When we planned that February trip, we had originally wanted to go to London, but decided against it since it's one of the biggest tourist spots in the world. (I felt slightly paranoid at the time, because no one was altering travel in Europe yet). Right before we left, we booked a pre-Easter trip to Rome and Naples, and days later, the outbreak in Northern Italy began.
School has just been closed here, as of 2 days ago. Our school has been working extensively on setting up Google Classroom for the students, as we don't know when they'll get to go back. I've received several emails on how to access their work, and what time they need to log on to "meet" with the different classes. This all starts tomorrow, and though school will be understanding while we get used to this, I am nervous about keeping everything organized. I'm also nervous about being stuck in the house with the kids indefinitely. But I'm working on keeping my attitude positive, because I don't want my stress to rub off on the kids. Lily is already anxious about the whole situation.
So far we are all well. We can continue to do things like go for walks outside, we will just stay away from busy areas (not that many areas are busy these days). Matt still goes to work, but is on an adjusted schedule. We will keep busy with schoolwork, and we also bought a PS4 and subscribed to Disney+. There are loads of ideas floating around on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest on how to keep kids busy during this time, so if we get bored I will check them out.I'm also planning to start showing the kids videos about US history, so they can learn more about their background and culture.
This is by far the hardest time we've spent so far away from family. Even if we were in the US, we wouldn't be visiting everyone, but it's different to know that we can't get on a plane if there's an emergency. The kids are really missing relatives, and I'm thankful for video chats.
Oh yeah, today is Mother's Day in the UK. Before school shut down, the kids drew and painted pictures for me. Lily brought a tulip home, and Clara made a bracelet. There is usually a Mother's Day assembly with the younger kids, but it was cancelled this year (hopefully just postponed - we'll see).
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| My portrait painted by Clara |
Matt had to work, but the kids and I did go for a walk outside.
We passed by the park on the way home, and Lily desperately wanted to stop and play. There were a few families there, but I didn't feel comfortable stopping. It was difficult because she was upset, and I imagine there will be many more instances like that.
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| A near empty park on a sunny Sunday |
For now I'll just focus on trying to help the kids with schoolwork and keeping myself busy. How are you all coping with everything so far? What is the hardest thing to deal with so far?
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