Dance Party

My goodness I'm sore this morning. Unlike most times, today I am sore from activity and not from phantom pain. I have to admit, it is a refreshing change. 

The weather was absolutely gorgeous with bright blue skies, yellow sunshine and unseasonably warm temperatures. Timmy and I decided to take an extended recess and played outside all afternoon. He was thrilled to be able to revisit one of his favorite places, our stream, to splash and search for interesting rocks and treasures. (He found two cans and a golf ball, which delighted him as if it were Christmas morning.)

After several hours playing outside, he finally agreed to come inside for clean and dry clothes. Almost as soon as he was stripped from his wet clothes and redressed it was time for him to login for a virtual dance party. He danced and rocked out with his friends for another 45 minutes. While he partied on camera, I have to admit that I was dancing in the kitchen. 

By the time the day was over, Timmy and I were both tired. I looked at my pedometer and realized that I had logged 21,000 steps throughout the day. My goodness, no wonder I was tired! As I was going to bed I was reminded that I am so lucky to be able to spend this time with the boys. They are exhausting and frustrating at times, but it is worth it. 

Circle Time Adventures

Circle Time, which was previously a battle with Timmy, has become a favorite part of his weekly schedule. He enjoys connecting with his classmates and his teacher. Each week has a different theme which the teacher interweaves with reading, math and basic calendar skills. Although it is not in a traditional brick and mortar classroom, it is definitely an authentic school experience.  

In order to help debunk technical issues that may occur during the live streaming class, I continue to stay close during class. With the exception of crafts, Timmy no longer needs my assistance during the activities. Being able to sit next to him and work on my own computer has been wonderful.

Yesterday, his teacher led the class on reading a new book about bears. Each student took a page to read aloud. I was delighted when I heard Timmy read his page smoothly. His teacher was also proud of his improvement in reading and offered praise,  "Timmy, you did a great job reading.  Good girl!"  

Quick to correct his teacher, Timmy piped up. "You called me a girl. I'm a boy. You forgot that I have a very fine penis." 

I can't be certain, but I'm fairly certain I heard his teacher's husband spit his coffee across their table as Timmy spoke. I then saw him walking away, laughing hysterically. Without missing a beat, his teacher apologized for calling him and girl and quickly moved to the next activity.

I have to hand it to his teacher, she transitions like a pro. Timmy is definitely giving her a run for her money!

 

 

Vaccine

Yesterday the US shattered the previous "record" for one day Covid deaths. My heart aches for the over 4,000 families that are mourning this morning. My brain is screaming in frustration because so much of the pandemic could have been controlled with social distancing and wearing a mask. Until my last breathe, I will never understand the aversion to this public health measure.

Scott received an email yesterday, indicating that he will be cleared to receive his first vaccine in two weeks. I know that he has never before looked forward to having a needle pierce his skin! Hopefully my vaccine date will be soon behind him. I will feel so much better after we have both been vaccinated. Although I know that we will still maintain our Covid measures, I hope that the omnipresent fear will wane.

This has been a very difficult 11 months. Timmy has not been able to play with another child, in person, since February. At this point, I don't think he even realizes how much he is missing his playgrounds and jump zones.

I am looking forward to unwrapping our new normal in a post-Covid world.

Craving Normal

 Despite my efforts, my news fast has been an utter failure. It is hard to avoid the constant stream of commentators and "breaking news" (which is rarely news nor breaking) when Scott is enthralled by the broadcasts. He turns on the news at every opportunity, forcing me to watch or at least listen because of my proximity.  

Something has to change though, because last night I had horrific nightmares sparked by current events.  I woke up because of night terrors on two separate occasions. It was hard to get back to sleep and, when I finally did, I was restless and plagued with disturbing dreams. Needless to say, I am going to need a lot of coffee to get me through the day. 

I've discovered that my safest escape from the constant stream of current affairs is playing outside with Timmy. I stream music on my phone and focus on him. We hike through the woods searching for treasure, play bank in the tree house and climb over his tree fort. During those few hours every day, life again feels normal. 

I am craving normalcy.

Car Picnic

 Although we didn't do anything terribly exciting over the weekend, the few days of disconnection was exactly what I needed to reset. The news continues to be terrible and I think I have reached my threshold. I am going to continue my news fast through the week. Should something monumental happen, I'm sure Scott will let me know.

Saturday Timmy and I spent the majority of the afternoon playing outside. We recovered our Christmas tree and set it up in his new wood "fort." I'm sure it looks a little wonky to our neighbors, but he is absolutely delighted. After nearly a year of being stuck at home, I will take any delight as a victory.

On Sunday I needed to meet my Mom to pick up a box from Christmas. We met at our typical halfway point, and to our surprise she had my niece with her. Because of Covid, we couldn't really hang out. Instead, we had a car picnic in the parking lot of McDonald's. It was great seeing her, even though it was brief. Timmy was over-the-moon having a car picnic with his Nana and Tiffany. (He cried as we drove away, sad that he isn't yet able to go to her house.)

Today we are back to work and back to reality. The weather is going to be gorgeous, so I'm sure we will spend a few more hours readying the wood fort.  Have a great day!