As Sunday dawns chilly at first light with cloud cover, I throw aside the blankets and place my feet lightly on the floor. I am ready as ready will ever be to face yet another day inside my house, my neighborhood, my safety area.
When once I thought I would never survive inside my house, I have come to realize it is really not so bad. I have ventured out to the stores, but that leaves me feeling off. In a way I wonder if agoraphobia will become a much more recognized condition. As we become immersed in life inside our homes, we grasp the ability to do most things online. We can shop, we can bank, we can work and teach and even meet. Appearances may slide, at least for me they have. I have worn make up once in a month. I have blow dried my hair a handful of times. My go to clothes are my leggings and comfy t-shirts. For school we all get out of bed and dressed in various forms of comfy clothes. I have watched my husband become more comfortable in athletic shorts and when he goes out he will swap to khaki shorts.
I counted up my outings from my side of post and I came up with three trips into Louisville, two of those trips my family ordered tacos to eat in the van. We have ordered cheese dip two times, we have gone inside of a Walmart two times, the commissary three times, Aldi once, and a Walmart pick up. All that since April 14. My husband also reenlisted the first week of social distancing. This change is huge for my family. I am coming to the end of my two PTO terms, I am still on the Resident Advisory board, PWOC is now online only.
My social life is basically non existent. I should be sad, but in a small way I am relieved. I have been putting myself out there for nearly three years. I posted only pictures of me as my profile picture so people would see my face and choose me to babysit, or know that I was someone they could reach out to as the FRG Leader, The Treasurer, and Finally for the PTO and the RAB. I recently changed it to a picture of something not my face. It is back to my face, but I have now changed my fb name. I have decided to step back. To use this time to focus on me, on my family.
See for us, we are the brink of a huge change. My husband will be a recruiter by the end of this year. We will most likely be living away from the Military Community I so love and cherish. We will very likely be in a place where I am the minority. And worst of all we will have to accept that my husband might not be home for supper, might be working weekends, will be fielding phone calls at odd times. We will have to learn a new way to support him as he faces new stresses and challenges. During this time we have fully embraced our tiny family unit. We are enjoying the bike rides, the times to cook and clean and learn together. Movies on the Tv, Music blasting from the blue tooth speakers. Cuddles with the Chihuahuas.
We see our neighbors from time to time, but mostly in passing. My husband still sees his soldiers almost daily and talks to them on the phone. I still message a few of my friends, but I feel the closure of our time at this place coming. I know that I can drive away from here and remember the good times, but also know this was never a forever home. It was difficult to drive away from NNY. I was heart broken for months and struggled to find my place here. I have met many amazing women and many of them I will remain in contact with. I have been faced with the fake and the judgmental here and I know that is everywhere. I know that in many instances I was merely flitting in between, but never truly belonging. Isn't that what we all strive for? Belonging to what? I crave the company of those who have struggled and survived. Those who are educated and examples of how to become the best you.
While being here, I have learned that I am passionate about being involved and speaking up for the underdog. I have learned that I want to use my voice to advocate for those who don't have an advocate. I care about donating money to wipe out a lunchroom debt because I believe all kids should have free lunches regardless of how much money the parents make. I want to help everyone and I know and understand that there are those that you cannot help, but I still want to try. I want to speak up for those who might not be able to afford school spirit shirts and therefore their kids may not get a prize, which by the way, breaks my heart. I have come to realize that one of my strong points, might be a weak point, is the ability to see and listen to all sides. I know how it feels to have what you need and I know how it feels to not have what you need. I have so many friends from all walks of life. I have friends who have struggled with a wide range of issues. Because I am empathetic I have felt their struggles and celebrated their wins right along side of them.
Years ago when my greatest friendship turned out to be a huge lie, I realized that not everyone sees the world the way we do. I have grown from that betrayal and used that experience to grow. It was slow at first because I did not want to get close to anyone. I became more introverted than normal. But then we moved to NNY and my husband deployed. I began babysitting, I threw myself into FRG involvement, I made a friend for life. Suddenly I met others who pushed me to step out of my comfort zone. All of that led me to where I am now. I am deeply saddened to not be able to re run for a position on either PTO board. I will volunteer until we move though. But at the end of all that has transpired in the last school year, I am ready to step back. I am ready to reanalyze the friendships that I thought I had formed. I am ready to accept that for many I am just there, not a meaningful part of their lives. I am okay with this, though honesty is that it hurts.
In the end you must take all that you learned and grow from it. My roots are getting stronger, they are growing deeper. I am learning how to navigate the world of public existence and I know that where ever we land I will grow. I am dreading all that leads up to a move. Thinking positively though, all of this social distancing will make the see you laters much easier. There will be no long drawn out goodbyes and events to attend. One day I will be here, the next packing and leaving my house and then I will be off to the next place.
Be the best you. Be open to change and not narrow minded. Embrace everyone no matter, race, belief, politics, etc. BE THE BEST YOU.
Sunday, April 19, 2020
Thursday, April 16, 2020
The Chronicals of a Not so Ordinary Mom: Teacher Parade
It is the Week of the Military Child. This includes Purple Up for the Military Child. On a normal year, you visit your housing office, if you live on a Military installation, for a purple pinwheel. Or you go to the local PX and get a free dandelion patch. On April 15th everyone wears a purple shirt. It is kind of a big deal if you are into all of that. Don't forget that the dandelion is the flower that represents the Military Child. This is because they are strong and resilient and used to change.
For the most part it was not a huge deal this year with all of this stuff going on. The schools on post got together and planned a teacher parade for April 15th and everyone could wear purple. Signs and banners were made and sweet anticipation rippled through the community. My kids were vibrating with excitement as the time for the first parade drew closer.
