We are pretty good. Vacation Bible School starts the 27th so I am busy coordinating everything and trying to figure out social distancing, masks, disinfecting.... I am also on the fence about possibly homeschooling my older kids. Our school hasn’t announced what they are doing yet but I was not very happy about how they handled the pandemic. They didn’t teach any science or vocabulary. I know it was hard for the teachers and but I am paying for private school I expect that they could have done more.
Oh wow! When would you normally start back for the year? When will they announce? I feel like there is no easy answer and you just have to choose what is best for your family. I would think that they might have a better idea/handle on things now that they have a little experience with it. Thought I totally get since you are paying tuition that all subjects should be included (actually even if you weren’t you think there would be some science...) That sounds like a lot to coordinate for VBS - do you have the usual amount of children signed up? Good luck with it, but I have a feeling you’ll do great!
I’m on the fence about sending Maeve to preschool, especially since at 2.5 it’s not required or anything. I want her to go, but am more worried about exposing my parents to something she may bring home. Nothing has been announced here yet either.
@ashtuesday has your school said anything yet - or are they waiting for August to decide? @mccurleya what about your district? Do you go back in August?
We normally start back the week before Labor Day weekend. I have no idea when they will announce. 2 of my sons friends have already said they aren’t going back. They only have 60 registered and usually have 150. we decided to keep VBS smaller to keep within restrictions and because it’s so much work this year. We have decided to cap it at 75 and we usually have 140. This is my 6th year(I think). Declan won’t go to school until next year so I am not worried about it yet. Today I was working on craft bags and he started stringing beads on a pipe cleaner. I was surprised he could do it.
I can’t imagine having to organize everything with all the extra steps and guidelines you have to follow. Hope it goes smoothly for you.
I also hope the schools give you some information soon - that’s wild that enrollment went so low. Do you have to do anything of you decide to homeschool?
@megpeg It seems crazy that your school didn't continue to teach all subjects after going remote (like @shoretobe said, especially for a private school!). There are so many unknowns with this school year: a major benefit to deciding to homeschool is that you can at least make that choice yourself and not have to wait for anyone else to make a decision. And good luck with VBS! My mother-in-law runs a summer camp and had to shut it down this year because of how crazy the restrictions are here in NJ.
@shoretobe Short answer, no idea what the fall will look like: lots of conflicting statements from the mayor, governor, and union. I'm typically a person who likes to have my ducks in a row, but there are so many variables, it's impossible to plan right now. Potty training has been going well! Most days, Nora has maybe 1 or 2 accidents - and then there are days like today when I spent the entire day disinfecting my floors after she's peed on them lol. We have been venturing out more, mostly at a distance. Playgrounds opened up July 1: we go most mornings super early, but one day we ran late and didn't get there til 10. There were a handful of other kids there, and Nora acted like she had never seen another child before in her life. She wouldn't leave my side or say hi, and then Murph picked up Nora's energy and did the same. So like you, I'm on the fence about getting her back to school. I was hoping to avoid day care because of the germs, but I want these children to be socialized! How are you feeling? How are Maeve and Darby doing? I know after Murph was born, I went through a period of feeling really isolated (it just seemed harder to do things with two kids than it was with 1): how are you faring on that front?
We are finally moved. We just got internet yesterday. The move went quick, but we aren’t fully unpacked yet because the house was gross. We’ve spent most the time cleaning. They said they had it professionally cleaned and that was a big fat lie. Nate loves his new house and new room. He tells everyone about it. But he’s only slept through the night twice. I’m exhausted with him being in my bed because he doesn’t stop moving in his sleep.
School here is starting later than planned (August 17) and the parents have the choice of online or in person. We haven’t been told what in person will look like though. GA has also said they may push back start dates to September for the whole state, but we haven’t heard anything yet. All 5 of my students are coming, so I’ll have to work with spacing. Not as big of a problem as those with 30 kids in a room. It’s so strange how they’re treating it though because I coach competition cheer and we’re all in each other’s faces doing stunts and it’s not a problem. But it’s the south and they treat sports like they’re ridiculously more important than health. But I’m just glad to be back at it.
Nate will start preschool with only 4 other kids in his class. Where I work and where the preschool is is a really small town with only 100 something cases over the whole span of the pandemic. He’ll go two half-days a week and go to daycare the other days with 3 other teacher’s kids. He’ll start later at daycare though because it’s an in home and her daughter tested positive the other day so I’m not comfortable with him going even if the start date is 3 weeks after her diagnosis.
