9 Month Quarantine Check-In: How you doin’?

Yep, that’s right, folks.According to my calendar and the tally marks I’ve been keeping with Cheetos, we’re at NINE MONTHS of quarantining. Well, some of us. Others gave up mid-April and have been galavanting around with friends and family with whom they do not live as if none of this applies to them. I didn’t…

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The Closet Of Broken Dreams

I’m standing in my closet, looking for something to wear that’s not pajamas, leggings, or a combination of both. The comfy, lived in, just-got-out-of-bed look I’ve been rocking all day, every day since mid-March has become uninspiring. Ignoring the stacks of jeans, knowing the physical — not to mention emotional — struggle will be too…

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Stuck In My Story

I’ve been reading more than ever lately. While I haven’t been spending money on fancy coffees or lunches out since March, I’ve more than eclipsed the amount I’ve saved on books. (Totally worth it, IMO.) If we’re supposed to look for silver linings during this difficult period in time, rediscovering my passion for reading has…

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Craving Order in the Disorder

I love order. If you looked in the storage area of our basement you might have a hard time believing it, but I do. Order, predictability, planning … I strive for structure in all areas of my life, and have since I was little. I’ve always said it didn’t take a therapist to tell me…

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A Rule Follower’s Rant

I’ve been a rule follower my entire life, and ironically it’s a character trait that hasn’t done me any favors. Sure, it’s kept me out of the principal’s office, jail, and rehab, and I’ve never worried about a scary phone call from my landlord, or the IRS, but weirdly, playing by the rules hasn’t always…

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Running Back Into The Fire

A couple of years ago I knew a family whose house caught fire. The father bravely got the mom and two of his triplets out of the inferno to the safety of their front lawn (the other triplet had broken curfew and was still at a party, thank goodness). Then he heard barking from inside…

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This is What I Know Now

Quarantine. A word I never thought I’d use to describe my life or have to use as a teacher, yet here we are. Over the past five weeks I’ve learned a few things and have also adjusted my parameters about things I thought I knew for certain. Come to find out, I’m not sure I…

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Dos and Don’ts of Surviving Quarantine With Your YA Children

So here it is, Day 3,911 of quarantine with your teens &/or young adults, and if you’re like me, the boat that started off sailing over relatively smooth waters is starting to rock a little bit. Or perhaps yours is already capsizing. Whatever state the waters are that you’re navigating, I have some important dos…

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Life in The Bubble

Today marks Day 30 for me of life in the bubble. That’s what this weird, new existence feels like to me — living in a bubble. And what’s even weirder about it? The fact that, although the situation that created it is horrific and surreal, I’m okay with it. Honestly, having my kids back home…

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12 Great Things To Do With Your Older Kids in Quarantine

Things to do with your grown kids in quarantine

Parents of older kids, we’ve never felt so fortunate, have we? For years we’ve relished the freedom from sleep deprivation, dealing with meltdowns, home chef duties, endless hours of mind-numbing play, and having to help with homework (and having to listen to your kids INSIST you are doing it wrong). Now that we’re in the…

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