Online school

After the Corona virus was declared a pandemic, things became quite different very fast.  After we got home from Colorado, we got the news that the children would not be returning to school until mid April.  That Monday Brad went to work to pack up his things to prepare to work from home.  Later that week we also heard news about the new online schooling that was going to start taking place in our homes the following week.

So we were going into uncharted waters.  Brad working from home and the start of homeschooling the boys.  Heaven help us.

When Brad first started working from home I don't think he liked it to much.  It wasn't so much us bothering him it was more that he hated working on the company laptop.  He has since started to really like it.  Not having to wake up early to beat the traffic, not having to drive in said traffic, and having small breaks to see us. Plus he's gotten the blest sleep through all of this and has never felt so rested! win!
On his first conference call working from home, while everyone else looked like they rolled out of bed, his boss showed up in a tuxedo.  He was totally joking and just trying to make light of the situation.  It put a smile on everyone's faces.  We try to leave Brad alone, but even if the kids have come in while he is on a conference call, everyone wants him to introduce the kids to everyone.  He's been staying pretty busy working with the company's doctor in making the company's health and safety protocols for covid-19.

On March 23, 2020 Online virtual learning aka distance learning.
The first 2 weeks of school were more of an ease into it and so it wasn't too bad.  Just doing their computer math and reading programs, some science experiments to do at home, youtube videos for art and music, and virtual field trips for social studies.

So  here is homeschool day 1:

So our homeschooling didn't go nearly this bad, but I just thought it was a funny meme.  It actually went very smoothly!  We all started school at 9 am and everyone did their work with no complaints.  We were finished in just a few hours.

Here's what school started looking like:

 zoom meetings: aka conference calls with his teachers and class:

 even Logan's cute class got in on the action:

 I even started doing it with my little preschool class!

So homeschooling never did look the same as it did the first day.  Actually on the second day Brad jokingly sent me a text with a detention slip note for not starting school on time.  School just happened when it happened and throughout the whole house.  One thing I'm extremely grateful for was that we bought both Carson and Tanner ipads for Christmas.  Who knew what a HUGE lifesaver that would be through all of this.  The boys do all their school work on it and their zoom meetings.  Plus I can forward them the emails that the teachers send me so they can help keep track of what they need to be doing.  It has been a good teaching moment in responsibility.

 One of Tanners writing assignments.  He had to write a story, his choice, and this is what he wrote:

One day in China there was a man that went to a restaurant in Batan.  His name was Chin Chong.  He loves to eat bat.  He went inside.  He asked for the craziest thing they have they said ok.  They had it for him and it has a virus.  He did not know.  He tried a bat he started a virus and it spread all over the world.  

The beginning of Covid-19 explained by an 8 year old.  😆

 Even Taekwondo turned virtual.  His studio stopped payments until this is over and so they are doing this for free to help the students keep active.  I'm so thankful!

we then heard this news:

sigh.  It's hard.  Even though online schooling is going fine and we settled into a grove, we are missing out on a lot fun school things.  Tanner was going to go to Minute Maid Park on a school field trip, canceled.  Mother Son night at the school, canceled. Logan's special day at school, canceled. We're hoping that we can go back to school if even for a few weeks so we can see our friends and do our end of year celebrations.  Here's hoping.

Coronapocolypse

The Coronavirus (Covid-19) declared pandemic March 11th, 2020.

As of March 13th:

- most major sports and sporting events have either been cancelled or are being done without audiences.  March Madness at first was going to be family only, but has now been cancelled all together.

- many universities have cancelled in person classes and are doing online only for the remainder of the semester

- stores are wiped out of many things: toilet paper, bottled water, hand sanitizer, soap, Clorox and Lysol products, flour, sugar, rice, beans, pasta, pasta sauce, salsa, crackers, lunchmeat, bacon, fresh meat, potatoes, and more

- the LDS church turned the April general conference sessions into technology based sessions and only those speaking etc will actually be in attendance. Church meetings have also been cancelled world wide.

- gatherings of more than 100 people (more than 20 for those over 60) have been asked to be cancelled. This means pretty much all concerts, plays, etc are cancelled.
*Houston Rodeo closed early on March 11.  Brad and I had tickets to 2 concerts which we never got to see, Gwen Stafani on the 17 and Marshmallo on the 20th both front row seats 😢

- Katy ISD have closed school and will let us know by the end of next week about further decisions. Outside of the state, many areas have cancelled school for online or elearning already until some point in April

- Disneyland and Disney World are closed for the remainder of the month

- we are learning lots of most excellent songs to use while washing our hands instead of the ABC’s or happy birthday

- Broadway has gone dark through April 12 our play Fiddler on the Roof (as part of our Broadway Season Tickets) will be rescheduled.

