Dispatches from isolation: April 24th

This new column offers a glimpse into how people in C-U are working and spending their time during this stay-at-home order. You can read previous installments here. Have questions, or want to suggest a person for this series? Email us at info@smilepolitely.com.

How are you spending your days in isolation?

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I’ve been isolating since March 16th (my family since March 13th), so we have been home for five weeks now. My husband and I are lucky to be able to work from home. I’m the designated house-leaver of my family, and I go grocery shopping every two weeks with my mask and a few Clorox wipes. I pick up carryout for our family every Friday night, but otherwise, we stay home. So far, we are all healthy.

I am isolating with my husband Bryan and our two sons. It is Friday, April 24th.

6:40 a.m.

I roll out from under my weighted blanket. I start a pot of coffee and pour a glass of water. I walk into the living room to find my oldest son, seven years old, already awake and lounging on the couch with his Nintendo Switch. He pauses his game to show me his ideas for what he’d like to do sometime: have a piñata with 100 candies inside and write six books starring Boatie the Boat (his original character).

I write some emails and work on my upcoming Market Watch article while my oldest goes back to playing Pokémon Sword and Shield.

7:23 a.m.

I serve my oldest breakfast (Cap’n Crunch peanut butter balls) at the kitchen table.

Coffee is ready, so I pour it into a mug that my husband made for me two years ago; it’s my favorite. I take my coffee to the living room and enjoy this quiet moment.

I scroll through social media and Reddit. My grandma sent me a message asking for a good biscuit recipe, and I send her my go-to biscuit link. I read about the current number of U.S. COVID-19 deaths (50,372 as of April 24th) and then, depressed, unplug for a bit.

8 a.m.

My husband and my youngest are still sleeping. I climb into bed and wake up my husband Bryan. He showers, dresses in pajama pants and a tee with a hoodie, and joins me in the living room with a cup of coffee. We sit and chat for a bit.

We let our youngest sleep as long as his little body wants to because school is cancelled. I tried homeschooling, but it was a total drag. All of us were struggling. Instead, we’re playing board games, going in the backyard, building with LEGOs, and developing a foundation of Film and Television Appreciation coupled with Video Game Proficiency. I feel zero guilt for not doing worksheets with my children (five and seven years old). Don’t at me.

8:45 a.m.

Bryan goes to work in our downstairs office/guest room. He is faculty in the Economics department at UIUC, and he has three courses this spring semester: two sections of intermediate microeconomics and a 400-level health care economics course. He works on the computer that he built himself.

He starts working on updating powerpoints for audio recordings of his lecture, and he answers emails from students. He has a couple of students doing research projects, so he reads their papers and gives feedback. 

I hang out upstairs with my oldest and talk about transformers.

9:15 a.m.

My youngest wakes and climbs into my lap for a snuggle. I love this part of my day so much, and I know that one day, he will be too big for my lap.

He asks what day it is, and I tell him it’s Friday. He wants to have a dance party to his Disney Junior CD, and I join in.

9:30 a.m.

A little friend calls to talk to my youngest, and they talk about what books they’ve been reading and what shows they’ve been watching. They giggle and play a guessing game. He shows her this “potion sprayer” made with magic gems. 

10 a.m.

I make my youngest breakfast: a fruit salad with strawberries and blueberries from my fruit box purchased from Central Illinois Produce and his favorite yogurt.

My youngest son has a severe corn allergy (corn is in everything), and this little yogurt is one of the only safe foods he can eat. Shout out to Donnie in the dairy department of Harvest Market for letting me order this yogurt by the case after finding the shelves empty of it at every store in town.

10:20 a.m.

I’ve been obsessed with these sour cream and onion biscuits lately, so I mix up the batter using flour that I bought (online and picked up curbside) from Hopscotch Bakery & Market.

As I’m measuring ingredients, I am interrupted by my kids for a refill of water, a banana, and a question about whether the creation they made was cool or not (spoiler: it was very cool).

