Weekly Chatter (4/5- 4/11)

[Neverland Scraps]

With everyone not being able to be around their family, friends, neighbors, etc. I thought maybe it would be a good to start a weekly thread were we can come together and just chat about anything and everything! So many people are going to social media to chat and even getting together via Zoom and other video chat services. Just this past weekend, my mom's FB group had a Zoom Meetup and it was a lot of fun getting to SEE everyone while we are all locked up in our homes!!

What do you guys think about making this our weekly thread? You can chat about anything, everything. Share memes that you found funny (please keep in mind SSD's rules and be very mindful of religion/politics)

I guess my main concern is about each and every one of you. What's going on in your neck of the wood. While we can't get out and chat in person, we can chat here and stay in touch with one another! :wub:

 

[bcgal00]

Great idea, Wendy!

 

[bcgal00]

I guess the first thing I'll chat about is my sadness over not being able to shop much at all during this time. My bank is charging almost 50% exchange with US right now so digi shopping will be little or nothing for probably quite awhile. It was sucky but doable at around 20-30% which is where its been for the last few yrs but almost 50% is just too much. I might buy the occasional kit if I really can't resist but for the most part, no shopping for me. The Canadian dollar has never been this bad before in my lifetime.

 

[Leablahblah]

I guess the first thing I'll chat about is my sadness over not being able to shop much at all during this time. My bank is charging almost 50% exchange with US right now so digi shopping will be little or nothing for probably quite awhile. It was sucky but doable at around 20-30% which is where its been for the last few yrs but almost 50% is just too much. I might buy the occasional kit if I really can't resist but for the most part, no shopping for me. The Canadian dollar has never been this bad before in my lifetime.

I never even thought of the exchange rate for people outside of the US! Mind blowing! (and kinda stupid on my part...) WoW! 50% is a huge charge! Maybe you will be lucky and can get a free kit at the end of the month.

We live at the end of a cul-de-sac that has our house, a neighbors' house behind us and 2 gated communities. There are a lot of walkers passing by admiring our chalk drawings. lol But anyway, when I see people wearing face masks it makes me so sad all of a sudden and I just want to cry. It is a very scary world right now and I'm only holding strong for my girls. But when there is a minute of silence like now (everybody miraculously is taking a nap) then I'm stuck with my thoughts and go spiraling down.

 

[SweetChar]

Rae, that stinks!
Wendy, the apocalypse chart made me chuckle.
Lea, hang in there!

My husband is working from home now. He needed some printouts from work (large engineering diagrams or what-have-you) so I drove there this morning and picked them up for him. Felt so strange being "out and about." I even took some pictures of some fields, cows, old downtown, etc from my car. I've always enjoyed seeing those things but I appreciate the scenery even more right now. At one point when I was getting closer to home, it dawned on me that I had gone a few minutes without thinking at all about the Coronavirus, or the world, or if there will be (larger than current) food shortages, or if the chest freezer I ordered will really show up on Friday, or anything stressful. What a pleasant couple of minutes! lol

 

[icindi]

Wendy, you are always good for a laugh!

Rae,that is an awful exchange rate. I'm sorry!!

Char, that is amazing that just going for a drive is a big deal right now. Who would have ever thought??

Lea, maybe go outside (if it's nice there). It's helped so much to just go outside for a few minutes here, definitely clears my mind and makes me appreciate the little things!

I had a fever and sore throat for 10 days and this is my third day fever free. I get out of quarantine tomorrow. Yay! Thankful no one else in my house got sick, especially my mother in law, who is 76. Also thankful that if I had COVID 19, as I suspect, that it was milder and I am on the other side of it. Now to clean my house after not leaving my room for 10+ days! I did get outside for a short walk today with my dog today, which was glorious. I feel like I lost all muscle mass in the last 2 weeks with not moving from bed for 10 days! Thankful for sunshine today and 62 degrees!

 

[Sherri Tierney]

I am back and forth. When I'm at home (which is a LOT) I admit that it is easy to get into that downward spiral and start worrying. When I'm out, it is like "Oh, there is still a world out here!" and I feel better.

Today I went to work. Parents were picking up packets for the kids as well as the last of their belongings from school. We were all decked out in gloves and masks and could only wave to the kids from their cars. Aside from that, it was easy to forget about all of it. It felt like we were playing some sort of silly relay game with gloves and masks. A parent would pull up at one end of the school. A teacher got their last name and teacher's name. They radio'd it in using a walkie talkie. Someone grabbed the package from the gym and carried it out the front door while the parent pulled forward and grabbed it. It was kind of fun really. Anyway, I am mostly working from home. I am going in tomorrow to take care of a couple of things. It should take me 3 minutes max. Our high school is making face shields with a 3D printer and they need rubber bands. I found several bags of the size they need that had been donated to my STEM lab so I am going to retrieve those and send them to the HS.

 

[StacyLynn]

Great idea to chit chat Wendy!!

Today I had to grocery shop.... with 6 of us here we were going thru lots of food....those teens and young adults have endless appetites especially the boy....hehehehe

And he is so difficult to shop for.... usually grocery shopping for me is one store one day then a few days later another then a few days later yet another... not one store can have all the gluten free items he eats.

