Staying Home, Week 44

I've got a "counter" on my phone that has been counting the days since we first entered any kind of lockdown for Covid.  Today is day 310.  We have had many varieties of lockdown...

-Stay in if you can, kids doing home learning, working from home

-Small gatherings permitted inside, with distancing

-Only outdoor gatherings allowed, with masks

-Kids back to school, with masks

-Kids grade 7 & up stay home & do Zoom classes

-No indoor or outdoor gatherings

Now we are in the weirdest one for me.  The kids are back at school, but no indoor or outdoor gatherings have been permitted for the past week.  So I have lots of time to myself, which is really quite nice after 5 weeks of the kids being home from school, but I'm not supposed to go anywhere.  I've been shopping about once a week, which is my only outing.  Wearing a mask is almost second nature now, but with the weather being cold I've been wearing a toque when I go to town, so all that shows is my eyes.  I call it my "incognito" look.

Thankfully, we are still encouraged to go outside & exercise, and I've got a local friend who I've been going Cross-Country Skiing with.  We have lots of trails just past our backyard that go through the campground, so it's been fun being able to ski so close to home. Chancery comes with us sometimes, & she really enjoys it too.  I declined an invitation to go xc skiing this weekend, & Chancery was quite upset that she didn't get to go, thankfully we were asked again for Sunday afternoon, so it wasn't a total bust!

I've watched lots TV, read quite a few books, sent out Christmas cards, drank gallons of coffee, moved to a new house, unpacked (still haven't hung our pictures yet!)...  It hasn't been all bad, but I'm eager to see people again! And DO things together!

Home Schooling Week 5

This homeschooling thing is no joke, but we're doing it.  We just made it through the first 2 weeks of real school work (we did 3 weeks on our own before that) I am very thankful my kids are not in the French school anymore though, I wouldn't be able to read their textbooks or anything. They are pretty self sufficient, but I wouldn't be able to help them at all.

It makes me think of other families where the kids go to school, but the parents don't speak the language very well. We were very fortunate when we lived in PEI that I had quite a few friends who were French speaking and could help translate the school newsletters for me and tell me what I needed to do.  Even not understanding one subject can be difficult for a parent thrown into this, but to not be able to understand any of the school work would be overwhelming!

I want to encourage you if you know anyone who may be struggling with the language barrier to check in on them, ask if there's any way you can help. FaceTime their kid and ask if they need anything explained.  While you're at it, tell them something you've struggled with during this time. We're all failing at something, but there's also something we can give to others. Maybe it's homework help, maybe it's encouragement, or a laugh!

Not Social Distancing

It's crazy times.  Who would have thought that we'd all be hunkering down at home not from a

natural disaster or some freak weather storm, but from an illness that came out of the blue.  I know

there are lots of people who are frightened about what the future holds, not just for during this time in

Quarantine, but after we come out of it. How many businesses will have to close?  How many jobs

won't exist anymore? How many of our loved ones will have become ill, or even died from the virus?

There's a lot of talk about physical health, but we need to also remember that our health is not just

based on if we have a fever or not. Health is a multi-faceted part of us.  We have to find a balance of

mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health.

I don't like the "Social Distancing" line that has been thrown around, because that makes it sound

like we should be antisocial. We should be Physically Distant, but now is the time to be there for

each other.  This is an unprecedented time, and everyone is struggling with it in some way or

another. There are lots of extroverts who may get depressed if they can't socialize with others,

which can also lead to health problems. There are many who are anxious with what the future will

hold, which leads to sleeplessness and burnout.  Hopefully this will lead to a new normal where

people are more in tune with their mental health and it won't be such a stigma to say "I'm struggling.

I need help.".

I have hope that this will lead to some positive changes in many ways. This could change the way

we interact in our communities. Maybe instead of driving into our garages and not talking to our

neighbours, we'll start to really care about one another and look after the needs around us.

I've seen on FaceBook quite a few homeschooling parents telling all the parents who have suddenly

been thrown into quarantine schooling, that this isn't even normal for homeschoolers.  It's new

territory for everyone (pulling together, reassuring). They have said not to expect 6 hours of work

from your kids, most students do between 2-3 depending on what they are working on. That's

COMMUNITY!

