Day One
When the quarantine and ‘social distancing’ really started in earnest, my boys were on Spring Break from school. Their teachers had sent home some packets for them “just in case” but I wasn’t worried about it all. Yet. Even when the call came in that school was going to be cancelled for another week. Then till April 6th. Then for the rest of the school year.
We were still on Spring Break. And my boys were going to get their break. Even when we had to cancel our Texas Tour vacation, my boys still got their break. We watched movies and played with our best neighbors and ate sugar. Lots of sugar.
And then the call came down that KC was going to go to full “lock down”. It started one day after we were going to go ‘back to school’ so we just made it all happen the following Monday.
I never wanted to Homeschool my kids. I knew I didn’t really have the temperament for it and I always believed in Public Education. But know…I, like everyone else, was being forced to figure it out.
Now because all teachers are amazing, they wanted to help. They had already sent home packets and were emailing the parents telling them that more information would be coming soon. Teachers were posting resources on Facebook and offering their services, as well as contacting students to let them know they missed them. My sister, who teaches 2nd grade, has been sending me a TON of activities and videos and websites that she knew my boys would like. Teachers man. They’re AWESOME.
BUT I still wanted to do something for that first day. So I documented it. Not just the schooling but the whole day. There’s nothing dramatic about the day. It was just the fact that it was happening; that was dramatic enough. Yes, it is long. I thought about breaking it up into morning and afternoon but thought that would be dishonest because then it wouldn’t be Day One in it’s completion.
Take what you will from this. Read it and laugh. Read it and say ‘well, that was dull’. Read it and know you’re not alone in figuring out this new weird reality. And then trust that just like the day, it will end.
7:15 am
- Wake up, check phone for updates, check on husband
7:20
- All three little people come join me in my room.
o I’ve got to say, the cuddling is a fantastic side effect of everyone being stuck at home. My new normal is three little people climbing into bed with me and snuggling up. Sometimes they fall back asleep, sometimes we talk, sometimes they just talk and I listen. It’s restorative to the soul.
7:50 am
- Brushing my teeth and I hear my boys arguing about watching the news. Twin B wants to watch something else while his brothers insist they need to watch the news because that is what they do on school days.
o Twin B, “But it’s not a school day!”
o Twin A, “But Mom told us we’re going to pretend like we’re in school.”
o …not exactly what I said…
8:00 am
- Finish the news, told Twin B to go get dressed so we can start our new routine.
o “Mom, we don’t have a routine!”
o “We’re starting it today. Go get dressed.”
8:05 am
- “I told you to get dressed.”
- “I don’t want to.”
- “Excuse me?!”
- “…yes ma’am.” (You can add your own slightly belligerent intonation and quiet stomping halfway up the stairs.) Whoo-boy.
o This is the kid who was fine when we announced all of these changes. Up until now, they’ve still technically been on Spring Break. But now that we’re actually into the new day-to-day stuff? He’s going to have a hard time. A really hard time. Because he’s the kid that likes the routine. No, not the routine, HIS routine.
8:07 am
- I start to put everything together, organizing their papers, running through the stuff for today, and am hit with panic.
o “Oh no, oh no, oh no, what am I doing? How am I going to do this? What if I screw them up? What if the next two months are a disaster? How are we going to get through this?!”
o “Whoa. Want to talk to me about it?”
- Reset: Go to my closet; shut the door (mostly. I mean, I still have kids), sit down and pray.
o Breathe in…Holy Spirit speak…Breathe out…Father, help me. Repeat.
8:15 am
- Breakfast for all, worship music on
o Bless the Lord, oh my soul. Ooh, my soul. Worship His holy name…
8:28 am
- Brothers squabble because Oldest took something out of Twin B’s treasure box. (A pretty serious no-no in our house. Treasure Boxes are safe from other little hands. The only people allowed to go in Treasure Boxes are the owner and parents.)
- Twin B yells and hits Oldest.
- Talk to Twin B about knowing it can be hard for him to handle changes but that it’ll be okay. Make apologize, go walk to his room, calm down, and then come back down.
- Get on to Oldest about messing with Twin B on purpose.
- Back to setting up.
8:32 am
- Talk about what school is going to look like, where it’s going to take place, and get the house ready for it together.
8:35 am
- Send everyone to their room for them to reset due to general ugliness of attitude.
o Sometimes with kids it’s a great idea for them to get to help set something up. It gives them a sense of ownership and control. It can also help them process emotions. It can help them not freak out over a big change. And it often works. Today it did not.
8:36 am
- Totally lose my cool and yell at them as they stomp and whine up the stairs.
8:38 am
- Try not to cry.
- Hear little voices whining down to me and tell them not to talk to me for a few minutes.
o This may sound harsh. And it is. But there is a crack or two in the dam and if I don’t catch them, seal them, and recheck the dam, the day is going to drown and the cleanup will be significantly harder.
- Pray and think how ridiculous this all is.
- Tell Despair to SHUT UP and pray again. Remind myself that they are small; they are freaked out (even if they don’t understand that they are freaked out). This is how it all comes out. And it will happen again. Several times over the next months.
- Sit quietly again.
8:43 am
- read and watch a video from Uncle Chad
o A laughing and dancing baby, full of joy. A nice little gift.
o Thanks, Uncle Chad!
8:48 am
- A calm little voice asks for me to come and look at their rooms. “But not yet! Come up when we’re done cleaning them.”
o My boys decided amongst themselves to clean their rooms, complete with making their beds. They found a thing they could control and they wanted to make their mom smile.
o My heart nearly bursts out of my chest. God is so good.
