I Wore This Yesterday

Here, in Ohio, there is a “Stay at Home” order in effect. COVID-19 is spreading like wildfire across the country and the government is trying to slow it down. Bars and restaurants are closed. Movie theaters are closed. No retail stores or museums are open.

We are limited to our home, grocery store, or doctor visits.

We can’t go out together. We can’t call a sitter. We can barely be alone in our house, with three kids, all 7 and under, running around.

So, how do a husband and wife stay connected when they’re “stuck at home” with the kids?

Wake Up Early

Every morning, my husband and I try to get out of bed at least an hour before the kids. We sip coffee together, talk a little…No TV…Maybe cuddle…

Really, this is something we try to do even when the Apocalypse is not upon us. We have three kids and they are LOUD. It’s nice to just have a moment in the morning to wake up together and not have to talk over the sounds of screaming and YouTube.

eShop Together

When you can’t hold hands and window shop while eating Swedish Meatballs at IKEA…You can at least do it from your couch!

Seriously, the husband and I have been shopping for some really random, crazy shit on the internet and it is all kinds of entertaining. Did you know you can buy a set of coasters that say, “Don’t F**k Up The Table” on Amazon? No, we did NOT buy those. But, the conversation associated with these kinds of finds are fun. It’s just something silly to talk and laugh about together.

Eat a “Midnight Snack” Together

Last night, Hubs and I made grilled cheese at about 12:30am. There’s really isn’t much need for an explanation on this. We were up…Enjoying each other’s company…We got hungry.

I opened the cheese, while he buttered the bread. He got the stove ready while I grabbed his ass…

We got in bed with our sandwiches, put on a movie, and stuffed our faces together. It couldn’t have been more perfect.

Dance

We were married almost 10 years ago. Our wedding song was, “Just The Way You Are,” by Billy Joel.

We have an Amazon Echo in our kitchen, that we play music on quite frequently. This morning, after some coffee and talking, Hubs played our song in the kitchen and we danced. I was still wearing makeup from the day before and sporting my Doomsday moo-moo. The kids were running around under our feet. But we held each other and danced real slow for 4 minutes and 52 perfect seconds.

Hide Snacks From The Kids

OK, I know this sounds a little mean, but hear me out!

Our kids have everything and then some. They have never known hunger or want for anything. They get treats and presents more often than we ever did as children – not because our parents didn’t want to give us the World, but just because times were different when we were kids. And there in lies the point: You naturally want your kids to have more of the things you didn’t have, if you’re able!

So, here’s the thing: sometimes we hide stuff from the kids. Ice cream…Candy bars…Chips and Salsa. We are parents and we work hard. We deserve to be rewarded once in a while for our efforts and sometimes we want candy and ice cream that hasn’t been rummaged through yet.

This could also count as a Midnight Snack!

Play Games

This is an obvious quarantine activity, but definitely should not be left out of the list! We love to play games with our kiddos, but more adult games are great too! The kids can even stick around if it isn’t bed time. When they’re already occupied with something else, Hubs and I can concentrate on one another with any number of more adult-geared games.

We love trivia! And thanks to the internet, all you have to do is search a topic followed by the word, ‘trivia,’ and you have yourself hours of fun! My personal favorite is music trivia. Hubs usually enjoys ‘general knowledge.’ But, the possibilities are really endless.

Video games! Yeah, the kids can play those too…and they do! But, only the Husband and I can spend hours having fun with cussing out Donkey Kong.

Scrabble/Words With Friends – this needs no explanation. We enjoy spelling words and swearing at each other over high scores.

Questions games – we have this huge deck of cards we found on Amazon called, “88 Great Conversation Starters For Husbands & Wives.” We LOVE this, Apocalypse or not! The deck is filled with questions and topics to talk about with your significant other. Some are questions like, “what is your favorite memory of us?” Other topics include, “tell me a funny childhood memory,” or “name your most embarrassing moment.” These are so fun to do because many topics that get brought up are things you may not generally think to talk about with someone you already share everything with. Some cards, the conversation is quick. Others, turn into half-hour long discussions. When we do these, we ALWAYS learn something new – even after almost 10 years of marriage.

Puzzles

Yeah, this is another thing we DO do with our kids. But, we also enjoy this alone. If the kids are otherwise occupied or in bed – all we need is some beers, a puzzle, and conversation.

Sex

Listen…We are all adults here. We are married…There’s a “Stay At Home” order. Sex is ESSENTIAL to love and keeping our sanity!

Couch Date

TV show…Movie…Whatev! Put the kids to bed early and put on something R-rated. After a full day of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on repeat, it’s always good to remind ourselves that we are adults and it’s OK to hear the F-Bomb.

A couch date is also great if you have a big front window like we do. If it’s storming, watch lightning together. If the weather isn’t doing anything interesting – watch the cars drive by. Talk about life…Cuddle…Listen to music…Turn off the living room lights if it’s nighttime…It’s ALL good when we are alone on the couch.

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I enjoy the hell out of my husband on a normal day. But this Bunker Life doesn’t mean I have to stop.

As long as we are still breathing…

As long as we are all healthy…

We can get through this shit together.