Well, here we are again! After a summer in Austria that felt almost like normal, with businesses open, vacations happening and social gathering taking place with only mild restrictions, the fall hit us and Coronavirus cases were on the rise. By the time early November rolled around, the rate of spread in Austria was one of the highest in the world and the government put us on a modified lockdown. We had an 8pm curfew every night and were only allowed to meet with one other household at a time. Kids age 14 & above were doing school online, but all other schools were open as normal. Unfortunately, these moderate restrictions didn't have the needed effect and things needed to get strict. Last Tuesday, the government put us into a strict lockdown for the second time in 2020. The girls are now doing school at home and we are not allowed to meet or socialize with anyone outside our household. Only essential businesses are open and offices are encouraged to let their employees work from home when possible.
This lockdown has felt different for us. First of all, Ellie is in school this time around, so we have been spending every morning doing her daily school work. To keep Maya busy, she's been doing "home pre-schooling", which is basically just coloring and fun worksheets. School work takes up at least half the day, so the challenge I faced in the spring of "filling up the day" and keep the girls busy is partially taken care of. We have also jumped back into the routines we had during the lockdown and the girls have quickly adjusting, since this isn't new to them. We often go outside once a day, the girls do a quiet time, and we often work in a kids yoga video.
Overall, we miss social interaction, but the days have been slow-paced and peaceful. The forced slowdown has been a welcome change for me, and I'm thankful for clear decisions from the government and a peaceful home. I know many are struggling with home-schooling and working full-time jobs simultaneously, so I am not taking for granted the flexibility I have to focus on the girls during these few weeks.
Here are a few photos from our lockdown so far:
No comments:
Post a Comment
Leave a note or thought here, One condition, you have to be nice. Who knows, you might spark a great discussion!