Nothing fancy and no big announcments to make kids, I just decided to use this space as a journal to record some things. Life is weird right now. Everyone is stressed. We are currently in week four of a four week period in which our country is in Alert level four of Aotearoa’s plan to prevent a mass infection of COVID-19. It’s a bummer. There will be an announcement tomorrow about what will happen next and while I am hopeful (numbers of new cases are getting lower and lower), Alert level three doesn’t look much different from level four for most people. My work will still be intense and focused on how we look after people in this emergency and both offspring won’t be going to school. One thing that will change for us is that our little vegan shop may reopen and start delivering online orders. How we will balance both parents working while we have ‘school’ happening at home is a Very Big Question that we don’t have the answer for right now.
It’s probably not saying much as I’ve only been in my current job since January, but these past few weeks have been much busier than the previous two months. I’ve worked longer days and been on call over outside of business hours and have had many non-stop days where breaks were tough to fit in. R has been amazing, taking care of home and offspring and with his extra time at home, he has fed us so well. I have never eaten better and cooked so little. These things are definitely connected, I have never had any talent with cooking (I am much better at eating than making)
Our little Pai had her 9th birthday yesterday and her birthday was much different from what she’d been planning but we made it special. Meals were all at her request – pancakes for beckfrast (breakfast) in bed, handmade sushi for lunch and pizza for dinner and even though all stores are closed, I was able to make a crochet blanket and an amigurumi dragon baby in its own little egg as gifts. She was so happy with them and her attachment to both have reminded me that loads of gifts and toys are not what make birthdays special and help our kids feel loved. It also made my staying up to 3.30am the night before her birthday to finish them off completely worth it. Other activities over the day included watching Kiki’s Delivery Service, bike riding, cake decorating and board games.
One interesting outcome of this is how much money I haven’t been spending. In the same vein of Pai’s birthday success with no store bought gifts, many of the things I usually spend money on are just not available. I’ve managed to save! Without even trying! It’s strange! I don’t hate it!
Some numbers after three full weeks of lockdown:
- Number of dollars I’ve spent from my weekly “pocket money” over 3 weeks: $121
- Number of impulse buys: 1 – a face scrub from the supermarket
- Number of purchases of things I didn’t need: 1 ^ this dude.
- Things I have not been spending money on due to lockdown: bus fares, meals out, takeaway coffee, impulse clothing buys, yarn and fabric supplies, gifts, books, impulse purchases for my kids, snack runs (100% chips and candy).
This whole thing is making me question my habits and how I spend money normally. I have done a great job to convince myself I need things that I really don’t and this is a healthy reality check for me. Who knows, maybe some of it will stick? As we move into a time of uncertainty and instability for our economy I suspect it might have to be the new normal, whether I like it or not.
I hope you are well and safe right now. It’s a strange old time and we’re living through something that very few people will have experienced before. Be kind to yourself and others. If you can, do all the things that help you manage tough stuff and don’t feel guilty about any of it. You matter.
That Girl Millie 