My ds got a message from his school that they would like to distribute some of their CARES money from the federal relief bill to needy students who have suffered financially from the Covid disruption. It will about make up what he didn’t get in stimulus because we claimed him as a dependent and he certainly has suffered financially as his job was with Major League Baseball. I had seen how the schools got this money and were supposed to spend on students but I didn’t know what that would look like. In his case it is going to be cash directly to him. So that’s nice.Just wondered if anyone else had heard if they will benefit.

Schools here are still saying the plan is to be in person in fall if at all possible. The financial toll of not having football in the fall will be huge not just to the university but to the entire eastern third of the state. So getting football back (which obviously can’t happen if students aren’t on campus) seems to be a driving force in getting back in person. There is talk of playing college football in the spring, though. It is as though as bad as all this has been and as hard as the economic impact has been, cancelling college football seems a line people are unwilling to cross. I’m not just saying because people are sports crazy but because of the economic impact. It is the kind of thing where you can’t get a hotel within 200 miles on a football weekend things are so busy. I’m anxious to know but I’m happy for the ones that involve us to wait if that means they aren’t moving online prematurely. If it has to be online, that is understandable, but I’d rather schools wait as long as they can to make that call. (In our case it won’t change anyone’s living arrangements).

I'm in TN but close to GA. GA is really going for it and their numbers are not good and they seem to always be on the list of states doing the least testing. I hope it goes okay because my ds is graduating from college in Atlanta and is planning to start a job there in the fall. So, I would love to see Atlanta get going but it doesn't look very encouraging by the numbers and they certainly are not phasing things in at all. My ds that lives there is very cautious and is staying home so I'm not super worried about him personally but I just don't think they have any of the metrics to open and they aren't going in phases. I wasn't shocked that they were opening up but I was shocked by the details. We are going slower here in TN but we are beginning the process of getting back. I feel better about our situation here than in GA. We have lower case counts and pretty good testing. Supposedly anyone now can get a test even without symptoms. We will see soon I guess.

I think the bandanna idea works well and is easy. My 12 yo dd is the only one who sews here and she made a few masks but got tired of it. I also tried the one with the t-shirt cut out and that didn't work as well.

I don't get the moving goalposts as much from public officials as from the general public. Where I Iive we have flattened the curve. Hospitals have capacity and equipment. We have testing and contract tracing set up (supposedly? I guess people are rightfully skeptical of government) and we are beginning to reopen. However, my FB feed and the comments I notice on any news article on FB seem to overwhelmingly suggest that people are expecting we should stay shut down until there are no more positives. I think our area meets the guidelines laid out for opening but I get that people are nervous. I'm nervous too. However, the general sentiment I am getting is that we should shut down until no one is at risk at all. I'm not one to get into arguments or wade into controversy on social media but i am curious as to what the end game is for these folks. It seems they just want everything shut down until it is gone. I think things will gradually reopen, there will be more cases but the hospital system can handle, and when it ticks up too much we'll pull back. That's the dance, right? However, the general public seems to think we should either stay shut down until the disease is gone, or we should open wide and not have any problems. I think people are going to go nuts when we open some things and there still are cases. I really need to get off social media. If someone expresses that they wish their kid could have speech therapy people respond with things like "you think people should DIE just so your kid has perfect speech!" and "blood on your hands!" Ugh. We aren't going to get to zero cases. Now everyone is warning about the second wave in the fall and that we need to stay shut down until that passes. I haven't heard that from public officials, yet (except for things like large events) but it seems to be what the public is clamoring for. Maybe it is just the vocal minority.

This is what is happening in my area too but I think there are some states or counties that are not allowing even these services. We actually just got wine in grocery stores a couple years ago and just recently allowed liquor stores in our town. But given the circumstances, local authorities have put in an executive order allowing alcohol delivery and take out curbside. While nothing is remotely funny about this whole situation, the fact that my little Bible belt town now allows drive thru margaritas is at least a little amusing.

My stylist offered that service before the state shut it down. However, the state said it would look the other way about in home visits but didn't want the liability of the drop off kit service.

