This is a trying and unprecedented time for all of us. Not the looming economic recession; we've had that before. Not the loss of jobs and income and the dream of owning a home being pushed farther away; this is all par for the course for millenials. But being cooped up in our homes?? THAT is a new one.
The feeling of control over our situation comes and goes in waves. Some days we might have it all together and have a schedule and feel like an overall good person. And other days we think that none of that works and we need to throw it all out the window.
I've boiled it down to this very scientific conclusion: there are two types of people in this whole situation. The Carolines, and the Hannahs.
I've been eyeing Caroline from the front window of my house for the last 7+ weeks. It's not weird. She knows that she's being watched. Usually. Each day she has a cute outfit (usually a trendy jump suit or dress or workout clothes that actually look cute on her). She's wearing makeup, her hair looks cute. She is put together.
And then there's me. If Caroline were positioning herself in front of her windows so that she could see me walking in and out of the house, she would see that I'm wearing whatever large shirt I slept in, with either cheap leggings with loud prints from Walmart or cheap joggers from Amazon, because why shouldn't Bezos have another win while the rest of us are suffering. I got a Stitchfix shipment what felt like mere seconds before the virus hit our city, so I have a few precious pieces of spring-wear that will never see the light of day. At least until Fall when it's the appropriate weather again, and hopefully then I have reasons to wear non-home clothes.
I recently discovered that if I french-braid my hair, I don't need to do much else to it. I wear my eye glasses or sunglasses instead of makeup. My Nike slides are my go-to footwear for anything: working out, walking the dog...actually those are the only things I do that require shoes these days. I'm chugging water at all times because I believe that it's protecting my body from the virus (based on no data.)
One thing that we do have in common, other than using our waist band as a phone holder, is that one or more of our children are never farther than arm's reach. It wasn't even on purpose that the socially-distanced photos above accidentally caught snippets of our kids in photos that we took of each other. They're always around, gang. And they're getting clingier by the DAY! It's like all umbilical cords are suddenly reattached.
At the beginning of all this, I had lofty goals of waking up early, working before the kids woke up, getting a good workout in, and then being able to focus on their education. But time has lost all meaning. I go to sleep sometime in the late hours of the night, wake up at some point the next morning, and put together some type of food for my family.
I now have two main priorities for my kids in the day: a little bit of education, and a little bit of outside time. If we can accomplish those things, I care a lot less about screen time. Caroline usually plans more activities for her kids (and you should check out her Instagram stories for all the ideas you need) and she thrives on those things. She's also really good at it. I don't love to do those things, so I typically keep planned activities to a minimum. I think the key during this time is to make sure that we're being honest with ourselves about what kind of person we are. If you don't like to do something, don't look at someone doing it on Instagram and allow yourself to feel like you're less-than or you need to be doing more. Just be happy that they've found what works for them!
You might like to dress up in nice clothes and put on a little makeup every day, or maybe you haven't touched your makeup in weeks. You might have a great schedule in place for you and your family, or maybe you're just taking it day by day. Your dog may be in great shape after countless walks, or maybe you've been on your couch all day every day.
The point is, decide what works best for YOU. Figure out your best self, or what your best self needs in this moment, and honor that person. And celebrate the others! There's room for all of us to be whatever we need to be right now.
If it wasn't clear by the previous 800 words, the title is tongue-in-cheek. Some days we care about everything, and some days we care about nothing. And all of it is ok.
How are you sheltering in place?
I try to include this caveat whenever I write about the pandemic, but the Good Idea Girls and our families are very lucky to be in good health right now. The economic effects have hit us in different ways, but we're doing ok. We hope you are too, and we know that we're the lucky ones. If you're not, please don't think that a post saying "everything is ok, do what you want" applies to you. Also, if you're stuck in an unsafe situation in your home, please reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline or a trusted friend or family member. You are not alone!
And if you're looking for some positivity during this time, check out and subscribe to the Good Things Newsletter. It's a weekly dose of uplifting story snippets, funny stuff, and a few things to show your kids. It's also a great way to make sure you don't miss anything from the Good Idea Girls throughout the week!
