21 Weeks Behind Us (Weekly Update)

 Well, it is now 21 weeks behind us since coronavirus came to Georgia and here is my weekly update.

As you probably know, school started up last week in several counties, Bri started virtual school and she also turned 14. To say it was an eventful week is an understatement. 

This post will be bit of a doozy, so proceed with caution. Ok?

 On a positive note, virtual school has actually been going quite well for B. There have been a few hiccups - such as a couple of canceled zoom meetings or a couple of messed up assignments (on the teacher's end), but other than that, it's been good. All of Bri's teachers seem to be really on the ball. I heard an unfortunate story where some kids were saying bad words and racist comments during a particular zoom meeting on the first day (kids are supposed to mute themselves and of course never say that stuff ever), but we didn't have that experience thank goodness. 

 It's all weird and strange right now - but we are dealing.

 Doug and I sat in all of B's orientations with her just to see what was expected...

She's been handling everything on her own since.

I wrote the following on FB because I'm really proud of Bri right now...

"This girl is really special. I know I am totally biased because I am her mom, but she is has handled all this school change/weirdness this week like a champ. She started a new virtual school life in the midst of a whirlwind of massive national media buzz. And then we threw her birthday in the mix for fun. She doesn't complain and just goes with the flow. I know it all feels super weird for her right now and I know she misses her normalcy, but she knows this is best for our family and it won't last forever. We are going to rest big time this weekend because it is desperately needed for all of us. I'm just super proud of her and wanted to share."

 All of it is true...

 So, several Georgia counties (including ours) opened up last week and it didn't go so well - to say the least. If you didn't hear about Georgia in the news, then you must be living under a rock. Heh.

 

There is no doubt that these counties were trying to prove something by being the first out of the gate - and it backfired. They wanted to rush things, pretend everything could just go back to "normal" and got political with it. It wasn't safe enough - which was wrong, and a lot of people across the country let them know that. I think for the most part they realize now they need to do better and are reassessing things - which is good. (Well, some people realize it. Some people are doubling down and refusing to admit any sort of mistakes. That's frustrating.)

 Let me be clear - I am not against schools opening back up (though I do believe that when virus numbers are crazy high in certain places, they should not). And I am not mad at the teachers and staff who are trying their absolute best to make this all work. I know face to face learning is imperative for some kids. I am angry at the "higher ups" - the administrators and the board of education leaders for messing up. I'm for schools opening back up the right way, and I knew these counties weren't doing it the right way. And it showed last week.

It's difficult because there are so many parents, students and teachers in my neck of the woods who still don't believe this virus is big deal. It's an (scary) ideology that cannot seem to be broken - no matter how much science and data is thrown at them. I am having a really hard time with people constantly saying "If you don't like it, just keep your kid at home!" Well I am doing that. But people act like my family should just hide away in our house until this virus is gone. All people need to do is wear a mask and not smash up against each other to slow the spread. What happened to my family's rights and liberties?

Someone in one of the school FB groups that I read wrote a comment responding to someone else regarding the "choice" parents were given between face to face and virtual learning. She said it better than I could...

 "Satisfying everyone would have been opening school AND requiring masks. They satisfied some. You're, apparently, in the privileged group that had all their wants satisfied. You're blinded by the fact and incorrectly assumed that all parents had a choice. Just because they gave options, doesn't necessarily mean that they had a choice in making their decision." 

 Yes, yes, yes - exactly this...

Believe me, I am beyond grateful that we have the opportunity for B to go virtual through our county. And so far, it's going pretty well. But, I definitely felt I had no other choice - as I'm sure many other parents choosing between virtual and face to face felt.

Unless every kid is wearing a mask in school (especially high school), this virus will easily spread. The kids should at least be mandated to wear masks in the hallways when social distancing is impossible. If they can enforce a dress code, they can enforce mask use. The schools want to appease those who won't do it. And don't even get me started on all of the contact sports I see starting up now too. Of course, we won't know the exact impact of all this interaction until a few weeks from now. 

 And no, kids are not "almost immune" to this virus. They may not die as easily or get quite as sick, but they are not "almost immune." That's insane.

 Up to this point, everything I have predicted since March has pretty much happened. New cases started rising in mid June, about two weeks or so after Memorial Day and have remained high. Certain counties can't open up schools now. Masks are now required in stores. Georgia is averaging 2000-4000 new cases A DAY. With schools opening up, I don't want to even think about it. Let's just hope lessons have been learned. I'll be surprised if I am wrong about any of this. But if I am wrong, I promise I'll own up to it. Unfortunately, only time will tell...

 I still don't think people understand what a "ripple effect" is. These kids going to school without any sort of protection could catch the virus (and be symptomatic or asymptomatic). And then they bring it home to their family and friends. And then it goes out into the community. It's called "community spread." And this thing spreads fast. Again - every decision someone makes nowadays regarding this virus affects everyone in the community. "Worry about yourself" does not apply during a pandemic...