I have heard it explained that the definition of “essential” is going to slowly change to include more and more workers in stages until everyone is essential. So the definition of essential isn’t exactly going to mean what we understand the dictionary definition of essential to mean. I am sure nail salons and dance studios will eventually be deemed essential even though we all know they are not life sustaining. Hair salons totally not essential for me but I do think that before long some people really will “need” access to a barber. My dad is 72 years old amd lives alone and still works a professional job. He isn’t going to cut his own hair decently or rock a man bun. In full disclosure, I am of the opinion that at this point in the situation, in my geographic area, if my hairdresser and I both were seemingly well and wanted to mask up and take that risk I think that would be reasonable. But I realize I am in the minority on that opinion. There will be something that, to me, feels worth the risk that others would deem unnecessary. It won’t be high on my list to return to the salon but we all have a different hierarchy of needs and things we value.

My dd has been sewing masks from fabric and odds and ends around the house and we’ve been experimenting with various no sew options. Dd and I are happy with pretty or crazy fabric masks (which is pretty much the only fabric on hand) and unprofessional results. But dh and my two young adult sons will likely be returning to professional jobs and need masks. My 17 yo ds will likely need one for various things and while not a professional, he is very conservative and a leopard print mask made with old headbands for straps is not going to work for him :) I’d like to help them find some conservative masks. I’m thinking plain black maybe. Or really just a solid color with nothing flashy. Im not thinking of anything medical grade. We are all healthy but I would like to help them find something that will meet whatever basic requirements are going to be in place for a face covering in public and the workplace. I was thinking of a variety so they could find what was most comfortable for them. Dd and I will just be making short trips but the guys may need them for longer periods of time while working and I’d like them to be comfortable (as much as possible). My FB feed is full of companies I have never heard of selling masks. I’d rather have a recommendation.

We are also looking at getting a dog as our first pet. Neither dh nor I even had pets as kids or spent much time around them. My youngest child is my 12 yo dd who is super responsible and an animal lover. We definitely aren't going with a puppy but we are considering different breeds for our situation. I am also remembering that my dd will probably be going to college in six years so the dog will then be mine. Many of you mentioned to find a reputable breeder. How does one go about determining who is a reputable breeder? Where is a good place to start just for info for new dog owners? I have held out on this until I really had the time to devote to knowing what I am doing and doing it right. I want to have as much info going in as possible.

Yep. My 19 yo who lost his job in this is the one in our family who gets nothing. My just turned 17 yo got in under the cutoff so we did get something for him. I understand how they figured it but 17-19 year olds can be very expensive! My 21 yo filed independently for the first time this year so nice that he got it. It sure isn't "fair" though.

Yes...I was unsure how my 17 yo would be handled as he just turned 17 this year. He was 16 when we filed so he qualified for the child tax credit for the last time but I never could figure out if we would get the stimulus money for him since he is now 17. So that was a nice surprise.

Two local universities and two community colleges have postponed graduation to August. I don't know whether that is based on indications they are getting from local leaders or just wishful thinking or whether they are putting the date out there but are expecting to cancel. I don't know but some announcements about local things make me think someone in government has tipped their hand and given officials reason to believe these events will be possible. Or maybe one university makes a statement and the others just follow. Who knows? My ds has a de class scheduled for the first summer session (May). As of now this is still officially an in person class. I guess maybe the university is hoping that the governor or mayor or someone else makes the decision for them? I wish I could be a fly on the wall in some of these meetings and know what is really happening and what the thinking really is.

I understand this. I think one of the reasons I am so okay with my 11 yo dd missing activities is that I have older kids and the hits are just so much harder. My oldest is graduating college and supposed to be starting his career. My second will graduate in December and his current job and career plans are really crushed. My 17 yo can’t get back his last high school summer and the plans he had for it. But my dd ? Anything she can do when she is 11 she can also do when she is 12. So while I am sorry for her it is more of a blip than for my big kids/young adults. My oldest is an athlete (had his senior college season cancelled by this) and I know we would have felt crushed to have his late high school seasons cancelled and the impact that would have had on his college plans. 🙁

