"M-M-M-My Corona"... Virus Process

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably noticed that there's a global pandemic going on right now.

Like most people, I've gone in stages of taking this seriously. Let me just say that I'm pretty slow on the uptake anyway because I refuse to watch the news. I've largely relied on other people to tell me what's going on in the world because whenever I see anything related to the big giant Cheeto POTUS in the white house, I get angry.  Seeing as how he is such a colossal idiot and he's always being featured on the news, I decided years ago that I won't subject myself to feeling some type of way and just stopped watching the news altogether. Which makes me fall a bit behind on things going on in the world like Corona virus.

When it all started I thought, "okay it's in China, it won't effect me."
Then it started to show up in other countries and I thought, "okay there are a few cases, but it's being contained."
And when it kept spreading because of the silent rate of infection I thought, "Okay. Time to be a little bit more careful, but I'm not going to stop living my life."

I have been on maternity leave and darling son and I were going out a few times a week for Mommy and Baby groups so I wasn't cooped up in the house all day. We also took walks through town, went to the markets, and did a little bit of shopping just to keep the day fun and interesting while hubby, Rob, was at work.

It was around the week before lock down in the UK that hubby started to get a little overprotective. He wanted me to stop going out, stop taking our son to baby groups, stop visiting with friends who wanted to see the baby. I was disapproving of his request, especially seeing as how the same rules did not apply to him. He was still working at the time, but beyond that it was okay for him to go out and do things and take our son to see his family and friends when he wanted to, but I just wasn't allowed to go out with him. Double standard much?

It was the week before lock down that I decided, "Fine, I won't take Henry to Baby Yoga this Friday if you're so worried, but we are going to do it together at home as a family. He needs baby yoga to help with his motor skills to prep him for crawling."

The following Monday was when Boris Johnston, the Prime Minister of the UK, addressed the nation saying that all non-essential contact should be avoided. He recommended that people avoid large gatherings and gatherings in smaller spaces such as pubs, restaurants, cinemas, theaters, bars, clubs, etc and that it was advised we all stay home. At this point it was only suggested....not decreed.

That night, my father in law (who runs a Hotel/Restaurant/Bar that my husband works at) decided to make the difficult decision of shutting the doors of his establishment. Even though people were only advised not to go out to pubs, my father in law thought of the safety of his staff and patrons and decided it was best for all to remove the business from the equation.

That week Rob helped his dad in closing up the business. Cancelling future rooms requests, locking up the store room supplies, and getting rid of the perishable food that was left at the hotel(either taking it home or giving to staff to take home). It was the last week we went out of the house for anything other than an occasional food shop or exercise because stricter rules were laid out later on in stages:

*Non-essential Travel is banned
*Non-essential business (Pubs, Gyms, Cafes, etc) are ordered to close
*Any one able to work from home should work from home
*Vulnerable people (elderly, pregnant women, & people with health conditions) should stay at home and NOT leave the house for any reason.
*Everyone else should remain home unless they are working, having 1 form of outdoor exercise a day, taking supplies to a vulnerable person, or to get essential supplies - food or medicine - themselves, and only when absolutely needed
*Where possible everyone must adhere to social distancing measures: only so many people allowed in shops at a time, keeping 2 Metres apart, washing hands frequently
*GATHERINGS of more than 2 people (unless you are from the same household) is banned in public

Until the government actually started to take action to ban things and close establishments, I was of the mindset that I will try and be safe...washing my hands, protecting myself with gloves and masks and sanitizing on top of that, going out when I know I could do it safely...but I still wasn't going to stop my life from ticking. When the stricter measures were put in place I began to get more and more cautious and limited going outside of my property to a bare minimum--I didn't even want to take walks or exercise outside because I knew I could do yoga at home.

Now I go for the occasional walk to help with my mental health (but still not anywhere near once a day), my husband does an online shop and goes out to collect it/ go to the butchers once a week (unless we can't get an online click and collect slot, in which case I go out and do a speed shop with my PPE). Occasionally, when we can't get Henry to sleep for his morning nap we will all go in the car together to the butchers/food shop. Henry falls asleep in the car, i stay in the car with him and hubby goes out to collect food then it's straight back home.

Other than that we are confined to our own little bubble. Rob does go out running every other day but he's smart about not getting close to other people and he showers immediately when he comes In fact whenever one of us enters the house after being outside we always thoroughly wash before touching anything in the house. The same goes for anything outside entering the house (post, parcels, food shop); everything gets wiped down and we wash after.

