March 2020 - laxmom.net

Fair Warning, this is a RANT!

This is the product of being at home almost two weeks with: my husband (cooking all the time) and my two teenage boys eating all the time. And here we go. . .

What is going on????

What is going on in this world? People think just because their kids are out of school and they are on furlough or work from home order that they can pack up and go to the beach. Why would you do that, why would you put yourself and others at risk by going out of town to stay where you do not know anyone or have any family near by? What happens if you get sick then your family is stuck where they do no know anyone and have no help for your kids if you get put in the hospital? What happens when your hometown goes on lock down and you cannot get back to your home, family, pets you may have left?

Folks you need to wake up. . .

Folks you need to wake up and realize that this is not a vacation it is a serious issue. My husbands Bass club plans to have a fishing tournament two hours away in an area that has many cases of this virus and has been on lock down longer than we have. My husband is not going nor is his brother, they have a little more sense and wives with more sense than that. The shelter at home orders are for everyone’s safety. This is not a time to go visit older relatives, this not the time to pack up the family and go to the beach. My husband and I have been on shelter in place since March 17th, that was when I started working from home full-time. I work with the Organ Donor organization for our State, we started our precautions to protect employees as well as: doctors, nurses, donors, donor families, and recipients. The boys have been on lock down since they both have been home from school.

What I would like to see. . .

What I would like to see come out of this Pandemic is, people starting to care about someone other than themselves. I am tired of hearing about the poor seniors that did not get this or that how about we start caring about those that are sick and dying and worry about how we can keep everyone safe and healthy all that other stuff can be done when this is over. I would like to hear how the Senior class of 2020 is going to do something to help the folks affected by this pandemic not hear them, “oh woe is me.” It is not even the kids that really care about it, it’s the parents that are crying about it.

I will get off my soap box now. . .

Yes, it is sad that the Seniors may not get their graduation in a timely manner and they may not get a Prom. Let’s look at the BIG picture and think about the lives that are saved because they stayed home. I am sad my sons’ did not get to have a complete season of lacrosse and bless Sprat’s heart he has had two seasons cut short. Life happens and it does not always go the way we would like it to go. My prayers through all of this are that God is watching over our young people and that we make it through this and we are better for it in the end.

Life, Home Schooling and the COVID19. . .

Life in the Pandemic. . .

We are sheltering in place, not because we have to, but because it is logical. When faced with the possibility of the spread of a virus like this one, it makes sense to limit contact with others. I am an introvert so, this is not as difficult as it sounds. The boys are having a little harder time with it all. They have gone out just to ride around and get some fresh air, I have threatened them within inches of their lives if they go anywhere to visit right now. They went out yesterday and Sprat took some pictures of two fields near our house and sent them to his “friend” in MA. The closest field to the friend is apparently a good little stretch in MA. I had to giggle just a little, the things we take for granted.

PE in the COVID 19. . .

The boys have both been out every day a couple times a day to throw and play wall ball (lacrosse). They are keeping their skills for the next season of Lax, whenever that might be. The hubbs has been practicing his gardening skills, he bought me some celery plants and has planted potatoes. We have radishes and peas to plant also. We have onions in the ground already from the winter.

Big T did not get a Lax picture so here it is.

PE in the COVID19 homeschool…
The big green orb is our composter for the garden. LOL!!

My Lax boys. . . love them to the moon and back.

Life does go on. . .

The hubbs is home until further notice, I am still working but from home. The boys are still doing school work and practicing their lacrosse skills. They are sometimes testing my patience. The one thing this “pandemic” has done is bring us all a little closer. Our family dinners around the table had sort of gone away, we all had somewhere to be but, with this virus none of us have anywhere to be but here. There is always a plan, nothing happens by chance, perhaps this is the message we should be taking away from all of this. Be home with your family, take care of your family, love your family.

Safe and Sound. . .

And so it begins. . .

Sprat is home, Big T is home, and the hubbs and I are home. . . That’s a lot of adults in my house that want to do their own thing. The problem with that is, we are going to need to work together and respect each other through this mess. The boys are going to do a lot of growing up during this “pandemic.”

Sprat came into this world as we were preparing for the end of the world during the Y2K scare, he had just turned two when the World fell apart on September 11, 2001, and now he is in his Sophomore year of College and weathering the first “pandemic” since the flu of 1918. He is going to have such interesting stories for his grandchildren or therapist.

A favorite picture of Sprat, he looks like he is trying to sneak up on something.

Let’s get back to the garden. . .

My husbands way of dealing with all things stressful is, gardening, working in the yard and cooking. The hubbs is outside right now prepping the garden. He is going to plant some celery this season, we have never tried growing celery. I think my hubby will make an amazing house husband; he cooks, cleans and even does laundry. I feel somewhat obsolete these days, like nobody really needs mom. The good news is my work does need me and I am working from home in the midst of this crisis.

And Just Like that We are Home Schooling. . .

Lots of Emotions This Week. . .

