Like I mentioned before, these are some weird times. These are rough, worrisome, and all together it is a struggling sort of time. When I am struggling, I write. I figured I should spend time documenting this time. Everyone keeps saying these are historical times and while I do believe that, it still seems weird to think about.
For those who are here for the first time, hi! I am Jenn, I am a 30 year old mother of 3 and wife of one. My kids are 6, 3, and 11.5 months old.
My husband works as a sanitation worker and thus is deemed “essential” to keep working during these times. It is scary to think of all the exposures that come with him leaving the house, let alone his line of work. I worry every day if someone’s trash bags or trash cans are contaminated. I worry that he might bring it home and who knows where it would go from there. However, at the same time, I am grateful he still has his job because without it I really don’t know what we would do.
My oldest son goes to school, he is in the first grade. They officially canceled school until further notice a couple of weeks ago. His school has not given any required work or e-learning to do. I have seen my niece and nephew get those from their schools. My son has been diagnosed with ADHD and unfortunately, the doctor’s still haven’t been able to get his medication to the pharmacy. With that said, he is a little behind in school due to his lack of focusing. I am sure many parents can attest that their children defy them the most. I only have so much time and energy that I can give to my kids. I try to incorporate things to keep him going, but he has a really hard time focusing here at home. Without requiring work how am I suppose to help him be successful academically? At the same time, I know there are other things to teach him more than just writing and reading.
We have been doing a lot of art. We have decorated the livingroom windows and all the other windows, twice, that face the street for the people going on walks and families on scavenger hunts in their cars. I created my own learning sheets by drawing them out and creating pieces with velcro attached to place on the sheet. We read every day. He practices writing everyday. We do some math equations everyday. We have dance parties, we use GoNoodle, and constantly build forts. But, the structure is gone. Sometimes getting him to do anything is a serious struggle. He doesn’t respect me the same way he does his teachers. More so, he just cannot focus here at home where everything else is not structured and is distracting. I do my best with what we have, but the struggle is there.
I also can’t forget to mention how often these kids eat! I swear they eat and 2 minutes later they are complaining they are hungry again. I wonder how my oldest makes it through a regular school day without so many snacks. 😵
We have been basically self isolating since the school’s announcement. The only places we have gone are the driveway, a walk to a park to play soccer and get some air, a short drive to get takeout [supporting businesses], and my sister’s house for my nephew’s birthday [don’t worry there was only 10 people and we were all cautious]. Now that the numbers are getting worse, we and others need to start taking this more seriously. Not that I feel we were going overboard but you never know where the virus is.
The eye opener for me was the video a doctor in NYC courageously shared. The part that really got to me was when she said they had to order a refrigerated truck to store the bodies. I cannot even imagine what that is like, not only for the hospital staff but also the families of those people. It is horrifying.
So, we are staying put. We are binge watching all of the marvel movies in some chronological order that my husband found (I think we have 5 or 6 left). We have canceled our youngest son’s first birthday party that is coming up. We have been playing card games like uno and skipbo. We are just trying to stay healthy. I cannot imagine this getting worse, but I only know it will. Especially if others keep doing what they are doing and not living by the guidelines.
These are some seriously crazy times. What are you doing during all of this to stay sane?
Reclaiming My Sanity 