I haven’t given a Life Update since April when we were still at the beginning of this Stay at Home order thing. Back then, I was working from home full-time and Jack was also home full-time doing online schooling. Juggling both my work and Jack’s school was hard and exhausting, so when Jack finally had his last day of second grade on June 11th… it was absolutely cause for celebration!
So, what has life been like since then?
Much, much easier.
Sure, we are still at home. And we are still keeping mostly to essential trips when we leave the house. I’ve been working from home Monday – Friday since early March, so it’s been about 6 months straight of teleworking.
We wear our masks if we go anywhere inside, we have gotten together with family members a few times for outside socially-distanced picnics. I’m still cooking dinners Monday – Friday and we order takeout on the weekend to give me a break.
However, the biggest change is… camp.
Maryland is currently in Stage Two of our reopening, which means that outdoor summer camps are open. And I am sooo thankful for that! The company running the camp has also been running essential childcare options, so they are doing a great job with keeping everyone as safe as possible. It’s entirely outdoors, there are temperature checks each morning, screening questions to answer on a daily basis, masks worn when everyone is closer than 6 feet, and social distancing as much as possible.
But the best part is that Jack is finally getting out of the house. With me juggling working from home while also momming at the same time, he wasn’t getting enough attention and he was also getting bored. His attitude was terrible… he was reacting with a combination of acting out with temper tantrums and also being super clingy when I did leave the house for a super exciting grocery run.
Once camp started, it was like a light switch flicked and he want back to his normal self. By getting out of the house and spending time with other people and other kids, he is emotionally stimulated all day long. It is so nice to have him come home tired and sweaty from running around outside all day. And it is a heck of a lot easier for me to get my work done when I’m home alone.
We still don’t know what’s happening with school this fall – it looks like our school system will either be going to a fully online option or a hybrid option. That alone is a massive cause for anxiety for me, because I will have to go back into the office at some point. I can only hope my employer continues to be accommodating and supportive as we all attempt to deal with the ‘new normal’ of living through a pandemic.
But for now… we’re good. Everyone is healthy. Travis is still working. I’m still working. Jack’s enjoying camp. I even had a socially distanced weekend at my bestie’s house. AND we have some Maryland-based beach plans coming up in August to look forward to!