Episode 50-Back to School

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Hi, I'm Maggie. [00:00:01] Speaker B: And I'm Nicole. Welcome to the DAC Dyslexia and Coffee Podcast. We're so happy you could join us. We're both moms and dyslexia interventionists who want to talk about our students and children. What dyslexia is, how it affects our kids, strategies to help and topics related to other learning disabilities will all be covered in this podcast. Parents are not alone, and we want to give voice to the concerns and struggles we are all having. This is a safe place to learn more about how to help our children grow and succeed in school, in the world. Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the conversation. [00:00:35] Speaker A: Hi, everybody. We're going to begin with the concept of the week. So the concept of the week is our opportunity as practitioners to kind of pull back the curtain a little bit and let you all into an intervention session. So we like to teach about things that we would actually be teaching our students. Today's concept of the week is transition. So transition is a term used a lot in our field, and it can be a little bit confusing. So it's actually just the process of moving from one activity or setting or situation to another. These transitions can be something insignificant, like changing schools or like going back to school, for example, or smaller. Right. Like shifting activities, even going from. Okay, we're in math and we're headed to science class. It doesn't. Even switching between activities within a classroom can be a transition. They can be particularly difficult for students who struggle with executive functioning. They're really taxing on emotional regulation, working memory, and initiating tasks. So we talk a lot about transitions and how to handle those transitions here. [00:02:05] Speaker B: Yes. So welcome to episode 50. We're talking about going back to school because it's that time already. [00:02:12] Speaker A: Holy moly. I had not. Cannot believe. Here we are. [00:02:19] Speaker B: So back to school season can bring a lot of big feelings for parents. [00:02:24] Speaker A: And for kids and for teachers. [00:02:26] Speaker B: And teachers. Yes, exactly. [00:02:30] Speaker A: Yeah. You know, and our students with dyslexia or any other learning difference, they can really experience even bigger feelings related to going back to school. [00:02:44] Speaker B: Correct. And this is a good time of year to check in with your child about their dyslexia and talk through the way they are feeling about going back into the school year. [00:02:55] Speaker A: Yeah. I mean, a lot of those kids. Right. New school year could be a new school. Right. For some of your students out there. [00:03:06] Speaker B: Definitely. Probably a new teacher. [00:03:08] Speaker A: Yeah. And, you know, we're moving grades. Right. So what they kind of understand about themselves as a learner, in terms of what was Happening last year or the year before can be really different this year. So it is worth having another check in with your kid. Okay. How are you feeling and how are things gonna be a little bit different this year? Just that kind of front loading work with them. Correct. [00:03:38] Speaker B: It's also worth revisiting our episode on how to talk to your kids about dyslexia. Remember, they're going to be talking to new people about their learning needs and they might need some help remembering, you know, how to approach the subject, how to explain it to other people and maybe what their accommodations are and what they need. [00:04:03] Speaker A: Yeah. I really like that episode because we really actually give parents developmentally appropriate things to say to your kids. Correct ways to explain it. Yeah. So, you know, a lot of students, right. They may feel like really nervous going back into school. They might feel like we're gonna have to read out loud. We might worry about keeping up with assignments or whether their teachers will understand their needs. You know, so for the teachers listening out there, we know that you are listening. So thank you. Yay. We're glad to have you with us. You know, acknowledging that that back to school anxiety, that's real and that's universal, not just our kids with disabilities or learning differences. [00:05:02] Speaker B: Correct. [00:05:03] Speaker A: You know, even our kids who are like skipping happily off to school, you know, understand that is they are still experiencing something new. [00:05:15] Speaker B: Yes. And definitely thinking about how it's going to impact them at school and at home. Because obviously that anxiety is going to come out at home too. [00:05:28] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. You know, again, for those teachers listening. Right. Taking a look at those students accommodations and getting