Life lately – The outbreak update!

What a week! As much as I want to avoid all the news right now, what we’re experiencing is unprecedented. It’s historical and it’s something that is affecting each and every one of us in different ways. I wanted to just write down my thoughts and feelings as it’s been quite a week.

What’s happening?

Earlier this week as the news of hundreds more cases of the outbreak emerge, the UK government acted quickly and put in several measures to try and stop the spread of the virus. They have asked people to work from home where they can, schools have closed and just yesterday, told restaurants, pubs, clubs, theatres and cafes to close until further notice. They have also asked us to socially distance ourselves from our family and friends to help stop the spread of the virus. For most people, if they caught the virus, they would get a mild dose and could potentially be unwell for a few days and then recover. However, there is a group of vulnerable people with health issues who, if they caught the virus, it could make them seriously unwell and it could be fatal.

Do it for them, not for you

#stayathome

I don’t know about you, but I know a lot of people who are vulnerable. I have elderly grandparents who have health issues, my Parents are vulnerable and my Sister has an autoimmune condition. Added to that, I have family and friends who have had cancer and are in remission and my husband has Type 1 diabetes. These are all people who could be seriously unwell if they caught the virus so it’s so important we limit contact and do what we can to keep them safe.

Schools out for the foreseeable

On Friday, Olly left school not knowing when he would return to Year 2. He said goodbye to his friends and his teachers and as it stands we don’t know when he’ll be returning. Like thousands of children across the country (and the world) he will now be homeschooled in a fashion. There are no SAT tests this year (he’s slightly gutted about this) but instead, will be at home where we’ll try and keep his learning and education ongoing. I am no teacher but I am confident that I’ll be able to help him over the next few months. We are a family of teachers and educators so I’m confident between us all that Olly will thrive and enjoy this next phase of life. He’s joked we’re opening Shilton Academy and he’s excited to learn at home.

Lack of work for the self-employed

As a self-employed blogger, content creator and social media manager, my current workload has pretty much dropped off a cliff. The campaigns I had lined up with British household names for Mothers Day, Easter and beyond have all been dropped, understandably. I don’t earn much from this blog without the content I create. I have a few Google ads running but they make me a few pence each day. Yes, pence! I’m not a roaring success with affiliate links, I don’t earn much at all and I don’t have any other income streams to help pay my share of the bills so I am scared about the future and how it will work. There have been many tears from me this week and I don’t mind admitting that.

It was a leap of faith..

When I left my HR role, it was a risk. It was a risk leaving a secure salary each month to stay at home with my boys, to run my blog and use my social media experience to run channels for small businesses. Over the last 3 years, I have worked so hard to make it work so I could pay my share of the household bills and so we could improve our living conditions at home. But it’s all going to change now. I will do all that I can to keep this blog going and to try and bring in some money to pay my share, to put food on the table and to make life fun for my boys. It might look a bit different around here for a while but what will be, will be.

Our new normal

Our new normal at home is a little different. My boys won’t be seeing their grandparents so frequently. We’ll be using the power of FaceTime to keep in touch. We will be socially distancing ourselves so that we don’t catch anything or pass anything on. My husband will be working from home. He’s a University Lecturer. He’ll be working from our home office delivering online lectures to his undergraduate and PGCE students, interviewing candidates who want to enrol on a university course in September and doing all the admin in the background to ensure that when this is all over, students can still go to university and our schools will have Student Teachers and Newly Qualified Teachers.

Throughout the week, I’ll be busy with Olly keeping him occupied with work that his school have set and teaching him essential home skills; how to bake a loaf of bread, how to change a load of washing, how to make a bed etc. I’ll be keeping Freddie happy and engaged (as much as I can) and we’ll be doing all we can to live as frugally as possible on a very, very limited budget. It’s not going to be easy but it could be much, much worse.

I hope you all can stay safe and well. Please look out for others and be kind.