Back To School-Pandemic Style: The Journey of Learning Continues

Back To School-Pandemic Style: The Journey of Learning Continues

by | Sep 12, 2020 | Anxiety, Autism, Back To School, Coping with Stress, Family, Family Health, Lifestyle, Motherhood, Motivation, Parenting

If there is one thing that I KNOW I’m not going through alone, it is the return to school for my children during a pandemic.

Oh. My. Word!

Social Distancing, wearing masks, only going to school for two days, half days at that, and the rest online learning. It’s all part of a phrase I have come to loathe, personally: “The New Normal.”

Just, no.

It isn’t normal, new or otherwise, but it is an adjustment that we all have to deal with, one way or another, whether we like it or not.

Many people have chosen to homeschool their children this year. Many have waited for the day their children would return to the schools again.

For myself and my family, thus far, we are doing the “blended learning” program that our district has offered.

Why?

Because I NEED some time to myself (well, with the twins too), to get some things done, daily “office” type things, and my online work selling my glorious Scentsy stuffs! (Yes Lawd!)

And because my boys NEED to spend some time out of the house!

Cabin Fever was a thing, and a very intense thing, for a while this spring/summer! I prefer not to repeat the stress that came with that before the older boys went to their dad’s place for a time.

It continued while they were gone, for all of us.

Yes, Micah and I kept busy doing the remodel of the bedrooms, moving things, dumping things, organizing, and cleaning things, but we didn’t leave the house.

Titus and Levi did the bare minimum while with their father, because of the restrictions, and they were confined to their spaces there as well.

When they returned home, we got ready for school to begin.

Boy… was that fun! NOT!

Emails from the schools, parent surveys about remote learning and blended learning programs, the options for social distancing and if parents would comply or prefer to keep their children at home. The list goes on!

Do we buy school supplies, or do we buy computers?

Do we prepare for school attendance with extra laundry detergent, bleach, Clorox wipes, sanitizers, etc., or do we buy a deep freezer and stock up on extra food because we are about to have ALL our kids home all day, every day?

And then there’s the masks…

If the kids went to school, they would wear masks… the entire time!

Stress!

I paced my house, daily, looking at my space. I wondered if I would need to move things around to make more space for small desks or tables, get chairs for said desks, or if I should be buying backpacks and supplies.

I filled out the parent surveys, sent them in, and waited…

Then we got the notice that blended learning was optional, and so was full remote learning.

Uhm…

Yeah, my kids are going to school!

So, what is the schedule of the blended learning program our district has put together?

I’m so glad you asked!

My boys are in “group B” and attend on Tuesday and Thursday every week, from 8am to 12:30pm. The remainder of the week, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, they do online learning via the chromebook computers provided on loan by the district for the academic year.

We are currently in week four…

I still have my hair.

It is turning gray.

We have a wretched sleep schedule!

Online days are rough. Attendance days are not quite as rough.

I get some time to do bigger projects in the house while they are gone for a half day, and it feels good to have my time to dance with the broom, and sing into my kitchen utensils turned microphone while I clean them and put them away.

The twins enjoy my antics, and I am rewarded with many giggles, squeals, applause, and they are even starting to mimic my noises and behaviors. It’s gold!

Developing a functional routine in a blended learning environment has proven to be a challenge. It’s not at all the same, or as simple, as it is not consistent… yet.

It will be. It is just taking some time, adjustment, and more patience than I think I have at this time. Ha!

With all the computers, folders, papers, schedules, appointments, and that’s just the three older boys, I am a busy human!

I’m not sure when (or if) we will figure out a functional routine for this blended learning thing, but we are doing our best. Between me, three kids in school, two babies needing more and more active attention, and a house to keep up with, I’m a tired mama by the end of each day.

But! On the days when my checklist gets beyond the halfway point completed, I go to bed that night quite content! I make insane checklists for myself, and I keep thinking of more and more to add to them as the day goes on, so if I get through the parts that I created the night before I’m a happy camper!

But that’s a blog for another day. LOL!

Point is, we aren’t settled in a pattern yet. We may never be. And that’s okay. This is a year of crazy things, drastic changes, things beyond our control, and unexpected twists and turns all the way around. We haven’t been okay for months.!

It’s okay to not be okay.

That is something I cannot say enough.

