Our school district is not currently set up for distance learning, so we are not worrying about anything academic right now.
But I know that without any structure or boundaries at all, we will quickly spiral out of control.
It happens like clockwork.
So today I gave the kids some guidelines.
After I made breakfast, I told them that 10 am – 12 pm was going to be technology-free.
I really wanted to get in a six mile run today.
I left around 10:30 and told the kids I’d be gone a little more than an hour.
Right before I left, Number 4 asked if she could “cook something” while I was gone.
I told her as long as she cleaned everything up, it was fine with me.
I went for my run.
It was perfect running weather, and I got my six miles in.
When I walked back into the house this is what I saw:
The kids were decorating cupcakes. Together.
They were all mixing up their own custom colored icing.
When I went grocery shopping earlier in the week, boxes of cake mix were on sale for $.99.
I bought four of them. I figured we’d have plenty of time to make cakes over the next couple weeks, and they were so cheap I couldn’t help myself.
I was surprised Number 4 only got twelve cupcakes from one box.
“One box only makes twelve cupcakes?” I asked.
“Oh, I made them from scratch,” Number 4 told me matter-of-factly. “And there are eight more in the oven.”
I don’t think I have ever made cupcakes from scratch in my entire life.
The kids decorated their rationed cupcakes.
By the time they were done, it was past noon, and they were allowed to use technology.
I made some lunch for everyone, and then I took a shower.
When I came out of the shower, I saw this in the playroom:
Number 5 and 7 were drawing together.
They like doing those “how to draw a whatever” videos on YouTube.
Number 5 is a pretty good artist.
I guess she learned how to draw some sort of leprechaun chihuahua or something.
I wanted to get everyone outside today, but I also don’t want to get into nagging the kids to just go outside every five seconds.
Additionally, when you have athletes in your house and they have had their sports stripped away from them indefinitely, it’s really hard.
The older two want to stay in shape for whenever swim season actually starts again. And they are all missing competition.
So I suggested something I do with all my Not Your Average Fitness Course members.
In the second week of the course, we take some baseline measurements.
We see how long it takes to walk or jog or run a mile, (depending on your starting level of fitness) and then we measure some other stuff. Like flexibility and how many push-ups you can do in a minute and how long you can hold a plank for.
It just gives everyone a starting point and a frame of reference, and it also enables everyone to see how they’ve made progress in ways that don’t involve a scale or before and after pictures at the end of the course.
I asked the kids if they wanted to go to the track at the high school.
They could run a mile for time (if they wanted to) and use that as a starting point, and something they could try and beat in a couple weeks.
They were really excited.
Well, except for Number 6 who said he didn’t want to do it.
He bought a clipboard with some drawing paper.
And then after watching everyone except for Number 4 (who is pretty much recovered from the flu but still has a cough) run the mile, Number 6 changed his mind and did it too.
Number 4 was pretty bummed I wouldn’t let her run, but she was a good sport and will catch up in a couple days.
They really had fun.
Everyone kept track of their mile time, so they can try to beat it in a couple weeks.
After running, they took a few tries in the long jump pit or whatever you call it.
I had to drag them out of there.
“Can we come back tomorrow?” Number 7 asked.
I told her we’d come back at some point, but probably not tomorrow.
We decided we are going to add a few more events, and in a month or so (because I’m pretty sure we are going to be out of school for way more than two weeks) we are going to hold the 2020 Corona Games.
They now have something to “train” for.
This is particularly appealing to Number 3, 4 and 7.
On the way home from the track, Number 4 said to me, “Can we watch a movie tonight, Mom?”
And Number 3, the freshman in high school who spends just about all his free time in his room talking to his friends and wants very little to do with the rest of us most of the time chimed in, “Yeah. We should watch a movie!”
And so that’s exactly what we are going to do.
My kids were so good today.
THEY WERE SO GOOD.
They were as good as the Facebook pictures make them appear.
Sincerely.
I was kind of blown away.
And I’m super proud of them.
All of them.
Even the freshman in high school.
Being a mom today was really a lot of fun.
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