The first parade was the high school, middle school, and intermediate schools. As the kids and I stood with our sign outside of our van, we were chilly and the wind was whipping all around us. When we saw the first flashing lights of the MP, we began to squeal in delight. As they drew closer they turned on the siren momentarily and suddenly the morning air was filled with the beeping horns and shouts from the cars passing us by. As the teachers recognized my son, they would call out his name. We were so elated and full of new morale after that parade rolled on by us. Thankfully it was time for lunch break. This gave me a moment to review my own pictures, but that all my on post friends and the school fb page. I stared in awe at those videos of the parade and new deep in my hear that I had just been a part of something special, even if I was just a spectator.
Back to the grind for just a little bit. The kids each having a Google Meet. And then it was time for my daughter's school parade. The wind was much stronger this time around. The sun was high in the sky. Instead of our car being the only one in the empty lot, this time there were several and people lined up on the sidewalks. Everyone was mindful of keeping the distance. The kids were so full of excitement. You could feel the electricity from their anticipation all along the street. From our vantage point, we could see the school and when the parade began to roll out of the parking lot onto the street. The fire trucks were blowing horns, police sirens, car horns, and shouting all along the street. This parade was harder for me. Harder for my daughter. As Committee Chair for the PTO, I had spent a lot of time at this school, a lot of time talking to teachers and the other parents. Deep in my heart I knew this was a farewell of sorts.
As the last car passed us my daughter asked if we could see it again, so we hopped into the van and headed over to another neighborhood. We found a place to park and took up a spot in the island between the two streets. I was across the street from fellow PTO members and one previous PTO member. It was great to see them, but not like I thought it should be. Soon the parade was coming towards us and once again we watched those teachers roll by with joy on their faces. Again my heart felt heavy and my normally talkative daughter was quiet. Upon returning home, we called it a day.
This week were once again given a new learning platform, but this one actually gives us more control over our schedule and the time we put into it. We still have the Google meets, which is getting easier as the days go by. Today we learned that in all probability we won't return to finish out this school year. My time with the two PTOs is nearly done. I am deeply saddened that my last few months here will be spent in my home away from those who brighten my day. The great conversations and laughter and Starbucks. It is what it is and I know that this too shall pass.
For the most part it was not a huge deal this year with all of this stuff going on. The schools on post got together and planned a teacher parade for April 15th and everyone could wear purple. Signs and banners were made and sweet anticipation rippled through the community. My kids were vibrating with excitement as the time for the first parade drew closer.
The first parade was the high school, middle school, and intermediate schools. As the kids and I stood with our sign outside of our van, we were chilly and the wind was whipping all around us. When we saw the first flashing lights of the MP, we began to squeal in delight. As they drew closer they turned on the siren momentarily and suddenly the morning air was filled with the beeping horns and shouts from the cars passing us by. As the teachers recognized my son, they would call out his name. We were so elated and full of new morale after that parade rolled on by us. Thankfully it was time for lunch break. This gave me a moment to review my own pictures, but that all my on post friends and the school fb page. I stared in awe at those videos of the parade and new deep in my hear that I had just been a part of something special, even if I was just a spectator.
Back to the grind for just a little bit. The kids each having a Google Meet. And then it was time for my daughter's school parade. The wind was much stronger this time around. The sun was high in the sky. Instead of our car being the only one in the empty lot, this time there were several and people lined up on the sidewalks. Everyone was mindful of keeping the distance. The kids were so full of excitement. You could feel the electricity from their anticipation all along the street. From our vantage point, we could see the school and when the parade began to roll out of the parking lot onto the street. The fire trucks were blowing horns, police sirens, car horns, and shouting all along the street. This parade was harder for me. Harder for my daughter. As Committee Chair for the PTO, I had spent a lot of time at this school, a lot of time talking to teachers and the other parents. Deep in my heart I knew this was a farewell of sorts.
As the last car passed us my daughter asked if we could see it again, so we hopped into the van and headed over to another neighborhood. We found a place to park and took up a spot in the island between the two streets. I was across the street from fellow PTO members and one previous PTO member. It was great to see them, but not like I thought it should be. Soon the parade was coming towards us and once again we watched those teachers roll by with joy on their faces. Again my heart felt heavy and my normally talkative daughter was quiet. Upon returning home, we called it a day.
This week were once again given a new learning platform, but this one actually gives us more control over our schedule and the time we put into it. We still have the Google meets, which is getting easier as the days go by. Today we learned that in all probability we won't return to finish out this school year. My time with the two PTOs is nearly done. I am deeply saddened that my last few months here will be spent in my home away from those who brighten my day. The great conversations and laughter and Starbucks. It is what it is and I know that this too shall pass.
Thursday, April 9, 2020
The Chronicals of a Not so Ordinary Mom: After Spring Break
When Monday rolled around we did Monday. It was not necessarily a good Monday as Mondays go. The virtual platform for my son's school was different. My son was like a space cadet. I had to read everything to him. I had to lay it out step by step for him. I lost my cool. I yelled at the top of my lungs. My daughter wasn't being overly productive either. I ended up calling the school and two teachers called me to assure me that we were doing well and to keep it up. It was odd to hear the teachers telling me how best my son learns and it was great advice.
We rolled into Tuesday and my daughter had an amazing first half of the day. We did multiple math lessons and her little brain was on fire. My son was focused on his work and did much better and thankfully we had the ELA Aide on the phone with him. When my daughter had her midday Google Meet she couldn't focus and listening was not happening. The teacher quickly caught on and let us go.
I had my first PTO Zoom meeting. How nice it was to see everyone and to talk about things that were not on a 5th and 2nd grade level. We ended the meeting and had a quick chat session. My time as a Committee Chair at my daughter's school is coming to a close. I know that before long new adventures will open up and I will have new paths to explore.