that information out there early so that they're ready to go within the first couple of weeks of school, that's really, that's critical. That's going to help your classroom function better. [00:05:49] Speaker B: Correct. [00:05:50] Speaker A: And it's going to serve the needs of the students in your classroom and. [00:05:55] Speaker B: Remember to play to the students strengths because really they're going to feel better and you're going to feel better and the classroom is going to work better. [00:06:04] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. You know, you know those parents. Right. Again, checking in about those feelings. You know, asking your student, what are you most excited about? What is worrying you? Kind of get some of those specifics out there. Yeah. And just normalize. Right. The dyslexia is just one way of learning. It really is difference in the brain. And that kind of harkens back to that episode that we did correct. How to talk to your kid about dyslexia. [00:06:40] Speaker B: Yep. [00:06:47] Speaker A: Another thing to really talk about here when we're talking about Back to school is preparing the learning tools. [00:06:56] Speaker B: It's always fun for parents, teachers and students at this point. [00:07:00] Speaker A: Yeah, you know, this is. This really is a big challenge topic. This kind of tools that we use for learning. Stay tuned. We are actually working on an episode about that very thing. But in terms of back to school, you know, getting kids set up for success, there are things that universally we can do for all kids kind of, again, those teachers in the audience making sure that all of the devices in the classroom are set up, they've got the audio books ready to go. Text to Speech is set up on every device that's really become the standard at this point is that any device that is classroom based is already set up for those accommodations because they're beneficial to all learners, not just our learners with this dyslexia. And that is the last thing someone who has a learning difference needs is, oh, I actually don't have the tool I need. [00:08:04] Speaker B: Right. [00:08:05] Speaker A: To do my job right now. You know, another thing that teachers do that can really make a huge difference is, you know, color coding subjects in the classroom. Just making things very organized as far as the classroom functions so that everyone. There's kind of a universal system in place. The middle school that I went to, and it did definitely drive a lot of people crazy, but it was universal across the building. Language arts was red, social studies was yellow, math was blue, science was green. And everyone was expected to follow that system. And guess what? It worked. People grumbled about it, but guess what? It worked. [00:08:58] Speaker B: And as we told you in our previous podcast about executive functioning, that is not developmentally done, maybe ever. But usually they say mid, late 20s now. And so having those tools already in place will help the learner be able to concentrate on what they need to. [00:09:18] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. And at the end of the day, it made it. Everyone's on the same page. We understand. If it's in red, then that relates to language arts. Okay, sounds good. [00:09:27] Speaker B: Right, so parents at home help setting up devices with the assisted technology at home. Making sure that the student knows how to use it can also be important, especially if it's different than the one that's at school. Depending on the device. Right. Keep a consistent system for your homework folders, your planners, your apps, however you're organizing them, and then whatever the planner comes back with, make sure that you're kind of going over with them every evening. So until they get to know how to use it correctly. [00:10:09] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, that is something I really. [00:10:13] Speaker B: Already. [00:10:15] Speaker A: Am thinking about as it relates to our house. And, you know, my kids at 5 and 7, I already. They already know where our calendar is. They know how to look for things that relate to them on the calendar. I have them kind of moving the little, like, today magnet every day to kind of familiarize themselves with the tools that we use at home. You know, it's a good time of year. Everything's fresh. Last year, I got little, like, buckets with dividers for all the kids, stuff that, you know, your homework folder. Neither one of them really had homework last year, but every day, that folder came out of your backpack, and it went into that bin, and a parent had to check it before it could go back in your backpack, you know, and we had just. [00:11:14] Speaker B: That's a great idea. [00:11:16] Speaker A: Established that routine. Really consistent. And I was very consistent with it, because that's