As much as everyone misses all their activities I also think some people might decide that they didn’t really miss them or enjoy them as much as they thought or they might decide they weren’t worth the expense. People do a lot of things just out of habit. Of course, some people won’t return to the activities because of financial difficulties and some businesses won’t survive. My dd dances and while it is just recreational in nature for her she had ended up in multiple shows, multiple studios. She would have had productions with three different studios this spring. I had already regretted it before everything was cancelled but now I am sure we wouldn’t do that again. She will go back to dance but she doesn’t miss it that much and it wasn’t that sad to lose all the shows and of course it saves us money. I think when we return we’ll be more discriminating about what we agree to. I don’t miss the idea of summer camps even though we aren’t there yet. I always felt like the kids had to do something and attend a few day camps over the summers. Since we’ve been involved in 4-H that has meant overnight camps. I guess I don’t love that. The expense, transportation, worry (if overnight), etc. I’m not too disappointed about missing those for my 11 yo. I imagine we will do some of that in future years when available but I don’t think I’ll feel as inclined to have to find something to do. I often felt like I paid too much for what the camps were. I will likely be more discriminating about that in the future too. My 17 yo is missing summer 4-H conferences that really are more personal development/leadership experiences for him. He has done so much of it in the past he might have already gained from that what he would in skills but it would have been his last chance at some of those. So that is sad. I am glad he has always attended everything in the past and didn’t just say “next year”. I had already had an attitude that next year is never guaranteed so he should seize the day and try to do everything he could but this experience really reinforces the idea of taking the opportunity when it exists and not just assuming the next year is a given. And thoughts on how the forced hiatus has made you think differently about things you were involved in?

I think a lot of people around me are spinning false hope. I keep telling my kids that things will probably be cancelled and not to get their hopes up for things but then the people in charge put on an optimistic face and my kids just get mad at me. I guess I’ve decided to stop trying to temper their expectations and just be optimistic with them. I guess that is what they want but it goes against my nature. Ds has a de course set to start the second week of May that supposedly still is in person. Dd has a recital supposedly happening in July. Ds has a big week long conference at a state university scheduled in July and another one in August. I really would be thrilled to think we could get back in fall to close to normal and kids could go to school and colleges would be in person. But it just seems unlikely and the things my kids are into can’t be adapted to social distancing guidelines much. I think our state will be among the early openers, however, I cannot see our governor going first. I think he will follow surrounding red states, not lead the way.

I remember seeing something a while back (before Covid) that the president rarely spoke from a podium with the presidential seal because he would just pop by the press briefings and speak unplanned. The fluid, unscheduled manner in which he addressed the press had meant that he wasn't really using a podium with the seal most times.

Oldest ds has a house off campus that he shares with three other guys, all seniors. They had already decided to renew right before this happened. They all plan to stay in the area next year and they were going to continue the college life/shared housing expenses to save money for at least a year. One of them left and went to a vacation home with his girlfriend's family to ride it out but the other guys all stayed there and are doing okay. He pays himself, though we might need to step in and help as his current jobs were supposed to be driving Uber Eats (which dried up) and coaching a travel baseball team (which isn't happening). He is looking for more ways to make money and he has a pretty big cushion and he will get the stimulus check so we likely won't need to help him, but we would if he needs it. He has a good job offer that is supposed to start in September. Even if that gets rescinded he would be better able to find a job there than here so it just makes sense for him to stay there. It's home to him now. Second ds has an off campus apartment at college. He had been covering it and had enough to cover through April. We planned to help after April but he was also working a lot so we wouldn't have had to take it on entirely. His job is gone and not coming back anytime soon so we are pretty much going to be covering his expenses from here on until I don't know when? His lease goes through July. He was planning to stay there working and taking classes. The classes are now online. He is still staying there, though. We couldn't have broken the lease and it would have been difficult to absorb him back into our household on many levels. My dh is using his room as an office to work from home and that would have been a big conflict. With him it is stressful to be away from him during this time, but having him home wouldn't have been easy either. 😞 He hadn't yet signed a lease for next year because if all goes well he will graduate in December and he wasn't going to sign a year lease unless he really had no other options. So he was going to wait that out for awhile anyway. If school doesn't go back in the fall he will have all kinds of choices of sublets because many students started renewing in the fall and are already signed. But he really has no plans to return here regardless of whether school is online or in person. Moving to city of oldest ds is more likely than coming back here. His path is much more up in the air. My boys have always worked alot of hours and saved their money and taken care of so many of their own expenses. It is strange for them both to be basically just hanging out and taking online classes and not working. It isn't ideal. Grocery stores and Amazon warehouses in their cities were advertising that they were hiring but, as a mom, I just felt like they should stay in and stay well and not rush out to take those jobs right away. As I told them both, we expect them to work but these are extraordinary times. Dh and I have the ability to help them through this so that is what is happening, for now at least. It is hard to be away from them and I'd rather scramble to help them pay bills than worry about them working with the public. I absolutely understand that I am privileged to be able to make that choice. The thought that they could get sick and we would not be able to go to them has been one of the hardest parts of this so I am happiest with them both just staying home and well. I do think they are both starting to consider what their next move will be as things loosen up. It won't be returning here though. There is nothing for them here that would help them move forward.

