Overabundance

 There are plenty of weird things that this pandemic has brought into our lives. 

Homemade masks, anyone?

One of them is the free lunches that we pick up several times a week from the middle school. These are for all the kids in the house, even those that don't attend school. AND! They include breakfast. So that's 3 drinks, a "breakfast pastry", bag of veggies, fruit, applesauce cup and main dish...times by 5. 

Multiple times a week. 

We make the baggies of lettuce into one big salad, use the veggies in our cooking, the muffins milk are a good backyard snack. But that's about as far as we go...I don't know about you, but we just don't eat that much applesauce. 

So we are learning new skills. 

Ever had bananas dipped in lemon juice and dehydrated?  I'm telling you...you are missing out. 

All those fruit cups can be blended together and we make mystery fruit leather!

A visit to Utah

I made a quick trip to Utah!

Mom needed her yard winterized. Heidi and Terrah came to help and we got a lot done. (We didn't finish...because finishing doesn't exist in a yard like this.)

It's always sad to cut down the flowers while they are in full bloom.

The rest of my visit I spent talking to Mom about things I remember from childhood. Dad's posters and tools...

The priceless Dig'em and Toucan Sam spoons. 

Eating bellybutton weeds. 

I looked through the old records, hoping to find the Christmas one I remember so well. No luck, but I did find the Grease record and Alvin and the chipmunks. 

There was box full of old papers and we found all these Juvinile Instructor publications. They were an interesting read and made me glad I was born when I was. Some sketchy stuff in there. 

I got to spend some time with baby Roman and John made us a delicious meal. 

Fun to reconnect and spend time together! 

The shortest marching season & Mathew's Senior Moment

I feel bad for ever complaining about the many rehearsals and festivals involved with the Falcon Regiment's regular marching season. The kids love it. And they feel like they are part of this awesome program. 

This year we are really missing it. Their season was pared down to just a handful of outdoor, socially distanced rehearsals. 

And the season was completely cancelled. 

No festivals. No competitions. No field show. 

So what they were left with was two home football games. They were arranged 6 feet apart on the track. It wasn't what it was...but it was something!

Mathew on the bass drum!

Megan on marimba!

During halftime, they were able to go out on to the field and perform the songs they chose from Queen. It wasn't what we're used to, but it's something!

And because it's Mathew's last season, they recognized him and the other senior with a photo on the big scoreboard. If he had had the opportunity, he would have stood and said that he is graduating early in December and then doing his first semester of college in April. (At least I think that's what he would have said...the kids always seem to surprise me). 

Look how old he's looking! 

 

Head Shot

Mathew is a senior!

It's a monumental thing...and it's been totally hijacked by this insane year. So many of the rituals and traditions that he would experience in his final year simply won't occur.

Prom?

Probably not.

Senior sluff day?

How do you sluff from your living room?

His final year of marching band would have included the big final concert and the opportunity to stand and announce his post-graduation plans. There won't be a final concert and there really isn't much of a marching season. But this Saturday there is a football game and the seniors will have their photo put up on the giant screen and they'll let him step forward and Mark and I will be able to stand up in the stands.

It's not what it was....but it's something!

I guess that might as well be our 2020 motto: "It's not what it was, but it's something!"

And anyway...pretty great to have his cute mug on the jumbotron!

Mark is 43

Do you know...in all his 43 years, he has never run through the streamer wall? 

How has this happened???

I'll tell you. He used to get up at 4 am....that's how that happened. 

But the Covid has turned us all upside down and this is his big chance. 

And he did it (like everything) with that unique daddy style.

He LEAPED!

And because we are grown ups and its a Wendnesday....we spent the rest of the day monitoring kids and driving the girls to their first ever art class....

We snuck (sneaked? snucked?) off to KC Joes to grab some birthday bbq....

His mask wasn't up to the task at hand. It looked more like a beard-cozy.

He requested steak flavored street tacos and fresh fruit, guacamole and chips for dinner. Believe it or not, some of the kids actually took bites of this strange and unfamiliar food. It was a bit of a birthday miracle.

FIREBALL!

The Happy Birthday song was sung with true dedication to complex harmonization. It was perhaps are best effort yet. Next time, we'll need to pre-assign someone to stick to the melody.  Mark felt inspired to lead the chorus.

Mark got a rockin card from my mom....we made his open it for each kid. Good find, mom!

Ethan found a t-shirt that Mark will wear proudly to the gym....I have to say...I am no fan of the man...but this one is pretty funny.

Mathew surprised him with a glowing toilet bowl nightlight. I haven't been able to come to terms with the cleaning aspect of the product, but it sure made him smile!

Happy Birthday, My LOVE!!

Homeschool Life

Things have not gone as anticipated. 

School was supposed to begin on August 13th. The governor pushed it to September 8th and the school board agreed. We were just a little glad, because we would have missed the first week due to our Florida trip and the 14 day quarantine required after returning. 

We were given the choice to either enroll our children as "in-person" or "remote" learners for the fall semester. It wasn't an easy decision. The details of either plan were foggy, at best. Kids going in person would be returning to a new reality...masks, social distancing, intense cleaning procedures, no singing, no playing, no talking. It didn't sound great. But the remote sounded even worse. Kids on laptops all day, no friends and no free time for mom. 

We chose in-person. 

They told us our decision would be final until the second semester. And then they changed the game. New mandates came out. Kids would be required to mask all day, no breaks...even during recess. Answers to old questions on the district website were revised without notifying the parents. The health board released gating criteria that made it clear that it would be unlikely for any of the kids to see the inside of a classroom this year. The board made new decisions, parents got angry, parents got organized and then the decision got revised. 

Again. 

And again. 

And again. 

After we were told that the kids would be masked all day, even during recess, I switched the little girls to remote learning. The very next day, I pulled them out completely. 

And now I'm a homeschooler. 

We have started the process every homeschooling family goes through. We've revised the schedule 14 times. (this one is ancient history)

We are constantly reinventing ourselves...our work stations, our standards, and our emergency napping needs. Someone cries over something everyday. 

The laundry is neglected and meals leave a lot to be desired. 

But there's an upside too. 

The dogs are in heaven. 

I know exactly where my kids are. They are safe. They aren't exposed to all the harmful elements of public school....and I'm not talking about the coronavirus.

PE is a highlight of the day....(Mark's in charge!)

We have time for crafts and cooking and science experiments!

Now, let's all hope and pray that the older kids will be allowed to go back to school when the board meets again on Sept. 22nd. Poor Laney is going to have carpel tunnel if something doesn't change soon. 

Or maybe we'll just invite her to be a homeschooler too. I think I can handle it. I just need to schedule an additional nap in between recess and our cow milking lessons.

This homeschool mom doesn't shy away from the lactation unit!