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School holidays and plans during a pandemic
Annual leave
After all being home since March together, I’m now on annual leave and the children are on school holidays. Normally I would be taking the children out, I would have plans to see things and see friends. Despite my shielded husband returning to work on Monday I’m still scared to go out. I’m dreading next week, if he does catch COVID – 19, then what happens? Telling the children that daddy is on a ventilator is not something I ever want to do.
I’m sat here, waiting on the phone to Morrison’s. Tesco have put up their delivery prices in August so I’m hoping that Morrison’s can add us to their priority list. Yes, Morrison’s is walking distance but I’m scared to go in, especially as the children will be with me. For me, right now, the days of running into the supermarket are a memory.
To top everything happening right now, my dad is not well. I haven’t told the children but I keep crying. He’s still young, I have patients in their nineties and hundreds. Again I mustn’t project as these are early days.
I hated my school years, but 2020 is now the worst year of my life. Yes, I’ve enjoyed home-schooling but I’m feeling so stressed!
Holidays
So, two weeks are stretching out ahead of me. We could go to the woods, or to empty fields. Wandering around the town is not something I’m prepared to do. We could do some art, or read and write together – maybe a little too idyllic. How to do you get two game obsessed children of their gadgets? If I tell my nine-year-old, that he’s to come off it, he says, “okay”, but then continues playing.
I need safe outdoor play. My holiday is going to be harder than other years, I accept that, but most things involve crowds and people.
Safe at home
The difference between staying safely at home, in our small cocoon, to going back out into the world and seeing people is dramatic. The figures are now increasing again and parts of the UK are already locked down. The GP has now changed one of my husband’s medications to weekly, so more stress needing to go to the pharmacy more often. Till now they have been delivering it to us, this service has now stopped. Thousands have been relying on their government food box, or Boris box, this has now stopped. Despite shielding being paused, the virus is still out there and it’s still killing people.
The children are happily in their own little worlds, oblivious to our fears. My nine-year-old will ask to wear his face cover. My seven-year-old, I’ve contemplated buying her some on eBay. The conundrum with the facemasks are do you buy just a cloth face covering? Or do you buy one with a filter insert? Do I buy one for £5.00? or do I spend £25.00? I’m not medically trained, the theories that it does not affect children as much as adults, I’m not sure what to believe. As much as I can, I will continue to protect them.
The featured image was drawn after a lesson with my seven year old daughter on how the earth orbits the sun. A happy home schooling memory.
August plans
Writing commitments for this month include,
- The next part of my Ruby and Freda story.
- Write the Story for Writers Unite
- Blogbattle writing prompt.
- To write a 5000 word story on the Wild West, for the new Writers Unite Anthology.
- To continue with my time tunnel novel
(Please note anything purchased through my blog earns me a small amount of commission which helps pay for my blogs, thankyou).
I also need to entertain the children and support them with their reading and comprehension. My nine year old is skimming text and not taking in what is happening. His excuse of “I don’t like reading” is frustrating. If he doesn’t understand what is going on, then he’s not going to enjoy it. I’ve been reading him the ‘Wizards of Once’ and testing his understanding as I read. He is rarely answering correctly. How do you improve a child’s reading and listening skills? I’m hoping that as we read together, he will improve.
I need to take things a day at a time and stop worrying. I must see more of my dad, (and family) who I’ve hardly seen since March due to shielding, plus keep up with my writing and work on my garden. The weeds have well and truly taken over, but I’ve had no gardening motivation these last few months. Life as always is busy.
Last month I was included in MJ Mallon’s – Life in Lockdown, featuring writers thoughts on this current situation.
August
As we head into August, our world is going to change. One will be getting up at 6.30am to drive daddy to work. Another will be knowing more about my father’s prognosis and talking to the children about him. We all need normality now and the children need school in September. Watching Boris Johnson talking yesterday, I have doubts in my mind about whether school will happen. Yes, I should stop watching the news but day by day the COVID – 19 situation changes.
My head keeps turning to Netflix and Amazon prime. These last few months I have binge watched Dark, The Stranger, Safe and Catastrophe. Offspring and Absentia that both feature Matthew Le Nevez,and now Schitts Creek. Yes, a bit of an escape from life but they don’t help me write.
As I keep writing, we need to continue a day at a time. This is a difficult mindset, especially when bad news is involved, but we need to all try and do it, we also should rest and relax more. To look after ourselves, our mental health and our families. I really hope that next year is easier and better, right now there is so much going on. I’m glad that I haven’t got the temptation of a crystal ball to know the future.
