Welcome back to the Motherhood in Quarantine Series! This is the eighth post in a series all about being a mother in quarantine!
Click here for post 1 by Kayla Tucker from San Diego, California!
Click here for post 2 by Jenna Hammer from Baltimore, Maryland!
Click here for post 3 by Lindsay Johnson from Riverside, California!
Click here for post 4 by Bethany Wagreich from Cinninati Ohio!
Click here for post 5 by Morgan Coulter from Millville, New Jersey!
Click here for post 6 by Paige from Fort Worth, Texas!
Click here for post 7 by Megan Hardy from North Carolina!
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Hi! My name is Lizett and I am a married, 31-year old mama of two. My two babes are Troy (4) and Taylor (2) and we live in the Sunny, hot state of AZ.
MI CASA
My family and I live in a 1700 sq. foot home in the beautiful city of Peoria. We are about 30 minutes Northwest of Phoenix. Peoria is considered a suburb of Phoenix and it is a large town that is continuously growing by the minute. I don’t blame people wanting to move out this way, it truly is beyond beautiful and of course, who wouldn’t want to live near a lake and have access to many Spring Training games.
Quarantine Weather
Let me tell you about the weather here in AZ. The weather during this quarantine has been HOT! Once April hit, temps were between the mid 80’s and 90’s and once May hit, we have been in the low 100’s. I am a heat person, so I absolutely love this temp, but it is difficult when you are not able to go out and about as you please during this time.
Quarantine Schedule
Our schedule has not truly changed much. Because my husband and I must work from home, we are still constantly busy with work. The nice thing is that our daycare remained open, so we were able to take the kids. To me, this truly was a lifesaver. Not only because of the demanding tasks of work, but because it was the only “Normalcy” my children had. They were able to get out of the house and play with some, not all, of their friends from daycare. Don’t get me wrong, I truly was worried about having my children attend daycare, but because it was an in-home daycare and with kids less than 10, I felt more at ease. Their sitter was also very cautious, so I knew Troy and Taylor would be fine.
Quarantine Change
The only major change that my children have had to endure is not being able to play with their neighborhood and small group friends. Because my children were attending daycare, many of our friends wanted to keep their distance, rightfully so. This was hard on my children because they were so used to seeing those friends weekly. When Troy would say, “Mama I miss (so and so)” and “When can we hang out with our friends?” My mama heart would break because I truly didn’t know what to say. I did not want to say, “People don’t want to hang out with us because you’re going to daycare.” People know that we are an outgoing family, who rarely stay home. Not being able to go out and about and hang out with others, that has truly been hard, on ALL of US.
Groceries and Money During Quarantine
At the beginning of quarantine, groceries were hard to obtain. We never took the kids to the store because of obvious reasons. I remember just trying to grab whatever I could to make sure we would be set for the week. Mac n Cheese and frozen pizzas was pretty much all I could find. Every week, it would let up and now we do grocery pickup and we can actually pick up the next day. PRAISE JESUS!
We have honestly spent more on groceries because we do not want to eat out every night and because we have to purchase items that are in stock. Also, adult beverages have been our thing. Being stuck at home all week calls for a few toasts on the weekend. So yeah, we have been spending more.
BUT also…. saving money has been a thing here in this household. We have been able to save since we have not been able to go out to eat on the weekends or have date nights. My husband and I would have bi-weekly or monthly date nights, in which we would need a sitter for. Date nights are not cheap, so because of that, we have been able to save. Also, we have been saving on gas since my husband is not driving to work. On the other hand, online shopping has been a dream! Only because we all have had birthdays during this quarantine. The stimulus money also helped with some online purchases.
Job Situation During Quarantine
Working from home has not been a change for me, aside from the fact that I am busier than ever. I am a program mentor for an online university, and because teachers are working from home, many have decided to also work on their masters. This is what has made my job busier.
My husband, Brock, does not work from home, so this has been a blessing for him. He has been able to do things around the house that he normally wouldn’t be able to get done. He also has been able to get physically fit (which I LOVE) and work on personal projects. Even though we do not get to spend as much time as I would love because I am stuck in my office during work, it has been nice to walk out and see him there. I am truly going to miss that.
AZ During Quarantine
Arizona has been following CDC guidelines, but not to the extreme of other states. Talking to people from CA scared me because I knew AZ would most likely follow, but it truly has not been that bad. People here do wear masks, but it is not a requirement like other states. Grocery stores, Target, and Walmart have remained opened and I would say about 50/50 of the people wear them. Going to the store has been odd, only because you do not want to make the wrong move or go down the wrong aisle with the arrow pointing the opposite direction. Also, we still have to keep our 6ft distance from others. To me, this is also awkward because at times people get pretty close to you.
I do notice that people here are starting to get over this and wanting to go back to their normal life. There are more people at the stores and definitely more cars on the road.
Many food chain restaurants have remained open and I am grateful for that! Luckily on May 8th, most stores will be opening alongside the barbers and hair salons. Starting May 11th, restaurants will open, while still following CDC guidelines. I must say that I am excited, but nervous because I am not quite sure how people are going to react or if people will be judgmental.
On the Bright Side of Quarantine
Seeing that AZ is headed in the right direction of normalcy is a fresh of breath air. Again, I don’t know how “normal” that will be for us, but it is a step in the right direction. Even though quarantine has been tough at times, I am grateful for the extra time I got to spend with my hubs, as well as my babes. I am also so lucky that my job was never jeopardized, as I know that was not the case for others. I am just ready to put this in the past, for now. If this ever hits again, which the talk is it will, I hope that maybe I can approach it differently, with a more positive outlook.
Advice for the Mamas
Mamas, every quarantine story is different, but look at us…we have managed, and we have endured a rough season. We have made the best of every situation and we have learned from the good, the bad, and the ugly. This has only made us STRONGER mamas and wives.
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