We are supposed to wear masks whenever we are out and there's a chance we'll come within six feet of another person. So... always. Tiny children are exempt from this rule, I think officially because of suffocation risks or something but probably it has more to do with the fact that no force - no virus, no government- is a match for the will of a small child who doesn't want to do or wear something.
As any learned doctor will tell you, movement is very important for good poops and good moods. (Can't really have a good mood without a good poop either, am I right?) (I reserve the right to discuss poop as much as I want to because I have been quarantined with a toddler for almost a month now (?) and the only adults I see are through a computer screen because Diego works eighteen-hour days seven days a week.) Making sure we get outside at least once a day - even if it's just to walk around the block - is obviously a part of our "STEER CLEAR OF PITS OF DESPAIR" routine. But something about wearing a mask while my tiny daughter doesn't feels weird, and I won't lie, it's one of the main reasons we usually don't venture much further than our block.
Most of the time Diego brings home things like milk or eggs when we run out of them, and I started getting Hello Fresh meals delivered because it's impossible to get a slot with any of the regular grocery services right now. (That's actually been working out great because Zo ë only eats a fraction of whatever I make, so I usually squeeze dinner for the two of us plus lunch for me out of each meal. If you're also having a hard time sourcing groceries, look into the different meal kit delivery services. The expense might be worth it for your family; I know for me even though it's slightly more than I'd maybe pay for regular groceries, it's nice to know that I'm not wasting a bunch of produce because they give you exactly enough. Shh, now. I've forgotten what I was talking about. Let me go back up and see.) We have had to go into the actual grocery store a couple of times, and when we did I just popped a rain cover over the stroller and that seemed to work fine as a little safety bubble.
One thing I do like about the mask is that it's a good way to tell for sure if you have stinky breath.
I'm on my second glass of rose, and I just did a bunch of work so that I wouldn't be so stressed out tomorrow. (I still will be stressed out tomorrow but it's cute that I tried.) I don't know what I'm doing here.
Last week I ordered quilting supplies (LOL WHAT WHY) and the only thing left to get delivered is the batting. The plan was to make blankets out of some tapestries I don't use anymore, and maybe try my hand at a little doll quilt with some of Joe's old stained baby clothes. Then last night I dusted off the Switch we got two years ago and never touched, and I downloaded Diablo III so. We'll see about that quilt.
 |
| We don't always wear matching shirts, but when we do, they reference TV shows she doesn't understand. |
Occasionally when my childless peers are discussing, say, Netflix series they've watched or something, I'll have a moment of, I don't know, envy? Because being told to stay home by myself is literally my life's dream. And I think of all the books I could read, all the shows I could watch, all the writing I'd do, etc, if I hadn't gone and given birth to the world's cutest little girl.
And then I remember I'm me, and that my actual activities would be right out of "The Phantom Tollbooth":
"At 8 o'clock we get up, and then we spend
"From 8 to 9 daydreaming.
"From 9 to 9:30 we take our early midmorning nap.
"From 9:30 to 10:30 we dawdle and delay.
"From 10:30 to 11:30 we take our late early morning nap.
"From ll:00 to 12:00 we bide our time and then eat lunch.
"From l:00 to 2:00 we linger and loiter.
"From 2:00 to 2:30 we take our early afternoon nap.
"From 2:30 to 3:30 we put off for tomorrow what we could have done today.
"From 3:30 to 4:00 we take our early late afternoon nap.
"From 4:00 to 5:00 we loaf and lounge until dinner.
"From 6:00 to 7:00 we dillydally.
"From 7:00 to 8:00 we take our early evening nap, and then for an hour before we go to bed at 9:00 we waste time."
And of all the not-quite-two-year-olds in all the lands, I could not be happier to be quarantined with this particular one.
 |
| "How many boxes of wine have you gone through?" |
Other things that help the days not suck:
- Putting on makeup (it's the ritual more than the result)
- Opening the curtains and making the bed
- Drinking enough water
- Weekly Zoom happy hours
- Savoring this surprise alone time with my daughter
- Cat naps