something that is gonna grow, you know, eventually. Whatever kind of planner that needs to go in that bucket and we need to look at it and. Okay, what do you have? [00:11:37] Speaker B: Yeah, that's a great idea. Because, like, for our daughter, we had to sign her planner, and you know how many times we're running out the door to get to school, and she'd bring it out and be like, oops, yes. Like, bed pen. Can't find a pen. [00:11:51] Speaker A: Yes. Yeah. And that. Yeah, I put a pen in both of their buckets, even though they're right next to each other. And I said, this does not leave this bucket, because we like that idea. Big problem with a. With pens in our house. It's ridiculous. The amount of times I'm like, I don't have a pen. How can I do what I do for a living and not have a pen? Are you kidding? But it's true. You know, I definitely am a person who admittedly struggles with an organization myself. So if I struggle with it myself, how in the world am I supposed to set my kids up for success? And I think my only answer is being very consistent with the system. And if we get off track, then we get back to one. [00:12:38] Speaker B: Makes sense. So some things for both parents and school, like have a toolbox checklist, like, make sure the student has access to all the supports at school and at home. Because obviously, if they're doing something at school and then they have to finish it at home, they're not going to be able to do it if they don't have the same supports in place. [00:13:00] Speaker A: Exactly. That, like, not. This is going to kind of vary, by the way your school handles technology. What kind of things are. Are coming home, Right. Is it the Same Chromebook. Do they have a Chromebook that they use at school and at home and it just travels back and forth or not, you know, even understanding. Well, how does our school handle this? I mean, sometimes parents aren't in the know until their kids get to the grade, where that is the expectation. [00:13:32] Speaker B: Right. [00:13:32] Speaker A: And then all of a sudden you're kind of like playing from behind. [00:13:38] Speaker B: Yeah. Another thing too is build self advocacy skills. So students should really learn how to respectfully ask for what they need, you know, even practicing at home before they get there, you know, before they can get in front of the teacher. And obviously they're going to be nervous at first because they're a new teacher and they're not going to know them very well. And until they understand and get that relationship built, it's going to be a little bit of a struggle. [00:14:07] Speaker A: Yeah. You know, I mean, transitions are hard in general. You know, September. So traditionally, right here in Wisconsin and generally the Midwest, most of our schools start after Labor Day. There are definitely private schools that start before. But on a public school level, most of our schools start after Labor Day. So generally when we're talking about back to school, we're talking about late August, early September. And we need to expect this time to be a little squishy. It's not going to be. You are not going to have everything dialed in. You can do the best you can. But it is why setting up those systems and for a temporary time, making those systems really kind of rigid, like we are going to follow this system rigidly and we're going to understand that. We're going to expect our emotions to get the best of us during this time. We're going to expect, expect unexpected things to be thrown at us. We're going to expect change. And kind of getting yourself in that mindset with your kid is also a way to build those self advocacy skills you can use with your kid, set them up. You know, I learn better when, you know kids, even younger children. Right. How do you function better? Do you think that worked for you or not? [00:15:46] Speaker B: I like the one. Could I try? [00:15:48] Speaker A: Yes, I love that one. That's such a great one to use with all kids. [00:15:56] Speaker B: Right. [00:15:56] Speaker A: Because it throws it back on the kid to try another way. If one method isn't working for you, it's not necessarily somebody else's responsibility to figure out what will. So this gives the student, could I try talking to you later? Could I try text to speech? Could I try someone else writing it down for me? It really, it opens that ownership and it Makes. Makes it a conversation then between whoever that child is talking to and it. It really promotes that. We're a team here. [00:16:47] Speaker B: Correct. Another one. You can try it. It helps me when you repeat things more than once, when you slow down with your notes on the board, when you let me use whatever device I'm using to take my notes. So it's another way to have that conversation too. [00:17:11] Speaker A: Yeah. You know, and definitely most teachers are going to respond