Patrice can make anything look cute!! And monkies are her jam! Gotta say my girls made being under stay at home orders for a couple of months life much easier. They are fun, smart, and for the most part, obedient. Being traditional homeschoolers we had no trouble continuing on with school–I actually added more. We got more schoolwork done this year than any other year–why not? We were at home!
Caitlyn got some practice sewing making masks for the family. It is not her favorite thing to do but she also does not like listening to me nag so she did it–though she did tell me not to volunteer her to make a bunch of masks.
I was a little bit of a disaster during the tightest of controls as we stayed home to lessen demands on the hospitals here.
Easter was probably the worst of it for me. I missed my best friend so badly–so badly. And that morning she and her husband dropped off several of my favorite dishes of food she had made for us. I couldn’t hug her. I couldn’t invite her in. We could barely chat.
I was so glad to see her but it broke me. I came in and cried and cried and cried…until the next day. I thought I would never stop crying. Honestly. And of course, you can’t hide anything from your best friend so when she found out, she did another porch drop the next day to make sure I was okay.
And that time, I was okay. For some odd reason, that time made me happy. Yes, I still wished I could invite her in and give her a hug but I was at least also happy I got to see her.
I cried a lot during the 2-ish months of shelter in place. There were days I was afraid I wouldn’t stop and I would scar my children forever but honestly, I don’t think it can be blamed on the bipolar. I really think it was a pretty normal reaction. Such a time of upheaval and fear. Somehow my children seem to be handling it okay. Even as homeschoolers, we lost a lot during this–co-op, theatre, youth group, time with friends, but my girls were amazing. I seriously don’t know how I can have ended up with such stable kids when I am anything but, but I thank God every single day for that.
*Not my baby–I like to borrow them and give them back!
As we transition to doing more, it is hard to know what is okay and what to do or not to do. For the most part, when we are with people the rule is masks on indoors and off outdoors IF we can be spaced apart. It is hard. A lot of people try to tell me we don’t need to worry about it but I want to love my neighbor as myself so we wear them.
I survived all of this with my emotions somewhat intact but one of my biggest struggles now is people not wearing masks or face shields when out. Science has shown they reduce transmission of covid-19. I want to be safe and I want to do my part to keep others safe. It is my duty and my privilege to love others in this small way.