It's a strange turn of events and everyone has their own way of dealing with life as it is now, but I know that I've gotten more and more anxious as time goes on and I've started noticing certain anxiety ticks I have creeping back into my life (and even some new ones)...but more on that later.

The Weakness in My Strength

Hello again, 

If you are just tuning in. Welcome! ...And things are about to get deep, just warning you now.

For those who have read my blog before, this entry is going to be a bit more psychological rather than 'here's what I did today'. So let's begin.....

Something that people may not know about me is that I am very passionate about knowledge and intellect. I see this as both my greatest strength and greatest weakness.

STRENGTH:

"ipsa scientia potestas est" ("Knowledge itself is Power") -Francis Bacon

I believe there is great value in continued learning. As children we learn everything from reading and writing, to expressing thoughts and emotions and how to interact with others. And society would have us believe that we stop learning, in the majority, when we finish school and become adults. My opinion however is that when one stops having a desire to learn, that is when one's soul begins to die.
Without the constant thirst for knowledge, human beings can't evolve as a species.

Those with the desire to learn and achieve more have the capacity to not only grow individually, but they have the potential to advance society. Without people who are curious enough to want more out of life, we might not have inventions such as the light bulb, the telephone, or the first aircraft. Without the desire to learn and grow, these wonderful advancements in technology might cease to exist because people were satisfied with the status quo.

And even if you don't plan on being a great inventor of 'the next big thing', there is always room to grow individually. You can always learn something today that you did not know yesterday. There's a power behind the saying 'You learn something new every day'. I am constantly seeking information and trying to improve myself in some way or another, be it picking up random facts, attempting to learn a new language, reading up on a lesser known subject, or taking up a new skill/hobby.


WEAKNESS:

"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." -Proverbs 16:18

My pride in knowledge is the thing that gets me into trouble...a lot. As much as I am open to learning more, when I know something I am almost boastfully pride at the fact. I also will not be challenged and stand my ground when I know with 100% certainty (and sometimes with only 70% certainty) that I am right.

I'm also hyper sensitive when it comes to people misunderstanding/misinterpreting what I've said. I make it my personal mission to get my thoughts to a place where others can understand them. (Side note: In this way I have become a good mediator between sides to get someone to understand another's point of view, which would fall under the STRENGTH category above.)

I get deeply upset when I am perceived as anything similar to stupid, incoherent, dumb, or ill-advised. It really, REALLY does get me worked up and in a day and age where social media and typos happen, where people skim and just get the jist of something it is VERY easy to be misunderstood. So I find a lot of the time I get worked up, and insist on pleading my case and sounding like a broken record in the process because I cannot be seen as unintelligent or incomprehensible.


Pride in my own intelligence is by far my worst sin.
But you know I am human, so there is Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Envy, Lust and Wrath there too.


The thing I try to remember is that there is a way to change....if we want to change and not stay stagnant.  Every day I try to use the knowledge I have and the information I obtain to learn to be a better human and change my vices.

Too much pride? - take the time to be humble and grateful for all that you have.
Enough lazing around eating sweets and watching netflix? - stop being a sloth/glutton and start being productive! Make something new! Learn a new skill! Or just do something different for a change.
Want something you don't have? - Work towards achieving it yourself.
Lusty urges? - Keep it in your pants hun.
Anger Management? - Yoga and meditation my friend.

And everyone has their different processes with dealing with life; those are just mine.

An Excerpt on Motherhood

So back in November, while I was recovering from giving birth, raising a 1 month old, and learning how to crochet 2 blankets....I also wrote a book!

Every year I participate in NAtional NOvel WRIting MOnth, or "NANOWRIMO" where the goal is to write a 50,000 word or more novel from scratch within the 30 days of November.

November 2019 was no exception!

Having just given birth I had no expectation of finishing my novel, but I wanted to at least try. I tried, and succeeded in writing a tell all of my experience on motherhood titled:

Tsunamis, Motherhood, and Other Natural Disasters

I'll credit my mother for that title. :) 

Having written this book half delirious, I don't consider it a great piece of work. I do however love re-reading what I wrote and having a laugh at it. So, good people tuning in, I present to you one of the Chapters of my book titled "STILL MORE ABSORBENT THAN A MUSLIN CLOTH":

"Here is a wonderfully controversial thing to talk about: Muslin cloths. What are their actual uses? I was given a pack of three muslin clothes from a dear friend of mine after I had announced that I was pregnant. I looked at them and I wondered what they were actually for. I had never heard of muslin cloths being used as a baby accessory but apparently they are widely used here in England for babies. The Muslin of muslin cloths is just the type of material, so I knew roughly what they were – a cloth made of muslin – but I didn’t exactly use the fabric before so I never knew much about it.

