Pandemic Parenting

On a normal day, parenting a brood of littles is quite simply the hardest job in the world. The immense responsibility of keeping small children alive while shepherding them to become kind, empathetic, responsible, healthy, capable adults is an all-consuming, never-ending task. It's possible to do this job well as a stay at home mom or as a working mom with an excellent care network, but one path I've realized is unsustainable, for me at least, is trying to be a work from home mom. I know people choose this path in non-pandemic times, and I'm here to say... you all are crazy. Working from home with small children (and older children who are supposed to be online schooling) is the worst. The. Worst. For weeks and weeks, I tried to maintain a normal 9-5 schedule with an in-home caregiver in place, but my presence in the home seems to exert a gravitational pull on my children which draws them into my work space on an every 10 minutes basis. Much like the Earth and the moon (I think, fact check me sciencey readers), gravity in my house pulls both directions. All day I hear a bump and cry from the front room and want to go running. Or I'll hear a peal of giggles and want to join the party. Or the visible work of dishes, laundry, cooking, and picking up tempts me to get a head start on that work while the kids are occupied. I sit in my makeshift home office in the corner of my bedroom for eight hours day after day and accomplish what would usually take 3-4 hours in a normal work environment.

Occasionally I solicit advice from my online mom circles, imploring work from home moms as to how they set boundaries and stay productive. Their advice is solid (e.g. don't let your kids interrupt for any reason, put up helpful signs, etc.), and would probably work in normal times, but feels out of sync with pandemic times. As much as I love my work and want to do a good job, it's infinitely more important for me that my kids feel safe and loved and secure in this uncertain world. Put simply, it doesn't feel like the time for harsh boundaries. If my kids knock on my door and ask for a hug, they get a hug. If they knock on my door and ask for Paw Patrol and orange juice, I send them back to C-Game.

There have also been weeks of this crisis where I don't have childcare in place. C-Game, our lovely au pair, got married back in March and officially moved out May 1. Our backup nanny is Daniel Tiger, Nature Cat, and Paw Patrol but there is only so much screen time I can stomach, even during a global crisis. On occasion, I have have started doing the thing I abhor, the thing I swore to myself I would never do, which is giving my 4 year old my iPhone to play PBS games. Up to this point, I have NEVER allowed my children to hold a phone or tablet because I know in my heart it rots their brains and their souls. But this is the world we live in. It's iPhone or die, man.

Okay, let's talk a sec about non-working hours, which are by far right now my favorite hours of the day. Being with my kids when I am not multi-tasking is an utter delight.

Hot tub retreat

Desolation trail in Millcreek. 

Harper and I hiked The Living Room. When she reached the top, every one, even strangers, were so proud of her. 

Taking a lollipop break on the sandstone furniture. 

Literally the next day she asked me, can we hike Living Room again today? 

Harper asked for a lemon and sunglasses and told me she was on vacation. I have no idea where Ashton found his. 

Just one little pump of shaving cream? 

Sugar House Park

Building a nest

Memory Grove

Heading back to the car

Temple Quarry in Little Cottonwood

Hogle Zoo opened in early May. It was a bit sad with the train, carousel, playground, and splash pad closed but still nice to visit our animal friends and enjoy the sunshine. 

Picnic just outside of Red Butte Garden. 

Despite all the lovely family time and abundance of cuteness in my house, there were times the anxiety of a global pandemic was just too much. I started taking Stan on long walks around the neighborhood paying special attention to the blooming flowers, changing trees, and signs of solidarity, all of which are ubiquitous in Sugar House.

Tulips

A couple sweet neighbor girls painted these suns on 6-7 houses on our block. 

Don't worry, be happy. 

My next door neighbor

Best dog. 

After six wonderful months, we said good bye to our au pair C-Game, who moved to Logan with her new husband. We so appreciate the time and love she poured into our family. For our last family dinner, we had Korean BBQ in the backyard and said our goodbyes. It's nice that for once instead of an au pair moving back across the world, we get to keep one right here in Utah!

It was a little disconcerting to find Whiffer like this until Harper explained that she was giving him a climbing lesson.

Playing house

Donut picnic at Ledgemere in Big Cottonwood

High water always make my heart race a little even when I have two eyes on them.

They figured out how to raise the umbrella

Lisa Falls

Three climbers

Peek a boo! 

Breaking land speed records at Bonneville Salt Flats

My first love.

The salt ground is unreal.

Helping dad

Hidden Hollow

Look what Harper found. An H rock! 

First day back at Little Gym. Temp checks and symptom checks.

New coronavirus protocols dictate that every kid has their own "kid kit." 

Ashton, refusing to have his temperature taken.

Still there? 

Drive through last day of school at Wasatch Preschool.

Nerd alert! Aidan got braces. 

By mid-May many of us were expanded our quarantine bubbles to a few good friends. Here we are visiting great friends in Logan. 

And meeting Baby Madeline! 

Just one more Robert? 

After not playing with friends for three months, a sleepover with Logan and Ashton wore these two out. 

Homeschool Preschool

Go, speed racer! 

Aidan's Quarantine Survival Kit

Second week of temp checks

New Frozen leotard

Dad is so lucky to have so many enthusiastic helpers. 

Shaved ice is back!! 

Wasatch Hollow

Skittles Art

Post-quarantine haircuts

So fresh and so clean, clean

You see this? New haircut. 

S'mores in the driveway

Sweetest face

To close out this post, can we talk about the fact that next month I turn 40? I don't feel 40. Or at least I didn't until 2020. Be prepared for an existential, midlife post in the near future.

Stay safe, vault dwellers!