I have been blessed with super resilient children. That is a blessing and a curse at the same time, because they learn to adapt to change, and some changes are not that great… but they adapt to them, and creating structure in the aftermath of such changes can be… difficult.

Because what is harder to kill than anything else?

Bad habits…

And THAT is also another blog for another day. LoL!

I would LOVE to hear your back to school stories. Your struggles, your victories, and the journey you are on with your children!

This is interactive! In so many ways!

I want to be there for you. I want to support you! And I would love your support and encouragement as well!

Until next time…

All the love!

Becca

We’ve Been Busy: Getting things done this summer!

We’ve Been Busy: Getting things done this summer!

by | Aug 12, 2020 | Coping with Stress, Family, Family Health, House Work, Lifestyle, Motherhood, Motivation, Parenting, Quarantine Life

When I sit here and think about the summer months of the great 2020 year, I can’t help but sigh.

It’s been a long year.

Longer than most, and yet, it has flown by with a fierce speed.

But we’ve been busy.

I was going to try to post some blogs about the updates in our little house, the summer visit my older boys had with their father, the twins first birthday, milestones, remodeling adventures, garden greatness, and so much more!

But…

Every time I sat down to write about one thing, all the rest would hit me, and I got jumbled.

And then there are the distractions…

Housework, laundry, the tasks of motherhood, appointments, grocery shopping, and more.

Like I said… busy.

So, here I sit. Pondering. So much has occurred this summer, and we are already standing at the open door of the new school year, which starts for our district in five days.

Before we talk about how THAT is going to go, I need to at least try to cover the highlights of the summer months that I missed out on…

We did a huge thing while T and L were gone to their dad’s for part of the summer.

We refloored two bedrooms, moved everyone around into different rooms, and gutted parts of the house of things that needed to be gone for almost two years, now.

Bags and boxes were filled, removed from the house, and donated to those in need.

More bags and boxes were filled and set out with the garbage to be removed from our lives forever.

Carpet was ripped up. Old tiles were ripped up. Minor repairs were made where they could be, and new flooring was laid.

We moved furniture, boxes, totes, toys, baby things, big kid things, TV’s, shelves, and more!

It was a construction crew of 3 (my mom, my dad, and myself), sometimes 4 when my son was helping, and we did it over the course of about 6 weeks.

Did I mention we’ve been busy?

Not too bad, if I do say so myself!

During the weeks that T and L were gone we managed to clean out all kinds of clutter, organize closets, put away seasonal clothes that took up space, re-arrange furniture, rooms, storage, etc.! It was glorious!

During that course of time my sister had a birthday, the twins first birthday happened, the county youth fair took place, Holidays, and other events as well. But we did it! We got it done!

Not to mention the harvest from the garden that started, and continued, throughout the ENTIRE TIME! That made for interesting produce sizes… LOL!

The night before the boys came back home, we got all the big stuff moved, the beds made (kinda), and everything ready for their return!

And now, they are home.

We have continued to harvest from the garden, keep the house managed almost as well as I hoped we would, maintain a routine and schedule (with some minor hiccups that are beyond our control), and even got a trampoline this week to babysit the older three! Ha!

Yeah… we stayed busy. Just a little.

It’s been a long summer. A fast summer. A slow year. A weird season in our lives. And yet… weird as it has been, it has been good.

It has been good for my mind, my health, my heart, my family, and my spirit.

I have grown so much in the 7 months that 2020 has given us, so far.

I am excited about the things that have happened up to this point, and even more excited about the things to come! It’s going to be a great year!

And… still a busy one.

More to come!!

All the love,

Becca

Progress Is Progress, Is Progress: Getting projects done one at a time

Progress Is Progress, Is Progress: Getting projects done one at a time

by | Jul 10, 2020 | Coping with Stress, Family, Family Health, House Work, Lifestyle, Motherhood, Motivation, Parenting, Quarantine Life, Self Care

It is currently midnight, I noticed as I sit here to type out a blog post for my wonderful readers.

This seems to be the new normal time for me, the new quiet time, study time, reading and writing time, or anything else I might want to get done while I am finally alone… (shower!)

I’m not complaining at all, though! We have been doing a ton of stuff in and around the house over the past month, at least! And it’s been a blessing!

We have been redoing bedrooms, cleaning out storage and clutter, planted a garden, tended the garden (my grandparents more than I on that one), and now harvesting vegetables from that garden!

