Social Distancing: Week 6
One step at a time. That’s the key, isn’t it? It’s an answer you often hear when people are asked how they’ve done something that seems hard. One step at a time.
Scenes From Quarantine
We’ve been home for six weeks. I heard someone say "this is the closest we'll ever get to freezing time", and it's true. There is nowhere to be, no morning scramble to get out the door in time, no days full of errands or marked by carpool times.
The Sun Comes Up
Most mornings, I wake up to a sweet three year old voice standing at the side of my bed excitedly announcing “Mommy! Mommy! Sun come up! It’s morning time!”. While I am not a morning person and am often not quite ready to wake up yet, I can’t help but smile at the excitement my son has each morning when he discovers that once again, the sun has come up and it’s a new day.
Social Distancing: Week 5
We are now five weeks into staying home. We went for a drive yesterday, just to have a change of scenery and it was the first time I or my children have been in a car in five whole weeks.
Social Distancing: Week 4
Week 4. One month. No end in sight.
I realized today that the photo that is the background for my computer was taken on the last day before I had an inkling that everything would change.
Social Distancing: Week 3
Well, this is really starting to feel like a new normal. The first few weeks felt temporary, but now it’s hard to imagine the end of this. Our schools are still scheduled to reopen May 18, but as more and more states are announcing that they won’t be returning this school year, I’m preparing myself for that to be the case for us as well.
Social Distancing: Week 2
Week two.
We have no idea how long this might go on. Last week, there was still some hope of this being short term. School closures were only scheduled for two weeks. Today, schools are closed until May 15 (at least), and I’ve heard mention that it could be up to eighteen months before things get back to normal.
CoronaSchool: The Beginning
Yesterday, the NC governor announced that schools would be closed until at least May 15, due to the coronavirus pandemic. That effectively ended the preschool year for my three year old, and whether or not my kindergartener will return to school this year remains to be seen.
Social Distancing: Week 1
Two weeks ago, I was spending the four o’clock hour each day chatting with two kindergarten mom friends outside the school. After driving through the carpool line, we’d pull into a parking space and talk as we let our children run through the grass, making up games and releasing a day worth of energy.
I Am Thankful
For so long, I used the word “busy” to describe my life. But “busy” has a negative connotation--there isn’t enough time, space, capacity to get it all done. I don’t want to live in the negative.
Love After Babies
Love after babies; it’s a quiet, slow, day in and day out kind of love. It’s less big romantic gestures and perfectly planned date nights and more of the small things—my husband jumping in and taking the 4am “Mommy? Mommy I need more water” call.
Dear Library
Dear Library,
I apologize that it’s taken me so long to write this note. I was raised with the importance of thank you notes drilled into my head. Getting a timely thank you note out was imperative not only when receiving a gift, but also for meaningful experiences or opportunities.
A New Year, A New Decade
2020 is just around the corner, and it seems appropriate to reflect on both the past year and the past decade before the ball drops and a new decade starts. Ten years. A lot of life happens in ten years.
Five Years
Five years ago, we said goodbye. It was morning when you slipped away, quietly leaving behind this world. We’d known it was coming, had been waiting for the cancer to have it’s final say.
Everyday Magic
Fall took her sweet time arriving in North Carolina this year. October started off with days that felt like July, hitting a record breaking 99 degrees before finally cooling off. The timing of the cooler weather coincided with a teacher workday, which made for a perfect day for a pumpkin patch adventure.
Three. Two. One.
Three little boys, to wake up and get fed, teeth brushed, dressed and loaded in the minivan. Car seats buckled and we’re off to the elementary school drop off line. We pass the dancing crossing guard that always makes us smile, and pull into the carpool line.
Write Anyway
Sometimes, words start swirling in my head, feelings and emotions that beg to get down on paper. I stop where I am, open the Notes app on my phone, and start typing. On those days, I have no choice. The words inside me have to be put into writing.
Our Summer Village
Summer means one thing in our house - the pool is open. As soon as those gates open, that’s our favorite summer destination. It’s a sweet little neighborhood pool - though not in our neighborhood, we are pool commuters, driving twenty minutes to get there.
The First Day
It’s a moment that I’ve known was coming. A moment I felt completely unprepared for. I've thought about this day. I've known that it would be hard, that I would be a wreck. It's the start of a new chapter of our lives, a clear statement that my little boy isn’t so little anymore.
The Badge of Busy
I used to wear the badge of busy proudly. I would cram as much as I could into my days, running from this place to that, not seeing my home from the time I left for class or work until it was time for bed.