Quarantine: Week ?????

It's week... something... of the quarantine. Though is it even a quarantine anymore if businesses are opening back up with social distancing procedures in place? I can't even keep track anymore. School was closed for the rest of the year, so at this point it feels endless. Some summer camps qualify to open, but not the one the boys go to. They are so bored. So lonely. They miss school and their friends so much, they are devastated that they won't be going back to their beloved schools.  There will be a little social distancing baseball, but that's still being worked out. Talk of school closings continuing into the fall has us all on edge. 

Time is suspended. 

The fate of pools in NJ was in limbo for months. My dad, with excellent foresight, bought the boys a huge inflatable pool back in April. Now impossible to find, we have two VERY happy boys that like swimming in our 18 ft by 4 ft deep inflatable pool this summer (it has chlorine, a filter, pump, cover, ladder, all that jazz). While our town pool will open with heavy restrictions, I'm SO grateful we have this. The restrictions of population and social distancing requirements will make our casual last minute pool runs for a quick dip difficult. As a working mom, planning pool runs in advance is tricky - casual and last minute are much more our lifestyle. So having a pool in our backyard this summer is ideal - now they can go for a swim while I work on my laptop under the pergola or umbrella. 

It's bigger than it looks in the photos. The pool took about 36 hours to fill with the hose, but hopefully we won't have to do that again this summer. We put it on the driveway apron. It took the rest of the pea gravel pile (leftover from the drainage project and back corner pathways) and 15 bags of topsoil to even the ground out there. The area was pretty even already, the slope was slight, but it still took over a cubic yard of gravel + 15 bags of dirt to get things level for such a big pool. I honestly don't know how people are making this work elsewhere without a massive pile of supplies on hand! 

The ladder comes out and the cover goes on when we aren't using it. We have strict rules in place about how/when it's used for everyone's safety. The kids understand the pools are DANGEROUS and there must be a parent with them at all times when they are using it. They know I am serious when I say that any violation of that rule will end with the pool being drained and taken away. Our yard is fenced in and yes, if this was anything other than an inflatable we'd have to have a second fence around it. The ladder is impossible for anyone other than an adult to put into the pool and you can't get in with out it - the walls are too high and if you pull on them, the water escapes the pool in a tsunami. 

This year, unable to go many places, our house has become our refuge and the backyard our oasis. It's given me a lot of appreciation for not only having a decent sized backyard to enjoy, but also all the work we've put into it over the years. The flower beds, the raised bed garden. The repainted garage. The patio with its comfortable furniture and pergola shade. The deck with the hammock chair and umbrella is my favorite place to sit. There are flowers everywhere. We moved our bike rack to the driveway on the other side of the driveway gate because bike rides are a frequent evening activity around here. The kids play on their swing set, slide down the little slide and climb their playhouse while the playgrounds are closed. We are so grateful for what we have right now - it's a lovely place to be. 

Thinking about our backyard oasis, and how important it was for me before COVID-19, and even more important after, makes me think of an article I read a few weeks ago about the future of homes. 

Has anyone read the article from Apartment Therapy on how quarantine life and the corona virus will change homes? It's really stuck with me... most likely because they basically listed out my wish list for the perfect home, even before the quarantine. The concept of home being a safe comfortable space has always been important to me. Home should be a refuge. And as a germaphobe with young children, the idea of decontaminating when you get home from school/work has long been our fall/winter routine. The article literally lists my top wish list for our dream renovation of this house. 

An entryway area and mudroom to shed clothes, shoes and gear? Antimicrobial surfaces and touchless faucets in our kitchen and bathroom that aren't in the same room anymore? A good kitchen that's fun to cook in for family meals at home? A master bedroom and bathroom space? A room of my own as a workspace studio again (since I gave it up for kids)? Places for all of us to find some quiet or split up (vs. one big open space), but still have good options for togetherness? Yes. Yes. Yes. YES. YESSSSS. 

Part of quarantine survival is daydreaming.

I continue to rely on my favorite coping mechanisms. I'm reading tons of books. Crafting while watching Netflix. I fuss over my house plants and outdoor plants in the yard. I pick flowers, take pictures of flowers and bring in pretty bouquets. I meditate. We are currently happily harvesting peas, raspberries and strawberries from the garden. The raised bed garden gives me a sense of purpose. Yard work and dog walks provide exercise. I decompress in my favorite hammock chair. We zoom a lot and social distance socialize with a select few who have been quarantining carefully like us. We play board games, have fire pit fires, swim and do family movie nights with the kids. 

I still yell too much. The boys are often bored and mischievous because I have to juggle work and homeschool and providing basic care like meals and it's maxed out my time during the weekday (since Mike still goes to work). They are getting way too much screen time. Sometimes they wear the same shirt for too long, pajamas all day or not enough clothes at all... but it's okay. They are alive, safe and fed. The house is a mess and we're out of forks again, but it's still standing. I've adopted a stance of "whatever works." Because this is no longer a temporary few weeks. This is real life. We have good moments and bad moments. Good days and bad days. Good weeks and hard weeks. We are in this for the long haul, so we are just trying to make the best of it and stay sane. Or semi-sane in my case.