So today I spent 4.5 hours shopping, going from Bj's, ShopRite, Aldi, Target and Redner's to get what I hope will last us two weeks.... All wiped down and put away by my kids. I did wear a mask to shop and when I was done, I stripped in the laundry room, toss every thing into the washer, and then showered so if any germs were on me, hopefully they are all gone now. ( I make my husband do that as soon as he comes home from work he is currently working in North Jersey.)

and after all that the kids want frozen pizza and fries for dinner..... go figure......

 

[craftytam]

What a great idea, Wendy!! :wub:

I guess the first thing I'll chat about is my sadness over not being able to shop much at all during this time. My bank is charging almost 50% exchange with US right now so digi shopping will be little or nothing for probably quite awhile. It was sucky but doable at around 20-30% which is where its been for the last few yrs but almost 50% is just too much. I might buy the occasional kit if I really can't resist but for the most part, no shopping for me. The Canadian dollar has never been this bad before in my lifetime.

That's awful, Rae!! I hope it levels out soon!

We live at the end of a cul-de-sac that has our house, a neighbors' house behind us and 2 gated communities. There are a lot of walkers passing by admiring our chalk drawings. lol But anyway, when I see people wearing face masks it makes me so sad all of a sudden and I just want to cry. It is a very scary world right now and I'm only holding strong for my girls. But when there is a minute of silence like now (everybody miraculously is taking a nap) then I'm stuck with my thoughts and go spiraling down.

It is a crazy world right now, Lea. Try to keep yourself busy when the house is quiet. It's hard not to spiral :wub:

My husband is working from home now. He needed some printouts from work (large engineering diagrams or what-have-you) so I drove there this morning and picked them up for him. Felt so strange being "out and about." I even took some pictures of some fields, cows, old downtown, etc from my car. I've always enjoyed seeing those things but I appreciate the scenery even more right now. At one point when I was getting closer to home, it dawned on me that I had gone a few minutes without thinking at all about the Coronavirus, or the world, or if there will be (larger than current) food shortages, or if the chest freezer I ordered will really show up on Friday, or anything stressful. What a pleasant couple of minutes! lol

Isn't it weird being out right now? I had to go out today, too, and it felt so odd. I'm glad you had a moment of peace, Charlene!!

 

[craftytam]

I had a fever and sore throat for 10 days and this is my third day fever free. I get out of quarantine tomorrow. Yay! Thankful no one else in my house got sick, especially my mother in law, who is 76. Also thankful that if I had COVID 19, as I suspect, that it was milder and I am on the other side of it. Now to clean my house after not leaving my room for 10+ days! I did get outside for a short walk today with my dog today, which was glorious. I feel like I lost all muscle mass in the last 2 weeks with not moving from bed for 10 days! Thankful for sunshine today and 62 degrees!

I'm SO glad you're starting to feel better, Cindi! I'm sure it will be nice being out of quarantine! Yay for nice weather!!

I am back and forth. When I'm at home (which is a LOT) I admit that it is easy to get into that downward spiral and start worrying. When I'm out, it is like "Oh, there is still a world out here!" and I feel better.

Today I went to work. Parents were picking up packets for the kids as well as the last of their belongings from school. We were all decked out in gloves and masks and could only wave to the kids from their cars. Aside from that, it was easy to forget about all of it. It felt like we were playing some sort of silly relay game with gloves and masks. A parent would pull up at one end of the school. A teacher got their last name and teacher's name. They radio'd it in using a walkie talkie. Someone grabbed the package from the gym and carried it out the front door while the parent pulled forward and grabbed it. It was kind of fun really. Anyway, I am mostly working from home. I am going in tomorrow to take care of a couple of things. It should take me 3 minutes max. Our high school is making face shields with a 3D printer and they need rubber bands. I found several bags of the size they need that had been donated to my STEM lab so I am going to retrieve those and send them to the HS.

That sounds like fun, Sherri... probably good exercise! How awesome of the HS to use their 3D printer to help people.

Today I had to grocery shop.... with 6 of us here we were going thru lots of food....those teens and young adults have endless appetites especially the boy....hehehehe

And he is so difficult to shop for.... usually grocery shopping for me is one store one day then a few days later another then a few days later yet another... not one store can have all the gluten free items he eats.

So today I spent 4.5 hours shopping, going from Bj's, ShopRite, Aldi, Target and Redner's to get what I hope will last us two weeks.... All wiped down and put away by my kids. I did wear a mask to shop and when I was done, I stripped in the laundry room, toss every thing into the washer, and then showered so if any germs were on me, hopefully they are all gone now. ( I make my husband do that as soon as he comes home from work he is currently working in North Jersey.)

and after all that the kids want frozen pizza and fries for dinner..... go figure......

It's amazing how much food & TP we can go through when everyone is home all day, huh, Stacy?! Sounds like marathon shopping! I'm glad you found what you needed. LOL! Pizza and fries... sounds like a teenage dinner!

 

[craftytam]

I had a doctor's appointment today. While I was out, I stopped at Home Depot to pick up something we had ordered, and stopped at a restaurant food supply store. Thankfully, I was able to get eggs & chicken (2 things Walmart didn't have). It was really weird seeing so many people wearing masks.

 

[JamieLea]

This is a great topic. I thought it would be easy to transition to working at home but it wasn't...at all... It's so crazy that all this is happening. I do early childhood professional development - taking my trainings virtual is hard - I'm such an interactive person. Thank you, everyone, for sharing - it's helped to read them.

