Diary of a Quarantined Mom: Natasha D'Anna

Natasha D’Anna, creator of Twindollicious, has been home like the rest of us for more than a month. During that time, she’s had to single-parent her 9-year-old twins and 3-year-old son while her husband, who has COVID-19, quarantines in the bedroom. Like all of us, she’s doing a lot of cooking, cleaning, and homeschooling—trying to get through these tough days trapped in her Staten Island home. 

“The hardest thing for me is not being able to go out to our favorite parks and restaurants, or have work meetings or meet up with friends,” she says. To cope she’s been organizing her house and fantasizing about sitting in the sun near her condo in Florida. Her mantra: “Try to stay on schedule but don’t beat yourself up for it if you’re not. Some things we have to just let go of for now.” 

We asked D’Anna to share a few snapshots from her new daily norm. 
 

This is us, my husband Kenny and me. He’s been sick with the coronavirus and self-quarantining in our house—not seeing me or the kids. He tested positive on April 1. This was the first day in almost three weeks that he came out of his room. We’re wearing the baseball caps that he just ordered for the employees of his electrical company, Unified Electric. I am looking forward to posing for photos together without wearing masks in our own home. 

RELATED: How Parents Can Manage Their Mental Health During Quarantine
 

How is it that although we are not going out nearly as much, the laundry is just continuously piling up? Every time I manage a load, there’s more to do. Are the kids somehow wearing more clothes than they normally do or is this just another case of Groundhog Day? Also, I am cooking around the clock, approximately four-five meals a day including snacks. My lifesaver has been paper plates!
 

The kids are literally bouncing off the walls after their homeschool sessions—they even managed to tear down the curtains. So I’ve found myself wearing all sorts of hats, like carpenter, and using tools that I usually manage to avoid—for example, a screwdriver—to fix the damage. I could really use my husband’s help.