Mom's Secret Fort

How does being confined to your house during the coronavirus pandemic change daily life? Janel shares how something small like returning a bowl to a friend is a visit worth savoring once more restrictions were announced in her home city of Berlin. 

It's day 11 of the coronavirus lockdown in Berlin. Janel shares how an uptick in video calls means being okay with letting friends see who she really is when she's lounging around the house. 

Janel sneaks down to Mom's Secret Fort to talk about gaining perspective when her daughter starts kicking the most valuable item in the household like a Hacky Sack. What's round and square and making perfectly nice people say judgy and awful things about other perfectly nice people during the coronavirus pandemic? 

Janel reports on how her family's excessive snacking during the coronavirus lockdown has driven her to lay down the law. From Mom's Secret Fort she confesses to her role in the problem and shares what she's doing about it. 

Sooo much screen time, means seeing things we shouldn't. Oops. Janel shares how her lack of screening movies leads to an awkward conversation with her daughter. You'll end up with recommendations for what to watch and what not to (with kids) while we all start scraping the bottom of the Netflix barrel during the coronavirus lockdown. 

Janel talks about how hard it is to stand directly in front of good friends and not hug them during social distancing. But why hadn’t she been hugging her family as much as usual? After a grumpy exchange over breakfast, she realizes what she’s been missing and remembers to hug it out with the ones she loves most.

Janel goes into a slump after being attacked...well almost...by vicious lap dogs during a peaceful walk in the forest. She turns her slump into a campaign to show appreciation to those that are building community during the coronavirus lockdown.

Janel wonders if she'll know exactly how many cups of coffee her husband drinks for the rest of her life. Having the whole family home during the coronavirus lockdown isn't always easy, but the good side can sneak up at any moment and point a water gun at you.   

Janel faces sending her 10-year-old daughter back to a school during the coronavirus lockdown. A school whose initial hygiene plan wasn't exactly awesome. But with new information and perspective she happily walks her to school and even gets a second chance at a sweet moment she had missed last fall. 

Coming out of lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic can be messy. Janel shares talks about navigating the many contradictions and the few things she knows for sure she can do to stay sane. 

Nine weeks of closed hair salons during coronavirus lockdown means many of us have a big gray stripe in our hair. Janel has an appointment to get rid of hers but is hesitating. What on earth could be so important about some gray hair? 

There's something about the kids you grew up with. Janel gets tagged in her fourth grade class photo during the coronavirus pandemic and the nostalgia hits hard. Will our kids ever get back to a carefree childhood?   

How does a primary school open during a pandemic? Janel takes us on a step by step tour of the social distancing and hygiene protocol at her daughter's primary school in Berlin, Germany.