 

[LynnZant]

I had a doctor's appointment today. While I was out, I stopped at Home Depot to pick up something we had ordered, and stopped at a restaurant food supply store. Thankfully, I was able to get eggs & chicken (2 things Walmart didn't have). It was really weird seeing so many people wearing masks.

Did your doctor wear a mask? I need to make pediatrician appointments for my girls, but I kinda don't want the doctor breathing on them because of all the other people he comes in contact with. Never thought I would even need to think about something like that.

 

[joelsgirl]

We've been on partial lockdown since March 12, and I don't worry about catching the virus or about our financial situation (at the moment, at least).

However, I scream into my pillow constantly because not having any type of outside imposed schedule is making me bonkers. I don't love schedules, and I can't keep one to save my life. But having to show up at work makes me get stuff done. Now that everything can be done anytime, I'm just watching Netflix and playing Candy Crush Friends ALL.DAY.LONG.

I made a rule on Sunday that no one can go into the kitchen without my permission because I was tired to death of the pile of dishes in the sink. I even took away my husband's phone for breaking the rule. But my oldest son walked all the way around the house rather than coming in through the kitchen yesterday, and that was when I knew that I was winning and that he is my favorite. : )

 

[rdjrneace]

Working from home since March 18 is driving me crazy. I know I should be grateful for still getting paid but I know now that I am a people person and I need going to the office to keep me sane.

 

[nun69]

omg Kellie AMEN on the freaking dishes!!!! I'm seriously thinking about using throwaway silverware and dishes at this point!!!!!!!! I HATE dishes!!!!!!!!!!! Of coarse I HATE chores anyway, but I'm seriously despising them now

I have major depression and at least before all this happened I was able to have ME time and could do things on MY TERMS, now it's all gone to hell in a hay basket!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Neverland Scraps]

I guess the first thing I'll chat about is my sadness over not being able to shop much at all during this time. My bank is charging almost 50% exchange with US right now so digi shopping will be little or nothing for probably quite awhile. It was sucky but doable at around 20-30% which is where its been for the last few yrs but almost 50% is just too much. I might buy the occasional kit if I really can't resist but for the most part, no shopping for me. The Canadian dollar has never been this bad before in my lifetime.

Do I understand this right?
If something is $1.00 you are paying $1.50
I guess I never think about the exchange on the dollar. I'm so sorry that is messing with your ability to shop

We live at the end of a cul-de-sac that has our house, a neighbors' house behind us and 2 gated communities. There are a lot of walkers passing by admiring our chalk drawings. lol But anyway, when I see people wearing face masks it makes me so sad all of a sudden and I just want to cry. It is a very scary world right now and I'm only holding strong for my girls. But when there is a minute of silence like now (everybody miraculously is taking a nap) then I'm stuck with my thoughts and go spiraling down.

I'm really sorry the scariness of the world is getting to you. I wish I could give you a hug and tell you it will be okay. I actually read your post and was happy to see people wearing face masks. I have every intention of having my youngest wear a vogmask (when they reopen for everyday customers) during flu season because his asthma can get really scary. He's actually really excited about getting mask! The girls have since requested one and said "we needed it once in our life, we might need it again" China wears masks, maybe this will become our norm and it might cut down on germs spread from one to another??? (that's me trying to think positively)

Wendy, the apocalypse chart made me chuckle.

Right?! I was expecting the apocalypse to be more like Walking Dead. Once again TV set us up for a false reality!

My husband is working from home now. He needed some printouts from work (large engineering diagrams or what-have-you) so I drove there this morning and picked them up for him. Felt so strange being "out and about." I even took some pictures of some fields, cows, old downtown, etc from my car. I've always enjoyed seeing those things but I appreciate the scenery even more right now. At one point when I was getting closer to home, it dawned on me that I had gone a few minutes without thinking at all about the Coronavirus, or the world, or if there will be (larger than current) food shortages, or if the chest freezer I ordered will really show up on Friday, or anything stressful. What a pleasant couple of minutes! lol

I love this!!

 

[Neverland Scraps]

Wendy, you are always good for a laugh!

I hope I'm good for more than just a laugh. And funny thing, is offline, I have ZERO sense of humor :blink:

I had a fever and sore throat for 10 days and this is my third day fever free. I get out of quarantine tomorrow. Yay! Thankful no one else in my house got sick, especially my mother in law, who is 76. Also thankful that if I had COVID 19, as I suspect, that it was milder and I am on the other side of it. Now to clean my house after not leaving my room for 10+ days! I did get outside for a short walk today with my dog today, which was glorious. I feel like I lost all muscle mass in the last 2 weeks with not moving from bed for 10 days! Thankful for sunshine today and 62 degrees!

I'm SO happy to hear you are finally fever-free!! I've been worried about you since we last spoke and hope you were on the mend!!! so glad you are on the other side of the virus and kept it away from everyone else!!

How awesome that it was sunny and you were able to get out and about to stretch those legs!! Cindi, I'm so happy reading your post!!

I am back and forth. When I'm at home (which is a LOT) I admit that it is easy to get into that downward spiral and start worrying. When I'm out, it is like "Oh, there is still a world out here!" and I feel better.

