Coronavirus, Cancelled Holidays and 5 Months Off School!

The last few months have been such a crazy time for us all right? Adjusting to this crazy new world we find ourselves in, constantly changing rules and advice and a whole new way of working, parenting and living to adapt too. Through all the craziness I realised that whilst I have been quietly working away whenever I can squeeze in some time at my laptop, I havent really shared much of what we have been up to as a family. So today I wanted to share a little about what lockdown and the pandemic has looked like for us as a family.

The kids officially broke up from school on the 20th March and it was such a strange time, not knowing when or if we would be back, should we say bye to the teachers? Is this it for their time in their current classrooms and teachers? And of course the look of confusion on the kids (and parents!) faces about how we would all cope. 

In fact the kids go back, all be it for just a few short days (6 for Evelyn 7 for James) spread over 5 weeks, it gave them both a chance to finish up the year officially. It wasn't what they had hoped for of course, they weren't in classes with their friends (and Evelyn didn't even have her year 1 teacher). But it was a chance to go back, to see some kind of normal that they were used to and of course we got to plan a little goodbye and gift for her teachers too. 

My husband was also furloughed on 1st April (I'm not sure who I was more stressed about having at home!) and whilst the uncertainty was worrying it was nice to all be at home together and making the most of a bad situation with some lovely family down time. 

We tried our best to stick to some kind of school work, home learning routine (like I am sure lots of us did), with the school providing work and as much support as they could. However trying to teach kids at home who are excited at the novelty of having dad home, anxious about the situation and who are only allowed to leave the house for one walk a day is no easy feat. Whilst our plan of sticking to a "school day" routine diminished quickly we did still fit in school work every day and found a routine of work in the morning, free time in the afternoon, that worked for us all. 

We were supposed to have holidays in March, August and October this year, all of which we have ended up cancelling now due to either lockdown still being in place or safety worries about how safe it would actually be to be away during this time. Of course we were all pretty sad about it, our holidays are something we all look forward to every year and often they are the only thing we really spend money on for us all year long. So losing them was gutting but obviously we know why it had to be done and we still got to spend more family time then ever before together due to lockdown and furlough so we have to look at the positives. 

We did manage to fit in a few trips to the seaside once lockdown lifted though and it felt good to dip our toes in the sea and play in the sand even if it wasn't a holiday as such. 

There has been laughter and tears, smiles and screams. We have had days of complete relaxation, pjs days and movie nights and there have been days that we have all cried. It has been great spending much needed family time together but by no means has it been easy and I think that is something we can all relate too. Adjusting to change is hard, but when that change is pretty much everything you have known its really bloody tough. But through it all we have learnt that we are strong as a family, we are loved, we had WAY too many board games and we really love holidays! 

But we have also learnt things about ourselves. James has realised how much he really misses swimming, something he probably took for granted pre lockdown when he was training 4+ times a week. Evelyn has grown more confident and her writing and reading have come along so much. I have pushed myself to pursue a career as a swimming teacher when all this is over and my husband has realised just how hard it is being at home all the time. But most importantly we have learned that as a unit we are stronger, that we can lean on each other for support and whilst lockdown has been hard, overall it has made us stronger as a family. 

As I write this my husband is still furloughed, I am still working and we are tentatively getting ready for a back to school routine for the kids in September. They are super excited about a return, some routine and of course most importantly their friends! So it does weigh heavy on my mind when I hear about local lockdowns and rising figures. But right now we are doing our best to stay positive, to enjoy the time together and look forward to the future, whatever that might hold. 

How have you found lockdown, will your children be returning to school in September? 

xXx