Quarantine Day # 654863

Alright y’all, my last post was, honestly, kind of a bummer.  Sorry about that.  I actually started out with the intention of writing THIS post, but then I got going and realized that I had some stuff that apparently, I needed to get out.  It’s kind of beautiful how that happens.  How writing allows you to just GO and get your thoughts, and your story, out on “paper”.

I’m writing this post on March 24th, 2020.  This is day #7 of unwanted, unintended, forced upon me, homeschool.  This is also roughly day #11 of “social distancing” and just being around my immediate family 24/7.  And, day #1 of “stay home, stay safe” aka “shelter in place” aka “stay the f- home”. 

Now, just to clarify, my family was NOT going to playgrounds, having playdates, or crowding public parks.  But I WAS taking my kids to biking riding on the river path, and to empty soccer fields and tennis courts in order to burn off some 5- and 7-year old energy.  I figured that there was minimal exposure as we didn’t really need to touch anything that was there, would be bringing our own equipment, and were playing by yourselves.  But, now that outlet is gone as well… and I’m a bit terrified about how to let the two blow off some steam… not to mention MY need for social interaction and some “distance” for my own mental health.

Cell phone snap of the kids looking out over the Columbia River. That’s Oregon over there!

All in all, my two kids are doing ok with the lack of school and taking all of the closures in stride.  But we’ve definitely had to get creative and make some changes to our daily lives in order to get our academic and mental health needs met.  I just wanted to take a moment to share some of the technology that we’ve been using and LOVING these last couple of weeks in order to stay engaged and connected.

ABC Mouse… I’d heard about it before but had really checked it out.  As soon as school was called, I signed up for a subscription and we’ve been using that every day for “school”.  Both kids love it.  My son (5) tells me every day how many tickets he’s earned, and my daughter (7) tells me all about the pets that she’s purchased with said tickets. Lol  They love computers/technology, and I love not HAVING to be engaged with them all of the time so that I can get some stuff done, too.  So, ABC Mouse has been perfect for us.  I tried a couple of other services as well, and this one was, by far, the best fit for my family.

ZOOM… I’d been on the occasional Zoom meeting for work or meetings with other business professionals but had never hosted a meeting myself and had never used it for personal use.  It. Is. Great.  In the past two weeks I’ve joined my book club on Zoom.  I’ve “met” some of my running friends to talk about a podcast episode that we all listened to on our weekly run.  And this morning I had “coffee” with my photography colleagues to check in and discuss how everyone was doing.  A friend of mine set it up at the dinner table and had a “family dinner” with her parents and siblings in different states.  I really can’t stress enough how much I’ve appreciated this service.  PLUS they have removed their 40 minute time limit on free accounts right now, so even with the free account you can chat with your loved ones as long as you’d like!  I’m even considering setting something up on Zoom for my daughter’s birthday party next month, that I’m assuming will need to be postponed.

Cell phone shot of my daughter talking with her friend and trying out the different filter options. lol

Facebook Kids Messenger… Not going to lie.  I was a little apprehensive about signing up for the Facebook Kids Messenger app when it came out.  I didn’t want my daughter getting as addicted to social media as I am.  But, like me, my daughter is a social introvert.  She needs her space, but she also needs her people.  It’s been really tough on her not going to school, and not being able to go across the street to play with her friends.  So, this last weekend, I downloaded the app and got it set up on her tablet.  For the last several days I’ve loved hearing her talking with her friends, playing games, and laughing.  I’m hoping that this will help ease things for her in the coming weeks.

Netflix Party snap watching Wine Country with three friends!

Netflix Party… I hadn’t heard about this until last week.  Maybe it’s new?  Maybe it’s something that Netflix put into play right as all of this virus stuff was ramping up?  I don’t know, but some friends and I watched a “movie” together this weekend and it was hilarious.  We watched “Wine Country”, which is a funny movie in itself, but the chat box that we had on the side of our movie screen was what kept me laughing.  Our movie conversation and comments were absolutely hysterical and I was VERY happy that we made it happen (even though we definitely had to work out some tech logistics before we got started).  I would recommend hanging out with your friends over a movie… but would suggest against one that requires all of your attention, as you WILL get distracted by the conversation thread!

What other things have you all discovered?  I’d love more ideas on how to keep my family engaged in education and community!