Today I went to work. Parents were picking up packets for the kids as well as the last of their belongings from school. We were all decked out in gloves and masks and could only wave to the kids from their cars. Aside from that, it was easy to forget about all of it. It felt like we were playing some sort of silly relay game with gloves and masks. A parent would pull up at one end of the school. A teacher got their last name and teacher's name. They radio'd it in using a walkie talkie. Someone grabbed the package from the gym and carried it out the front door while the parent pulled forward and grabbed it. It was kind of fun really. Anyway, I am mostly working from home. I am going in tomorrow to take care of a couple of things. It should take me 3 minutes max. Our high school is making face shields with a 3D printer and they need rubber bands. I found several bags of the size they need that had been donated to my STEM lab so I am going to retrieve those and send them to the HS.

Oh that does remind me, when this is all over we'll eventually have to go in to my son's school and collect all his stuff. I'm so glad I grabbed his reading glasses that were kept at school!! I wish I had been smarter and grabbed a few other things. Glad you all opened the school and allowed the parents to collect their children's things. I imagine it's hard to see your students and not be able to hug them

That's pretty awesome that they are making face shields! The things those 3d printers do is awesome! I'm so glad you found some rubber bands that they need!!

Please stay safe out and about!

Great idea to chit chat Wendy!!

Today I had to grocery shop.... with 6 of us here we were going thru lots of food....those teens and young adults have endless appetites especially the boy....hehehehe

Right?! My husband's command just told him that we need to start utilizing the on post breakfast/lunches they are passing out to children 18 and under. He said the amount of snacking and eating the kids are doing, the breakfast/lunches will help us stay out of the stores as we are having to go every week or so because we don't have the space in our house to store food.

So today I spent 4.5 hours shopping, going from Bj's, ShopRite, Aldi, Target and Redner's to get what I hope will last us two weeks.... All wiped down and put away by my kids. I did wear a mask to shop and when I was done, I stripped in the laundry room, toss every thing into the washer, and then showered so if any germs were on me, hopefully they are all gone now. ( I make my husband do that as soon as he comes home from work he is currently working in North Jersey.)

and after all that the kids want frozen pizza and fries for dinner..... go figure......

Oh my goodness Redners!!! Have you ever seen the Chicken Pot Pie at Redners, over by the salad that you can buy by the pound or over in the deli? Mmm, tell me you buy it and it's still delicious!!!

Sounds like even though you were running errands all day today, you are doing very well keeping the germs out of the house!! Please stay safe!! :wub:

 

[Neverland Scraps]

I had a doctor's appointment today. While I was out, I stopped at Home Depot to pick up something we had ordered, and stopped at a restaurant food supply store. Thankfully, I was able to get eggs & chicken (2 things Walmart didn't have). It was really weird seeing so many people wearing masks.

I bet it was strange seeing so many people wearing masks, but I'm so glad people are starting to listen to the CDC about wearing them, even if they aren't the best at keeping anything away, but more so just from spreading if you sneeze, etc.

oooh, now I'm curious what you got at Home Depot!

This is a great topic. I thought it would be easy to transition to working at home but it wasn't...at all... It's so crazy that all this is happening. I do early childhood professional development - taking my training virtual is hard - I'm such an interactive person. Thank you, everyone, for sharing - it's helped to read them.

I can't even imagine how that's changed how you work I hope over time it gets easier and easier for you to do your job at home.

Did your doctor wear a mask? I need to make pediatrician appointments for my girls, but I kinda don't want the doctor breathing on them because of all the other people he comes in contact with. Never thought I would even need to think about something like that.

Are your doctors even making appointments? Maybe because we sent a great deal of of doctors to NYC, but they are not scheduling any doctor appointments, not even vaccines for the children that are over 6 months old. Everything is done over the phone or through tele-health. Let us know if you are able to make an appointment for your kiddos and if they wore a mask!!

 

[Neverland Scraps]

We've been on partial lockdown since March 12, and I don't worry about catching the virus or about our financial situation (at the moment, at least).

However, I scream into my pillow constantly because not having any type of outside imposed schedule is making me bonkers. I don't love schedules, and I can't keep one to save my life. But having to show up at work makes me get stuff done. Now that everything can be done anytime, I'm just watching Netflix and playing Candy Crush Friends ALL.DAY.LONG.

I laughed until I cried reading that phrase!! I'm sorry. I don't mean to laugh at your pain. While I like schedules, I also don't like them so I feel you!

I made a rule on Sunday that no one can go into the kitchen without my permission because I was tired to death of the pile of dishes in the sink. I even took away my husband's phone for breaking the rule. But my oldest son walked all the way around the house rather than coming in through the kitchen yesterday, and that was when I knew that I was winning and that he is my favorite. : )

Yes!!! My daughters have decided they are going to make lunch, bake, etc and I'm always getting on them for doing the dishes. My husband makes breakfast for himself every morning and has stopped doing his dishes because "the dishwasher is clean" :blink: I hate going in to my kitchen. I hated it before, but now with everyone home and me getting on them for not doing their dishes, I swear I'm going gray faster!! But then how can I get too upset to see that my daughters are trying to learn how to cook (well my oldest) and bake! I want them to be successful at it. If only they could just clean up after themselves instead of having flour all over the counters, floors, appliances :thumbdown:

Also, I didn't think we were supposed to admit that . . . . .

