The thing about everything shutting down is that keeping track of time becomes difficult. Despite my efforts to keep on a semi-regular schedule with work tasks and keep the kids on track for school, I still have to really think some days to figure out what day of the week it is. I had a super mom-fail moment this week when I forgot to get Zach up early enough for his 9:30 am Google Meet with one of his classes. With four days of distance learning almost under our belts, that is the only major miss for the week though.
Keeping on a schedule when you have nowhere to be is all new for us. I’ve had an occasional work from home day in the past, but it is usually due to having a sick kid at home, or a middle of the day appointment that I had to be at. I have never done this on a long-term basis, and certainly have not done it with three kids at home. I’m still mostly sticking to my regular work schedule and trying to keep my weekly tasks on the same daily schedule for the sake of routine. Instead of chats with co-workers and walks across the building for signatures, I have breaks for explaining math problems or going over sight words. Oddly, I feel my productivity most days is better than in the office. I’m saving about 45 minutes a day in drive time, yet I keep finding myself working well beyond my usual work hours because there is no rush to “get home” to the kids.
My biggest struggle time-wise seems to be what happens after work and school time is done. Everything just seems to go so much slower. There is no rush home, start dinner, get to activities part of the evening. It is more, “Ugh, I have to cook again? Is anybody even hungry?” I mean, we don’t eat out much anymore anyway, but when you have been cooped up in the house for two weeks, the idea of a meal out at a restaurant is pretty dang appealing. Getting around to dinner has been slower, and later (because we have nowhere to go), and well, pretty uninspired. I try to get out and walk/run the dog every day as long as it isn’t raining, but there is really no rush to do much of anything else. The rest of our evenings generally get wrapped up with an overabundance of screen time because I’m just out of energy to try to make them do anything else at that point.
I find myself staying up later and later at night. I should be reading or doing something productive, but instead I find myself binge watching multiple seasons of ridiculous teen dramas. Without the threat of the alarm clock going off at 5 a.m., there’s no reason not to just watch another episode…and another…until I can no longer hold my eyes open. Perhaps it is time to try my prescribed sleep meds again because even once I go to bed I toss and turn and don’t really sleep. I’m still setting an alarm to make sure I get up, but I pretty much wake up when Hubby leaves for work anyway so there is no need.
It really is interesting to see how we are all functioning. Honestly, the kids don’t seem that phased by the whole thing…yet. They are all kind of figuring out their own schedules. They are also staying up a little too late at night, and sleeping in probably a little too late in the mornings. Even Caleb, my early riser, is sleeping until 8:30-9:00 every morning (which I love because I still get a little quiet time to myself). They miss their friends, but they are finding ways to keep in touch. School work, even though they would prefer not to do it, is keeping them somewhat engaged and connected as well.
As for Hubby, he is still going to work every day. While I’m sure things have changed within his day-to-day work schedule, his routine is staying fairly the same. The only thing he is really missing is that his gym is now closed, so he doesn’t get his workout time in that he really enjoys. He’s doing what he can from home, but it just isn’t the same. I think it is also hard for him to understand how cooped up the rest of us are feeling. While I’m sure he would love to be working from home as well, he is the most extroverted of us all and I’m not sure he would handle it well for an extended time. He needs to go to work, to feel needed, and to be around other people – even if they are distancing and not staying in close proximity.
While keeping up with the days is hard, I do know that today is Friday. Sadly, the only thing that changes is that we can drop the work/school routine for a couple days. I’m hoping the weather stays nice enough that we can get outside, but a two day long Harry Potter marathon sounds pretty good as well.
