Editor’s note: Social distancing means we can’t all be together right now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still check in on each other. “Checking in with … ” is a new series doing just that. If you have suggestions about who we should feature, please email us at newsroom@gazettenet.com with the series name as the subject line.
Who lives in the same house as you? Brian Subocz (husband) and daughters Jenna Subocz, age 20, sophomore at Syracuse University; Madelyn Subocz, 19, freshman at Northeastern University; Ella Subocz, 11, fifth grader at Jackson Street School.
How are you passing the time these days? With my husband and me home from work and all three of our daughters home from school, we spend countless hours in our rather small home together. This has resulted in plenty of fun family time, but has also posed many challenges for each of us. Maximizing the amount of time we spend outdoors has definitely been important throughout the past few weeks! Whenever the sun is out and it’s not too cold, we have been walking, hiking, trampoline-jumping and going on bike rides. Rainy, chilly days, on the other hand, have been spent all together indoors. On these days, we often stay in our pajamas, doing puzzles, playing card games and board games, making lots of TikToks (short, mobile videos) and watching plenty of movies and TV shows.
How are you getting the things you need? Our small house, specifically our small kitchen, does not have tons of storage space, so once or twice a week, we have to go to the grocery store. We only ever send one or two of us, and we do our best to wear masks and gloves. Entering and exiting through specific doors and only being able to move in one direction through the aisles has been a strange experience, but it is comforting to know that so much effort is going into preventing the spread of this virus. Some nights we get dinner from local restaurants in order to support small businesses the best we can during this time.
What has been the hardest part? Money has probably been our family’s most significant stressor. Brian is a cook at the Smith College student center cafe. He works one day a week right now while receiving his full pay and benefits, but my salon in Florence, On Point Salon, had to close mid-March, so I have been without pay for six weeks. I just received my unemployment for self-employed workers this morning, but we still have not gotten our stimulus checks, which has left us with a very tight budget for bills and groceries. Fortunately, our family and friends have been great supporters. One of my clients/friends knew that I could not afford to do online workout classes at my favorite studio, The Hub (in Florence), so she kindly paid for classes for our whole family! This gesture was so thoughtful and really lifted our spirits.
While I love the fact that all three girls have been able to stay in contact with their friends through social media, FaceTime and texting, I sometimes find that spending so much time in front of screens keeps them from being productive and having positive mindsets. One of our family’s biggest struggles has been maintaining structure with the complete lack of time commitments. Sometimes Brian is already making late lunch/early dinner when the older two girls come down for breakfast, and I then find them cooking their own dinner in the kitchen at 2 a.m. Another issue that I have faced with our youngest daughter, Ella, is finding ways to keep her engaged with schoolwork. I’ve actually found myself playing multiple rounds of Ella’s math games with my older daughter just to refresh my own memory first! I even struggle at times with navigating Google Classroom in order to turn in her homework. I think Zoom could possibly be a more effective way for younger kids to learn at home, as I have learned during the past few weeks that I am most definitely not qualified to be a fifth grade teacher. Fraction addition is hard!
What has brought you relief/happiness? With all of the stress and anxiety that this situation has caused in our home, as in many others, we are so thankful that we are able to spend this time together as a family. Jenna and Maddy are normally away at college or out with friends, so it’s worth the extra dirty dishes and laundry to have all three of them healthy and happy at home together.
Any good suggestions to offer? One of the highlights of our day is watching the Blue Chick Farm chores on Facebook Monday through Friday at 9:30 a.m. The Blue Chick owners — Julie Lieberman and Renee Bachman, who is also a third grade teacher at Leeds Elementary — are the greatest farm chore hosts, and their pet bird, Tikal, is a big hit when the chores are done!