We have been back from Colorado for a whole week of school at home. The Park Hill School district had spring break March 16-20th so we went to Colorado to carefully connect with family. It was over the top wonderful to see Grammy and Granddad, Tamara, Bill and Molly, Maama and the quints, and most especially, to stay with and wake up to Remi and Crosby Sears at John and Natalie’s classy and comfy home. We went to skate parks and climbed Matthews Winters Red Rocks trail. We went to pick up Thai food and grabbed 7-11 with napkins over the pulls of the Slurpee machine. Otherwise, we were inside homes and walking on sidewalks. Lord have mercy on all the interactions and hugs we shared. Still unknown if we are infected or not. So far so good.
Back at home, we have had a smooth week of adjusting to sheltering in place. Mayor Quinton Lucas instated “Stay Home KC” for March 24-April 24th for the city. Park Hill schools have been amazing at providing a myriad of educational modules, interfaces, personalities, check-ins, and quality education for my kids in 1st, 6th, and 7th grade.
Eli and Andi have spent the week on their computers in multiple classes on a normal schedule of red and white days. Their teachers have done amazingly well to move classroom lectures and lessons to virtual environments. Eli and Andi work diligently and independently for almost four uninterrupted hours. They are handling the social isolation well. I thank our two years of homeschool for the mental and emotional pathways already paved to handle these changes.
Oakley is enjoying his best life with hours to play imaginatively each day. He plays Lego spread through two bedrooms (his and mine) and two floors of the house. Around 11am, he comes to start his school day with a teacher check-in questionnaire, math, reading and science work and then does Ipad reading and handwriting worksheets.
A tension: Usually I dislike and want to minimize technology. Now I’m grateful my kids are into their screens for 6 hours a day. Screens are how we connect!?! Not what separates us. AND YET a screen instead of a teacher and friends in class..ick. Not the same. Especially for Oaks.
I get to work in my regular home office with extra coworkers. So far it’s scattered and getting on phone calls and zoom meetings are more interrupted but life is pretty normal for me.
Drew is working to lead, make decisions and push along a tax season now extended until August. He’s busy in all the normal ways and then some.
Andi did her Monday night dance online thanks to the professional and personal creative work of teachers at Diane’s School of Dance.
We are very encouraged and uplifted by our church’s virtual gatherings. The words of prayers and songs pierce hearts in ways we don’t usually feel. Even our kids have had youth group on zoom and a video lesson for Oaks came Monday as well.
It’s hard to believe this will last four weeks, maybe more.
- Drew instituted family hot seat around the dinner table- great questions asked by all, sweet sharing time for sure.
- Drew encourages us to facetime to connect with family each evening. Erica got all the Osborne’s on MarcoPolo for video sharing sweetness all week.
- We are beyond grateful to have our new (got it in November) trampoline for frequent breaks. Sweet space for alone time, tricks, parent and kid play, and plenty of sibling sweetness and battles.
- We worry about small businesses and want to help by ordering food from our local restaurant kitchens.
We are sad to have fun and ministry canceled- skiing in Colorado, Heather and Toby’s visit from England, YL MSLI, YL Family Camp, family dinner with the Bruces, Crossfit classes, Scouts, Oakley’s soccer season, Eli’s track season, Eli’s session at the Copper Mountain Woodward Trick Barn, getting our teeth cleaned, sports (real and fantasy), and being with our friends.
The bottom line- we have profound privilege and comfort. These past three weeks of COVID-19 have also been weeks of loss and grief for my friends. I can’t believe how the pain of losing a family member for three of my friends (cancer, stillborn baby, and suicide) adds to the uncertainity, disruption, sadness, and loss.
It feels like the theme of the week overall is great gratitude for how little we are affected. We are very blessed. We are happy with the change of pace, less to do at night, more time for each other, and lots of sleeping in. At the same time, we miss our individual activities, we wish we could do the work we find meaningful, and we like our morning bus rides with friends.
Like Paul says, “I’ve learned to be content in times of plenty (pre-COVID-19) and in want (now)”… We are learning and are sometimes closer to content than others.
How long are we thinking this contentment refining process might be?…
Our family at “church”
We miss you Crossfit Northland! Making the best of it in our basement
Oakley reads on Raz Kids
Eli and Andi- smiling and working hard
Spring Break! We had sunshine, snow and even a horse to pet within walking distance.