positively right. When students are coming to them, you know, respectful time, respectful place, and in a respectful manner that's, you know, that generally is going to be very honored by a classroom teacher. [00:17:37] Speaker B: And then the students are really going to feel heard because they're going to be part of that conversation and they're going to be able to say, this is working or not working for me. [00:17:46] Speaker A: Yep, exactly. You know, something parents can do at home, and we really do this a lot, is role play the situation. So practice what to say if the instructions are unclear or if a task feels overwhelming. You know, really I use this tool a lot at home where I really actually kind of will set up a situation where I know my kids are gonna struggle a little bit to complete something. And I will either tell them ahead of time that it will be hard, or sometimes I don't. Kind of depends on what skill I'm working on. But, you know, for us, this happens in the kitchen a lot. I'll kind of give a very vague instruction to one of my kids that I know is probably not something they can totally do independently. And it does force them to say, mom, what do you mean? That thing with the red thing? I don't know what you're talking about. Can you be more specific? Which sometimes I can and sometimes I can't, people, but sometimes I don't remember. But it really is that way of bringing that self advocacy skill to your kids. It's so important that they have that skill. [00:19:14] Speaker B: Yeah, I agree. So both at school and home, you know, reinforce that asking for help is a strength, not a weakness. Yeah, I mean, you all have to learn that. Right? We all have to ask for help. Maggie will tell you that I'm very bad about that. And she does sort of point that out quite a bit to me. So I'm working, I'm working on it. But yeah, she will definitely tell you that is not my strength. [00:19:47] Speaker A: It is not my strength either. I think that it is hard because I really do think there is like a very American, and I'm gonna say Midwestern as well, cultural thing here that it you know, we're strong and we're independent, and we can do it ourselves. And it's like, actually, actually, no. And actually, you'd be better off. Right. It's like the analogy of you're coming home from the grocery store. You know, how many trips in the door are you gonna take? It's like, okay, I'm gonna take everything all at once that I am notorious for doing. And come on, guys. What almost always happens, you drop the eggs on the sidewalk. [00:20:34] Speaker B: Right. [00:20:34] Speaker A: Because you should have just asked for help. But we gotta keep learning that lesson. [00:20:41] Speaker B: Yeah. Really good thing to do is really celebrate those small wins. Like those small, consistent habits. Really create that momentum in recognizing them, giving positive feedback. That's how you reinforce them. And so that they can. Your student and child can grow and kind of go to the next steps. [00:21:05] Speaker A: Yeah. You know, and a way to kind of accomplish that too. Like, that momentum is really for all learners. Breaking down assignments into smaller and more manageable chunks that have, you know, dialed in deadlines can be so effective. [00:21:29] Speaker B: Right. [00:21:29] Speaker A: For all learners. You know, and that can be. It could be done with a student. Right. So they see the process of how to do that for themselves eventually. But it's such a good scaffold. [00:21:48] Speaker B: And that's explicitly teaching them how to do it themselves. [00:21:51] Speaker A: Exactly, exactly. You know, and they can physically cross something off their list. [00:21:58] Speaker B: I love crossing something on my list. I have a problem. [00:22:03] Speaker A: I do have a problem. I had a job. Before this job, I ran, like, a vocational training program. And I would have a to do list on my desk. And if it was a day that I was feeling predictive, like, less productive, I would add small things to my to do list so that I could cross them off. And one of my. One of my employees at the time, she's like, I can always tell when Meg is having a day because I just hear that very aggressive pen scratch coming from her desk. So I do tend to aggressively scratch things off my to do list. [00:22:45] Speaker B: Okay. [00:22:46] Speaker A: I'm having a day. It helps. [00:22:49] Speaker B: It does help. It really does help celebrate progress out loud. An example is, I noticed you stuck with that for 10 minutes without giving up. Great work. Just because they're not successful at something, knowing that they are trying and they're applying strategies that you've taught them. [00:23:12] Speaker A: Yes. [00:23:12] Speaker B: That's really important for them to note it that you noticed it. [00:23:15] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. That's. That's