Distance Learning

Last week we officially started distance learning through our school. Only a 7 days into it, we are still figuring out what that means.  With the exception of D, who homeschools anyway, all the kids are receiving lessons and schoolwork through a variety of platforms....Google classroom, YouTube, email, folders and mailings of paperwork and more.  I feel like my head is spinning.  I’m running in circles, assigning ipad or computer time for kids who need to upload schoolwork, or watch a teacher’s video. The kiddos are learning patience as they have to wait for me to help or explain the next assignment.  I’m sending emails and text messages to teachers for daily “attendance” or when questions arise.  D, amazing kid that he is, is pretty much homeschooling himself at the moment.  Sometimes I don’t finish my morning coffee until 11. Sometimes, I can’t even remember where I set it down. I can’t keep up.  How will they?

And yet.....when the weather is amazing, I have the wonderful authority to rearrange our school day and have a backyard picnic and extra long recess.  Or when someone reaches a breaking point, they can just go jump on the trampoline for a while and come back refreshed and ready to focus.   I get to hold a little hand attached to an amazing little person who is sounding out 3 letter words.  There is time in the day to write a letter to a loved one, or learn to run the sewing machine, or watch a YouTube video on how to draw cute little tacos.

This Monday was an amazing day out, and we took full advantage of not being cooped up in a classroom!

So here I am.  I am distressed at the growing case numbers and death counts.  I am concerned for the health care workers, those losing loved ones, the sick, the elderly, and the people we love all over the world.  I worry for people who just lost their income. I pray fervently.  But I was not shocked, disappointed, or overwhelmed when our governor announced today that our shelter-in-place and schools closures will remain in effect until at least the end of April.

I’m considering it providence that last fall Grandma asked if my Little House loving girls wanted these desks for playing school.  Now M (6th grade) and H (3rd grade) attack a majority of their schoolwork from these seats.

I’m sure these 5 are not getting grade-A, first-rate academics in the mayhem that we call daily life at the Healy House.  But they are getting life lessons.  They are getting extra time for family prayer and service to others (including each other).  They are getting about 1,000 more hugs and 25 more stories read aloud than a typical 8 hour school day plus extra curricular schedule would ever allow.  I feel guilty to say I’m thrilled we are quarantined here, holding on tight to each other.  The reasons behind the quarantine are traumatic.  Our time together is most definitely not.

HF watches videos of circle time, read-aloud stories, and song with finger play that her amazing preschool teacher sends along with printables and lesson plans.

Since J is learning about the five senses in kindergarten, I had her paint a picture of the things she can see, smell, hear, taste and touch in spring.

For J, another bonus of school-at-home is doing your assignments in dress-up costumes.

Our preschooler, HF was assigned yoga for Work Out Tuesday....which she performed dressed in a bride costume.

HF and big brother (role model) D preparing for our daily Chaplet prayers.

Man, this kid loves to be outside. Although M is a social girl and misses her class and teachers, she is loving the 101 different places she can do her schoolwork at home.

Unfortunately, being one of the oldest also means the most schoolwork.  And sometimes as littles finish up their work, it can be hard to focus.  This week she started wearing headphones or earmuffs to block out the background noise.

One Day at a Time

When I found out we are going to be working, living, and learning all under the same roof for an indefinite amount of time, a posted schedule seemed like a good idea. I love the idea of block schedules because it gives you the grace of flexibility when sometimes breakfast just doesn’t happen at 7 o’clock and nap time gets a little behind schedule because we played outside too long. However, we all need structure.  I hope that as we get used to this new routine, things will become a bit more more predictable in our chaotic world.  Of course, none of us knows how long this will be our reality, but I’m hopeful this schedule will be workable as long as we need.

I’m sure we are all experiencing a little cabin fever right now. Blessedly, we have a big yard and plenty of space to play and get our ya-yas out. The outside time in our schedule is non-negotiable.  I don’t care if it’s cold, or if you don’t feel like it. Everyone has to get outside and breathe some fresh air.  Every day.  For better or worse, Mother Nature hasn’t exactly been cooperating with my plans.  Nevertheless, outside time is required, and I’d say for the most part, they have been delighted by the variety of weather we’ve had in this first week.

Four inches of snow on Monday provided plenty of opportunity for exercise and creativity.

I don't know what it is about puddles, but they draw kids like a bee to honey.

