Quarantine: How I’m Normalizing this New Normal …

When we entered into quarantine in the middle of March, I was using medication to control my rising anxiety. After a few weeks, I no longer felt that jitteriness or nausea. But lately my stomach has been constantly upset and hives have been popping up here and there.

My anxiety always rears its ugly head during milestones in my life and a two weeks ago it was Arielle’s birthday. Leading up to that special day it made sense that I was feeling less than perfect. But when that continued I wondered what else could be affecting me. And no, I am not announcing another pregnancy.

I’m realizing that my anxiety did not subside. The symptoms changed as I was just adjusting to this “new normal.” So while I’m now getting back to my breathing and meditation exercises to try and control them, I wanted to share how I’ve been trying to normalize quarantine and this new way of life for my family, as well as how I’ve been using this time to better myself.

How I’m Normalizing this New Normal

Establishing a Flexible Schedule

Arielle pretty much decides what time we wake up so we’ll start our day with a short nursing session. Morning chores are next and as she plays with her toys, I’ll make the bed, wash up and change out of my pajamas. Some mornings Alex and I get the dishes loaded into the dishwasher, other days we sort the laundry. Then the work day starts somewhere between 8 and 9 a.m. for Alex.

Arielle and I go to my mom’s (she lives very close) and she’ll have her breakfast, then playtime, then hopefully she’ll take a nap. She has her lunch around noon and we’ll usually visit Alex. Our work day ends around 6, her dinner time. She is in bed between 7:30 and 8 p.m., after her favorite treat – yogurt. We will wind down watching Jeopardy and some Netflix and we’re happy to slip into bed before 10.

Getting Out of the House

I’ve never been a huge outdoor person, but getting some fresh air has been so important during this time. Short walks around the neighborhood, or even just around our yard, break up the day. We’ll also pick one day a week to take a drive and do all of our errands like hitting the bank, dropping off our dry cleaning and visiting my Nunny. I just love how Arielle puts on a show (she is already quite the ham) for her great grandmother. But it does make me ache for a time when we can all be together without wearing masks and staying six feet apart.

Baking … a lot of Baking

The smell of freshly baked cookies always made me feel better as a kid. But I’ve taken it a step further. I nailed this recipe for School Bread on Mother’s Day and then I used the leftover yeast to make bow and star shaped beignets. When some bananas were getting very ripe, I threw them into a bowl with some peanut butter and chocolate chips to make the most delicious banana bread ever. And of course I had to make a cake for Arielle’s Birthday!

Needless to say, dieting hasn’t been a huge part of quarantine life in our house.

How I’m Trying to Better Myself and my Home

Taking some “Me Time”

Before quarantine I was getting biweekly manicures and monthly pedicures. I have always been terrible at doing my nails. But I recently discovered Essie’s Gel Couture polish set and my life has been changed. The brush just glides over the nail, applying an even coat of polish and it dries quickly. It also lasts for about a week before chipping which is no easy feat with my busy lifestyle!

I’ve also been doing online classes through Studio Poise. Though I’m not working out as often as I’d like, I still get in a few classes a week and that has been helping with my mood.

And though I’m still dealing with postpartum hormonal imbalances that have wreaked havoc on my skin, I feel like my face is looking better than it has in months. I have been trying a bunch of new products and have fallen in love with Drunk Elephant’s T.L.C. Sakuri Babyfacial. It is definitely worth the hype.

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Educating Myself

As steam has been building behind the Black Lives Matter movement following the deaths of George Lloyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, among so many others, I’ve been reading, researching and listening to stories of racism and inequality. Of course I learned about slavery and the Civil Rights Movement in school, but as a white woman I’ve never understood how deeply this is rooted in our culture. I’ve been working on Michelle Obama’s Becoming and I have a few books on the way from Amazon that I’m looking forward to reading to try and understand how I can be a better ally.

I had also started Untamed and so far it has been an empowering read that I feel will make me a better woman and a better mom to my little girl. And I’ve been reading this board book which I received from my friend Casey to teach Arielle and myself a bit of French. The Babble app has also been helpful in my quest to parle français.

Spring Cleaning and Home Improvement

I am a bit of a clotheshorse so I’ve been using this time to pare down my wardrobe and donating gently used items to local charities. We also finally redid my main closet and I purchased all new hangers. I am now organized … it’s an amazing feeling.

Spending Time Together

And, like every other family, we’ve been spending a lot of time together. That’s probably my biggest takeaway from this unexpected break from “life as we knew it.” And while it’s been hard adjusting to having everyone home all the time, Arielle has really been enjoying all of the attention!

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