Pogativity

The Cathedral's Patronal Feast St. Mary's Orthodox Cathedral - at the start of Vespers (courtesy Fr. Benjamin Tucci) Tonight was just what I needed - a calming evening in church with the boys to celebrate the Protection of the Theotokos. "Calming" and "with the boys" don't often go together, but tonight they were both so well behaved and the singing was a balm for the soul. M decided he was going to stand the entire service. I told him he could sit during the Old Testament readings, but he refused and stood the entire time. L worked on crossing himself correctly and pointed out each of the plagues on the Egyptians in his Children's Bible.  Throughout the chaos of the world today, I just wanted to go to church. Yes, it was our feast, but something just drew me this evening. As we were driving down, we could see the storms rolling in with the lightning streaking across the sky. The first drops began as we raced into church. Once we settled in, a peacef

Wednesday Learning Challenges Today was a bit of a mess. I didn't exactly plan for school work, other than L had his first Google Meet with his half of class. M's Wednesday work was one page of Math Facts (100 addition facts) and reading for at least 30 min. I had blocked one hour of time from 9-10 am to help the boys with anything they needed. Of course, I worked 12 minutes into that time and then had to 1) scramble to get L to change out of PJs before his Google Meet at 9:30, 2) convince M to relinquish the computer so L could have Grid View (I don't know how Google Meet works on the iPad yet), 3) convince L to do his meeting at his desk and remind him the rules of the meetings, and 4) realize at the last minute that I'm still in my PJ pants and may be seen on the screen, so change into actual pants. We made it and L had a successful meeting! Google Meet with L's Kindergarten Math Facts Time! Then on to M's work. He had a sheet of 100 addition facts. At the bo

Second Grade & Kindergarten I can hardly believe that my baby is in kindergarten! My lands, they are growing up so fast! Yesterday, we made a last ditch run for haircuts, which turned out awesome!  Seriously... a car that runs on toothpaste? Eventually I’ll let him know maybe he would want to consider “alternate fuel sources” 🤣 Deciding to do the hybrid model for school this year was a happy medium for us. I don’t think that school full-time for us would have been ideal, given the class sizes. For them to be able to go two days a week, this would allow them some social interaction as well as safety in smaller class sizes. M has 12 kids in his class, L has 9. We carpooled to school with a neighbor friend, and it was so chaotic at the drop off that I didn’t even have time for tears. I got a little emotional after I got home, but these COVID days are not the same. Any other year, I would have been a blubbering mess! School Prep Has anyone ever mentioned how challenging it is to get o

I have struggled with the senselessness of this past week. I have not had the words to express my sadness, anger, frustration. How can a man be dead when he complied with officers? How does NOT ONE officer in attendance step in and say, "Enough?" How does one who has so many complaints against him still patrol the streets? What has allowed this behavior to continue? How does it take so long to arrest the offending officer? I have so many questions and no answers.  And then the rioters. I believe in peaceful protest. Yes, Ma rtin Luther King Jr said, "A riot is the language of the unheard." But he also said, " Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.”  How does burning down local businesses, restaurants, and looting further the cause? Rather than focusing on the truth of what happened, those who are violently protesting are distracting from what happened.

It's been awhile. Work, home school, and singing for Pascha kept me busy. But I will try to be back more frequently. I realized this is a good a journal as any and I'm terrible at writing in a physical journal with a pen. I have the best of intentions, but it never seems to stick. How many times do you need to do something to form a habit? Porch Photo Shoot Late last year, I decided to move our annual photo shoot to the Winter or Spring, rather than the Fall. We have a lot of family photos with colorful leaves and brown grass. I thought, "What fun if we do a Winter shoot in the snow!" Then COVID-19 hit. Needless to say, we didn't get photos taken. Then, a neighbor posted her photographer would be in the neighborhood doing Porch Photos! Perfect timing, as we also needed a photo to submit for the Church montage for Pascha. Our photos turned out awesome, despite L having a small meltdown just as she arrived. Angela Rabbitt was amazing! She kept her social d

I have always wanted to share the experience of Holy Week and Pascha with my friends and those who inquire about Orthodoxy. Words cannot convey the beauty of the hymns, the depth of the sorrow as we lead the body of Christ to his tomb, the joy as we celebrate His resurrection! It is a journey that begins long before the raising of Lazarus or the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and culminates in a procession by the entire congregation around the outside of the church at midnight. Bells ringing, choir singing, candles, banners, censers with bells - a joyous cacophony greeting the Resurrected Lord! Oh, and then there is Paschal Vespers on Sunday afternoon that nearly everyone returns for, as well. How does one explain that to be in church and truly  experience  Holy Week is the only way to do it - all the services! A quartet (Fr. Andrew and three singers) is not quite the same. But it will still be beautiful and joyful and perhaps we will find beauty in the simplicity this year. We won&

End of Week Two I saw  THIS VIDEO  in a Facebook group and I think it pretty much sums it up. I love how Ms. Kelley states it, whoever she is. Gonna go grab those tissues now.  We have Friday off because it’s Western Good Friday. Signed the boys up for CILC morning. That at least gets me 1.5 hours of solid work time.   Stay safe everyone!