 

[Neverland Scraps]

Working from home since March 18 is driving me crazy. I know I should be grateful for still getting paid but I know now that I am a people person and I need going to the office to keep me sane.

Are you able to set up facetime, zoom, etc with friends/family so that you are able to see them and socialize--just through the screen??

omg Kellie AMEN on the freaking dishes!!!! I'm seriously thinking about using throwaway silverware and dishes at this point!!!!!!!! I HATE dishes!!!!!!!!!!! Of coarse I HATE chores anyway, but I'm seriously despising them now

I have major depression and at least before all this happened I was able to have ME time and could do things on MY TERMS, now it's all gone to hell in a hay basket!!!!!!!!!!!

I do worry about those struggling with the isolation. I'm sorry it's all going haywire and hope you are able to find some kind of balance until the world is rightside up again.

Those dishes . . .I hate dishes! I think after the kids are grown I'm going to paper plates or maybe they'll have drinkable meals that I can just drink out of a cup! :mellow:

 

[bcgal00]

Wendy - yes, you got that right. I think it was at 48 or 49% this week when I bought a few kits....ugh. Looks like I'll be saving money for awhile since there is no way I'm shopping outside of Canada for awhile. I have a feeling this isn't going to change for quite a long time.

 

[Neverland Scraps]

You guys, I got snippy with my son's teacher and I kind of feel really badly about it. But on a positive, the school emailed us and said that parents were complaining about how long the kids were online doing schoolwork. So they cut my son's 7+ hour day down to 2.5 hours and my daughter's day down to 4.5 hours a day. They also are giving them Thursday and Friday off to allow teachers to redo their lesson plans. I'm so happy and hope with the scaled back version schooling will become not so much a headache and actually something more accommodating for everyone!

On a plus, my son's homeschool curriculum came over the weekend. He sat and worked through 20 pages of reading, writing and language with me. He also told me that he doesn't want to stop learning this material until he's able to read and write! He said when he goes in to second grade his teachers will be shocked that he isn't struggling any more. Now fingers crossed we can get there these next few months as we work through his books, on top of finishing up the digital learning through the school.

 

[Neverland Scraps]

Wendy - yes, you got that right. I think it was at 48 or 49% this week when I bought a few kits....ugh. Looks like I'll be saving money for awhile since there is no way I'm shopping outside of Canada for awhile. I have a feeling this isn't going to change for quite a long time.

uugh, Rae. I'm so sorry I remember Kristin saying something about the exchange rate being horrible, but I assumed it was the other way around.

 

[littlekiwi]

Rae - totally get the exchange rate, ours here in NZ is awful too, think $1NZ is only stretching to between $0.50-0.60USD for probably a month or so now.

We are about 2 weeks into a 4(maybe longer) national lockdown and I’ve been sick for 10 days of that - about a week with a cold then the last few days it’s been an asthma flare up so there hasn’t been too much action here

 

[cooperL788]

You guys, I got snippy with my son's teacher and I kind of feel really badly about it. But on a positive, the school emailed us and said that parents were complaining about how long the kids were online doing schoolwork. So they cut my son's 7+ hour day down to 2.5 hours and my daughter's day down to 4.5 hours a day. They also are giving them Thursday and Friday off to allow teachers to redo their lesson plans. I'm so happy and hope with the scaled back version schooling will become not so much a headache and actually something more accommodating for everyone!

On a plus, my son's homeschool curriculum came over the weekend. He sat and worked through 20 pages of reading, writing and language with me. He also told me that he doesn't want to stop learning this material until he's able to read and write! He said when he goes in to second grade his teachers will be shocked that he isn't struggling any more. Now fingers crossed we can get there these next few months as we work through his books, on top of finishing up the digital learning through the school.

That's an INSANE amount of time to be spending doing schoolwork! I've been really lucky I think. The teacher I really grated against, has had little to no communication with parents, just putting the work up daily in Google Classroom. We moved my daughter's desk back into her room, and she's been happily getting her work done in about 2.5 to 3 hours per day. My 1st grader has about 2 hours per day, if he doesn't flop all over the floor and tell me that his hand is "too weak to color" or that "he has no bones left."

It's the dogs that are going to be the death of me. They're going nuts without playgroup, and my younger one (1 year old pit mix) has gotten into all sorts of mischief out of boredom. He's currently leading the family for Most Expensive Baby, after eating one of my daughter's ADHD pills, and my pincushion (apparently if you give them a loaf of bread, the pins have less likelihood of puncturing his stomach. We avoided surgery, but still needed 3 x-rays.)

 

[JillW]

Thank you Wendy! This is a great idea!!!

I guess the first thing I'll chat about is my sadness over not being able to shop much at all during this time. My bank is charging almost 50% exchange with US right now so digi shopping will be little or nothing for probably quite awhile. It was sucky but doable at around 20-30% which is where its been for the last few yrs but almost 50% is just too much. I might buy the occasional kit if I really can't resist but for the most part, no shopping for me. The Canadian dollar has never been this bad before in my lifetime.

Wow Rae – 50% is crazy! I hope you can snag some freebies until things turn around!!

