I know I said it would be every couple of days, but I feel like Day 3 should get its own entry because it was the first day of our new normal weekday schedule. For your reading pleasure, here’s how our Monday went.
Day 3: I don’t feel refreshed when I wake up, although I also don’t feel exhausted. I slept some, but the worries and fears still hang over me like a cloud. I set my alarm for the usual time, though, to create some semblance of normal. But there is nothing normal about this time. I listened to Pray As You Go and read the daily office reading from the Book of Common Prayer. Phil still went to the gym this morning. It’s a mental health thing as well as physical. I know this. It worries me some.
I don’t exactly know how to order my day. I’m afraid of being aimless. I don’t have to be productive all the time, but this feels so different because it’s not like recovering from surgery when I couldn’t do things. And it’s not summer, so we can’t plan fun outings. Plus we have restrictions on gatherings. I’m hoping I can find some meaning and order in this day.
Phil said there were 7 people at the gym in a class that normally has upwards of 20, and while the gym is taking precautions, he’s probably going to pause his membership. After everyone finished breakfast, Phil and I did our taxes because we’d been putting it off for a while. The kids had extra screen time but some of it was math.
I spent a good chunk of the morning making soup–butternut squash and leek, topped with bacon. I also washed a few dishes and put two loads of towels in the washer and dryer. I streamed the alternative rock station and turned the volume up. (If you’re not singing “Hey Jealousy” at top volume did you even grow up in the 90s?) At lunch, we watched two Tiny Desk Concerts on YouTube: Coldplay and Jonas Brothers. Music education!
Phil still has work, which is great for our personal economy, so he headed out about midday as usual. At least one of us still has a routine.
For lunch, I taught my son how to make scrambled eggs. He was not as excited to do it himself as I was to teach him. The kids then fought over cupcakes, and I was ready to throw in all the towels on this whole schedule/social distancing thing. Lord, have mercy, I prayed. (I said some other things that I don’t wish to repeat.)
I worked out, cleaned our kitchen trash can that had some strong odors after we took the trash out this morning, and tended this plant that was in need of some love. It’s the most resilient plant I’ve ever cared for. No matter how I neglect it, it keeps growing. Dirt under my nails felt good. I can’t wait to tackle the garden, even if I don’t make a lot of progress getting everything ready.
After my workout, I made a snack. The kids are supposed to be folding towels while watching YouTube. They’re definitely watching YouTube.
I watched another episode of Jamestown. Toward the end of it, my daughter waltzed into the bedroom proclaiming that SHE folded all of the towels. I asked my son to put them away.
When Phil got home, I learned that all non-essential stores in PA were closing at midnight. This added to my anxiety a bit, even though I rarely go out. I deposited his paycheck, which eased the anxiety some. He took the truck to get gas so it would be ready for work the next day. The kids played outside for a bit and did some creative time. Our daughter drew on the computer and our son reinforced a cardboard box he has turned into an animal habitat sort of thing.
I set out to make dinner. Cooking is one of the things I enjoy when I have the time. If you need recipe or meal suggestions in this time, let me know. We consider ourselves experts in creative cooking and meal planning because we try to use what we have on hand. Tonight, it was chicken and brussel sprouts alfredo over rustichine pasta. (One of the fancy pastas Phil got at Aldi because the basic pastas were all gone.) We watched an episode of Hyperdrive, (well, the kids and husband did; it’s not my favorite show) then I took the kids for a walk after dinner.
They both brought bubble wands with them, among other toys. My son rarely travels without a stuffed animal and/or a car of some kind. It was windy and cold, and the breeze took the bubbles farther than we could blow them. Watching them float was soothing and fun. My daughter remarked that they were just floating along, nothing bothering them and that’s how life should be. It was kind of a huge thought for one who just turned 12, but she’s been overhearing adult conversations her whole life. And she’s a deep thinker.
Still it stopped me. Bubbles are a uniquely summer thing, and I tried to imagine each bubble as a little blob of happy lightness. I hope someone was looking out their window and saw us.
Back home, I took a shower while the kids did more screens in the form of active video games and creative games. We exceeded my idea of how much screen time we should have today. Tomorrow, we’ll try to do better. I started another book (because I finished one this morning). For the last hour before bedtime, the kids did a Hot Wheels tournament while I worked on the frustrating puzzle. I had to take a whole section apart and redo it because the pieces looked like they fit but they didn’t.
I’m hoping for a later wake-up time for the kids tomorrow.
I stayed up late watching the latest episode of Outlander and another episode of Jamestown. If you don’t know by now, historical fiction is my go-to escape. I did my nails and worked on a cross-stitch project while I watched. I checked on some friends via text message, and I’m trying to schedule some video calls. I’m realizing how difficult this time of distancing is going to be for my daughter who is a social butterfly. Me, on the other hand, I’ve been prepping for canceled plans and staying home my whole life. I will get stir crazy. I know this from the month-long recovery from surgery in the fall. But I won’t suffer as much from social distancing as my extraverted family members.
We learned some things about how this schedule does and does not work today. Making some adjustments for tomorrow.
How did your Monday go? What adjustments are you making today?
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