Just keep trying.
Well, homeschooling is no joke. Its taking time to get used to but as we enter Week 3 Im starting to catch a groove. It helped that I stayed up late cleaning the entire house so I could start the week off right with a fresh house. It really made a difference for me.
My anxiety and depression have been giving me a hard time. Change is hard for me. Fast change is nearly crippling. Brian finished his personal isolation today and was able to go back to work. As weird as it sounds, it almost feels more "normal" to not have him home. I miss seeing him all day every day but it almost feels like he's back at his job and Im back at mine. Some regular structure is really good at a time like this.
I also feel like today's "schooling" was more successful. The kids barely got screens until 3:40 and it was SO REFRESHING! They read books for an hour, did their school work, and watched one small show together after lunch. They played when they took breaks which is so much nicer than sitting in front of a screen and the best part was they didn't ask for one either. I think we all are appreciating even the small small taste of normalcy in our lives today. We often text pictures to Penny's teacher to show her all her cute work she's been doing and this journal entry has been my favourite so far. Its a picture of her and her teacher, Mrs. Ozimko.
I have put my camera down for all the every day things, which, again... am regretting (face palm.... when will I learn!) but we have had the opportunity to have great moments as a family that I am really appreciating. Being in a worldwide pandemic is crazy. They've now shut down all non-essential services (basically everything except grocery stores, gas stations, automobile services and hospitals. The boarders are all closed. The boarder between Cananda and the US is ONLY open to truck drivers importing and exporting goods. That's it. This weekend, they closed all parks and pathways and are just begging people to practice social distancing (keeping a minimum of 6 feet apart) and self quarantining. Its lonely to say the least.
However, in the last couple of weeks we have tried to get out with the kids a bit while practicing social distancing of course. I was getting MAJOR cabin fever so it felt so nice. We trekked out to Elbow Falls and Millarville for a picnic. We dropped off birthday cards to friends, just on their door step and then got back in the car before they came to the door. I went and visited my nephews through their glass door which totally made my cry when I said goodbye but I was glad I could see them!
We even stopped by Grandma and Grandpa Reed's house for a quick impromptu snowball fight, it was exactly what we needed!
We've made our whole living room into a fort for days, watched an entire season of America's got Talent - Champions together, shampoo'd all the carpets in the house, washed the windows and even had many MANY FaceTime chats with cousins and friends. We are trying. Really REALLY trying.
I wish we knew an end date to this. Im terrified of what will happen to our economy. Gas is 58 cents a litre. The economy is as bad as it was during the great depression and its just the start of everything.
I am grateful to be surrounded by my family. Carter, Bentley, Penny and Brian are currently the only constant thing in my life that isn't changing and Im holding onto that fact with everything I am. I miss my family. My parents, siblings, nieces and nephews. I miss them all so much. Its sad to think that Easter will likely be so different this year but Im going to try to find the silver lining and know that this is just a season and that the Lord knows my struggles.
I am only human. My emotions get the best of me often but Im trying and that is all we are asked to do. Just keep trying. So if you're struggling too. Just keep trying. I get you.
My anxiety and depression have been giving me a hard time. Change is hard for me. Fast change is nearly crippling. Brian finished his personal isolation today and was able to go back to work. As weird as it sounds, it almost feels more "normal" to not have him home. I miss seeing him all day every day but it almost feels like he's back at his job and Im back at mine. Some regular structure is really good at a time like this.
I also feel like today's "schooling" was more successful. The kids barely got screens until 3:40 and it was SO REFRESHING! They read books for an hour, did their school work, and watched one small show together after lunch. They played when they took breaks which is so much nicer than sitting in front of a screen and the best part was they didn't ask for one either. I think we all are appreciating even the small small taste of normalcy in our lives today. We often text pictures to Penny's teacher to show her all her cute work she's been doing and this journal entry has been my favourite so far. Its a picture of her and her teacher, Mrs. Ozimko.
I have put my camera down for all the every day things, which, again... am regretting (face palm.... when will I learn!) but we have had the opportunity to have great moments as a family that I am really appreciating. Being in a worldwide pandemic is crazy. They've now shut down all non-essential services (basically everything except grocery stores, gas stations, automobile services and hospitals. The boarders are all closed. The boarder between Cananda and the US is ONLY open to truck drivers importing and exporting goods. That's it. This weekend, they closed all parks and pathways and are just begging people to practice social distancing (keeping a minimum of 6 feet apart) and self quarantining. Its lonely to say the least.
However, in the last couple of weeks we have tried to get out with the kids a bit while practicing social distancing of course. I was getting MAJOR cabin fever so it felt so nice. We trekked out to Elbow Falls and Millarville for a picnic. We dropped off birthday cards to friends, just on their door step and then got back in the car before they came to the door. I went and visited my nephews through their glass door which totally made my cry when I said goodbye but I was glad I could see them!
We even stopped by Grandma and Grandpa Reed's house for a quick impromptu snowball fight, it was exactly what we needed!
We've made our whole living room into a fort for days, watched an entire season of America's got Talent - Champions together, shampoo'd all the carpets in the house, washed the windows and even had many MANY FaceTime chats with cousins and friends. We are trying. Really REALLY trying.
I wish we knew an end date to this. Im terrified of what will happen to our economy. Gas is 58 cents a litre. The economy is as bad as it was during the great depression and its just the start of everything.
I am grateful to be surrounded by my family. Carter, Bentley, Penny and Brian are currently the only constant thing in my life that isn't changing and Im holding onto that fact with everything I am. I miss my family. My parents, siblings, nieces and nephews. I miss them all so much. Its sad to think that Easter will likely be so different this year but Im going to try to find the silver lining and know that this is just a season and that the Lord knows my struggles.
I am only human. My emotions get the best of me often but Im trying and that is all we are asked to do. Just keep trying. So if you're struggling too. Just keep trying. I get you.