This post is part of a weeklong series we’re doing here to document a typical day in the life of local moms during the COVID-19 pandemic and under California’s stay-at-home orders. It was written by our Contributor Mikaeya Kalantari, who is also a pediatric dentist!
As part of celebrating the month of Mom, many of us moms have gotten together to share a glimpse into our daily lives. This is to show you that, although there are differences between all families day to day, we are not alone! We share similar struggles and obstacles, chaotic moments and peaceful ones, joyous moments and happy occasions… all in one day!
And that I suppose is the true beauty of motherhood. All of those emotions weaving together to form the tapestry of our children’s lives.
On most week days, I wear the professional hat. I am a pediatric dentist and typically work long hours, 4 days a week. My girls are in kindergarten and throughout the school year it is a constant juggling act to balance school drop off and pick up with after school activities and hanging out with the girls. I have lots of help though with my family so we make it work!
Since the middle of March however, our dental office has been closed and the girls have been off of school. So our daily routine looks quite different for a Monday! I will say it kind of has been nice getting off the hamster wheel for a bit, although I wish it would not have come at the heels of a global pandemic. So here it is, a day in the life of a quarantine weekday in my world!
6:30am: Wake Up. Lately I have been staring off at the ceiling for a bit before checking emails and news…as lately so much happens just overnight!
7:00am: Read Harry Potter. I have given myself the challenge of reading the whole series during this quarantine!
7:30am: Change clothes, go downstairs, and pour my coffee…. It’s cold brew season!
8:00am: Clean up our makeshift school room, which just happens to be the garage and also happens to be a giant mess every morning! After tidying up, I prepare the girls lessons and worksheets for the day.
8:30am: While things are still quiet around the house, I take some time to blog. I am currently writing for 3 blogs and a dental publication, so there is always a deadline I am blogging for!
9:00am: I hear stirring upstairs so I finish getting ready, say good morning to my girls, and quickly start a load of laundry.
Mama Dentist Goes To Work
9:30am: Leave my house to head to my dental office for an emergency appointment. Even though our office has been closed, we are still able to see patients that have emergency dental needs and today I am seeing a child that has tooth pain.
10:00am: To see my patient, I put on several layers of masks and PPE. I evaluate the child and talk with the parent about what needs to be done. After finishing the necessary treatment and saying goodbye to the patient and parent, I sit at my desk to write up my notes for the visit.
11:30am: I head back home and check on my girls. They show me all the work they completed that morning for school. I then switch my laundry to the dryer and change into my workout clothes.
12:00pm Prior to the pandemic, I was working out regularly with Step X Fitness. I was so upset to not be able to exercise there anymore because I was getting into such great shape! Luckily the owner, Keri, began teaching online classes and it has been amazing! My husband joined me for the workout for today and we were a sweaty mess by the end!
1:00pm: After working out it was time to make lunch for the girls and respond to patient emails. Lunch today was leftover kebob and rice.
Mama Dentist Afternoon
1:30pm: I sit down at the table and eat lunch with my girls while watching a dental education Zoom webinar. There have been so many new protocols to learn so that we all stay safe moving forward in dentistry!
2:30pm: Girls are playing quietly in the garage so I sneak outside and take some blog photos while the sun is in a good position! The number one rule in photography – it is alllll about the lighting!
3:30pm: Go check on the girls, find them creating a marble run, so I help join in on the fun!
4:30pm: Help cook dinner with my mother-in-law (who we currently live with and I am so thankful for that, especially right now!) and then eat dinner with our family. Not as many pictures from our evening because things are usually pretty chaotic right around this time!
6:30pm: After dinner the girls play outside for a bit before the sun goes down and then everyone heads upstairs for showers and get ready for bed.
7:30pm: Our girls have been very into Star Wars ever since Disneyland opened their new Galaxy’s Edge, so we have been watching all the Star Wars movies lately. We have been watching them in order and have finally made it to the last one! We typically watch about 30 minutes before bedtime a few times a week.
8:15pm: Bed Time (which in our house typically means 30 more minutes of getting up out of bed for various “needs” before the girls are actually zzzzz!). Many nights I stay up and watch TV with my husband but not tonight. I was exhausted by 9:00 zzzzzzz!!
I hope you all enjoyed this sneak peak into a day of my quarantine life as a mama dentist! Stay tuned for the last installment in this weeklong series tomorrow!
