Sarah Tyler

Our school district is once again giving us the option to choose between in person and remote learning.  This time when we consider all the variables we feel in person is best choice for our family.  It's ironic, I feel reasonably confident about this decision just as I was back in November when we made the opposite choice.  Both were the right choice (or perhaps more accurately least wrong choice) at the time.  Yet both times I developed a seemingly never ending stress headache from all the anxiety.  

Our kids are too young to be vaccinated and delta is hitting kids harder than the original alpha strain. I read a stat recently that more kids are on ventilators now than during the winter. It’s still low odds, but not zero. I worry about the possible waning immunity for Domingo and I. I worry about the logistics of returning to in person school. The schools are going to send kids home with the slightest signs of sniffles (which they should) but that’s going to mean a lot of home days and running back and forth to pick up kids. I also worry that with the increase in cases the school will shut down again and we'll be right back to where we started.

On the other hand, if we choose remote again we're in for another full school year without socialization, even though vaccinations for young kids are coming in just a few months. It's another full year where Alexis' teacher can't help her work on her pencil grip, or writing her letters the right away. Another full year where science becomes mostly video watching and not hands on for Nicole. Another full year of fighting internet connection issues and computer problems. Another full year of constant stress and frustrations and feeling not good enough.

Parenting during a pandemic sucks, y'all.  Sending love to anyone else whose struggling out there, parent or no.

42 Minutes. That's the time difference between when the registration packet for summer camp was emailed out and when I submitted the completed packet. I would have had it in in half that if the dang scanner was working properly 😒.

We are over anxious and ready to return to a semi-normal.

My stress headache got so bad last night I needed to go to bed at 7:30pm, before Nicole. I really needed the rest, but now I’m even further behind.

330 days sheltering in place down, 116 days left until the end of remote learning.

Dana making friends with a squirrel on this 317th day of quarantine.

On the 305th day of quarantine my children gave to me... a laptop dropped on the hardwood floor.

She is the reason I have some semblance of sanity left after nine months. While my days are a chaotic mix of trying to keep the kindergartener on task, and the two year old from antics, Nicole is getting it done. She’s managing her own schedule, keeping track of which zoom meeting to log on to and when, and making todo lists so she can be sure all her assignments are turned in on time.



As hard as this year has been, it would have been so much harder were I not a second time kindergarten parent. Having been through the process before I am much more prepared to help Alexis learn to read than I was to help Nicole learn to read.

Happy 🥳 Vaccinations are Starting Today 🥳 Day!

This was supposed to be our funny “the girls are going back to school” photo. We opted to remain remote for the rest of the year, so this will have to be our funny “life during a pandemic” photo instead.

I know we’re in yet another surge. The US crossed 100,000 hospitalizations a day for the first time yesterday, and we had a record number of deaths as well. Still, I can’t help but feel optimistic about the end of the pandemic. The first vaccines for medical works will be out in a few weeks, and most vaccine timelines show they’ll be generally available by spring/summer. We just have to hold on a little longer.

Stay safe, everyone!

How I’m dealing with my pandemic stress: Welcome to the family, Christmas trees number 6, 7 & 8!

"This looks like a good meal!" - A surprised Alexis sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner.

The day went surprisingly smooth despite having fewer hands in the kitchen this year. Dana declared Thanksgiving her favorite holiday (the current holiday is always her favorite holiday) and loved the cranberry sauce. Nicole and Alexis loved the pumpkin pie. All three enjoyed the movies I picked out for our movie marathon.
I'm sad we couldn't spend the day with more people, but every day that passes brings us one day closer to the vaccine and a return to normal life.