Days with the Dorans

I was glad we were able to go to. Saginaw for Thanksgiving. I bought some pice my friend was making as well as some cookies from a different friend. After our make-shift turkey trot we were on our way! Grandma always makes a point to have fun games or activities for us to do when we get together. This year, we were making gingerbread houses and it was fun! The kids and I made them and then Jeff judged them. As always, the process is what I love the best. HERE is a video of the results and the judging! After that, the kids painted the cookies that I got for them. I am more thankful for family than ever! The food was wonderful but the company is always my favorite part!  

Obviously there was not Turkey Trot in the D for us this year! I found a virtual race that we could do and the three of us and some of Joey's friends met up at the airline trail for our own turkey trot! We even had our own bibs! The race we did was a 5K but we wanted to go longer so we did a 10K. I ran with da Papa and speedy Joe and friends went off on their own. Of course Joey won! Since it was an out and back, I was able to get a picture of Joey running! We saw him faster than we thought we would so had to pick up the pace (but not really). Brad, Ian & Joe It actually wasn't as bad as I thought. I didn't miss the crowds and the parking nonsense and I still felt good that we got movie. I was also happy to not have to drop that money! Great job, All!

Well~ As I mentioned, my lovely district told me I would be teaching kindergartens and had about a week to figure it out. So nice. I feel like I've been building a plane while flying it and the amount of time I've put into work is slowly killing me. It was when I KNEW the curriculum, and now here I am trying to figure out all I can about kindergarteners! Lovely! (sigh) Thankfully I have some friends who teach kinder who were a HUGE help! Jennie Ashley and Lara Dryden especially came to my rescue and gave me some tips but I needed some supplies so I was off to Room 119 to get some of my things- and then I got some kinder manuals and things from Glengary to try to make this magic happen. It was all hands on deck though and I literally put my family to work just to SET UP what I was trying to accomplish. I don't know what other teachers do who don't have the workforce that I do... It was a chore just to get all this done and then it was assembly time! I have a ziplock bagg...

Well~ We made it work. This year's costume/theme was Napoleon Dynamite and it was fun! Jeff was well enough to put on his Rex Kwan Do costume and he came out to the hallway so I could take a quick pic. Covid is no fun but being together and having the family I do made the best of it for sure. And it's so good to "see" Jeff~ even if it's from more than 6 feet away! We were able to carve pumpkins. Halloween fell on a Saturday so it was a full day of fun affair! Then it was time to get into our costumes even though there was no trick-or treating. Here is what everyone looked like... Jeff as Rex Pedro, Deb, & Napoleon Tina the Llama & Grandma Because we have the coolest friends ever- Coz stopped by and dropped off some dry ice for us to play with. He left it on the deck of course but it sure was fun!! HERE are some fun videos from the night!

And the hits keep coming! Covid sucks! Jeff is super sick and on top of everything else, I found out that my lovely district is moving me from second grade remote to KINDERGARTEN!! I have never taught kindergarten in my life and to say that I am screaming inside is an understatement! The thing that kills me is that my second graders decided to stay remote so I figured we'd keep on keeping on, but the district had other plans... So my students will go to the 5th grade teacher remote and I'll go to kindergarten (because going from 5 to K is worse than going from 2 to K). Meanwhile a community and a routine I have worked SO hard to build has been wiped away.  I went for a run with tears streaming down my face. I talked to my dad through my earphones and I didn't even care that others could hear me (and that the kindergarteners I would get COULD be in my neighborhood... yup- Dublin and Glengary!). I also didn't care that I was swearing on occasion. I'm not a big curser ...

I wrote the following on FB so figured I'd just share it here... My last act before quarantine begins for me (dropping off our ballots in my RBG shirt). I’m so sad, frustrated, angry and everything in between. Grab a drink and settle in if you want to read my novella because this girl is about to vent. Now that it’s out there (and thank you to friends and family who have called and checked in today), Jeff got word today that he tested positive for Covid. We knew this would happen, even made a plan for when he went back face to face with students (mind you, everyone wears masks and he sees only a few kids since he works with students who are blind). Still, we made a plan when on day one of return, one of his coworkers was quarantined. I first want to say we are a family who has been SO careful. I can count on my hands how many times I have been to a store since March. We’ve said no to gatherings, restaurants, seen people only outside (and I can count that one one hand), told our 3 y...

I love that the kids still want to do these types of things!! My mom heart is full!