by Claire Willmer
Seriously, the days are long and during lockdown, the months felt long too! When it first started, I had all these notions of emerging from the house 2 stone lighter, having read a collection of thoughtful books, having learnt to cook Cordon Bleu stylie and speaking fluent Italian!
1. I have absolutely zero self-control!
Seriously, the days are long and during lockdown, the months felt long too! When it first started, I had all these notions of emerging from the house 2 stone lighter, having read a collection of thoughtful books, having learnt to cook Cordon Bleu stylie and speaking fluent Italian! What I had forgotten, when making these grand plans, was that I have 3 small children who require feeding more often than the ducks in the local pond! Within hours of lockdown being announced, my house looked like I’d been aggressively burgled. The treat cupboard had been rinsed by approximately 10:30a.m. with slots of Tescos’ Click and Collect being rarer than Glastonbury tickets! Jigsaw puzzles were scattered on the floor and you needed to walk with the skill of an SAS soldier to escape treading on the teeny, tiny lego pieces which the baby was of course drawn to like a magnet! The washing pile grew bigger and bigger as the boys decided they wanted to try on multiple outfits throughout the day and at the same time, play in the water and /or muddiest part of the garden. Day time baths were now a ‘thing’, using up valuable units of time as well as being a necessity!
The whole losing 2 stone – yeah, that didn’t happen either! It is actually scientifically impossible to lose weight during a lock-down! (based on my own crazy science experiment!). Peanut M&Ms are now my new addiction and don’t get me started on the lock-down bakes! Diet starts in September! – I am committed to doing my bit for the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme so of course, I couldn’t possibly start before!
2. Teachers/ Teaching Assistants and Home School Educators are AMAZING! Fact.
So, for those of you who don’t know me, I am a qualified primary school teacher although I haven’t taught since Maxi was born. I used to really enjoy teaching, seeing the kids’ faces light up when they achieved their goals, learning alongside the children as they were doing child-initiated play and watching them grow into awesome little people. It was the best! So, when the schools closed, I thought, I’ve got this! I went into town and purchased about 15 different workbooks, plus multiple bribes in the form of mini packs of chocolate! I signed up to Twinkl and scoured YouTube for Educational Videos. I joined every Lockdown Site going and even bought a new notebook. Things were about to get serious! I imagined myself as a bit of a Miss Honey character, gently coaxing Eddie into feeling confident with his reading and writing. Imagining that he would go back to school as a young Charles Dickens.
Well, that didn’t go to plan! Literally about 15 minutes after starting, Eddie was crying, I was crying and we were both eating the emergency pack of M&Ms! It quickly dawned on me that while I have a lot of patience with other people’s children, I have zero patience with my own! I’m blaming the stress of Lockdown and the completely unfamiliar territory that we found ourselves in! Needless to say, Eddie will not be returning to school having written a novel but he will be able to show off his newfound skills as a beat boxer thanks to YouTube!
3. I am very definitely a hugger
I love a good hug, and for me, that was one of the hardest things about Lockdown. Dropping shopping on my mum and dad’s doorstep before calling them from around the corner, speaking to my brother on the doorstep without being able to invite him in and telling the kids to wave to their friends whilst keeping their distance felt so wrong. Walking down the Tarka Trail and having people practically jump in the bushes to avoid each other would have been comical if it wasn’t such a worrying time. The first hug I gave my mum and dad after lockdown was the best, in fact I actually didn’t want to let go! It’s made me realise humans need interaction and to be social. Luckily the boys are great huggers already!
4. Staying in for a day or two is entirely possible
Before Lockdown, the thought of staying in the house for a WHOLE day was terrifying! I always had to have plans to leave the house otherwise I would start to panic. Don’t get me wrong, we are very fortunate to have a lovely house with some outdoor space but there was always some playgroup, class or playdate I would have to schedule! Everyone, including the boys felt better after an outing. I could just about do an afternoon in, if we’d has a busy morning. And then Lockdown came along!
Wow! The boys were literally bouncing off the walls (and off our bed!) I think we lasted about 2 weeks before buying a trampoline, which only I seem to go on now! Our one trip out a day felt like such a treat and we discovered so many new places just outside our doorstep. Having Kev around took some adjusting to as we both tried to fit in work, home schooling and keeping the kids entertained. We would often collapse on the sofa eating our tea at 11:00p.m. at night with a dazed and confused look on our faces, wondering what had just happened! But as the weeks went by, something funny happened. I no longer dreaded staying in, and when the sun shone in the garden, I realised it was actually quite nice to have a lazy day in. Getting out became a bit of an effort, let’s face it, pyjamas are the lockdown outfit of choice and even if the boys got dressed, they would have been sat in their pants about five minutes later! I will never again think that the school holidays feel like a long time. Even though there were days during lockdown that literally seemed never-ending, a friend reminded me that there was less than 3 weeks to go before school starts in September and it actually made me so sad. There’s no doubt about it, the Corona-Coaster is complex. It’s nice to feel like things are starting to return to some sort of normality, but I have no doubt that we as a family will look back on this time (possibly with slightly rose-tinted spectacles) and remember those long lazy days in the garden, the Friday night kitchen discos and the bouncing on the bed with fond memories.
5. Community, friends and family are EVERYTHING
What I realised during Lockdown is how hugely important Community is to our enjoyment of life and to our mental health! At the start of lockdown, I was so touched to receive a card through the post, offering help and support with grocery shopping and errands in the event I was shielding or self-isolating. I really wanted to help in the same way but at the time, I found it a struggle just getting us through the day, in one piece, with everyone being fed and watered! I desperately missed the groups that we attended, the friends we had made that made us feel like Barnstaple was our home. This is where the online community, I feel has really come into its own. I have made so many friends online through our Time to Cook Kitchen and that community has kept me going. I’ve also found a community of like-minded business mums which has been absolutely amazing. I have gained so many new skills through lockdown (they might not include being fluent in Italian!) but I can make a YouTube video, edit it and post it! I have managed to take our business and transfer it to an online one in the form of our Time to Cook Clubs and that really is all thanks to our amazing members who have helped and supported us through this journey and to who we will be forever grateful! Focusing on the Time to Cook Clubs has been so helpful during such a difficult and uncertain time and the amazing people I have met on the way have given me the motivation to keep going and to keep trying, As well as the Time to Cook Clubs, at some point in the future, I would love to go into Business Coaching, coaching other mums on how to start an online business. I wouldn’t have dreamed about doing that if it wasn’t for the community I met and the online friends I have made during Lockdown.
One thing is for sure, I will never take the school run for granted, smiling at a shop assistant or being able to buy loo roll again!
