COVID-19 Pandemic – Mummy To Twins Plus One

Reflections on 2020

2020 has been a test for everyone.

Every time I turn on the TV every station says, “It’s a year like no other” and “We are all in this together” This is nice to know but I am rather over hearing these phrases.

Oh deer what a year! We can all agree 2020 wasn’t a great year.

My 2020 started when we were in the midst of constant bushfires and we watched the fires near me app more than our television. The fires in the Blue Mountains had actually started in about September or possibly earlier in 2019 so we had about five months of constant fires, sirens, smoke and living with a go bag packed just in case.

When the winds changed near the end of 2019 the residents of the city of Sydney were whinging about having smoke in there backyard and having the constant smell of smoke. I know it was hard for them, but have a thought for us and others that were living this every day for months on end. No one seemed to worry if we had smoke where we lived but as soon as it blows into someone’s fancy penthouse or apartment it is national news story. Oh well there is my whinge about that issue.

Just before Christmas 2019 we were planning on visiting family but decided to leave a day earlier as they were closing the road going to Sydney and had already closed the road to Mudgee and beyond. Yep, where I live there is one road in and one road out… so if they are closed and the emergency department says ti is to late to leave you are stuck with no where to go. We thought it best to go while the road was still open and as we have 3 young children cannot just make quick decisions for all. We were lucky our place wasn’t burnt down and still in one piece, however there were burnt leaves that were still on fire flying into our yard, black ash over everything and heavy smoke and a red fire sun on our return in 2020.

Fireworks has been cancelled nearly everywhere. Sydney cancelled the 9pm fireworks and has told people to watch on the TV for the 12pm fireworks.

We thought that if we could only just get through the fires we would all be okay. Have the public holidays in January, get jobs and move on from there.

The fires were not the only thing that happened to our local community. We had floods and weeks and weeks of heavy rain that caused a lot of damage. Again, we were lucky to escape this damage on our property but we knew others that didn’t have such luck. Many had trees come down on roofs and one had a tree land on a car (the only plus here was that they were not in it at the time).

Many job applications later and nothing from anyone. It was all okay we thought, it is just the fact that it is just after the holidays. More job applications and many people who finally spoke to us said they were putting jobs on hold. At the time we were not sure why, but thought that it might be due to budgets.

Fast forward to March 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic had hit Australia, we were on the brink of a full shutdown, border closures, and schools telling parents that if you were not an essential worker then you will need to home school your child or children. We were not considered essential workers and this then meant that all three kids were home with us doing school work all the while I was trying to do some paid work. This as you imagine was very hard.

Homeschooling only lasted for about four months, I do know that other countries have had nearly a whole year of having kids at home learning. I am very happy that we didn’t have longer with all three kids at home, it was very testing to say the least….many swear words and more were uttered due to the horrible circumstances.

With the second wave that happened in Melbourne and Sydney suddenly facing more infctions everywhere, well it seems everywhere but it has been a little over a hundred new infections currently. Although it seems low the powers that be have cracked down hard due to the fact that the virus can spread quickly and infect many in a short space of time.

I was hoping that on the last day of the year that we would be in a better position, however, borders are closed to everyone from New South Wales, wearing masks is now said should be mandatory and we need to make sure to only have 5 people visit our home which includes kids and adults.

I’m very grateful to have a contract that is bringing money into the household and has made Christmas and life a little bit easier. It is nice to be working again in the corporate world, although I do miss some fun things with the kids. In a year where we desperately needed someone to work I have taken on that role to give us all a helping hand.

My relatives in the UK are having a much harder time. A full shutdown is happening and a mutation of the virus is so much more infectious. More people are in hospital and intensive care since April, and thousands and thousands are getting infected each day and sadly dying. Over 40,000 people tested positive during the last seven days in the UK. (https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-55494800)

I also feel for everyone in America as the numbers for infections are enormous. I must say that I feel very happy to be in a country that doesn’t tie your health care and other help to your job. In a crisis, you can lose your job and then all other benefits and assistance dry up.

2020 showed the world and big corporates that people can work from home and still do their jobs. Remote working isn’t a thing to flash in front of prospective staff or exisiting ones to hopefully keep them on or interested, it is something that actually works and remote staff have been shown to be highly engaged, do more work and yes, get more shit done!

