Covid lockdown diaries: 'I'm not achieving anything'

Vicky Price says she has been working from her bed but is finding the juggle of work and home-schooling impossible

Single mother-of-four Vicky Price lives in Henleaze, Bristol and has been juggling running her own business with home-schooling and somehow maintaining a home life for the past three lockdowns. Now she says she has "totally had enough" and feels like she is "not achieving anything" any more. This is lockdown in her own words.

"I've had lots of 'not-so-good' days.

"I've been up since five working because I'm just so behind, and the house is a mess because I'm so behind.

"I was in a meeting with two clients and the children went [berserk] and interrupted me and I had to stop the meeting a few times to go and deal with them.

"Luckily my clients have been really, really understanding, but it takes my mind away from the job and what are you supposed to do? I just have to pick up and carry on.

"I really want the schools to open now.

"I've totally had enough.

'It's impossible'

"I'm not achieving anything, I'm not achieving any home-schooling."

Her six-year-old has had her school hours reduced from five days at school to three days, which means life has become "a bit trickier", in terms of juggling childcare and work.

To make matters worse, Ms Price has also given up her bedroom to prevent her children fighting.

"I have no bedroom, even though I was using my bed as a workspace a lot of the time.

"My girls shared a room and they have been on top of each other for best part of a year and they're starting to argue and get a bit stressed, so I'll do anything for a quiet life right now.

Vicky Price said it was difficult planning her 13-year-old's birthday because the nearby shops were closed due to coronavirus

"I got some birthday surprise deliveries"

"It's my 13-year-old's birthday today and we put some balloons up but there wasn't much we could get really because all of the shops around here are closed which was a bit annoying but, we have got a few deliveries coming and a couple of surprises.

"With home-schooling the girls are getting on with some things but with my nine year old I only get to sit with him from 3pm because I'm on work meetings all morning. I just can't. It's impossible.

"There are no solutions here but I'm lucky in a way that I work for myself because it's up to me, you know?"