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| Walking through the vineyards so we can enjoy some fresh air and exercise. |
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| Love these two so much! |
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| Baking cookies |
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| Sunning myself on the balcony with a morning coffee (only can be done until noon) |
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| Camping in the play room. We moved the girls mattresses in for the night and they slept in their new spot. |
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| Creating obstacles and races in the backyard. Silly mistake: I let the girls use their skateboards and Emilie fell off. Swollen wrist and lots of pain later. Fingers crossed it is just a minor injury as now really isn't the best time to go to the hospital. |
Well, we are finally on vacation after 3 weeks of working from home and homeschool. We have adjusted and found what can work for us, but that doesn't mean that we like it. It is hard on the girls. It's hard on me. It's hard on all of us. The kids have so much work and stare at ipad screens for at least 5 hours a day with their assignments and video calls. We have had to make timetables for us so the girls can see when I can help them during the day and when they are made to play to get away from their ipad. Mealtimes are the main moment together and I am so thankful that both of the girls are academically able and responsible enough to be able to do most of the work independently. I have had to make myself a timetable for when I can make meals, mark work, plan future lessons, help the girls with their work, video chat with my class and when we will all get some physical activity and fresh air during the day. On top of managing our schedules, it has been hard to manage all the emotions everyone is faced with. The girls are so sensitive and I am trying to hold my thoughts together so it looks like everything is ok. It's not. It's not normal. And we all miss our old life where we could go to school/work and socialise and plan vacations, knowing that it was all going to happen. Staying home, instead of going out to dinner and drinks, hasn't bothered me too much as I actually enjoy being at home. It is being at home, a place I should feel relaxed, and instead am stressed and busy (the sofa keeps calling me for a nap which never gets taken).
This year I was so organised with planning our vacations. By booking everything so far in advance, I got amazing deals on airfare and finally the cruise to Alaska that I have been wanting to take for almost 20 years (since I briefly worked at Royal Caribbean). I was going to have a friend stay in our apartment and take care of Nelly, dates were set, deposits made...now there is no way we can take a cruise this year and I am stuck questioning what will happen regarding flights to Canada and the US. Emilie was to have her 1st confirmation in May and her party in Texas in July and recently I have had to tell family that it doesn't look like we will be there after all this year, all the while still crossing my fingers that we can be there next year.
On top of it, I finally decided to buy something for the girls and I in Mallorca. The day everything was signed, Spain closed their borders and Switzerland closed, issuing a stay-at-home order. Now I am not sure when we will ever get to see the place and "make it ours". I just keep hoping it will all work out and when we finally can get there, the place is in one piece.
This is a really long post to say that while I appreciate the chance to relax at home, we've had enough already. Waiting outside the grocery store, wearing masks in public, avoiding people so not to be too close and trying to keep up with all the news about the current situations in France, Switzerland, the US and Spain is exhausting.
I will end this with a positive, the same way I try to end the girls day. I am thankful that the girls and I are healthy, that our family and friends are healthy, that I still have a job (as many do not), that my family members still have jobs, that I have some money still in the bank, that we don't shop insanely or go out all the time therefore our life hasn't changed as drastically as it could have, that Switzerland still allows citizens to leave their house so we can go for hikes or small walks or ride bikes and the pollution levels around the world are dropping.
Hopefully when all of this is over (please be soon) life will find normal, but better normal. One where we can at least see our friends and family, give them a giant hug as it is needed, without fear of someone getting sick.
