The pandemic diaries: week 3 of self-isolation

We might have symbolically burnt the original quarantine timetable, but lockdown self-isolation week 3 came with TV fame, Easter eggs (just!), bin man glam & more cocktails…

Astonishingly week three of lockdown brought with it an appearance on BBC Breakfast TV – my third since quarantine started and my second TV slot of the week! In my interview with journalist Graham Satchell, I told him I thought we were starting to hit our stride, which was a ludicrous statement.

I have no idea why I confessed to such a thing – I’m blaming it on nerves, as along with forgetting every word in the English language while talking to him, I’m not sure that’s really how I felt. Going outside after the FaceTime interview to find my daughters mixing a concoction of mud with their own urine was enough to confirm this.

Being the first week of the Easter holidays, the pressure felt slightly off this week though and I’ve been trying to remember to enjoy a slower daily routine (I won’t be complaining about the school run when life goes back to some kind of normal). We threw all attempts at homeschooling out of the window, starting with burning the original timetable (which we drew up back in those heady optimistic first few days of lockdown week 1) as a symbolic act of frustration and child-goading exhaustion. But there were successes too! Here’s how we got on during week 3 of self-isolation during the pandemic lockdown.

Monday

Up until Monday we’d been venturing to the recreation ground at the end of our road for our daily escape, but with more beans than we know how to burn off in our youngest especially, we decided to venture slightly further afield (still on foot) – to Purdown, a huge park we can spot from the top of our house. ⁣
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And what a difference it made to our headspace! Not only could we gaze over the city and feel like we were seeing a bit of the outside world, it also felt like we were in deep countryside at times. We took soon deep gulps, soaked up some sunshine and calmed some of that rising anxiety.

The highlight of the day was our subscription toilet paper delivery from Who Gives a Crap (we were members before the pandemic started, thank goodness) turning up on our doorstep.

Tuesday

Thanking all my lucky stars for sunshine as it means we can hang in the garden (which I’m also immensely grateful for) and essentially adds an extra room onto our house. The kids are totally over the online exercise classes that were the best thing in the world two weeks ago, and now forcefully resist them.

In amongst the entire-body-paint episode (I thought painting outside would be less messier – how wrong was I?!), whiteboard marker to the face (I originally thought it was permanent marker, so relieved to find out it wasn’t), general destruction and god-knows-where-they’ve-put-it of important household items that comes with being in the house with two little’uns and turning your back for all of 1 minute, we found success in a teddy zip line (inspired by @fiveminutemum).
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We’ve since moved it from the upstairs window to the garden to spare us the child-near-open-window management – who else is using the line ‘stop doing that, you’ll hurt yourself and we can’t go to hospital’ repeatedly?

Wednesday – week 3 of self-isolation pandemic lockdown

Lobbed both kids their Kindles this morning to try and squeeze in 13 minutes of work.

A very welcome delivery of 6 O’ Clock gin arrived and with it, the good people of this Bristol distillery had even included a couple of free cans of ready-made G&T. Such small acts of kindness go a long way!

Next up came a Zoom interview with Jamie Lowe from Bristol TV to chat about how our family are coping in lockdown with kids. Conclusion: alcohol consumption has increased dramatically. You can check out my Bristol TV appearance below!

Thursday

Our FED 303 Cinnamon bun delivery arrived – if you live near Gloucester Road, I implore you to have some delivered to your door, they are out of this world.

As one TV interview is aired, I chat to the lovely Graham Satchell from the BBC about family life in lockdown. Totally nerve wracking, as i have a tendency to forget all knowledge of everything in my brain when put on the spot, but so glad I did it. Spent all evening thinking of better answers!

Successfully attempted homemade pizza dough (which both kids ate!), although when helping, the 3 year old dumped a shit ton of table salt on the pizza without my knowledge – the only bit that Doug bit into. Her sneakery is neverending!

As is obligatory in Zoom conversations, consumed vast quantities of wine without even noticing during an online Pub quiz with a ton of buddies.

Friday

I never realised quite how excited I’d be to receive a packet of self-raising flour from a neighbour. Our street Whatsapp group is bringing out the best ground grains in people.

Cocktails for kids! Three words that shouldnt really go together – this is homelearning at it’s finest people… But who knew they were so many opportunities for teaching in a weekly cocktail class? Now you do. I’m here for all your educational needs.

Watch my Geo-mojit-ography here:

Saturday

My phone starts going crazy at 7am and I discover I’ve been on the telly! I can’t actually believe I’ve been broadcast on the national news miming ‘What do tigers dream of’ on a kid’s piano, smashing my head on the floor in despair and impersonating a demon 3 year old, but it happened on BBC Breakfast in an interview with Graham Satchell under the notion ‘how lockdown is going in Bristol’ and I’m buzzing! You can see my five minutes of fame below:

People from all walks of my life got in touch to say they saw me! Thanks for all your lovely messages.

Easter Sunday

Luckily both sets of grandparents saved our bacon with deliveries. Had failed to get/order any Easter eggs in time (in fact they STILL haven’t arrived!) Easter would have had to have been postponed for a week (without the kids knowledge).

We gave them chocolate. They gave us the ENTIRE contents of the room emptied onto the floor. Our three year old is choosing to spend her pandemic on a one-woman mission to destroy our entire household. One item and one parent at a time.

Concluded a game of smashing stuff would go down well – borrowed an idea off Five Minute Mum (her again!) and gave them a ton of egg shells with letters drawn on top. Used the shattered smithereens as slug repeller in the garden. Success!

Easter Monday lockdown

Fun Easter fact: it’s really hard to walk in heels and pull a wheely bin. If you’re missing reasons to put on your best sparkly dress, an incredibly uncomfortable pair of heels and a smush of lippy, don’t let an opportunity to leave the house like putting your bin out go by.

The pandemic diaries, Week 2 of self-isolation

Fun activities for kids during coronavirus school closures