8:49 am
- Check on the squealing puppy. He’s taken to playing too rough with the cat and finally caught a claw to the face for it. Puppy retreats to his water bowl.
8:50 am
- Cat entices dog to play again. They play hide and seek.
o Seriously. The cat runs around the couch and the dog peers over the edge trying to spy the cat. If he does, then the chase is on.
8:51 am
- Feel sick to stomach…remember my toast is still in the toaster. Now cold. Reheat in the toaster and eat with lots of butter.
8:59 am
- Go look at their rooms. Am lead by the hand with eyes closed. (I peek of course. You think I completely trust their depth perception yet?)
- They are so proud of themselves and are showing so much love. “Thank you Lord for my little miracles. I love them so much.”
- Lots of praise and hugs. I apologize for yelling.
- “Are we ready to try again?”
- We try again.
9:03 am
- Actually clean the new school place
9:12 am
- They pick their SPOTS for school.
- Twin A requests toys of bins so that they can start the day with “Bin Time” like they do at school.
- I deny that request, not bothering to point out that their whole house is a “bin”.
9:17 am
- Start with Math and are walking around helping them get going.
- Wonder when I last mopped the Dining Room floor. NOT pleasant on bare feet. I’m sure I’ll get to it later that day or tomorrow…
9:45 am
- After “arguing”/assuring the Oldest that I do understand addition, we’re trucking right along.
- Turn off the phone because everyone in the world is texting or calling me now. It’s school time people.
9:53 am
- We move on to our third worksheet as Spring by Vivaldi comes on the Echo. Seems very appropriate.
10:07 am
- They’re moving and grooving on this worksheet so I steal away to clean the kitchen.
10:08 am
- I go back in the dining room to get them back on task.
10:37 am
- Recess time
o It’s very important to all the kids that we refer to it as “First Recess”.
11:10 am
- Resume school with minimal fuss.
12:00 pm
- It’s time for “Second Recess” but the HVAC man has come for our vernal checkup. What a weird interaction that was.
o I give him directions through the screen door and then step into the kitchen and watch him walk around to the thermostat then follow my directions to the unit in the basement.
- Children are “patiently” waiting for him to leave so we can go on our bike ride to the Climbing Rocks.
12:30 pm
- HVAC checkup complete. He hands me the paperwork like we’re stretching across a vast expanse and one of us could lose our balance and fall into the abyss.
- Begin bike ride.
12:33 pm
- Twin B and wait patiently while Twin A and oldest run back to the house for their bike helmets.
o Yes, I should’ve noticed sooner.
1:10 pm
- Bikes rode, rocks climbed, scooter rescued from the stream after it rolled in, dog didn’t pee once, took a wide berth around two neighborhood women out walking without a care in the world. Successful P.E. outing!
- Dad home when we get back.
- Boys devour chips (after washing hands, don’t worry), I make sandwiches for all.
1:30 pm
- Watch Rikki Tikki Tavi as a family.
o Yesterday we watched a show about King Cobras. Mom and Dad start talking about this cartoon and wonder if we own it. We didn’t but do now. Yay, Amazon!
o The children start out with all the questions.
o Orson Well’s melodic narration can even make 3 rambunctious boys be still.
2:00 pm
- Quiet Time
o New favorite time of day complete with new favorite Relaxation playlist on the Echo, “Meditation”.
o Everyone sits on our bed, everyone has a book, Mom falls asleep.
4:00 pm
- Wake from nap because had a dream that I had ‘the Corona’ because in the dream I was short of breath. Turns out there was a cat, also napping, on my chest and neck.
- See that Daddy has been guarding me from Small Ones so that I can actually rest.
- I thank him and promptly reaffirm that THIS is why the cat is not allowed to sleep with us.
4:45 pm
- Head to Wal-Mart for cat food. If we waited another day said cat might try to devour the small ones as they slept. If we let him sleep with humans that is.
o He’d never eat me, I’m his favorite.
- Daddy watches Space Jam with the boys.
5:00 pm
- Arrive at Wal-Mart; check with neighbors to see if they need anything, note requests.
6:00 pm
- Finally make it back home.
- Deliver items to neighbors, leaving them on their front porches.
o Realize how grateful I am for smiling faces. Wal-Mart feels desperate and aggressive and cynical. Make a personal note to keep smiling at people and keep waving at people and keep making eye contact with people. All of that can be done through windows and from far away. The joy of the Lord is my shield.
- Immediately take off clothes once inside. Washing arms and hands and then using hand sanitizer.
o Good to note that I also used hand sanitizer as soon as I got in my car and wiped down my steering wheel and door handle with a disinfectant wipe.
- Make dinner, jamming to the last songs of Space Jam. Remember how fun the soundtrack is and being a cheerleader 23 years ago.
7:00 pm
- Boys do chores, Mom works on her abs.
7:10 pm
- Eat late dinner as a family
- After, Daddy and I take Bruce around the yard. Just us so we can be Husband and Wife for a few minutes instead of just Mommy and Daddy.
8:15 am
- Husband to bed
- Boys pick up toys, put on pjs, and watch two episodes of Ultimate Spiderman.
- I clean the kitchen and then sit with them.
9:00 pm
- Boys to bed
- Finish listening to a book on tape
o Figure dinners for the next week, evaluating stock of dinners after that
o Figure 2 days worth of lessons and make flashcards for sight words and Spanish words for the next two days.
o Complete two recipes for a cookbook for a friend.
11:30 pm
- Prepare to head up to bed, turning off all the lights and such.
11:32 pm
- Remember to put together smoothie things for husband to take to work in the morning.
11:45ish pm
- Put puppy to bed
- Head up to bed, thank the Lord for the day
