The year 2020 rocked my world. It stretched me to do things I thought I was never capable of doing. And one of those being having all my kids home for a whole year.
With the covid-19 numbers in our area, our health professionals felt like it was not safe for kids to go back to school (even though other states in the country figured out a safe way to get kids back in the classroom) and so the school came up with a virtual option. This was very daunting for me, because I wasn't sure how they would handle zoom school, where in the house they would do school and what that meant for my sanity on a day to day basis. ha!
Bryan and I decided that with these changes, we would move Evelyn to her own room downstairs and let her decorate it how she liked. As well as getting a new desk for all the kids room. It was fun to do these projects with the kids weeks before school started.
Some of my kids took the zoom school easier than others but I'm super impressed with how they all adapted to this new way.
One thing that I loved about him them here, was being more aware of what they were talking about in their classrooms. I loved being able to help each of my children--more than I have in the past.
The slow mornings before school with no rush of trying to find everyone's shoes was appreciated and I also loved how excited my kids were to come find me in the house and say hi during their breaks.
The hardest thing for me was feeling like I couldn't escape during the day to run errands or to the gym. Whenever I left the kids, I hoped that they would stay on their class but also had no idea if they would ever log back on after their breaks. ha! I didn't realize the underline stress I felt every time I left.
The other difficult thing for me, was staying sane through it all. I was so used to getting a break during the day by going to the gym or getting some quiet time to listen to my favorite podcasts, but all of that felt like it was taken away with this new way of school. I had to be creative in how I got my own alone time during the day.
I'm so grateful that on March 15th, Hudson and Jocelyn were able to go back to school and then a few weeks later Evelyn and Christian went back (Christian going every other week) I didn't realize how much I needed that break when all the kids were in school for the first time! (the kids still do virtual in the classroom BUT they are all in school!)
 |
| Jocelyn cuddled up with Ivan during her math class |
 |
| working on her new bedroom |
 |
| grateful for good neighborhood friends (Georgia and Lily) |
 |
 |
| finished product |
 |
| Had to take Jocelyn school shopping for her first year even though we didn't need any of these things |
 |
| new desk |
 |
| first day of virtual school |
 |
| Ivan was so great to go with the flow during this past year |
