Here we are, getting ready to start our 5th week of our new normal. It has been a month of ups and downs and learning how to manage my anxiety and patience. There are days that are overwhelming and then days that I am so thankful and feel so lucky to be in the situation that I am in. I don't know when this will be over, but I know moving forward life will be much different.
Everybody's situation is different and we are all handling it in our own way. Aaron and I are thankful that both of us still have our jobs and we aren't feeling the impact financially. I work for a really great company that I know is doing everything they can and has told us all that we don't need to worry about our jobs. UPS is definitely essential and while Aaron has seen a bit of a slow down as far as the amount of boxes he is moving, he is still working his long hours. We have struggled financially before, but I can't imagine being one of the thousands of people waiting for some type of income to come in. Having some savings and still being able to work is reminding me to be thankful for our situation and know it could be much worse.
I know some people will disagree, but to keep things as normal as possible for the girls, they are continuing to go to daycare. Outreach Christian Education has always provided a safe, loving and fun learning environment. They are still teaching our girls everyday and giving them that social interaction they need. I know Payton is realizing that a lot of her friends are missing, but she comes home everyday with fun stories to tell me. Trust me, every weekend I think about keeping them home, but honestly there is really no way that I could keep the girls at home and put in 8 hours a day. At this age, Taylor needs a lot of attention and they can't seem to go 10 minutes without fighting. They need the daycare routine that stimulates their minds and play time with friends. I need my mental sanity.
Everybody's situation is different and we are all handling it in our own way. Aaron and I are thankful that both of us still have our jobs and we aren't feeling the impact financially. I work for a really great company that I know is doing everything they can and has told us all that we don't need to worry about our jobs. UPS is definitely essential and while Aaron has seen a bit of a slow down as far as the amount of boxes he is moving, he is still working his long hours. We have struggled financially before, but I can't imagine being one of the thousands of people waiting for some type of income to come in. Having some savings and still being able to work is reminding me to be thankful for our situation and know it could be much worse.
I know some people will disagree, but to keep things as normal as possible for the girls, they are continuing to go to daycare. Outreach Christian Education has always provided a safe, loving and fun learning environment. They are still teaching our girls everyday and giving them that social interaction they need. I know Payton is realizing that a lot of her friends are missing, but she comes home everyday with fun stories to tell me. Trust me, every weekend I think about keeping them home, but honestly there is really no way that I could keep the girls at home and put in 8 hours a day. At this age, Taylor needs a lot of attention and they can't seem to go 10 minutes without fighting. They need the daycare routine that stimulates their minds and play time with friends. I need my mental sanity.
The hardest part about all of this is the girls. Payton and Taylor don't understand and I don't know how to explain it. Really nothing has changed for them, they go to school and mom and dad go to work. After school some days we try and play outside, but of course they want to go play with the neighbors. Why shouldn't they, they are playing with their friends at school. On the weekends it's the same story. We do our best to keep them busy with make-overs, card games, movie nights, art projects, video calling friends and families. We have taken them on ATV rides around the neighborhood or go on different nature walks. I am not going to lie, they have played with the neighbor kids and we have talked about not hugging or getting too close. I will continue to keep them separated as much as possible, but I will be honest that it has taken a toll on me and I am not proud of myself and how I have been handling the situation. I really shouldn't complain since I am not struggling to keep them mentally and physically busy 24/7 like most people. This is hard on everyone and we are all doing the best we can.
This has been quite the learning experience and has reminded me of all the things I am thankful for.
This has been quite the learning experience and has reminded me of all the things I am thankful for.
- I am thankful I am finding more ways to spend quality time with Payton and Taylor, but I need more patience and they need more than just me.
- Hugs won't be taken for granted anymore. Mom you can have as many :30 hugs as you want when this is all over.
- Working from home has some great perks: extra time to get in a workout, working in sweats and t-shirts and less interruptions.
- I do need that social interaction at the office, I miss connecting with co-workers and knowing what's going on in their life.
- Virtual Happy Hours, while they seem like a good idea, there is no happiness happening when you have a 5yr old and a 2 yr old with you.
- I am so thankful for my parents. While we can't be together, their constant words of encouragement are what help me get through each week.
- Most of all I have learned you can't take anything for granted. I am making sure we as a family realize how lucky we are and that we need to be more thankful.
Good luck to everyone through this tough time. Very much looking forward to seeing my family and celebrating with a real happy hour with all my friends.
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