My husband is working from home now. He needed some printouts from work (large engineering diagrams or what-have-you) so I drove there this morning and picked them up for him. Felt so strange being "out and about." I even took some pictures of some fields, cows, old downtown, etc from my car. I've always enjoyed seeing those things but I appreciate the scenery even more right now. At one point when I was getting closer to home, it dawned on me that I had gone a few minutes without thinking at all about the Coronavirus, or the world, or if there will be (larger than current) food shortages, or if the chest freezer I ordered will really show up on Friday, or anything stressful. What a pleasant couple of minutes! lol

Char, isn’t it crazy how much we think about Covid19? It’s the last thing I think about when I go to sleep and 1st thing I think about when I wake up! I’ve tried to cut way back on watching / listening to the news reports about it. I was really sinking quickly … not hearing about it 24/7 has helped me!

We live at the end of a cul-de-sac that has our house, a neighbors' house behind us and 2 gated communities. There are a lot of walkers passing by admiring our chalk drawings. lol But anyway, when I see people wearing face masks it makes me so sad all of a sudden and I just want to cry. It is a very scary world right now and I'm only holding strong for my girls. But when there is a minute of silence like now (everybody miraculously is taking a nap) then I'm stuck with my thoughts and go spiraling down.

I totally agree Lea – I actually wore a handmade mask when I was out and about yesterday and felt very sad and overwhelmed

I had a fever and sore throat for 10 days and this is my third day fever free. I get out of quarantine tomorrow. Yay! Thankful no one else in my house got sick, especially my mother in law, who is 76. Also thankful that if I had COVID 19, as I suspect, that it was milder and I am on the other side of it. Now to clean my house after not leaving my room for 10+ days! I did get outside for a short walk today with my dog today, which was glorious. I feel like I lost all muscle mass in the last 2 weeks with not moving from bed for 10 days! Thankful for sunshine today and 62 degrees!

Cindi! I’m so glad to hear you are on the other side of not feeling well! I’m so sorry you had to endure 10 days of feeling so poorly! I’m sending you feel 100% hugs and positive thoughts!! Hope you can enjoy the nice weather in your corner of the world!

Today I went to work. Parents were picking up packets for the kids as well as the last of their belongings from school. We were all decked out in gloves and masks and could only wave to the kids from their cars. Aside from that, it was easy to forget about all of it. It felt like we were playing some sort of silly relay game with gloves and masks. A parent would pull up at one end of the school. A teacher got their last name and teacher's name. They radio'd it in using a walkie talkie. Someone grabbed the package from the gym and carried it out the front door while the parent pulled forward and grabbed it. It was kind of fun really. Anyway, I am mostly working from home. I am going in tomorrow to take care of a couple of things. It should take me 3 minutes max. Our high school is making face shields with a 3D printer and they need rubber bands. I found several bags of the size they need that had been donated to my STEM lab so I am going to retrieve those and send them to the HS.

Sherri, it sounds like everything was very well planned out when you picked up the things from school. I’m glad you were able to get out for a bit!

So today I spent 4.5 hours shopping, going from Bj's, ShopRite, Aldi, Target and Redner's to get what I hope will last us two weeks.... All wiped down and put away by my kids. I did wear a mask to shop and when I was done, I stripped in the laundry room, toss every thing into the washer, and then showered so if any germs were on me, hopefully they are all gone now. ( I make my husband do that as soon as he comes home from work he is currently working in North Jersey.)

Stacy – I’m glad you had help to clean the stuff you brought into your home! Our son and DIL have 5 in their family and I know they are really going through food with the kiddos home! Our DIL is going out today to shop … and it feel like prices have gone through the roof here!

This is a great topic. I thought it would be easy to transition to working at home but it wasn't...at all... It's so crazy that all this is happening. I do early childhood professional development - taking my trainings virtual is hard - I'm such an interactive person. Thank you, everyone, for sharing - it's helped to read them.

We really take a lot for granted I think! I hope things get better for you!!!

I made a rule on Sunday that no one can go into the kitchen without my permission because I was tired to death of the pile of dishes in the sink. I even took away my husband's phone for breaking the rule. But my oldest son walked all the way around the house rather than coming in through the kitchen yesterday, and that was when I knew that I was winning and that he is my favorite. : )

Kellie – I love your no kitchen rule and it’s funny you took your DH’s phone away – that will teach him!!!

Working from home since March 18 is driving me crazy. I know I should be grateful for still getting paid but I know now that I am a people person and I need going to the office to keep me sane.

I hope you can get out and about sooner than later!! It's so hard when you want to be around others and just can't! Who would have thought in this day and age this would even be a topic of discussion!

We are about 2 weeks into a 4(maybe longer) national lockdown and I’ve been sick for 10 days of that - about a week with a cold then the last few days it’s been an asthma flare up so there hasn’t been too much action here

[Gosh I hope you feel better really soon! It's been so trying on us emotionally and physically - hang in there!!!

 

[JillW]

You guys, I got snippy with my son's teacher and I kind of feel really badly about it. But on a positive, the school emailed us and said that parents were complaining about how long the kids were online doing schoolwork. So they cut my son's 7+ hour day down to 2.5 hours and my daughter's day down to 4.5 hours a day. They also are giving them Thursday and Friday off to allow teachers to redo their lesson plans. I'm so happy and hope with the scaled back version schooling will become not so much a headache and actually something more accommodating for everyone!

