Life in lockdown: A catchup on our lives

If you are always trying to be normal you will never know how amazing you are. – Maya Angelo

Lockdown, never in my wildest of dreams would I have of imagined living through a pandemic. As I reflect from day 145 of Lockdown I will be sharing some of the highlights of our life during Lockdown with you.

2020 has been a roller-coaster ride of note, in January 2020 I gave birth to our beautiful rainbow baby. Our lives changed, more dirty nappies, very little sleep, breastfeeding again. I was then on maternity leave when the Lockdown was announced for a month and then in mid-April had return to work by starting to work from home.

We pulled Keshav out of school from the 14 March due to the Corona virus risk. The world went a bit crazy for a bit while people stock piled items such as toilet roll, perishables, medication etc but we didnt get into that madness. We wanted to do a few home maintence projects around the house, so hubby picked up a few things the day before lockdown in order to complete this.

My husband started working from home and I tried to create some semblence of a routine in our home for the balance of my maternity leave whilst single handedly managing two kids plus chores.I am a natural planner and I immediatly started looking for ways to keep my 4 year old learning through play whilst at home, hoping that probably very soon he would return to school. I also downloaded a few apps that I could use for shopping online.

Mira’s kitchen Creations

Chocolate sponge cake

Lockdown has given me the opportunity to do some experimenting and exploring with new dishes as well as old prepare some dishes my mum and nani (grandmother) used to make.

I also started an Instagram page dedicated to sharing all of my creations you can follow the #MiraKitchenCreations and my page
https://www.instagram.com/MirasKitchenCreations

I enjoy baking much more than cooking and when the Lockdown began I was probably baking three times a week. However now as we enter level two I have curbed it to a minimum of once a week.

2 Ingredient Garlic butter Naan (handmade bread)

I found the two ingredient naan recipe shared widely on social media at the beginning of Lockdown and I was hesitant to try it, because I didn’t think the taste would appeal to my family. My fears were completely bulldozed and I’m happy to report that it was such a hit with my boys. I prepared the garlic butter naan with a butter chicken curry and a salad.

Banana cake

One of the most common baked cake during Lockdown had to be a Banana cake. Now this is no ordinary banana cake, you see here, it’s made with love and has some chocolate chips and almonds included. Perfectly paired with a cuppa chai.

Roti

Making roti was something I never did until Lockdown. I would buy roti or make rice. I’m not sure if you heard the quote about the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.

Every time I made roti my husband tells everyone how wife is life and aint that the truth.

Our Lockdown exercise

Love love Tennis

The initial level 5 Lockdown didn’t allow you to leave your own yard unless you needed groceries or medical care and it got us to think out of the box with regards to exercise and sport in our space.

Hubby missed his weekly golf games and while I was just ramping up my exercise routine after go ahead from my 6 weeks check up I needed to keep fit. Keshav missed his school sporting activities as well as his swimming classes.

Walking around with my Boppy Comfy fit sling

I started walking around my yard in the mornings and evenings to ensure I still maintained at least 5000 steps. It proved quite a challenge during winter and once we moved to level 4 I walked around our estate. Hubby and I started playing tennis at home and it’s one of my favourite activities during Lockdown.

Daddy tutoring Keshav with his first set of irons

We got Keshav his first set of golf clubs. He has shown so much interest in the sport, and has been a great way to use up his energy. Although on most days you would find my little cutie pie with his helmet on playing golf and this mama just lets him be. I am looking forward to the summer for us to spend some time swimming and then doing more yoga and strength training.

Golf but with a helmet

Lockdown DIY

My husband loves DIY and there is always something that he is working on to make our lives a little better. When I got back to working from home during Lockdown, I was hotdesking in the house. I moved from the dining room, to the kitchen and then into the spare room on the bed. It was quite uncomfortable plus moving everything I needed was a constant irritation. Hubby designed this desk and sourced the wood and built it himself.

My work table made from scratch by Brandon

Below is a picture I took whilst he was still busy.

This is halfway through the table making

Its amazing to watch something wonderful being created right before your eyes.

Raw wood purchased for my work table

I think this desk is even more special because its handmade with love. I am so grateful for this spot. I can now sit comfortably and work.

Lockdown fun, entertainment and learning

Keshav painting his cotton ball autumn tree.

Keeping a 4 year old entertained is no easy task. Keshav loves doing projects and we have done so much of painting, baking, and even an Easter Egg treasure hunt in April, which he enjoyed tremendously. We continued with reading books and alot of colouring in. We also received activity boxes, one from PALS Activity boxes and the other from Little Panda Playbox which kept us busy for hours. Keshav is in so much delight when he creates with Playdoh.

Making pizza with Playdoh

One of the things we miss the most is the social interaction during lockdown. Our family, friends and even work collegues. We have had our share of Lockdown birthday parties and baby showers and it is always nice to see everyone. Pictured below is a zoom call we shared with family from all over the world who participated in my Nani(maternal grandmother) celebration.

My nani (maternal grandmother) Lockdown Zoom Birthday celebration

As a parent I feel more connected to my children. Whilst they do heavily rely on me, they are growing independant day by day. I am so grateful to have this quality time and interaction with them I am not sure how I am going to manage when I have to go back to the office. Keshav always has so many funny questions to ask me during the day and I have learnt to be patient and understanding to his various requests/demands.

I find my peace in the garden. Admiring the plants and trees and beautiful birds that fly in and around. Lockdown has kept us grounded and made me value & appreciate everything we have even more.

Life is full of lessons and here’s what I learnt from Lockdown:

Live in gratitude, dont take things for granted.
Family is everything.
Ensure you have balance in your life. Work, family, pray, exercise.
We can survive with much less.
The value of human interaction.
Planning is everything. (Meal prep, grocery shopping, outings etc)
Being agile to change to imperative. Change is the only certainty.
Self love, Self love, Self love. Put yourself on your to do list.

Lockdown has taught me so much. I will most certainly miss this part of lives once its gone. I hope you all are doing well as can be and remain safe. Sending so much love your way.

I would love to know what you have been doing during lockdown, please pop me a message in the comments section.