A glimpse into the Romanchuk family home during social isolation

For the last two weeks, the Romanchuks have been learning how to navigate their home in a whole new way. Along with much of the rest of the province, the family has been isolating themselves from friends and family as they wait for the current COVID-19 pandemic to end which means staying at home far more than normal. Their mom, Kelly Romanchuk, spoke to the Press about how things are going and how everyone is fitting into this pandemic puzzle. She has three school-aged children, Ally-Ann (grade 10), Carter (grade 8), and Cohen (grade 7).

She said each day starts between 8 and 9 a.m. which would be considered sleeping in for most school-aged children. If you can’t take advantage of sleeping in during a pandemic then, when can you? Following a bite to eat, everyone hops onto their devices and logs into school. “That usually lasts half the morning and then the kids have to normally empty the dishwasher and take out the recycling. After lunch, they log back into school which goes to around 2:30 p.m.”

Last week, following a big snowfall that blanketed the Whitecourt area, the Romanchuk children burned off energy by shovelling out their backyard rink. Aside from doing things outside, each of the kids have creative outlets to dive into. “Ally has been painting everyday. Cohen loves to bake which is awesome but hard on the old waistline,” she laughed. “Carter plays with his hamster, Monty.” She said family dinners have been family time and that everyone helps with setting the table and putting everything away after. “After supper we play games like Five Crowns. One night we watched old videos of the kids when they were small.” She said the days are going by faster than she expected they would.

Having a full house each day has made the furry members of the family very happy as they have no shortage of cuddles and attention. “Our dogs are so happy to have us home. Our lab just follows at our heels.” She said that although her children really miss their friends and the routines they are used to, the time at home has been enjoyed all around. “Normally our life is quite hectic with hockey, dance, Dungeons & Dragons (which Carter would play at the Teen Centre on a weekly basis), and baseball was just starting up. It’s nice to have things slow down a bit. Don’t get me wrong, our family lives for all those things but we are embracing this time to ourselves.”

She said she can really see the different personalities in her children. “Ally is so scheduled, ready, and prepared for everyday and keeping herself busy. She has said thank you to both her dad (Trent) and me after every meal. Carter surprised me when he said he was sad missing school because he is little bit of an introvert, but he has been doing great with keeping in touch with friends by texting.” Her youngest, Cohen, is a social butterfly and thrives off the energy of others so she thought it would be hard for him to be forced to stay home but she said he has been doing great with school and has enjoyed playing games with friends.

She said focusing on little projects in the house everyday has helped and that she keeps a little blurb in her agenda of the day’s events. “Sometimes it’s tough but there is so much good happening right now that it is easy to find feel good stories all around.” Being separated from her in-laws has been one of the hardest parts. “My in-laws are completely quarantined because of my father-in-law’s health so the kids and I understand that it is important right now to keep our distance.” She said getting their mail for them on the odd trip into town and talking to them everyday has made it better.

“I think it’s important that we take this seriously, but we also have to find some humour in each day and try to focus on the people around us. For me, I have been keeping in touch with a few friends by just sending a picture of my morning coffee with a “good morning” message attached.” Speaking of humour, Kelly played a little prank on her kids on April Fool’s Day by sending them a little joke text about Alberta students needing to redo their current grades next year. Though the kids didn’t really fall for it, the chuckle it gave her and everyone else who watched the little video blurb she shared was totally worth it!