How are you holding up with quarantine?

I have a love/hate relationship with it all

It is the best time ever

I love having my kids home

I love not waking them for school

I love watching and listening to them interact all day

I am not saying it’s all lavender and sunshine

I get tired of the whining and tattling and teasing

I sigh and grumble

And sometimes holler

The homeschool has gotten much more challenging this last week

I knew I needed to change something after I had a tantrum in the kitchen while helping one of the girls with her Math

She was being whiny and giving no effort

I was having no patience

She was being overdramatic and I was being over reactive

I took her Math papers and ripped them into pieces

I know, so sad

And a good reminder for me

So I gave myself a brain power limit of four hours, two chromebooks going at a time with me in between the two kids who are on them

School time is only from 10am to 2pm

Monday Tuesdays Thursdays and Fridays

Wednesday is No Electronic Day and we do art and reeeaaad or go on a field trip

I removed the pressure from myself to make sure every kid turns in every assignment every week

I even did one assignment for my ninth grader while he worked on another

I would rather he was back in the shop working on his dirt bike

He will remember how to repair a dirt bike

Will he remember the dates and names of all the important people and places in American History?

Do you?

I would rather get through the schoolwork as quickly as possible and get on to what they love

And if researching how a Tesla engine works is what he would really like to do, I’ll finish that Language Arts paper for him real quick so he can get on with it

We have to prioritize and re-prioritize daily, almost hourly

And schoolwork isn’t always going to have the front burner or center stage

I give myself permission to lighten my load however possible during this time

So thankful the teachers are so understanding

And patient and helpful

And there for us

I think I understand why there are three recesses a day and parties happen often in public school

I admit I was a bit judgmental of the amount of party days they had

They are not for the kids

They are to give the teachers a much needed break

The brain power those teachers have

So much appreciation for them right now more than ever

And for the school office staff

I’m over here asking each child of mine

‘What grade are you in again?’

‘Who’s your teacher?’ (again)

While Tasha the lady at the front desk at the elementary school would say

‘Good morning Andrea! Mrs. Denney right? Your class is in Art right now, have a good day hon!’

While simultaneously writing her a pass and excusing her tardy on the computer and inquiring about our other girl who went home with an earache yesterday, and I have already forgotten about the earache

I’m in awe, thinking ‘Don’t you have like a thousand students??’

Just hats off