Our Reality In This New Life Right Now: Week 1 Recap
Both girls said their “home school highlight of the week” was this: Making banana bites “sushi” inspired by Weelicious on our “how to” theme day- Alexa filmed it for her “Vlog” which was the “writing” lesson for the theme day- “how to” create content!
Writing about what is currently happening in the world overwhelms me to the point of feeling completely paralyzed to turn on this computer or pick up a pen and journal. But, not recording it in real time is unimaginable- I know the world will forever be changed from these days, weeks and months and being able to look back on how it unfolded is important. So, instead of chronicling the intricacies of an international pandemic (which is something I have absolutely no place in doing to begin with!), I am going to document our life at home, as it is a real life day to day reflection of/reaction to all the big things.
Our Reality During The Coronavirus Pandemic: Week 1
Cancelled Plans:
Schools here closed as of Thursday, March 12. That night I was supposed to be going into NYC to see my all-time favorite musical, “Company”. I had been looking forward to it for over a year, since hearing the revival was making its way to Broadway- and it seemed insane to me NOT to go. I argued with my husband that it was silly to stay home, fine if he was gonna be all paranoid about Coronavirus I could take an Uber in by myself armed with Purell, go see the performance, and Uber right back home. What was the big deal?! Then, after I spend most of the day trying to get in touch with Ticketmaster to change tickets, DeBlasio shut down Broadway. The decision was made for me- and I am so happy it was. We had the friends who we were supposed to go see the show with over for dinner that night- again, we probably were not supposed to in light of the phrase that I think I heard for the first time ever the next day- SOCIAL DISTANCING- but I am grateful it happened. Would not have thought at the time that it would be the last IRL hangout around our dinner table with people outside our family for the foreseeable future.
Home With The Kids:
I went into panic mode about home schooling Alexa and Goldie. Unable to comprehend the whole idea of it (and still calling in props and putting together message points for two TODAY segments- a beauty segment for the 10 and Better Basics for the 8- that were slated for the following week-because again, who knew?!) Brian and I decided to table the school thing until Monday and let the girls enjoy an extra-long weekend on their iPads :) Our weekend was cozy and, in all honestly, wonderful. No plans, no strict bedtimes, no idea what the future would hold. Friday night we watched a silly movie, and Saturday night we held a “Falik Family Got Talent” competition (side note: dance tutorials on YouTube are a great way to pass the time- I’ll put a list of faves together for you guys one day soon- I did THIS ONE and, in my opinion, totally slayed Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy”).
We couldn’t turn off the news.
The timeline is blurry looking back even though it has only been days- but from NBA suspending the season, the stock market plummeting, schools closing all over the country, stores and restaurants shuttering, streets empty- heck, an aerial shot of the Westport Train Station on a weekday showed empty lots (on any other day, a parking spot is nearly impossible to come by). It still does not seem real!
Homeschooling.
On Monday, school was in session. Sure, I probably spent way too much time printing out worksheets and obsessively consuming online teaching resources and tip guides, following every educational expert Instagram handle I could find, etc. I spoke to the NY Post about it and they featured a bit about our home school concept in THIS article (kind of cool, right?!). We did “First Day of School” photos, made signs, all the things (in like 10 minute intervals, ha!). The tricky part is catering the activities to both girls- this is where the 4 year age gap is not ideal! As of now, we do “school” (which is mainly just a title for the hours of the day when I plan things and we try and hide the iPads!) from around 9-1:30 each day. Then, afterwards, if the girls zone out on iPads for a few hours, I don’t feel terrible about it (until I do- which usually happens around 4pm and I freak out then talk myself off the ledge.)
On Tuesday, my “Rachael Ray Show” makeover segment aired.
It was taped on March 3, and watching it felt even stranger than normal (I rarely watch my own segments because it makes me cringe). It was like I was looking at a relic, a clip from a million years ago in a world that was completely different. A crowd of strangers packed in a line like sardines. No N95 masks. No social distance. No concerns other than being the one picked to get a new look. (It was, for what it is worth, one of my most fun segments to date- you can see it HERE.)
Leaving The House:
My only outing was to deliver ice cream to a friend’s family last night- and that made it all feel so f*cking real. We called the ice cream store in advance to place an order and paid via credit card. Went to pick it up in an area of town that usually is hopping on Thursday evenings, and it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. When the order was ready, the woman inside opened the door just enough to fit one gloved hand through and pass off the goods. We put it in the trunk and drove to our friend’s home. Not my story to tell so I won’t go into it here- but one of my best friends is in the hospital with a confirmed (and very severe) case of COVID-19. Based on the highly contagious nature of this virus, I literally dropped the bag of ice cream in the middle of their front lawn and ran back to the car and texted to let them know to go pick it up. Even as I was doing it, it made me feel like an awful person. But that is life right now, and I can only imagine where things will go from here…
However, on the bright side of a very dark and very scary time…
More Time With Family.
Every night we have dinner as a family. Brian is home (he usually travels every week for a night or three for work). The girls are so excited to run up the stairs to see the school schedule each morning. Alexa begged me to go on a “run” with her (which I did, after picking myself up off the floor where I fell in a state of shock). We spend an hour each day playing outside and re-discovered how much fun old fashioned Four Square is! Brian and I prep meals together and really think through the logistical things that we usually just kind of let slide as a team- from freezer inventory to how many veggies to use to an emergency plan should one of us fall victim to COVID-19.
I work out daily.
Sometimes twice a day- because it feels amazing and I have the time. Every morning I FaceTime with my best friend across the street- usually she is on the MetroNorth to work in NYC at that time and I never get to see her face between Monday-Friday, but now, I do!
We’re grateful for Technology.
Alexa and her friends have virtual “playdates” for hours each afternoon. I have learned Tik Tok dances, Alexa is making a “vlog” and Goldie has almost finished an entire Kindergarten learning workbook. We have discovered the coolest Instagram Live “private concerts” (Katherine McPhee and David Foster do one each night that is hilarious and unfiltered FYI), and joined into virtual dance, yoga and art classes. Nobody has to agree to plans they don’t want to do, there is no pressure to be anywhere at a given time, or put on pants that button.
Staying Positive:
While hearing terms like “self-quarantine”, “shelter-in-place order”, “isolation” and “social distancing” thrown around is weird, and watching bar graphs with ever-climbing numbers of confirmed cases and deaths is frightening, and seeing empty grocery shelves and deserted sidewalks in Times Square is surreal, I am being honest when I say this (and it actually makes me feel icky a bit to type these next words because I feel like it is not fair to feel like this right now) in our little piece of the earth, cocooned inside a white house with a purple door (and good Wifi), LIFE IS GOOD.
Thinking of you all during this time and hoping everyone is being smart and safe and staying healthy! Please leave your feelings about what is going on and how you are spending your days during this unimaginable time, and/or input as to what you would like to read on the blog in the coming days/weeks/months, in the comments if you are comfortable sharing- I would really love to hear and keep connected, now perhaps more than ever… XX JF