DS1 just fell from the top of our big front yard ficus tree. Luckily he hit some branches on the way down, and landed perfectly flat on his back on a somewhat squishy mulch pile. So glad I didn’t need to call an ambulance for a kid with a broken neck tonight.
DS1 just fell from the top of our big front yard ficus tree. Luckily he hit some branches on the way down, and landed perfectly flat on his back on a somewhat squishy mulch pile. So glad I didn’t need to call an ambulance for a kid with a broken neck tonight.
I keep telling my kids that if they need stitches I’m just going to do it myself instead of take them to a hospital right now. Which is funny because I’m pretty squeamish so not sure I could actually do it. We were washing windows today and I was like don’t fall out the window because now is not the time for a hospital visit.
Our school decided to do a family walking challenge. They want us all to log our miles weekly and see if as a community we can walk "all the way across the country" from NH to California.
I get it, it's a lovely thought and they want to make sure the kids are staying active. But now my kids are going to be harassing me to get our daily family walks in on top of everything else. Can't they just run around in the damn yard and we call it good? Why does it have to be a thing that we have to track?
I'm apparently already grumpy today.
sdlaura, I'm so glad your DS is ok! That gave me a heart attack just reading it!
Post by covergirl82 on Apr 20, 2020 8:08:21 GMT -5
We actually had a really good weekend. The mom of one of DS's friends texted Saturday afternoon to see if a few families wanted to meet one of the middle schools with a bunch of baseball fields to play baseball (on separate fields). DH and DS ended up playing on the same field with the dad and son of one family (and they were safely distanced at like 10-20 feet apart). DD social-distance played with her friend, who is the DD of one of the families who went. And all 4 of us moms stood/sat 6+ feet apart and talked for 2 hours. It was amazing. I haven't felt that happy in over a month.
I also made decent progress with cleaning up clutter. I have the front entry and stairs almost done (like 10-15 more minutes of work). I'm going to work on the kitchen counters and dining room during evenings this week, and then tackle me and DH's bedroom next weekend.
The weather was sunny and in the 50s, so it was finally spring temps. Still no leaves yet on our trees, but I have hope that they will come out this week.
Another week of the same as the last few weeks, but I still look forward to the weekends.
I spent a chunk of the weekend cleaning and starting to put my kitchen back together. Floors are being done on Wednesday, so my makeshift mess tent is still functional. But we cleared out some debris and cardboard, started getting shelves into the cabinets, and stuff I won’t need while the floors are being done got put away.
I took the kids to my parents’ to walk on the beach, and we found the skeleton of some sea animal on the shore. I think it was a seal. I sent a photo to our local aquarium.
DH cooked almost a whole dinner last night - a beef tenderloin on the grill, roasted veggies, mashed potatoes (I made those). Then I made hot fudge and DD1 had a virtual ice cream social and sleepover.
We are on spring break this week. Should be interesting. DD1 is taking advantage- she’s still sleeping.
We had a good weekend at home - it was sunny and in the 50s so we spent a lot of time outside playing yard games and even a game of kickball.
Vent: DH told me Saturday morning that his parents were going to be stopping by that day to drop off Easter baskets. They were also supposed to stop by on Easter but never showed up. He wasn't given a time so I said, how much do you want to bet they'll come right at dinner or bed time? Sure enough, they showed up at 6:15 right when the kids were starting a movie. MIL seemed annoyed that the kids kept going back in the house. I was annoyed because they have all day to stop over and they wait until right before bedtime and we are all ready to crash after the day. This time it wasn't too big of a deal but it's the fact that MIL knows how I feel about it and continues to disregard it. I'm a super planner so her lack of planning and organization is very frustrating for me.
DH was edgy on Saturday and out of patience with the kids and then I took my turn on Sunday morning. We both realized it's because we aren't getting a break from the kids and aren't used to being "on" with work and childcare for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Working on carving out time for each of us to go do something alone.
I came back to work after my 3 day weekend to a crap load of emails all regarding stimulus and a crap load of voicemails all asking about stimulus. We had people calling us on Saturday and Sunday and upset we weren't answering the phones. Come on people we deserve a life too. Our voicemail has said we are closed. I had one person have the nerve to say that we should be answering the phone at all hours since we are WFH. No we aren't WFH and no where on the message says we are. Ugh it is going to be along week.
First true week of distance learning. Work was supposed to be emailed to us this morning. DD has been chomping at the bit since 8:10 so she can get it done and over with. Still nothing. I'm 5 minutes away from creating mommy school so she will leave me be for a few minutes so I can return the 20 some phone calls.
Manic Monday wishing it was Sunday as that's my fun day...
Post by sandandsea on Apr 20, 2020 11:18:52 GMT -5
I always feel like the time between New Years and Memorial Day is the longest. We never travel during that time because it’s busy for work and we do our family and couples vacations in the summer so it’s a long 5 month stretch with no PTO. This year feels even longer as there’s nothing to look forward to at the end of it as all travel is questionable. I’m in a weird spot too as I want to take a mental health day but there’s nowhere to go and my firm just did a 10% lay-off and 10% pay cut across the board so I feel like we are under a microscope now and perception is everything. I know I’m on good terms but dont want anyone to start questioning anything....paranoia is setting in and I know I’m not alone.
