The Quarantine Diaries: Day 3

• Kristin Allaben
• March 16, 2020
• awareness, COVID-19, kids, Parenting Coach, Quarantine, quarantine diaries, Routine

The quarantine is real. And it’s here. In an effort to flatten the curve, many are following orders to stay at home to prevent the spread of COVID-19.  

For so many people, the opportunity to work from home has allowed daily routines to continue almost as usual.

For others, they’re aware of the need to find ways to earn their paycheck while keeping themselves – and others – safe.

And then there’s the group of people who are still required to work and parent. In just the first few hours of the quarantine, I received texts saying it was going to be a long three weeks. I saw countless social media posts saying “this was a record yelling day” or “kids for sale” or “how are we going to survive three weeks of this!?”

I see you. I hear you. And this blog series is for you. It’s an opportunity to remember you’re not alone. It’s a chance to reflect on your own behaviors to determine how tomorrow could be better. It’s a chance to get a few ideas that might work for entertaining your kids (and a few of my thoughts on what did not work). We are in this together. Our collective mindfulness and genius will get us through it and maybe even make us better because of it.

So here we go.

First, some context so you know where I’m coming from. I’m a mom to three young boys: a 3 year old, a 2 year old and a 5 month old. Sometimes, our house is amazingly quiet in a “wow, look how nice they’re all playing!” kind of way. And sometimes, our house is very loud. The loud ranges from “wow, they are really physical” or “huh, I guess I should move that [breakable item] into storage” to “OH MY GOD STOP HITTING YOUR BROTHER WITH THAT BOOK!” or “THE LITTER BOX IS NOT AN INDOOR SANDBOX STOP PLAYING IN IT!”

Basically, my house sounds like most houses with kids.

My two oldest are in daycare 3 days a week. I’m home with the baby all the time. And I fit in my work as a Life Coach whenever I can. Fridays are what my oldest calls “home day” and my middle one calls “mommy days.” Fridays are the chance for them to decompress from their busy weeks. We spend the morning running errands and then play and read and watch TV over the remainder of the day. Weekends tend to include the occasional trip to visit family or friends, a fun activity or hosting play dates. And Mondays are just like Fridays.

That’s our old normal.

Now, we’re all at home. Together. For three weeks (minimum). Add to the mix a husband who is working from home during the busiest time of his year (he’s in tax) and take into account the fact the human food vacuums my children already are at their young ages and you can imagine the hilarity of our situation.

So let’s recap the first three days of quarantine.

Friday, Day 1: We didn’t go grocery shopping and Daddy was home. OH BOY. There was no physical break from each other because we were all in the house. There was no mental break or change of scenery because we didn’t leave the house. It was loud. There were tears. It was a rough day.

As my husband and I tucked the boys into bed, we agreed we’re going to need to define a new normal, create a new routine, to keep the house – and our relationships – intact over the next few weeks.

Saturday, Day 2: Better. Partly because we started the day with an intentional mindset, partly because it was just better than the day before. We started the day with a family breakfast and then my husband “went” to work. We didn’t see him until dinner. We had circle time, just like the big two do at school, where we read a few books and sang a few songs. We even got the baby involved which made it that much more fun.

We had gorgeous weather, so I took the boys outside for most of the day. It’s a little challenging running after the big two when you’re wearing the baby in a carrier, but we made it work. We played in the sandbox. We took out ALL the yard toys. We blew bubbles. We went on a rock hunt to get rocks out of the yard before we need to mow for the first time (more on this later). It was so nice out I let them play a little longer than I should have and we rapidly approached lunch time. That’s when I remembered that they’re still too young to go off schedule when it comes to food. The hangry was real. And it was loud. And it was messy. By the time I got lunch on the table (a mere 15 minutes later than usual), there were MOODS.

Nap time was too short and there were more tears and grumpy attitudes when the little two woke up. But all was made right with a snack (yogurt with sprinkles!) and back outside we went. We played for a while again and came inside for dinner, just in time.

And then I realized that my fun promises of taco night never included double checking we had taco seasoning. So while my husband and I laughed about the fake taco night we were having, the boys never knew the difference. They still built their own tacos on nachos (instead of shells) and preferred to mix everything in with some rice. We unintentionally made rice bowls. It worked.

Sunday, Day 3: A glimpse of the old normal. Family breakfast. Play time. Music and dancing. Reading. Legos. All the legos. Even getting introduced to an old movie with Daddy (Space Jam. It’s on Netflix, people! And I’m so glad I was able to give a thorough summary of the movie to my boys, including remember the aliens were the Monstars, but have trouble remembering if I moved a load of laundry from the washing machine to the dryer before I went to bed).

Though much colder than the last few days, we were lucky to get outside again. I was even able to escape with the baby and dog for a quick walk to stretch the dog’s legs. Just like every Sunday, the day flew by.

