March was a month to remember, wasn’t it? I will vividly recall the Thursday evening I spent in my classroom packing up my school bag after being told to take everything I might need in case I couldn’t come back to the building. Even then, I did not clearly understand what was ahead. I said goodbye to my colleagues and told them I’d see them in the morning.
However, we have been home since Friday, March 13 and life has certainly taken an unexpected turn. Each evening, I watch the news, and my heart sinks. I am awe of what has happened. During the day, I am busier than I ever anticipated, splitting time between homeschooling Harper and Jameson and trying to make remote learning happen in a meaningful way for my fifth graders.
So, March threw me for a loop, as I’m sure it did for you. Knowing we all share the same boat is a comfort. Watching people come together emotionally and creatively (while maintaining a six-foot distance) is inspiring. Harper and Jameson have made the most of this and are working hard on their schoolwork. My students and families are enthusiastic and trying their very best. Jason and I are counting each day as a small success toward a new norm. But, I miss my friends, I miss my students. I miss my kids’ teachers. And it felt more than a little funny dropping something off to our grandparents’ front porch last week and driving away without a hug or a few minutes chatter about life.
And yet, we will make it. I am so grateful that spring is in the air, and the chances for more consistent sunny weather now outweigh the chances for blah. One of the biggest celebrations this month is that I have been brutally forced back into an outdoor running schedule (I am a fair-weather runner, you see. Through the winter I stick to my lovely temperature-controlled gym with television and wi-fi.). We have taken bike rides, chalked our driveway more, and used our swingset daily. This is good.
Before this month turned, we were thinking excitedly about a new soccer season and spending time at our school park.
Now, soccer practice happens in our backyard with Coach Daddy, and our neighborhood parks are taped off. These things have forced us to be a bit more creative with how we spend our time, and that is another celebration to be sure.
With a little extra time at home, we have become a LEGO family! By the way, have you seen the show Lego Masters? We now “get our brick on” whenever we can.
Harper has also decided to commit herself to the Harry Potter reading club. She finished the first book and celebrated by watching the movie.
We have had creative “art classes” here at home, too, and have fallen in love with these books:
Because we have had a few sunny days, we took advantage and biked down to the local Dairy Queen where we “took out” some ice cream cones. It was Jameson’s first big bicycle trip, and he rocked it! Can you please also appreciate those freckles for a moment? I mean come on …
When we got word that school would more than likely be at home for the foreseeable future, we decided it was time to transform our playroom into a school room. We’d had plans for this anyway and had pictured the kids’ desks being in here for homework and studying as they got a bit older. But, no time like the present.
Three perks about being home for school are sharing read alouds with your brother, having lunch in a tree house, and planting a spring garden to study science.
As noted earlier, however, most of these sweet joys will be overshadowed in memory by the other pictures in my March phone collection. Pictures like these:
I know that gratitude is essential right now. I am so fortunate. I am grateful for my job, a warm house, and a healthy family. I am grateful that coffee has been in stock every time I have visited the grocery store. And I am grateful for humor. With that in mind, I leave you with one of my favorite images from March:
Business on top, party on the bottom. There is so much to be thankful for when working from home. I just read an article on CNN that said Walmart sales were up for tops last month, but there was no change in the sale for bottoms. Ha.
May the force be with you as you continue to juggle a trillion things and adjust yourselves and your kids. I hope you can look back to March and find smiles, comforts, and things to celebrate in the midst of what was a cloudy time.
