18 days locked in a house with 3 tiny humans.
It's been an exciting week- we went on an adventure to the living room and beyond! I also caved and watched 'Tiger King' on Netflix- what a ride that was!! Just when you thought Americans couldn't get any crazier, along comes Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin. If you haven't checked it out already, and you fancy making yourself feel better about your own life- I would suggest giving it a watch!
Honestly I expected to have lost it, but we are doing better than I thought we would be by this point. The kids are all in relatively good spirits and I have to say I am extremely proud of how they are coping.
While we are all worried about losing our sanity during this long, long time behind closed doors with our darling children, I think we often forget just how hard all this is on them as well as us.
Just 2 weeks ago they were living in a life full of routine, getting up early, going to school, seeing their friends and teachers. Now they are stuck inside the house 24 hours a day, with a Mother who apparently has less of a clue how to do their maths homework than they do, and is developing an increasingly worrying wine habit.
It's actually been really uplifting to see how they have adapted. 2 weeks ago, getting them to play nicely together was an uphill struggle. There would almost always be 1 of them sat with me complaining that the other 2 would not let them join in. They would argue, and bicker, and generally do all the things that brothers and sisters do to make each others lives as difficult as possible.
Now, I get times where I actually feel redundant. We sit down every morning for breakfast together, and then they sit and do some of their school work if they feel like it. Then I am left to my own devices for a few hours while they build forts in the bedroom, run round the garden, play ball, and generally enjoy each others company.
I went to check on the boys a few nights ago and Loki was not in his bed, he had climbed in with his brother and gone to sleep- This would never have happened without Sam screaming the place down before. I really hope this continues long after Covid-19 is gone.
We've found a new appreciation for our garden, where usually I have to drag the kids kicking and screaming they are now loving any opportunity to get some fresh air, and soak up some vitamin D. We even rescued a bee, which I have counted as science class. We named him Buzz-Zee-Bee (After Buzz Lightyear of course).
The kids have also enjoyed costing me a small fortune in Sky Movies. This weeks offerings were Frozen 2, full of catchy new Frozen songs that are now stuck on a loop in my head, and Trolls World Tour which cost me £15 to RENT for 48 hours. So naturally I made the kids watch it 4 times just to get my £15 worth.
I finally convinced the boys to let me cut their hair- Sam dared me to shave his head, and since he isn't leaving the house for the foreseeable I went with it. Loki changed his mind last minute but still went much shorter than usual. I offered my hair dressing service to Sky- she politely declined. (Can't say I blame her) I may have to let lose on my own hair before long- who knows if this lock down goes on much longer I may go full Britney and shave my own head- (For the laughs) Something for you all to look forward to in the coming months...It's not all been plain sailing of course- I have found myself crying into my pillow on more than 1 occasion as the reality of what is going on in the world sets in. When all this started in January, who would have predicted that the whole world would be put on hold for an unknown length of time. Friends, families, separated for what already feels like a lifetime. Its strange how even the friends and family that you rarely see seem that little further away.
I am extremely thankful to the friends and family who call or text me day after day, adult conversation is definitely in short supply so every message, every call helps pull back those tiny pieces of my sanity, and stop me from toppling over the edge. I think most of you will know my struggles with anxiety and depression over the years and I am fighting hard not to fall back into the black abyss.
Like many, my main coping mechanisms for dealing with my depression have been going out, just getting out of the house, making plans, and forcing myself to stick to them. I know some of my friends think I am mad for making plans through this time as we really do not know how long until life returns to anything that resembles normal. But making plans gives me something to focus on, something to look forward to, it gives me hope that life WILL return to normal at some point. I am terrified of going back to being the person who can't leave her own house, who is scared to walk out of her own front door.
Right enough of that- happy thoughts from here on out!
I will leave you with this- my favourite picture from this week- Yes, they have been in their pj's ALL DAY, and no, I have no idea why Loki is holding a card reader...
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