more punny postcards

Happy birthday!

Today is my 36th birthday. To celebrate we mostly ate: Chick-fil-a for lunch, my favorite pizza for dinner (Nina & Rafi's Detroit stye), and this cookie cake that I baked

Unexpectedly, two friends came by, left a gift at the door and then stood outside our balcony with a big birthday sign. It was such a nice surprise. 

After that we did another video chat game night with two other friends. 

In the end, this ended up being a much more social birthday than I would have usually had in a week day. 

punny cards

I drew these postcards for my students. 8 down, 38 to go :)

more chalk messages

Today two neighbors separately told us how much they enjoyed our chalk messages so Korra and I went out after dinner and doubled the number of messages and drawings (I think it's at 20 now). About 5 more neighbors either called out from their balcony or walked by and told us they've been taking pictures and sharing on social media our chalk art and how happy it makes them. It makes me happy too. 

Hangouts and Zoom

Today we had not one but TWO game nights (one was in the afternoon). One was with friends on Zoom, the other was with family on Google Hangouts, both were playing Jack Box and were really fun.  I also attended a virtual birthday party for a friend in Seattle.  I am so thankful for technology that keeps us connected in this difficult time. 

Creativity

Korra made a robot. 

I sewed a bag. 

Fart Joke

This morning I instant messaged all my students a joke.

Why did the teacher stop telling fart jokes?
Because her students told her they stink!

I could FEEL the eye rolls coming through the screen.  It was fantastic.

Two Weeks of "New Normal"

It's been two weeks since we've been to school, eaten dinner in a restaurant, or hung out with friends. 
It's also been two weeks since I've worn a bra or pants with a button (elastic waistband only!)
It's important to keep things in perspective, so here are some things that I've been enjoying about quarantine/our "new normal":

• Working in a space with windows.  Glorious windows! (if I've never told you before, our school is basically an underground cinder block bomb shelter and there are no windows anywhere)
• Time to run.  Because I don't have to start work until 8 (instead of 7), I have time to run every morning. And I need it since I'm now sitting way more than I used to.
• Lunches with Korra on the balcony
• Getting to go to the bathroom whenever I want
• Stopping work to do fun things with Korra- like blow bubbles, build a robot, and play catch

two weeks, two series

School has been out you just about 2 weeks. I've finished two series on Netflix (each was only one season).  Nate and I watched Sex Education together. I watched Virgin River by myself. 

We just got word that we're out of school until at least April 24. What should I watch next?

How are you?

For about two weeks, I've had no idea how to answer when people ask "how are you?" 

Better than lots of people. 

Scared and stressed and confused. 

Healthy and still getting paid. 

A little depressed and anxious. 

As good as can be expected. 

bubble break

When it finally stopped raining today, Korra and I went out onto the balcony to blow bubbles. A small perk of being at home- we can stop to blow bubbles wherever we want. 

Monday Morning Meeting

On Monday mornings, we usually have a "family meeting" at school.  Today we did a Google Hangouts with the whole grade.  Only about half the kids logged on, but it was so wonderful to see their faces and to hear their voices.  The kids loved it and didn't want to hang up.

Netflix and Sew

Binge watched Virgin River and got about halfway through sewing a bag. 

We did make it outside for a walk/skate. 

Margaritas To Go

To support local businesses (and have dinner degree of normalcy) we ordered dinner from a yummy taco place for pick up (all restaurants are closed except for delivery and pick-up). Here's a perk of coronovirus: you can now order and pick up alcohol so we were able to get some margaritas to go along with our tacos and queso. 

Just so weird

I'm in my car waiting to go into the grocery store. It doesn't open until 8 which is odd because it usually opens at 6. And there's a line. Everything about this time in the world feels so weird. 

I'd rather just call

Usually I prefer to text or email instead of talk on the phone. I think that was because I used to talk all day and I was tired if it. Now, I am so tired of typing and screens. Every text, I just want to call the person. I might also be the isolation...

Trying to Be More Fun

I have not been a very good mom this week.  Work has been pretty much all-consuming.  So today I'm trying to do better.  We played with playdough and built a puzzle.  We had lunch on the balcony and drew kind messages in chalk all over our complex.  Later I'm hoping to make rice krispy treats and learn a new card game.  I know it will get easier but for now, I'm just going to make sure I'm there for this kid.

Babies and Divorce

How many babies do you think are going to be born in 9 months?

How many people are going to end up divorced after being cooped up with their partner for weeks on end?

Marco Polo and Tomatoes

Today we figured out how to get the app Marco Polo on my old phone. Korra is loving the ability to send little chat videos to family and friends. 