By Wednesday my daughter was done. I tried to get her to watch the ELA videos and complete the work. I ended up screaming at her in a rage by 11 a.m. My husband suggested that she go to her room and I go pick up the school lunches. I biked to the school in a fury. I could feel the rage rolling off of me. Back home, kids fed and son is working diligently. Again I struggle with my daughter and again we end up in a stalemate. This meant that the two extra days she should have off will be partially spent doing this work. I tried to explain to her that her teacher took time from her kids to create this online platform. I tried to make her understand that she was making it harder on herself and me. I know it is selfish to include myself, but I need free time too. I need time to step away from the teaching roll. Time to be just a mom.
It is now mandated that all DOD facilities are to be utilized by people wearing a mask. Mask making has begun in earnest all around our post. This also meant that since my husband had a mask alternative and I did not, that he would go to the Commissary. I wrote him a short list with the much needed rice at the top. He came home with the harder to find items and no rice. I was still extremely thankful to him. This also means that I have not left the general area of my neighborhood in over a week. The furthest I have gone is a neighboring neighborhood to pick up something from a porch. I have become isolated. In a way this is somewhat normal for me as I do not normally like to drive across town to just drive across town. In other ways this is highly unusual as I am a fairly social person due to my volunteering commitments.
Wednesday was a beautiful and warm and sunny day. I knew from the news that a storm would roll in. I also expected some moderate wind and a lot of rain. After my second online PTO meeting, which was again like a breath of fresh air, I got my kids into bed. Hubby and I settled in to watch a show and wait on his next round of accountability calls from his Soldiers. Just as we turn off the lights I realize that our repurposed bike stroller is uncovered. I go outside and get it covered and think to myself how odd the air felt and it seemed like I was breathing in dirt. I return to bed and start telling my husband that I think I left my barely alive poinsettia outside on the front porch. As we are discussing how my plant will be fine, a terrible pounding commences outside of our bedroom window. The wind was roaring against our house. The window was rattling and the curtain was literally blowing in and out. We hear a thud and I am up grabbing for my robe. I throw open the front door and see and feel nature's fury. The wind is swirling there is dust and debris. I grab my son's bike that was knocked to the ground, I grab our lounge chair. I am thrilled by the sight of this storm, as I love storms. My husband and I run to the back door to look out and check the trampoline. We realize quickly that ours is intact but our two neighbor's have lost their trampolines. When I return to the front door our non social distancing neighbor runs over to offer to help us bring in our porch furniture. I decline and then they tell us that another trampoline had blown down the road past all of the parked cars. It mere minutes it is all over. Everything settles down and returns to a semblance of normal.
When morning dawns, I get dressed and head outside. The sight before me is many branches strewn in the road, the yards and all around the cars. It is chilly in the early morning air. Our cars for the most part are okay. There is a small ding on one of the van doors. Later in the afternoon the kids and I go outside to clean up the branches. Maintenance was by earlier in the day to clean up the large branches.
I did manage to get my daughter to do some school work. I picked up face masks that were made for my husband and I. In return I had baked pumpkin muffins. Hubby had to work, and he made a Walmart run. He also cooked and amazing dinner. Potato tacos. They were phenomenal. Last night I cooked spicy chicken with the rainbow bell peppers.
Though we are largely stuck in our neighborhood, we are blessed with good neighbors. Technology though infuriating at times, is a Godsend. I often catch myself remembering my 90s teenage years and how I did not have technology. I only had a dial up home phone, a VCR, a TV, and a typewriter. My stereo was a saving grace and how I loved to type stories. How much has changed since then. I know my kids would never make it if they were tossed into the 90s.
Find a positive everyday God Bless.
We rolled into Tuesday and my daughter had an amazing first half of the day. We did multiple math lessons and her little brain was on fire. My son was focused on his work and did much better and thankfully we had the ELA Aide on the phone with him. When my daughter had her midday Google Meet she couldn't focus and listening was not happening. The teacher quickly caught on and let us go.
I had my first PTO Zoom meeting. How nice it was to see everyone and to talk about things that were not on a 5th and 2nd grade level. We ended the meeting and had a quick chat session. My time as a Committee Chair at my daughter's school is coming to a close. I know that before long new adventures will open up and I will have new paths to explore.
By Wednesday my daughter was done. I tried to get her to watch the ELA videos and complete the work. I ended up screaming at her in a rage by 11 a.m. My husband suggested that she go to her room and I go pick up the school lunches. I biked to the school in a fury. I could feel the rage rolling off of me. Back home, kids fed and son is working diligently. Again I struggle with my daughter and again we end up in a stalemate. This meant that the two extra days she should have off will be partially spent doing this work. I tried to explain to her that her teacher took time from her kids to create this online platform. I tried to make her understand that she was making it harder on herself and me. I know it is selfish to include myself, but I need free time too. I need time to step away from the teaching roll. Time to be just a mom.
It is now mandated that all DOD facilities are to be utilized by people wearing a mask. Mask making has begun in earnest all around our post. This also meant that since my husband had a mask alternative and I did not, that he would go to the Commissary. I wrote him a short list with the much needed rice at the top. He came home with the harder to find items and no rice. I was still extremely thankful to him. This also means that I have not left the general area of my neighborhood in over a week. The furthest I have gone is a neighboring neighborhood to pick up something from a porch. I have become isolated. In a way this is somewhat normal for me as I do not normally like to drive across town to just drive across town. In other ways this is highly unusual as I am a fairly social person due to my volunteering commitments.