As a mum and a person who would love more flexibility with her work life having businesses have remote roles are fantastic. I also don’t think they can go back now to saying that they cannot offer this. It is not just the young things that are working away that want to be flexible or have a remote schedule, no matter your age, where you are in life, having a flexible work life is a great thing to have and to strive for. 2020 has shown us that this can happen, it is not a new concept and one that I have always been promised at every place I have worked and yet it never ever happened or materialized until now.

See how a crisis makes things happen, sad don’t you think!

I hope that big business continues offering remote and flexible work to people. It has been proven it works and can be done, oh and it is cheaper to not have a dedicated desk for someone…. see it can have its benefits for both parties.

Being with family more this year has meant that we have spent more quality time together, and sometimes this time has been annoying. If you are a family of five and you cannot escape due to restrictions you have nowhere to go…I was keen to go to the library earlier in the year but it was closed, although now open.

I wish people wouldn’t panic over toilet paper

And don’t get me started on the stupid panic buying of toilet paper that has happened again. Yes, more idiots are stockpiling toilet paper due to new infections. I recently went to get some toilet paper to find that the aisle has yet again been emptied by people who are making sure they can go to the toilet with massive amounts of paper they are hoarding! I don’t understand why this is happening and still a thing. If you were worried about not leaving your house, wouldn’t buy bread, milk, and canned goods?

With 2021 nearly upon us I find it is a time to reflect on how lucky and grateful I am. I am very grateful for the house we live in, although it is not perfect and I want to fix so many things, it is ours, and it keeps us safe. I am grateful that we have all stayed healthy and not got the virus, I am grateful for the help we have had from the government to help us out when we had nothing and I am grateful for getting a job just before Christmas.

I did have big plans for 2020 but like everyone they didn’t occur due to the world health crisis, no money, no job, and then no way to travel. My big plans are waiting until things get better and some of my other big plans are going to happen next year in 2021.

I hope you and your family are well and safe. This year was horrible for all and I know that many are still suffering. I hope that things improve and 2021 brings you more of what you want.

Maybe Happy New Year is not what we should be saying…maybe we should be saying we survived, and we can do anything in 2021 after this year.

What are your thoughts on 2020? How did you cope during the pandemic and the economic crisis?

The World Has Gone Crazy

The world has gone to shit lately and every night I go to bed hoping that I wake to discover it is a dream. Or at the very least that there has been a miracle discovery and there is a vaccine available and safe for everyone to have.

Sadly this new world that I thought I might wake to find has not occurred and each day things seem to get worse. I do fear they will get worse to crazier before they get better.

I hope we have a cure for COVID-19 Soon - Let's hope we can punch it in the face soon! — I hope we have a cure for COVID-19 Soon – Let’s hope we can punch it in the face soon!

There are new restrictions on what you can buy at the shops and that is if the items you did want to get are in stock, and on the shelves. With panic buying, many have been left without and going to multiple shops in the hope to get toilet paper, meat or even other food and essential items.

There have been new restrictions on how many people can gather in one place.

“If your indoor space is 100 metres square, for example, 10 metres by 10 metres, you can only have 25 people in it. If your space is 400 metres square, you can have 100 people in it.

The rule banning non-essential indoor gatherings of 100 or more people remains in place.” (https://www.abc.net.au)

I know I am not the only one that feels upset, frustrated and annoyed at the current climate. I do understand that it is not anyone in particular that has done this, but due to a virus that we have never had before. That said, we as a community have already been going through a lot already.

Not only did we have the bushfires for about six months, evacuations, road closures and constant stress due to checking the Fires Near Me App, then we had an eerie Christmas all still with the bushfires surrounding us.

You might think that is not great but livable (We did live with constant smoke, sirens and more for ages), well it was liveable and we were grateful that we were safe and didn’t lose our home.

This is not to mention hubby ending his contract in November last year, and spending our savings to survive all with the belief that the new year will bring better opportunities.

We then had non stop rain for weeks and weeks that caused flooding and damage (thankfully not to our place but has affected many), then now where are in the grips of a pandemic due to COVID-19.