We also planted 7 tomato plants, 1 basil plant, and one pepper plant. 

There's also a lot of really stressful and upsetting school stuff that's too hard to get into here. Just know it's consuming my thoughts and it's making me very upset. 

Oh, and then there's the whole apocalyptic pandemic thing that has no clear ending. That's too much to blog about too. 

GoGuardian

This online monitoring software the school bought a few months ago has proved to be worth it's weight in gold.  It doesn't just work on the school's network- it works on the students' school Google accounts.  That means that even when we're all working from home, I can see what they're working on, block what needs to be blocked, and even chat with them directly in their browser.  Today I chatted with students about their assignment for the day, called parents because their kids SAID they were working on their homework but weren't, and even asked a kid why he was looking up drag queen names when he was supposed to be reading about Amelia Earhart.  Now if I could only get the other 75% of my students to actually log in...

everything hurts

About a week ago, I signed up for a 5k in May. I haven't run in about a year, so I knew I would need to start training. Yesterday the weather was so beautiful- perfect temperature and for once not raining. Have I mentioned it's been really rainy here lately?  Anyway, I decided to go for a run. Nothing crazy- one minute of running, one of walking for 25 minutes. I felt amazing for about an hour and then came the killer headache. This morning the headache is mostly gone but every other part of my body hurts and I know it's only going to be more sore tomorrow. 

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

We finished reading the fourth Harry Potter book so this afternoon we made Custard Creams (also known as Canary Creams) and now we're watching the movie!

grocery shopping

Had a hard time falling asleep (no surprise there) and then woke up at 4:30am and couldn't go back to sleep. At 6 I got up and headed to the grocery store. I opted for the biggest one. This is not my first pre-7am grocery store run (it's actually pretty typical for me) but this was the busiest I've ever seen it at that hour. Thankfully, it had nearly everything I needed. Only things they were completely out of was bread, rice, and pasta. Canned and frozen veggies were running low but there was plenty of fresh produce and dairy. Having a stocked fridge makes me feel a little better. Hopefully I'll be able to take a nap this afternoon with that one worry off my mind. 

Amped up and then exhausted

My brain was working overtime all day today trying to problem solve and adjust and anticipate. By the end of the day when things finally calmed down my hands were shaking. My body took a while realize I wasn't in panic mode anymore and once it did, I was totally exhausted. 

Praying I can sleep well tonight and that there will be groceries to be found in the morning. 

So anxious

I'm worried that eLearning won't go as well as it could because I didn't have it fully figured out today, the last day to actually see my students. 

I'm worried about how to make this work with my student teacher. 

I'm worried about my kids that don't have good home situations. 

I'm worried about families who are already living on the edge and how losing the childcare of school will effect them. 

I'm worried there won't be milk when I go to the grocery store tomorrow. 

I'm worried our healthcare system can't handle this. 

I'm worried Nate's office will close and he won't get paid. 

I'm worried someone I love will get sick. 

School closed

Just got the call- Closing school starting Monday for at least 2 weeks. Possibly until April 13th. 

Tomorrow is going to be pretty crazy as we attempt to get work ready for the kids. 

Side Effects of COVID19

Nate just pointed out that the plane tickets we bought not even 2 weeks ago (to get us to our cruise) have dropped in price from $180 to $43 each. I guess the coronovirus is good for something?  Trying to cancel/rebook the flight is not easy though, especially since it seems like everyone else is trying to do the same thing. It's the same for trying to get travel insurance (the site is down) and even for our toilet paper delivery service (they're sold out?!) So crazy. And a little scary. 

spa day

The relaxing part of my day off began at a spa that a coworker gave me a gift card to. I was nervous because it's a mostly nude spa. It was not as awkward as I thought it would be. I tried all 7 of the different saunas (charcoal, clay, amethyst, etc) and both hot tubs. Turns out it's not my favorite way to relax- it's super hot and after a while made me feel queasy. I'm glad I tried something new, though. 

After the spa, I treated myself to lunch at a restaurant I've wanted to try for a while (Alon's) before coming home for a nap. 

The rest of the day was much less interesting as it was all about grading papers. 

School Closed (but not ours)

The county we are in is closing ALL their schools tomorrow for deep cleaning because a teacher tested positive for COVID-19.  Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how you look at it), our school is not a county school but a city school. 
On the other hand, I'd already taken tomorrow off as a person day weeks ago.  Equal parts work day (it's the end of the quarter and I have so much grading to do) and rest day (the stress of these last two months is really weighing on me).  Hopefully tomorrow will leave me feeling both on top of things and relaxed.

