A Day in the Life of a Mom Quarantining in NYC

Danielle Sapienza is quarantining with her family in her Upper East Side apartment—can you relate to all of the chaos she is experiencing?

By Shana Liebman June 22, 2020

While we know that parents all over New York are quarantining with their families, trying to stay sane, we can’t actually see into each other’s homes. So we asked one of our favorite NYC influencers, who is also the professional photographer behind Danielle Guenther Photography to illustrate a day in her life—stuck in her apartment on the Upper East Side, where she lives with her partner, a 10-year-old, and six-month-old.

It hasn’t been easy, she says: “Between homeschooling my oldest, taking care of a baby, and being indoors now (literally not leaving our apartment for 27 days), I honestly feel like I'm slightly losing it.”

To help her get through the days, Danielle limits the news and instead plays YouTube beach scenes with ocean sounds and views. “It's relaxing and makes me feel like all is ok in the world right now,” she says.

She also does yoga, takes long baths, and meditates—usually on the bathroom floor. “Cooking has also been a savior!” she says. “I had no idea how to bake before this...now I've made bread, cookies, and doughnuts. Who knew!”

One of the biggest challenges has been caring for her baby—and she reminds other moms to dig deep. “Find patience and make sure you find time for YOU. Yesterday, I put the baby on the floor on a blanket in the bathroom and I sang to him while painting my nails in the sunlight. It was a great 30 minutes of my day.”

She’s also realized how much she and her partner need each other right now. “He held me in his arms recently as I ugly-cried my eyes out about the fears and frustrations I've been having, and he looked at me and said, ‘We have to be a team. We are in this together. We have to all be here for each other.’”

While some days are better than others, she’s grateful to have her healthy family around her—and she looks forward to that cocktail at the end of the day. “Lately it's been a nice glass of bourbon with an orange twist, or a homemade margarita.”

Here’s a day in the life of Danielle during quarantine. Can you relate?

Virtual homeschooling has been a challenge. The best part? Lack of dress code!

Working from home has become a family affair! We have Boss Baby on the team, and he's nailing it!

Adele’s "Hello.” I miss the outside world…I really do. But every evening at 7pm, my heart bursts when I listen to the clapping. I give thanks daily to the workers and people fighting for us.

How many hours left in the day again? This day feels like it's GOING. ON. FOREVER!

All right, break time...for my sanity, because if I don't take a second to breathe, I'll go crazy. I've been following live yoga classes a few days a week from Meghan Kramer Yoga.

Another day, another load...

Since we can't get away...and we're all dreaming of something tropical, let's bring the beach to us—#viralvacation2020! By 6pm, we are definitely doing a cheers.