The pandemic has brought changes to our routines, as well…

Appointments are mostly on a computer screen, for various things.

Going to the store requires masks, not taking the whole family along, and “social distancing” keeping at least six feet between people in public places.

There was no baseball this year, so crying has been acceptable.

The church we just started attending at the beginning of the year had closed their doors to gathering for months, and was able to reopen, only to close again during a spike of the virus in our area.

During this “social distancing” lifestyle change we have had several events take place that would have been much different.

Birthdays, anniversaries, funerals, memorials, graduations, and so much more.

There were no party gatherings.

The twins will be a year old in just over a week.

There will be no party gathering.

What there WILL be, however, is a happy family here in my home, together and safe, all in their newly renovated bedrooms, with their gaming systems and desks, computers, books, games, puzzles, toys, notepads and sketchpads, art supplies, and more all in their places for us to grab when needed and do something fun and cool together.

Not to mention their fuzzy house shoes! Lawd Jesus, these boys have some fun taste in certain fashions!

The flooring project has been testy, to say the least. My poor father has sweat, bled (literally!), and labored over the flooring in the bedroom he is working on now, for days, and it is still not quite finished.

I had planned to paint over the past couple of days, but this garden took lots of attention (besides the normal kids, laundry, dishes, cooking distractions of course), and the walls are still unfinished as well.

No setback has been significant, though, which is a good thing! We have made many big steps forward on the projects at hand, and no steps back… just some pausing here and there. That works for this mama!

Baby milestones are being met, and such joy all around as they are doing so!

Part of the problem at nighttime lately, is the constant flow of thoughts that invade my attempts to sleep.

There is much yet to be done, a little bit of a time crunch, and this mama who wants to see it ALL completed in that timeframe. And then some!

And then there have been the lists!

Oh…the lists…

Anyone who has an overactive mind understands exactly what I am saying, here!

Let me give an example of what I wrote out two nights ago:

To Do Lists

Menu for the week

Shopping lists accompanying the menu

Shopping lists for hygiene, cleaning, laundry, necessities other than food

List of needs around the house

List of needs for the back porch and garage areas

Baby needs

Big kid needs

Working the Scentsy business

Blogging

Scheduling all of the above and organizing it in the daily planner

Rewriting some of it so it all fits into a single day

Remembering something that was forgotten and changing a list or five

Lists of calls that need to be made, appointments, emails, etc.

Prayer lists

Reading lists

And even a list of goals (many hopes and dreams) for myself and the family.

Now, I don’t do this every night. But I do tend to write this much at the beginning of each month, and I often go over these lists near the end of the month to see how much of it all I accomplished.

And yes, I know there isn’t a list of “Mommy needs” mentioned above…

That seems to happen after the rest, and once I think about it those above lists are the “mommy needs” that I would prefer to see done. 😊

I typically get my joy in seeing completion of the other projects, and maybe some rest here and there, in between.

So, here I lay, dozing off as I type. This post will be finished and posted during the daytime tomorrow… or maybe the day after… depending on when I get some free time. Ha!

Speaking of tomorrow! I can’t wait! Because more will be done, and I’ll be one day closer to the finished product! Yayness!!

All the love to you!

B

What A Month This Week Has Been: Getting Back To Normal

What A Month This Week Has Been: Getting Back To Normal

by | May 27, 2020 | Coping with Stress, Family, Family Health, Lifestyle, Motherhood, Motivation, Parenting, Quarantine Life, Self Care

What a Month this week has been!

As a matter of fact, it’s been much longer than a week since I updated my readers on my world!

There is no way I could even TRY to catch you all up on the details, but I can try to give a bit of an overview of the past week or two…

First, I am VERY happy to say that our sleep schedules are finally becoming more “normal” again! Everyone is sleeping at night and functioning during the day! It’s glorious!

The three older boys have taken to doing more chores around the house, nearly causing me to faint with relief and excitement, including laundry, dishes (I try to keep them from that part! Mama has dishes OCD), remembering to get the trash out before I ask (gasp!), and even getting the yard picked up before I say something to them and KEEPING IT CLEAR of obstacles for the lawnmower! Y’all… I’m almost speechless!

I managed to get out and do some grocery shopping with my sister once, and it was an interesting experience to say the least!

