The Screen-Free Quarantine – Day 3
Today shall be known as the, “Oh dear God, what has happened to my life?” day.
Just saying.
I meant to work five or less hours at my “job” (the word job here is misleading, as I will explain in this post), but I found myself slamming my laptop shut after eight hours in front of the screen, and still just about half of my to-do list for the day accomplished.
How is this possible?
My children are not infants. They are preteens, surely capable of managing themselves while I work.
It doesn’t help that on my breaks, two of them, when I’m hiding in that very private place (the bathroom) pulling out my hair and sneaking chocolate bars that I’ve hidden in with the frozen broccoli (thank God they’re screen free and they won’t read this!), I see other people posting on facebook unthinkable questions like, “So, what are YOU going to do with all of your spare time while you practice social distancing?” My favorite is, “Hallmark is making ALL of its sappy, romantic, predictable movies available for your screen binge during social isolation!” Other people cook and show photos of their creations along with recipes.
My. Brain. Exploded.
Where is my free time?
Today, I made breakfast and the morning began well. Mornings are good. And then all of a sudden it was 3 pm and I hadn’t eaten since breakfast, hadn’t drank water, hadn’t gotten much work accomplished and I started getting tired and dizzy.
I had played 2 games of monopoly (the fast version, of course), and taken everyone outside on a walk. But I hadn’t been able to take care of me or been afforded the time to even be aware that I needed anything.
How does this happen, you say? Oh, I can tell you.
During a time when people are (sadly) losing their jobs because of slow downs due to this virus, I have been offered extra jobs! And when I say offered, I mean FORCED really. Because if I don’t do these jobs, they won’t get done and I’m pretty sure the house will fall down around our shoulders.
Here is a list of my new jobs:
· Executive Chef
· Lead Botanist
· Waste Technician
· Paper Goods Control
· Laundry Officer
· Senior Janitor
· Educational Lead
· Diplomat
I know there are more titles that have recently been added to the nameplate that sits on my completely cluttered desk, but I’m so exhausted, I can’t see straight to read them.
I feel like I deserve an award, or another chocolate bar at the very least for being able to continue working my regular job, and keep ten and eleven year old boys alive and entertained WITHOUT SCREENS.
I’m patting myself on the back, but I’m also panicking a little bit. Because IT’S ONLY BEEN THREE DAYS. I’ve got to restructure our routine. Somethings gotta give, because if not, Mommy is gonna break.
I hear the school is rolling out an online curriculum and that is my ONLY choice for educating the boys, so I will be ordering some textbooks for them tomorrow. I will check out the online curriculum, but I don’t want my boys on the computer for school during this time. Not even a little bit. If I have to, I have to. But I know my kids and I know what it will turn into. They will beg to get on the screens every minute of every day until I cave, and then they won’t stop watching movies, playing “educational” games and the like, until school opens back up. And when it does, they will be angry, distracted, self-absorbed little boys, instead of the creatures that I’ve worked so hard to gain back after I so unintelligently gave them screens (with my birthday money) several years ago.
These boys are bored, and a little bit scared of what’s going on. But they’re pretty sweet, funny, intelligent, caring and more than a little bit brilliant, if I do say so myself.
Anyway, I’m off to do more of my jobs. Well, two of them, I guess. But these two are a privilege. I’d love to do just them, but sometimes life just isn’t that way. We will get through it though. And we’ll come out better for it in the long run.
Off to be a wife. And a mom.
See you tomorrow!