Week One Home School We have survived our first week with Mommy and Daddy as teachers. No one has been suspended or expelled yet, but there have been several breaks taken and calming corner (bedroom time out) moments leveraged. There have been many "BBC Dad" moments with one or both appearing (invited and not) in my Zoom VC  meetings. Fortunately, there are also other children, pets, spouses and all manner of interruptions in those same meetings. Day One We embarked on home learning with a strong start, but quickly hit a roadblock. The Seesaw app and Schoology, the tools our teachers are using to communicate, both went down at some point in the morning, stopping lessons in their tracks. Schooling went into the evening, due to the (lack of) cooperation of M & L, but all was completed. I worked at my desk with the boys at a table behind me so I could help when they needed assistance. Which was ALL. THE. TIME. Also, don't have anything beyond Monday for L's

First Day of Home School We have survived the First Day of Homeschool 2020! Copying our friends (and everyone else), we took First Day photos. Not like I had about 20 other things I could do with my time this morning, but how cute would the scrapbook spread look with this photo? It might have been better if their PJs were still on, but we are aiming for getting clothes on each day. Not sure how much longer I can hold out attempting a haircut. 😂 M & L are set up on the porch behind me so that I can help quickly with any questions. Their location is just off the screen from my webcam, so they won't interrupt my video conferences. I hope...  The morning started off strong with us getting logged in a little after 9 am. M was set with his Morning Work and Everyday Math. Unfortunately, not long after we began, the Seesaw app and Schoology went down. Guess they needed to pressure test the stability a bit more. Fortunately, Mrs. P sent us an email with the details and i

Interstate State Park As we went to bed last night, we decided a change of scenery would be a good idea. Let's get out of the house. Even though it was supposed to rain, we figured we could put on our rain jackets and rain boots and get a little fresh air at one of the closer MN State Parks . Maybe we could catch a short hike before the rain began. First off, both boys (and Mommy and Daddy, too) slept in past 9 am! This was a much needed rest for everyone. We took our time getting ready, packed up snacks and gassed up the van on our way to Interstate State Park in Taylor's Falls, MN. Fortunately, N looked up the details of the Shelter in Place and found we couldn't park at the main parking lot where you can see the glacial potholes. We parked near the campground and decided to hike the 1.25 miles to the potholes. There were a lot of stops along the way to climb rocks, view the St. Croix River, check for animals and splash in the mud/puddles. We saw a woodpecke

Since we took our trip to Mexico in January, we are on week 3 of our home bound Spring Break. It’s beginning to wear on everyone in our house, but more than we realized on the boys. Tonight, at bedtime, M had a breakdown, different than a meltdown. I can’t remember what started it, but all of a sudden he was in tears about being stuck at home. He said in a breaking voice, "It was fun the first day, but now it's not fun at all! We can't do anything AT ALL!" Which then had me in tears. We have been trying hard to keep things "normal" for the boys. Normal, but with way more screen time than we would ever allow (movies every other night, Super Smash Bros in exchange for outside time, Zoom education meetings, Sonic games on the iPad, Pokémon on Netflix...). Normal, but with Mommy and Daddy home, but working all day long and Zoom meetings they make random appearances in the background. Normal, but staying in our house or away from anyone we know. For M & L

Disruption Junction Milestones. Celebrations. Rites of Passage. These are all on hold while we figure out how to flatten the curve. And I believe the actions that are being taken are truly what needs to be done, even with the disruption to our lives. But that doesn’t make the passing of these important events less painful. So we have to find new ways to celebrate. I have seen posts of friends and family rallying to celebrate important events. Singing outside nursing homes, cards sent in the mail, drive-by celebrations, toilet paper cakes... There has been some great creativity! Happy Birthday, Mike! Enter my brother, Mike. Today he turned 40, and this is a HUGE milestone, more than the average 40-year old. Mike has cystic fibrosis, a rare genetic disease.  Cystic fibrosis affects the cells that produce mucus, sweat, and digestive juices. It causes these fluids to become thick and sticky and they then plug up tubes, ducts, and passageways. When Mike was born, less than 50% of C

