FIRST WORD
Breaking the Monotony
I have to be honest: I thought this would get easier.

PJ Feinstein
Managing Editor
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info@washingtonFAMILY.com I thought the longer we had to stay at home—
working, helping our kids with school, social
distancing from family and friends—the easier it
would be to adjust to our “new normal.” I believed
that having the same daily routine might even be
comforting, making us feel like we have some control
in our lives right now.

But so far, that hasn’t been the case. In fact, doing
the same thing day in and day out doesn’t feel com-
forting or empowering; it just feels monotonous.

Boring and tedious. My friends and I joke that we’re
stuck in the movie “Groundhog Day.” (Perhaps, like
Bill Murray’s character, the only way for us to get out
of this loop is by becoming better people. Something
worth considering!)
In our pre-coronavirus lives, days of the week were
distinguished by various school and extracurricular
activities. Monday was art class and soccer, Tuesday
was music and karate, and so on. Weekends were for
sports and acting lessons, playdates and shopping.

We went to restaurants, to the movies and to friends’
houses. Every day was different, and that was exciting.

So when every day is Groundhog’s Day, how do
you mark milestones like birthdays and holidays?
That was the big question we wanted to tackle in this
issue. I hope that our feature stories on creative ways
to celebrate your children’s birthdays and to pamper
yourself at home on Mother’s Day can help you add a
little more joy to those special days.

We know you can’t pick up a copy of this month’s
Washington FAMILY at your kid’s school or your
local library right now, so we’re bringing the maga-
zine straight to your inbox. For the first time, we’re
exclusively digital. Now, that’s exciting! Plus, we’re
adding lots of extra content to WashingtonFAMILY.

com and our social media channels, so bookmark us
and visit often!
Finally, if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover,
coronavirus-related or not, you can always email me
at PFeinstein@MidAtlanticMedia.com. The days may
be boring, but we’ll get through them together.

Stay safe, and be well. ■
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