Yesterday was my last day of childcare for a bit. What the word “bit” means, I don’t know. As of now I’m going with the school schedule and currently that means April 16th…but we all know how life is now. All of that is a moving target.
Over the weekend I had talked to my families after the announcement came that school was closing telling them that I would try to stay open and that I was releasing the clause in the contract that required them to pay for day that they missed of childcare. Part of that was selfish that didn’t want sick kids here…the other part was compassion. I didn’t want my families to be in a bind and have yet another thing to worry about.
Monday, I told them I was closing after my doctor reminded me of the risk I was taking being I was immunocompromised. At that time, I released the parents from their contracts telling them if they found care sooner, they were free to leave but I was closing on Thursday.
By the time Thursday rolled around, I had three kids here. It was a bittersweet day. I was so happy to have some days to myself, yet so sad over the circumstances that brought us here and so sad there were so many things with the kids that I could now be missing.
One girl is so close to potty training…I think I’m going to miss that. Kids have loose teeth. I’m going to miss that. There are so many things that I won’t be a part of….The childcare kids really do start to feel much like my grandkids. So..it was a sad day….I enjoy a quiet house over the weekends but I’m so afraid the house is going to get too quiet. The kids have been the best distraction for me over the last year…I know it sounds crazy but their chaos has kept me sane.
It’s uncharted territory for sure.
Speaking of uncharted territory….
I am supposed to be Lacrosse today.
I’m suppose to be getting the chest CT and PET scan that we scheduled a month ago. As events up the last few days have unfolded, I’ve wondered what would happen with these appointments.
Should I cancel them on my own? Should I wait and see what happens if the hospital cancels the appointments on their own?
I decided I would wait until Thursday and make a decision. With the way things were going, there was no use making a decision before then.
At about 10am I called over and was going to cancel my appointments. It turns out the receptionist said to me, thanks for calling. You were on our list of people to call and cancel appointments for. They are cancelling many appointments. She said as far as rescheduling, they are making no recommendations…they are making no appointments. Oh my.
So my cancer is on hold again. I’m okay with that. I really am. I’m not forgetting about it. I’m not pretending it’s not there. We let it wait for awhile over the winter and things were okay so hopefully we can let it wait for a little while and I’ll be okay again. At this point I almost feel like the COVID-19 is a bigger threat than my cancer. That’s likely naive of me but that’s how I am operating at this point.
So today begins my true “staying in days”. I’ve been in but I’ve been in with others coming in. First on the list, clean everything that I can…wash the napping blankets, clean the light switches and door handles, go through and resort toys.
After that, I’m moving onto a schedule. They say that it’s good to stay in a schedule and I’m going to do the best I can to make one….maybe not so much of a schedule as goals.
I want to include daily goals of
-a sewing goal
-a cleaning goal/project goal
-cross stitch time
So today here is what I’m up to.
-I am doing an inventory of my tops that need to be quilted. I am going to see what has backs and what needs backs. I’m going to make some plans for all of them.
-I am going to do the general cleaning today to rid the house of childcare related germs. I’m also changing the sheets on my bed…also dust for cobwebs.
-I am going to cross stitch for at least an hour.
-Put some audiobooks on hold
There is plenty more time in the day to load a quilt on the frame, sew some quilt blocks or do other stuff but I do want some goals so I feel like I accomplished something.
I so want to really make these days count. I want to enjoy my hobbies and catch up on the house. When it’s time to go back to work, I want to have no regrets on using my time wisely. What are you working on today?
I closed my office to incoming foot traffic and I’m still working a few hours each day. But I too am hoping to do some deep cleaning and sewing at home. And I too don’t want these days to go by and have nothing to show for it. I appreciate what you said you’re doing because I will be doing some of the same. And Jill Savage has some good ideas on IG on ways to spend the day if you have family at home as well.
We are all adjusting to the health regulations and being cautious in our daily life. I too, pushed back my appointment at Mayo Jacksonville for my thyroid, from April to December. There are more critical patients that need the doctors, staff, and facilities.
Praying that all will be well for you and your family and that things will be back to normal in our country and the world. I can imagine plenty of new protocols and procedures for travel, import and export and medical
For now, plenty of sewing, and downsizing at my house. I am thinking of making a big fabric purchase soon. Why? Just in case there are new regulations on imports.
I used to watch a two year old boys whose parents opted to move a grandparent in. I totally understand your feelings of missing the childcare kids’ milestones. Make the most of today, Jo. It’s bittersweet, but meeting your goals will dull the sting of missing the children..
We started spring cleaning, with sewing and walking time every day. The cleaning list is going great…the sewing list has lost some steam. All the uncertainty is having a toll on my mind. We have plenty of supplies and a freezer full, but the uncertainty is driving me a bit batty.
I just found out yesterday that because of the virus my grandson’s mother will likely be having a change in her work schedule that means I will no longer need to watch my two-year-old grandson on a daily basis. I am actually heartbroken. I am hoping that like you, I can find many things around the house that need to be done. I am praying for the motivation to do just that.
There’s not a whole lot we CAN do. We’re sort of stuck in an odd routine. Dh calls ahead to campgrounds to see if they are still open or if we have to find another place. So far, most campgrounds are open but things we wanted to do while in the area are closed. So, we stay inside the RV. Getting a bit of cabin fever though where we are, they have a restaurant with the best ribs I’ve ever tasted!
Meanwhile, we’re cleaning, going through things in the RV that we don’t need and either tossing or giving them away. I’m cross stitching and cutting pieces for my next quilt.