Wednesday was a beautiful and warm and sunny day. I knew from the news that a storm would roll in. I also expected some moderate wind and a lot of rain. After my second online PTO meeting, which was again like a breath of fresh air, I got my kids into bed. Hubby and I settled in to watch a show and wait on his next round of accountability calls from his Soldiers. Just as we turn off the lights I realize that our repurposed bike stroller is uncovered. I go outside and get it covered and think to myself how odd the air felt and it seemed like I was breathing in dirt. I return to bed and start telling my husband that I think I left my barely alive poinsettia outside on the front porch. As we are discussing how my plant will be fine, a terrible pounding commences outside of our bedroom window. The wind was roaring against our house. The window was rattling and the curtain was literally blowing in and out. We hear a thud and I am up grabbing for my robe. I throw open the front door and see and feel nature's fury. The wind is swirling there is dust and debris. I grab my son's bike that was knocked to the ground, I grab our lounge chair. I am thrilled by the sight of this storm, as I love storms. My husband and I run to the back door to look out and check the trampoline. We realize quickly that ours is intact but our two neighbor's have lost their trampolines. When I return to the front door our non social distancing neighbor runs over to offer to help us bring in our porch furniture. I decline and then they tell us that another trampoline had blown down the road past all of the parked cars. It mere minutes it is all over. Everything settles down and returns to a semblance of normal.
When morning dawns, I get dressed and head outside. The sight before me is many branches strewn in the road, the yards and all around the cars. It is chilly in the early morning air. Our cars for the most part are okay. There is a small ding on one of the van doors. Later in the afternoon the kids and I go outside to clean up the branches. Maintenance was by earlier in the day to clean up the large branches.
I did manage to get my daughter to do some school work. I picked up face masks that were made for my husband and I. In return I had baked pumpkin muffins. Hubby had to work, and he made a Walmart run. He also cooked and amazing dinner. Potato tacos. They were phenomenal. Last night I cooked spicy chicken with the rainbow bell peppers.
Though we are largely stuck in our neighborhood, we are blessed with good neighbors. Technology though infuriating at times, is a Godsend. I often catch myself remembering my 90s teenage years and how I did not have technology. I only had a dial up home phone, a VCR, a TV, and a typewriter. My stereo was a saving grace and how I loved to type stories. How much has changed since then. I know my kids would never make it if they were tossed into the 90s.
Find a positive everyday God Bless.
Sunday, April 5, 2020
Chronicals of a Not so Oridinary Mom: Spring Break
Spring Break came and went.
No travel, no true notice of the passage of a weeks worth of days.
Big plans to continue working on school work were pushed aside in order to relax, regroup and adjust.
The first weekend passed with little notice and much staying up too late and getting up late. On into Monday were we watched TV and dealt with slightly cooler temperatures. The heat had to come back on.
Tuesday rolled around and shit hit the fan. I had decided to order online from Walmart. This would be my first time. Time consuming and lots of concentration as I tried to work my way through my grocery list. In the middle of it when time is essential in order to keep my pick up time, my two kids begin shouting at each other. I turn and tell them to turn off the game system. They both yell at me in unision, an I begin yelling at them to turn it off and go to their rooms. I grab controllers and walk back into my kitchen and finish what I was doing. A few minutes later my husband returns home happy as you please. He is shocked when he hears what had just transpired. A little later we make grocery run to the commissary and then to Walmart to pick up my order. I am still in need of breakfast sausages and Jasmine Rice.
Wednesday to Sunday became a blur. When the weather turned nice we went on family bike rides and walks. We picked up school lunches on the week days and made our own Saturday and today.
My hometown in Tennessee has provide much online entertainment as I read post after post of hardships caused by the shut down of many businesses and the pros and cons of why people should stay home. Somehow the concept of flattening the curve seems lost on so many. They insist it is essential to eat out when they have the means to eat out. It is as if they do not realize that this is only the beginning. This is where it is about life and death and keeping those we love safe. This is almost like the eye of the storm. Once we can emerge from our homes and regain some sense of normalcy the economy will crash. Unemployment is rising already. I see people eating out and I wonder when they will realize that they should be saving money.
Monday of last week my oldest son became unemployed. Instead of using that as a time to stay home, he ventured from TN to KY to visit his half sister. I was devastated when he called me from her house. I knew he was only a little over an hour away, yet I had to tell him to come. I was hurt that he refused to acknowledge how he was endangering everyone he encountered, to include his grandfather that he lives with. Instead he hung up the phone hurt and angry at me. I sat there on my couch stunned. As a mom I want my home to always be open to my children. But these times are making that hard to do especially if your child lives in another state with your aging parent.
The situation in Mexico where my husband's family lives are not much better. They are faced with job loss and rising food costs and crazy rumors about people going to the hospital and never returning. My husband calls them daily and we pray hard for them.
Saturday we did a three mile hike and came home feeling rejuvenated. Saturday night we sat a safe distance from our attached neighbor. They had a fire going in their fire pit. We drank our own alcohol and enjoyed the fire from the yard as the fire pit was on their back patio. It is strange how you make adjustments to find a semblance of normalcy. We spent an hour outside and then came in to call it a night. Please keep in mind that these are people who like us have had minimal contact with others outside of our homes and our husband's jobs. These are people who live in the same dead end area of the neighborhood. From our chairs we could barely feel the blazing heat of a great fire only remnants of the heat as it drifted up and away.
Today we are relaxing and preparing for the next week. We know that homeschooling has now been announced as "Until further notice" Thankfully we will still have the school lunch pick up.
I am fully sad that I won't be able to plan the end of the year events with my two PTOs. My next Resident Advisory Board meeting will be a phone conference. The two exit rams to the outside towns have been blocked under the guise of maintenance. We are still able to get off post and back on through the one main gate.
