Christmas Tree

We decorated the tree tonight. 

New Keyboard

After only a few months of practice, Korra has outgrown the beginner keyboard. She needed more keys, a sustain pedal, and touch sensitive keys (keys that play louder and softer depending on how hard you press them). 

Korra is so excited. 

This keyboard is way bigger than I anticipated. 

Normal Thanksgiving

Once I shoved down the intense guilt over recklessly ignoring CDC guidelines, we were able to have an enjoyable and totally normal feeling Thanksgiving. 

Movies, games, Legos, crafts, dance parties, walks, reading, fires in the fireplace, too much dessert. 

Off the Grid

Don't expect to hear from me for the rest of the week. Headed to the cabin. Really nervous that we're making the wrong choice to spend Thanksgiving with family (you know, the whole ignoring CDC recommendations thing) but praying everything will be ok. 

Fast Food for Three

Nate wanted Popeyes. Korra wanted McDonald's. I wanted a salad from Zaxby's. I went to all 3 places. 

Reading Bowl

We're doing Reading Bowl again this year, even though it's virtual. Today we met (masked and distant) in a park to hand out the books. The kids had so much fun chasing each other (and the ducks) in the park. There were 4 younger siblings (including Korra) who will be in Reading Bowl next year!

This face

Just in case you need a picture or two of Korra today. 

Negative Test

 Nate and both tested negative for COVID.  Plans to head to the cabin on Monday night can move forward!

Another Plus

Another positive aspect of working virtually: I have enough time to do all the parent contact and documentation. 

Gene-yuh Pig

There aren't many times that Korra (at 8) mispronounces a word so I find it especially endearing when she does. She repeatedly says, "gene-yuh pig" instead of guinea pig and I love it. 

Prizes

I stuffed envelopes with candy, scratch and sniff stickers, oragami paper and instructions, crossword puzzles, and emoji erasers to mail out as prizes to my students. I hope it makes their day. 

Well that's embarrassing

I just accidentally tried to FaceTime all the of my siblings and my mom while I was sitting down to pee. 

It's Scary

2 of my students are out this week because they had COVID deaths in their families.  2 more students tested positive this week.  

COVID tests

Nate and I walked to the health center this afternoon to get COVID tests. We're hoping the results will help us feel more comfortable about visiting family for Thanksgiving next week. No one wants a repeat of last year when Korra gave everyone the flu (and this would be way worse than the flu). 

I'm not thankful for COVID

 Trying to figure out what's the "right" thing to do for the holidays is really hard.  I just want everything to be normal.

Perfect Sunday

 Cook pancakes for breakfast.  Read in a bubble bath.  Leisurely walk with the family.  Lunch on the porch.  Watch a few episodes of a TV show.  Eat a delicious dinner (made by Nate).  Play a new board game.  Talk on the phone with my parents.  A really good day.

Digging for Worms

Korra and a friend spent 3 hours yesterday and another 3 hours today digging for worms in the yard. 

5K

One of my students lost his dad to pancreatic cancer a few years ago. Every year their family does the PanCan 5K (I ran it with them last year) and my student asked me to run it with him again this year. Even though the 5K was "virtual" this year, his family and a few friends meet to do the 5K (masked and spread out) in their neighborhood this afternoon. 

The student told me we were going to run, but he slowed to a walk after less than a minute. Walking really encourages kids to talk. He talked for a solid 20 minutes. It was great to spend some in person time with a student. 

Creative Joy

Today I had TWO conversations with people who are not in my family. Outside in the beautiful weather! It was lovely.  

During these two chats, I realized that I don't mind online teaching so much because of the absolute joy and satisfaction I feel over how creative I get to be every day. I am really enjoying the freedom I have to teach what I want and what I think my students both need and will enjoy.  I miss my students and I don't love teaching online but this creative freedom balances it out. 

That's One Way...

One way to get out of a professional development Zoom meeting: if your kid barfs her lunch all over the bathroom (because you asked her to put what she didn't eat in the compost bin and it "smelled gross") they will let you leave the meeting early.

The downside is you have to clean up vomited chicken tacos and oatmeal cookies.

Special Guest

Just realized that I could have my brother- who is a producer at a local news station- come speak to my class about fake news and media bias!  I'm super excited to start planning this!

Book recommendation

I highly recommend this book:

Making them cry

I made TWO boys cry today. During virtual learning. And they had their cameras on. 

They weren't on task during independent work time so (after calling their names and sending them private messages with no response) I group texted each boy and his mom. Within minutes both cameras were on with full participation. 

So really, their moms made them cry. Because I tattled. 

This is why I'm worried

People keep saying that if they get it, they'll probably be ok. Maybe in the short term, but I really believe there are/will be long term complications to COVID. There's just so much we don't know about this disease. 

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/11/05/917317541/clots-strokes-and-rashes-is-covid-19-a-disease-of-the-blood-vessels

https://nypost.com/2020/11/09/many-covid-19-patients-later-develop-mental-illness-study-finds/amp/

We got the call!

3 family members called us on the cabin's landline yesterday to tell us the election news. Time to celebrate!

To clean out the fridge

Heading up to the cabin this weekend- mostly because we need to clean out the refrigerator and freezer. The power was out there for 3 days (it's back on now). Thankfully it wasn't that much but it still needs to be done. 

Baking Cookies

Korra's teachers dropped off a bag containing cookie ingredients and today they made then together over video chat. 

BLUE!

I can't believe it!  Georgia is BLUE!

Less than 2,000!

Georgia is officially less than 2,000 votes away from turning blue. I can't believe it's this close. 

Sad and Confused

No matter who wins the presidential election, I'm feeling so sad and confused.  I cannot understand why so many people are ok with Donald Trump.  I can't understand why they want a leader to represent us and make decisions for us who is unkind and dishonest.  I especially can't understand Christian support for him.  Joe Binden isn't the best.  He's pretty bland and unimpressive if you ask me, but would pick nearly ANYONE over Trump because I cannot support someone who stirs up fear and hate, who is so self-centered and conceited, who does not care about honesty or compassion.  It's so incompatible with everything I believe (and everything I thought MOST people believed).  It's absolutely disheartening.  

This is how she prefers to eat dinner

Insomnia

Having PTSD flashbacks to 2016 when I went to sleep thinking Clinton would win and then woke up in an apocalyptic hellscape. I had the day off but I really need tomorrow off because there is no way I'm going to sleep tonight.

Seemed fitting to order Insomnia Cookies. 

TB Test

Korra got her TB test today at a CVS.  She was really freaked out because she asked me to tell her EXACTLY what they were going to do.  It ended up being totally fine (I also had to bribe her) and now all we have to do is go back on Thursday to have it read.

101 Dalmatians

No school today (sidenote: election day should be a national holiday to make it easier for everyone to vote!), so of course Korra and I were both up at 6:15 am. We're making the most of it: waffles for breakfast and 101 Dalmatians (the old animated one- Korra's never seen it!)

Electoral College Debate

Today I gave my students a list of videos and articles so they could teach themselves about the electoral college and then I had them debate about if we should abolish it. It wasn't much of a debate because every single kid thought the electoral college was stupid and unfair. At least they learned a lot about how our president is elected, even if they didn't practice their debating skills. 

Descendants

On the recommendation of Korra's friend, we watched all 3 Descendants movies this weekend. Korra LOVED them. Nate and I felt it doesn't measure up to High School Musical.