We have gotten indications that our state flagship will be having some in person classes in the fall but campus life will not be a return to normal. I don't know exactly what this means but it was put in context of having classes but not necessarily sports and other large gatherings.

I did a pick up order when this first started at Target for some candy and snacks and odds and ends. I tracked down a little toy that 11 yo dd asked for but Amazon wasn't shipping in time from Barnes and Noble. But mostly I've reminded everyone (it is just 17 yo ds and 11 yo dd) that the Easter Bunny is under quarantine and limiting trips to protect all the vulnerable bunnies.

Today ours cancelled everything through July 31. Made me a little hopeful that they are planning on classes on campus in the fall. Two local universities have announced postponing commencement to August. That gave me a little hope too.

When this first started I caved and allowed my very intelligent and cautious 17 yo to have one friend over under the instruction that they were to sit on furniture we have that is more than six feet apart, keep distance, etc. Well I watched them incapable of actually doing that so it has been an absolute no go since then. Actually, I don't even need to try to convince my ds that he can't properly socially distance because he had a shot at it and failed miserably. So he hasn't even asked again. If this kid can't do it, then really most kids are not going to be able to at all even riding bikes, etc. It was harder to get with the program at first but now that people have had some time to get used to it and now that they keep talking about how very contagious it is and how it isn't just old folks getting really sick, people seem to be doing better. If I lived near my sister we would probably work together and keep our bubble tight and allow the kids to play. I can see the same thing with really close neighbors. But, really, it is going to be a rare situation that works that way. We are really doing a good job staying at home but dh did have to go for an MRI the other day and he has gone to the grocery store and pharmacy. I know other people are exposing themselves even more than that.

My 19 yo ds is set to graduate college in December 2020. He works for a Major League Baseball team and he hoped to go on there full time after graduation. He abruptly lost his job when spring training was cancelled and who knows when that will come back or how his position will be impacted. My 21 yo ds is set to graduate in May. He has had a really good job lined up since September that is supposed to start in the fall. He had been driving Uber Eats and had a job coaching a travel baseball team lined up through the summer. Uber Eats has dried up, the baseball job is off. His job offer for the fall is still on as of now but we are all mentally preparing for that to get pulled. Dh works for a utility. He is working from home but we are preparing for furlough. The demand on the corporate side is way down and people aren’t necessarily paying their utility bills. The local utilities all said they would not shut off power (which is great) but of course down the line there are consequences when bills aren’t paid.

Yes. This is hitting the young adults preparing for launch very hard. My 19 yo and 21 yo have gotten the rug pulled out after having worked hard and doing everything right. Painful.

The IHME model was wildly off for my state. On April 1 it had our state needing 1000 more hospital beds than we even had cases. We had something like 300 hospitalized and the model predicted 4000. If they are adjusting it at all it won’t be up I can’t imagine. I saw somewhere that they overshot the hospital needs for NY by a huge amount too. But all I really know is my state. The model was terrifying and the reality was nothing close. I was eagerly watching for the update.