So like everything I do now a days, I googled it. I typed the key phrases ‘Muslin cloth’, ‘baby’, and ‘what are they used for?’ into the google search engine and this is what I came up with. Muslin cloths can be used as swaddling blankets. This I understand because the muslin material does not stretch and when you want to swaddle a baby tightly and not have them wiggle out of it muslin cloths are perfect because there isn’t much give to them although they are breathable.

I did find on some mum notice board forums that people use muslin cloths for various make shift items, you know things that can be used in a pinch when you have nothing else. For instance, some mums use muslin clothes just as clean up rags if they need to wipe away a bit of dribble. Other mums use muslin cloths as a light blanket in the summer or something to tuck over the child in the pram to keep them feeling secure, similar to but less extreme than a swaddle. Some mums use muslin cloths as a protective barrier or blanket when using public baby utilities such as a public bathroom changing table or a shopping trolley’s baby seat just so they can protect their baby from whatever went down on those surfaces before their baby. Another good use would be for mums who don’t want to nurse in public, it can be used as a light cover up to shield the baby breastfeeding from view of the public eye.

All of these uses of muslin cloths seem perfectly understandable, but the one thing that muslin cloths are most used for, that I CANNOT get behind, is a burp cloth. I am sorry, but why? Why would you use a material that has no absorbency whatsoever as a burp cloth. When you burp a baby, the whole point of a burp cloth is to soak up whatever fluids spit up out of your baby’s mouth so it does not get on your clothes- either on your shoulder or down your back. When I found out that THAT is the number one use of muslin cloths here in the UK I was in disbelief but I decided to give it a go.

I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt, thinking maybe I was wrong and the super thin material would wick away moisture, or would be so tightly knit that it stops liquid from seeping through. As stupid as it sounds, I pretended to be a baby, lathered up some saliva in my mouth and then spat into the muslin cloth to see how absorbent it would be. It turns out, it’s not very absorbent, just as I originally suspected. Baffled, I questioned why people would EVER use this as a burp cloth and I looked in store and online for anything that resembled an over the shoulder type rag that I could use that would be more absorbent than a muslin cloth. 

Everywhere I went, even online, I could only find muslin cloths when I typed in burp cloths. It was utterly ridiculous that people would find these stupid little cloths of material useful when burping their baby and I thought of all the mums using them that had dribble stains and throw up all down the backs of their shirts. I eventually found some proper cotton burp cloths on Amazon and an app called Vinted, but this spawned the question: ‘What is more absorbent than a muslin cloth?’

There are so many more things that can be used as burp cloth that are more absorbent than a muslin. To give you a few practical examples, see items listed below:

A paper towel
A tea towel
A hand towel
A shower towel
A bath towel
A beach towel
A flannel
A rolled up bed sheet
An angora Sweater
A cotton t-shirt
A baby’s onesie or footie pajamas
A knitted scarf
A pair of Jeans
A baby’s spare dry nappy
A set of old curtains
A table cloth

Now, although not always completely practical due to the size or the type of material there are many more items that are more absorbent than a muslin cloth. A mattress protector? Its too overbearing and big to be used as a burp cloth to be thrown over the shoulder, but it is more absorbent (and some are even water resistant) than a muslin cloth. A couch cushion cover? Yes, it is more absorbent than a muslin cloth. A fleece blanket? This too, although rather large, is more absorbent than a muslin cloth.

How about the compacted recycled card board bowl that i had to pee in in the hospital? It is absolutely more absorbent (and in fact liquid proof) than a muslin cloth. A card board box? Certainly, after some time it will crumble, but in the short term it is more absorbent than a muslin cloth. Have you got some spare squares of grass turf laying about in the garden shed? That should be more absorbent that a muslin cloth! Have you been to any sporting events recently and regrettably bought one of those foam fingers to wave around in the stadium? Well, this too could be used in lieu of a muslin cloth and will wick away moisture better than the muslin will.