It's important to remember these guidelines for adults working from home as well.  There are many

parts of your normal workday that help break up the stress, that you are missing right now. It's

important to take into account the coffee breaks, drive time, etc. Locking yourself off from the world

to work for 8 hours isn't healthy in a stressful time like this. It's really important to take care of your

body and mind (emotional, physical, mental,& spiritual health). Maybe it means working until

lunchtime, eating with the family, playing some board games, and going for a walk in the afternoon.

I'm sure you know that you can't do your best work if you're stressed.  Two hours of good work is

better than 6 hours of stress an anxiety riddled work. Work yourself into more hours as you get used

to this new normal. Take care of yourself, take care of your family, take care of your friends.

Remember, don't cut yourself off from everyone.  Social Distancing doesn't mean Social Isolation!

Call your friends, Play virtual poker, FaceTime that friend you haven't had time to connect with, Send

a message to say, "I was thinking about you... Remember when we went on that epic adventure?"

Ask how they are REALLY doing.  Let them know they are not alone. We're all in this together.

After School Schedule

As we gear up for the beginning of school, I thought I'd share our after school schedule that I keep on
the fridge. It started as a note for babysitters, so they would not be fooled by our innocent childrens'
penchant for bending the rules, but it has proved beneficial for the kids to also know the daily routine.
Feel free to copy, & let me know if you have any additions or other helpful tips!

----------------------------------------

When the kids get home from school:

-Empty lunch bags

-Have snack

-Practice Piano -20 min

-Read for 20 min

5:00 they may play video games or watch TV

Dinner around 5:30/6:00

After Dinner make lunches, if they can’t cooperate in the kitchen, only 1 at a time.

7:00 Reading Time:  (Shower if needed)

-Toilet

-Teeth

-PJs

-Book

8:00 Lights Out!

If the kids can’t agree on something, use common sense, & don’t be afraid to say NO!

The kids also have ‘days’, odd=Asher’s choice, even=Chancery’s

There’s a paper by the TV which tells you what channel the TV needs to be on
to watch TV/play video games

If you have any questions, Sherilyn’s cell 604-xxx-xxxx, Chad's cell 778-xxx-xxxx,

Home phone 778-xxx-xxxx

Wifi: "WiFi Name"

Password: "CleverPassword"

Twenty Years!

This post is all about the numbers...

Chad & I are celebrating our 20th Wedding Anniversary today, so I thought I'd compile some of the things we have done in the second half of my life!

We have had a few pets
2 cats
2 dogs
4 fish

plus lots of farm cats, some with names, some not.

 We've owned quite a few vehicles, & not one of them was wrecked!
1 SUV
2 Trucks
6 Cars
13 Motorbikes

Now, considering when I met Chad he was planning on being a farmer, which was perfect since I didn't want to move a lot, our life has not gone according to plan in that department!

We have lived in
1 State
3 Countries
4 Provinces

Many types of homes

1 Parsonage
1 Housesit
2 Co-Housing
4 Apartments

5 Houses

Which required
13 Change of Address Forms
10 Home phone numbers
8 Cell Phone Numbers

We have travelled quite a bit, & made it to
13 countries
19 Passports (including the kids')
11 years of documenting every trip outside of Canada for immigration (there were 28)

We have completed
4 Degrees
2 Certificates
(though none are mine, I still get to count them!)

We have had a total of
10 job titles
and worked for
14 Employers

We have hosted
5 homestay students
and we made
2 kids (We doubled the size of our family!)

Our life is certainly much different from what we had planned, but there's no one I'd rather be on this journey with! During one of the first major life-changing moves we were embarking on, one of my co-workers asked, "So, Chad's going to do that, but are you going to go with him?"

I answered, "Yes, of course I am. We're married!"

When my co-worker replied, "But that's not what you signed up for when you married him."

When we got married, I literally signed up for him. I never signed a contract to be a farmer's wife, or live in a certain place, but I did sign a vow that I'd be married to Chad for whatever comes in life, good or bad. We're not the same people we were when we got married 20 years ago (thankfully!), but all our experiences have brought us closer, since the only thing that has stayed the same through all of this is that we are in it together.

It will be interesting to see how the numbers will change in the next 20 years...

School's in Session!

School has started back up & the kids were raring to go!  They were on their bikes riding around the cul-de-sac 20 minutes before they needed to leave.

Asher is going into grade 6 this year,

& Chancery moves into the middle school building for Grade 4!

Hotel-like Service

Asher's school requires him to do some service hours each term, & he was a bit short, so this weekend he decided to help Chancery out by re-organizing her bookshelf.  It was a disaster to start with, so I figured it would take about an hour for him to get it under control.

