by Kelli Bowen
Here we are in day eleventy-five of social distancing, and I have learned that I am completely quarantine-mom-bipolar. Where are my other QMBs at??
What is Quarantine-Mom-Bipolar? It’s when those things that I’m loving about being a social distancing pro are also the things that are gonna make me lose my mind (up in here, up in here).
For example: I just LOVE that we are baking bread every weekend and the girls want to help. We are making actual meals: like eggs for breakfast, meat and vegetables, actual food with actual ingredients. We are baking cookies, making soups, etc. but also- Dear Mother of All That Is Holy: STOP EATING!!
How about: I SO appreciate being able to work from home and the flexibility it allows me to try to navigate being mom, a terrible substitute e-teacher and working my busiest season from my spare bedroom closet, but also: now I cannot turn any of it off! Every second of the day, I’m being pulled in one direction or another, there is CONSTANT pressure and I cannot escape.
My children give the BEST hugs and snuggles! I love seeing their art and PlayDoh creations and block sculptures. Also: can anyone leave me alone for 5 freakin seconds?!?
Bedtime is magical and reading books and snuggling close is the most serene content time of night and the most cherished part of my day…however…waking up 2 hours later with my hair matted with…toddler drool? My boob escaping my tanktop neck-hole, my contact lenses fused to my eyeballs, and now I will NEVER fall back asleep before 3AM; son of A–
7AM - I’m drinking 2 liters of water today
7PM - Mix me a Colorado Bulldog. STAT
8AM - I think banana and oatmeal will be a healthy breakfast
6PM - Slim Jim’s and Pringles for dinner? Check
9AM - Let’s keep the tv off today and just do art; here are some empty toilet paper rolls and glitter
9:35AM - I will pay $20 to rent Trolls 2 if you promise to just watch it on a loop for the next 48-hours and not touch anything.
Like a lot of things in life, this period of time is complicated. We don’t have a guideline of what to do or how to do things. We are all just trying to survive and do the best we can, so if you are suffering from QMB also, that’s okay! The things that you love can infuriate you. I mean, look at spouses, children or puppies. They’re all like that, so if you’re stuck under the same roof with all of them, just know others have QMB too!
Kelli makes her home in rural Cass County with her husband, two daughters (8 and 4), three dogs, and random poultry. She works for a regional seed company by day and tries to be an alright mom, wife, friend and writer by night.