Busy Life

I often feel really bad about not connecting better with people. This has been especially evident since the quarantine began mid March. Westli mostly, but all my kids in general, function best when there is a rigid routine. Consequently, I have worked hard to establish a routine since immediately following the announcement that schools were being closed here in Oregon. As the schools began making distance learning activities on their own, I have adjusted our routines as needed, but to keep track of each child’s specific things (zoom meetings, assignments, social engagements, and IEP meetings) I would be lost if not for my Google calendar. I was looking at this yesterday and realized that it was a profound act of juggling that I do everyday to get us through each week. This is the best way to demonstrate it.

In just 24 hours, today has morphed a lot as our school district announced, and teachers embraced, the reintroduction of whole class “meetings”. Today, it so happens, that all four of my kids have a “meeting” at 10am. I have heard a lot about what other families are doing to survive this time, and I don’t think any one solution can work for everyone. I wanted to share a glimpse of what this quarantine has meant for us and excuse away my own guilt for letting some of my social obligations fail.

In the Stanis house, we await the June 12th official close of school and their disruptions to our routines. I look forward to letting the kids sleep until 10 if they want and not keeping track of all their meetings and assignments!