What I didn't anticipate was that once he finished the big bookcase, he'd then move on to the small shelves, the nightstand, & even under the bed!  It took him 2 hours to get it looking like this, hopefully it stays clean for a while!

Asher told me, "I just made it look like how I'd want it if it was my room."

And when Chancery got into bed, her comment was, "I feel like I'm at a hotel!"

First Day of School 2016!

I don't know why, but the first day of school kind of snuck up on me this year.  I realized yesterday that I had to go through the kids' clothes to make sure they had enough jeans that fit without holes in the knees (Asher didn't), & get rid of some of their favourite shirts that are just too short or too tight!  We finished all that just before supper, then I realized at bedtime that we didn't know where their backpacks were.  It's a good thing the school provides school supplies or I would have been in trouble!

This morning I had every intention of taking a picture, but there was a bag of garbage by the front door, & I got distracted & forgot, SO once the kids came home for lunch I snapped their picture!

This is the first time Chancery has been at the same school 2 years in a row (due to changing schools in PEI to go to the French school), & she was excited to see her friends from last year again.

Asher is now in grade 5, & Chancery started grade 3!

Only 10 more years until they are both in University!

Last Day of School!

It's hard to believe that another school year is over!

Chancery just finished Grade 2, & Asher finished Grade 4.  I think Chancery is looking forward to going back to the same school next year.  It will be the first time that she won't be switching to a new school after just one year, & Asher traditionally switched every 2 years, but we are looking forward to staying for multiple years!  Maybe even through high school, who knows?

Here they are at the end of their last day of school!

First(ish) Day of School Pictures!

Well, I did manage to get pictures of the kids on their first full day of school, though it was after school & not before, which probably ended up better since the sun would have been in their eyes in the morning!

Coincidentally, both kids are wearing shirts from one of Grandma's trips.  We love these keepsakes, as they are useful (less clothes for us to buy), & after the kids outgrow them, they 'll be made into a quilt!

Asher - Grade 4

Chancery - Grade 2

First Day in Another New School

Asher started grade 4 & Chancery started grade 2 today.  This is the third new school they have been to since starting Kindergarten, going from French Immersion, to French, to English again.  I'm a bit relieved to be able to understand all of the newsletters again!  I guess you could say all the changes in the past few years were just to make it not seem so strange for them to go to another new school (good planning, eh?), not that it was intentional, that's just the way it worked out.

It was a bit of a weird morning.  The kids only had a half day today, so they didn't need lunches.  Because of that I totally forgot about snacks!  Fortunately, they made new friends who were generous enough to share!  We were ready about an hour before we needed to leave the house, so we played games for awhile, & totally forgot to take first day of school pictures (tomorrow is the first full day, so we'll go with that... if I can remember)!

When we had gone to visit the school, the teachers had not decided where everyone would sit, so I asked the kids where their seats were after they came home...

Chancery: "I got to sit in my first favourite seat that I chose when I went to school the first time!"

Asher: "I got to choose, but a lot of the seats were already taken, so I got to sit in my fourth favourite seat.  The one that was all alone in the back row.  But then I made a friend, & I wanted to sit by him, so I moved my pupitre to beside him!"


Me: "Did you ask the teacher if that was ok?"

Asher: "Yes, & she said it was!"

I love that they are making friends already, & that Asher still thinks in French sometimes.  I hope he doesn't lose that now that mostly everything is English.  Although in grade 4, they start learning French at this school, so there is hope!

Oh Yeah, We're Moving!

I realized after my last post that I had not mentioned on the blog that we are moving!  In the last month there has been a lot going on!  PChad received a job offer from a church in British Columbia, & after a lot of prayer & consideration, we decided that is where God is calling us to be.  An added perk of moving is that we will be closer to both of our families, & only about an hour from my extended family!  I can see it now, dropping the kids off at Grandpa & Grandma's house, & saying, "Good luck, we'll see you in a week!"

So, we are busy getting moving quotes, getting our house cleaned up & put on the market, entertaining the kids now that school is over, singing the kids up for their new school in BC, etc, etc.  We are planning on leaving in about a month, & driving across the States, visiting family along the way.  We want to make it a fun vacation for the family, & make lots of memories.  Hopefully those memories will be good ones, not ones filled with arguing about legroom & who touched whom!

So, please pray for us in this next couple of weeks/months that we get all the things done that need to be done, & that we also have a chance to enjoy a bit of summer here in PEI before we leave.