Love and prayers
Planning to stay inside as much as possible. I have to embroider and deliver a bunny today. Otherwise yesterday I finally finished an advent calendar (embroidered) that was two years old. Today I’m going to help my daughter put together her quilt and maybe show her how to quilt another. Maybe I’ll finish baby charlottes knitted baptismal blanket. It’ll be a busy day. She came to visit for a few days while her husband is working….he’s a policeman.
Hang in there. Here in PA they have closed all the daycares so you were probably going to have to close sooner or later. My daughter had to followup dr. appointments for her oral cancer scheduled last week both have been pushed off by the doctors until July! She is 4 years cancer free. One of the appointments was for pain management (they called it in). Better safe than sorry my friend. I was at my school yesterday turning down heat and checking messages and it was so weird to be in the building when it was empty and no kid noise. I will appreciate it far more when we can return. Please stay safe and healthy. Sounds like PA is a couple of weeks ahead of you and it is no fun.
Keep busy, keep really busy. This will help you in the long run. I’m not saying work yourself to death, but just keep busy. Take walks with Rosie a couple times a day. I like your schedule, it is similar to mine. I’m finishing up some quilt tops that have been sitting here for some dumb reason. I’m waiting for our weather to get better, here in Illinois (St Louis area), it’s rainy every darn day. I want/need to clean out a shed. I miss going to stores, heck, I miss our former life. I rescheduled 3 doctor visits to the middle of May but that might be too soon. We had 13,000 cases of the virus yesterday in the US. But, this too shall pass.
I’ve been running to get groceries and other essentials for our daughter and her family. They have been in England visiting her in-laws and are flying back today (after much, much worry that they wouldn’t get a flight home)! So now they will be on self quarantine for 2 weeks and need supplies and food. All will be fine just praying they remain healthy. I like your goals! I will be cleaning the house after dog and cat sitting for 3 weeks :-)
The good side of this…Hopefully we will all have clean houses, finished projects and have spent time enjoying our families!
Hang in there… maybe the noise of the sewing machine will help! Best to self quarantine… I am now with my underlining conditions. My brain is about to explode with distance PD all week and trying to find a place for my home office.
I understand you concern about going to the Dr. I did this Tuesday. Concerns about exposure to the virus… no one knows and recommendations change daily! Glad you are in a mentally safe place. I like your goals. You make such beautiful quilts. Stay safe my friend!
I quilted today, finished the last of the locks for a wedding present quilt. Now to quilt a top i finished in January. Had to wait for awhile to get the batting. My daughter and Grands live with me she does the running and is very careful. Take care. Continued prayer for everyone. Family friends and everyone i’ve met reading your blog.
I am working on sewing my crumbs into a quilt. I actually have most of the crumbs sewn and am getting ready to add some sashing, I have been having a lot of fun doing this.
I am also adding a cleaning task daily, and getting more reading in.
Staying in isolation is pretty easy for me, I like solitude and my own company; we are all stocked up on necessities; and the weather is icky outside so in is good. lol
I can hardly work on anything. My quilts go to new chemo patients, and those referrals are way down. My daughter is stuck in Rwanda, trying to get a flight back to the states. They weren’t having much luck with the embassy, so we’ve spent the afternoon talking to our local congressman’s office. I know she’s safe, but I can tell she’s nervous by how fast she’s talking. She’s 29, but this has me worried to death. I will work on one quilt top, and a couple of placemats this weekend.
I did a Pat Sloan block of the week for the quilt Childhhood Games, then I made 30 mask covers for our local hospital to cover the N95 masks they are having to wear, did 15 the day before, turned those in via the lady that leaves them on the porch and she left me 40 more to do over the weekend. Have 4 finished tops that need quilting so thinking in the a.m. I’ll get one on the frame. These are strange worrisome days as we are in the heaviest infected county in Georgia right now :( . I am trusting God and praying a lot! I’ll pray you have enough to keep you busy you won’t get to discouraged, you keep so many of us up with your wonderful posts, God bless you!!!!
Children are such therapy for sure! You are a resilient human. You grieve when you need to grieve. You have joy when feeling joyful. Hopefully the grands will have some time to come talk to you from the doorstep! sing to you! Write you notes. I bet this is already in the planning stage. Your kids are awesome people raised by awesome people.
Love to you!
I pulled pieces of fabric smaller than 1/2 yd from my stash and cut them into strips. My machine gave out last week with the thread breaking about every 8 inches, so it’s in the shop. I have about 8 quilts and 9 minis to quilt but can’t do it with my Featherweight. If the weather gets warmer we can start working on boxes in the garage. My husband has been having pain in his hands and the dr sent him to p/t. He’s had 2 appts this week and 3 next week and I really don’t want him to go. We’re in our 70’s and he’s got cancer and I have diabetes. Stay safe, everyone.
I too had to cancel appts, Allergist, doesn’t need to happen, Knee surgery, I can limp along…. I did the Cologuard and it was + but it is not an emergency to get a colonoscopy, and they are not taking appointments anyway….. EVERYTHING is on hold except for my sewing!!!!!
It took me forever to cancel my hair cut. I didn’t mind not getting the hair cut, I feel fortunate that I still have hair that grows. It was accepting the fact that I am in the high risk group, I am dealing with an autoimmune disease. Medications I take also put me at risk. Nothing new for me. I take the best care of myself that I know how to, but I live my life as if I don’t have it. Find blessings and joy in your tasks and crafts you will be doing in the coming days.