The daily routine
She had a realtor in to list the house one week before the pandemic shut everything down. She was done. Done with the commute. Done with late suppers. Done with busy all the time.
Rachel Reeves and her husband Ryan live 30 minutes from Summerside, P.E.I. where they work at the tax centre.
Every morning they would drive their three girls to school, put in a full day’s work, pick up the kids and go home – if there wasn’t a grocery store stop to make first.
Are you out of breath yet?
Supper was on the table by 6:30 or 7 p.m. Then everyone was put to bed.
They would wake up the next morning and do it all again.
“Especially coming up to the pandemic, I felt like I was just sleeping here,” Rachel said.
Now they both work from home.
More time
“The one thing the pandemic afforded us was time, which was the one thing we didn’t have,” she said.
Ryan smiled.
“It’s a 30 second walk to work.”
Working from home has given them more time to cook homemade meals and complete household chores throughout the week, freeing up evenings and weekends for family time.
“I’ve actually discovered a love for cooking,” Ryan said.
And he planted a garden for the first time last summer.
Rachel has more time to take care of her home and enjoy her home.
Ryan is grateful he and his wife were both able to keep their jobs.
This might have been a blessing in disguise, he said.
Melanie Zukowski, a full-time student at Ryerson University in Toronto, Ont., can relate.
Before classes moved online, she travelled five hours a day.
“No more 5 a.m. alarms, no more train delays and no more arriving home after 11 p.m. And so much money saved on gas and train fare,” she said.
Zukowski has spent more time with her two young boys and has been able to make better choices in diet and exercise.
“I have more time with my family and more energy with them,” she said. “And I don’t feel like I’m ignoring another vital task while I enjoy family time.”
Steve Smith is a content management analyst from Calgary, Alta. He likes his two-minute commute and not having to dress up for work.
“It’s easier to put in a little extra time at work because I’m right there,” he said.
Household roles
He has been able to do more household duties like cooking and cleaning, something his wife has appreciated.
Our household has changed so much, she said.
Smith has enjoyed more time with his family and cats, and fixing arcade machines.
But he has missed the social interaction with co-workers.
“It’s just not the same on Zoom.”
Although Smith has not experienced any online meeting bloopers, Ryan Reeves has been caught yelling at his daughter who was climbing on the kitchen counter. And Zukowski has entertained her class with Dave Carroll’s “United Breaks Guitars”.
Thank you for subscribing to Homemaking Jewels.
