Lockdowns, Plural
Despite the best intentions, it appear to have been 6 months since my last update. Oops.
I think we've had... 3 lockdowns since then? In any case they have just announced number 6 today. People can't even be bothered panic buying any more.
When the rumours surfaced I did go and buy more pencils for home learning, and I have a new book to distract Mr9 with if required. Not sure that counts though. I asked David if we needed anything frivolous and non-essential, but neither of us could think of anything.
I would swear that I am coping fine with lockdowns, we know how it all works now. We shut things down, catch up on some jobs around the house, then start things up again. No problems.
My body however begs to differ. As soon as the rumours reached me this time I suffered a sudden onset of abdominal cramps that I can only attribute to stress. I find myself prowling the house, unable to focus on anything until the official announcement comes. Why keep preparing for weekend activities that may not happen? But I can't prepare for a lockdown because that might not happen either. So I pace in mental limbo, hurry up and wait, suppress the occassional physical manifestation of anxiety.
Today I dragged myself out of the house to buy a few things purely to try and distract myself out of it. Might have been more successful if other shoppers weren't all on their phones discussing the latest cases?
Anyway, announcement came soon after I returned home and I was able to move onto the next phase: alternating between trying to look on the bright side and overwhelming tiredness and lack of motivation. Dinner was rather late tonight. The kids get a lot of extra screen time on lockdown announcement days.
Bright sides this time 'round:
There will be lots of time to cook cupcakes with Ms6 this weekend as she requested.
I can still go get my second vaccine dose on Sunday, and the traffic will be light again.
We can fill in our census. (Not like we're going anywhere or doing anything...)
I've just filled the freezer with meals, and baked lots of snackfood. (For school lunches...)
I cleaned up the Lounge over the last 2 days, so we have a relatively clean living area for the start of lockdown.
(Really? This is the best of the upside? I've reduced the dust levels?)
I have now reached phase 3, as evidenced by the existence of this update. Having dragged myself through the process of shutting down the fencing club again, I have reached acceptance.
I can now focus, function and plan again. Take time to talk to Ms6 as she settles for sleep to make sure she is not too anxious. Praise Mr9 for finding the patience to practice with his new yoyo until he got it to return.
And tomorrow at 9am we get straight into the home learning with class Webexs. Webexes? Class video conference.
Because we all know what we're doing now, and nothing has changed in the one week and one day since we were last doing this.
(Dammit, we'd just gotten the morning routine and walk to school nicely settled!)
Acceptance, with brief bursts of shaking my fist at the universe.
I think we've had... 3 lockdowns since then? In any case they have just announced number 6 today. People can't even be bothered panic buying any more.
When the rumours surfaced I did go and buy more pencils for home learning, and I have a new book to distract Mr9 with if required. Not sure that counts though. I asked David if we needed anything frivolous and non-essential, but neither of us could think of anything.
I would swear that I am coping fine with lockdowns, we know how it all works now. We shut things down, catch up on some jobs around the house, then start things up again. No problems.
My body however begs to differ. As soon as the rumours reached me this time I suffered a sudden onset of abdominal cramps that I can only attribute to stress. I find myself prowling the house, unable to focus on anything until the official announcement comes. Why keep preparing for weekend activities that may not happen? But I can't prepare for a lockdown because that might not happen either. So I pace in mental limbo, hurry up and wait, suppress the occassional physical manifestation of anxiety.
Today I dragged myself out of the house to buy a few things purely to try and distract myself out of it. Might have been more successful if other shoppers weren't all on their phones discussing the latest cases?
Anyway, announcement came soon after I returned home and I was able to move onto the next phase: alternating between trying to look on the bright side and overwhelming tiredness and lack of motivation. Dinner was rather late tonight. The kids get a lot of extra screen time on lockdown announcement days.
Bright sides this time 'round:
There will be lots of time to cook cupcakes with Ms6 this weekend as she requested.
I can still go get my second vaccine dose on Sunday, and the traffic will be light again.
We can fill in our census. (Not like we're going anywhere or doing anything...)
I've just filled the freezer with meals, and baked lots of snackfood. (For school lunches...)
I cleaned up the Lounge over the last 2 days, so we have a relatively clean living area for the start of lockdown.
(Really? This is the best of the upside? I've reduced the dust levels?)
I have now reached phase 3, as evidenced by the existence of this update. Having dragged myself through the process of shutting down the fencing club again, I have reached acceptance.
I can now focus, function and plan again. Take time to talk to Ms6 as she settles for sleep to make sure she is not too anxious. Praise Mr9 for finding the patience to practice with his new yoyo until he got it to return.
And tomorrow at 9am we get straight into the home learning with class Webexs. Webexes? Class video conference.
Because we all know what we're doing now, and nothing has changed in the one week and one day since we were last doing this.
(Dammit, we'd just gotten the morning routine and walk to school nicely settled!)
Acceptance, with brief bursts of shaking my fist at the universe.