On a plus, my son's homeschool curriculum came over the weekend. He sat and worked through 20 pages of reading, writing and language with me. He also told me that he doesn't want to stop learning this material until he's able to read and write! He said when he goes in to second grade his teachers will be shocked that he isn't struggling any more. Now fingers crossed we can get there these next few months as we work through his books, on top of finishing up the digital learning through the school.

I am pretty sure the teacher's are not taking things too personally these days - not sure anyone should. Tensions are running high, for sure!! My husband got called an awful (!) name at Farm and Fleet Saturday when he asked the lady behind him to step back a bit because she was closer than 6' away from him!

 

[JillW]

I'm still working on location and everyday I wish I didn't have to. I work in a small office area, but have to be around the workers on the distribution floor several times a day. We have masks and gloves to wear. My hands are a hot mess from washing them so often! Morale is pretty low right now, our sister distribution center, in New Jersey has all but shut down, so their orders are filtering through our center. Tons of overtime. (Thankfully, not for me!). Late last week we were told that the company will no longer match 4% of our 401K contributions and there will be no merit increases this year. Talk about taking the wind of our everyone's sails! Work is just not a great place to be for me!

I haven't felt 100% for a week or so - no fever, no sore throat, just feeling 'blah'. I contribute it to stress. And honestly, once I'm home I feel so much better! I'm missing seeing our little family (son, DIL and 3 grandkiddos). We have facetimed a few times, but it's not the same as loving on them!

Thanks again for starting this Wendy - I think it's wonderful to stay connected and realize we aren't in this alone!!!

 

[Neverland Scraps]

That's an INSANE amount of time to be spending doing schoolwork! I've been really lucky I think. The teacher I really grated against, has had little to no communication with parents, just putting the work up daily in Google Classroom. We moved my daughter's desk back into her room, and she's been happily getting her work done in about 2.5 to 3 hours per day. My 1st grader has about 2 hours per day, if he doesn't flop all over the floor and tell me that his hand is "too weak to color" or that "he has no bones left."

It's the dogs that are going to be the death of me. They're going nuts without playgroup, and my younger one (1 year old pit mix) has gotten into all sorts of mischief out of boredom. He's currently leading the family for Most Expensive Baby, after eating one of my daughter's ADHD pills, and my pincushion (apparently if you give them a loaf of bread, the pins have less likelihood of puncturing his stomach. We avoided surgery, but still needed 3 x-rays.)

It was an insane amount of work and seriously took a HUGE chunk out of my day schooling him, and answering questions for my high schooler. I really look forward to next week to see how much my son's 1st grade teacher scales back the work. :thumbup:

Oh my goodness, I can't believe your pup has gotten in to so much trouble! :O I'm so glad you were able to avoid surgery, but that sounds SO scary!!! Do you have insurance on your pups? That usually helps with some of the cost from incidents like that.

 

[Neverland Scraps]

I am pretty sure the teacher's are not taking things too personally these days - not sure anyone should. Tensions are running high, for sure!! My husband got called an awful (!) name at Farm and Fleet Saturday when he asked the lady behind him to step back a bit because she was closer than 6' away from him!

I never called her anything bad, I don't swear or anything. I just feel bad with how short I was after dealing with my son's work all day long.

I basically told her that I couldn't figure out the common core math and had no idea what it was asking, much less had no idea how to teach my son. I should also say that this was after doing 10 other math assignments with 100 questions each.

She replied that she would like to Google Meet me to teach ME how to teach HIM the assignment. (why is she not willing to teach my son the work when it's HIS class, not mine???)

I wrote her back and said it wasn't happening today because his schooling gave me a nasty migraine (i've had horrible migraines since being glued to his screen all day long--still have one this morning), and that my son had the stomach bug (poor kid had to go to school with the stomach bug).

Then I closed out the math tab signaling he had completed his work, even though I could not figure out that last 100 questions from her math assignments for the day.

Sadly today I have to deal with it. We just did our Google Meet. I still have no idea or understanding of the assignment. My son has no idea what she was trying to show us. We just ended with her being frustrated that we aren't "trying" to understand it. :blink: I'm trying, but my brain can't wrap around what she is showing me. I never went to school to teach, much less had common core!! :blink:

I'm still working on location and everyday I wish I didn't have to. I work in a small office area, but have to be around the workers on the distribution floor several times a day. We have masks and gloves to wear. My hands are a hot mess from washing them so often! Morale is pretty low right now, our sister distribution center, in New Jersey has all but shut down, so their orders are filtering through our center. Tons of overtime. (Thankfully, not for me!). Late last week we were told that the company will no longer match 4% of our 401K contributions and there will be no merit increases this year. Talk about taking the wind of our everyone's sails! Work is just not a great place to be for me!

Wow that is a kick to the stomach in times when things are stressful. I'm so sorry your work has decided to do that to its employees.

I'm glad to see the place in NJ closed with them being a hotspot. You be careful out there and stay safe!! But on a positive, I'm glad you still have a job right now through all of this, even if you are taking so many necessary precautions.

I haven't felt 100% for a week or so - no fever, no sore throat, just feeling 'blah'. I contribute it to stress. And honestly, once I'm home I feel so much better! I'm missing seeing our little family (son, DIL and 3 grandkiddos). We have facetimed a few times, but it's not the same as loving on them!

