This. is. hard

The week is half over. Which is heavenly because it has been a trying week. 

I hope we can someday look back at this time and remember more than just the tough times, because man has it been hard. 

It's one thing to be quarantined. 

It's another to be working from home doing a job that is meant to be inside the walls of the hospital.

It's another to be sharing WiFi and work space with 3 kids and your husband.  

It's another to be teaching kindergarten. 

All this with no end in sight. 

This. Is. Hard. 

Our WiFi can't keep up with the demand. After spending an hour on hold, only to argue with the tech lady about internet speeds, I gave up. 

But a download speed of less than 1 when it should hoover 40-100 is just not cutting it. 

I can constantly be heard yelling: "One device!" which means everyone gets to browse on only one device at a time. 

None of this multi-tasking business. 

I really wish Lincoln's requirements included only these academic goals. 

Because we've mastered them ten times over.

 But using the Seesaw app, and all of the apps within apps has my head spinning most days. 

Core classes, specialists, optional versus required. 

Twenty-two assignments in his inbox, all of which need us to sit beside him and ensure he understands what to do (because half the time we can't find the instructions buried within a link to the left, a click to the right). 

This. Is. Hard. 

This picture below is how Lincoln feels about Distant Learning. 

He hates it.
Every single second. 

Each morning, we beg and bribe for him to start the learning and stay on task. 

But learning off his iPad is boring to him. 

And because we are working full-time demanding jobs, we don't have time to allow for 15 minute transitions, more begging and another 10 minutes of transition. 

Sometimes we tag team: one starts and the other helps him finish. 

On a good day, he wraps it up in an hour or two. 

Other days (like today), we're still trying to get to the assignments at 5pm. 

I thank my lucky stars that the girls have done such a wonderful job at starting and completing their learning each day. 

This. Is. Hard. 

I saw this from a friend today. 

And I have to remind myself to do the best we can.

Let go of some of the pressure (on all of us).   

Tonight when we snuggled into bed, and he grabbed a book eager to read to me, I realized that learning doesn't have to happen on a Seesaw app or a link provided by the school. Those connections, those snuggles, the gaining confidence to read under flashlight are what I hope he remembers from these hard times. 

Taking a deep breath, and we'll try again tomorrow. 

Life during the pandemic

I want to be able to look back on this time in our lives and remember what life was like.

Social distancing

Schools moved to online "distant learning"

Parents moved their offices to home

Grocery store shelves went bare (que hoarding!)

Toilet paper, paper towels and Clorox wipes flew off the shelves

A few photos to capture this strange time.

Lots and lots and lots of screen time, including fun apps for kids to have chats with kids and family members all while different face filters create all sorts of giggles.

Game night. Pretty much any  night of the week. Our kids have learned card games, new board games, puzzles, and more.

All gyms closed, and so I dug out any workout/exercise items we had laying around. Lincoln took it upon himself to open "Lincoln's gym". We workout daily.

Memes like the one below flooded social media.

I liked this one

We cleaned out the garage, and pulled out all of the toys we haven't used in forever. Stilts and a pogo stick to name a few!

Lincoln face timed me, and laughed himself silly with these filters :)

While it might have been the nicest April on record so far, there is no softball practicing allowed. I liked this meme on a softball group facebook page I follow.

Jimmy Fallon (and any late night talk show host), moved filming of their shows to their homes. This show in particular makes me laugh, because his kiddos often come into the view of the camera and it reminds me of how it feels for all of us trying to work from home with kids underfoot.



Did I mention we are having a LOT of screen time?

But at least they are huddled in front of the warm fire together :)

We are giving ourselves grace on this whole screen time. They're (fairly) happy and frankly, just trying to figure this all out themselves too.

We can't really do a lot of home "projects" because that would entail going to the store to buy necessary items. But we are cleaning out drawers and closets.

I finished Lincoln's baby book (better late that never!) and in the process, cleaned out a drawer holding all of these expired epi-pens.

There's a lot of expired money sitting right there.

We're contemplating getting a dog (like so many other families right now). We're stuck at home, it's the perfect time. Ryan has nicknamed our fake dog "Covid" already; ….for the record, he's not on board with this idea.

 At all.

However, a month ago our neighbors brought home this adorable pup.

She found a hole in the fence and comes over daily for a visit and to burn off some energy.

The kids adore her, and so do we :)



I taught Regan how to play Yahtzee.

And then beat the pants off her :) HA!

The first official "stay at home" request looked something like this.

Although we had been staying at home two weeks prior to the start of this.

Doing our part. Fully expecting this to be extended beyond 4/10.

Some of my teams started Zoom meetings.

never had I heard of such a platform for meetings, but we all quickly learned to talk fast because there is a 40 minute limit and we are used to 60 minute meetings!

(and yes, I'm sitting outside on this particular meeting, because Ryan and I share the quiet space indoors for meetings. And he beat me to it during this meeting, so I went to the next option for some quiet: outside)

More of Lincoln having conversations with family, this time Grandma Jan. He made her laugh so hard with these dancing bear filters.

Distant learning with Lincoln is a lot of hands on help. The girls take care of it on their own, and for that we are thankful!

Here is Lincoln's teacher "reading" to the class. He giggled and smiled when he heard her voice. It was almost like she was right there in the room. Sadly, by day 3 of story-time, he was over it. It's just not as much fun when we aren't at school. Hang in there buddy.

Passing time with "art" class: dyeing Easter eggs.

More screen time.

Silver lining, she's hanging out with us a little  more :)

The problem with not driving your vehicles very often....the batteries tend to die.

Seriously, Ryan's truck died TWICE in one week because we didn't start it every day.

Fine. you win.

We now make a point to start it daily.

These are some strange times. Scary times. 

Hang in there folks! Stay safe! 

WFH

WFH-work from home

It's a new term I've used a lot in the last several months. One that has been fairly uncommon in my language because it's hard to WFH when you work in a hospital. I have had the opportunity to spend most Fridays over the last couple of years officing out of my home, but never did I imagine I would move my entire work space home. 

But then again, never did I imagine much of what is happening right now. We are living in unprecedented times.
It's scary, it's unpredictable. 

It's unbelievable. 

And it's hard. 

My mom as well as a friend's dear mom both recently sent me handmade masks to bring in on my last day of work to donate. Allina asked the community and then received many amazing donations of masks. 

Some of my coworkers then spent countless hours helping sort as well as assembling face shields as we prepare for these most challenging times.  

My last day inside the walls of the hospital, I was issued a face mask. It's terrifying and sad and emotional and exhausting. 

It was then decided, in an effort to preserve those precious masks, to move myself and most of my team to our homes. 

It is not ideal. 

But nothing is ideal right now. 

I left my beautiful office (and dual monitors!), my amazing office-mates, the comfort of work, seeing my patients face to face and working side by side with doctors, nurses, therapists and the rest of the rehab team. 

Instead, my revised "sit to stand" desk (aka the kitchen island) now holds my tiny laptop and I have never felt more disconnected from my patients and families. 

We have spent hours upon hours this week helping to troubleshoot IT problems, submit tickets for new apps/access, and learning a new-normal. 

I'm a pro at blocking my cell number during outbound calls. 

We zoom meetings. 

I'm "connected" in a whole different way. 

No one knows how long this will last. 

And while I (and my whole family) feels safer to have me WFH, 

I'm optimistic that some day, we will get back to our old routines. 

For now, 

I've traded my typical lunch workout at the hospital gym, 

for walks around the block with my new "coworkers"....my family :) 

Stay safe everyone.