First of all, I haven’t touched this website since January 31, 2020. It even took me a minute to remember my login info to actually get into the backend of my website and write this blog post. 

Secondly, this is not Day One of the Coronavirus, clearly. It’s March 30th and we’ve been dealing with it for weeks now. But it’s Day One of my own “Corona Chronicles.” 

Last week I thought maybe I should write during this time. Maybe I should sit down at the end of every day and write. Write about what went on that day, what crazy things the kids did, what I was and wasn’t able to do for my business because of the Coronavirus situation. (By the way, does that word need capitalization?) But then I wondered who in the world would actually care to read it all!? 

Then I decided it didn’t matter. And here I am. 🙂

So today was also another Day One. Day One of the third week of our quarantine time, or more specifically, the schools being closed. Day 11 of me and the three kiddos hunkering down at home and surviving our new norm. I think we’ve gotten into a bit of a daily routine, which I welcome. We sleep in a little bit (unless I decide to go to the basement and run on the treadmill), I fix everyone breakfast, and I enjoy my coffee with some emails and minimal JFP while the kids get their morning TV time in. Then I make them get dressed, brush their hair and their teeth, usually with some whining and questioning, and we set off to do homework…

Natalie sits like a little angel at the blue table in she and Ally’s room. Coloring away, “writing her name”, flipping through various activity books she seems happy as a ham. Ally sits at her pink desk (refurbished by one of my brides…Hi EmmaLeigh 🙂 ) while working through reading and math. Today she had problems like 4x2x3 and she chose to do a chapter in the first Harry Potter book. However, I found out later that she should have been doing much more in math when Brian came home and questioned her, ha! (I can’t tell if she’s lying about her work because she doesn’t want to do it or if it just slips her mind because hey, lots of things slip my mind these days.)

And last for homework is Jack. We’ve developed a little routine of doing homemade spelling and math tests, and he usually gets all but a few correct. I write in colorful marker, he does as well, and it’s cute to watch him count with his hands as he works through his problems. He’s also very excited when I tell him homework time is done. 

Then it’s time for lunch, usually before noon because these kids are hungry. I think they’d eat all day if I let them! Sometimes I sneak a little more work in and we plan for our afternoon. Sometimes an art lesson, sometimes Nerf gun wars downstairs. Today we ran some errands and “social distanced” (that’s what we’re calling it) with a friend in town. We rolled down the windows and talked back and forth as they stood in their front yard. Their cat walked across the roof (not kidding), the neighbor dog came over and eventually there were three moms discussing the pros and cons of going back to school. We’re currently set to go back on April 27th here in Maryland, but it seems many think we won’t go back at all.

So will it be four more weeks with my kids at home or will it be four or five more months!? I’m happy to report that overall, things haven’t been too bad here. I’ll admit, when we first got the call that our schools would be closed for two weeks, I sort of went into a mini mental panic. TWO WEEKS!? How in the world can I survive two weeks at home with the kids? I’m an extrovert. I enjoy being out, I enjoy being around others. I gather and use my energy when I’m out with others. 

Also, how am I going to conduct business for two weeks with the kids here? I need time to focus and where there’s a 9, 6 and 4-year old around, someone always needs something and uninterrupted time just isn’t plentiful. 

So I’ve let JFP take a little bit of a backseat. Communication with my upcoming wedding clients is first and foremost, for obvious reasons. And after that, communication with all other clients has been a top priority. I’ve still got pictures to edit and collections to finish, and of course there’s also social media marketing and the lovely blogging! 

But you know, if this Coronavirus was going to hit, it couldn’t have come at a better time for me, for JFP. I was in the final six weeks of my off-season with very little shooting to do when this all started. I didn’t have any big weddings that needed rescheduled in March and I don’t have any in April. I had to adjust a handful of portrait sessions, but they were either done earlier than planned or will be done at a later time. My May weddings have had some adjustment, but nothing that hasn’t been easily handled so far.

I was working 6-7 hours a day, four days a week before this. Now I get about two hours of work done a day, so essentially my time has been cut in half. I’m not sharing this to complain. But like I said above, I’m happy to report that things haven’t been that bad. Overall, it’s been okay. JFP can take the time off now. And honestly, if I’m going to have any success with being at home with the kids, this is how it’s gotta be. 

So how’s about Day One!? Do I really think I can keep this up? I’ve tried blogging series before and multiple-days-in-a-row efforts, but those haven’t always succeeded. I don’t know, maybe this will be different!? Maybe there will be some good that comes out of this whole virus thing…

And you know I can’t blog without sharing at least one picture. 🙂 Here’s a recent portrait of the kiddos…taken on a beautiful, warm, glowy evening this past September. I think I need to frame this one…