I had every intention of blogging more consistently this year. The last time I blogged was February 2020. SMH. I remember my husband and I standing in our kitchen in late February and he asked me, “What if things shut down due to Covid?” I had told him there was “No way that would happen.” As we all know now, I was VERY wrong. Which is not the norm for me. However, to my defense, did most of us see a worldwide pandemic/the world shutting down?

This year we welcomed a baby girl into this crazy world. That’s right, this boy mom, now has a daughter! She has brought a lot of joy and it has been so fun seeing our sons be so attentive to her. With the recent addition of our daughter, that also means we have three kids under the age of five. If you want to know the reality of what that is like, one, if not all three, are usually crying…sometimes all at the same time. Hence, things are not very calm at our house.

My husband recently wrote a devotional for our church. I thought it summed up our lives this year pretty well. So as we close 2020, here is a guest blog from my husband (well, let’s be honest you know my Type-A self had to edit it slightly).

From my husband:

Pre-pandemic I drove 30+ minutes to work each way. It was my time to sip my coffee, listen to the radio, think and relax. I would deep-clean my work space each week. Rarely were things out of place. 

Fast forward to December, and my office is now a few steps away. Today, I walked downstairs to our basement and paused briefly to examine the scene before me.

Scattered to my left was a mini trampoline, race car track, several dinosaurs, and flash cards – flash cards E.V.E.R.Y.W.H.E.R.E. On the table was a half-eaten pop-tart and banana. To my right was a kid’s basketball hoop and slide. Straight ahead, my desk – with my computer sitting on top of several foam playmats.

The image in this blog post, summarizes our family’s 2020 – more commonly known as my “office.” Luckily, the foam playmats set my camera high enough so no one ever sees the mess before me, but rather what looks to be a tidy work area with a UW-Badger basketball hoop over the door. For us, this has become the norm.

In our household we have two parents working full-time, and three children under the age of five playing and learning. All in the same house. All day. Everyday. It’s not perfect or ideal at times. But in the moments when I begin to feel overwhelmed, I pause and reflect on how blessed we are to be together. These are moments we would have not otherwise have had as a family.

We are fortunate to have flexible employers that have supported working from home with children, who often are making appearances in meetings (often missing articles of clothing), or turning on their microphone to have a quick jam session starting with “Hello, Hello,” which can be heard from every room in the house.

We are blessed even with the daily chaos, and most importantly, we have our health. In reflecting on our own blessings and isolation, I’m reminded that our family is part of a larger community – many of whom are unable to enjoy every meal with their children, parents or loved one. Many of whom may have lost their job, or struggle with childcare to get to their job. There are those who sacrifice much more than their own personal comforts to protect our community.

From our family to yours, Cheers to 2021!