hit my radar at the beginning of March. I knew it was a real deal when even middle schoolers were aware of it. At first, I didn't think anything of it since it was in China and it would end up being like SARS: something that would be controlled and not make it here to us in Iowa. Well then, things started getting serious the second week in March when not only was the big 12 basketball tournament canceled but all of March Madness canceled. What!? I could hardly believe it. Then, on Thursday, March 12th DSM public schools announced they were closing for two weeks. This was not really a huge deal because they had a week spring break, plus a handful of days of teacher in-service so they were really only canceling about two days of instruction. That night after conferences, I went out for a beer with my fellow teachers and if there was any way of reassuring me about coronavirus, it was enjoying a beer at a gas station bar in Boone, Iowa. :)
The next day at school we were informed that they would be bringing in big foggers to disinfect the school over break. I thought this was a great idea, and worked hard to pack my room up and announced to the students to please take their instruments home over break as that is where they would be safest. We even got a special email that went out district-wide that said we were going to resume school after spring break, along with the whole county. I spent the first weekend of spring break not worrying about it and enjoying the downtime with my family. It was my well-earned break!
On Monday, March 16th we got the email that told us our schools (as well as all the schools in Iowa) were going to be closed for four weeks until April 13th. Wow, I was surprised. It just came out of the blue. I was immediately taken off guard because it was not something I had really allowed myself space to worry about or mentally prepare for. It took me a few days to really deal with the grief that a four week closure meant for me and my program.
I really felt sad for a while. Yes, I was thankful the closure would mean my family and I would be safe at home. I was thankful it meant my students would be safe at home. But I was sad about the missed opportunities that were canceled: honor band, our jazz tour, swing show concert, club day, butter braid delivery, final jazz rehearsals, rehearsals preparing for our concert. What would the rest of the school year even look like? Would we be allowed to have our concert? Adventureland festival?
It was definitely too much for me to wrap my head around at the time. I have since found a bit of clarity and peace about the situation. I know that even though things are canceled, we still had many wonderful moments during the school year. I know we will have more great moments in the future: if not this year, then next year. Band is not going away, neither am I or my students.
I am taking it one day at a time. I can only worry about today's worries. :) We haven't heard whether or not we are going back on April 13th, but in a staff meeting, our administration told me they are asking the governor to please let districts know ahead of time what is expected of us going forward. Especially if it involved online teaching/learning which takes some planning and preparation!
Our administration has been so gracious during this time, letting us know that our family is the most important thing. I realize how much of a blessing it is, still being paid and getting to stay home with my kids. I am still working plenty, but my family is my focus.
Anyway...that is where we are at with the backstory! Here is what we have been up to in the past two weeks. These are out of order, which is fine because I don't hardly know what day it is anyway.
We have been trying to get outside every day. The playgrounds are off limits so it has been a lot of nature walks which is fine with me. The kids are really doing well, even walking two miles at the Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge! We had never been here before, and the forty minute drive was a welcome break from our house. We loaded up on Scooters before, turned on Harry Potter on audible and all the kids fell asleep. It was lovely!
It was the perfect day to visit as the sun felt lovely on a 50 degree day. I'm not sure I would want to visit in the summer sun, but I would like to see it all green. The nature center here looked fun and we have it down on our summer list (maybe in the morning).
We also explored Brenton Arboretum, one of our favorites. We played at the nature playground for a bit until another family came. The kids learned a hard lesson about social distancing. I keep telling them we are out of school to stay away from other kids if it was safe to let all the kids play with each other we'd be back in school. Michael was a good tour guide here, as he came on a field trip earlier in elementary school.
I made the kids a fort and they were so excited about the surprise. We played in it for a few days, until the number of toys inside became too much. It was a hazard to walk among the blankets with toys underneath! Also, a major design flaw was that we couldn't see the tv super well from inside. The kids liked it and both girls slept overnight inside it twice.
I am happy that our little play area in the basement has been getting quite a bit of use. We worked hard to make it a nice area for the kids and I'm glad they are taking advantage of it. One day we "set up" our store which was just a trick for me to get the kids to help sort out the food and kitchen stuff. They were on board once they realized how fun it was to have all the things in their individual places. On this day, we went shopping for and had a birthday party Brynn complete with presents.
We've also been spending time in our garage when it has been too cold or rainy to go outside. Scooters, the bounce house, dancing, and playing in the boat have been fun activities. Usually, I can listen to my book and enjoy a cup of coffee from a camping chair while they play.
We had fun chalking our driveway for the WG teacher parade. It was quite the sight, all the teachers driving by. They even had a police escort. I got a little teary-eyed at how excited the teachers were at seeing their students. What a community!
Otherwise, we have been spending a lot of time snuggling, coloring, and doing a bit of learning as well.
Michael has started to become very handy in the kitchen, making some recipes 100% from scratch. He can do a box recipe all by himself! We've made brownies, cookies, muffins, and banana bread.
I've enjoyed entirely too much coffee.
The kids have been getting along fairly well, although they still try my patience at times. I imagine it would be so hard to only be around your family but I hope they are finding out days together cozy and safe. Sometimes they are playing together so nicely and it just makes my heart explode (usually when I am 100% ignoring them or they think they are being naughty). I am trying hard to not get stuck in my ways, and remember that nothing is worth making a kid's feelings get hurt.
We took a hike to Ledges after the school closure announcement when I went to Boone to grab some things from my room. It was also the day they announced the restaurants would be take-out only so we didn't stop for donuts at our favorite bakery.
This was another fun day, exploring at Jester Park. The kids spent a good chunk of time building some forts in the woods. They were using their imagination and playing so well. They could have stayed all day, but we left when we saw another family approach.
More fun at Jester. The first two are when the girls and I stopped for a little playtime while Michael had his piano lesson. His lessons have also been canceled. :(
That is all for now! I'll keep updating! :)
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