It’s been 10 weeks of staying home and staying safe. Sigh. 10 weeks. And while I’ve been really trying hard to stay in a positive headspace through all of this, some days (or weeks) are just harder than others.
It seems that suddenly being surrounded by everyone, everyday and being called into action in ways I never could have imagined, is seriously shining a spotlight on some of my insecurities as a parent and partner, and all-around good person.
From:
- Keeping the kids motivated to complete their at home learning tasks assigned by their teachers each week
- To mediating the inevitable sibling rivalry that stirs up with a single sideways look, stolen toy, or overly aggressive chew from across the table
- To planning and preparing 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 3 dinners and countless snacks for five people every day for 10 weeks
- To washing way more dishes than any single household should be utilizing on any given day
- To the inevitable scavenger hunt to track down missing cutlery and cups, which have somehow found there way onto bookshelves, nightstands and bathroom sinks
- To the never-ending task of tidying that always ends in a daily battle to find a surface to prepare a meal on, eat on, or do school work on
These are the things that are weighing me down and adding up to a whole lot of low by the end of a week. So… I let myself wallow. I might even have a good cry, or scream. Whatever the mood calls for. And then… I cut myself some slack.
So what if:
- We eat a few more meals around the tv, or out of baskets for that matter. Baskets are surprisingly handy for everything from sandwiches, to wraps, to burgers and so much more. And it cuts down on dish duty big time
- I give the kids a bit more freedom around what they eat and where they eat it. Allowing everyone the freedom to escape to their own spaces when they feel the pull is absolutely essential when we’re all on top of each other every day
- We crawl into bed a bit later than usual. Our days don’t look like they once did. I’ve mixed up my weekdays and weekends more than I can count and allowing a bit more room for a relaxed routine feels right
- We wear our pajamas all day everyday. It cuts down on laundry which is saving us a tone of time, money spent on detergent, and is one less task to tackle on my to do list
- We don’t check off every box on our home schooling list for the week. This might mean giving ourselves more time on tasks, admitting when we’ve reached our limit or leaving some things undone
- If I invent a new day of the week called “Sunday the Sequel.” After a particularly maxed out week and a feeling we didn’t get enough down time, the kids found themselves wishing for a personal day or holiday, so I gave us one
Our worlds have been turned upside down and we’re all navigating it the best we can. The bottom line is, there is no right or wrong in all of this. We just have to keep moving forward, and giving ourselves a bit more grace in the process just makes sense.
P.S. I’m seriously considering allowing summer to come early to our house. Who’s with me!