This blog was written for a blog series featured on my friend Kayla’s blog. She asked moms from all over the United States to share their experience of motherhood during quarantine. Such a great idea to unite us mamas during these unsettling times and to remind us that we are not alone. This was my take, enjoy!
Living Situation
We currently live in the house we purchased just before our son was born. It’s a 2 story house with 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, perfect for our little family of 5. The inland empire itself is not a very dense area, and we reside in the suburbs. Although we live in a track of home, it’s not rare to see a heard of donkeys while on a neighborhood stroll, just to give a little insight into our surroundings. The weather set the mood for quarantine in the first few weeks. The rain did not let up for which seemed like an eternity and that made it TOUGH. Luckily I was able to change up the scenery for our kids just enough between our loft (aka playroom), our living room and I recently set up a “little gym” space in our garage which the kids have been really loving. As of late, the weather has been hot and sunny which has given us more options to play outside, go for wagon rides, and utilize our kiddie pool, sprinklers and water tables.
Working from Home
I am a stay at home mom, so things for me personally did not look very different, if at all, once quarantine started. My husband on the other hand, owns a financial planning firm. Luckily he was able to operate and still is operating in full capacity from home. We do have a home office, but unfortunately when building our home we didn’t think we needed a door and left it open, as we never foresaw a pandemic happening with Derek legitimately working from home. With that hiccup Derek has taken over our master bedroom as his office during the day and has set up shop on my makeup vanity. This turned out not being too big of a sacrifice for me as I can count the number of times I’ve worn makeup on one hand.
Coping & Getting Through
I would describe myself as a homebody, so being quarantined hasn’t had the same impact on me as probably most. My home is somewhere I take pride in and have worked hard to make it a place that I love to be. When quarantine first started I remember thinking to myself, “I have been training for this for years”. We also just got through our first year with the twins, which to some extent feels similar to quarantine. I got a good laugh at the memes that read, “And no one ever asked a stay at home mom what she did all day again!” As the weeks turned into months, however, being at home 24/7 did take a little toll, even on this homebody. I remember one week in particular where my husband hurt his back and literally wasn’t able to lift a finger when it came to the kids without being in excruciating pain. That same week I also had a cold (yes, I initially thought I had the rona, thank God I didn’t) and Jadyn was teething (she is not a happy teether). It was in that week that I desperately needed a park to take the kids to or a Target I felt comfortable enough strolling the isles with three kids.
My husband is the social butterfly of the two of us, so he has been impacted by quarantine the most. He thrives in social settings and has desperately needed social interactions to cope. He has gotten creative and utilized Zoom and House Party to play beer pong tourneys with friends, host Monopoly family game nights and has even pulled off poker nights with the guys.
In times of stress, I am the type of person who worries, ALOT. I can replay worst case scenarios over and over in my head until I drive myself mad. My worry has been heightened even more so being a mom of 3 littles who haven’t the slightest idea what is going on. With that said, keeping my fear and worry at bay has been my biggest challenge in all of this. Working out has been one of my main ways of coping. Luckily we put in a home gym last fall as I knew then that getting to the gym with 3 babies wasn’t possible for me anymore. If I was going to work out I had to have access to something at home that I could utilize while the kids napped. I’ve worked really hard to get all three of the kids nap schedules to line up at the same time every afternoon so that I can have that time for me. Without that time I know I would not be the same mama and that motivates me everyday to get in the garage and work out.
In another attempt to cope with the situation, I have found myself roaming the house looking for any and every little project and improvement. I will admit, the majority of the projects I have planned out haven’t exactly been fully executed YET, but I have purchased the necessary supplies that are currently stacking up in my closet. The projects I have completed though have made me feel productive and accomplished while stuck in lockdown.
Daily Schedule Changes
Our day to day schedule hasn’t changed much. Like I mentioned earlier, we didn’t leave the house much even before this all happened. To put it in prospective, it took me until the girls were 9 months to even attempt an outing with the three of them by myself. I am also very adamant about keeping the girls on a schedule, because, well, there’s two of them and that is the only thing that keeps my days somewhat predictable. One thing that I miss terribly is taking Brock to his Little Gym class. Before quarantine, my mother-in-law, Jaci, would come over every Monday morning to stay with the girls so I could get out of the house and have one on one time with Brock, which I cherished so so much. Since things have changed and we aren’t able to do that anymore, I try to make the time Brock and I have just the two of us (during the girls first nap of the day) meaningful. It is too easy to just throw his “blue computer” at him and get a few chores done during that time (yes I’m guilty of doing that sometimes too), but I truly make a conscious effort to put my phone and all other distractions away so he can have my full attention. Whether we do puzzles, his new tracing workbook, blocks, or play with trains, that time is so special to me now that he is no longer the only child and I know he loves it, too.
