quick hello

[alchimie]

For school this year my children are doing full-time distance learning, which is my preference during this time of pandemic, but it means that I am spending my days supervising my son's second grade experience so that he does not just read Minecraft novels for six hours a day. My daughter being older is well able to keep herself on track and has some engagement with it, although she is annoyed because I am always busy with her brother, but he needs the supervision.

We are all healthy and safe and well-fed and the like, and despite the enormous wildfires to both the east and west they did not get close enough that we had to evacuate, although the air quality has been lousy for ten days now and I miss the outdoors.

Comments

[graydon]

May no ill thing arise!

I find myself thinking there might be a market niche for (skilfully done!) educational Minecraft novels.

Can Daughter get a set reliable chunk of time where they receive your attention? Reliable is likely more important than great length?

[alchimie]

I think absolutely there is a niche for skillfully done educational Minecraft novels! The one smol son is reading are quite well done, to my pleasure, they are very funny and move quickly but the quality of the writing is competent which is not always the case in novels aimed at elementary school children.

For our daughter, the problem seems to be that during the day she is engaged with 100 things and thus does not really miss our time, but then at the end of the day when I am tucking her into bed the dam bursts and she wants to spend an hour telling me things, and I am Done and just want to go to bed myself. (A friend described it as 'she runs out of independence at the end of the day' and I think that is most accurate.) I offered to set aside one of the recess periods for her to have with just me, but so far she'd rather be running around with her brother or chatting with her friends, so it is a work in progress.

[graydon]

I think your friend has it right, and bother the inherent schedule mismatch.

Maybe after dinner? School day won't have much non-zooming in it, but some food might involve enough of a slowdown to permit a gap in the independence.

[cmcmck]

Glad you're all okay.

We're both fine and being kept sane by the local hills and forest.

[alchimie]

Excellent!

[hamsterwoman]

Glad you're staying safe from the fires!

(Air quality in SF has been decent for the most part, despite the layer of ash on our car... but this morning it was bad enough to bother me even indoors... :/

[alchimie]

Ugh, I am sorry to hear that. It has slowly gotten better here -- I use PurpleAir to get reasonably accurate information -- and except for one particular day it has always been fine if I stay inside. But even the current 'better' makes me throat and eyes hurt if I am outside too long, so I am still keeping all the windows closed and hoping the windows change after the labour day heat event. I hope it has stayed reasonable for you!

[hamsterwoman]

But even the current 'better' makes me throat and eyes hurt if I am outside too long

:( Checking the app I use, it looks like we're still in the Moderate/Yellow range in the mornings, but I no longer feel it/smell it indoors, which is definite progress. And the last time I went outside, yesterday afternoon, it felt fine and was Green on the app. So definitely getting better, and hopefully for you as well!

[alchimie]

We've now had something like 7 good days out of ten, which is enough that I am more relaxed and my house no longer smells terrible, so if it gets bad again next week with the heat at least we've had a good break! How has it been in your area?

[hamsterwoman]

It's been great here! -- the last 10 days with nothing above "moderate" and mostly in the green. Air1 so exciting! XD

Glad to hear it's been mostly nice on your end as well!