Pray for Monday as I am sure it will be a hard one
No travel, no true notice of the passage of a weeks worth of days.
Big plans to continue working on school work were pushed aside in order to relax, regroup and adjust.
The first weekend passed with little notice and much staying up too late and getting up late. On into Monday were we watched TV and dealt with slightly cooler temperatures. The heat had to come back on.
Tuesday rolled around and shit hit the fan. I had decided to order online from Walmart. This would be my first time. Time consuming and lots of concentration as I tried to work my way through my grocery list. In the middle of it when time is essential in order to keep my pick up time, my two kids begin shouting at each other. I turn and tell them to turn off the game system. They both yell at me in unision, an I begin yelling at them to turn it off and go to their rooms. I grab controllers and walk back into my kitchen and finish what I was doing. A few minutes later my husband returns home happy as you please. He is shocked when he hears what had just transpired. A little later we make grocery run to the commissary and then to Walmart to pick up my order. I am still in need of breakfast sausages and Jasmine Rice.
Wednesday to Sunday became a blur. When the weather turned nice we went on family bike rides and walks. We picked up school lunches on the week days and made our own Saturday and today.
My hometown in Tennessee has provide much online entertainment as I read post after post of hardships caused by the shut down of many businesses and the pros and cons of why people should stay home. Somehow the concept of flattening the curve seems lost on so many. They insist it is essential to eat out when they have the means to eat out. It is as if they do not realize that this is only the beginning. This is where it is about life and death and keeping those we love safe. This is almost like the eye of the storm. Once we can emerge from our homes and regain some sense of normalcy the economy will crash. Unemployment is rising already. I see people eating out and I wonder when they will realize that they should be saving money.
Monday of last week my oldest son became unemployed. Instead of using that as a time to stay home, he ventured from TN to KY to visit his half sister. I was devastated when he called me from her house. I knew he was only a little over an hour away, yet I had to tell him to come. I was hurt that he refused to acknowledge how he was endangering everyone he encountered, to include his grandfather that he lives with. Instead he hung up the phone hurt and angry at me. I sat there on my couch stunned. As a mom I want my home to always be open to my children. But these times are making that hard to do especially if your child lives in another state with your aging parent.
The situation in Mexico where my husband's family lives are not much better. They are faced with job loss and rising food costs and crazy rumors about people going to the hospital and never returning. My husband calls them daily and we pray hard for them.
Saturday we did a three mile hike and came home feeling rejuvenated. Saturday night we sat a safe distance from our attached neighbor. They had a fire going in their fire pit. We drank our own alcohol and enjoyed the fire from the yard as the fire pit was on their back patio. It is strange how you make adjustments to find a semblance of normalcy. We spent an hour outside and then came in to call it a night. Please keep in mind that these are people who like us have had minimal contact with others outside of our homes and our husband's jobs. These are people who live in the same dead end area of the neighborhood. From our chairs we could barely feel the blazing heat of a great fire only remnants of the heat as it drifted up and away.
Today we are relaxing and preparing for the next week. We know that homeschooling has now been announced as "Until further notice" Thankfully we will still have the school lunch pick up.
I am fully sad that I won't be able to plan the end of the year events with my two PTOs. My next Resident Advisory Board meeting will be a phone conference. The two exit rams to the outside towns have been blocked under the guise of maintenance. We are still able to get off post and back on through the one main gate.
Pray for Monday as I am sure it will be a hard one
Thursday, March 26, 2020
The Chronicals of a Not so Ordinary Mom: More Changes
Hello Thursday, normally early release Thursday for the kids.
Last night the husband came in from work late, yes Happy Anniversary to us. In addition to being late, he had a box. As of last night he will be working at home and he will be on call. For the most part the "on call" should have very little impact on him. I took the news with mixed feelings. Yay he will be here should I need his help, and Really? As the night wore on I realized that this would mean even less free time for me to do as I please. It also will be a great time to work on our communication and parenting skills. Hopefully we both survive this.
I mentally prepared myself to the be the first one up, as is normal on any days off he has whether kids are in school or not. So this morning I hit the floor at 6:30, just seconds before his phone began ringing. As I am preparing to get a shower, he comes in to tell me it is 100% accountability via video chat. It was rather interesting watching him call his soldiers while sitting in the bed shirtless and slowly coming awake. Secretly I was glad this happened, so that he would be forced out of bed and it would not just be me going about the morning routine.
Once breakfast was over and cleared away, my sweet husband actually washed the skillets. Honestly though I think he did this to prove that he can wash skillets better than me. Shortly after, we had four computers on and all of us sitting around the table trying to get into the groove. Naturally we missed a video chat. This one was for my daughter. My husband's laptop wouldn't support Google Meet, mine wouldn't connect to the internet, the work computer wouldn't connect to Google. It all ended well, just before I blew a fuse. I will be honest, my voice began to get higher and the stress levels were rising. I rushed around the table to turn on my diffuser and then sarcastically, my husband states that the missing diffuser was really the issue. He begins to lecture about me getting everyone all worked up and causing him undue stress and the scaring the kids.
I ignored him and got my daughter set up to Google meet her teacher. My son began doing his work and endless Google meets. I think he was on that platform for upwards of 2 hours, though not consecutively. Guess what still isn't completed? Google slide project will be completed momentarily.
The kids worked hard, the husband, well I am not really sure what he was doing. He did do a little assisting with math or trouble shooting. I was able to do the scanning and printing of worksheets and signed forms for the kids. It is really more like I am mom, teacher, cook, maid, and secretary. My life is slowly becoming dominated my the kids and I am sure the husband before long.
