This week we continued our stay at home, all of us are settling into our new normal routine during this global crisis. I’m trying my best to keep some sort of variety in the vegetables I give the girls, though I’m still mostly using frozen vegetables. It’s not exactly ideal, but we’re doing the best we can under the current circumstances.
The girls are doing their best to manage during the lockdown too, playing, singing, and dancing together. It’s really beautiful to watch, most of the time. Of course, there are some fights or spats here and there, it’s only to be expected from siblings who are so young. But they are getting along more and more and getting more creative each and every day.
I’m also continuing to try and cope with these uncertain times through some fun sewing projects. Since I had finished the quilts, I decided to use some of the left-over fabrics to make a new wardrobe for Molly. I still need some Velcro to finish it all the way, but for the time being I think the girls’, and Molly, like her new, festive outfit.
The week continued with our new home learning schedule. It’s getting more and more difficult to keep Sara Gail focused on her work. And I know Abigail is starting to feel left out as well. I know lots of teachers myself, and I have to say that each and every one of them is a saint! I don’t know if it’s the environment, the distraction from Abigail, or the fact that I’m her mother, but all of those factors combined make for some frustrating moments in the home learning process. But I try my best to persevere and keep Sara Gail on the pace that she’d be at in school, or at least close to it.
In addition to the challenges that come with teaching Sara Gail, and keeping Abigail entertained, I also have to try and give Varun the quiet and solitude that he needs when he has to work, make calls, and everything else that he has on his plate working from the house. I know Sara Gail is old enough to understand that he has to work, but she is having a hard time coping with the fact that Daddy is home, but can’t play with her. Every time he comes downstairs, or she sneaks into our room, she desperately tries to pull him away from whatever he’s working on. This is the challenge that all parents today are grappling with all over the world as we navigate the waters of working from home. Luckily, though, Varun has me here to keep the girls busy and try to give him what he needs to get his work done and get it done well.
Now, I know everyone is reacting differently to this situation. Since I haven’t exactly coped well with our move here, or at least all of Varun’s traveling since we moved here, I decided to try and take all this time at home to focus more on myself. So, I’m trying to fit in more exercise for myself during these long days just at home. It’s not ideal, of course, I lack all the equipment that I’d prefer to be using, and Sara Gail gets more screen time than I’d like while I exercise. But, there are still advantages: I’m feeling better and happier, and Sara Gail gets to see me exercise and stay healthy, sometimes she even tries to join in with me. And Varun found the perfect at home workout to get started, once you get to seven sets, it can be quite a challenge, but one that is more than worth-while!
This weekend Varun had both Friday and Monday off because of the Easter holiday. So, he got to join in with Sara Gail on her home learning schedule. Even though he did have vacation, he still had some work to do during the weekend. While he finished up a few emails and other odds and ends, I took some time on Saturday to dye Easter eggs with the girls. Luckily, I have some food coloring, so I had everything I needed at home to offer a few different colors to the girls. It’s not the easiest task for one adult to do with two young toddlers, but we colored a dozen eggs for the girls to find the next day for our Easter egg hunt!
We ended our week with the usual movie night, which the girls are always excited about. Especially the making, and eating, of the popcorn.
And thus ends another week here in Accra under COVID-19. I hope you all are enjoying reading about our continued time here in Accra, though it may be a little bit more boring right now. And I also hope that you’re all staying safe, wherever you may be right now. Come back next week to read about our second Easter here in Accra.
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