Entering our third month of quarantine and there are certainly things I'm liking and disliking.
⤊Curbside Shopping - I just order something (Micheal's for crafts, Pet Supplies Plus for dog stuff, etc.) and I pull up to the store, call them, and they deliver my order in my trunk. No interaction. No awkward checkout conversation. Bam. It's dynamite!
⤋ Grocery Shopping - We'd rather reserve the online grocery pickup options for high-risk groups, such as the elderly, so we're making a big grocery shop once a week -- usually on weekends since we're both working full time. I dread these trips. People in masks, some in gloves and more, avoiding eye contact, this hollow look of the apocalypse in their faces. Gah. It's unsettling. Once the initial panic subsided, and there was no sign of a real food shortage (at least in our area), the experience has gotten better. But it's still a stressful trip.
⤄ Working From Home - Juggling is really the name of the game. From trying to work from home, having no focus, constantly interrupted, that low-level worry that's a constant hum in the back of my mind. It's exhausting. I love the freedom of working from home. And being with my family all day. Getting hugs in the middle of the day is the best. It's a see-saw of ups and downs. I saw this graphic on my Instagram feed and thought it perfectly described things ...
⤊ Older kids - One game we've been playing is "what if this happened X years ago." And if we had been "shelter in place" with young kids, I would have completely lost it. Zero sanity. At 11 and 14, the girls find things to do all day, usually together. Sure, I have lax rules on screen time, so there are A LOT of movies, shows, etc., but they're finding other ways to keep busy and I have time to work (with interruptions, of course) for most of the day. School work is a little trickier, but they're self-motivated to get it done so they can spend the rest of their day on other things.
⤋ Online Shopping - Yikes! With zero focus and all this time AT home, I'm buying ALL THE THINGS -- from supplies on Amazon, books, lounge-y clothes, home improvement items, accessories, new kitchen table, sofa, gah! You name it. Sure, there's the "helping the economy" benefit (eye-roll) and the argument that we're "saving money by not going out, traveling, driving, etc," that we'd normally be doing. We've missed TWO trips so far. But, oye, it's really gotta stop.
⤊ Home Projects - But, there is a lot to be said about being home and getting nagging home improvement and maintenance tasks done. There's out-of-the-house work, nothing to drive kits to and from, no travel, so those home projects are bubbling up to the top of the list Power-washing the deck, finishing the powder room, cleaning out the garage, organizing the basement, etc. It's all getting done and, sure, it's a never ending list, but tasks are getting knocked off a lot faster.
⤊ Musicians' At-Home Performances - It's a beautiful thing! Jack Johnson, Ben Gibbard from Death Cab for Cutie, Indigo Girls, Avett Brothers, we've seen soo many of our favorite musicians give live, at home, personal concerts and I'm living for it! They're so intimate, there's usually story-telling, and they're usually raising money for charity. It's been my favorite thing this whole quarantine. And there are so many more artists I'd like to see join in. For this reason alone, I'm FINE with the shelter-in-place restrictions.
⤋ Zero Future Planning - I'm a planner. By March, I usually have our summer mapped out -- camps, vacations, etc. But with the uncertainty of the future. No one is sure when we'll go back to our "normal" life, so future planning is pointless. I'm basically planning a week out and it's just our dinner menu. It's bananas.
So, that's my take right now on our current lives: the good and the bad.
⤊Curbside Shopping - I just order something (Micheal's for crafts, Pet Supplies Plus for dog stuff, etc.) and I pull up to the store, call them, and they deliver my order in my trunk. No interaction. No awkward checkout conversation. Bam. It's dynamite!
⤋ Grocery Shopping - We'd rather reserve the online grocery pickup options for high-risk groups, such as the elderly, so we're making a big grocery shop once a week -- usually on weekends since we're both working full time. I dread these trips. People in masks, some in gloves and more, avoiding eye contact, this hollow look of the apocalypse in their faces. Gah. It's unsettling. Once the initial panic subsided, and there was no sign of a real food shortage (at least in our area), the experience has gotten better. But it's still a stressful trip.
⤄ Working From Home - Juggling is really the name of the game. From trying to work from home, having no focus, constantly interrupted, that low-level worry that's a constant hum in the back of my mind. It's exhausting. I love the freedom of working from home. And being with my family all day. Getting hugs in the middle of the day is the best. It's a see-saw of ups and downs. I saw this graphic on my Instagram feed and thought it perfectly described things ...
⤊ Older kids - One game we've been playing is "what if this happened X years ago." And if we had been "shelter in place" with young kids, I would have completely lost it. Zero sanity. At 11 and 14, the girls find things to do all day, usually together. Sure, I have lax rules on screen time, so there are A LOT of movies, shows, etc., but they're finding other ways to keep busy and I have time to work (with interruptions, of course) for most of the day. School work is a little trickier, but they're self-motivated to get it done so they can spend the rest of their day on other things.
⤋ Online Shopping - Yikes! With zero focus and all this time AT home, I'm buying ALL THE THINGS -- from supplies on Amazon, books, lounge-y clothes, home improvement items, accessories, new kitchen table, sofa, gah! You name it. Sure, there's the "helping the economy" benefit (eye-roll) and the argument that we're "saving money by not going out, traveling, driving, etc," that we'd normally be doing. We've missed TWO trips so far. But, oye, it's really gotta stop.
⤊ Home Projects - But, there is a lot to be said about being home and getting nagging home improvement and maintenance tasks done. There's out-of-the-house work, nothing to drive kits to and from, no travel, so those home projects are bubbling up to the top of the list Power-washing the deck, finishing the powder room, cleaning out the garage, organizing the basement, etc. It's all getting done and, sure, it's a never ending list, but tasks are getting knocked off a lot faster.
⤊ Musicians' At-Home Performances - It's a beautiful thing! Jack Johnson, Ben Gibbard from Death Cab for Cutie, Indigo Girls, Avett Brothers, we've seen soo many of our favorite musicians give live, at home, personal concerts and I'm living for it! They're so intimate, there's usually story-telling, and they're usually raising money for charity. It's been my favorite thing this whole quarantine. And there are so many more artists I'd like to see join in. For this reason alone, I'm FINE with the shelter-in-place restrictions.
⤋ Zero Future Planning - I'm a planner. By March, I usually have our summer mapped out -- camps, vacations, etc. But with the uncertainty of the future. No one is sure when we'll go back to our "normal" life, so future planning is pointless. I'm basically planning a week out and it's just our dinner menu. It's bananas.
So, that's my take right now on our current lives: the good and the bad.
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