Lunch break, my daughter asked if we could bike over to the school because it was pretty outside. I quickly agree and because there was a tiny chill in the air, my husband tried to say that we needed to ride in the car. Finally we pulled out the bikes and took the quick ride up to the school and back. Hubby and I ended up eating the school lunch and making the kids something else.
After lunch we got back to it. My poor son is working as hard as can be, but it really feels like he is treading water with little progress. I found out today that one of the things my daughter did yesterday, was supposed to be spread out over a few days. She made great progress on the math platform. By 1:30 it was really time to let her go. She was all worked out. I sent my son outside after his last Google meet, and here in just a bit we will knock out that project.
It is really nice watching the kids and husband play outside while I sit in the shade writing this. I look forward to our walk later and cooking dinner with the husband.
Please continue to pray for all those affected by the Coronavirus. Pray hard, the world needs it.
Last night the husband came in from work late, yes Happy Anniversary to us. In addition to being late, he had a box. As of last night he will be working at home and he will be on call. For the most part the "on call" should have very little impact on him. I took the news with mixed feelings. Yay he will be here should I need his help, and Really? As the night wore on I realized that this would mean even less free time for me to do as I please. It also will be a great time to work on our communication and parenting skills. Hopefully we both survive this.
I mentally prepared myself to the be the first one up, as is normal on any days off he has whether kids are in school or not. So this morning I hit the floor at 6:30, just seconds before his phone began ringing. As I am preparing to get a shower, he comes in to tell me it is 100% accountability via video chat. It was rather interesting watching him call his soldiers while sitting in the bed shirtless and slowly coming awake. Secretly I was glad this happened, so that he would be forced out of bed and it would not just be me going about the morning routine.
Once breakfast was over and cleared away, my sweet husband actually washed the skillets. Honestly though I think he did this to prove that he can wash skillets better than me. Shortly after, we had four computers on and all of us sitting around the table trying to get into the groove. Naturally we missed a video chat. This one was for my daughter. My husband's laptop wouldn't support Google Meet, mine wouldn't connect to the internet, the work computer wouldn't connect to Google. It all ended well, just before I blew a fuse. I will be honest, my voice began to get higher and the stress levels were rising. I rushed around the table to turn on my diffuser and then sarcastically, my husband states that the missing diffuser was really the issue. He begins to lecture about me getting everyone all worked up and causing him undue stress and the scaring the kids.
I ignored him and got my daughter set up to Google meet her teacher. My son began doing his work and endless Google meets. I think he was on that platform for upwards of 2 hours, though not consecutively. Guess what still isn't completed? Google slide project will be completed momentarily.
The kids worked hard, the husband, well I am not really sure what he was doing. He did do a little assisting with math or trouble shooting. I was able to do the scanning and printing of worksheets and signed forms for the kids. It is really more like I am mom, teacher, cook, maid, and secretary. My life is slowly becoming dominated my the kids and I am sure the husband before long.
Lunch break, my daughter asked if we could bike over to the school because it was pretty outside. I quickly agree and because there was a tiny chill in the air, my husband tried to say that we needed to ride in the car. Finally we pulled out the bikes and took the quick ride up to the school and back. Hubby and I ended up eating the school lunch and making the kids something else.
After lunch we got back to it. My poor son is working as hard as can be, but it really feels like he is treading water with little progress. I found out today that one of the things my daughter did yesterday, was supposed to be spread out over a few days. She made great progress on the math platform. By 1:30 it was really time to let her go. She was all worked out. I sent my son outside after his last Google meet, and here in just a bit we will knock out that project.
It is really nice watching the kids and husband play outside while I sit in the shade writing this. I look forward to our walk later and cooking dinner with the husband.
Please continue to pray for all those affected by the Coronavirus. Pray hard, the world needs it.
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
The Chronicals of a Not So Ordinary Mom: The Great Escape
It is another Wednesday, another hump day to mark the passage of a week. A long week at that.
A fun fact, on this day eleven years ago I married my tall, dark and handsome husband. If you have read any of my previous posts, then you know our story. But if you haven't I'll just say we have certainly traveled down a winding road and ascended and descended a few fairly good sized hill. We have survived through the bad and seen the good on the other side. This year hubby is once again in the same zip code that I am in, but he is working late. Lucky him to be attached to the only Brigade at our location that is mission essential. I am finally sitting down to type this out after eating dinner alone with the kids.
The morning started off a little rough. My daughter just could not focus. The more I pushed and tried to engage her, the more distracted and upset she became. As for my son, my husband started him off with Google slides. Five minutes into the project we have tears. He couldn't tell us why he was crying only that we were not doing the slides the right way. He was not communicating with us and once we worked past the lack of communication issue it was smooth sailing. By tomorrow that project should be a thing of the past. One of the teachers that works with both my kids at their respective schools called for a video chat today. It was refreshing to catch up with her and to have someone that listened to my difficulties and challenges and offered up solid advice. Away we went to get the kids lunch and they loved the sandwiches. Finally I had a few minutes to scan several sheets of homework and get them turned into the Google classrooms.
