As we found out last Thursday, we will not be going back to school for the remainder of this school year, and our safer at home order has been extended until May 26. I was hopeful that maybe we’d get those first 2 weeks of June in to get to see teachers again, clean out the kids’ supplies that they had to leave behind, and do all the fun end-of-year things – Spring Sing, school campout day, field trips, giving our garden peonies to the teachers like we always do, that last walk to school on the final day and pictures with everyone, etc. It’s just so completely bizarre how this school year is ending. There’s no closure whatsoever.
I feel especially bad for those students who are in an ending year at a school, but, to be perfectly honest, I feel so sad for Morrison. K4 is just the happiest, most fun preparatory grade possible, and they just got robbed of a third of it getting to be with their teachers and classmates. I’m sorry, but in absolutely no other grade will these kids get as many hugs and blatant, outright encouragement and love as they do in K4. Yes, every teacher at Cumberland that we’ve experienced so far has genuinely loved her and his students, but K4 is something special. And his teacher combo this year hands down cannot be beat. Period. So it truly breaks my heart that he won’t get to see them again in person as their K4 student. I’m just so happy that I picked him up in line every morning when he wanted to be held while waiting for the teachers to come down those stairs and out the doors to greet the classes. Every day I thought oh come on, again?? But every day I then instantly thought you know what, this will end one of these days, and who knows if today is that day. Little did I know that day was going to come way earlier than I could have ever expected. So at least I got those little moments of K4 time in with him while I could. And I wanted to be the helper in his room one more time, but thankfully I was able to be in there once earlier in the year. These little things are what I cherish most.
So. Here we go into week 2 of VLT. The kids are all still really enjoying it, but I know Morrison especially gets bored easily. He loves all the lessons and videos and activities they get each day, but once he’s done with everything and his sisters are still sitting at the table working on their assignments for a couple more hours, his little body gets antsy. I do let him go outside and play whenever he wants when that happens, but of course he adores his big sisters and always wants to play with them. He is very good, though, about going outside and playing with the twins. And so far they’ve all done a great job making sure those 2 stay only in the backyards. I take no chances letting any of them play out front, because they still aren’t that attentive about getting out of people’s way when they pass by on the sidewalk.
I asked the big 3 last night how they felt about not being able to go back to school and having to be home all the time. They said it wasn’t that bad and they like doing school online, but Della said she does miss seeing everyone. I asked if there was anything they felt was bad about all of this, and they said no, it’s fine for them. Morrison of course said he has a bad thing, he gets bored, but see above. I’m making a very conscious effort to ensure they know it’s completely ok and normal to feel very weird and mixed up and even sad about this whole situation. It’s something none of us have ever had to deal with, and I can only imagine what it’s like being a kid right now: All of a sudden your teachers tell you you won’t be coming back to school for a little while, which probably feels like an exciting surprise vacation break, then after a certain point you get bored because you can’t go see your friends or play with anyone outside but your siblings (at least these kids have plenty of those!), it’s hard to understand that you can’t just go see and hug family like you always do, we can’t just go places anymore, you kind of get used to me giving you mini-lessons at home on topics that are new and different from what you usually do at school, then suddenly you have to sit at a computer all morning and do real school lessons but at home. Shit. I’d get antsy and all mixed up, too. So I feel very strongly that I need to keep an eye on their emotions more than anything right now. They really are doing an excellent job adapting through all this with basically no push-back at all, so I make sure to tell them how proud we are of them and how great they’re doing.
This past Sunday almost all the teachers put on a parade and drove up and down every street in the Cumberland neighborhoods with their horns honking and cars decorated with signs for all the students, which was simply the most amazing, wonderful, heartwarming thing right now. We and they definitely needed it, as brief as that face time was. I cried as every single car went by, whether we knew that particular teacher or not! I had to hold Nat in one arm because he decided that then was a good time to become a screming terror, but I waved as mightily as I could with the other one. But due to that and my tears, this was the only picture I got. I really hope they do it again, because I’ll make sure we have some good signs and decorations out next time. The kids didn’t want to make signs or wave their pom-poms for some reason.
And a couple more pictures from this weekend, just because – a block “Welcome Spring” decorating contest and homemade pretzels.
Ok. After all that, here’s the weekly recap for any newcomers:
April 20, 2020
- Absolutely gorgeous weather today, so they all got out to play after their online class meetings
- All they want to do in their free time right now is play games and color on their tablets, so after doing such a good job with this VLT, I let them. I know they deserve and kind of need the brainless downtime. As such, many days end looking like the last picture of them here.
