Social Distancing Day 2

Back again with another report from our house where we’re trying to obey the social distancing rules. I’ve been going to my office and taking my kids with me, but it’s just us. We haven’t even seen anyone on the sidewalk. The only reason I’m going to the office is because the internet is better than at my parents’ house where we’re staying for a few days.

Today my daughter dedicated hours to building a board game. I can’t wait to show you pictures and let her tell you how to play. Guess what happens when you limit kids’ electronic time. They complain, duh. LOL! But they also remember how to be creative. Necessity is the mother of invention after all.

My son mowed the grass, learned to play pool, and helped my dad with a project. More non-electronic time productivity.

I feel like my homeschooling efforts are lacking. I printed out some math and ELA worksheets for the kids. My son worked through some coding projects his teacher set up and watched a video on how to find the volume of a cylinder. We haven’t had any themes, crafts, or well-planned out lessons. Mostly I’m trying to keep their brains engaged in some learning every day.

Now that I’ve bored you with the mundane, let you tell you the real, raw truth. I woke up with a sense of foreboding. I’ve been waking up with that unease for days. Nobody around me is ill. The weather’s not terrible. We’re still going about our day much the same as any other time, except it’s not any other time.

We think twice about going to the grocery store. Do we really need to stop? What all can we buy now so we don’t have to make another trip? And those empty shelves trick us into believing we’ll have food shortages when the grocery stores have clearly said there’s plenty of food.

We’re no longer visiting with friends. I talked a little longer than normal to the telemarketer who called me from India today. I didn’t buy anything, but I let him give me his whole spill instead of hanging up right away.

And I’m spending way more time on social media than I should. I’m bored and I’m seeking a distraction from the niggling feeling in my head that all isn’t right with the world. That all may not be right with the world for a long time.

Over the last few months my family made some really big decisions which has led to really big changes in the last couple of weeks. We know God is in those changes. We KNOW. He’s opened doors, and we’ve followed him. I believe He will provide for us. It may not always look like I think it should or like I expected, but He will provide. I’m also praying about how God would have us care for those around us.

Sorry to end on a somber note, but I’m trying to be real. I’m hoping to keep these posts throughout our self-imposed isolation as a way of remembering the good, fun parts and the hard emotions of it all. These days will pass, but they’ll be a time we’ll never forget.