Sheltering on the Big River

Is anyone still out there?  If you are, I’m amazed.  It’s been 5 1/2 years since my last post.  That is hard to fathom.  Although they were 5 crazy, glorious years, I’m not going to try to catch you up.  I’m going to start where we are today.....home.

Today we are sheltering in place.  Three months ago, I’d never heard of COVID19, I had no idea MERS and H1N1 were “Coronaviruses” and our toilet paper and bleach supply were the last thing on my mind.  And yet, here we are, inundated with hourly news updates, global tallies, country tallies, and state tallies, a little anxiety, calls to prayer, locked church doors, “e-learning” for the kids, and sometimes empty store shelves.

I’ll be honest, since our governor instituted a “shelter in place” order for our state last weekend, my life hasn’t changed much.  I’m cooking, cleaning, playing, listening, reading, hugging, praying, washing, disciplining, and loving just about like always.  The only thing missing is the driving.  I have the people I love most closer to me for more hours a day.  Who can complain about that?  Have our plans been changed? You bet. Is it always easy? Not on your life.  Complete family harmony? In my dreams.  But as we are finding, quarantine can be fun.

So, I decided I need to reconnect with all of you.  I’d like to share a bit of what life looks like on the inside of our 4 walls, since legally, I can’t invite you for a visit right now.  Life under lockdown can get messy, but it is completely sheltered in love.

Little Apprentices

Hi there.  Remember us?  We're still here on the Big River, busily "bringing them up in the way they should go."

One of the responsibilities we feel we have as parents is bringing up capable members of society.  That means essentially preparing the little ones to take care of themselves, and eventually, to care for others.  It seems to me that regardless of what else they learn in life, these important lessons will benefit them most of all.  And so, we are always grateful for opportunities to teach.  Sometimes it's teaching how to control one's temper and sometimes it's teaching how to do laundry.  But while we know there is a long list of things that need to be done for our ever growing family, the best way of all is to do these things with these special people.

When people ask me "How do you do it with so many kids?" (and by the way, I don't consider 4 to be "so many"), I tease that it is my goal that every child be an independent launderer by the age of 10.  But it actually IS a goal of mine.  Not because I can't handle the workload, but because many hands make light work.  Because when you fold someone else's socks, you are showing them love.  Because someday they are going to need to know how to do it anyway.  So why not start young?

Our chore chart ebbs and flows.  It's longer (and more enforced) in the summer when there are more idle hours for small hands.  There are every day chores and I-need-your-help-right-now chores.  And I am so profoundly aware that the small ones are learning from the big ones, so in our house part of doing chores is doing it right the first time and with a happy heart.  Sometimes we need a little reminder on that last part. (MommaHealy included)  But this is how we serve one another.  This is how Jesus taught us to spread His love.  So we start small.  And the little ones, they love to be a part of it. 

I don't have many private moments of teaching with baby J.  (She has 4 other very capable teachers in her life!)  But today I took the opportunity to have our first baking day while everyone else was off at various schools.  Although she's only 14 months old, she was clearly delighted to be pulled up to the counter and given a little job in the muffin endeavor.  Obviously, her biggest chore was staying upright at the counter, but she just fit right in.  We (I) talked about measuring, counting, ingredients, names of utensils, and so on.  She babbled some things that were probably really meaningful to her (I imagined things like "I like baking with you, Mom.  Thanks for teaching me.  I've been watching the big kids do this and I'm so glad it's finally my turn.  You're the best!")  Then she emptied the silverware drawer into the sink, one piece at a time.  She mixed the flour I gave her in a little plastic bowl.  She tasted it, and quickly wiped out her mouth.  I know she learned some things. (Flour doesn't taste good alone.  Spoons make a funny noise when the fall in the sink.  Time in the kitchen is fun.  People here love me.)  I'm so grateful, because every moment is a teaching moment...even if sometimes I have to stop and remind myself of that!

The Big Brother

As D finished his first year in American school, it gave me pause.  As of this week, he is officially promoted to Third Grade.  He's eight years old....how does that happen so fast?  He is my baby no longer.  I used to kid them that I never want them to grow up, but each glorious new day and every delightful stage of his life have been one I would not exchange.  He can be so serious, so goofy, so head-strong, and so loving.

I asked him what his favorite subject is.  He asked me if "silent reading" counts as a subject.  He is a reader....like I've never seen.  Good for him.  He has been on so many fantastic adventures between the pages of some phenomenal books.  In my daily prayers I always offer prayers of thanksgiving, and along side the things you'd expect, like my family, health, etc, I thank God for the American public library system.  It is so easy to feed his brain.  I asked him what he likes to learn, and he said "anything."  I just about melted.  I love that he loves to learn.  So few moms of boys are as lucky.

