Day Five --- Friday, March 20

Day five...

Our morning started early with everyone up (for some strange reason...I don't know why) around 6:15.

First priority - coffee...then breakfast...then a leisurely morning of cartoons for the boys.

 Getting in his morning snuggles with Gus...

A little LEGO building to start his day...

I jumped in to school work pretty early - emails to respond to, gradebook updates to do, Remind messages to check and handle, etc. A lot of students have a lot of questions - how long is this going to last? Am I going to get to go to my senior prom? Are we going to be able to have a graduation ceremony? How are AP exams going to work? My answer has been the same from the beginning of this process --- we care about you and are here to support you, but we have to take things one day at a time - focus on right now - what we can control. Last Friday we thought we'd be out a week, maybe two. This Friday we know we're out at least four weeks. There are so many unknowns and so many things that we can't control. It's very, very, very frustrating for us and is equally so for our students.

 Went to switch out the laundry and realized that all of my laundry is done...like all of it...I think I've entered the twilight zone...

Honesty right here...we didn't do much school work today. We did watch the replays of three of the meet and greet videos that the Cincinnati Zoo is doing on their FB page...but that's about it. 

 Rico the porcupine!

 Sihil the ocelot!

Moe the sloth! 

Then, we went outside and stayed outside for HOURS. It was sunny. The boys were playing. I did a little yard work. It was glorious! 

 Cherokee rose is blooming!

 So are the blueberry bushes!

 And the red buds!

 Wheel barrow fun...

 We came in for a snack and a train building...

 RF said that Daisy looked sad and wanted to go outside, so we collared up the beagles and went for a walk. 

Wandering the yard...

 A great message from our head Eagle this evening...I'm really lucky to work in his building...

 Hours outside have my allergies kicking up in force so dinner in bed for me it was...

RA made the boys dinner and they watched a movie together while I rested from the craziest week ever. 

One minute they are hitting each other and fighting like...brothers and the next minute they are giving each other hugs and verbally forgiving each other for being mean to the other. 

This week was one for the books, y'all. Never have I ever stayed in my house for seven straight days due to a pandemic. 

Stay safe, everyone. Cheers to a relaxing weekend and fingers crossed that week 2 goes well. 

H

Day Four --- Thursday, March 19

Day four...

RA worked from home today so it was really nice to have another set of hands, eyes, and ears to help wrangle our two kiddos. Being a full time stay-at-home mom + a Kindergarten/1st Grade teacher (totally not my background...) + a high school social studies teacher is tough.

 Our usual breakfast has gotten "boring" according to Ellis so we spiced it up a bit with blueberry muffins this morning. 

I went to work checking in with my students online pretty early and around 9:30 decided that I needed a snack, so I grabbed a granola bar and opened it up...

 And I got so busy with my work stuff + school work for the boys that I forgot about it...I took this photo at 11:46am...granola bar for lunch instead of snack, I suppose. 

After lunch I had the privilege (seriously - I was so excited about it) of attending my first virtual faculty meeting with my Eagle family and it was so wonderful to see all of my colleagues and hear their voices. It's only been four days, I know, but I miss my people. 

 The afternoon lesson plan had one task...soak up some Vitamin D. I lounged in the hammock while the boys played on the trampoline and in the treehouse. Thank goodness for some sunshine today. 

An afternoon workout for me, dinner, and family TV time made for a nice, calm evening. 

 While RF took a bath, Ellis and I listened to a read aloud book + a song that his teacher sent out this morning that was all about spring! 

 Japanese magnolia is blooming in the backyard!

Popsicles make it all better...

Today was a good day and I'm thankful for good days. 

Take care. 

H

Day Three --- Wednesday, March 18

Day three...we got word today that we are officially out until at least April 13th...a whole month away from school during the school year...this is so bizarre.

We started the day with a celebration in Hawk house - the puppies, Gus and Daisy, turned FOUR today! They had a mini-birthday cake (wet food as the 'cake' and dog bones as the 'candles') and we sang 'Happy Birthday' to them. :-)

 Sweet puppies! Those two boys LOVE those two dogs...

Happy birthday, Gus and Daisy!

Celebrating being a part of the EHS family this morning while enjoying my coffee...these times are really tough, but it makes it so much more comforting to know that you have a team standing beside you that will walk with you through the situation, side by side, hand in hand. 