Does this sound like your first few days? Here’s what I learned:

My 5 Lessons from Days 1-3

1. Get outside. Even if it’s for just a few minutes, the fresh air does you a lot of good. It resets you and helps your kids burn off energy. It’s also a great change of environment, which helps alter how you feel, usually for the better.
2. Define your new normal. “Normal” is not in anyone’s vocabulary right now. So take some time to identify what needs to happen now, especially if you’re a parent working at home over the next few weeks. With everyone at home, there’s no real chance to focus 100% on work or parenting. It’s going to be a combination of the two and you’ll likely find that you will need to shift things on a regular basis. Sometimes work will win out. Sometimes parenting will. Be flexible and resilient. And cut yourself some slack. You’re in a new situation trying to get a lot done. Watch the irritation and aggravation that may surface as you confront what you want to happen compared to what can actually happen. Remember to breath, relax and roll with what happens.
3. Create a routine. Once you figure out what has to happen, create a routine. Maybe the morning is for school work and the afternoon is for play. Maybe the morning is when you focus on your work and your kids are asked to entertain themselves. Maybe you work at night after they’ve gone to bed. (I’ve included our new schedule below for anyone looking for an idea, especially for parents with young kids.) Figure out what works for you and your family. Creating a routine helps the entire family feel grounded. And in a period of constant change, feeling grounded can help calm parents and kids.
4. Communication with your partner. My husband and I realized in the first 48 hours that the next few weeks are going to be different. We can become victimized to it and let it stress us and test us, or we can realize that we will need to find ways to stay calmer and less confrontational when things start to stress us. Determine up front how you will talk to and with your partner, how you will express frustration and how you will share when you are at your wits end, so the other one can support, encourage and rescue. It is in this that the two of you will handle the challenges. Be on the same side. See each other as a loving ally.
5. Be positive. Your kids are picking up everything you’re throwing down. If you’re giving off vibes of panic, frustration, uncertainty, etc., your kids will start to do the same. Be aware of your own emotions and response to it before it starts to impact your behavior, your kids’ behavior and the relationships between everyone in your house. We all have to build our own mindfulness practice – the things we do to stay calm when we feel like screaming. Having a go-to move (i.e. breathing, reading, telling a joke, having a favorite snack, taking 10 minutes) can be enough of an interruption so you can find your inner calm and come back to your situation positive and supportive. It’s when you do this that you can effectively share and guide your kids in how to navigate a constantly changing world.

As we embark on the next few weeks of drastic change, it’s important to remember that life will be very different. In the coming weeks, I’ll share with you some activities that have worked well with my boys, as well as some things that did not go over well. I encourage you to share any ideas you have or things you’ve done (with or without success), as well!

Our Fun & Games

Here are a few things we tried over the first three days (and things we’ve done in the past) that work well with our boys.

Outside Fun

• Rock / Acorn / Stick Hunting – Give your kids a bucket and challenge them to pick up as many rocks / acorns / sticks they can find. Not only does this entertain them and give them a purpose, but it also helps you get your yard ready for the first time you need to mow. This worked wonders – my boys were enthralled, and our yard looks much better than before. PRO TIP: if you promise a prize for the one with the most in their bucket, be prepared to deliver!
• Nature Walk – Talk a walk and help your kids see things in their own backyard they may not have noticed before. Point out the size and shapes of rocks. Point out the different types of trees. Help them see things like squirrels nests or dead branches or the early signs of spring. TIP: For older kids, encourage them to create a story about what they find. For example, if you find a large branch in the yard, create a story prompt and have your kids continue the story. “This isn’t just a branch. No, this was once part of a ship from a long time ago, a ship that carried hundreds of pounds of [insert object here]! How do you think it ended up here…?” (and let them finish the story)
• Racing – This is obvious: set up a race. You can do the obvious race (running). You can do wheelbarrow races. You can do crab walk races. You can see who can kick the ball the farthest/fastest when you kick balls at the same time. Get creative.

Inside Activities

• Kinetic Sand / Playdough – Let them do what they will with it, or give them some guidance on what they can create. Make it part of a story. Ask them to create their favorite food. Have them build something they’d like to see one day. Consider letting them use some cookie cutters, as well.
• Science Experiments – There are a slew of science experiments you can find online. To start, we did “Dancing Raisins” (raisins into a glass cup of seltzer water; watch them rise and fall as a result of the bubbles) and melting cardboard (dip cardboard into water and watch it slowly dissolve; did this with regular paper, tissues and paper towel, too).
• Baking – I’m a baker so baking has become one of my favorite things to do with my boys. Chocolate chip cookies are our go-to, but we’ve also done pancakes, waffles, banana bread and sugar cookies. PRO TIP: If you make sugar cookie dough with the kids, and use cookie cutters to make the cookies later, you’ve created two activities for the day. You an add a third activity with cookie decorating (frosting and sprinkles are the easy options; depending on age, you can also add a variety of candies).

Our New Schedule

I’ve seen a few suggested schedules for parents floating around social media over the last 24 hours, but here’s the schedule I’ve found works well for us. Feel free to use as a starting point or use entirely!

By Kristin Allaben

Consider reading Hiring a Parenting Coach Doesn’t Mean You’re Failing

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