At our house, we celebrate everything. I continue to learn from my children to live in the moment. Our home is always decorated for one occasion or another be it Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter or Halloween. Funny enough, we may have decorations up for several things simultaneously. We have been known to put Santa hats on our pumpkins. Or we may light up our Easter decorations with Christmas lights, much like today as we received some snow.

My children have taught me to not worry about the small things. It’s ok to have an art station in the hallway, it’s ok to have a race car track surrounding the dining room table, it doesn’t matter if the beds aren’t perfectly made because they are doing their best.

One of the challenges for me that came with this pandemic was the need to quickly adapt to the new circumstances, the need to cope with the uncertainty of the future while remaining positive and supportive of my children. They are very much feeling change too, in their way. Luckily for me, they have already taught me to roll with the punches.

We are in this together.

In this time of “flattening the curve” by self-isolation, social distancing and declaration of a “state of emergency”, families may have no choice than to be physically apart in order to protect those at risk. This can be a very difficult time for those away from their loved ones. We are very thankful of technology that allows us to regularly connect. Sending that picture, making that call or FaceTime connection has become a routine activity for my family. We record many of our daily activities and together select the best photos to share. Working together like this not only teaches my children many life lessons but also makes them happy.

Everyone is at home all the time and I find it difficult to keep track of what day it is. I am teaching my son the days of the week and perhaps that’s helping to stay on course. For a change of pace, we make a point of celebrating the small things, like the weekend. We ditch school work and routine for a few days. There still are those pizza nights, movie nights and family game nights. It’s the weekend! Let’s celebrate a week well done!

Today is the first day of Spring. For me it symbolizes hope and growth, a new day.

I have managed to go through the French e-mails from my children’s teachers to source some academic activities and guides. I spent a few hours setting up online live music lessons. I am beginning to feel organized.

During these early days of this new form of living, I chose to teach my kids some life skills. Much to my surprise, both of them were eager to take part in household activities. It is based on a reward system, of course, which makes it a fun game. Depending on how their routine and behaviour plays out in a given day, a reward sticker is placed on their individual calendar. After seven stickers, the reward is given. As a result, the kids make their own beds and lunch. As long as the meals and snacks are healthy, I allow them to experiment with different foods. I love seeing their own creations and tastes! They also clean up after meals and do their own laundry, fold it and put it away. Together we clean the house.

Given that I am a single parent in this new situation, I have discovered how important time for myself is. Teaching my children a bit of independence allows me a few moments to recharge throughout the day. I have also been reminded how important vigorous exercise is for my well-being. I have made a point of exercising regularly at home, be it on a treadmill, on a yoga mat, with weights or shadow boxing (can’t forget Muay Thai training!).

It’s not all about routine and work. Playtime is equally important. We spend several hours each day outdoors walking the dog. My kids love exploring new remote places in search of adventure. We collect rocks, driftwood and sea shells for various art projects. They may spend hours at a running spring brook floating pieces of bark down the stream with screams of excitement as they race them on. I am now very thankful for their love of nature!

My business, along with those of my colleagues, has been ordered by the government to cease services immediately. As a non-essential healthcare service, only emergency services are now rendered in order to limit visits to the ER for non-urgent matters. My income and livelihood has stopped indefinitely. The government has quickly dedicated funds in support of the self-employed like myself, to ease any anxiety about what the future might hold.

I am now able to focus on the children. In the attempt to run my business with two kids in tow, I began to see how the kids were affected by lack of routine. I saw the need to quickly re-establish regular meal times, lesson times, outings and activity times.

School just closed indefinitely. My kids, aged ten and six, are wearily excited. I can see a bit of anxiety mixed with joy in their faces. I try not to show my emotions, my insecurities, my fears. It will be fine. I feel calm in the fact that we are all together.

Now what? I am working full time running my own business out of town, I am a single parent now receiving e-mails about home schooling my kids in a language I’m not proficient in. I am to isolate my family to protect others. I am it for my kids. All the support is gone.

Luckily for me, I slowly prepared for this for weeks by stocking up on food and essentials, to get us by the early days at least. Still, the first days are dreamlike. I forget what day it is. It is difficult to maintain routine, sense of time.