What The Heck is COVID-19?
On March 12th, 2020 this is what I wrote in my journal:
Today was a whirlwind . . .in the morning our bishop started a group text to the ward council about canceling church and youth/children activities. There was a lot of discussion, my opinion was that it wasn't necessary until schools cancel and by 5pm both districts had cancelled for 3 weeks! (well two weeks then there is spring break). Also, the Women’s Conference that I was going to with mom and my sisters in April got canceled, and church got canceled worldwide! Rylan was going to have a concert that night and a competition on Saturday... canceled. We were all at home and had just finished dinner when Scott was like...should we go to the store? I thought we had the necessities, but then we kind of wanted to go just to see the chaos and get some extra things just in case. We went to Sam’s Club and Kroger. Sam’s was completely out of TP, paper towels, and disinfecting wipes, Lysol and there was only a pallet left of the water bottles (I'm so glad I went two weeks ago and got extra) also all the Ramen which we thought was funny. We grabbed a few things, then we went to Kroger and they had TP, but they were out of all disinfecting cleaning supplies, and the canned foods were sparse and no dry milk which I wish I would have thought to grab some earlier.
The kids school did the best they could to transfer to online school, they had us drive by the school and get packets for the kids, but most of their work was done through Google Classroom, but kind of on their own. There was a transitional phase at first, and it was really hard to get things done at home but I really did enjoy being safe at home. Scott had to still go to work but then by May he was sent home to work and he would work a week at home then work a week at the office. Rylan temporarily stopped working at Jimmy Johns, I think his boss was relieved that Rylan asked to not work so he didn't have to let anyone go.
Just so I NEVER forget..... April 2, 2020
- Schools closed-distance learning
- Self-distancing measures on the rise.
- Tape on the floors at grocery stores and others to help distance shoppers (6ft) from each other.
- Limited number of people inside stores, therefore, lineups outside the store doors.
- Non-essential stores and businesses mandated closed.
- Parks, trails, entire cities locked up.
- Entire sports seasons cancelled.
- Concerts, tours, festivals, entertainment events - cancelled.
- Weddings, family celebrations, holiday gatherings - cancelled.
- No masses, churches are closed.
- No gatherings of 50 or more, then 20 or more, now 5 or more.
- Don't socialize with anyone outside of your home.
- Children's outdoor play parks are closed.
- We are to distance from each other.
- Shortage of masks, gowns, gloves for our front-line workers.
- Shortage of ventilators for the critically ill.
- Panic buying sets in and there's no toilet paper, no disinfecting supplies, no paper towel no laundry soap, no hand sanitizer.
- Shelves are bare.
- Manufacturers, distilleries and other businesses switch their lines to help make visors, masks, hand sanitizer and PPE.
- Government closes the border to all non-essential travel.
- Stadiums and recreation facilities open up for the overflow of Covid-19 patients.
- Press conferences daily from the President. Daily updates on new cases, recoveries, and deaths.
- Barely anyone on the roads.
- People wearing masks and gloves outside.
- Essential service workers are terrified to go to work.
- Medical field workers are afraid to go home to their families.
This is the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic, declared March 11th, 2020.
The kids were finishing school too early and were needing some things to do, we exercised at home, did a lot of walks and bike rides. I had the idea to have a book club with grandma, my sisters and my niece and nephew Ben and Lizzie. From March to August we read 4 books together and had book club meetings through Google Duo three times a week. We read The Secret Garden, Swiss Family Robinson, The Inventor's Secret, and Land of Stories. It was the highlight of our weeks! It keeps us regimented in our reading and we were able to build family relationships from across the country.
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| Ian's teacher Mrs. Hayes reading him a story. |
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| Our district provided lunch services every day. |
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| Maddy learning math with Ms. Shaw |
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| Her teacher Mrs. Line was the most energetic and positive person I have ever met. Note the pj's |
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| Bo loved that dad and the kids were home ALL the time! |
The elementary school had planned a teacher and staff parade and then sent out their route so we would know when they would be in our neighborhood. We made signs and got a notice from my friend Shannon who works at the school that they were going to be there sooner than they had originally thought, she posted a note on our neighborhood Facebook page. We waited outside and waved, the kids loved it, Ian’s teacher threw a paper bag to him with goodies and a note from her. It was so sweet to see their teachers and past teachers wave and call them out by name.
The 3rd grade had a virtual awards ceremony that we watched on the couch. Ian's teacher had some sweet things to say about Ian:
We had Easter at home, through a virtual church service, but we still dressed up!
Here is an example of how creative we had to get for YW/YM activities. We had to recreate a piece of art either from the Gospel Library or another approved piece of art. We did Abinadi and King Noah
We also discovered Tik Tok
and had a lot of outdoor recess
Overall I feel like our family managed well under the circumstances. We were blessed that Scott still had a job and we were able to be safe at home. We just had to deal with the disappointments of special events being canceled and not seeing our friends or going out as much.
I asked our family the following questions in March 2021, 1 year after the pandemic started:
1. What do you remember about the first weeks of quarantine?
Leah: I remember the school district scrambling to figure out what to do, and thinking that this was all going to be over in a couple weeks.
Ian: I remember that there were only a couple of us that knew about the Corona. Rylan told me about it. I liked being at home, we had school through google classroom, my teacher read us some stories through a video message she sent through Class DoJo.
Rylan: It was kind of exciting because we got to have time off of school. We had assignments to do but no google meets and I could be done with school in less than 3 hours. It was nice to have a break.
