We have officially been in some sort of lockdown for a whole year. This time last year Boris said we must stay at home and thankfully the majority of us have when it was asked of us. It has been a challenging time and I am hopeful that things are starting to improve now with the vaccines being rolled out and restrictions being lifted.
I think we have all learned a lot over the last year and these are the most valuable lessons I have learned:
The importance of family.
I knew family was important but didn't realise how much until I couldn't hug them or even see them! I really do appreciate my family, now more than ever! It's been well over a year since I last saw my great Aunt and over a year since I last hugged my dad but I have got to spend more time with my girls. Before lockdown I hardly saw my girls as they were out with friends. Now they've been at home we've got to spend some quality time together and it has been lovely.
Our NHS is the best in the world.
I knew this anyway thanks to them helping my girls with their heart defects but they have been more than amazing over the last year. They have worked themselves to the bone and put their lives at risk to help. Without the local doctors things could have been a lot worse for my dad when he caught Covid.
Online shopping is a god send!
I don't think many of us would have managed without online shopping whether it be food, crafts to keep the kids busy or gardening supplies. Yes, I complained about getting a grocery slot sometimes but they have kept us fed.
How to wash your hands properly!
I thought I knew how to wash my hands but over the last year I have taken extra care with the hand washing and have washed my hands a lot more. I have done everything in my power to keep my family safe and they were so sick of me nagging about handwashing at one point but now it has become a habit.
The importance of nature!
I knew nature was an important thing but didn't realise how much until we were stuck at home. We made the most of having a garden planting things and just spending time out there. We also have been going for plenty of walks which we probably wouldn't have done without lockdown happening.
Kids are more resilient than you think!
At the start of the lockdown I really worried about my girls but I think they have came out of this doing OK. Don't get me wrong we've had a few wobbles over the last year but both of my girls have made me so proud. They have both stuck to the rules of the lockdowns, mostly. We did have a little moment this time last year when Becky and her girlfriend tried to bend the rules a little but me and her mum were having none of it. They haven't seen each other in person since Christmas when they swapped presents but are counting down the days until they can see each other again.
Leggings are a wardrobe essential!
I think I have worn jeans about 5 times in the last year. lol I have lived in leggings either with a long t-shirt or jumper in the colder months. The best one's I have found are amazingly from Poundland, in their Pep & Co section. They are only a few pounds and are really stretchy and are not at all see through.
How hard the teachers work!
They are amazing and have pulled out all the stops to make sure out children have been educated throughout the time we have had to spend at home. I don't imagine it has been easy for them, they weren't taught to teach that way. I did feel for some of Ellie's teachers when on Zoom lessons none of the kids were keen to put their cameras on or speak through the microphone and they felt like they were talking to and teaching nobody but they soldiered on.
Home schooling is hard!
And the work is even harder! The French and Maths work that Ellie had to do was way over my head. We might have had a few arguments about it because with the maths they have changed how it is taught to kids nowadays compared to how I was taught. Ellie did well with her work, sometimes she needed a little nagging to get going or to stick with it at the end of the school day but we hung on in there until the end and thankfully she is back at school now.
The importance of freedom!
I wasn't one for going far from home or even going out that much until I was told I couldn't. We did have plans to visit my great Aunt last summer but that couldn't happen. We have had no days out in over a year unless you count the odd time we have gone into town shopping for birthdays or Christmas. I miss the freedom of being able to visit my dad. Before lockdown I would go at least a few times a week and the kids would too. They loved going to his business and doing odd jobs for him. I can't wait to be able to be able to have a day out with the kids or to visit my dad.
To appreciate the simple things in life.
Being home alone, a cup of tea, spending time with the kids, gardening, baking, no pressure to go out, getting DIY jobs done, discovering new places on a daily walk, writing letters and lazy mornings.
The importance of telling people you love and care for them.
Many of us have lost family or friends over the last year and I read something online from the mum of someone who passed away, how she thought that they didn't really have any real friends that cared about her. The condolences on her Facebook page said differently. It has taught me to tell people how much I care about them.
What have you learned over the last 12 months?