I think the reason I feel the need to keep speaking out on all of this is I know that this virus is not "like the flu" - at all. It is super dangerous for some people. It's not just about dying - it's also about long term effects even after having it. I'm just trying to ring some alarm bells and it's falling on a lot of deaf ears.

 

Please send some good vibes toward Georgia because I think we are going to need it.

On a lighter note, things are slowly starting to progress on the basement (this is just "before" pictures)...

The HVAC people were here last week and the plumber is due this week. I would be thrilled if this was all done by end of October. Fingers crossed.

Something weird did happen that I just have to bring up. There were bad thunderstorms the morning of the first day of school. Like "wake you up out of a deep sleep" kind of thunderstorms. I don't think it has ever stormed like that on the first day of school. It felt like an omen of some sort. And then the crazy week happened.

So then Friday evening, the thunderstorms rolled through again. Like the "end cap" to a really insane week...

Not sure what that meant, but it certainly felt like something.

 So Friday ended with a bang, but Saturday was warm but beautiful. I filled up our little pool, and Bri and I just chilled on Saturday afternoon. It was quiet and good for our souls...

Like I said in my last post, I am not going to dive into politics on here anymore (at least for now) - even though there is SO much I could say - believe me.

I think this might be a good place to stop. Overall, Bri's virtual school week went well. I'm sad this had happened, but we are making it work the best we can. Doug and I will continue to bend over backward to try to make this as comfortable for B as we possibly can.

Say a little prayer for us this week. I'll be back soon.

Briana's 14th Birthday Recap

As with most years, Briana's birthday is always celebrated for about a week rather than one day, but that is just how we roll!

 

Sadly, she wasn't able to have her normal larger party with her friends, but I think we still managed to make her birthday special.

As you read in my previous post, Briana already saw her friends Meredith and Jackson before school started - and they came bearing gifts...

 Then on Sunday, my parents came over for a birthday lunch and also came bearing some awesome gifts for Miss Briana. Briana requested barbecue for lunch. And she has requested the same peanut butter pie from this barbecue place for the last several years, but the pie hasn't come into the restaurant for 6 weeks now. They keep ordering it but it never comes. They think there is something wrong with the supply chain. So, Doug to the rescue! He found a recipe online and made her a homemade peanut butter pie instead and it was delish!!!

On Tuesday evening (the night before B's birthday), Bri's friend Mary called and they facetimed for a little while...

Then Bri's birthday arrived on Wednesday morning...

She woke up to balloons on her ceiling...

She had virtual school that day, but her amazing dad made her take a break in the afternoon so he could drive her to get a birthday frappuccino...

Then she had a big surprise! Her besties Imerie and Mary (along with moms Val and Amy) rang the doorbell late afternoon and came to deliver a goodie basket, balloons, poster and they sang a birthday song! What a sweet wonderful surprise!!!

That evening, I made her request of baked penne for dinner and then she opened gifts and blew out the candles on her chocolate cake...

She got a bit spoiled (by us and a number of friends and family members) in the gift department, but hey, we are in quarantine and she's earned it!

I think she had a great birthday - despite things being crazy this year. I can't believe I have a 14 year old now. Where did the time go? I feel like she was a baby yesterday. She is really a great kid. We are so blessed!

Happy 14th Birthday Briana!!

How in the world do I now have a 14 year old in my house? I'm so blessed to have this amazing teen in my life.

Happy, Happy, Happy Birthday to my best gal.

Here are all her birthdays...

1st Day Of 9th Grade/High School

Briana's 1st day of high school. I am trying desperately to wrap my mind around the fact I have a high schooler now. I never imagined that she would be attending her first year of high school virtually, but that is where we are at right now. I officially have a high school freshman in my house!

Here she is on her first day of kindergarten/elementary school...

Her first day of 6th grade/middle school...

And now her first day of 9th grade/high school...

Time - please slow down!!!

Bri made it through her first day of virtual high school really well. There were a couple of hiccups with the Zoom calls (on the teachers' end), but overall, it went quite smoothly. Here's to B figuring out the ins and outs of being a virtual student!

Wish her luck!!!

20 Weeks Behind Us

20 weeks have now passed since coronavirus entered the lives of Georgians full force. And here is my weekly update!

Briana's birthday is in a few days, but she sadly won't be having a big birthday party this year due to obvious reasons. So, I invited two of her friends to come over last week to spend some time with her before school starts - and they came bearing early birthday gifts!

Bri spent some time with her sweet friend Meredith on Tuesday...

And Bri's best bud Jackson came over on Friday (and they played a very intense game of Monopoly - heh!)...

As you know, our "Briana Day" anniversary was on Thursday and we had a nice, quiet day. Doug had a busy day working, so Bri and I spent most of the day just the two of us.

