Musings: Parenting and working from home with Covid is no craic

When I said I was looking forward to a positive New Year, this wasn't what I meant.

All over the Christmas period my whole family were taking antigen tests to make sure it was ok to meet up with other family members and friends. And up until December 30th we were getting negative tests, then New Year's Eve rolled around and there it was. A big dark line right where the T is on the antigen tests. I had Covid and not just me but my entire household, kids and all. I thought the lockdowns and homeschooling were tough, but dealing with Covid symtoms while continueing to work from home and get asked 500 times a day for snacks is another level in stress. The kids have shown absolutely no symptoms, we only tested them because ours came up positive. We haven't been able to get a PCR test anywhere so we've all been stuck at home ordering in groceries for the last week. To be honest, I don't really mind the staying indoors part so much. It's freezing and the first week of January so I wasn't really planning on doing much anyway. The issue lies in having two young kids, who need a lot of stimulation, which is very hard to do when they can't go to the park and mix with other kids or go back to school. Instead of chilling and nursing my sore throat while lazing around and watching Netflix, I'm trying to answer work emails, find the one cup my daughter will drink juice out of while constantly sneezing and wheezing. Which, you know, is loads of fun. The photo above is not me but it very well could be a shot of me peeling my 15th satsuma of the day for my kids so I might possibly get five minutes peace. I've had relatives and friends call and asked if I need anything and I'm like yes, a break from Peppa Pig being played on repeat. We're still testing positive on the antigen tests and still unable to get a PCR appointment no matter what avenue we go down so we'll just have to play it by ear when it comes to entering society again. Until then send me all your prayers and positive thoughts, because as much as I love my kids I'm very close to sticking a few stamps on them and leaving them at the post office.