It's Not Raining

I went for an hour-long walk while Korra was at Girl Scouts (while listening to Michelle Obama's Becoming).  I had to soak up every bit of outside time I can since it's been raining SO much lately and the 10 day forecast shows nothing but rain starting tomorrow.

Skating and Breweries

Our church had a skating event this afternoon.  Korra is getting so good!

Afterwards, we stopped at a brewery for dinner, games, talking, and walking in the sunshine as a family.  It was a really wonderful afternoon/evening.

pandemic

Is it too soon or exactly the right time to play Pandemic with friends?

We won, by the way. We'll be informing the CDC of our strategy very soon. 

a visit to Newnan

Drove to Newnan to do some visiting/catching up. First was a few hours of snuggling with baby Oliver while chatting with his mommy, then lunch with my friend Stephanie from LaGrange!

goodbye, car seat

Korra has finally (mostly) outgrown her car seat. It's the same car seat we took her home from the hospital in. Technically, it goes up to 50 pounds and she's only 43 but she's almost too tall for it AND it's probably almost expired AND she's seven and a half years old so it's just time. 

She's really excited about her new booster seat. 

Girls' Night

2 of our friends came over (bringing pizza and pie for dinner!) and as Nate was out with work friends, we had ourselves a Girls'Night. After dinner we played Drawful and TKO and caught up since it's been a while since we've seen each other. It was a lovely evening. 

SEE

Today I got to go to a SEE training (social emotional ethical). The training was insightful and well planned. There was delicious breakfast and lunch, hands on activities, chances to discuss the topics, laughter. 

One of the activities was to with with a partner and come up with a common accomplishment that you both have. We chose our children. Then we were asked to make a list of everything that went into making that accomplishment happen (people, events, resources, etc). Of course we gigglingly wrote "unprotected sex" in big letters on our chart paper. Yes, middle school teachers can be pretty immature. 

My student teacher was with a sub. From the texts I got it didn't go well but hopefully it was a valuable learning experience. It's one she'll get to repeat on Tuesday for my personal day and again next month for the second session of my SEE training. I'm looking forward to it already. 

slow poke

Korra often takes over an hour to eat her dinner and then takes about 30 minutes just to get her pajamas on and brush her teeth.  Mostly it's either whining or her imagination that slows her down and distracts her from what's she's supposed to be doing.

Stacey Abrams

Korra's Girl Scout troop had a guest speaker tonight: Stacey Abrams!  The girls weren't nearly as excited as the moms but hopefully it'll be something they remember!

Promotion Presentation

Today I spent a good part of my planning putting together my Promotion Presentation.  The one that will go into the secret meeting.  The one I didn't get last year.  The one I'm skeptical about getting this year because they're giving out way less than in the past.  But I'm going through the motions anyway.  Even if I get it, I don't know how I'll feel about it. 

Mushroom Bourguignon

I made this for dinner tonight and it was definitely a "make again" recipe.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020738-mushroom-bourguignon?gclid=CjwKCAiA-vLyBRBWEiwAzOkGVA2jE9laDgaVXgayRmrqYzx5sAAJPCemp0G_FWP-vhzJiwuhegBoGRoCFvEQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds  

Summer Plans!!!

Today I booked our anniversary trip!  A cruise to Grand Cayman/Cozumel on Celebrity (I also booked plane pickets).  I'm so excited to celebrate our 15th anniversary with a vacation for just the two of us.  And so Korra doesn't feel left out, I also signed her up for a week of Girl Scout camp with one of her best buddies from school.  It's March but my mind is on the summer!

Another Maraton

Woke up at 7am to the sounds of cheering.  ANOTHER marathon is going by our balcony this morning.  People really like to run.

super social

This afternoon/evening we had 5 friends from out of town over to catch up, eat pizza, and watch wrestling. It was really fun and wonderful. 

I had also promised a neighborhood friend/co-worker that I would go with her to a bar in Buckhead (about 20 min away) to watch the Atlanta United soccer game/meet&greet with a guy who is running for the appellate court. While hanging out with this friend was fun, the loud bar scene was not for me (and because we rode together, I ended up staying way later than I really wanted to). 

Hoping I'll be able to sleep in tomorrow. 

Olympic marathon trials

Our balcony faced the street where the Olympic marathon trials went past (3 times each for men and women). Cool to watch but also kind of a pain in the butt to get in and out of the complex. 

Sold Out

Our Girl Scout troop had its last cookie booth this morning and sold out of all our stock. Adding in booth sales, I think Korra sold about 260 boxes this year.