A Journey through Summer

The kids are starting to find outlets to express their feeling about COVID-19.  Anna spent a long time at the piano picking out a melody to match the song she wrote.  Probably one of the best melodies she has made.  And I completely relate to the words. Daniel was tasked for art class to draw the villain of COVID-19.  I think his picture speaks for itself. Not all art was so dark today.  Easter is coming with its message of hope.  Let's keep looking towards the Light of the World and his promise that there is indeed Life after Death. Tomorrow I want to get out my camera and capture the blooms of spring.  I don't want to miss my favorite season out of fear.

Guest Blogger John Garner When the pandemic hit, I went through several stages of grief. Namely: 1. Denial 2. Bargaining 3. Anger 4. Acceptance. 5. Wait for help. 6. Get impatient. 7. Grab the boy and science the sh*t out of this place. The 'sciencing the sh*t out of the place' is from "The Martian" in which plan A for a trip to Mars rapidly descends to plan Z when one crew member is left behind. He realizes his resources are limited and the time he has to be there is long so he 'sciences the sh*t out of the place' which is to say applies his incredible creativity and ingenuity to solving critical problems. Although we're not on Mars, we are down to Plan Z. I have made the active decision to embrace the apocalypse and start making the kinds of stuff that would normally come from factories that are covid-a-closed. Because of this decision, I am not bored in this pandemic. In fact, I am working harder now than ever. Today started with hiding in t...

The State of Indiana declared a 'shelter in place' order today in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Only essential personnel is to be going to work.  Only essential businesses will be open like grocery, gas, hardware, daycares, healthcare, etc.  Also businesses that are beneficial towards the effort of helping with the outbreak.  So, riddle me this...what do two essential employee parents do when their childcare puts into place a Zero Symptoms policy for your kid to go to childcare?  Do you scramble to find another way to keep the kids safe, or risk taking your kid to childcare with the understanding that the slighted sniffle can send your kid into a 14 day quarantine? With each day it feels like we are running out of moves to support our family and jobs.  But there is much as stake, so we continue to maneuver through the system. By the end of the day, we all needed to take a walk to shake off the frustrations of the day.  We may not be abl...

Day 1 of Spring Break was not terrible.  Finding that balance between an intended break, social distancing, and keeping up with education demands feels challenging.  There will likely be more screen time, but with focus on content instead of quantity. The weather wasn't very friendly today, so we made sure to get outside early.  I am hoping to somehow move a mile a day.  Today was by bike. I did open the backpacks to at least examine what work was assigned.  Daniel is completely online, but Anna has more worksheet activities, including a full chapter of math.  Yeesh.  Not looking forward to that.  It did spark an interesting conversation between the two kids as to which measurement system was better, Metric or Standard.   Lunch was good and easy, featuring a Spring Break Classic served three ways. Afternoon is always the hardest.  Come 2:30pm the word "Bored" has been expressed multiple times while mom is trying to tac...

I wasn't planning on revisiting this blog again until this summer.  But, the universe had other plans and our family has come together for the next few weeks as we practice (not perfect) the art of social isolation.  Hello COVID-19. I had hoped with spring break on the horizon, we would have the week off and concerns would diminish and school could resume.  School administrators in their understood wisdom decided that 3 weeks of being at home was the better course. So, in our journey through the summer of our lives, I give you the hopefully brief pitstop in the town of COVID-19. Yesterday was Friday the 13th.  And it was not a good day.  Multiple emails heralding a domino effect of one institution after another closing.  Options reducing with each email, quick decisions had to be made.  Clients wondering if I could join them when their time came to go to the hospital.  Add to this a last minute scramble for school forms to turn in and gather...

Last year I was unsure about taking on the kids for the summer, for what was to be dubbed "Mommy Camp".  We survived, thrived, and delved into another school year.  Now we are looking forward to summer and a break from school expectations.  New skills are being learned through softball and tennis.  Other constants like karate, swimming, and art also fill up the calendar. We are grateful I am able to stay home with the kids.  Not just financially, but the ability to more directly lead our kids through the early summer of their lives.  Nothing is perfect, but we are trying to follow the example of The One who is.

There are still about a dozen days of summer before autumn makes its official appearance.   Even so, there has already been a chill in the air during these last few days of summer. One could blame the recent hurricanes for the chill in the weather, but there is another kind of chill creeping in. My daughter sought warmth this morning with her winter coat.   Not until she actually tested the temperature herself, did she believe that a light jacket will suffice.   My body felt tinged with cold yesterday and today.   A battle of the air conditioner against the cold temperatures outside; the house just could not feel warm.   But there was another kind of coldness as well. The summer warmth of time spent together at a relaxed paced has crept away as the busy schedules of school, homework, interviews, and appointments crowded in over the past month. I find myself drawn into the role of student.   I am reading three books at once, wi...