@ashtuesday I would be so frustrated if I was you, because it must be so difficult to plan. My mom and sister are in the same boat - just waiting for information on what the year will look like. I’m leaning toward sending her to preschool and also having them go to the babysitter at least one day even if my parents are home. Maeve is starting to show the effects of being away from other kids.
I can totally agree with feeling isolated, it’s been an interesting transition. I’m so lucky to have the amount of help I do, but it’s a unique thing to sometimes feel lonely surrounded by people. Totally agree that getting out of the house takes a lot of prep and energy. I think it will get better once they’re not at such drastically different stages. I always feel like I’m not doing enough for one of them. I will say though summer and COVID kind of sucks with a newborn; having a June baby has been an easier than March because the weather is nicer and it’s lighter later so I don’t feel as trapped this time. We’ve only really ventured out to swim lessons, but I think I’m being more cautious because of Darby. I can’t even get Maeve to sit on the potty so major cheers to you, even if it means your floors are getting the super duper cleaning treatment (spinning it to a positive 😋).
@mccurleya oh my goodness! Well that is some start to moving in. I bet it’s a big transition for Nate being in the new house. That’s so adorable that he’s so excited. What did you decide about letting him pick for his room? Sounds like a great arrangement for the start of the school year for him. I totally see your point about not being comfortable sending Nate right away. So you’re already back at practice for competition? My sister’s Highschool isn’t allowing in person practice until mid-August. Is your classroom big enough to allow for spacing? Actually it probably doesn’t matter the size because kids are kids and sometimes do what they want forgetting them rules. I do not envy you or @ashtuesday or @megpeg having to navigate spacing and cleaning and all the other ever changing guidelines. It’s like one of the few times I’m glad I’m not teaching anymore.
@shoretobe we ended up not doing anything for his room since I couldn’t really take him anywhere to pick something. We made the bonus room a play room and spend all of our time there and he absolutely adores it and his new room just because their new.
We’ve been practicing since June 8. Stunting and just been allowed after July 4. No word on going to competitions yet. They’re all in the Atlanta area, so I’m not sure since that’s a high COVID area.
As far as spacing, kinda. I had two classrooms that would’ve been perfect and they took one for a workroom. I’m still not over that. But we’ve got it set up to where maybe we could make spacing work. 4 of my kids could follow the rules fine, but 1 does what he wants without thinking about it first. It’ll be a challenge for sure.
We set up a playroom for the girls - Maeve goes in and brings her toys to the living room because that’s where everyone is (i don’t blame her for that) I need to get a chair or something for me in there, but we’re actually at my mom’s more since they set up one of those two foot pools for her. We’re in the do we want to stay in this house and invest in fixing it up and pay tuition or save and sell as is and move to the school district we want phase of life.
Do any of you have a double stroller? If so what kind? Maeve’s single stroller was supposed to convert, but the seat is almost as expensive as a new double so not sure what to do or even how much we’ll need it (thanks, COVID lol)
@shoretobe thank you! I just got a picture from a parent of one of the girls posting on Snapchat that she’s been in contact with someone that tested positive. We’re supposed to practice tomorrow 🤦🏻♀️
@mccurleya Congratulations on the move! I hope you are all settling in well. Any progress with Nate sleeping?
@shoretobe I totally get the somehow-feeling-isolated-in-a-room-full-of people thing. I feel like with a newborn, everyone wants to talk about the baby (which makes sense!) but then there's the feeling of wait - when do I get to a be a person and talk about other things too?! My brother and I always talk about this time we visited our aunt after she had our little cousin and at one point, she tried to start a conversation by saying "So, what kind of bread do you guys like?" - she was that starved for adult interaction that even bread preferences sounded like an appealing topic. I'm glad you're getting out for swim lessons at least (that was one of the things on our summer to-do list too - I thought the place we were going to take them was closed, but you inspired me to look it up and they just reopened this week! Maybe we'll do that after all!). I hope it gets easier. We have the Uppababy Vista set up as a double stroller. It was ridiculously expensive, but we made the investment after the cheap stroller I got when I was pregnant with Nora was just horrible to maneuver - we go on long walks every day the weather allows, so it was worth it. I'll say I didn't really love it for the infant stage - the bassinet can only go on the bottom, so the little baby is fathest from mom, and you need to change the adapters whenever you change the seat you're using (bassinet, car seat, etc.). But it was only annoying for the first 5 months or so - now that they're in toddler seats, I love it.