Just before we began after lunch work I put both of our Chihuahuas on their leashes and asked my son to take them outside. My oldest son called and then I sat down with my daughter to get her started. Once I had her writing colorful sentences, I decided to check my FB. As I am scrolling through I see a lost dog picture in my neighborhood, I started to keep scrolling, but then I realized it was my dog. But wait I hadn't taken any pictures of him today, and why is he outside on the leash? Slowly I look up from my phone and over to the couch where I see one Chihuahua. My little girl dog has been a little more restless than normal. I look at my son who is sitting across from me focusing on his school work. "Where is Javier?" He looks up clueless or guilty, I am not really sure. And suddenly my daughter is shouting that her brother let him go when she asked him to look at a caterpillar on the trampoline. He is still trying to maintain his innocence. I am at a loss as I look at him and implore him to explain to me how on earth he goes outside with two dogs and returns with only one. How could he not tell me. He just shrugs "I don't know" "I was distracted" I frantically comment on the picture and send a DM, but I am beginning to realize that thirty minutes has passed and this person might have taken him somewhere as a lost pet. Then I notice that this person has a mutual friend. I call our mutual friend nearly in tears because my sweet Javier is gone. Shortly after our call she sends me the pick up address which is thankfully almost in view of my house. As I start to walk down the road I see a lady with a small animal carrier coaxing an animal out of it. I call "Javi" and instantly he is running to me. The lady and I chat a minute and I explain how this happened. My sweet Javi tends to be a wanderer especially if the kids are outside. Today he took advantage of a dropped leash and went on a stroll only to be apprehended almost in sight of home. The lady said that she was about to take him into the vet to be chipped, and this would have meant doggie jail for him. The rest of the afternoon he stayed on the couch and kept one eye on me at all times. I am so thankful that this had a happy ending. I am also wary of trusting my kids to take the dogs out.
We wrapped up school around 1:30 today. It turned into a beautiful Spring Day and I just could not see keeping the kids inside working on homework. The rest of the afternoon was spent outside with a the kids and a neighbor and her kids enjoying the sunshine. I am becoming accustomed to this new reality. It is not my favorite reality, but what matters most is that my kids are happy and healthy. My oldest is volunteering as a fireman with the rescue squad in our home county in TN. Unfortunately my sister will be unemployed by next week, I have a cousin who is also unemployed and here before long my son might also be unemployed. Let us all join together in prayer for all of those that are being negatively impacted by this situation. Please be with the Military Members whose movements are frozen for 60 days. This will include those set to leave for or return from a deployment.
God Bless!
A fun fact, on this day eleven years ago I married my tall, dark and handsome husband. If you have read any of my previous posts, then you know our story. But if you haven't I'll just say we have certainly traveled down a winding road and ascended and descended a few fairly good sized hill. We have survived through the bad and seen the good on the other side. This year hubby is once again in the same zip code that I am in, but he is working late. Lucky him to be attached to the only Brigade at our location that is mission essential. I am finally sitting down to type this out after eating dinner alone with the kids.
The morning started off a little rough. My daughter just could not focus. The more I pushed and tried to engage her, the more distracted and upset she became. As for my son, my husband started him off with Google slides. Five minutes into the project we have tears. He couldn't tell us why he was crying only that we were not doing the slides the right way. He was not communicating with us and once we worked past the lack of communication issue it was smooth sailing. By tomorrow that project should be a thing of the past. One of the teachers that works with both my kids at their respective schools called for a video chat today. It was refreshing to catch up with her and to have someone that listened to my difficulties and challenges and offered up solid advice. Away we went to get the kids lunch and they loved the sandwiches. Finally I had a few minutes to scan several sheets of homework and get them turned into the Google classrooms.
Just before we began after lunch work I put both of our Chihuahuas on their leashes and asked my son to take them outside. My oldest son called and then I sat down with my daughter to get her started. Once I had her writing colorful sentences, I decided to check my FB. As I am scrolling through I see a lost dog picture in my neighborhood, I started to keep scrolling, but then I realized it was my dog. But wait I hadn't taken any pictures of him today, and why is he outside on the leash? Slowly I look up from my phone and over to the couch where I see one Chihuahua. My little girl dog has been a little more restless than normal. I look at my son who is sitting across from me focusing on his school work. "Where is Javier?" He looks up clueless or guilty, I am not really sure. And suddenly my daughter is shouting that her brother let him go when she asked him to look at a caterpillar on the trampoline. He is still trying to maintain his innocence. I am at a loss as I look at him and implore him to explain to me how on earth he goes outside with two dogs and returns with only one. How could he not tell me. He just shrugs "I don't know" "I was distracted" I frantically comment on the picture and send a DM, but I am beginning to realize that thirty minutes has passed and this person might have taken him somewhere as a lost pet. Then I notice that this person has a mutual friend. I call our mutual friend nearly in tears because my sweet Javier is gone. Shortly after our call she sends me the pick up address which is thankfully almost in view of my house. As I start to walk down the road I see a lady with a small animal carrier coaxing an animal out of it. I call "Javi" and instantly he is running to me. The lady and I chat a minute and I explain how this happened. My sweet Javi tends to be a wanderer especially if the kids are outside. Today he took advantage of a dropped leash and went on a stroll only to be apprehended almost in sight of home. The lady said that she was about to take him into the vet to be chipped, and this would have meant doggie jail for him. The rest of the afternoon he stayed on the couch and kept one eye on me at all times. I am so thankful that this had a happy ending. I am also wary of trusting my kids to take the dogs out.
We wrapped up school around 1:30 today. It turned into a beautiful Spring Day and I just could not see keeping the kids inside working on homework. The rest of the afternoon was spent outside with a the kids and a neighbor and her kids enjoying the sunshine. I am becoming accustomed to this new reality. It is not my favorite reality, but what matters most is that my kids are happy and healthy. My oldest is volunteering as a fireman with the rescue squad in our home county in TN. Unfortunately my sister will be unemployed by next week, I have a cousin who is also unemployed and here before long my son might also be unemployed. Let us all join together in prayer for all of those that are being negatively impacted by this situation. Please be with the Military Members whose movements are frozen for 60 days. This will include those set to leave for or return from a deployment.
God Bless!
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
The Chronicals of a Not So Ordinary Mom: Progress
Tuesday, hmm that sounds boring. In theory I would be counting down the days until next week. Next week is supposed to be our Spring Break. So for right now that means absolutely nothing. It does lighten my workload, but I will still need the kids to catch up on school work that we haven't done. This includes a Living History Poster Board, math exercises, and reading out loud.
