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#Post#: 17772--------------------------------------------------
24 March 2020 - Coronovirus Seclusion Update
By: Jack Date: March 24, 2020, 7:33 pm
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It was a beautiful day today.
It didn't start that way. It has been raining overnight
recently, and things were very humid this morning - muggy and
unpleasant. By about 1pm, it was 81 degrees, the humidity had
dropped, and the sky was clear and sunny. While we haven't
opened the pool, it was warm enough that we grilled burgers and
had lunch outside, then the boys got their various water weapons
and had 'wars' in the back yard for a while.
I did work this morning, but it looks like next Wednesday is
going to be the last new comic shipment for a while. We'll
still be able to restock on some items, but with people not able
to come into the stores, and no new comics, I'm not sure if
there's a strong reason for us to stay open. I might decide to
close things down to just one store at that point.
Everything else is going pretty well. We didn't do school
today, since I did have to work, but I made sure the younger
boys had homework. Overall, we have managed to get a kind of
loose schedule, where the kids have very clear expectations of
what has to be done and by when, but with the ability to do at
least some of them at their preference, instead of having to
work a strict schedule. It seems to be working overall, though
some of the boys require a bit more supervision than others
(which is only to be expected).
#Post#: 17779--------------------------------------------------
Re: 24 March 2020 - Coronovirus Seclusion Update
By: squarecutter Date: March 25, 2020, 5:25 am
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Would you consider a homework strike similar to a chore strike
in this situation. As youu say, some kids may need more
motivation than others
#Post#: 17782--------------------------------------------------
Re: 24 March 2020 - Coronovirus Seclusion Update
By: Jack Date: March 25, 2020, 10:49 am
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[quote author=squarecutter link=topic=1779.msg17779#msg17779
date=1585131949]
Would you consider a homework strike similar to a chore strike
in this situation. As you say, some kids may need more
motivation than others
[/quote]
I have always counted chore strikes the same way, though
separately. However, I've never enforced it very strictly,
unless someone was already having problems of some types. In
this case, I'm just not giving the younger kids quite as much
freedom as I am the older kids.
#Post#: 17901--------------------------------------------------
Re: 24 March 2020 - Coronovirus Seclusion Update
By: Jack Date: April 3, 2020, 11:10 am
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Sorry I'm not updating more. Part of it is simply that things
are same old, same old. It's the same thing each day, while we
try to keep a routine and do school work, without letting things
get boring. Part of it is just that there are a LOT of people
here, and almost all of them are having to do some type of
school work, so I'm spending a lot of time doing 'principal'
type duties to keep things running.
We have had 47 confirmed cases of covid-19 in my area now and
one death. We are under Stay at Home orders. I am no longer
doing curbside pick up at any of the stores, but online retail
is permissible under the rules, so we have the warehouse
location still working. I have been paying all my employees out
of my own pocket (well, out of the stores' pocket, since it's
incorporated). It looks like that won't be required for a while
now. I have applied for a loan under the stimulus package. My
banker is hoping that it could be approved as soon as Monday or
Tuesday, and it will give me enough money to pay two months
salaries at my current rate. Further, as long as I actually do
continue to pay salaries, it will really be a grant, not a loan.
While I am still paying the people who were working for me when
this started, I also hired some of the college kids who are no
longer away, like Connor Joyce and Jakes Ames, who have been
long term employees when they're home. My banker wasn't
positive if they would qualify or not, but he's going to try,
and any help will be good.
In the meantime, especially now that I've stopped curbside
service, everyone is working one day a week. It's hard to argue
that getting a normal week's pay for one day's work is a bad
deal. Our online sales are actually up, but the warehouse was
designed to handle a Christmas rush and to be expanded, so we
have room for everyone to work.
At home, I had to have my old phone line turned back on. I kept
a hardline here, for various reasons, until maybe 2014. I got
AT&T to turn it back on, along with the DSL service, which means
I know have three routers running in the house. Even with that,
we're having to juggle the online education schedule so as not
to have too many people trying to stream things at once.
Fortunately, while there are some mandatory meetings, a lot of
what's being done is able to be checked online, done offline,
then uploaded at our convenience.
Because of the lockdown, it's 'just' been the immediate family
for a while now. Of course, that's 23 people in this case. The
boys are mostly doing okay. We have had a few discipline
issues, which I'll try to update soon, but we have enough room
and enough people, that one can always get away from the person
who's bugging us, or even get some private time occasionally.
