Sunday, March 22, I spent most of the morning prepping my meals for the week. Monday as I entered work, the hallways were empty with only a few staff members upstairs and my team. After an emergency meeting, we had to clear out and work from home until further notice. I’ve been in a state of shock ever since.
I have never seen our country shut down like this before. By day four of quarantine, as I stood in my kitchen, my heart began racing. All of the goals I set, the meal times and my positive optimism just faded away. I felt helpless, confused and unmotivated. I suddenly heard the words “push through.”
My husband and I were both working from home with a 2-year-old and a 9-year-old when our daughter returned 
from her father’s home, trying our best to keep them both entertained as my husband worked downstairs in his office and I worked in our guest room. We switched shifts between our video meetings for food breaks and activities. I knew we needed a plan, a schedule, something! We agreed we needed a family meeting.
Our family meetings have become a staple in our household. It’s a time to reconnect, voice concerns, plan for our week ahead and have fun together. Everyone has a voice and a part in the meeting, even our 2-year-old, who likes to spin the fun activity wheel.
We start with a huddle, we recite our family mission statement, then go around and say what we love about each other. We cover activities each person has that week and what kind of support they’ll need. All of this happens on a large sheet my husband designed and laminated. We then move to meals for the week, then to 
disagreements and concerns. We make sure to discuss these at the table and leave them there. Does it always work? No, but we do our best.
But our focus now is how to homeschool two kids while working from home full-time during this pandemic. Our family motto right now is to “stay safe, stay prepared, and stay informed.”
I thank God for every moment because he continues to provide for us. I have to remember not to be so hard on myself during this time of uncertainty, so I’ll continue to “push through.” There are days when I want to run away, days when I want to give up or get downright frustrated with the world. These are the days I promise to make every effort to push through.
So for anyone else feeling this way, make your bed up so you have less of a chance of getting back in, do your makeup or hair so you can feel great on that conference call. Set a fun break time for your family, put on music and get your family to dance! We continue to live life.
My sister made such a great point: maybe this pandemic is a way for us to step off the “life” wheel for a second and breathe. A method for us to find ourselves again, find our passions, hug our children harder, thank our spouses for being there, march to the beat of our own drums and remember that life could change in an instant.
Sasha is a proud Liberian woman now living in OKC, a wife, mother, full-time student and employee. She loves cooking, working out, helping people and showing other moms they are fantastic no matter what! Connect with her on Instagram @SashaHughes and Facebook @Sasha Nyemadye Hughes.
