Thursday, January 28, 2021

My Google Classroom

So I had a total lightbulb moment last week and I'm so excited about it that I have to share! Honestly, it has been really frustrating for me to not be able to stay organized and on top of all the things that my four kids are doing... whether it be school, music, sports, household stuff etc! I've tried printing out excel sheets... I've tried a huge dry erase board sectioned off for each of the four kids.... I've tried putting everything in google calendar and using notifications. I tried setting reminders on Alexa. None of it worked super well or lasted long... but I think I found a solution!

For a while now, my kids have been doing this virtual school thing and they have become very familiar with google classroom. A couple of months into distance learning last spring, my oldest created her own google classroom for her siblings and cousins. Not long after that, my youngest also started his own google classroom. I really did not pay much attention to any of this but would hear about it from my sister from time to time about how my seven year old was giving tests etc. We just thought it was cute and funny. Then just last week, it dawned on me... I can create a google classroom!  Those who know me know I love excel files and lists... well, this google classroom thing is a total game-changer for how I'm managing this household!


These are some of the ways I've been using my classroom...

  • Linking a daily devotional for them to read, reflect, and respond... the classroom allows group comments so all can share or private comments to me where I can respond back. This really has been awesome!  It was too hard before to do devotions every night with each child separately but now they can read it in their time, respond to me and I can write a thoughtful response back.
  • Putting in daily tasks for them to "mark done" instead of feeling like a broken record asking them over and over again and then forgetting what their answer was after I asked them... so things like putting away laundry, getting outside for exercise, twenty minutes of reading, etc.
  • Attaching links to websites tailored to each kid from their different extracurricular activities (like chess.com or MIT scratch)
  • Attaching a link to the Compassion children we sponsor. Now my kids can read and learn more about them as well as make google docs and submit them back to me so I can send it out. I was the one doing all the correspondence before
  • Attaching links to each others school projects etc. so they can see each other's creative works. Since school turned hybrid this fall, my kids have had plenty of projects that involve using a flipgrid to tape STEM projects they've built or video editing project reports for social studies. In the past, I'd open up my laptop and play the videos for everyone while they were all eating but it would be sporadic and often interrupted... now they can watch when they have a moment and even comment something encouraging to one another
There is more but I will not list them all. Just one more thing...
These are pictures taken from my kid's bathroom this morning when I walked in there.
this so bothers me...

is this so hard to do?  took me 5 seconds...

So this is what I posted today:
Just saying...

So that is my exciting news.  Oh... AND I got my first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine!

Monday, January 4, 2021

Good Bye 2020 and Hello 2021! Hope with the Covid Vaccine...

So 2020 is now behind us... may 2021 be a better year.

Despite the challenges and many difficulties and disappointments that may come to mind when I think of the past year, I have to say that the blessing for me was time to just "be still".  I have the first part of Psalm 46:10 on my bathroom wall:

"Be still and know that I am God"

This past year, I really was forced to be still... at least physically still. I'm still working on how to be mentally still. Here are a few images that come to mind when I reflect back...


puzzles... and more puzzles...

virtual playdates...

kids learned to cook...

drive-by celebrations...

My family also had a chance to make some music together. Here are a few clips for your entertainment...








So what images will 2021 bring? Hoping with the Covid vaccine, we will be able to return to more in-person gatherings sooner than later. So my thoughts on the vaccine?  Without going into too many details about the how and why... I'll answer three main questions here that I am getting asked a lot.

Do I think the vaccine is safe to get? Yes

Do I plan to get the vaccine?  Yes

Do I recommend my family and patients to get the vaccine if they have no contraindications? Yes

Happy New Year, everyone!