Life as we know it - Part 2!
A year of adjustments at the Moningers
BROKEN BOW - We first heard about how the Moninger family was adjusting to the COVID shut down in the April 2, 2020 issue of the Chief. A comment I heard that Keeley made on the way to school gave me the thought we should follow up to see how “Life as we know it” is going. When Keeley sneezed as her Mom was driving her to school, she said, “It used to be when someone sneezed people would say ‘God Bless You.’ Now they say, ‘You’ve got the COVID.’”
That is the thought of a 10-year-old. You have to wonder when Keeley is 40 years older, how will her life have changed and not go back to the normal we all knew prior to COVID.
The Moninger family - Dell, Kristine, Caleb, Keeley and Kane - spent a bit different summer.
“Lots of camping and boating,” Kristine said. “We bought a bigger pool so lots of sun and fun outside. We even did a few outdoor movies.”
Every year the family plans a trip. This year a trip to Mexico was planned. They applied for passports well before the pandemic. They received three passports on time, if they would have traveled, and the other two after they would have been home since there were no employees in the passport office to process the passports!
The summer also found the family enlarging their garden and having enough extra produce that Keeley sold, letting her realize it’s a business she plans to continue with next year.
The fall sports season found the family traveling to all the out of town games.
“For the most part the season was normal other than when we traveled at each school, we had separate concession stands and restrooms on our side,” Kristine said. “There were several outof-town games that I could have visited with others from the opposing sides.” However, since the communities did not mix, they had to settle with talking on the phone or texting and not seeing in person.
Church is a little bit of both in person and online; no matter where they go, masks are the new norm.
“The kids have adjusted to masks just fine. We are very thankful to be in school,” Kristine said.
Shopping has changed. When getting ready for the school year, Kristine and Keeley used to do a mother/daughter day. That did not happen. “My kids haven’t been grocery shopping with me since this all started,” Kristine stated. It’s just one more way keeping them safe but also think about how children learn when they do shop with their parents.
The Thanksgiving holiday found them around their own table at home instead of at Grma’s with close to 40 people. “Adjusting” could be the new “normal” word that families use on a day-to-day basis, keeping everyone healthy, safe, in school and still having a life... adjusting and masks!