Phil and I both feel a pit of anxiety in our stomach pretty much all of the time. Our industry was struggling before COVID-19 hit so this is just going to make things more challenging. But I try to remind myself that we are in a much better position financially than many others. We have a lot of money in savings and very little debt. If one of us loses our jobs, we will be ok. It's not ideal, but we'll make it work. Our CEO hosted a call this week and said the executive team expects our income to decline by $1 billion, so they are beginning a cost-cutting initiative. They said they are going to focus on non-compensation costs but we'll see. I'm hoping my group is somewhat safe since we went through layoffs last spring.
Back to what day-to-day life looks like. Paul entertains himself by lining up his toys, over and over and over again!
We pulled out another toy from Christmas - this time a Melissa and Doug farm/city set with cars, trucks, people, stores, etc. He's too young to understand setting up a city or farm, but he loves to line up the cars, people, trucks, etc.
He's also do more 'imaginative' play with his little people. I've overheard him saying "hello, friends" or "come in, friends" or having one little people character say to the other, "how doing?" It's pretty cute and fun to see his imagination start to develop.
He's also watching A LOT of TV. I feel some guilt over this, but it's the only way we can get work done. It's educational content like Little Baby Bum and Dinosaur Train. So that makes me feel a little bit better?
So all in all, we are hanging in there. I'm really hoping the efforts MN is making will flatten the curve here. I see what is happening in Italy and know how bad things can get if we don't adjust our behaviors. There is a company that has been tracking social distance compliance by looking at cell phone data and apparently Minnesotans are following the rules well!
How are you doing?
8 comments:
Lisa a fellow Minnesota resident I know what you're going through but I am on the side of the road that thinks that the governor is taking a few too many liberties especially as the data isn't showing that we as a state have the numbers to warrant the shelter in place. I honestly wonder if he did it just because he felt like he "had" to so as not to be seen as a democratic state without Shelter in Place orders. I am glad at least that he gave us a timeline for when these orders will be lifted. I am just so ready for this all to be over. Do you mind me asking what you do for a living? I work in business continuity for a large financial institution and I feel pretty secure in my job right now even with all of these uncertain times! I will keep you and your family in my thoughts!
p.s. The grocery stores aren't as ransacked now! :)
I'd say you're doing great. I know how hard it is from KevMo who are working from home and with the Toddler Twosome. But I am so grateful for Shelter in Place and hope our governor continues beyond the April 13 end she set. This will only be ramping up to full force in Michigan by then. It has started and it will continue. Hang in and keep on doing what you're doing.
I feel for ya! I know the anxiety must be hard, especially since you are also worried about your health risks. I am mostly worried about bringing the virus home. And in our area, deaths are not restricted to only the elderly or only those with pre-existing conditions - we've had people dying who are minors or have no other health conditions. I don't know why, but it's possible it's a mutated, more virulent virus here (which is a scary thought). Our mortality rate in New Orleans is the highest in the nation, and I am sure I'm a vector, working in healthcare! So that's my biggest worry. I am following all possible precautions, of course.
You are doing great keeping Paul entertained and happy. I don't think TV is going to hurt him! He is probably loving all this time home with you and learning and absorbing do much this way.
I am needing to cry to basically get some 'grief' out for a variety of reasons but not really finding any time to do so without scaring a child. So the overwhelming anxiety is fun. So much fun. And I have been getting stress headaches and this week sucked.
Ugh, that's so scary about your company losing $1 billion in profits due to this! I will say a prayer that your job is safe and you don't lose any other benefits. <3 It's so, so scary right now. As I told you, my company went through a 10% layoff last week but we seem to be holding steady right now. I'm grateful to our executive team finding ways to pivot our services and offer something of value to our clients who are also feeling the hit.
These are unprecedented times so I don't think you need to worry one bit about how much screen time Paul is getting! Educational or not. I keep seeing lots of funny memes about screen time and kids, so you're definitely not alone in this struggle. <3
Hang in there! Happy to see an update from you.
Thinking of you guys! I can't imagine trying to entertain a toddler and do my job. My significant other's company did a "reorg" that they supposedly were already planning, he thankfully got a new position, and wasn't let go, but it is definitely scary times out there. Hopefully the rain holds off a bit this week so Paul can go see some ducks! (if you're feeling good about being outside for walks).
Lisa, please don't feel even a little bit guilty about the TV. Not at all! Kids can learn so much from those shows. I remember as a kid before I went to Elementary school yet, there were programs that I HAD to watch every morning, including Mr. Dressup (any Canadian my age will know and love this guy), Fred Penner (another Canadian classic), and Sesame Street. I learned SO much from these shows, including things that have stuck with me to this day. I did crafts, I tried avocado for the first time because Mr. Dressup had one, I developed more of an imagination, and I learned some French from Sesame Street. Even with my grade 8s, now that they are at home, I will be recommending some docuseries and documentaries, and other learning shows for them to watch. Maybe you could find some Spanish cartoons online that he could watch to build on his Spanish even more :-) I am going to try and find some for myself. I figure, if I'm going to be home all the time for the foreseeable future, I could manage 30 minutes of Spanish practice per day. Hang in their guys! I hope there are no lay-offs for either of you <3
Here I am still catching up on blogs and all... I am glad to hear that you guys are doing ok (all things considered). It's scary to hear that your company lost so much money already, but I love that you keep a positive attitude and you've definitely done well saving and paying down debt to make sure you have a cussion.
We're doing ok. I am very grateful I have a job that I can do from home.
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