- Remember those old hobbies I mentioned that I was trying to pick up again last week? I actually made time to get to them this past weekend! I had already tickled the ivories when my sheet music arrived last week, then I finally got the courage to bust out my sewing machine again. Yes, sewing. Doesn’t sound like me, does it? Believe it or not, I can actually make some pretty cool stuff. I kind of swore it off after the last project I made, which was just over 5 years ago, but it was a hard, time-consuming beast. All the things I’m doing now are little projects that I used to love making and are relatively quick to pull together. The little bag with 2 zippers is a pattern that I learned almost 6 years ago and loved – when I was making these back then, I made one for pretty much everyone but myself and always wanted one, so that’s one big reason why I’m trying to get back into it. I also made myself a little sewing cart this time that is infinitely handier than having to dig into the front closet every time I want to get to the machine, so that simple little change makes a world of difference in my motivation level. The little bags with 1 zipper are from another pattern I fould all those years ago and just never got to, so here it comes! I’ve found a ton of fabric that I love, so I’m stockpiling it in the hopes that I can make a bunch of these little things and enjoy it again. I have a new pattern I found, too, that I’m anxious to try. We’ll see how that one turns out.
April 21, 2020
- We had 5 yards of topsoil delivered today to level out the back yard and replant all the grass, and the whole time it was dumping out the dirt, the kids were watching from their bedroom window chanting, “We want poop! We want poop!” They said it looked like the truck was pooping. Because of course they did.
- I enjoyed a baby napping on me for the first time in a very long time, one of my absolute favorite things as a mother. Will it be the last time?
- Della got both of the twins ready for bed tonight by herself, teeth brushing, diaper changing, and all. Wahoo!! Freedom!
April 22, 2020
- Happy Earth Day! We were going to do our annual walk this afternoon to pick up trash, but the weather was garbage and I knew I had to work outside while the babies napped, so we’ll do it this weekend instead.
- Backyard reno got underway, and I cannot wait until we have a regular, grass-covered yard again. I’ve been planning out my cocktail seating area for a couple summers now. I got done what you see in these pictures, then Ryan worked a bunch more after me – added more dirt to that back area, dug out a bunch of small roots still left from when we took down the tree last summer, leveled around the tree area, wheeled in more dirt for the tree area. Hopefully we’ll actually get that mound fully moved into the yard before the weekend.
- Della baked us a delicious salted caramel lava cake for dessert tonight. I was going to do it because it’s the easiest thing possible – one of those cakes in a bag where all you do is pour it into the pan – but she loves to bake, so I said have at it! It was delicious, and she was proud.
- I got another pouch sewed tonight, this time for Lana. I got this bundle of really cute fabrics called “Under the Canopy,” which is full of fun little jungle animals and bright designs, and I immediately thought of her with the sloths. And of course she picked snakes and worms for the lining fabric. 😀
April 23, 2020
- Today was supposed to be Lana’s class field trip to a nature preserve that I was actually going to get to chaperone. And last Friday was supposed to be Della’s big 4th grade–wide all-day field trip to Madison that I was also going to be lucky enough to chaperone, which we obviously missed, too. These are the things I miss most about not having physical school anymore this year. All the fun, in-person things to which nothing else can compare.
- Morrison gets to be Star Student next week! Tomorrow we’re making a little video of him to submit to his teacher, who will send it out to the class to watch over the weekend, then he gets to present during their class meeting on Monday and answer any questions his classmates have for him. It won’t be anything like his sisters’ Star Student days where they took in decorated posters and grandmas and aunts got to come and we went out to a fun lunch afterward, but we’ll still make it as special as possible for him. I came up with a fun way to present his poster stuff since we don’t have any posterboard, and he gets to request whatever lunch he wants on Monday that we can get via curbside pickup. I think it’s going to be Qdoba – yum!
- We had another reading session today with Auntie Mer and cousins, and their costumes did not disappoint yet again! So of course these knuckleheads had to dig up their best response – yes, that is underwear on their heads. I read a book back this time, and all I could come up with was Ryan’s double-brat foam hat. Dressing up in costume is not my forte, ha!
- The weather was cold and rainy today so we didn’t get any more dirt spread, but the kids did have a little outdoor P.E. time – tamping down what we’ve already laid. The big 3 went out and just walked around the back yard to flatten out the dirt, so Ryan and I don’t have to tamp it before laying more. Nothing like free child labor.
- Today I made Della’s little zipper pouch. She loved it!
April 24, 2020
- Morrison was bouncing-off-the-walls excited to do his Star Student video all day today, but Ryan had a call during the twins’ nap this afternoon so we had to wait all day until after they went to bed tonight and were fully asleep. But he did so great!! I cut out all the stars this morning, and the girls helped him decorate them and write all the intro words. Since we don’t have any posterboard, he taped all the stars on the dining room wall under all of our family pictures, so he could show all the members of our family and his stars with favorites, personal info, etc., all in one spot. It actually worked out great, and he had so much fun!! I’m so thankful he still gets to have this special piece of K4 even when we’re not at school.
- I finished spreading the dirt in the back yard and stomped it all down. Yes, it looks like a yard of just dirt right now, but it’s finally level! The finished product of this project will be so wonderful.
