Ireland's Calling for Normal Life to Return, thread number 5

[eggandonion]

Unlinked because I can't remember how to do it, and can't find Help thing.

@31RooCambon your poor Daughter. Talking to colleagues with Daughters doing the LC there is tears and upset at home and not so much from the boys doing it. . Awful on them all. So hard. Like in work. The mammys are ringing home on breaks checkin in with kids and have ya done x y and z. It was funny on Tuesday- " what do you mean you are making pancakes - do your home work !!!!!"

Im not going to out myself !! On a forum
When that posted it was for another thread and was making a point on location. I cant even remember what the thread was origonally about
It just was accidentally posted here.i do have an eircode

Ok, so.
The weather forecast is for every sort of weather for the next few days. It's like Spring just now, I have my washing out.
I'm bored stuff, I want to go to work. Just to escape dh and dd constantly on calls. Our stairs creak and our toilets echo, I have to creep around and cross my legs. And try to keep the dog from barking.

My DD was supposed to sit LC equivalent end of school exams last year but the French government announced that they were going to be graded based on their average throughout the previous two years. She was devastated about missing out on the exams as a right of passage. School ended basically the day we started the first lockdown here. Luckily the schools and childcare facilities are still open for younger ones but she felt bereft by it.

She's in her first year of Uni, supposed to be in the Netherlands to study but she's at home, doing it on line. She is heartbroken that her first year of university is basically non existent and she's lost the experience that she thought she would have. The impact on the kids will be felt for a very long time.

Like was the ppe for teachers useless ??? Like people forget the main reason schools closed in jan was to reduce movement of people not that schools were unsafe.

Ppe for teachers in my children's primary school consisted of one mask (the teacher's) per classroom. 25 - 30 people in one room for 5 hours 40 mins a day when it's wet. I'd say the protection afforded was fairly minimal.

I've thought all along that it's been disingenuous to say schools are safe. I suppose they were safe for children pretty much because everwhere was fairly safe for most children as they experienced minimal Covid symptoms. I don't think they were ever truly safe for teachers, SNAs, or other school staff and I don't think they were safe for the wider school community. I've personally seen how numbers of school contacts were fudged (cases didn't count if you were away from school for a day or two). Things are worse now because of the new variants.

I appreciate how difficult it is for working parents with the schools closed. I'm a SAHM and I'm finding it hard. I'm a SAHM as my eldest has SEN, doesn't attend school (even in normal times) and I find I don't have enough time for everyone's needs now. However, we also have very vulnerable family members for whom we are (part-time) carers. I'm not sure I can send mine back even if schools reopen in a couple of weeks in case I kill their grandparents. The kids are all asthmatics too, as is DH, so I worry about that. At least now my children are seeing their classmates and teachers via Zoom and getting work on Seesaw. I'm guessing that will stop if schools reopen?

There must be many more in our position with vulnerable family who are reading the reports to reopen schools with very mixed feelings. Just wanted to offer another perspective I suppose...

It's bloody difficult for everyone and every family, isn't it.
I have a lc student in the house beside me, a JC girl on the other side, a second year student opposite who is now in his third online semester. He works part time in Tesco, which is his social life. But his granny is 92, so his mum worries. I have elderly neighbours, kids around with assorted health issues, people living far from their families.
I have no idea how I would sort this out if I ruled the world!

I think it's amazing what Unions can do, Early years really need to be joining unions.
I just wish there was a clear guideline of when schools are reopening. Again it's just for my work as I have no children in school. I want to be ready to receive my afterschoolers. It's not just classrooms to be cleaned, I need to have return to childcare forms sent out and they have to be back before the child can come back to us. It's purely selfish as I dont want to be trying to get everything done the weekend before we open. I don't want to find out at 6pm on friday evening that we are opening the following Monday.
I am prepared for March 8th but any earlier I am not prepared for.
Part of me is also think what's the point on phased reopening in March when Easter hols start on the 26th. They'll be back and off again for 2 more weeks.

I see the schools are saying these forms are necessary in schools now, I cant believe they weren't before.

I just dont know when anywhere will be 100%safe any work place for that matter. I totally understand parents with vulnerable kids and grand parents. For us there is no question they will be deposited at school but for others its not so simple. To clarify about 30 kids in a clasroom point . In our hosp. we wear the ffp3 masks only when there is 4 or more covid + on the actual ward so are in these all day.
If less numbers we wear the std medical mask unless in the room WITH the + case .