Both of us were applying like mad for all positions that we can do regardless of travel, however, no one is hiring due to the current health crisis. Many employers are gearing up for remote work if they haven’t done so already, and a couple of the responses from recruiters is that there is an employment freeze until the issue with coronavirus improves.

If we cannot work how do we pay our bills? How do we pay for our electricity, food, petrol, and more? We like others have children and need to ensure that they are cared for.

I must say that the banks have been very helpful about putting loans on hold and helping us out and I’m sure that this is happening for many others at the moment. If you are struggling at the moment, make sure to tell the bank and seek help. The bank can put your mortgage or loans on hold due to financial difficulty.

I feel like I’m living in constant stress and on the edge all the time. I just want it all to stop and to finally relax, rather than be constantly worried about everything.

I know we will be fine if we just don’t go anywhere and make sure we are washing our hands and taking care. We haven’t been overseas and are not going anywhere other than school, daycare, the shops, and our house. The only concern I have is at any of these places we frequent we could potentially come into contact with anyone that could have the virus and this is out of our control.

Currently, schools and daycare are still open and we are sending the kids but worried. Both hubby and I are using our time to ensure we are earning to provide for our kids. I am fearful that if they do close schools it will make working harder. However, every day they do go to school I am concerned about their health and the families. Staying home might be better to control the worry and the possibility of getting infected. We are all fine currently and wish to stay that way!

Everywhere we are going I make sure that we are all washing our hands and not touching our faces. I admit this is hard to do with three kids.

We are well and safe and that is all that I can hope for at the moment.

However, when the government says just work from home this is all great for people currently employed. If you are like us and have been looking for work since before Christmas how does this help us?

Our world has changed.

We are doing jobs for friends this is a win for them and for us. I for one have been lucky to pick up a writing job and one that I feel is very exciting. I am also working on other business ideas to help contribute to the family and obviously being super creative with meals for the family.

I must say that if we were flush with cash and we didn’t have this worldwide health crisis our plans were to take the family to Japan this year. I wanted to take the twins to Japan for their 12th birthday instead of a party we would save for a wonderful family experience. The plan was to see Harry Potter World at Universal Studios in Osaka, visit Disneyland in Tokyo and see the sights of a different country, experience the culture and food. However, due to no money and the fact that travelling is dangerous at the moment, we are homebound for the foreseeable future.

I still want to travel, I’m lusting after a magical getaway on an island that we are all taken care of and safe from everything. Also on this island mummy would be pampered and get served drinks, have a complimentary massage daily and the kids will be looked after with a multitude of fun activities. Doesn’t this sound perfect at the moment?

If we had money who’s to say that we wouldn’t be stuck in Japan or ill with the virus? Maybe this has saved our family? Its the only way I can look at it at the moment. We were planning on travelling in September so if we had purchased tickets we would have not been able to travel due to the travel bans. So in a way, it is a win, although I still want to see Japan.

I keep on seeing events getting cancelled and one that I was desperate to see in April have cancelled again (This was the 2nd attempt to see this show due to the fact that it was cancelled in January this year – I just hope that when they reschedule for the 3rd time I have money available to see them).

Events are being canceled due to COVID-19 — Events are being cancelled due to COVID-19

I know that cancelling events is the safest thing to do, but I like many are rather down about it all, as I was very excited and really looking forward to this event. I am sure that you all are having events that you were keen to see and go to cancel, and are upset as well. I’m not alone in this.

On the TV the graphs behind the Prime Minster said August 2020 and some reports are saying that we need to be prepared for 18 months of this health crisis. It is also similar to the Spanish Flu in 1918 which was another terrible pandemic that killed a lot of people. And experts have said that we are in another 100 year pandemic with COVID-19.

The shocking news from the past is that the Spanish flu lasted from “January 1918 through December 1920, it infected 500 million people—about a quarter of the world’s population”

This is 2 years of dealing with this illness…. geez I hope this doesn’t happen now. If this is correct for our current pandemic it could last until 2022! Maybe in 2020, we have better health care and scientists working around the clock will come up with a solution to this health disaster.

Let’s hope that there is a solution soon that helps us be safe from this virus. I don’t think we can deal with this for another 18 months.

I hope you are all safe and well.

Here is the Australian Government Department of Health’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates

Let’s hope people don’t go too crazy and the scientists find a solution soon.

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