Same Old Well, we certainly have fallen into a groove. M & L were really good today, watching their three “classes” on CILC and then playing LEGOs. They made so many creations. Played more chess, watched more Pokémon, are too many snacks, and balked at going outside. Did their mandatory 30 minutes post lunch quiet/reading time. We have been watching movies at night, but I’m trying to break the habit. Boys wanted to go to the Purple Park (Lino Park), but I’m hesitant to go with all those germs. Monopoly instead.  The problem is, we are in a rut   funk  groove. We are stuck only playing with each other, calling grandparents and cousins, trying to get outside. While most of today was great, L threw some chess pieces, so M threw one at L’s face. Neither wanted to change out of PJs. We eat the same things for lunch. We need something to change things up. But preferably one that doesn’t take Mommy and Daddy away from work for too long and doesn’t need a ton of supervision. When us

Little Hermits The most challenging part of social distancing has been the inability to keep our kids connected with their friends. At 7 and 5, M and L have not yet mastered phone conversations. The few FaceTime calls we have had have been more random craziness than connecting. How do you teach phone conversations in a world where texting is king? They most certainly know how to send emojis! M's call with G from school primarily consisted of showing of different toys and rocks. L's call with W was just full of silly faces and nonsense language. Both ended with me having a longer conversation with their moms.  Enter "Little Hermits with Fr. Benjamin"! Today, fourteen families joined a Zoom call to listen to a story of St. Romanos and sing songs with Fr. Ben. It was hilarious! Thank goodness for muting the audience. M discovered you could change the background and we ended up on a beach. It was so good to see our friends, including the Ealys from Ohio! Not only did

Sunday of the Cross "O Lord, save Thy people, and bless Thine inheritance! Grant victory to the Orthodox Christians over their adversaries, And by virtue of Thy cross, preserve Thy habitation!" ~Troparion for the Cross  I was honored to be asked to participate in the "skeleton crew" for Matins & Liturgy at St. Mary's Orthodox Cathedral this morning, which was streamed on YouTube for all the faithful. We were allowed to have no more than 10 people at Liturgy and we had exactly that; but we prayed for every person who sent their names in - the living and the departed.  When we arrived at the Great Doxology with the Cross brought out and we began singing "O Lord, Save Thy People", I almost broke down. The Orthodox Fight Song. Grant victory to the health care workers who are saving lives; to researchers and scientists who are searching for a vaccine and cure; to volunteers who are making masks, bringing food to shut-ins, helping

Truly, all you amazing parents, WE DID IT! We survived week one of unexpected break. Most of us didn’t have plans to be home and had to work at the same time. Without family and friends, it would be more difficult. Keep supporting one another! Somewhere between keeping the kids out of the cupboards, VCing with the VP, ignoring the 127th time they asked to watch a show, we had some amazing moments. We had bread left in our mailbox by neighbors. We had costume day and found signs of the first day of Spring. We had a virtual HH with coworkers. We put together puzzles, learned how to play monopoly and built LEGO creations worthy of LEGO Masters (slightly biased mom here). We had FaceTime calls with school friends, cousins and grandparents. We sang a song for a friend outside his door and had cousins enact Let It Go on our front sidewalk.  We learned about animals with the Cincinnati Zoo and how to draw with Mo Willems. The house may be a wreck and we are still figuring out how to let o

'Our Lord tells us, “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13).” The life we “laying down” now is our normal life, because these are extraordinary times.' The above was from the letter from +TIKHON, Metropolitan of All America and Canada of the Orthodox Church in America.  Today was a day of sadness for me.  While Great Lent is a time  of reflection and repentance, and I can't help but think this may be a little bit of God's way of slowing us down and forcing us to calm our thoughts and movement and consider Him. I know that it is through Him that we are saved and that I should not be afraid, but there were still a lot of tears. It was difficult to hide my sadness when M & L were around me so much. Big things and little things just brought tears to my eyes. Thinking of the weight of it all while I was eating dinner after a last minute run to grab a few more necessities (ketchup). L came over to me to just give

Today all planned activities were thrown out the window and multiple audibles were called. There were meltdowns and then there were MELTDOWNS, which resulted in way too much screen time. Likely three plus hours. At least I was not interrupted during the video call we had with my VP. Meltdown Causes M didn’t want to bring his Legos downstairs. M hit L because he broke his LEGO sword L crashed into M’s bike and got a cut near the outside corner of his eye. Meltdown over whether he would have to go to the emergency room and get stitches. (Valid, since he has been there twice since Christmas for glue/stitches and HATES needles.) Fortunately, just a surface cut that we can take care of at home with bacitracin. Boys didn’t want to get the $0.25 they owed me for leaving the light on in their room from the piggy bank themselves . "Why can't YOU just get it?" (New rule: if you leave your light on, you owe Mommy $0.25. Something we should have started a long time ago.) I