Our Family Christmas Letter: Mom-Log 2020

JANUARY 2020

They say “hindsight is 2020” but I say we’ve got clear, 2020 vision starting right now.  I’m planning my phrase of the year- I can’t decide between “unfettered possibilities” or “soaring joy”.  Hm…maybe both!  

FEBRUARY 2020

We just had such a crowd of children in our home to celebrate my son’s 6th birthday.  He had so much fun- but I do not wish to have ANY more people over for awhile.  Whew!  

MARCH 2020

I’m getting a weird vibe from the children’s schools- in their last email they threatened to send the children home indefinitely.  I mean, I know my children aren’t perfect but, I don’t think they can do that legally.  Can they?  But you know what, I’m not going to worry because I started reading a new book: ‘Wishful Thinking For Idiots”.  I’m certain everything will be fine. 

APRIL 2020

I was wrong.  (That almost never happens!) The children are expected to learn at home now.  Every morning they write their name on a piece of paper and put it in a hat.  I draw a name and that child gets to learn for the day.* I hide the electronics from the other two so they have a challenge to keep their brain working.  My slim free time is reserved for lengthy bouts of sighing and obsessive puzzling.  I keep having a recurring dream where my own personal soundproof bathroom sprouts out of the ground. Should I mention this to my therapist? Wait, do I have a therapist?  

May 2020: 

The children have grown disenchanted with digging holes in the dirt in the backyard and staring wistfully at the horizon.  They asked to go to the “park” and I told them we don’t use that word anymore.  So we bought them a wooden playground with questionable anchoring.  This seems to have appeased them for the moment.  We also planted vegetables out of desperation, but so did everyone else. The local plant store was out of snap pea seeds; I wish I were joking.  We will have to live with the unpopular plants this year. If one more person says the word “unprecedented” I swear I’ll start a petition to ban that word from the English language.  

JUNE 2020:

The playground took an ugly turn; the children are now rioting over the blue swing.  The red one is blatantly offensive and the once popular circle swing is suddenly a blight.  The tension is mounting.  I watch through the window from the relative safety of the kitchen.  But here, things aren’t perfect either.  Our peanut butter and chocolate chip rations are rapidly dwindling.  I may have to actually go *shopping* at the grocery store again.  I hope I haven’t forgotten how to do that. My extended family is learning how to zoom. We haven’t perfected it yet- I think someone could make a killing by writing “Family Zoom for Dummies”.   

July 2020: 

I’ve been a little self-conscious as I’ve seen a lot of people getting in shape during quarantine, while I’ve remained inactive.  But my fitness coach says I’ve got plenty of time.  He recommends visualizing myself in shape for now, while continuing to binge watch cheesy rom-coms and snacking at regular intervals until a vaccine is announced.  I feel confident in this strategy.  Besides, my doctor can’t comment on my weight gain during a virtual appointment.  #silverlining #faceweight #trickingmydoctor #imsuperintohashtagsnow 

August 2020:

We decided to get revenge on the public school system by preemptively homeschooling our kids this fall. (Ha! That will show them!!)  We’re starting early because a life of unstructured ease was unbearable to the children.  We quickly discovered that they also eschew the scholarly life.  But they are honing their argumentative acumen, and their creative insults rival Shakespeare.   I’m counting those as “debate” and “vocabulary” classes, respectively.  (The more descriptive the insult, the better the grade.)

September 2020: 

I thought my husband and I were at 13 years of marriage this year, but he reminded me it has only been 12.  Huh.  Maybe I counted this year twice accidentally- it does feel longer than usual.  It could also be that my brain cells are shrinking.  I’ve heard that’s a side effect of over-momming.  Anyhow, we celebrated with zero children.  Exactly zero of them.  There was so much quiet that we almost didn’t want to mess it up by talking. 

October 2020:

It is Halloween now, but we’ve been wearing masks all year.  Boring.  I was determined to teach our kids about our political system by staging a mock election.  My daughter ran on a platform of improving our homeschool experience while my son is promising upgrades to our home and electronics.  I didn’t expect this kind of demoralization so early on in the process.  I think maybe we’ll go back to cutting and pasting historical presidents on popsicle sticks.

November 2020:

We lost my daughter for what felt like days.  We finally discovered her behind a cocoon of books, dressed as Harry Potter with a bag of Halloween candy and a personal hoard of bottled water.  I think all the children need to get out more.  I smell cold air on the horizon and fear that our hibernating instincts are already too finely tuned.  Only time will tell.  I have a feeling that I am perpetually forgetting something…the date…the virtual plans…the…Oh! For the love of Jeff Goldblum…was trash day today? 

December 2020: 

I’m choosing to believe that our recently acquired Christmas tree takes in toxic attitudes and releases fresh compliments and positivity.  I’m sure the fact that our tree is losing pine needles is not a sign that it is oversaturated by negativity.  Hm… I also remember one more thing that I forgot- to send out the Christmas cards.  I’m hoping all my friends and family know that I dearly love them, wish I could hug them all super tight (extrovert withdrawals here), and that I’m praying for a beautiful flourishing for each of them in the midst of the wilderness that was this year.

Closing Thoughts: Normally I would have mailed out letters this year, but of course…2020. But I hope you know, I’m grateful to each and every one of you for your patience and love in my life.  I have relied so much on my community in new ways during 2020, and I couldn’t have made it through without you.  Though some of the story is fictional, we have been mostly homeschooling the kids this year, with plans to put them back in school sometime in 2021.  Jeff is working from home a little more often, but still enjoying his time at TLB Architecture.  Carrye is excited to be starting a new position teaching at Hope Church in 2021, and for a fresh start there.  In addition, the whole family is adjusting to fostering again, and while it is so difficult not to be able to share all our pictures and stories with you, we appreciate your love and support during this crazy season.

Blessings to you all as we wrap up 2020- my prayer is that you experience God in new and fresh ways, and know that His presence never leaves no matter what changes around us. 

Psalm 73:26: My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.