Last Day of Grade 3 & 1!

Today is the kids' last day of school!  Their day will be filled with not just the regular "See you next year!" goodbyes, but also "So long, farewell" goodbyes (but in French of course) 

Grade 3 & Grade 1 complete, now for the next adventure!

Last day of school compared to first day of school.

They've grown a little, but are still just as crazy!

Success!

Looks like the kids either had a good day at school, or they are really glad to be home again!

 

First Day of School!

Asher & Chancery were super excited for school today!  We did a dry run yesterday, to make sure we could all be ready on time.  So far so good.  We were ready 15 minutes before the bus!

 

Asher is going into grade 3, & Chancery is joining him this year for grade 1.  It’s the first time the kids will be in the same school, & hopefully the last time they have to change school for quite awhile.  They are both at the French school now after trying French immersion & doing fine.  Asher needed the challenge of more French, & we decided if Chancery could keep up, we’d send her there too in order to simplify things! (Though I’m not sure my life is being simplified, since all the correspondence is also in French!)

 

Can you feel the excitement?

 

Waiting patiently for the bus…

 

Hooray, 8 hours of freedom!

Third Tooth Lost!

Asher had finally gotten another loose tooth.  He had lost his first 2 teeth last summer, & since then, all his teeth had remained solid.  We tried to convince him to pull his tooh, or to let us pull his tooth, but he always refused saying that it would hurt.  I even tried to coax him into pulling it out on his birthday, “Wouldn’t it be cool to lose your tooth on your birthday?”  He remained steadfast, “No.”

 

What finally convinced him to pull his tooth?  It was nearing the end of the school year, & his teacher had little gift bags she would give to students when they lost their teeth.  He didn’t want to miss out on getting his gift bag, so he ripped the tooth out on the bus on the way to school.

8 year old, 3 teeth lost

Last Day of Grade 2 & Kindergarten!

Today was the last day of school, & after the nice weather we had at the beginning of the week it was a little disappointing to have a rainy day, but hopefully that’s one less day of rain this summer!

Asher had a field trip to a farm today, so he was ready for whatever weather was to be had!

 

Kindergarten & Grade 2 complete!

Chancery found these cowboy boots in her closet & has decided to wear them at every possible opportunity!

March Break

Well, it’s a good thing the schools call the break “March Break” & not “Spring Break” because so far, we have seen no signs of spring!  Two weeks ago, the kids had a week off school for March break, & while the weather wasn’t terrible, it wasn’t really the kind of weather you send your kids out to play in either.  So, we busied ourselves with cookie baking, farm visiting, & play dates.  Then the kids went back to school (hallelujah!), but it only lasted for 2 days.  Last Wednesday we had a blizzard, we got 21” of snow in a 24 hour period adding to the snow which still has not melted from earlier this year.

 

Due to Wednesday’s blizzard, school was cancelled Thursday & Friday as well.  Saturday & Sunday things went back to normal, but we had snow, ice pellets, rain & freezing rain Sunday afternoon & evening.

 

The kids are home from school again today due to the ice, & we are also under a winter storm advisory again.  We are having more freezing rain, & they are talking about school being cancelled tomorrow too.  More snow is expected tomorrow as well, up to 12”.

So far the city has had 154” (12’10”).  I guess if we’re going to have more snow, we might as well try to go for a new record, eh?  But I am ready for the kids to go back to school!

Standing Up

Chancery came home from school yesterday, & right away she said, “I told the bullies about Jesus loving them, but they did not believe me.”

 

I was going to ask her why they were bullies, but she took a deep breath & continued on.

 

“The bullies were not being nice to my friends, so I tried to tell the bullies all about how nice Jesus is, & how much he loves everyone, but they wouldn’t believe me.”

 

I told her what a great job she had done to stand up for her friends who were being mistreated by the bullies, & how wonderful it was that she decided to tell the bullies about Jesus.

 

Often we are not as brave.  When we see others being mistreated, we turn a blind eye, glad that it isn’t us being targeted.  If we do happen to speak up, do we do so in love, sharing Christ with our persecutors?  May God grant us the strength to stand for what’s right, & go that one step further & be a witness too.  Those bullies might not believe us today, but someday they might…

Shared Homework

Asher was helping Chancery with her French reading homework one night.  She only knows a few of the shorter words so far, so I thought the way they read through the book was pretty clever!