The night before chaos…
School has started! Talk about an anticlimactic first day - I really missed those jitters of getting my kids on the bus and chatting with the other parents at the bus stop. We didn’t have any first firsts - my youngest is going into 1st grade so no nerves from her but I mourned a bit about some of the cool things my 5th grader isn’t getting to do - for starters, no Safety Patrol, which for those of you who know Charlie, he was BORN to do. But I’m not complaining - at the end of the day, I’m in the camp of wanting safety for our teachers and my children, especially if it’s not safe for most of us to go back to work, why would we push our kids into a burning building? No judgment here though if your kids are going - I’m also a tad jealous!! Parenting feelings are very messy and complicated these days.
So, if you are home, I thought I’d share some of the tech and equipment purchases I made to make our homeschooling experience a little more manageable and maintain some form of sanity. My husband and I were literally up until midnight and 2:00 a.m. respectively getting this all ready for them so it truly was a first morning surprise. When they saw it all, they actually said ‘Thank you!’ I’m serious.
I have a supply closet for my kids’ games, arts & crafts, but like most families with 2-4 kids, you fill up all storage spaces really quickly. In the spring, we quickly got overwhelmed with nowhere for their school stuff to go. Then after I picked up their math books a few weeks ago, I knew this purchase I had made in the summer would pay off. Direct from Wayfair, likely via a barge from China because it took about 6-8 weeks to arrive to me, this beauty incorporates well into my dining room, the price didn’t break the bank, and I might be able to reuse it elsewhere after we are done with this COVID school thing. Or I’ll sell it. Or burn it. I don’t really care. I bought the wrong size cubbies to put on each shelf so I have these on order and, if you look closely, they have special tags you can label who has what with a dry-erase marker. Yes, I bought those also.
Finished in time for the 9:00 a.m. bell.. err, log in!
I’m sure many of you have this issue, but my kids, particularly my boys, are active, bouncy and need to move. I don’t like those ball chairs so I started researching for these wobble stools. Let me save you the trouble and tell you - buy these things. First of all, the options out there are VERY overwhelming. Secondly, maybe reviews mention how some of these types of stools easily slide out from under the kids and they wind up on the grounds. Not helpful. But the real selling point here is with growing kids, these are adjustable. Other options require you select a specific size and as my kids grow, I would love to actually keep these things. They are light, rugged and we’re going to also use them for chairs while gaming.
This is another area that required a serious upgrade. Clark’s old ones didn’t really work and he had to toggle the cord to get it to work most days - not helpful if your teacher can’t hear you. Maren has an oral fixation and loves to chew on cables. Thank you bluetooth technology for solving that problem! Again, soooo many options it’s ridiculous and overwhelming to research. Some are also suspiciously inexpensive and when you dig into the reviews, you can see why. Three days into school online, we are very happy with this purchase as well and they sync up nicely with their MCPS-provided chromebooks as well as their Kindle Fires.
I am a sucker for ads that pop up in my feed. I saw something like this over this summer and found a cheaper options on Amazon, mostly because I wasn’t actually sure they would work. On Day #2, my oldest was going back to his chromebook and said, ‘Oh, I need my glasses!’. I asked him how they were and he said he already noticed a huge difference and said he even prefers gaming with them on because his eyes don’t feel nearly as tired. WIN! One warning is my version is for little people so I’d say the max age for this option is 10.
This sort of thing makes my heart sing. The compartments are removable so you can grab when you need and put it back. It’s probably my daughter’s favorite item because it reminds her of something her teacher had in her room. Plus it’s just fun to spin it around.
Chromebook Storage/Charging Station
A friend of mine gave me this idea. She said “I feel like I need a bigger charging station just for chromebooks” and it really stuck in my head. I was checking out at the Container Store on Sunday and saw this bad boy. I’m sure you can find other options by search dish or pan racks but this one is for vertical file storage. What’s nice is this version is adjustable width.
I made it a charging station by buying this power strip that has 3 outlets and 2 USB ports. Our 3rd child has headphones that don’t need to charge so the five devices that we charge each night all have a home.
L-R: Maren, Clark & Charlie
In Other from MAA…
Welcome Winston!
Like many of my colleagues, I decided I needed a furry friend to get me through this pandemic, so a couple weeks ago my boyfriend and I adopted a cat! He’s a 6-year-old sweetheart named Winston. He’s very shy but he loves boxes, food, and pats on the head. - Madison
Isaac’s Westward Expedition
Having cancelled all scheduled vacations with the rest of the world at the beginning of the summer, I was rewarded with an expiring gift card from my airline company with the deadline of the end of August. In order to not waste the purchase, my girlfriend and I decided to take a camping trip out West to a destination where we felt we could socially distance safely while exploring a new terrain - Grand Teton & Yellowstone National Park! We were very nervous about the flight but were pleasantly surprised by how diligently the people around us were respecting the mandates to wear masks and keep away from people.
Once we arrived in Yellowstone, it became incredibly easy to stay away from others. A 5 minute walk down a backcountry trail left you completely alone! In the more crowded areas of the park, all guests are instructed to wear masks and you could not enter any of their stores without a face covering. These restrictions were enforced very stringently and we were glad to see that most, if not all, visitors to the park were respecting them! Although we loved going to Yellowstone and enjoying all of the attractions around us (especially all the Geysers!), I was completely blown away by Grand Teton National Park. The Mountain views are truly spectacular and you are surrounded by an incredible amount of wildlife. Some quick highlights from us are seeing a Grizzly Bear with her cubs (Photo through our binoculars included below) as well as seeing two grown Moose (I could not believe how large they both were!). Taking to the great outdoors was definitely the perfect way to enjoy a break during this difficult time.
One last thing…
Check out this new pizzeria that just opened on H Street NE, owned and operated by all deaf people. A new small business to support!