186momx , That is one thing that drives me batty. We typically have work time starting at 8am -10am in the morning. That is what the kids picked, and it gets it done first thing. Often the work isn't posted until 11am for the day, at least for DD's class. DS's teacher has been better about it since I messaged her. Can't they post it the night before? I don't want to have to get my kids to work when they are already crabby and tired. For when it is not posted yet, we do Mommy School, which is some semi age appropriate workbooks that I tag pages in for the kids to do.
Post by traveltheworld on Apr 20, 2020 12:03:52 GMT -5
We had a Zoom call with two sets of DS's friends' parents on Saturday and it was so much fun! Then yesterday it was warm enough for a BBQ and a long bike ride, so all in all, a great weekend.
This week is shaping up to be a gong show. I'm dealing with a lot of European and Asian funds, so my call schedule is all over the place. On top of that, we just hired a new lawyer in our department. Due to COVID-19, we are going to try virtually on-board him, and my GC has just assigned him to me for shadowing purposes. Generally I really like mentoring other lawyers, but: (a) the dude is a decade older than me and has been a partner at a BigLaw firm for 15 years, so I feel weird about having him be my "junior"; (b) I don't really have the time to figure out what assignments to give him; and (c) I simply just don't want to. WAH....
phdmomma, I dojo messaged her teacher and she told me where to find it. It took some hunting. DD started it shortly before 10 and is done with day 1 in less than 15 minutes. She did it so sloppily that I'm making her redo it and told her that her aunt who is a teacher will be grading her work so now she is actually putting effort into it. They are supposed to attend 2 out of 3 zoom meetings a week. Monday is at 2pm, Wednesday is at 7pm, and Thursday is at 9am. Most of her classmates parents were asking for after 8pm. Who wants to start school or have help that late? Plus her teacher deserves a life and I know they have teacher meetings during the day.
phdmomma , I dojo messaged her teacher and she told me where to find it. It took some hunting. DD started it shortly before 10 and is done with day 1 in less than 15 minutes. She did it so sloppily that I'm making her redo it and told her that her aunt who is a teacher will be grading her work so now she is actually putting effort into it. They are supposed to attend 2 out of 3 zoom meetings a week. Monday is at 2pm, Wednesday is at 7pm, and Thursday is at 9am. Most of her classmates parents were asking for after 8pm. Who wants to start school or have help that late? Plus her teacher deserves a life and I know they have teacher meetings during the day.
After 8pm??? How old are these kids? That's crazy!
phdmomma , I dojo messaged her teacher and she told me where to find it. It took some hunting. DD started it shortly before 10 and is done with day 1 in less than 15 minutes. She did it so sloppily that I'm making her redo it and told her that her aunt who is a teacher will be grading her work so now she is actually putting effort into it. They are supposed to attend 2 out of 3 zoom meetings a week. Monday is at 2pm, Wednesday is at 7pm, and Thursday is at 9am. Most of her classmates parents were asking for after 8pm. Who wants to start school or have help that late? Plus her teacher deserves a life and I know they have teacher meetings during the day.
After 8pm??? How old are these kids? That's crazy!
Agreed! Our teachers are available 8 am - 3 pm only per the district.
UGH. DD1's teacher just emailed asking why DD1 hasn't done all of her assignments. I want to write back "Because her father and I are single parents, both working full time to keep our jobs, and reviewing every single Google classroom assignment every single day for both second graders is not the top priority for us right now." But that feels harsh and like the wrong answer.
I honestly didn't even know she's apparently not doing this work. I knowingly let them skip stuff that doesn't feel as "real" to me - watching an art class video, listening to a read aloud story, etc. I thought they were getting the actual academic stuff done. Which means I'm going to have to figure out how to closely monitor every freaking assignment from here on out to review it with them and make sure it's done completely and correctly.
I see all these inspirational messages floating around on social media about letting it go, teachers just want to support the families, etc... But then I get emails like this. So which is it? Are we held to the standards and expectations that every single thing is done and done well? Or can we slack off because life is insane right now?
twinmomma, I would... actually send her teacher that email. Either the teacher needs a wake up call (possible), or the district is requiring teachers to check in and report back (more likely).
twinmomma I agree, send that exact email. We haven't even done all of my 2nd graders "must do" list, let alone all the "specials." We haven't been asked about why it's not all getting done, but I will be very honest if asked - we just don't have the capacity.
Although I would probably say something like "thank you so much for all the work you're putting into distance learning for the kids! We are doing the best we can because"...then the rest of what you said.
UGH. DD1's teacher just emailed asking why DD1 hasn't done all of her assignments. I want to write back "Because her father and I are single parents, both working full time to keep our jobs, and reviewing every single Google classroom assignment every single day for both second graders is not the top priority for us right now." But that feels harsh and like the wrong answer.
