Home Schooling! Lockdown! Quarantine!

It’s been an interesting year thus far. 5 months of quarantine, virtual learning and lockdown. Terms we never thought we would hear. If someone had talked about this in 2019 we would have laughed out head off as the biggest joke! But thats the new normal in 2020.

It started out as murmurs about this mystery virus called Corona virus or COVID spreading in China and then Italy. The murmurs strengthened as it hit Seattle and slowly we began to understand the true term of globalization. In days the whole world had been impacted. On March 13th most of America went into lock down. Offices closed, schools closed and everyone went virtual. As weeks went by a new reality took shape. We watched as kids and teachers struggled with Zoom meetings and families struggled with technological needs and quiet spaces. Soon kids had become quite savvy at navigating the virtual world. Friends and family mocked the virus and those who feared it correlating it with the flu. But it started hitting home as the elderly started dying in throves, and the virus spread unchecked. Masks started coming on and were mandated everywhere. Masks and hand sanitizers are the way of life!

5 months and a long summer break later, we are still home all virtual! And countries struggle to find the cure, the light at the end of the tunnel! Businesses and families alike have defined a new normal. It’s a very different time and world.

Yet I am thankful. It’s brought us closer, we have been blessed to be able to stay healthy both physically and mentally. To have the space and resources to be able to survive this. To have friends that have got us through the days when we just needed to meet someone else. 

As the new school year started Tootsie started planning. 2 weeks before the first day a new desk was ordered, the computer was moved to her room and a sign was made that had 2 sides “Learning” and “Break”. And parents were told in no uncertain terms that we were not allowed to enter when the sign was on! Dad made the mistake of knocking a day when the sign was on break, Tootsie ran out turned the sign to “learning” and ran right back in without a second look, closing the door behind her. That pretty much sums up her approach to everything! :)

Cheeky on the other hand insisted he needed no desk or supplies until the Sunday night before first day of school. On Sunday night he walked up to us having peeked into sister’s room and asked “Hey guys, where am I going to work?” We said “We asked you and you said you didnt need anything?” So Cheeky says “And you thought I was just going to skip school this year? What was your thinking?” So we scrambled and figured out what to do come Monday morning which involved kicking mom out of her office!! 2 days later we were in trouble for being too loud, sneezing too hard and causing too much distraction! And the show was moved to the basement and locked away!

So now we are all in different floors. Dad and daughter co-exist on the top floor. Mom and Puppy take the main floor and Mr. Boss man has the basement! Story of our lives! Thanking our blessings we have the space to spread out and stay out of trouble from the Boss Man and Girl Boss (she even has the sign on her desk that says that).