The boys did some school work and played outside and watched a few movies.

I spent a good deal of my day sending and responding to over 125 messages from students. I'm making it a point to directly check in on them every few days throughout this time and am making sure that they know they can reach out to me anytime they need anything. It is so nice to hear from them. Their messages really bring a smile to my face especially when every message was positive. They were thanking me for checking in, asking how my family was doing, and asking for help on assignments.

And then I got sad because a number of them, specifically my seniors, sent me messages about how they wanted this situation to be over and how much they missed being at school, and how bummed/mad they were that they were loosing out on some of their most memorable senior year events.

I'll say it again...this is overwhelming.

It's only day three and I miss my students. I miss their smiles. I miss their humor. I miss hearing their thoughts and helping them work through challenges. I miss seeing them enjoying conversations with their friends. I just miss it.

And as complex, and challenging, and tiring, and overwhelming as a 'normal' school day is for teachers I assure you that we'd take those days over these in a heartbeat.

But, we'll stand tall and make the most of this opportunity because we want the best for our students. They deserve it and we will most certainly deliver.

Take care, my friends.
H

Day Two --- Tuesday, March 17

Day two is done. At this point it looks like we will be out at least through the end of the month...possibly (probably?) longer.

Our day was pretty similar to yesterday - coffee, breakfast, outside time, school work, chores, lunch, iPad time for the boys, more outside time, a weight workout for me, dinner, family time, and bed.

 Morning snuggles with Daisy...

 I will say that it has been nice to sit and enjoy my coffee in the morning. 

 We're looking rough for sure, but when he jumps in your lap and asks you to take a picture of the two of you, you do it. :-)

 Once RA got home I pent some time this evening giving myself a mini facial. It was so relaxing. 

 Daddy helping his littlest buddy put together some mini-vacuum robot thing...

It's like a Roomba...kind of. It doesn't go very fast (nor does it really pick up much dirt/dust), so Gus wasn't really amused by it. 

I did spend a good bit of time this morning checking in on some of my students. I need them to know that we are still here to support them even though we're doing so remotely. Most of them were in good spirits, but I can tell that some of them are just as overwhelmed as the adults are right now. Reassurance that we are all in this together and that we care for them on the whole, not just academically, was my primary point of conversation with them. I will say that I am especially thankful for the ability to communicate with my students via our online platforms and safe texting app, Remind. And I hope they are thankful that we're checking in on them.

We (the boys and I) still haven't left the house and we certainly have everything that we need, but it feels weird to not jump in the car and run to Target, or to grab coffee, or to the park. I have a feeling this is our new normal for quite some time, though, so I might as well get used to it.

So many deep thoughts, worries, and concerns, but I'm tired. And overwhelmed. Have I mentioned that this is overwhelming?

Stay safe, my friends.
H

Day One --- Monday, March 16

Day one is done...no clue how many more to go...

I started the day with about 7 minutes of silence from the time RA left for work to the time the boys woke up.

 Morning snuggles on the couch with their puppies...

We did a few chores (laundry, vacuuming, loading the dishwasher, etc.) before starting on the day's schoolwork. 

 Ellis practiced his sight words, read one of his books, and worked on both a math and a language arts lesson on an online program. 

 RF worked on spelling words, read one of his chapter books for 20 minutes, and worked on a math and language arts lesson on his online program. 

While the boys both worked on their school work, I made sure to check in with my students via our online platforms and my administration team via email. All is going well so far. This is a bizarre situation to be in and we are trying to figure it out as we go.

 The dogs did a great job holding down the couch while we were busy around the house...

I sent the boys outside to play for a while before making their lunch. After eating, they enjoyed a little iPad time while I ate my lunch. 

 Soup and an episode of NCIS...

The boys went back outside for a little while and I read on the back porch while listening to them imagine all sorts of crazy story lines. 

 Got a text that my FFF order had been delivered! Yay!

 Look at all of those goodies!

 I LOVE FFF!

The boys came in for a snack and some LEGO building time, so I decided to paint my fingernails. 

 Teal...

I was feeling a little blah, so I decided to go ahead do a 45 minute weight routine since I can't go to the gym right now (kid zone is closed...). 

 Worked arms, legs, and core. I always feel a ton better after I work out. 

