Pogativity

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% ...

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 superv...

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...