Started off good, no dramatics, very little opposition to the work. My son's school called and we worked out a viable schedule. My daughter's meet group made me realize that we had only started on the surface concerning her school work.
Currently I am sitting at the kitchen table between my two kids. I am listening to my daughter do a math exercise on Google Meet with a teacher. My son is pretending that he knows how to write a story. This story is like plain white bread. I have been assisting him with ideas and punctuation and paragraph set up. Overall these two kids have been working hard. Lunch time had to be adjusted a bit to accommodate Google Meets. I am counting down the minutes until we reach a stopping point. I am also hoping that our stopping point allows me enough time to catch up on one show. Just one show, that is all that I really want.
My kids were not as impressed with the school lunch today. My son ate all the chicken nuggets that were between both meals and I made my daughter a peanut butter and Jelly.
Last night my family went on a small neighborhood walk. Our post is doing a Teddy Bear hunt, and were able to see two Teddy Bears. This made my kids so happy. Once we got home they each found a Teddy Bear to put outside. We also drew pretty pictures on our sidewalk for passer byes to see. While we were out we had to pass a playground. Let me tell you that this looked. like a first day of warm weather neighborhood meetup. We walked around the area and were equally surprised that so many people were in one place and all of the kids were playing on the playground equipment. It is equally sad that right now you look at such a scene and think to yourself how reckless this is. Just one month ago we were all flocking to the playgrounds to savor the warm sunshine and the feeling of belonging to a community.
I am not what is considered a millennial as I was born in the late 70s, so this is not my time to shine. I am okay with secluding myself inside my house to regroup, but at some point I will need human interaction again. Right now, this is not possible. I have not been inside of a grocery store since last Friday. I am sure I will have to go soon as we are creeping ever closer to no milk and avocado. Going to the park on Sunday was when I rounded the corner to more caution. I want life to return to normal, whatever that new normal would be. I miss my two PTO board activities and friendships. I miss afternoon pick up at my daughter's school. In the end, I know I am doing what is best for my family. My husband must still go to work, and that in itself continues to put us in a moderate risk area, so this is what we need to do. Never mind that my sister and my dad think that all of this social distancing is for the birds.
In my own home I have played around with conspiracy theories, but honestly, who hasn't? Even before this current crazy, the last four years have been led by the crazy and unpredictable who love to vent all the Nation's problems on social media and sprinkle that with hate and just all around bully mentality. I pray for simpler times, but I guess that is exactly what every generation has done. Imaging that we are experiencing the roaring 20's. Not like the 1920s, but an entirely new version of social and political unrest with a crazy virus to keep it exciting. Even in the 1920,s into the 30's hate and racisms were profound and here we are again. I am a patterns person and that makes me often presume or make conclusions in a particular way.
Ya'll stay strong and keep doing you :)
Started off good, no dramatics, very little opposition to the work. My son's school called and we worked out a viable schedule. My daughter's meet group made me realize that we had only started on the surface concerning her school work.
Currently I am sitting at the kitchen table between my two kids. I am listening to my daughter do a math exercise on Google Meet with a teacher. My son is pretending that he knows how to write a story. This story is like plain white bread. I have been assisting him with ideas and punctuation and paragraph set up. Overall these two kids have been working hard. Lunch time had to be adjusted a bit to accommodate Google Meets. I am counting down the minutes until we reach a stopping point. I am also hoping that our stopping point allows me enough time to catch up on one show. Just one show, that is all that I really want.
My kids were not as impressed with the school lunch today. My son ate all the chicken nuggets that were between both meals and I made my daughter a peanut butter and Jelly.
Last night my family went on a small neighborhood walk. Our post is doing a Teddy Bear hunt, and were able to see two Teddy Bears. This made my kids so happy. Once we got home they each found a Teddy Bear to put outside. We also drew pretty pictures on our sidewalk for passer byes to see. While we were out we had to pass a playground. Let me tell you that this looked. like a first day of warm weather neighborhood meetup. We walked around the area and were equally surprised that so many people were in one place and all of the kids were playing on the playground equipment. It is equally sad that right now you look at such a scene and think to yourself how reckless this is. Just one month ago we were all flocking to the playgrounds to savor the warm sunshine and the feeling of belonging to a community.
I am not what is considered a millennial as I was born in the late 70s, so this is not my time to shine. I am okay with secluding myself inside my house to regroup, but at some point I will need human interaction again. Right now, this is not possible. I have not been inside of a grocery store since last Friday. I am sure I will have to go soon as we are creeping ever closer to no milk and avocado. Going to the park on Sunday was when I rounded the corner to more caution. I want life to return to normal, whatever that new normal would be. I miss my two PTO board activities and friendships. I miss afternoon pick up at my daughter's school. In the end, I know I am doing what is best for my family. My husband must still go to work, and that in itself continues to put us in a moderate risk area, so this is what we need to do. Never mind that my sister and my dad think that all of this social distancing is for the birds.
In my own home I have played around with conspiracy theories, but honestly, who hasn't? Even before this current crazy, the last four years have been led by the crazy and unpredictable who love to vent all the Nation's problems on social media and sprinkle that with hate and just all around bully mentality. I pray for simpler times, but I guess that is exactly what every generation has done. Imaging that we are experiencing the roaring 20's. Not like the 1920s, but an entirely new version of social and political unrest with a crazy virus to keep it exciting. Even in the 1920,s into the 30's hate and racisms were profound and here we are again. I am a patterns person and that makes me often presume or make conclusions in a particular way.
Ya'll stay strong and keep doing you :)
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