A cool thing: a few days ago, my mom tested positive for Covid antibodies! She never had any symptoms; she is high risk, so this blows our minds. We haven't let the girls hug and kiss anyone but us since March, but my mom came over on Thursday and got one million kisses; it was a good day. My husband and I are getting tested this week - if we have the antibodies, we'll assume the girls do too. I know there are questions about getting sick again, etc, but I will definitely feel a little safer if we all have them. It will also mean we definitely register for pre-school, even if it's only one day a week! Gotta socialize these babies.
@mccurleya I fee like that’s happening so much. Did you end up practicing? What are the guidelines for that. I’m becoming so frustrated with all the unknown of this. Wahoo for sleeping through the night!!!
@ashtuesday thanks for the stroller advise; I think I’ll see if I can move the adapters and eventually buy the second seat for this stroller instead of starting new. That is wild about your mom! Let us know how it goes for you and your husband. Thursday sounds amazing for you all, that really must have been to sweet. I forget some people have to stay away from their families since we’ve had to see my family. I’m leaning toward preschool (if they open). Maeve saw her cousins and between that and swim it broke my heart to see how excited she was to see other people.
@shoretobe we did. Her mom said it wasn’t true and she said it because she overheard a conversation that one of their workers might have it. We’ve seen two other kids and my in-laws frequently throughout the quarantine but Nate gets so excited to see other people. He asks me their names and waves to say hi and talks to them. It’s adorable. I’m hoping they all do well at preschool!
Hey all! VBS went great last week. We had about 70 different kids through the week. My dad came and watched Declan each day which he was fine with but now he won’t let me out of his sight and only wants me to do everything for him and no one else can help or he yells.
We have decided to homeschool my older kids- there are just too many variables. I went in to talk to their principal today and it was very uncomfortable and unpleasant.
@megpeg I hate that the principal made it uncomfortable. That’s unfair.
Teachers start back tomorrow for me. And Nate is potty trained but wears pull ups on long days out at practice. He has had dry pull-ups for 2 days and will be able to go to preschool in underwear which I’m excited about. That’s about all I’ve got. Haha
@megpeg Yay for VBS going well!!! That sounds like no small undertaking - you go! I'm sorry the conversation with your principal didn't go well. How are home school plans shaping up?
@mccurleya Good luck starting back! How are you feeling about it? And hooray for Nate - that is awesome!!!
All is well here. No antibodies for me, my husband, or my stepdad, which makes us question my mom's positive results. We're still hashing out a reopening plan for my school - I am decidedly NOT on the reopening committee, but my principal told one of my coworkers to just call me to talk through all the details. I've pulled back on a lot school-wise since having the girls, and it makes me feel good to know how much my principal still trusts my ideas. Nora is struggling with potty training - the last week or so, she's started just peeing on the floor, even if we just sat on the potty five minutes earlier. It is driving my husband and I nuuuuuuts, but we're trying to stay the course! We went to the playground the other evening and Nora pooped in her pants. When my husband and I asked what happened, she just shook her head and said "Poop city."
@ashtuesday today went great. My paras and I got a lot done. A lot more to do tomorrow. But GA is really relaxed about all this compared to other states, and I’m honestly okay with it. I only have 5 students so I’m not worried about it.
I’m sorry Nora isn’t doing well with potty training anymore. However, “poop city” is hilarious.
Homeschool plans are going well. I just ordered everything. My oldest is not very happy but he needs to deal with it. I don’t know how we won’t end up doing virtual learning anyway.
We started Monday and all is well so far. However if anyone gets it it’ll spread like wildfire. Barely anyone is wearing a mask as far as students go.
The county we live in though has already had to quarantine over 50 people. I’m ready for this all to be over with. I hope all of your families are well!
One positive: we close on our old house next week!! 🙌🏼
We are starting school next week. I am excited to see where we can go with homeschooling. Our parochial school that we usually go to is still going back face to face but the public schools are not. They think it may be the beginning of 2021 before they do.
Yay about selling your old house- that’s the most nerve wracking part.
shoretobe
member
Re: Summer 2020
I guess more generally, how is everyone doing with this summer?
