So it is Friday. We are on day 5 of having the kids home full down and 4 days since the lockdown became official and I thought I would share how it is all going. There have been some definite highs and lows.
From the start I set up a bit of a rough routine for the kids and I to follow so they have time to do their school work, time to pay and time where they are left very much to their own devices while I try to get some work done. For the most part I would say this has gone ok, though we have moved things around a bit.
In terms of doing the work set by school, the kids have been pretty good and mostly got on with it. There have been some lovely activity suggestions that have worked for all of us and they’ve not struggled to do the work they’ve been set. At one point Leo moaned about his English and I had to show him the email from his teacher to prove it was the work he had been set!
We’ve not only done things suggested by the school though and have done some other activities through the week. We’ve also been getting out for a walk or bike ride first thing every morning which has been lovely. The sunshine has also helped us play out in the garden a lot.
Wednesday was the low point of the week. We had a lovely morning, we went out and then came back to do school work. I was trying to fast (I normally do the 5:2) and thought I was ok but then around lunchtime all went to pot. While the kids were having their lunch I set up a den in the garden and some toys and suggested that the kids play that while I was upstairs working. I also set up a short film for them. But I was met with a flat No from Leo about both and tonnes of whinging. I think hangry-ness was not helping and I completely lost the plot at them.
I had been working my bum off to get some fun activities for them and they just didn’t appreciate it. I know, I know, they are 5 and 7, and children aren’t exactly known for their empathy. Liberty wanted to play with Leo but he wouldn’t play with her so it then turned into a full meltdown from her about missing her friends and wanting to go to a playpark. Poor love is by far the most sociable of us all so she is struggling with the lack of socialising.
They both went on their kindles for a bit but when they stopped that, working while they bickered and screamed wasn’t fun. After I gave up I tried to sort a video call with her friend, which I think she enjoyed but it wasn’t the same so didn’t last long. The rest of the day just wasn’t great and I couldn’t get Liberty to enjoy anything we did so I ended the day feeling really rubbish. I did not fast successfully that day!
Thursday was a better day. I changed things around a bit and went to work later in the afternoon to see if that would help us all. We went for a long bike ride in the morning and went past a favourite playpark that is all cordoned off, and I think that helped Liberty understand I am not just being mean when I say no, we literally cannot go on a playpark. We then did loads of drawing pictures for her friends and then some baking biscuits.
After lunch we got a big box out of the garage and the kids did such beautiful teamwork decorating it and turning it into a shop (ready to play with and do some maths with the following day), Liberty then splashed about in some water outside and after a shower sat on the sofa in front of the TV while I went to work. It was a much better day and a relief as Nic was at work from before 8am and didn’t get home til nearly 9pm. Solo parenting and working from breakfast to bedtime was full on. I know many parents out there are in the same boat and worse as I only have to work a couple of hours a day, but it was def full on!
Today we all woke up tired and started off as another emotional and less than ideal day. But we persisted. We have done some schoolwork, been out for a walk and sat in the garden drawing flowers which was lovely, though it was chilli this morning.
This afternoon Nic was able to spend some time at home with the kids so I could pop to the office and also to the shops to get some antibac supplies for the office. It’s a weird old world out there with 1 in 1 out at some shops and very spacious queues to get in to the shops marked by cones etc!
We’ve also been keeping active indoors by using you tube and online videos. Leo’s Karate club are doing live interactive classes every day via Zoom which has been great. There’s a lovely ballet teacher doing online live classes on instagram that Liberty has been doing too. It’s nice for them to keep up with some of the activities they would normally be doing. We also got my old Wii out of the loft for them to do dancing.
So yeah, ups and downs but very busy! It may seem like I have filled every day but there has also been times when they just played. Leo is better at doing that then Liberty is though.
Looking forward to wine and takeaway tonight, hope you’ve had a good week?