So, how are you getting on right now? have you been shielded? and how do you plan to keep your children / grandchildren busy during the holidays?
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Worrying and the stress of life, poetry
Life and worrying
Why does life mean stress?
So often I sit in a mess.
Worrying over things I can’t change,
Things done that I can’t rearrange.
Thoughts racing around my head,
Giving me a headache, filling me with dread.An email it can’t be undone,
Words spoken, I can only moan.
Telling myself a day at a time,
Worrying is really not fine.
I need to sit more and relax,
To look after me and that is a fact.Sitting here head in my hands,
The world it doesn’t understand.
Why a mum such as me,
Is not relaxed and care free.
I have many good things going on,
But so often I feel that I’m wrong.Listening to the falling rain,
I can feel life’s repeated strain.
I need to collapse in a heap.
My body is craving more sleep.
With life’s endless and tireless refrain,
Of repeated stress again and again.Homework and holidays
So, what has been happening recently?
What has impacted on me?
School holidays were good,
Enjoying quality time as we should.
The school homework it was completed
And mummy and daddy weren’t defeated.
My son is learning the guitar,
I didn’t think we’d get far.
He is at a new school, he had to catch up,
Mummy nagged and he said ‘enough is enough’.
Proudly by the end of the week,
He’s done well, now for practice he will seek.The children picked daffodils at school,
They really shouldn’t, but they’re nobody’s fool.
On Wednesday I had one with me in my car,
I couldn’t bin it, so it travelled far.
Now, with some others picked later,
It’s sat here pretty, a kitchen feature.Weekend soon
So, as my quiet time comes to an end,
The rain is still falling and it’s soon the weekend.
More homework again to do,
Maths, English and reading to get through.
Time together again,
But this weekend it’s forecast to rain.It’s raining again today,
With another storm on its way.
Trying to take time to rest,
No time to be depressed.
The children they make me smile,
And they make all my stress worthwhile.For more see, My son, reading, and life poetry
From my other blog – Life stress, my novel and my writing
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A time for accepting change
Change
31st January 2020, a day for change. As the country prepares to leave the European Union, we are going through our own time of change.
School
After driving two children to different schools since September 2019, I finally had the phone-call yesterday that I’ve been waiting months for.
Today was my eight year old’s last day at school. I cried when his new one phoned me yesterday. He’s not happy but I’m relieved. Their new school is walking distance from our home and has many positives over the other.
Watching his emotions as he is struggling with leaving the school he knows and his friends, I’m reminded of how much I hate change. I have managed to ease some of his change stress with hopes that he will keep in touch with his friends. He ate his dinner tonight whilst talking to one friend on Roblox. I couldn’t stop him because it was the first time he smiled since leaving school.
Despite being just eight, he has had a girlfriend for about two years. She gave him some toys and wrote him some letters. She will miss him, a heart broken eight year old.
Change is hard at any age. My son, his girlfriend and friends will talk across social media and meet now and then. Very different though to seeing each other at school every day. The phrase you will make new friends doesn’t help.
Is change a good thing?
Change is difficult for everyone but some people deal with it better than others. Some people welcome it. There are some who will be celebrating leaving the European Union tonight. I’m still not really sure what I think. I fear the unknown, I like to stick with what I know. I’m not sure who to trust or what to believe, but it’s happening tonight and that’s it.
I am learning a new computer system at work. It needed improvement, but some of the changes I’m not keen on. I will have to accept it but I have a number of fears. I feel my work life is about to get harder.
It could be the case that I have no need to worry. The computer system might make things easier. Brexit might be good for the country. My son might go to school on Monday and really enjoy himself.
Are there positives to change?
Sometimes once new systems are learnt or people adjust to them than life gets better. I will need to rethink how I do things at work to use my time more efficiently.
Some change we choose. Starting a family is a huge change, one that we entered into happily but it has not been easy.
My son changing schools is good, but right now, for him he is struggling.
So how do you deal with change
- Try and understand the reason for it.
- Not to panic, which I am good at.
- To take it one step at a time, if you can.
So, tomorrow is February 1st, just another day. Will my life be any different? Not straight away.
Monday will come and my son will start his new school. Any anxieties he has today will hopefully diminish. Over the weekend he will talk to his friends on Roblox and he will be alright.
The new computer system is happening. I have to learn it., understand and accept it and try think positive thoughts.
How do you deal with change? Do you like change? It’s something I keep having to accept, but it never gets easier.
For more see What is an old item?
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