I'm so sorry your body is wearing down with all the extra work and stress you are going through right now. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water (that's my go-to for everything!)

I see your posts about what you are doing for your grandchildren. It's so sweet you drop them goodies off at their house. I'm sorry you can't see them right now. I know they miss you all like crazy, with the amount of stuff you did/do with them!! Hopefully soon this will all be over and you can give them a great big hug once again!!! :wub:

 

[JillW]

I never called her anything bad, I don't swear or anything. I just feel bad with how short I was after dealing with my son's work all day long.

I basically told her that I couldn't figure out the common core math and had no idea what it was asking, much less had no idea how to teach my son. I should also say that this was after doing 10 other math assignments with 100 questions each.

She replied that she would like to Google Meet me to teach ME how to teach HIM the assignment. (why is she not willing to teach my son the work when it's HIS class, not mine???)

I wrote her back and said it wasn't happening today because his schooling gave me a nasty migraine (i've had horrible migraines since being glued to his screen all day long--still have one this morning), and that my son had the stomach bug (poor kid had to go to school with the stomach bug).

Then I closed out the math tab signaling he had completed his work, even though I could not figure out that last 100 questions from her math assignments for the day.

Sadly today I have to deal with it. We just did our Google Meet. I still have no idea or understanding of the assignment. My son has no idea what she was trying to show us. We just ended with her being frustrated that we aren't "trying" to understand it. :blink: I'm trying, but my brain can't wrap around what she is showing me. I never went to school to teach, much less had common core!! :blink::

Holy moly! I understand why you are frustrated! That is a ton of work for you AND your son!! I imagine the teachers are a bit frustrated as well and am sure you aren't the only parent that is struggling to understand common core math (PS - what's wrong with the old way! :crying. Can you google it? Hang in the momma ... :wub:

 

[Leablahblah]

Did your doctor wear a mask? I need to make pediatrician appointments for my girls, but I kinda don't want the doctor breathing on them because of all the other people he comes in contact with. Never thought I would even need to think about something like that.

I would call and ask your pediatrician ahead of time.
I called today to ask if we should cancel my almost one-year old appointment but they said we shouldn't and they do wear a mask and ask that we wear one too. How in the world will Leonie abide by that? She will take it right off. Maybe she only meants me... I'm so scared, I don't want to take her to the pediatrician.

You guys, I got snippy with my son's teacher and I kind of feel really badly about it. But on a positive, the school emailed us and said that parents were complaining about how long the kids were online doing schoolwork. So they cut my son's 7+ hour day down to 2.5 hours and my daughter's day down to 4.5 hours a day. They also are giving them Thursday and Friday off to allow teachers to redo their lesson plans. I'm so happy and hope with the scaled back version schooling will become not so much a headache and actually something more accommodating for everyone!

On a plus, my son's homeschool curriculum came over the weekend. He sat and worked through 20 pages of reading, writing and language with me. He also told me that he doesn't want to stop learning this material until he's able to read and write! He said when he goes in to second grade his teachers will be shocked that he isn't struggling any more. Now fingers crossed we can get there these next few months as we work through his books, on top of finishing up the digital learning through the school.

Yay! This is amazing Wendy! I'm glad you said something!

 

[JillW]

Just got out of a meeting and starting tomorrow I'll be working from home - every other week. Currently there are 6 of us in a small office - when we are working on location there will only be 2 of us. I feel relieved!

 

[craftytam]

This is a great topic. I thought it would be easy to transition to working at home but it wasn't...at all... It's so crazy that all this is happening. I do early childhood professional development - taking my trainings virtual is hard - I'm such an interactive person. Thank you, everyone, for sharing - it's helped to read them.

I can imagine it was a challenging transition for you, jamie. Given your profession, you'd have to totally change how you do things.

Did your doctor wear a mask? I need to make pediatrician appointments for my girls, but I kinda don't want the doctor breathing on them because of all the other people he comes in contact with. Never thought I would even need to think about something like that.

Lynn, the appointment was for my monthly clotting blood check. Yes, everyone in the office had a mask on. I couldn't even go in until the receptionist (who also had a mask on) went through a list of questions about my health.. LOL!
I don't blame you for being cautious. I would say if you don't HAVE to go in, wait until things calm down.

We've been on partial lockdown since March 12, and I don't worry about catching the virus or about our financial situation (at the moment, at least).

However, I scream into my pillow constantly because not having any type of outside imposed schedule is making me bonkers. I don't love schedules, and I can't keep one to save my life. But having to show up at work makes me get stuff done. Now that everything can be done anytime, I'm just watching Netflix and playing Candy Crush Friends ALL.DAY.LONG.

I made a rule on Sunday that no one can go into the kitchen without my permission because I was tired to death of the pile of dishes in the sink. I even took away my husband's phone for breaking the rule. But my oldest son walked all the way around the house rather than coming in through the kitchen yesterday, and that was when I knew that I was winning and that he is my favorite. : )

My mom & I were just talking about setting a schedule, but we both said, "nah!" because we're just not schedule-y people. LOL!

Haha! I can imagine what having everyone home all the time would do to the kitchen!! I hope they all learn to either clean up after themselves, or stay out for your sanity, Kellie!!