Going out and seeing people spaced apart, wearing masks, not speaking to each other or socializing at all, just nod and walk on by, was actually a bit depressing. I hadn’t left my house for anything other than going to my mom’s, maybe a Dr appointment and a drug store run, and that was it! This was new to me, since mid-March, and it was a bit of a culture shock experience.

The day after the shopping trip, I apparently brought home a belly bug in my groceries, because one child got sick. Very sick. And then, several days later, two more got sick. Again… very sick. I got sick.

This bug ran its way through my home, my parents’ home, my grandparents’ home, and other people that I am close to (but had no contact with) as well. It was rough!

Needless to say, I was giddy with relief when the last of us recovered and we were all able to eat, sleep, go outside, and just function, period!

During the time of sickness and a little weird weather, the garden that my grandparents and I started became a tad overrun with grass and some weeds. And, oddly enough, a TON of these tiny, maple sapling trees that sprung up from hundreds of those little spinner seed pods that fall from the trees during the spring and summer.

Anybody want one? Because we have LOTS to go around! LOL!

Over the past couple of days, myself, Grandma and Grandpa, and the boys spent several hours pulling those little saplings and some grass from around the plants (63 tomato plants!!!), and cleared up some of the green that was growing around our vegetables we planted with such care!

Oh! Did I mention we had a LATE frost??? Yeah, the first week of May brought us the need to cover our plants… For real!

As part of my Vitamin D intake, and dirt therapy, I moved my herbs and pepper plants from their little containers into bigger pots so they would have more room to grow.

Over the course of several days, the twins sat in their little bouncy seats on the front porch with me while I worked. They got to enjoy the sunlight (in the shade actually), watch and be mesmerized by the mama cat and her kittens playing all over the porch, and squeal with delight over the antics of their older brothers as they entertained them from the front yard.

We also rearranged my bedroom to give the twins a little more space to grow as well. That was quite the adventure!

I decided it would be easier to just put the cribs on top of my bed while I move my bed across the room where the cribs were, and then take the cribs off of my bed and place them against the wall where my bed was.

This added much more floor space because I could arrange the cribs much differently and line them up along the wall instead of keeping them back-to-back in the middle of the floor.

Of course, having them on top of my bed and moving my bed was… interesting.

Titus and I picked one of them up and put it on my bed, and it was wider than my bed! Ha!

We got it all moved, and now the room has more space, better arrangement, and it turned out great all around!

Of course, there is the unexplained pair of scissors that fell into my window and will remain there for the foreseeable future…

Altogether the past week (or three) hasn’t been that bad. Yeah, the sickness bit was rough. Really rough. But, besides that all else has been returning to “normal” at least what normal is in my world.

Our sleep is regulating.

We are able to get out and do more again. Like, drive our car to a place and get out of said car, enjoying food, taking walks at the park, and being around a few people at a time.

We had dinner with my parents! Like, we made it there MORE than once to hang out and enjoy company with each other!

I mean, it’s been awesome!

But don’t get me wrong. We have had our moments in each day, good or bad, and that’s okay. Because we are growing, constantly, and this is how we do it!

I can’t wait for the next adventure to share!

 

What Was Normal Before, And What Will Normal Be?

What Was Normal Before, And What Will Normal Be?

by | Apr 26, 2020 | Anxiety, Coping with Stress, Depression, Family, Family Health, Motherhood, Motivation, Parenting, Quarantine Life, Self Care

One thing that is first and foremost in everyone’s mind, these days, is the virus that has spread across the entire world.

Another thing is the economic crisis that has followed.

And another thing everyone worries about is, “When will things go back to normal?”

I have heard in many press conferences, people speaking of “Normal” and the “New Normal” for our country and our families.

That last bit begs a few questions, for all of us.

What is normal?

What was your “normal” before this began?

Did you like it?

Were you happy in your “normal?”

Was your old “normal” something you would want to return to?

Will you fall back into it even if you don’t want to?

I’ll share my old “normal” with you.

I had JUST become accustomed to a pattern of life. I had two infants in my home who were demanding a routine and schedule that I should have had in place for a decade. I finally did it!

We went to bed by a certain time, got up by a certain time, and had routines throughout the weekdays.

Weekends were another story.

Yes, the twins and I kept nearly the same schedule, but I was exhausted trying to keep up with all five kids on those weekend days, and then adding a couple here and there for sleepovers or random babysitting times when my sister had a fire call to respond to.

