Cabin Fever has set in.
Everyone is cranky, and nobody can get along for any longer than ten minutes, so it seems.
Moods are shifty, tension is high, and I have felt completely helpless to solve any problem in my household, period.
Dishes are piled everywhere. Laundry (both clean and dirty) has found its way out of place and in every room.
If I were to take a trash bag through the house with me today, I would fill it as I walk from my bedroom to my kitchen. Maybe not with trash alone, but with everything that is in my way, underfoot, and things that I am tired of looking at where they do not belong! And the trash, of course.
We’ve had rain. Thunderstorms. Tornado warnings. And more rain.
It got warm and sunny, and then it got cold and cloudy. Mother Nature is still trying to figure out if she really wants spring to fully be here yet.
And the Cabin Fever continues…
Last Friday was that “Amazing Day” we had and yet, starting that very night, at bedtime after everyone was supposed to be settled and, in their beds, sleeping, mayhem began.
The babies didn’t sleep well that night. Fussy and restless, we were all awake nearly the entire night.
Saturday morning, I crawled out of my bed exhausted and ready for coffee.
The coffee didn’t help. And THAT was a first!
Apparently, the boys had stayed awake nearly all night as well, and were only asleep when the sun came up Saturday morning. I was too focused on the babies to realize they were all up, too. Besides Levi. He kept checking on me and the twins.
Bless his little heart!!
I spent the majority of the weekend dealing with fussy babies, dishes, laundry, mess all over the place leftover from the baby cave-man party of five boy children the day before, and tracks of mud and dirt from the front door of my house to the bathroom, where showers were taken and muddy clothes dropped all around.
My nerves were shot when the boys decided they could finally rise from their little places of sweet sleep and rest. Getting anyone to participate in ANY productive activity was like dragging them to school on a Monday, any given week!
And then, real Monday happened.
And it happened all over the place! All week!
Weather complications kept children indoors much of the time, causing further tensions and some excessive arguments and outbursts, and pressure on my already snapping strings!
And then, the miraculous happened!
Electronics were taken away from the older boys, instructions given for two options: productive work around the house and yard with me, or, exiting the house and participating in fun and games TOGETHER outside.
Of course, they chose the latter of the options.
And it worked!
We went for a walk one day, worked outside on some small things another day, and I got more things done inside while they were out from under my feet on the rest of the time! It was great!
We had the ups and downs, of course, but progress was made! I feel like we are back on track! Dinners together in the evening (instead of random snack foods munched on around the house in our own spaces), actual conversations without arguments and drama, and, of course, my seeds are growing and making me smile more and more each day!
The kids still keep me up half the night, but I have coffee.
There’s still sibling drama, but I have coffee.
We still struggle with some things like, schoolwork, certain chores, and fighting during certain video games, but I have coffee.
I have sat up late at night with fussy babies, or just fussy myself… but I have coffee!
Coffee isn’t the only thing that has kept me going through this little Cabin Fever situation, thankfully! We have worked through some of our issues and come so some solutions together.
Setting timers, making lists, taking breaks, and just having our “personal time” away from each other, even in this tiny house, we have been able to survive Cabin Fever amazingly!
Annnnnd, now that I have things moving in order in the right direction, I get to apply some new things into our schedule and routine!
I am excited, the boys are kind of excited, and I know it is going to be a great turning point for us in this “Social Distance” life!
Cabin Fever is still a thing, but it’s not as bad as it was at the beginning of the week! That is enough for me!
Now…
To keep things going in the right direction.
Wish me luck? Haha!
Nah… we are going to do great! And I can’t wait to share the other things we will have going on, and the ideas I have!
There will be written work done, some photo opportunities, videos and audios, and just a lot of things to share from my little family to yours.
Things from “Quarantine Life Survival Kits and Guides”, written by me, to “Bedtime stories: told by the children, not read from a book” which is self-explanatory, and “Cabin Fever Recovery” because that is the one that I needed the most, and I know there are plenty of people out there now who need that as well!
I am looking forward to the next post, and I hope that you are too!
Much Love!
Becca