This is an add on to my last post about detesting the media. Just like that, my Sprat is coming home. There are mixed emotions about that; I love that I will get to see him but I am worried about him finishing this semester at home online. Sprat struggles with the online only format of learning. He has had a good semester so far and I want him to finish strong.

I am very sad that his lacrosse season was cut short too. We have yet to see him play college lacrosse in person, goodness knows I watched all three games on TV and watched the replay several times. I am especially sad for the seniors that did not get a true season this year. Big T did not complete his lacrosse season either.

These are compliments of Sprat’s friend. Sprat in white on the left.

Online Classes for High School. . .

Online classes for high school will probably be the most difficult hurdle for many kids. I am thankful that Big T already has a computer from his school since he is dual enrolled in college and high school classes. His transition to online classes will be much easier than most. It is going to be difficult for those that do not have access to computers or internet most high schools do not have computers for every child. Larger cities will be better prepared for this situation than the rural areas.

I would love to hear how you will handle your child being at home to finish high school or college. Please leave your comments below. . .

I Detest the Media. . .

Growing up. . .

When I was in school and we talked about journalism and news reporters we talked about bias. We were taught that reporters reported facts not their own opinions. It did not matter what their feelings were on the subject they were reporting they did not interject their opinion. I know I sound like I am 100 years old but, I am not. It has only been in recent years that the media has lost sight of reporting fact.

“And that’s the way it is. . . “

That was the sign off for one of the most respected men in journalism, Mr Walter Cronkite. I wish more reporters would strive to be as honorable and forth right as Mr Cronkite. He gave you the facts without his opinion or personal commentary. There was no wondering if what he was reporting was the truth or not, you could trust him. These days I have no trust for any reporter, lying and stretching the truth has become part of the job description.

Reporters today . . .

Reporters today are trying to sensationalize everything just to get the rating points. It seems the more of a frenzy they can whip up the better it is for their job performance. What ever happened to reporting the truth? What happened to giving the public the facts of a story?

Case and Point. . .

The Coronavirus is a perfect example of the media blowing everything out of proportion. Some idiot on Facebook was telling everyone from a news source that there are 100,000 cases the Coronavirus in the United States. That is false per the CDC web site as of March 13th there were 1,629 cases affecting 46 States. Of the 1,629 cases 1,362 are under investigation so they are not even positive cases yet. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-in-us.html There are 41 deaths due to the virus but let us put that into perspective; flu deaths are estimated, per the CDC, between 20,000-52,000. Those deaths are from October 1, 2019-February 20, 2020. Think about that, why is the media not reporting that?

Conclusion. . .

In conclusion, please do your own research before you believe anything that you see or hear anywhere. Oh, and please wash your hands and keep them away from your face!! That is the best method of preventing spread of all virus and disease.

Why I Am a Lacrosse Mama

Sprat had his first scrimmage last week and they played their first game yesterday. Hard loss 6-7 but very exciting to watch. Sprat played the whole game and even was mentioned in the after game write up. It is hard for this mama when my baby is playing a sport and I cannot be there in person to cheer him on.

Thankful for technology. . .

The game on Saturday was in Maine and I was so thankful that the school live streamed the game for those that could not be there. I got to see my boy play his first official college lacrosse game on the Big screen. Not every school has that option but most of them do. Sad I could not be there but so happy I did get to watch him play. Very exciting weekend.

Big T has his first lacrosse game tonight and I will not be able to attend that one either. The hubby will be holding down the fort for this one. I have to work so the hubbs will be texting me the play by play. The hubbs and I try to be at the boys sporting and academic events but things do come up that prevent that, but one of us is always there.

The Little Leaguer. ..

“I had a little leaguer, that played ball for me. He never missed a practice, he was always there at 3; and when we had a ball game his best he’d always show, I’d ask where his folks were at, but he would never know. They’d bring him to the ballfield and then go on to town, and then one day he got hurt real bad, his parents could not be found. He’s grown up to be a teenager now and he’s in and out of jail. And his parents often ask me, ‘Tell us where we failed.’ So all you parents with little leaguers, go to their games and stay, and let them know that you’ll be there every game they play. And should they make an error, don’t make them feel ashamed, just tell him to try a little harder it’s all part of the game. And when it is his time at bat, stand and holler loud, It will make him feel much better to know you are in the crowd. ” by Anonymous

The poem above was printed in June 1969 in my hometown paper. My mom saved this paper like many other things and she shared it with me when my boys started playing little league ball. I love this poem, it speaks volumes to what your child really needs. They do not need things, they need you. They need you present in their lives and they need to know you are there cheering them on through life.

Mom, forever a cheerleader. . .

I hate missing my kids events, whether it is academic or athletic, I want to be there for every one of them. It is hard and it does not always work out that way but the hubbs and I make every effort for at least one of us to be there. Sprat in college 15 hours away does make it difficult but, we are going to see two games in person this year. I am beyond excited to see him and getting to see him play will be icing on the cake.

Stay tuned as the laxmom journey continues. . .