I wasn't sure whether to number this post 17 or 18 since the holidays had their own "Crazy Times" post, but I decided to keep the numbers sequential so they'd make sense to me in a year when I'm looking for something. By the way, can you believe I am still having to use the "Crazy Times" title? There is a light at the end of the tunnel. But, holy cow--the tunnel has been so long and it still seems like we have a lot tunnel to still travel through.
A lot has happened since my last post about the kiddos. I really haven't posted much about their day-to-day activities since we checked out of the good ol' Navy Lodge. So, let's begin...
We are all feeling pretty settled into the house. We are still fussing here and there to get things just so.
The kids were thrilled to get to have some real snow mid-February. They wore themselves out playing on their own and with a couple of other kids. Jip finally got to try out his electric shovel (aka little snowblower). We built fires. We ate s'mores. And, then the snow melted almost as quickly as it came.
The day after President's Day, the kids got to go back to school in-person two days per week (Mondays and Tuesdays).
The days are shorter (8:15 - 1:15) so they can get the limited buses everywhere they need to be. While they are in school, they focus on math and reading/writing. They get recess. They eat lunch in their classrooms. But, that is it. Wednesdays are days at home for all kids, then Thursday and Friday are the days the B group goes to the school building and school is mostly asynchronous for my A group kids. RJ does have some math and reading via Zoom in the mornings by broadcast from a partner teacher's classroom and they both have class meetings at 2 in the afternoon to check in and make sure everything is going okay. Ryleigh's teacher often uses that check-in time for fun activities that revolve around art or dancing.
The teachers assign social studies/science stuff to do at home after school or the days they are not at school. The kids also have independent reading and math to do in a program called iReady - they should be doing 15-20 minutes each day in both areas. The kiddos do music and PE independently via recorded lessons and completing FlipGrids (short videos talking about what you learned or did). Though music and PE are optional in the school's eyes, they are not optional in our house. But the kids have plenty of time to do them, so it isn't like they are staying up late to do them. :) RJ and Ryleigh are both bored with their school work, but glad to be back in school.
The school is still trying to do as much as they can in the way of extra activities in the evenings for kids. So, we participate when we can. RJ did an online Math Blast one night, and then both kids were able to do a STEM fair. They logged into Zoom presentations, had activities (we picked up the supplies ahead of time), and more. RJ and Ryleigh always seem to be a little reluctant to do those kinds of things, but once they are doing it, they have a good time, as you can tell from their smiles.
Things in Washington are slowly opening back up, and the base is following suit. We were able to take the kids down to the base recreation center and meet three other Decatur Avenue families (although we were the only ones with kids) for some bowling. We all had a great time. And, the employees were so thrilled to have people there - it gave them a sense of normalcy, too.
And, finally, we took the plunge and invested in a pool table (and ping pong top). We had been looking forward to having a pool table at the house if Jip got selected for the CO at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, as a table is provided with the house. But, here, no furnishings, and certainly no pool table, come with the house. So, we decided that we should still have one, and the living room is just so big that it needed one. I found a little shop north of Seattle that sells mostly used tables. So, we headed there one Saturday to take a look and ended up buying a table that looked brand new, but was well over 5 years old. The shop delivered it and set it up properly, put on new felt in our color choice, and supplied the balls, cues, and everything else we would need. Jip has racked up the balls every night to play on his own to unwind or to play with the kids. Ryleigh loves playing by herself and just trying to get balls in the pockets. I think we made a wise choice. And, once this stupid pandemic is over, I'm sure the neighbors will all be over to put it to good use, too.
The Mosman Clan keeps plugging along. RJ is still coding nearly every weekend and is probably 2 months or so away from moving to the next belt at Code Ninja. He has also been really getting into his Ark Survival game that he plays with other kids online through Outschool. RJ has worked hard at being a reliable teammate and a leader in the game. Though we don't understand what he really does in the game, we know he is having success, and we know he is enjoying it. Ryleigh is at the gym 12 hours per week, and we hear that she will be moving to Level 4 and will be going 16 hours per week starting this summer. She is still loving it and has really bonded with a couple other girls. She still plays Roblox with her VA teammates on the weekends and loves keeping in touch -- and her little competitive side likes keeping tabs on how they are doing at their meets. :)
Until next time, cheers!