huge. You know, remember that our guys with especially that ADHD brain, that can be a game changer. Having someone recognize, like, no, you Actually really did try. And I saw that. I saw that amount of effort that you put forth. And that effort does matter here, Correct? Yeah. That's huge. [00:23:41] Speaker B: Parents can do a, like, a preview for tomorrow each evening. So, like, look at the next day's schedule. What is happening? Are they going to the doctor? Are they going to school? Do they have basketball? Do they have XYZ after school? That really helps kind of set up the next day and helps the student anticipate any transitions that they might have throughout the day. And so it's not as big of a shock. And maybe they won't have that bigger reaction. [00:24:10] Speaker A: Yeah. And it also teaches them that skill to do that for themselves, too. Right. It's important to have that. Okay, what does my week look like? What does my day look like? How am I going to accomplish the things that I really do need to get done? And so walking them through that for a while is really huge. That is skill building for your kids. That's much, much different than, like, we're going to preview everything so that you're not worried about it. That's totally a different thing. [00:24:44] Speaker B: Right? [00:24:45] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:24:46] Speaker B: And celebrate small wins at home, too. Did they complete their reading session? Did they do their homework early? Did they stay calm during a challenging event? Or when they were playing with their siblings on a game and one wanted one game and the other one wanted the other game and. Oh, my goodness. [00:25:03] Speaker A: I'm sorry. Were you at my house this morning, Nicole? [00:25:06] Speaker B: No, that was just last night. [00:25:07] Speaker A: Oh, okay. It's time for back to school. I'm glad we're talking about those topics today. [00:25:17] Speaker B: It felt like the summer went really too fast, but it's. It seems like the kids are ready. [00:25:24] Speaker A: They're ready. It is almost like when it becomes August, there is, like, a shift in the atmosphere, and it is like they are ready to go back. Even the students that we see here. Yesterday, one of my students, who I don't think I've ever heard her say anything positive about school, she was like, I can't wait for school to start. I'm ready. [00:25:48] Speaker B: Wow. Okay. [00:25:49] Speaker A: I was like, okay. All right. It's a change in the air. It really is. [00:25:57] Speaker B: Although my kids don't want to go back, so we'll see what happens when we go meet the teachers tomorrow night. Also, thinking about their strengths again. You know, dyslexia brains have. They excel in creativity, problem solving, and visual thinking. So giving them those opportunities to do those type of things in the classroom and at home will help grow their brains, will help them feel More successful and give them really some positive feedback probably from you and the teachers. And it's really a good option for them because really we want to build those. That confidence and get them excited about things. [00:26:40] Speaker A: Yeah. You know, and allowing them to generate their own ideas. Mm. That's huge. [00:26:47] Speaker B: It is. [00:26:48] Speaker A: That's really huge. You know, I say to my son all the time, like, wow, I love your brain. The way he solves problems sometimes is not at all how I would solve the problem. [00:27:05] Speaker B: And yet they work, don't they? [00:27:06] Speaker A: And yet they work. And sometimes just, I don't know. I really enjoy sitting and listening to him when he is building something with Legos. That's kind of my new favorite pastime. He's very into Legos right now and I have really just enjoyed the way he talks to himself. He is like me in that way that he will talk out loud. He's an out loud processor. [00:27:36] Speaker B: Makes sense. [00:27:38] Speaker A: And he will just talk about like, oh, not that piece, not that piece. Oh, I know what I can do. I mean, and it's just the coolest. It's the coolest thing because I can literally hear what his brain is doing. And it would absolutely not be how my brain would process information at all. But it ends up being so cool. [00:28:03] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:28:04] Speaker A: And I do think it's really important that he knows that. [00:28:09] Speaker B: Right. [00:28:10] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:28:11] Speaker B: And teachers like incorporating visual activities, hands on activities, or oral options for some assignments that will help them also feel successful and give leadership or idea generation roles in group work at school. I mean, that's always something to try and help them just succeed again. [00:28:36] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. You