Did I enjoy those extras? Oh yes! We always had fun when other kids were here, family or not! But it would wear me out quickly.

Sometimes it took days to recoup from those types of events, yet I am not complaining in the least! My children were happy, and so was I! But my body was not. Ever.

Daily repeats, over and over.

Weekly repeats, over and over.

While it was good, it wasn’t fulfilling. There were still missing pieces, and I wasn’t finding them and putting them together. Just going through the motions.

And then BOOM! “Shelter In Place.”

Y’all…

The first week was scattered!

The twins and I kept our routine. The older boys did not. They stayed up late, slept late, stayed up later, and so on.

We spent the first month of this mess indoors more than outdoors because Mother Nature was also in a bit of an upset, raining, snow flurries, more rain, frost, rain…

Cabin Fever set in, and lasted longer than I was comfortable with.

We lost focus. We lost our direction.

School lunches were still being delivered every day, yet only half the time were the kids even awake in time to eat them before they were soggy, cold, and not so appetizing anymore.

I walked around my disastrous house in a fog, sipping my coffee, hoping that everyone would sleep just a little longer so I could get my head on straight. Then I would be angry that they slept so late because nothing productive got done.

Laundry piled up.

Dishes piled up.

Trash spilled out of the trash can.

The day my car wouldn’t start, when I NEEDED it to, was the day I finally snapped.

My poor mother got the brunt of it over the phone, when I just railed about how I hate my car, I hate that the house is a mess, I hate that I feel like a slave in a house full of lazy men, and I hate that I’m alone. Always, alone!

Yes, I had a meltdown of biblical proportions!

But I needed to! And that’s where we are all kinda losing it a bit. We hold it in, keep it together, until we bust into pieces over the smallest things.

I think my first mistake was not formulating a plan.

I didn’t bother to write out direction for myself, my older boys, or for us as a family unit. I just decided to let that first week be our “break” to try to adjust to what was going on in the world around us, and then pick up from there.

BAD IDEA!

Hindsight is 20/20, right?!

So, this weekend I have been sitting in my bedroom a lot, writing many things down. Lists, schedules, chores, menus, planning and strategizing the upcoming month of May, because our Illinois Governor has said that we will remain in a “modified shelter in place” plan until the end of May, 2020… for now.

And let’s admit it. We have no idea when this will truly end!

Many schools are already out for the year. Some contemplating not even planning their start back in August until they know it’s “safe” to do so.

This is it.

This is “normal” for now.

And what are we doing with it?

I’m not even going to sugarcoat it. I haven’t done much!

We planted some plants for our garden. We have kept them ALL alive and growing. But they are not IN the garden yet. They are still in planters and seedling trays. It has been to wet for us to till up the land to start the garden.

We’ve played games, done puzzles, cooked fun meals and snacks together, and rearranged some furniture here and there as well.

But have we actually DONE something with our time in “quarantine?”

No.

I have talked and talked about the good days we have had, and even a couple of the rough ones. And while everyone having peace and being happy is something that truly matters more than anything else, what also matters is that we actually get somewhere with this. And while we have… we also haven’t.

That is about to change!

It will be an interesting change, I understand, as we will be going from no schedule at all to somewhat of a tight run shipwreck kind of thing. I’m kind of excited, and I’m kind of dreading it! Ha!

So, what was “normal” for me before all this began? Just a little bit of chaos.

What is “normal” now? More chaos!

And what will my “new normal” be? Maybe a little less chaotic, and a little more structured. Tight run shipwreck!

Have no fear! I will be journaling, and hopefully blogging, my entire experience from day one! It will be a fun one to be sure! And maybe a little tense, but what change isn’t?!

The point is, my friends, that we have an opportunity to experiment with no limits! We can change the course of many things from this day forward! Is it something to be excited about? YES! Is it something to take seriously? YES! Is it going to be easy? NOPE! Will it be stressful, confusing, frustrating, and at times infuriating? Most likely!

BUT!

The end result can be the best “normal” you and your family have ever had to this point! It can be the game-changer for individuals, parents, kids, family units, and alter your future in ways you cannot even imagine yet!

That is what I am hoping for with my little army, here. We have had enough stress in our lives. We have had enough tension. We are done with drama, depression, anxiety, falling behind, falling apart, and not coming back together completely. Breaking off a little more at a time.

The earth is healing and growing into a new “normal” for herself, and we can take this opportunity to do the same.