He really is interested in just about everything.  Right now he's learning more about Tae Kwon Do, early American history, and multiplication.  He's reading 5+ books at the moment, The Legend of King Arthur, Robin Hood, The Big Book of What, Moby Dick (again), and a Lego book, that I know of.  He has an equal amount of Lego scenes set up in various points in our house.  Given a $20 bill and a toy store, without a doubt he'd buy Legos.

He's a picky eater, but he loves Mexican food and raspberries.  He misses Brazil....mainly because they have half-day school, and we had some really amazing vacations there...like zip-lining in the rainforest.  He's pious, serious about his faith.  He's respectful, helpful, and has a good heart.

And I can't help but wonder, who will he be in another 8 years?  Or another 18?

I asked him.  He thinks maybe a farmer or an engineer.  (Do you think perhaps that is based on some very close role models?)

Milestones

365 days have passed since we boarded an American bound flight, leaving behind our 2-year home in Brazil.  That season of our life is gone, but definitely not forgotten.  I often marvel how Brazil has changed us as individuals and as a family.  There are some decidedly Brazilian influences in our day-to-day lives and there are parts of who we were then that I wish we still had.

The last picture in Brazil...little travelers waiting patiently at the airport.

Where are we now?  I really wanted to know, so I started a little conversation over dinner this week to find out.  We talk about it from time to time.  And since the grass is always greener, the list for Brazil continues to grow as time passes.  Interestingly, M told us that she wants to move back to Brazil. (...but wants everything to be English.)

What do we miss about Brazil?  Here are a few of the answers:
The food (specifically: churrasco, pastels, fruit--mangos and $1 pineapples, little bananas, chokkito)
Our house, our pool, our lime tree
People...Loriane our maid, teachers, classmates
Our Brazilian diet, and the way the big people effortlessly lost weight!
The weather
The PUC science museum
Restaurants...D'Forno Pizza, Divina Gula, Aromas
Half-day school
Lazy weekends
DaddyHealy's motorcycle--"the tornado"
Having everything (work included) close to home

I loved the answers that were so contrary to what we big people consider reality...
H still misses our red house," because it was so big." It was actually a fraction of the size of our current home.
Someone said (and they all agreed) that they missed Parque Centro (Central Park)  This is humorous, because I haven't seen such a run down park in the States since we've been back, but they loved it because it was what they had. 

Couldn't we all take a lesson from that?  We spend a lot of time trying to teach our children (and ourselves) to be content.  In this world, especially in this country, we tend to strive for  (as DaddyHealy puts it) "bigger, faster, more."  But wouldn't it be a shame if we live life and never reach the point of satisfaction.  Sometimes we would be better off to think 'smaller, slower, less.'  And that kind of sums up our life in Brazil.  No wonder it still holds our hearts.

I will always remember the slow pace of life we enjoyed there.

Planting Seeds

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.  --Robert Louis Stevenson

This is like my motherhood mantra this time around.  I think I pretty well held it together with the other babies.  I showered every day, I ironed the clothes, I mopped the floor. (I posted on the blog!)  These days I consider a spilled cup a favor...a paper towel and a minute on my knees and I have at least one clean spot on my kitchen floor...and I'm getting pretty good at calling a shirt "good enough" before it ever hits the ironing board. 

Honestly, while I've adjusted some of my standards, I hope I am focusing more on the things that count.  It's not always easy to do, but sometimes I just stop and watch my little ones.  They are amazing, unique, spirited little talkers and they hardly ever slow down.  They have great smiles and give amazing hugs (and sometimes a little bit of attitude).  They teach me so much.  I try to be worthy of all I have received from them. 

This year I've been doing things differently.  I'm a work in progress, but it seems I have so few minutes with them (especially the school-aged ones).  I am trying to make every minute count.   I am doing my best to only use words that are uplifting, teaching, loving, modeling, and meaningful.  I try to talk less and listen more.  I'm working on looking them in the eye when they talk to me.  I hold their hands because I love them.  I sometimes watch them sleep.  I hold them in my arms because I still can.  I imagine what they will tell their children.  I tell them that I pray for them (this came as kind of a shock to a few of them!).  I tell them that they are great, wonderful, that they make me happy. 

Striving to plant the seeds of unconditional love....1,440 minutes a day.