know, I mean, here, both here and in my home, I'm always talking about kids that you have. Every human on the planet has strengths that they bring to the table and challenges that they bring to the table. And the real, the trick is like bringing those strengths to the table and kind of allowing another person to kind of pick up those challenges. [00:29:06] Speaker B: Right. [00:29:06] Speaker A: You know, that's, that's the beauty of it. [00:29:09] Speaker B: Mm. And another thing for home, like, have a parent. You can say, I love how you solve that problem in your own way. And share examples of successful dyslexic adults like inventors, artists, entrepreneurs. There's a lot of them out there. [00:29:26] Speaker A: That's for sure. There are. My son has taken to asking me, like, if he hears about a person like, mom, does that person have adhd? Do you think that person has adhd? And sometimes, like, I don't know. Let's look it up. [00:29:42] Speaker B: Yeah, that's awesome. [00:29:44] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:29:46] Speaker B: Also handling Tough days, right? Students need to plan for when things get hard. So, you know, at school, maybe you need a cool down corner or maybe a signal if the student is overwhelmed that they can give the teacher. And obviously you want to do that before the event or whatever is causing that because we know that there will be tough days and then really allowing flexible timing on tough days without penalty, you know, and then for parents going back to those calming down strategies that we talked about in another episode, like the deep breathing, taking short breaks, maybe after their calm, than debrief after that tough day and focus on solutions, not blame. I think that's important for our students too. [00:30:44] Speaker A: That is a really. It's a really important skill. And you know, everybody have. Has tough days. [00:30:51] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. [00:30:52] Speaker A: And so we expect that this is going to happen. And it's okay to also share. Like, you know what? I had a tough day at work today too. And I handled a situation a way that I probably shouldn't have handled it. I probably said a thing I shouldn't have said. Yep, that does happen. But, you know, what am I going to do next? And you know, not passing the blame. That's really important. [00:31:22] Speaker B: Yeah. Remember that school success is a team effort. You know, communicating regularly with parents and teachers about wins, not just the challenges. That's always important. As parents, we both probably have been in that spot where all we hear is the negative stuff about our kids. [00:31:42] Speaker A: Definitely. [00:31:43] Speaker B: And that's not easy. And it's really not fair because I know that they had some good days in there. [00:31:48] Speaker A: Yeah. And you know, I can be just as guilty on my end as a parent where, you know, what is the first thing? If I've been with the kids all day and my husband comes home, what's the first thing I report? Right. Well, they're at each other's throats. It's not the like, hey, you know what? Ian took his play away into his bedroom and listened to a book for 25 minutes on his own where, you know, Lily brought me a book and read it out loud to me for, you know, 10 minutes. Like, no, that's not the stuff I'm reporting. Let's be really honest. I'm not. That's the stuff that I have to sit and think about later and go, you know what? Actually. [00:32:35] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:32:36] Speaker A: That it's not fair. Not all day was a terrible day. [00:32:40] Speaker B: Correct. [00:32:40] Speaker A: This one part was really hard. And I think that can be such a hard shift too. That, okay, if one negative things happen, that doesn't mean my whole day sucked. That part of that day really sucked. And. Okay, maybe there's something we can do to prevent that from sucking later. [00:33:08] Speaker B: Remember also to include your student in the IEP504 discussions in age appropriate ways. [00:33:18] Speaker A: Absolutely. [00:33:19] Speaker B: We have a whole podcast on that. [00:33:20] Speaker A: We do, we do. And it's. It's very important that they understand they are a part of that team. The team is about them and it is for them and they are a part of it. [00:33:32] Speaker B: Correct. [00:33:33] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:33:34] Speaker B: And then parents, make sure that you keep teachers updated on home or teens that are working well and what you're trying and maybe what strategies that they could implement at school too, and really show appreciation when teachers adapt strategies. [00:33:49] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. Right. That teachers have a lot of work is a really hard job. It is a really hard job and I love