We placed a BIG order with Amazon the other day, but the 2nd day
delivery for which I'm paying with my Prime is NOT happening
right now. I guess that's not horrible, but we ordered a ton of
books - both educational and novels, plus some puzzle books, and
a few toys/games. On the other hand, when I went into work
Wednesday (no new comics this week, but that's a VERY Hard habit
to break), I picked up books, games, comics, cards, and toys so
that everyone has something new to distract them for a while. I
have to go to Wal-Mart today to pick up some medicines for my
mom, and get a few things for her, and I'll probably pick up a
big stack of Legos while I'm there.
I have been able to talk to all the adult boys in the last few
days. It looks like we've managed to avoid any serious illness
yet. Of course, several of the boys are dealing with allergies
and sinus problems and just plain clothes, which can be
panic-inducing these days, but we've all avoided the hospitals,
so I'm happy enough.
it's hard to say anything else - we're all trying hard to keep
from getting on each others nerves. Over all, I think things
are going well. I'll try to update the discipline issues soon
and think of other things to say as I can.
#Post#: 17902--------------------------------------------------
Re: 24 March 2020 - Coronovirus Seclusion Update
By: Zyngaru Date: April 3, 2020, 11:58 am
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Thanks for the updates Jack. It helps to know that everyone is
okay there. I don't worry over things, but I am concerned. So
posting an update occasionally helps. Thanks.
My Grand niece is doing better. Her cough continued so her mom
took her back to the doctor who ran another test and decided she
never had a virus, but has bronchitis instead. So her parents
missed two weeks of work, for nothing. So as of now, all my
relatives are doing fine. Including the three nephews that work
for a grocery chain. That is concerning, but people have to
eat, which means people have to work in the stores.
I have a relative that is concerning but there is nothing we can
do about it. My sister's granddaughter is married and has two
toddlers. Well they went to Michigan for four days vacation,
last month, to buy weed. Michigan has high positive rates for
the virus. Both smoke it regularly. Then when they came back
they went to a huge birthday party. They run around all over
the place. Definitely not practicing social distancing. Unless
they are very lucky, it is almost a certainty at least one if
not all of them will get this. They just don't care. So we are
concerned especially for the little ones, but nothing we can do
about it.
As for my county, we have 13 confirmed positive with one death.
That one death was early on. It was a couple that had it and
the wife died. No deaths since that one. We didn't gain any new
positives since that initial two until this week. But now the
confirmed positives are going up by 2 every day. Probably
because of testing known contacts. It's not as bad in my county
as in others close by, but since it is increasing here, I made
my last grocery shopping trip, and will stay in for the rest of
the month.
Keep safe everyone.
#Post#: 17913--------------------------------------------------
Re: 24 March 2020 - Coronovirus Seclusion Update
By: db105 Date: April 3, 2020, 7:50 pm
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Thanks for the update.
I have been in lockdown for more than two weeks officially.
Longer than that unofficially. Much strength to those of you in
similar situations. Keep safe, healthy physically but also
mentally. You have to take it seriously, but there's only so
much you can do. Beyond that, anxiety is not your friend. Do not
lose contact with friends and family, even if it has to be done
telematically.
Toddlers, fortunately, seem to be the among the least at risk of
developing serious complications if they contract the disease,
Zyngaru.
#Post#: 17914--------------------------------------------------
Re: 24 March 2020 - Coronovirus Seclusion Update
By: kalico Date: April 3, 2020, 8:44 pm
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Thanks for the update jack I’m happy to hear all is well with
you and yours......
Hugs kal
#Post#: 18151--------------------------------------------------
Re: 24 March 2020 - Coronovirus Seclusion Update
By: Jack Date: April 21, 2020, 9:26 am
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Really, things are going pretty much the same as they have been.
The boys have tested a few limits, and I established a few firm
boundaries. I'm trying to be more flexible than normal, though
this number of people does require some firmness. We are all
working together to make a daily schedule of things that HAVE to
be done at a certain time (there are still some class meetings
happening online), things that need to be done at certain times
(like pet care and meals), things that need to be done daily,
but not at certain times, and things that need to be done, but
that can wait a bit.