The next thing I miss terribly, is going to church. We are very fortunate that our church has provided content and sermons online the last two months. BUT we really miss taking the kids “to see their church friends” at the daycare they provide and Derek and I miss the hour “church dates” with NO KIDS. It’s hard to watch church intently at home while fetching snacks for three hungry mouths BUT having access to the sermons from my living room has truly been my saving grace during these uncertain times. Our church also provides some bible reading plans that I always intend to read but have fallen short pre-quarantine. I am grateful quarantine has provided me with the time and motivation to commit to reading my bible more, which in turn has also kept my fears at ease.
Baby Wellness Visit
During quarantine, our girls where scheduled to go to their one year check up. Being the worry wart that I am, I didn’t think it was a good idea to take them to the doctors as her office is in the congruent building to the hospital, so I cancelled their appointment. I felt it was the best thing to do at the time, considering I didn’t anticipate this lasting as long as it has. I also knew that I had email/phone access to their doctor and since we were required to stay home I was confident that we wouldn’t be exposing the girls to anything. Therefore, we felt they would be okay if they ended up being slightly behind on their vaccines. I do feel that I will end up taking them soon, as I don’t necessarily know when I will ever feel “safe” in public again, and I don’t want them to get too far behind.
Groceries & Quarantine
Grocery shopping has looked different for me, even before quarantine started. When we had three under two, going to the grocery store seemed comparable to running a marathon so we started using Instacart and having our groceries delivered. The first week of quarantine I did make one “emergency” grocery run because Instacart orders were taking 7-8 days to process (it took less than 2 hours prior to). I was mostly concerned with stocking up on kids essentials like Mac N Cheese, gold fish and chicken nuggets because the thought of explaining to a 2.5 year old that we were in a pandemic and there was a chicken nugget shortage gave me anxiety. My biggest struggle was getting enough milk for the kids as stores were only allowing one per family for the first couples week. Those restrictions have now been lifted and I am thankful that Instacart is able to offer same day delivery again. If quarantine has taught us anything it’s been how to properly disinfect groceries and in all seriousness, not to let food go to waste. My husband and I both felt these times have given us a new perspective on that and we are just grateful that we have food in our fridge right now.
Life in Riverside During Quarantine
Our lock down rules here in Riverside are very similar to San Diego’s, strict. No parks, no gyms, no retail stores or malls. I’ve heard that Home Depot and Target remained open and were constantly packed with people but I haven’t even left my house except for two (okay three) Starbucks runs and a couple Chick Fil A runs. We are required to wear masks out in public except while walking in our neighborhood. I have recently heard that Riverside is trying to lift mask requirements as of last Friday. While on walks, 80% of people I pass by are wearing masks. I wasn’t able to get my hands on a mask until last week, so when out in my neighborhood I would allow the people with masks to keep course on the sidewalk while I crossed the street or did whatever I had to to keep a safe distance. I do feel a sense of community when out and about our neighborhood. Everyone I pass loves waving to the twins and Brock will scream hi to anyone he sees (he is a social butterfly like his dad). I truly get that “we are all in this together” feeling when we are out.
Online Shopping
Guilty. I have 100% fallen trap to online shopping during quarantine. Let’s just say that even though Target runs are not possible for me right now, Target has not missed me as a costumer. Also, has anyone else noticed that every store is now selling the cutest lounge sets? I have and I am here for it. As a stay at home mom, I do feel that lounge sets fall under work attire so that helps when explaining the necessity of my purchases to Derek. I have also stocked up on arts and craft projects for both me and the kids, thank you Michaels.
Binge Worthy Shows
Derek and I have binged on a few shows since quarantine has started. If you have Netflix we recommend Waco and Ozark. Waco, although hard to watch at times, is really well done and completely draws you in like you’re in the dang cult. If you have Hulu, Little Fires Everywhere is a must watch!
Advice for Fellow Mamas
My fellow Mamas in quarantine, my advice to you is to try your best to see and celebrate the good. There is so much negative all around us right now and even though the days are longer than ever, so much good can be found among the chaos. I’m a strong believer that if you look for good, you will find it. Hang on to the hope that things can and will get back to normal. It won’t be like this forever.
Lindsay
