Ah. So what you're saying is that I'm too late and there really is no hope for me, lol. 😉 Enjoy paradise for me! 🙂

Tell me of this sorcery you possess!

Live it up! Ride the wave! Party like it's 1999! Enjoy the last dregs of the ambrosia that is summer. Especially in 2020, lol. Just don't expect too much on that first morning. And maybe make sure that you get to bed a bit earlier that last night (the kids, maybe not you) so that way you're only battling schedule change, not sleep deprivation too on that first day.

You're not being stupid. Quite the opposite imo. I'd have them wear a mask. They aren't 6 ft social distanced, in a closed air environment. Even opening up windows isn't going to do much in every situation so it isn't an "obvious" solution.

Thank you Amira, this is very helpful. Permission to repost this to some friends to raise awareness/give donation options?

We have similar ages. So I've been experimenting with a few different approaches recently. The most successful for us so far has been: I group the kids in the morning, we do morning time and discuss what the day's going to look like if there's anything unusual. Anything that can be done together, is. It doesn't work for every subject, but a few, so it's 3 birds with one stone. The older kids I more check up on than sit with now. I lean over, answer direct questions, give a direct lesson if it's not clicking (standing up), then move to the next one, no set time for each one. Then I go and do my own thing in the kitchen and the 1st grader comes with me so he can do handwriting and the reading stuff with me while I'm cutting stuff up, etc. I check in on the others once he finishes a subject, then rinse and repeat. During certain subjects it becomes asking from the doorway "Need any help?" then back to my thing. And, they do bring their books to me if they hit a spot they don't get. So the time I spend with them isn't set but I am always on call. It does help that my older ones are more independent now and prefer to try and figure stuff out on their own and I'm the backup plan. And the 3yo is chaos no matter our schedule, lol, but we've found some activities that she likes and I can buy 20 or 40 minutes by pulling out her favorites. And even though I don't have set times to spend with them we do have a schedule of time per subject, so I know what they are working and when I need to check in towards the end of subjects to see how it went.

And then you said I must be a young mom, and it was the nicest thing said to me all day 🙂 I was late in life, though. She was 41 when she had me. So there is definite more disconnect. Though, my sisters are in their 50s and she treats them the same, so... yeah. It's not just my age that nets me the treatment.

74. But shh, don't tell her I told you. If you think I'm in trouble now... lol

Yeah, I'm guilty of setting myself on fire for her, completely true. It's how I was raised, and culturally I think it was just "how it is" so I can't even be too mad at her. But my kids and their health? Naw, that's a hard no.

About once a week. I told her she can call them whenever she wants. When she calms down I'll tell her we can schedule it daily/every-other if she wants, to prove that it isn't a keep-away thing. We are 2 hours away so I'm hoping that deters her from doing a whole drive where there may be no pay out. If she comes I have no idea. I'd probably ask her the same questions and then say that once she actually does a 2 week quarantine then I'll be happy to bring the kids out to her. And be prepared just to take the fury. If there wasn't fury and instead understanding, I'd let kids talk through the porch windows (totally hearable), but I see that as...an outside chance, lol. Not a day over 39, and certainly not 74. (edit: ahem, ahem, lol)

So my mom thinks I am using Covid as an excuse to keep the kids away from her. I'll admit it has made my life much much easier but no, I'm not using it as an excuse. My mom has been very cavalier about everything, though wears as mask (wears only a face shield, actually) when required. On our phone conversation she announced they will come to visit us since I won't take the kids there. I asked if they have been quarantining? She said that she's quarantining and not going anywhere. I asked "for 2 weeks?" Well, other than groceries (I can live with that), and church (hmm, maybe okay), she hasn't gone anywhere. But wait, didn't she tell me last week that she went out to eat with her friends? THAT WAS SO LONG AGO AND YOU ARE BEING RIDICULOUS. GOODBYE MOONHAWK. *click* So while I feel guilty and like I need to call her back, mostly because of my conditioning, I guess at least I've gotten this out of the way for another week, at least. I wish she would actually just quarantine for 2 weeks (and I'd even be ok with grocery trip) so I could just bring the kids up to her, but "her freedom" is more important, and that's her choice. And now I'm less likely to trust her vows of quarantine in the future, which double stinks. 😞

In 3rd grade, I fell off a recliner (think lazy boy type of thing), onto carpeted floor, and required 5 stitches. At a friend's house. The mom was half panicked, half confused.

Fresh from my parent's house, it's not the best pic but love seeing these guys around:

Well, I never thought I'd be happy to see a mask not covering the nose.....

I really hope people like this one, it make me laugh out loud and I want to share that with someone, lol

I love how you worded this and have decided this is a new part of my language. It's officially my verb particular to butterfly movement. Birds fly, humans walk, and butterflies grace.

Some desert blooms from June. I like the guy who is trying to hand you a bouquet 🙂

So I've always loved the sky and there have been some beautiful views lately. The cloud with the sun behind it was today, and the fire rain was yesterday. And the caterpillar wasn't really a happy nature pic for my plants, but this same guy has traveled crazy distances each time I ditch him somewhere to come back to my garden. We are on day 4 of our dance. I've come to enjoy him, and I'm actually concerned he may not make it back for tomorrow!

I try not to double reply, but I put the finger on what's bothering me on this part. Someone who is on the front line is similarly said to be "in the trenches." This means that you are stuck there. You are the First Person that is going to get skewered if the enemy breaches the lines. There is no turning back, there is no relief, or the relief is far off. You are replaced, essentially, either when you are too wounded to fight or you die. Now we can quibble about how different armies have approached this in different time periods, but I think this is an accurate description of the connotations with "front lines." Now, you can be a good soldier, you can do your bit, and not be on the front lines. There is honor there. But there is a reason that the "front lines" are singled out to be described differently. Basically, there is a reason they chose that term to describe themselves in the first place!, they know the connotation I am talking about. These doctors, if you want to consider them part of the fighting force, okay. But front line of all the doctors? Are they in the trenches? Are they the ones who are doing the doctor equivalent of waking up every morning to the sound of mortar shells? When you think of an ER doctor in a hardhit area, and you turn on the TV to see these doctors call themselves front line, would you consider it an appropriate use of the term? I guess I'm a bit stingy, too. Anyway, I am not really aiming to change your mind or how you use the term, but wanted to put out "my opinion" since this is the most subjective part of the conversation.