We're mostly staying on track. Yesterday was a really nice day,
so I decided we needed to invest some extra time in kinesiology.
It's supposed to get up to 82 this afternoon, but thunderstorms
tomorrow, so we'll probably do the same thing again today -
maybe grill burgers or dogs for lunch. If I'd been thinking, we
would have done stoner dogs for lunch yesterday, considering it
was 4/20.
After a few bottom warmings of various ages, things are pretty
calm. While people are getting antsy, we have enough space and
people that no one is forced into contact with anyone else on a
constant basis. My old role playing room upstairs has enough
space and seating that a person or two can use it for privacy
when they just need some alone time or need some 'alone time',
if you get my drift. I keep a package of flannel rags up there
for 'personal use', and we have a strict 'don't open the closed
door' policy for that room.
Garrett Riley has started coming over. While he enjoys his
alone time, he was going crazy only working one day a week and
not being around other people at all. I let him take off work,
and he went shopping, then spent two weeks alone catching up on
whatever he could. After 14 days isolation, he's started coming
over to visit us. He slept over last night, but had to sleep on
the couch. He didn't seem to mind too much, though. The older
boys got some board games going last night, and you could tell
that Garrett was excited to have company - some real progress on
his part from the shy, retiring kid he was when I first met him.
I can't really think of anything else to say. I go to the store
two or three times a week, and let one of the older boys go a
couple of more times. Someone goes to my Mom's every two or
three days to get anything she needs and help her with cleaning
and stuff. Other than that, we're just trying to keep up with
school work. Things are going well financially, so far.
Apparently I was one of the lucky ones - a small business who
was actually able to get one of the small business loans, and
I'll be able to keep paying my employees through June right now.
At this point, our distributor has ceased shipping, but is
currently planning to resume next month, so I should be able to
get more people back to work before then, if everything stays
the same. While PPE is still expensive and hard to track down,
basic cleaning materials are slowly becoming more common (I
even saw toilet paper on the shelves again the other day).
I guess that's about it for now. I just wanted to check in and
let everyone know we're still alive and sane - at least as much
as we ever were.
#Post#: 18152--------------------------------------------------
Re: 24 March 2020 - Coronovirus Seclusion Update
By: Zyngaru Date: April 21, 2020, 12:49 pm
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Thanks for the update. Always good to hear from you. Glad to
hear that things are going as good as they can for the
situation.
Things are the same here as well. We did have a small spike
right after Easter, but I expected to see that. It is difficult
to not do Easter, and some people were going to do it no matter
what. So the spike was expected by me anyway.
Now, saying that. We did do Easter for two of my little Grand
Nephews. 5 and 6 years old. But their mama has been in self
imposed isolation since February. He boys don't come into
contact with anyone. They do take them out to mushroom hunt,
hike through parks and things where they will be away from other
people. They took them fishing the other day and then stopped
by here to visit their grandma (my sister). They arrived in
their cartoon briefs and we all stayed out on the front porch
and sidewalk. They are absolutely cute in their undies. The
six year old is normally a little shy these days about people
seeing him in his underwear. That happened when he started
school. Although I saw him take a quick look down at his undies
when he saw me, but then he shrugged his little shoulders and
played happily as if nothing was different.
After they left, my sister told me she wasn't sure about them
being in their underwear in public, was a good idea. I asked
her, why not. They're little boys and everything important is
covered up. She just sort of agreed, but not really. My sister
hates briefs for underwear. She convinced their mother to put
them in boxer-briefs last summer and the boys went around
pulling at their crotches and got rashes. I told their mother,
my niece, it's the underwear. Put them back into regular briefs
so their boy parts can breath and you will fix that problem. So
now the boys are back in briefs. My sister just is weird about
what she thinks is obscene, and briefs is one of those things.
Anyway. Glad to hear things are good there. Stay safe and try
to have fun.
Z
#Post#: 18159--------------------------------------------------
Re: 24 March 2020 - Coronovirus Seclusion Update
By: db105 Date: April 21, 2020, 5:34 pm
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I'm glad Garrett is happy there and doing well.
[quote author=Jack link=topic=1779.msg18151#msg18151
date=1587479164]
After a few bottom warmings of various ages
[/quote]
HTML https://yoursmiles.org/tsmile/fear/t3602.gif
More than the ones
you reported?
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