teachers. I am a teacher and it's a really hard job. And so, yeah, giving those shout outs or passing along cute things that your kids say about your teachers, you know, hey, you know, just let you know. [00:34:21] Speaker B: Yes. [00:34:21] Speaker A: You know, the kids said this thing about you and I think that's great. You know, I'm in kind of the process right now. I had a really positive relationship with my son's first grade teacher, you know, so it's like, okay, what went well? Kind of prepping like an email document for his new teacher next year. These are the things that really, really went well. And this is some things that didn't go so good. Yes. You know, and having. Having the new teacher have some of that information before school starts with the understanding that he is not the only child in their classroom. [00:35:05] Speaker B: Right. [00:35:06] Speaker A: So understand that this is a team effort and it requires its dance. [00:35:16] Speaker B: Correct. [00:35:17] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:35:18] Speaker B: So, Maggie, what's happening outside of dyslexia? [00:35:21] Speaker A: Oh, my goodness. Well, we are in southeastern Wisconsin. [00:35:29] Speaker B: I think I know what you're gonna say. [00:35:30] Speaker A: And yeah, if anyone is paying attention to national news right now, we have experienced some flooding here in our area. [00:35:40] Speaker B: Unprecedented. [00:35:41] Speaker A: Yes. Was our state fair. The last day was actually canceled. [00:35:47] Speaker B: I don't think I've ever heard of them ever doing that. [00:35:49] Speaker A: I do not believe. Not to my knowledge has that ever happened before. I don't. It is possible that it has and I just don't know it. I don't. In my life. [00:36:01] Speaker B: I don't think it. I don't think it's happened since I've been. [00:36:03] Speaker A: No, I don't think so either. Luckily, my immediate family is okay every. We are physically okay, but we have a lot of friends, relatives and neighbors who are experiencing loss due to flooding. And so it is. It's a bit humbling. It is one of those events that I have never physically. I have lived in this area my whole life. And yes, we do get flooding here, but not to this level. And it happened so fast. I have this appreciation for the word flower. Flash flooding now that I'm not sure I really had before. Had before. So I'm thankful that everybody I know is physically okay. [00:36:57] Speaker B: Yes. [00:36:58] Speaker A: But I have a lot of people experiencing very difficult situations right now. So that is very much on my mind. [00:37:08] Speaker B: Yeah, I think that's mine too. I mean it's. It's been quite the time. And it happened like they literally said it was like 14 inches of water. [00:37:22] Speaker A: Yes. [00:37:22] Speaker B: That came down in a very short amount of time. [00:37:25] Speaker A: To put in context. We were at our friend's pool. So this, you know, about 3 o' clock on Saturday in the afternoon, we were in our friend's pool by 5:30pm that same night. That same pool was flooded over to the point of they have to drain the entire thing and pump new water into it because there is standing water up to their basement. So to go from. We are in the pool. It was bright and sunny, beautiful, hot. Hot. But kind of not a cloud in the sky to total damage. And I mean, wow. From 3 to 5:30 that. [00:38:13] Speaker B: And it didn't stop. [00:38:14] Speaker A: And it did not stop. [00:38:15] Speaker B: And it kept going all night. [00:38:18] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:38:18] Speaker B: And it was just one thunderstorm after another. So it was very heavy rain. [00:38:22] Speaker A: And it's really not over. We had storms last night. We had storms this morning. Yeah, it's. We're. It's not quite like anything I've experienced. [00:38:33] Speaker B: Me too. Before. [00:38:36] Speaker A: I do think. Well, I am quite biased. I do like living where we live. [00:38:41] Speaker B: Yes. [00:38:42] Speaker A: But I think those of us who are lucky enough to live here, we don't experience the natural disasters like other places of this country. And so it is kind of a very humbling experience to be, wow, we. This can happen. This could happen anywhere. And it did. It happened here. So I'm feeling thankful that physically we're okay. [00:39:13] Speaker B: Right. [00:39:14] Speaker A: It will be. [00:39:15] Speaker B: It's gonna be a long cleanup. [00:39:17] Speaker A: It will be a long cleanup. Yeah. Well, thank you everybody for listening. If you do like our show, please follow us on social media and reach out if you have questions or would like us to discuss a topic. Be sure to follow us and rate us on your favorite podcast player. That's how we reach more listeners and we get to help more families. Thank you, everybody. [00:39:39] Speaker B: Thank you.