I am also on the fence about possibly homeschooling my older kids. Our school hasn’t announced what they are doing yet but I was not very happy about how they handled the pandemic. They didn’t teach any science or vocabulary. I know it was hard for the teachers and but I am paying for private school I expect that they could have done more.
That sounds like a lot to coordinate for VBS - do you have the usual amount of children signed up? Good luck with it, but I have a feeling you’ll do great!
@mccurleya what about your district? Do you go back in August?
we decided to keep VBS smaller to keep within restrictions and because it’s so much work this year. We have decided to cap it at 75 and we usually have 140. This is my 6th year(I think).
Declan won’t go to school until next year so I am not worried about it yet. Today I was working on craft bags and he started stringing beads on a pipe cleaner. I was surprised he could do it.
I can’t imagine having to organize everything with all the extra steps and guidelines you have to follow. Hope it goes smoothly for you.
@shoretobe Short answer, no idea what the fall will look like: lots of conflicting statements from the mayor, governor, and union. I'm typically a person who likes to have my ducks in a row, but there are so many variables, it's impossible to plan right now. Potty training has been going well! Most days, Nora has maybe 1 or 2 accidents - and then there are days like today when I spent the entire day disinfecting my floors after she's peed on them lol. We have been venturing out more, mostly at a distance. Playgrounds opened up July 1: we go most mornings super early, but one day we ran late and didn't get there til 10. There were a handful of other kids there, and Nora acted like she had never seen another child before in her life. She wouldn't leave my side or say hi, and then Murph picked up Nora's energy and did the same. So like you, I'm on the fence about getting her back to school. I was hoping to avoid day care because of the germs, but I want these children to be socialized! How are you feeling? How are Maeve and Darby doing? I know after Murph was born, I went through a period of feeling really isolated (it just seemed harder to do things with two kids than it was with 1): how are you faring on that front?
@shoretobe I totally get the somehow-feeling-isolated-in-a-room-full-of people thing. I feel like with a newborn, everyone wants to talk about the baby (which makes sense!) but then there's the feeling of wait - when do I get to a be a person and talk about other things too?! My brother and I always talk about this time we visited our aunt after she had our little cousin and at one point, she tried to start a conversation by saying "So, what kind of bread do you guys like?" - she was that starved for adult interaction that even bread preferences sounded like an appealing topic. I'm glad you're getting out for swim lessons at least (that was one of the things on our summer to-do list too - I thought the place we were going to take them was closed, but you inspired me to look it up and they just reopened this week! Maybe we'll do that after all!). I hope it gets easier. We have the Uppababy Vista set up as a double stroller. It was ridiculously expensive, but we made the investment after the cheap stroller I got when I was pregnant with Nora was just horrible to maneuver - we go on long walks every day the weather allows, so it was worth it. I'll say I didn't really love it for the infant stage - the bassinet can only go on the bottom, so the little baby is fathest from mom, and you need to change the adapters whenever you change the seat you're using (bassinet, car seat, etc.). But it was only annoying for the first 5 months or so - now that they're in toddler seats, I love it.
A cool thing: a few days ago, my mom tested positive for Covid antibodies! She never had any symptoms; she is high risk, so this blows our minds. We haven't let the girls hug and kiss anyone but us since March, but my mom came over on Thursday and got one million kisses; it was a good day. My husband and I are getting tested this week - if we have the antibodies, we'll assume the girls do too. I know there are questions about getting sick again, etc, but I will definitely feel a little safer if we all have them. It will also mean we definitely register for pre-school, even if it's only one day a week! Gotta socialize these babies.
@mccurleya Good luck starting back! How are you feeling about it? And hooray for Nate - that is awesome!!!
All is well here. No antibodies for me, my husband, or my stepdad, which makes us question my mom's positive results. We're still hashing out a reopening plan for my school - I am decidedly NOT on the reopening committee, but my principal told one of my coworkers to just call me to talk through all the details. I've pulled back on a lot school-wise since having the girls, and it makes me feel good to know how much my principal still trusts my ideas. Nora is struggling with potty training - the last week or so, she's started just peeing on the floor, even if we just sat on the potty five minutes earlier. It is driving my husband and I nuuuuuuts, but we're trying to stay the course! We went to the playground the other evening and Nora pooped in her pants. When my husband and I asked what happened, she just shook her head and said "Poop city."
Our parochial school that we usually go to is still going back face to face but the public schools are not. They think it may be the beginning of 2021 before they do.