I honestly didn't even know she's apparently not doing this work. I knowingly let them skip stuff that doesn't feel as "real" to me - watching an art class video, listening to a read aloud story, etc. I thought they were getting the actual academic stuff done. Which means I'm going to have to figure out how to closely monitor every freaking assignment from here on out to review it with them and make sure it's done completely and correctly.
I see all these inspirational messages floating around on social media about letting it go, teachers just want to support the families, etc... But then I get emails like this. So which is it? Are we held to the standards and expectations that every single thing is done and done well? Or can we slack off because life is insane right now?
I’m a teacher. In our district, we are required to check in with kids not completing the work once a week. We still have to do pass/fail grades. I saved my daughter’s google log in to my laptop. On Google classroom, you can click on classwork, then my work. It should list all of your daughter’s assignments and grades. I check it each day at lunch. She sometimes forgets to hit turn in on read aloud, videos, etc.
My daughter is in 3rd grade so 8 and 9 year-olds. I was shocked when parents were asking for late evening times. We won't be attending the 7pm zoom meeting as that is chill down bedtime as DD and I still have to get up and leave the house in the morning to get to work. Her work this week is all about weather and should take no more than 1 hour per day. Each day write what the weather is outside, track the temperature 3 times a day for math, music is count in a steady beat, and PE is make up and add to your obstacle course each day. I've resorted to bribing DD and begging her teacher to let me send DD's stuff in so she can grade it because otherwise DD is refusing to do it since it doesn't matter. Today has been a Monday.
My team is killing me today. Honestly they are all just being asshats. And they started on Friday, so it’s not a Monday thing. But man, it’s made my Monday terrible.
k3am, sdlaura, edwardo123, I reached out to figure out what work exactly was missing. Apparently, it was some assignments from the week she was sick. So I'm a little frustrated that the teacher didn't connect those dots initially, since we made sure to tell her that DD1 was out sick for two days at the time and wouldn't be doing work/on Zoom.
I also emailed both teachers a "I'm at the breaking point and don't have time to nitpick every single assignment." email. They wrote back that they've actually heard that a lot and are changing up the format for classes after spring break next week. More of a "Must Do" and "choose some extra activities if you want" list vs. the daily slog that we get hit with now. Another working mom I know is doing school work all day with her kids, then putting in her 8 hours on an "overnight" shift because it's the only way she can get it all done. That's just awful.
twinmomma- no freaking way I would do that. I would unenroll my kids from school and be an official homeschooler before I would put my health and sanity on the line that way.
mommyatty , I don't how she's going to sustain it. Her husband is essential and works out of the house all day, so she's at home with the two kids. She's got a second grader and then a younger one who's only in pre-k so he's harder to occupy. Her husband gets home late afternoon and that's when she's able to start doing her actual work. It's insane.
ETA: (I say this as someone who got up at 4 AM to start working today because yesterday was a total shit show and I got barely anything done.)
Post by librarychica on Apr 21, 2020 9:02:18 GMT -5
It’s Tuesday. Argh. H and I have had a fight over, what?, unsure. He is very sensitive right now and I am fairly snappy and I do not like my new 4/10 work schedule, a change I did not ask for and didn’t really want to navigate at this point in my working life, this point being the point where I am working from my house with my grumpy husband, two young kids and their school assignments.
I just had an argument with DD1. She wanted to paint with her non-washable acrylic paints on my dining room table. Um... no? I told her to go to the basement and paint on the table that is designated as the kids’ craft table.
Screamed at me because IT’S TOO MESSY and she can’t fit any of her stuff on it... because it’s covered with old crafts and paintings that SHE DID. and I guess the maid didn’t clean up down there yet?? 🙄
We are having some trouble with DS's Spanish. She says he is missing assignments, so he is getting a C. When he logs in it says they are complete. She then opens a quiz from 10-11 am. It was my understanding that we had the day to fit these things in. She had a quiz Friday that shut down at 5pm. DS and I were both on Google classroom and didn't see it, so now it is missing. When we ask, she says look on google classroom. We do. Just tell us what you are missing. And don't set specific times. Giving an hour in the day to complete the assignments and then shutting it down. He has other responsibilities too.
rere , Are other classes doing this as well? I teach at a university, but we've been told that we shouldn't do assignments like this. Like, we can give a timed assignment, but there needs to be a range of time to take it. Like a 20 minute quiz, that you get twenty minutes to complete, but the time range to complete it is several hours (I like to give 24). I think that it might be worth moving this up the food-chain, particularly if this is the only teacher doing these short windows.
I sat in on an hour parent technology zoom meeting this morning. I did find some useful info out and K-5 teachers are about another 2 weeks out before starting to teach online or be able to turn anything in. The lady running the meeting said she has been meeting with them each day teaching them how to use google classroom and how to make and upload videos. For such a short time period I was impressed on how much our 4 person IT department for the district has been able to do. They have a ton of how to videos, tech support phone line, and had to reprogram the 3000 district laptops to be designed to work outside the school. I'm really hopping our district starts moving to a 1-1 tech mode for next fall.