- most cruise lines are stopping as of this weekend through the end of the month or further

-LDS missionaries in many areas are being reassigned or returning home. New missionaries are being trained virtually in some areas

- Hollywood has delayed the release of several films including the new live action Mulan that was slated to release next week

- marathons and other events along those line are being cancelled or postponed.  Brad's MS 150 bike ride that he's been training for has been canceled.

KATY UPDATES; MARCH 17, 2020

-Authorities are advising people to limit gatherings to 10 people.

-Fort Bend County recommends restaurants limit food service to delivery, take-out &; pick-up options. Recommends that bars suspend service.

-Beginning on Wed., March 18, Katy ISD will begin providing info and resources about online instruction (slated to start on Mon., March 23.)

-Katy ISD offering grab-n-go FREE meals for all their students at several campuses.

-Harris County has 8 cases of Coronavirus and Fort Bend County has 9 cases.

-Dollar General will devote its first hour to senior only shopping (8-9 am.) 

-Many Katy grocery stores are having reduced hours. 

-Movie Theaters are shutting down temporarily. 

-Katy Library buildings are closed through April 1, but resources are available online.

Purgatory

Spring Break Time!! We had so much fun going to Colorado last year during our spring break that we wanted to do it again.  Everyone was so excited.

A little boy in my preschool class moved from Norway before the start of the school year and as such has some really good winter clothes, and has 3 boys the same age as ours.  The mother was so generous in letting us borrow some winter gear for our ski trip.  It was perfect.  

Logan making sure it everything fits!

Starting our drive!! It is a 16 hour drive and we split it up into 2 days by driving 8 hours both days.  Lubbock Texas is the perfect halfway point!

the town on the border of Texas and New Mexico!

Made it to Purgatory ski resort in Durango Colorado.  We planned on skiing 2 days, and our first day was a gorgeous spring day!

Got to the resort first thing in the morning

Before we started skiing I had to get a picture of us all together.

While everyone else hit the slopes, Logan and I waited for ski school to start.

After I got Logan all settled in ski school, Carson and I were off to the bigger hill, while Brad and Tanner were getting warmed up on the bunny hill.

such a gorgeous day!

Sneaking a peak at Logan at ski school

It was getting warm so we shed our coats!

Our first time all together (minus Logan) going down the green!

Tanner and Carson are naturals

Afterwards I picked Logan up from school and he showed me what he learned.  He likes going straight down and not using the pizza technique. He just wants to go fast.

So you can imagine how much he loves it when Brad puts him between his legs to ski down.  One last run before we called it a day.

Tanner however sat down and fell right to sleep!  Skiing wore him out!

Our second day of skiing was the complete opposite of the day before!  It snowed and it snowed hard!  So much in fact that the ski resort opened an hour after opening time due to lightning in the area.  So Logan got to make his much anticipated snow angel in the freshly fallen snow.

waiting again for our second day of ski school!  This day we only did a half day so he could ski with us the second half.

Switching it up today. Dad and Carson

while I got Tanner.  Tanner and I got stuck in the powder at one point and had a hard time putting our ski's back on so it probably wasn't Tanners favorite ride down the slope, but we survived! 

and then we got Logan and all went down the bunny hill together.  

while Brad and the other 2 went down the green one more time, Logan and I called it quits for the day and got hot chocolate in the lodge.  2020  ski trip was a success!  Logan loved skiing this year and Tanner went down the greens!  Brads dream of having a skiing family might come true afterall!

As we were driving home from Colorado it seemed the whole world was starting to fall apart.  More news about the Global Pandemic Corona Virus (Covid 19) that started in China, and was getting stronger in Europe, was now making waves in America.  The Houston rodeo after only 1 week of being opened shut down halfway through the day after knowledge that the first case of the Corona Virus patient in Texas went to the Rodeo on opening day. Brad and I were sad as we had 2 concert tickets through his work for the Rodeo and they were box office/front row seats. The one year he gets them and its cancelled.  March Madness was also canceled and so much more.  I'll post more of an update on my next post.

We started hearing that panic buying was going crazy and toilet paper was completely gone at all stores, and yet on our drive in middle of nowhere towns, life seemed normal.  We again split our trip into 2 days and on our overnight stay in Lubbock ate at Costa Vida (oh how we crave this place and couldn't believe Lubbock of all places had one!) and it was fairly crowded and busy.  We joked about how the small town gas stations were selling toilet paper and that maybe we should get some before we get back home to Katy and they are all sold out.

Brad made us listen to the news all the way home on Sunday (I about died listening to it for 8 hours), and we heard that Purgatory and other ski resorts closed the ski season permanently!  We were just there skiing on Friday and by Sunday it was closed.  We felt extremely grateful and lucky with the timing that we had the opportunity to have this family adventure before we were asked to practice social distancing.