It is trial and error, my friends! Try a new thing! If it works, keep it! If it doesn’t work, toss it and try something else! None of us are the same, and none of us are going to get to our happiness the same way. The point is getting there. And KEEPING it.

That is the “normal” I am shooting for.

Quarantine Life Fun: Bringing Down A Tree!

Quarantine Life Fun: Bringing Down A Tree!

by | Apr 19, 2020 | Family, House Work, Lifestyle, Parenting, Quarantine Life

Today’s adventures of the House of Dragons was unplanned, unexpected, and pretty fun!

Yesterday I had to take a trip into town, but my vehicle decided it wasn’t going to start… again.

My mom had to come and drive me into town to take care of my business, and she listened to me gripe and grumble with such grace!

My Denali has been a broken mode of transportation for years, honestly, and yesterday was my breaking point with it.

So, this morning my dad came over to try figuring out what is up with it… again… and hooked it up to a charger for the day.

When he finished that, I took him to my back yard to show him the “Man Cave” my children have decided they wanted to start digging behind the shed. Yes. Man Cave… Literally the beginning of a giant HOLE in the ground!

That is yet another story on its own!

We walked around the house. He started looking at things that he had planned to finish for the past year, and then he said he brought his chainsaw and figured he would just go ahead and cut down the dead Spruce tree that was very close to the side of the house.

By himself.

One man. One chainsaw. A wedge and hammer. And the boys and I standing to the side, watching the whole thing “go down” so to speak.

Oh! And my mother on Marco Polo on my phone, having panic attacks as she watched a little of the event as it happened. Ha!

Dad cut a section of the tree to give it proper direction for the fall, then began to cut into it with the chainsaw from the other side.

All three boys gathered behind me and we watched as Dad inched his way through the trunk of the tree toward its center.

He put the wedge into the cut and hammered it in.

The tree shook, just a little.

He stood back and waited.

It stopped.

Dad picked up the chainsaw again and kept cutting, slowly, inch by inch.

He picked up the hammer and hit the wedge a few more times.

The tree shook again, a little more.

And then it stopped, again.

He gave it one more cut and backed off. The tree was slowly giving way, and you could see it as the topmost parts shook and shuddered.

I was getting excited! The boys were getting excited!

Dad stepped forward with the hammer one last time.

Gave it two hits.

The tree began to lean (more than it already was), slowly, tipping and groaning.

“It’s going down! There it goes!” I told the boys behind me. It was so neat to see!

It was like slow motion, watching the tree as it groaned, leaned, and then fell exactly where Dad wanted it to with such grace!

Yes, the swoosh and crashing sounds it made as it finally landed on the ground were loud and a bit ungraceful. But watching a tree fall from where it stood is quite the sight!

The boys cheered and jumped up to climb onto the fallen giant in our yard.

The stump was tall. Micah climbed up on it and held his hand high, like he had just championed some tall mountain. It was adorable!

Dad swept the sawdust off the stump and they counted the rings. There were at least 35 of them.

I had to go back inside and take care of the babies, but while I was in there Dad, Grandpa, and Micah worked hard to get the tree cut up and removed from the front yard to a burn pile out back.

When I finished my indoor work, I walked out to see the progress.

The tree was gone! All of it! They made quick work of it, to say the least!

Dad got the stump grinder out and finished off the last of the stump that was left, the stump of the holly bush we cut down months ago, and an old stump in my grandparent’s yard next door. It was fun to watch.

Before he ground up the stump, Dad cut a huge chunk off it to make it shorter. Now, I have a stump chair in my yard! I need to figure out where to put it! It’s so cool!

The boys were bouncing all over the place shouting, “The wood chipper! We are getting wood chips everywhere!” And my first thought was, “Oh great… I’ll have wood chips to add to the tracks of grass, mud, weeds, stickers, and other outdoor scraps through my house…”

After that thought, though, I smiled. We had a great day. No, my house didn’t get cleaned, or the laundry done, but we had a good, productive day and everyone was smiling. It was bliss!

And that has been the theme of my world lately. Since just after Christmas, bliss has been felt around here. It has been such a blessing!

Had I been stuck in social distance land with anyone from my past this would be such a different story to tell, I’m almost certain! But it’s not. It is pure happiness, joy, bliss, a little chaos and drama, but overall we have peace.

Thank God!