Thursday, April 9, 2020

7 Quick Takes about Online School, Friends with Costco Memberships Who Save the Day, and a Good Friday Request

It's 7 Quick Takes Friday! How was your week?

1


After a beautiful three weeks of no required classwork, the kids' school officially began their formal "remote learning plan" on Monday.

Also effective as of Monday, I'm about to lose my mind.

I don't understand any of the platforms the kids' teachers use or how to log in to them. My email inbox is littered with random passwords and homework links that never seem to contain the one I'm looking for. I mixed up the times of my kids' class video chats and sat my kindergartner down to talk to his sister's 2nd grade teacher. SO THINGS ARE GOING REALLY WELL THANKS.

Shortly after we started "doing school" on Monday morning at 9 AM, there was a line of three people waiting for me to help them with technical difficulties, and I've never been so tempted to fake my own death and jump aboard the next boxcar I see.

2


When my 6-year-old had a video call with his class, the teacher started by having each kid take a turn sharing something interesting about their weekend.

My son looked like he wasn't quite sure what to share when it was his turn, so I suggested quietly that maybe he could talk about the birdfeeder he'd made by rolling a peanut butter-covered pinecone in birdseed and hanging it from a tree.

He nodded, and since it looked like he had everything under control I briefly left to check out a domestic disturbance in the next room.

When I came back my 6-year-old was taking his turn, but he'd decided to jettison the birdfeeder idea and instead regale the class with a story about the gigantic animal poop he found in the woods. #classy

3


My 8-year-old was listening to me make a phone call and at the end I said, "Okay, thanks, buh-bye." I don't even like that I say that, it's just what comes out.

"Why do you say 'buh-bye' instead of 'bye?'" she asked quizzically.

"I guess because that's what my mom says and when you get older you turn into your mother."

She wrinkled her nose and said, "Well, I don't want to say that."

Ha! If she only knew how many of my weird quirks and goofy sayings are going to inexplicably show up in her personality in 20-30 years! I'm laughing right now just thinking about it.

4


Between sessions of General Conference on Sunday, we went for a family walk at the beautiful trail we visited last week, and my 14-year-old took the best picture of Phillip and I.


It wasn't even our idea. She spotted this big puddle and asked us to go stand on the other side of it so she could get our reflections in the shot, and to be honest it was way better than any of our expensive engagement photos.

Sometimes you just gotta make your own photographer to get what you want, I guess.

5


Lately, I've been having nightmares about going to the grocery store. Things are pretty great when I'm just chilling at home with the kids taking nature hikes, but then I walk into the grocery store and it feels like Armageddon.

There are plexiglass barriers in front of the cashiers, duct tape lines on the floor where you can stand, and nothing but tumbleweeds and grumpy people in surgical masks rolling through the toilet paper aisle. Don't even get me started on the limits.

Last time I went grocery shopping, there was a limit of ONE DOZEN eggs per customer. For reference, three 18-packs of eggs last approximately one week in our house.

I tried to ration as best as I could, but after a few days we were down to the last egg which was attached to a very threatening Post-It warning "DO NOT EAT!" so we could save it for a birthday cake.

At about that point, my birthday child's church youth leader dropped by with a birthday gift... and a Costco-sized pack of 5 dozen eggs. She'd somehow heard about our egg predicament and picked up an extra for us.

There was rejoicing.

6


We're now entering what I like to call "birthday season." It's always been challenging having four birthdays in our immediate family (five, if you count mine) within a few months of each other, but having them all happen during quarantine is interesting.

We've had to alter some plans that the kids would have been pretty excited about, but so far I think we're doing alright at making their special day still feel special when they're not allowed to go within 6 feet of another human being.

Birthday cake on our fancy china — because it's not like we're saving it for company.

7


The last thing I wanted to do (and the reason I'm publishing 7QT a little early this week) is ask for your help with something.

At General Conference this past weekend, our prophet President Nelson called for a special day of fasting and prayer on Good Friday.

He said: "I invite all, including those not of our faith, to fast and pray on Good Friday, April 10, that the present pandemic may be controlled, caregivers protected, the economy strengthened, and life normalized… Good Friday would be the perfect day to have our Heavenly Father and His Son hear us!”

Whatever your religion and however you put your faith into action, I'd love it if you're able to participate with me in this.


Click to Share:
Unremarkable Files

3 comments:

jen said...

Sitting here laughing at your Prophet's call for prayer and fasting today... because it's Good Friday and there are 1+ billion people worldwide doing just that anyway! (Not laughing out of meanness--just the timing is AWESOME.)

It's also been the Lentiest Lent that has ever Lented up in here, so I'm the queen of inappropriate laughing because I CANNOT WAIT FOR EASTER SUNDAY AND GETTING THE FUDGE OUT OF MY HOUSE EVENTUALLY... IN LIKE JUNE OR SOMETHING.

Rosie said...

You know, I think you might be right about the "make your own photographer"—one of my kids took the picture of me that I use as my headshot!

PurpleSlob said...

Love your photo!! That kid has a future as a Nat'l Geographic photog!!
Yes, Ester was NOT cancelled! Christ arose!