In a matter of days school closed for the next 3 weeks (but we are anticipating longer), the library closed, and now Mass has been canceled state-wide indefinitely. Life is incredibly different than it was a week ago. It is almost nice to be at nearly full shut-down because there isn't much left to close. I don't have to keep checking my phone, refreshing the news, just to see what is closing, because almost everything is. I had to be out for a doctor's appointment today and it was eerie driving around, seeing so much less traffic and the only stores that really had cars were the groceries.
Matt is still working since he works at a hospital, although, thankfully, not with known COVID patients. As much as we'd like him home, it's also nice that he's still employed and making money. His job is impossible to do from home. I finally told my work this morning to cut the hours I am being paid because, although I have work to do, I am having a really hard time finding the time to do it between Luke home all day AND having to school him. And my news refreshing.
And that homeschooling, man. I am a huge fan of it in theory. I was homeschooled for 5 years in grade school and loved it. However, my Mom was a teacher, before and after her homeschooling years, and she's good at it. I am not. Luke asked at least 5 times on Monday morning if Grandma could homeschool him instead of me. Nope, we're staying away from them for now so he's stuck with me and then Matt after work. I am not cut out for this teaching thing; there is a reason I've been outsourcing it! Although we are finding our groove, a few days in. I do feel MUCH more informed as to what Luke does at school! Although it is alarming when *I* can't even tell what his math paper is looking for, why are they messing with math?!?!?
A few things that have been helping me this week:
-starting each day with a workout
With no need to get the boys up to get Luke out the door for school my workouts have gotten a lot more consistent and I've been at least in the shower when they've woken up every day!
-Reading them books first thing
Once everyone is around and dressed and fed we start with books. Then, even if the rest of the day goes sideways with homeschool and chores and such, I know we got reading in. And then I'll read to Luke a little more before bed too.
-PUT DOWN THE PHONE
My screen time has been a little crazy the past week but I really do better when I put it down. I've turned it to vibrate since even my texts are much more active than normal and then pick it up when I can.
-Stop checking the news
I originally followed news organizations on Twitter and now I've unfollowed most and limited where I get my news from. Usually, big changes/new closing will show up in one of our family's group texts or I'll see it eventually. Mostly what I want social media for is to see how other people are coping with the quarantine, seeing how we can all get through this and occasionally laugh together.
-Drinking plenty of water
I try to do this all the time but with our routine so off lately, I've been trying to keep it up.
-SLEEP
My sleep hasn't been great over the last week with the news and stress of it all and knowing my husband is going to the hospital every day. We've been aiming for a good amount of sleep but...depends on how the boys sleep too. They seem to switch off bad nights of sleeping, I think we are all a little extra anxious.
Life is very much not normal or routine right now. It seems surreal all over again every morning when I remember what is going on. It's not like when we've been kinda snowed in for a couple days, because outside looks fine! But we can hardly leave our property and I have been refreshing the news way more often than I should.
It is reassuring to know that pretty much the whole world is experiencing the same thing right now. Jumping on social media and seeing others' posts on how they are surviving and thriving and dealing with quarantine really helps. We're all doing our best and taking it day by day. The country has gotten so split, and there is still so much politics going on, but it's refreshing to see people come together over being apart.
We are trying to delight in the everyday, appreciate those moments where life feels normal. Luke lost a tooth this week! Sam still wants piles of books read to him constantly! I've been trying to read as much as I can (stopping the constant refreshing would probably help). We'll all in this together and I'm optimistically over documenting, hoping someday we'll all look back on this as a distant memory. I try not to think about how long this could go on, just focusing on the now.
I hope you are all surviving and even, sometimes, thriving! We'll all get through this together, but apart!
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