There are many uses for a Muslin Cloth when it comes to babies, but I am sorry, a burp cloth is NOT one of them. When I am going to burp my child, with the potential for a load of projectile puke streaming over my shoulder, I want something that is going to be as reliable as a flood defense system. Flood defense systems are put in place near rivers and areas that are likely to flood easily with the goal in mind that if the water levels get to a certain point, the flooding defenses will relieve the pressure and direct the water elsewhere to prevent one particular area from flooding.

Usually this is either a wall, that directs the water back into a corralled area, or some grates or holes that take a little bit of water from the area liable to flood and distributes it elsewhere. Imagine then if a flooding’s defense system was as flimsy as a muslin cloth. Imagine for instance that a wall that was built to keep flooding from going any further was made out of chain linked fences.

“oh yeah, this chain link fence is made up of several holes, but we use it all the time as a flood defense wall!” What is then the result of that? The area would get flooded immensely because the water would hit the chain linked fence and go straight through it because the links in the chained fence are so wide that they stop nothing from getting through, well certainly not water. The only thing that might not go through is anything that washes up in the flood such as trash, tree branches, etc. And actually, depending upon the force of the water (for instance if a river, which is forever flowing, gets flooded and the current is fast and furious) it could completely bulldoze the ‘flooding defense system’ in place if that flooding defense system happens to be a chain linked fence. I have seen that happen.

With that in mind, why would you EVER think that a muslin cloth, which is full of tiny woven holes and is as anti-absorbent as they come, would be able to wick away moisture if a baby were to spit up or throw up while being burped over your shoulder? The simple answer is, you would not. Muslin Cloths are certainly not suitable to be used as a burp cloth, unless you want to be caught in a flood."

Return of the Blogger

RETURN OF THE BLOGGER

Well now.....I realize it's been a hot minute since I last blogged on here (nearly 3 years to be exact--Yikes!) with the last post being about life after getting into a RTC and breaking my arm.

and YES I know that I do this. I start something like blogging, life gets in the way and I leave it for a chunk of time, then miraculously get inspiration to write again after 3 or 4 years and go back to it. *sigh*

So get strapped in for another catch up on life, a few whirlwind posts, then prepare to be ghosted while I go on hiatus for another 3 years. Cool? Cool.😂

So, what has been happening in the last 3 years you say? I'll give you highlights version of the good, the bad, and the weird with pictures! Cause pictures make blogs more fun.

Multiple Comic Cons: Sept 2017/Nov 2017/March 2018/April 2018/May 2019...

October 2017: Went back home to visit my familia

November 2017: Bleached my hair until it turned white for a cosplay (Gender Bent Quicksilver from Days of Future Past).

 December 2017: SNOOOOOOOW... and legit being stuck working at home

February 2018: Another friend (Nicolette) visiting the ex-pat (me)

June 2018: University Charity Challenge.....(Night Hike, Canoe, and Archery for me.)

& The Last Family Vacation (Virginia)

August 2018: Canal Boat Holiday

& New Wheels

September 2018: Winning my first Pole Competition

October 2018: The shortest trip back home to California (only a week) and The last time I saw my dad

December 2018: Back in LA for dad's funeral, and staying for Christmas.

February 2019: The last performance

 I've done (Burlesque show)

July 2019: Buying our first home

September/October/November/December 2019: Mom visiting pregnant me!

October 2019: Giving Birth to Henry Scott Vidler 


November 2019: Wrote a book on Motherhood/Giving Birth & my experiences of it for NANOWRIMO-NAtional NOvel WRIting MOnth




December 2019: My son's 1st Christmas. 





2020: Pandemic Central. Plans Cancelled, Lock-down commenced. But more rantings on that later.




Most of this is already shared on my social media via Instagram or Facebook, but I thought I'd do a highlights reel before I get back to writing the meaty stuff. Social Media is for funny memes and quick sharing, whereas maintaining a blog lets me delve deeper into my thoughts behind stuff that can be expressed in MORE THAN 150 characters.

For that reason, I do think that I should continue my writing, especially seeing as how I've got more time being on Maternity and not being able to leave the house due to government regulations surrounding the current state of the world *sigh*

So that's all for now, but be on the look out for: 

Life Updates

Funny Anecdotes

Rantings of a very passionate speaker

Drabbles from a bored Writer

Tales of Motherhood 

And More!
 

Until Then...This is Jenny, signing off. x