That's interesting @Radyward, I didn't know the hospital protocol. I suppose my point about classrooms is that because children can often have Covid while exhibiting few if any symptoms, you can be in a room with them for hours and days at at time wearing only the standard mask (teacher) or no ppe at all (other children).

I'd take that with a pinch of salt @LizzieAnt

That's not the usual protocol?

Leaving cert back on! Yay! My DD was happy about that. When I got back home from work she was happy about that

She's downstairs doing maths with my brother right now. They've been doing four hours of maths per week. He lives alone and he works from home so he's the one taking the risk coming in to our house to give her grinds!

It is difficult alright. I'm grateful we're all healthy though. Feeling a bit more positive this evening!

@eggandonion

Everything is so hard and getting harder, everyone is fed up. Id love some pancakes that someone else had made. Like when someone has died and you go to visit the house and there are plates of sandwiches and buns made by someone else... will that ever happen again?

Yes, that's what I needed yesterday. A pancake that somebody else made.

I really pity the LC teachers right now. I'd say they'll be constantly pestered by parents and students until the end of the year.

It's looking like L.C and junior and senior infants to return on the 1st of March. Very annoying for parents who have siblings in different classes, not to mention the "HA ha I'm going to school and your stuck home with mam/dad." Comments.
Kids will be nice and settled and the bam, Easter hols

I wonder how long they will wait between phases... If juniors & seniors back the 1st how long before the next groups are back? Will that be 1st & 2nd?

I wish all the discussions could be had behind closed doors, and we the public are given all the details when it's been agreed. As usual we're left with questions and doubts and drip-feeds 🙄

@Iblinkedandiamold that is exactly what would happen in this house the teasing would be ridiculous! It will no doubt cause logistical problems for families that will have to do school run but can't leave slightly older siblings behind do they might then miss the online class unless they rearrange the timings. At least JC and LC students finally know what's happening.

I really just want the 5km restriction to be eased. I'm living rurally with my dad at the moment, and while there are some gorgeous places to walk, other than that it's the local Centra and that's it. No takeaways, though we did risk a drive to a nearby town last week to collect a takeaway from a restaurant that had reopened for collection for Valentines weekend.

I had to go to a nearby town yesterday to get some dog food and other stuff from the pet shop and omg, the excitement of having an essential journey and being able to go to a DIFFERENT SUPERMARKET and take the dog for a DIFFERENT WALK. It was amazing.

I met a person while walking my dog earlier, her dog is a bit grumpy so goes out early. We had a chat. She had taken a neighbour who had broken her wrist to the hospital. It was to the old orthopedic hospital, so across the big city,about 15km. That's some trip.

I have always felt (since the start of all this) that the radius should be greater for those living rurally. We're in a small town but still have plenty within 5k and even we're cracking up at this stage!! People (like my in laws) who live in quite rural areas are stuck with nothing within 5k. 15/20k would be better wouldn't it. Could it be done via eircode? Too late now anyway given that we'll hopefully open up again soon but I do feel sorry for you @MoreOfADogPerson

Back to the Polish aisle in SuperValu for a bit of excitement. Can highly recommend these biscuits. Luckily there are other people in the house to save me from myself.

I am on mid term now for two days. I cant go anywhere or see my family. It's okay as I have no energy anyway. Watching Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders making the team. I am exhausted watching them so does that count as my cardio fir the day too? Honestly I have no idea how cheerleaders do it, it's hours and hours of rehearsing high energy routines over and over

Its alpine week, with the nice chocolate. Next week is Italy. Pretend ski trips via lidl.
According to Gavan Reilly on Twitter, all the rental restrictions are enforced when the travel limit is 5km. If it extends,people lose rights in rental property.

@eggandonion

Its alpine week, with the nice chocolate. Next week is Italy. Pretend ski trips via lidl. According to Gavan Reilly on Twitter, all the rental restrictions are enforced when the travel limit is 5km. If it extends,people lose rights in rental property.

Yes, that's definitely a consideration for people. One of the reasons I'm staying with my dad is that I moved back from England at the end of last year but needed to give my tenant in Dublin 6 months notice (no issue with that at all), but the extended travel restrictions mean that she's struggling to be able to move back down the country as she wants to. Luckily I can stay here for longer if needed, but I can imagine that there are a lot of people in rented accommodation who don't have the same options or flexibility.

@LifeInAHamsterWheel - 15km would be amazing. Though it's slightly depressing how excited I was when my dog needed a visit to the vet so I got to travel 10km for a few days as he was there for a few nights!!