School Again!

 Here we are again, doing our distance learning, trying to keep sane and moving forward!

If you were wondering how our first family bike ride went last week, it was awesome, A+. No one cried, no one fell off their bike and no one got hit by cars. I was really impressed with Adam, pedaling away like crazy on his fixed gear bike (while Ellie pedaled slowly and complained - change gears and make life easier for yourself, kid!) 

We had a good last week of summer. Lots of swimming, another couple of trips to the beach. Buying the beach parking pass has been the best money I've spent all pandemic. If my kids look back on the summer of quarantine and remember all the great times they had at the beach, then I really can't ask for anything more. Their acrobatics training in Grizz's pool is also going well. 

So anyways, on to school. Both kids are in combo classes - Adam's is 8 second graders and 13 third graders. Ellie is one of 21 fourth graders and I think 9 fifth graders? The nice thing (for us) is that they don't tend to teach the kids together during the distance learning, so the kids are with a much smaller cohort. I think it will be especially good for Adam (who has Ellie's teacher from last year.) The downside is that those poor teachers are on Zoom all day, switching between classes. Thus far, no complaints. A technology snafu here and there as we get used to everything. Ellie did some serious sobbing about having a problem with a Zoom room - chill out chicken, it's not like you're going to fail fourth grade because you missed a lunch time check in! Adam hasn't had a ton to do yet, but he's getting the hang of the schedule. 

It's a lot right now, as we work out how the routine needs to go. Emotions are running high, from excitement to sadness to annoyance (mostly at technology.) In some ways, I feel like I have toddlers again, because I'm back to being their alpha and their omega and am responsible for everything, versus being able to fob them off on the teachers and follow up later, or like this summer, when the TV and Minecraft got to raise them. But I'm thankful we're all here together, and safe, and the teachers seem great and are doing their best to make this weird experience a fruitful and positive one. Two days down, 178 to go.