A new normal: a picture into our Coronavirus schedule

Posted by Dan and Carole McClelland |0 comments

Over the last couple weeks, we have come into a fun, new normal here at the YWAM base in Montego Bay Jamaica.  After surrendering our original plans, which I did with tears,  I have really come to appreciate and be thankful for this unexpected season.  The biggest thing God spoke, as I meet with him to gain his perspective and ask how I could join Him in this season, was enjoying my two kids and have the opportunity to pour into and invest in a way.

Enjoy some pictures of our time:

After waking up, eating breakfast, doing devotions and getting dressed for the day, the first thing on our schedule is Olive has reading time with Daddy, where we are going through "Teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons".  Olive is at a really fun stage as she is starting to read simple books on her own, so after doing a lesson, we will pick a book from Kids A-Z account (through my good friend Darcy who added Olive) and read a book!

To continue to motivate Olive to read books! Anna made a bookshelf with books for Olive to color after she reads a book!  We got the idea from my sister in law, Rachel McClelland and she loves it!! When she colors all of it, she will get a special treat at home (originally was a date out with Mommy but we have adjusted since Cornavirus). 

While Daddy and Olive are having reading time, Valor has a little independent time on a blanket practicing his ability to play by himself with something Mommy gives him, while I do the dishes from breakfast and then we get our reading time too! Some mornings this works well and he is content on the blanket, other mornings I am reminding him to stay on the blanket until his timer is up! We are working on it and I am getting a lot of great ideas on the internet to give him. 

 

 

Then we have ASL instructional time.  As a family, we still use ASL throughout the day as we have set ASL time and English time to encourage our kids to become bilingual (ASL and English), but this season we do not have any native ASL models for our kiddos, so for at least 30 mins a day, we have our models from the internet.  Two of our favorite things to do is learn from ASL Nook (https://aslnook.com/) and there is push on social media for ASL Storytime for Deaf kids so we have been watching them too! Rocky Mountain School for the Deaf has really amazing story time for toddlers on youtube too!  Just recently, have with started video chatting with Kevlasha, a past student who is fundraising to join us in Jamaica, who is Deaf-blind.  She signed us a story and we hope to do this once a week! 

Learning about zoo animals and Valor is signing Alligator. 

ASL Storytime! One of my friends, Stephanie from Gallaudet signing stories for little ones! It is fun to see many familiar faces signing stories during this season!

Kevlasha signing a book for Olive! 

After ASL time, we have outside time! You will find us playing in the leaves, riding bikes, taking a walk or Valor's favorite picking fruit from the trees on base. He has actually gotten good at the cherry tree near our house and often will go directly there with a stick looking for ripe ones! These activities helps us get some energy out before more school and nap time! 

Then we come back home and daily we do the Scholastic Free Curriculum and Olive and Valor love it!! We will watch the two stories, fiction and non-fiction and then do activities related to what we learned! We usually have our snack time too and this is what keeps Valor sitting. Here are some pictures of rock collecting, brushing your teeth to name a few we have done! 

Olive does some other independent school work, when I have a little time with Valor alone, usually reading a book and transitioning to nap time.  Then Valor goes down for his one nap for the day and Olive gets Mommy/Olive time.  This is probably her favorite time of the day and gets 30 mins of Mommy's undivided attention.  She also gets to pick what she would like to do with that time.  She often picks doing a page in her search and find book or painting or playing a game.  It has been really fun!

Then Olive has some alone play and Mommy gets to have some Jesus time/rest time.   I have noticed this time is important for me to actually time as rest time, as I have tried in the early weeks to work during this time, but often my attitude or energy is low in the afternoon. Writing this blog, is a great reminder of keeping this time precious for Jesus.

When Mommy is with the kids all morning what is Daddy doing?  On top of still maintaining the grounds of the 13 acre base, he has been working on projects that have been pushed aside due to teams and others things.  So he has been fixing sinks, bathrooms, drawers and tables and cabinets around the base.  As well as trying to get engines and machines that have not been used in a while to start!

 

Sometimes, as we are having outside time in the mornings, we cheer Daddy on or "help" as he is picking up leaves for cutting the grass.  If Valor could he would just follow Daddy around all day!  He loves being with Dad when he is fixing things and just jumps right in! 

Then, the whole family has lunch together with the whole base.  It is nice to connect with others during this time.  After lunch, we have outside play time and simple art/craft time like play-doh or stickers, coloring books, painting, etc. Most days Daddy takes over for 2 hours, so Mommy can continue to connect with potential staff and students for the DTS.  Twice a week, two young ladies on campus play with the kiddos for 2 hours to give both Dan and I some work time together.

In the evening, we have some independent reading time, that typically turns into Daddy reading a story time and then get 30 mins of video time, recently the kiddos have been enjoying Winnie the Pooh.  We have dinner and then do our bedtime/setting down with baths, worship and prayers.

During this season, we have also been able to really invest into our one staff Anna.  Dan and Anna serve the base in different areas during the day.  Anna serves in housekeeping and has been organizing the many items used by our base to serve the teams.  As a team, the evenings are the best time to gather.  We meet twice a week, once for a time of worship and prayer and the other time to catch up and share about what God is doing in each of us.  Sometimes we will even throw in a game, Splendor has been our recent favorite! In addition, Anna and I (Carole) meet twice a week in the evenings going through a book called Transforming Hearts, which is an breaking free/inner healing workbook and DVDs series.  It has been amazing to see her encountering Jesus in places of pain and receiving truth and freedom leading to spiritual growth and maturity!

We are grateful for this time that we have been able to spend investing in the kiddos all day and Anna in the evenings.  I am so grateful for so many of you who have sent us educational activities for the kiddos during this time.  Grandpa and grandma McClelland and Ruiz, and Elissa, Darcy, Rachel and Sarah, and Theresa to name a few! Thank you for thinking of us during this time and helping us develop a schedule! Routines help me thrive! 

Last week, Olive was talking to her Grandma and shared how fun it is to play with Mommy and Daddy all day!  It warmed my heart to know that she is enjoying this time at home.  She misses school and her friends, but she is and always has been a girl who sees the best in all situations.