It's been just over a year since our lives changed completely. While finishing up taxes this past weekend (nothing like waiting until the last minute), I came across my notebooks from the beginning of the pandemic. When life shut down, we were stuck at home, school was canceled, and we adjusted. Still avoiding the tax fun, I began to read through my journal entries. I wrote each entry and never read through it; I closed each notebook not knowing when I'd read them next, if ever, which is evident because each entry clearly has not been proofread!
Some entries capture what's happening in our world and the world around us. Some entries capture motherhood at it's finest. The one I'm about to share stood out to me and made me giggle. I could have written this exact entry at any point in my last ten years as a mom and daycare provider. It made me laugh, thankful that it wasn't my current reality, and filled me with excitement for the upcoming crazy days of summer.
Journal 5-11-20
Well, it's Monday and so far today I've had to threaten to take away all free time for my children. I've told them to stop talking when I'm talking no less than fifty times. The internet went out as they were listening to a Spanish video We couldn't get the microphone on the laptop to work during a class meeting. A kitchen drawer got jammed by a child grabbing tongs for our science project. The bread I was going to use for our project was already moldy. The youngest cried for unknown reasons. The oldest is being a jerk. I forgot about a Zoom meeting and missed it. It's been a Monday. Woof. It's not yet 2 p.m. and the same child is crying. Again. I'm not convinced the end of our "school day" will help either.
I smile that this was a year ago. I know how to troubleshoot online meetings and classes. That microphone would be working in no time these days. I still miss Zoom meetings occasionally. This was truly the beginning of our homeschool journey and we've come so far. Tears are few and far between now. We ironically haven't had any internet issues this school year. I still threaten to take away free time if they don't listen. My notebook after notebook of journal entries from the pandemic is a time capsule, but also the perfect reminder that no matter how much things change, they stay the same.