Finally, the biscuits go in the oven, and 18 minutes later, they come out. I take one hot biscuit down to Bryan in the office, and I eat one myself. 

10:45 a.m.

Bryan is preparing to record lectures for one of his courses, and the house needs to be quiet.

I make lunch for the kids, thinking that little mouths full of food can’t make too much noise, right? A half peanut butter and jelly sandwich for each, served with fruit and Cheez-Its®. While they eat, I check my email. I respond to writers about upcoming interviews, continue my conversation with the organizers of Urbana Market at the Square, and RSVP to a virtual event for Mother’s Center of Champaign County.

11:15 a.m.

My kids join a Zoom call with my family. My mom reads them a story, and everyone brings something for show and tell. My sister, who lives in Miami, shares a coconut she found on a walk. My nephew in Orlando shares two watercolor paintings he made. My youngest shares a plastic turtle, and my oldest shares a board game.

12:30 p.m.

My youngest’s preschool teacher comes to drop of his medication from school. She stands on our front walk, and through his bedroom window, my son shows her stuffed animals and tells her he loves her so much and misses her. 

1 p.m.

Bryan’s lectures are recorded.

We let the kids run wild in the house. It is very loud.

2 p.m.

We begin siesta, our sacred, quiet time tradition. I lay down for a nap. My oldest plays Slime Rancher on the computer, and my youngest watches Lion Guard. Bryan putters around the house picking up a bit, searching for snacks, and scrolls on his phone.

3:30 p.m.

I’m up. I shower and brush my teeth. I brush my hair and moisturize my face. I even break out my jade roller.

I put on clean pajamas and a tee, some makeup, and a scrunchie. Bryan lays down for a nap, and I convince the kids to go outside and play. I join them outside and leave my phone inside.

4:30 p.m.

I’m starving, so I head inside to order dinner (and pay for over the phone) from Sticky Rice. I also order some beer from Collective Pour online (a lager, a stout, and a sour). I wake up Bryan, so he can supervise the kids. I put on my cloth mask, grab my keys, and head out to pick up our dinner and drinks.

5 p.m.

Curbside pickup at Collective Pour is easy. I call to let them know I’m there, and the owner brings out my three beers in a to-go bag and puts it in my car from the passenger side. I drive across the street to Sticky Rice, park in the side lot, and call. Thirty seconds later, she brings the order out to my car, also putting it through the passenger window.

5:15 p.m.

I’m home with food and beer. I wash my hands. Then I wipe down the containers, my keys, and my phone with Clorox wipes.

My husband and I enjoy our takeout: egg rolls, pad thai, sesame chicken, and yellow curry. It’s so delicious.

The kids eat a simple, favorite meal in the kitchen: buttered noodles, sliced bell peppers, and leftover chicken. Firstly, because they have not yet developed a taste for spicy food. Secondly, because my youngest’s allergies prevent him from safely eating most food. Thirdly, because we want some grown up conversation. 

Everyone is happy, and Bryan decides to open up the stout. We sit together in the dining room and pretend like we’re on a date.

6:10 p.m.

We draw baths for the kids and help them into pajamas. The boys eat ice cream for dessert.

We help the kids brush teeth. Bryan reads our oldest a graphic novel called Gravity Fall’s Lost Legends by Alex Hirsch, and I read our youngest There’s a Bird on Your Head! by Mo Willems. We say goodnight to each and turn out the lights.

7:05 p.m.

The kids are in bed, and the house is quiet again. We relax in the living room. Our youngest comes out to say he isn’t tired. We give him a flashlight and tell him to read in bed until he is tired.

7:15 p.m.

The kids stay in their rooms, and we pour the rest of the stout and retire to the basement.

8:30 p.m.

We host a virtual game night on Zoom with some local friends.

12:10 a.m.

Time has gotten away from us, and we finally go to bed after another day of staying home.

Top image by Alyssa Buckley.