Scott: That it was just going to be a couple weeks to flatten the curve, and things would go back to normal soon. I had a great desire to get essential products from the store which was fortunate because weeks later many of those cleaners and paper products were hard to find for months thereafter. I built shelves in our storage room and stocked it with food and basic supplies (probably something we should have already done) so having the pending pandemic was a good excuse to have some basic supplies stored.
Maddy: I remember that the first week was chaos. School was also chaotic. Teachers were trying to figure out what to do and how to do it.
2. What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen this year. . . In the World? At school? In our family?
Leah: I feel like our family has grown closer together. We don’t have a lot of extracurricular activities after school, but we have also gotten so used to being at home that going out seems like a struggle! Every place takes great effort to be cleaner, the rules and protocol to space people apart is different. Virtual church has been great! At first we weren’t doing a service and just having our own “church at home” but then we started adding 2nd-hour classes and sacrament meeting. Having the sacrament at home has been so special and sacred, I loved it! In-person church is not very social anymore, it is just hard to talk with masks on.
Ian: Not as many people are out and about, when covid wasn’t here there were kids outside all playing, but when it first happened our neighborhood felt deserted. Masks stink. I didn’t get to do any summer camps, or basketball. Bo is happier because we are all home.
Rylan: I wasn’t able to do my extracurricular activities, staying at home and playing video games was fun for a while but I miss my other hobbies. I hear Maddy every 5 seconds, and people stomping all day upstairs. I actually like being with my family, a lot of my friends don’t like being with their family.
Scott: Everything done virtually, work, church everything. The country lost its mind with excessive government restrictions, political unrest, and people violently expressing their opinions on what needs to change in our society.
Maddy: Some of the big changes I've seen this year at school is that we have to wear masks and if you stay online you have to use the computers. In the world, a lot of places are shut down. In our family we are more cautious around playing with friends.
3. What have been some of the most difficult parts of this year for you?
Ian: I feel like when I first started 4th grade it was hard to figure out school like the google meets, well the google meets were easy but it was hard watching the time all the time and remembering to get on them. It was hard not seeing my friends every day,
Leah: Not having free time anymore. I feel like I am constantly helping a kid, or cleaning up after someone, or making a meal. I liked having time to myself every day, but I haven’t been alone in the house for a year! Being out in public is hard for me because I am constantly thinking about the virus, and the thoughts of it being everywhere can consume me. For the first couple of months Scott had to do our grocery shopping, but by late summer I was doing it. But I really do love having the kids home as well. Time is fleeting with Rylan graduating next year, so I am cherishing the time I have with him and M & I. I also enjoy having lunch with Scott every day. I try to leave him alone so he can work, but sometimes I want to talk to him so if I go downstairs and he looks at me then I know it is ok to talk to him, but if I walk in the room and he is focused on his computer then I know not to bother him.
Rylan: Finding things to occupy my time. I usually have work, school and my afterschool activities to keep me busy. I stopped working for a couple months at the beginning of quarantine but then started back up in the summer. I was able to work a lot more than I would have and have over $5,000 saved for my mission so far.
Scott: I’ve been fine. It stinks not being able to get out and do all of the things that we like to do, vacations being canceled, and things you want to see are limited.
Maddy: One of the most difficult parts of this year for me is figuring out all the online stuff in different formats but even still it wasn't a big challenge.
4. How long have you become stronger during this year?
Ian: I have become stronger at virtual school, and I can do school without my mom’s help like I needed at the beginning. I’ve learned to play two instruments, and have read a lot of books.
Leah: I went through the virtual assistant training and gained some valuable skills. Starting that family book club was the best idea ever! I am so happy we did that! I feel more connected to my sisters and parents than I ever have and I am so thankful for our weekly chats and Marco polo messages, and text messages. That has truly been a covid blessing!
Rylan: I’ve been preparing to serve a mission with the help of church activities.
Scott: ?
Maddy: I have become stronger during this pandemic year because I've learned how to use a lot of technology better. I am also getting to know my cousins better.
5. What is something we do now during pandemic life, that you think we should keep doing?
Ian: I think we should do virtual school forever! Or at least have the option when you are sick or on vacation so you aren’t behind when you get back. Our family Saturday night movie/game nights.
Leah: I hope that after this experience that it can be easier for the kids or Scott to be able to work from home periodically. I think fewer sick kids would be at school spreading their sickness if they had the option to do school at home and not be so behind when they came back. Maybe? Or maybe parents would still continue to send the kids to school sick. I just know that there have been times when Maddy has already missed so many days (she is only allowed 8 a year) and I might send her to school because I don’t want to have the school social worker call me and ask me why. Virtual church meetings, like ward council, and YW presidency meetings are so nice.
Rylan: Regular family movie night, more time to spend with the family.
Scott: We talk more with our extended family than we ever have which we should keep doing. Teleworking would be nice if it were regularly put into the schedule. Church meetings, like firesides being done remotely, are great.
Maddy: Something we do during pandemic life that I think we should keep doing is doing online school when you're sick or you can't go to school.
6. If you could go back to last March, what would you tell yourself about the upcoming year?
Ian: Get used to something on your face
Leah: Savor the time, embrace the at-home fun, and not being very busy<--I think I did a pretty good job at this already
Rylan: Hibernate through it all, also don’t buy off brand sanitizer because it smells bad
Scott: Don’t buy plane tickets- don’t make plans, buy lots of ammo, get comfortable at home because you are going to be there for a while, enjoy your sexy beard
Maddy: If I could go back to last March I would tell myself that the toilet paper shortage won't be for long. Stuff will come back on shelves in stores and things will start getting better soon.
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