Some goodies for B from my parents and me & Doug...

Doug's and my gifts to Bri...

I pulled out our China travel albums that day, and Bri and I looked through all the pictures...

Bri and I watched a portion of John Lewis's funeral. It was three hours long, so weren't able to watch the entire thing...

Bri had been really wanting to check out "The Umbrella Academy" on Netflix. I had watched the first season already, but I enjoyed it and was happy to start watching it again with her that afternoon. We've watched a few episodes so far now. We can't wait to watch Season 2 together for the 1st time...

Doug, Bri and I usually eat dinner at Bri's favorite Thai/Japanese restaurant on our gotcha day anniversary, but the restaurant is still only doing takeout right now (we still don't eat out at restaurants yet anyway), so Doug brought in her favorite pad see u dinner instead. Super happiness...

Over the last few years, school open house has landed on our gotcha-versary. But this year, it landed a day early, so it was nice not having to focus on the impending school start on our special day.

Bri is on the brink of starting her freshman year of high school (tomorrow - gulp). I'm still trying to wrap my mind around all of it.

Wednesday morning, I ran over to B's middle school one last time to pick up some 8th grade algebra work B's teacher had held onto that B wasn't able to get when school closed so abruptly. Bri really wanted it for possible reference one day, so her math teacher left it for her in the front office for me to pick up. Sadly, the couple of people I saw at the school that day (including staff) were not wearing masks, which just solidified my stance of doing virtual school...

Briana did receive her schedule on Wednesday for the fall semester. High school follows a "block" system, so she will only have 4 classes: Honors World Lit, Honors Biology, Intro to Digital Technology and Visual Art (Bri's happy about that one!).

The virtual academy held its open house via Zoom on Wednesday afternoon. Each half hour, a different department introduced itself and gave some information...

The open house was a bit long and slightly confused at times, but I think they will get everything together quickly (I hope). 9000 kids will be attending the virtual academy in our county, so it is quite overwhelming for everyone. It will be an exercise in patience for sure.

Open houses for the face to face students in our county occurred on Thursday afternoon. Only 9th graders and high school kids brand new to a school (and their parents) were allowed to attend in-person high school open houses this year (to keep numbers down). I saw a number of parents say it all went well.

Then I read this comment on FB by someone who attended the open house of the high school my daughter is supposed to be attending...

And someone else backed up the reason they were not returning to public school this semester...

The no social distancing and suggested mask use thing was stated pretty early on by the county. That is when Doug and I tapped out of in-person learning. But, some parents didn't understand that was going to be the case, so now there are a number of parents on the wait list trying to get their kids into the virtual academy. They may just have to resort to homeschooling on their own if they have changed their minds.

There was a big outbreak of cases at an overnight summer camp for kids in GA back in June, so all I can do is wish everyone the best of luck who is opting for face to face learning in the public school system.

Of course, Bri is sad this is how her freshman year is starting out. A number of her friends have chosen to take the risk and go back. Luckily, her two closest school friends have chosen to learn at home too. I reminded B that going to school this year will be not be "normal" for anyone. Kids will be eating lunch in their classrooms and navigating hallways one way (hopefully) and no parents are allowed in the building.

And just FYI...

The chairman of a U.S. House coronavirus subcommittee sent Gov. Brian Kemp a letter Wednesday saying Georgia is not in compliance with White House COVID-19 task force recommendations and requesting detailed plans for dealing with the pandemic.

Because of all this, I feel confident in our school decision - even though it is bittersweet.

As of Saturday, Georgia's new coronavirus case count...

And Georgia is number 4 in the country for new cases...

I mean, there isn't really much else to say about it. These are the numbers. A lot of Georgians (and non-Georgians too course) just don't "get it" and don't want to "get it." I know nothing I say will change that.

I know not everyone dies of Covid, but I've heard of too many troubling stories about the long term side effects after catching Covid that make me not want to risk getting it at all.

I'm not going to do a "feel free to read or not read" disclaimer on my blog today because I'm not going to delve into politics in this post. I probably won't in future posts either. I truly think I am tapped out in the venting department (finally), even though a ton of crazy stuff happened last week politically.

From Herman Cain refusing to wear a mask then dying of Covid to an absurd politically-motivated white coat summit to an unfounded threat of moving the election, I'm just over it. It's all so beyond insane and ridiculous. It just makes my head hurt. The country feels like a total dumpster fire right now.

So instead of talking about the craziness of the world, let's just look at my pretty girl with her fresh haircut she got on Saturday...

All fresh, sassy and ready for school to start!!

And let's also look at my sweet kitty who is the cutest thing ever when she is asleep...

Hope you all have a good week everyone. Wish us luck! There is going to be a massive learning curve for us this week and it all feels super weird. Be back soon!