 After a shower I realized that I changed out of one pair of yoga pants and a tank top into another pair of yoga pants and a tank top...#comfortable

 An afternoon walk around the yard allowed me to see quite a few beauties in bloom...

 And more outside for these two boys...they love to be outside. 

I got a text from Ellis' teacher that she was going to read a book on FB Live to any student who wanted to watch. When I mentioned it to Ellis he got so excited! We watched as she read Llama Llama Red Pajama. She even said a personal hello to each student that was watching - Ellis was so happy when she said hello to him!

After dinner, we watched a re-play of an earlier FB Live event that the Cincinnati Zoo did about the hippos in their zoo. They are going to do a show each day where they get up close and personal with the animals so that students can see the behind the scenes stuff. RF and E both really liked it! 

It was a really long day, but a really good day. 

As overwhelming (see my previous post) as all of this is, it has been incredible to see everyone working together to try and make the best of the situation. 

Stay safe, my friends. 

H

Anyone else overwhelmed?

It's been a while since I've posted. Life has been busy, but it looks as though I'll have more time on my hands for the foreseeable future as our school district has closed until...

I find myself overwhelmed. Overwhelmed at the vastness of the situation. Overwhelmed at the response of people to panic. Overwhelmed at thinking about the long term implications of this situation. Overwhelmed at thinking about how some of my students will handle this situation when the only two meals they eat a day are on our campus. Overwhelmed at how fast things are happening. Overwhelmed at all of  the unknowns. Just completely overwhelmed...

While everything out there is overwhelming, I take solace and find comfort in the fact that everything in here is just fine. We intend on spending our time together - reading, playing, laughing, and keeping the important parts of life as our focus.

My type-A personality is on overload trying to plan for how these next few days/weeks/months will play out both for my family, for my students, and for the families of the students I work with everyday. I don't have the answers, but I know that we will do the best we can with what we have.

I started a To-Do list today of things that I want to accomplish while we are hanging out at home. Today's task focused on deep cleaning the living room. I started deep cleaning and then got the idea to rearrange the furniture. No telling what my house will look like at the end of this experience. :-)

 Rearranged...

 Different perspective...

Stay safe, my friends. This too shall pass. 

H

Spinning 2,020 miles in 2020!

I've never been a big New Years Resolution setting person, but in the past few years I've been better about setting goals for myself. Some are pretty simple and as I've done them consistently they've become habits that are pretty much just a normal part of my life.

Exercise though has always been a struggle - finding the time to do it, finding an exercise program that I actually liked, staying consistent, etc. Through a few different issues last fall, I came to the realization that it was something that I had to do and I had to do it now - it was a non-negotiable. So I made myself prioritize going to the gym five days a week. I gave myself two off days, but five days a week I would do a 45-minute workout. I started going back to spin classes and fell back in love with the chance to zone out for 45 minutes, sweat a whole bunch, and listen to some great music. Our local YMCA has spin or spin and strength classes six days a week, so it was perfect for my five day a week goal.

By the end of 2019 I was feeling much better physically (I had dropped just under 20 lbs) and mentally. As 2020 arrived I knew that I needed to set some goals to continue pushing myself and prioritizing working out. And thus the goal of 2,020 miles in 2020 was decided. It averages to about 170 miles a month which is do-able. So, this month I pushed myself and made it to 150 miles today!

I found a FitBit watch that I wanted earlier this month and decided that I'd get it when I reached 150 miles - got it today - whoop whoop!

Some days I do a full spin class and some days I do spin and strength where we spin for a few songs and then do a weight routine for a song, so I end up spinning a few less miles in those classes but the weight routine has really helped me tone up my arms and core.

Some of the days with a 0 were 0 miles spinning, but I still worked out. When I can't get to the gym I've been doing a 45-minute weight routine at home. 

I still have a ways to go to meet my weight goal, but I've lost 30 pounds and most importantly I feel better, not perfect all day everyday, but better. I've cleaned up my eating as well (for the most part...some days you just need a milkshake, right?) and I think that along with the exercise has helped me realize that I have to put my health (physical and mental) high on the priority list.

This year is going to be a great one and pushing myself to spin over 2,000 miles is going to be a big part of that. It won't be easy. And some days I won't want to go, but the pros compmletely outweigh the cons.

So cheers to 2020 - a year of spinning my way towards a big goal and accomplishing lots of smaller goals along the way!