Day 22- April 3, 2020

Day 22- April 3, 2020

Today I worked on creating Screencastify videos demonstrating how to use online sources, and that took up most of my morning.  I'm extremely grateful that my husband was able to watch the kids while I holed up in our room, since I had to do voiceover recordings. I've heard stories from friends who are single parents about trying to maintain sanity while working from home, because with young kids especially, good luck trying going ten minutes without interruption.

It was an otherwise lazy day- made fresh bread, watched some television with the girls, when through some old writing, and watched (way too many) YouTube mash ups of outtakes and montages from television shows and films I like.  Sometimes, you need a day like that.

We Facetimed with a good friend today because it was her son's 4th birthday.  She's a single mom, and she made him pizza in the shape of a 4, a cake, and did video chats with their family.  I had left balloons out for her, along with some candles, on the front porch so that she could have some decorations.  I'm glad I was able to help, and from the looks of their apartment, she blew up ALL of them.  His was pure, unbridled four-year-old happiness, made complete because she and I were a rapt audience for his adaptation of Green Eggs And Ham, as he recited "I will not eat them on a balloon" while kicking the balloons around the floor where they bounced like fat, round kangaroos.  She made his birthday memorable, and made it special for him, which is exactly what parenting is all about.

I've also spent some time reflecting on the many memes and uplifting messages, and absolutely

hysterical videos that are being created to get us through this time.  I'm hoping to find the good in this tragedy that is the pandemic.  I love that I am talking to friends via video chat, and catching up with them.  Our family looks forward to daily conversations with grandparents and aunts- and the occasional in-person, socially distanced talk (today, my mom and stepdad drove by with their dog Abby, and we got to chat for a few minutes, us inside looking out a window, and them in the car in the driveway).  I am having fun spending days with my daughters playing outside, and watching them practice math and reading in our living room.  E. enjoys reading her writing out loud, and has taken to performing it for us once she is done with her assignments.  R. was proud of the power point she was doing on weather, and I was impressed by all the different storm types she was able to explain.

As a working parent, it has been a long time since I've been able to spend this much consistent time with my family.  And I realize how unbelievably lucky I am to have a job that I can currently do from home, with one child on either side of me. I'll remember that I got to brush their hair every morning, and snuggle up in a blanket with them while we watch (insert season here) Baking Championship.  I'll look back at the soccer sessions in the backyard, where my younger daughter tries out moves, and practices punting and saving balls, and the chess sessions my husband is doing regularly with the older one, where she works on skills and they both use terminology I can't understand.  All of these moments are precious.

The days sometimes seem to run together, and there are times I lose parts of them trying to do mundane but essential tasks like find places that can deliver food (I'm on to thinking outside the box- The Vermont Country Store for syrup, scouring the internet for farms doing delivery of produce, and using Staples for snacks).  But within these weeks (and soon to be months), there are definitive moments of joy, scattered glimpses of clarity.  What is essential is my family.  What is unbreakable are friendships.  What is important is love.  As long as we can remember that, it will be okay.