These Weird Times

Sunrise at the bus stop 

The trio last attended school on March 13th, meaning it has been 40 days since we have seen a sunrise. 

These are such weird times. We try to focus on the positive, and we keep news light around the house, especially with the family. However, I have the national and state COVID dashboards running on my iPad at all times, and it's just such a weird and stressful time in a lot of ways.  We focus on the positives but are constantly aware that there are so many variables creating a long road back to normalcy.  

We try to focus on the aspects of this situation that we like. We like having everyone home. We actually like distance learning, although I know how much they want to see their friends. We miss people... family, church, friends. They do miss their sports and extracurriculars, but we love having time to ride bikes, play board games, cook, etc. 

Some things we don't miss at all... like getting up at 5:30am.  

ExtraCurriculars (Remote Edition)

We are grateful for the opportunity to continue our schedule as much as possible. 

Lauren and Grace have fallen into a comfortable routine of having their dance classes on Monday and Tuesday now via Zoom. This has been a great way to keep in touch with their friends from dance, stay active with stretches and technique and to try to learn the routines they were going to perform at the recital in May, which has been postponed indefinitely.  

The good news is that they still get to dance, and Grace is getting to use the new pointe shoes we purchased at the end of February (versus her just outgrowing them during the downtime). But seriously, they are enjoying continuing their schedules as much as possible. 

When school abruptly ended on March 13th, Lauren's instrument was left behind. We were able to go to school Tuesday for a "zero contact" pick up. The band director had left the instruments spaced apart on the sidewalk and was overseeing the pick up from approximately twenty feet away. In addition to dance, they have resumed instrument practice. 

Seeing the school closed and quiet was a little weird for them, but Lauren was excited to have her flute back. 

As mentioned previously, George works on robotics at home on Wednesdays and Thursdays. 

Lastly, George has gotten the girls involved in Minecraft so they spend some time working on that together. This has kept them busy for hours on end, and we can see some of the educational benefits of that particular game. 

How are you staying busy during the quarantine? Have you picked up a new hobby, or are you enjoying more time with a hobby you rarely have time to enjoy? 

Annual 5K + Service Day

Today was supposed to be the sixth annual Bulldog 5K Run at George's school. The girls ran the 5K many times, and George has been looking forward to the run for a long time. We decided to proceed with a 5K at home. George was so excited, and Lauren and Grace were good sports to do it with him. We ran the 5K in our quiet neighborhood, practicing social distancing. This was just for fun, and we didn't keep times. Our "track" involved six uphill climbs, which tested their commitment, but they stuck it out.  

Today was also supposed to be "Service Day" at Lauren and Grace's school. The girls were scheduled to volunteer with the Cahaba River Keepers. They were going to canoe down the Cahaba to some remote locations and pick up debris. They had been very excited about the assignment and were disappointed with school was closed. 

The service day assignments shifted to finding a service project at home. Skip came through with them with a weeding project. They were charged with weeding the front and side flower beds. Since the girls helped George with his 5K recreation, he pitched in and helped them with their service project. 

After the 5K and some yard work, they were basically done for the day. So proud of their hard work. 

Read Across America Week

Read Across America is one of my favorite weeks of the year. As a reader, I love seeing kiddos excited about reading, and Dr. Seuss is just a complete Rock Star in getting children enthusiastic about reading. 

George's school had:

Monday: Hat day

Tuesday: Sock day (no pic)

Wednesday: Wacky Wednesday

Thursday: (no pic)

Friday: Pajama day!

I also LOVE the craft George's teacher developed.  

"I would like to be a surgeon and I would like to be a youtube on weekends."

"I would like to learn to be a surgeon."

"I would want to meet the ceo of apple then I would want to meet bill gates."

"I would like to visit Sydney for a while and see what it's like. I think it would be super fun." 

George, we love your goals and know you are going to do great things!

Stream Night

Last night, George's school had "STREAM" night, a quick come-and-go event where we looked at the science, technological, reading, engineering, artistic and mathematics activities they have been working on. Also, it gave everyone a chance to check out the newly opened building. The new building houses third, fourth and fifth grade classrooms so George is one of the lucky ducks who get to finish out his elementary years in the new space. 

We loved getting to see his new classroom and new work space and remain thankful for this investment in his school. 

Growth at George's School

For the past 18 months there has been construction at George's school. The school will expand, by some estimates almost doubling in student population. Certainly, these are exciting times at our little school. Today there was an official ribbon cutting ceremony, a tour and a small reception.  

I thought I had successfully avoided the camera, but there I am, third from left (in black, of course). 

George's class is so excited about moving in. George is also third from left (below) with gold sleeves.  

We are so happy for George's school for all of the opportunities that growth will bring.