At Home with Angie Norman

Words by Rachel Cain
Photos by Angie Norman
Featured in Vol. 1

This is part of our Home Series where we are documenting our time at home during the pandemic with disposable cameras.

Angie Norman is in transformation mode, and it’s not only because of the daily Transformers battles with her 6-year-old son. Like many of us, Angie has undergone several shifts in her day-to-day role since the COVID-19 outbreak in Nebraska. Being a “stay at home mom” has taken on a whole new meaning in the midst of social distancing and isolation. Angie’s role as wife and mother has shifted to part-time teacher, astronaut, cooking show chef, gardener and bird whisperer.  

Although Angie’s extended title may sound diverting, adjusting to a new schedule hasn’t been easy. Each member of her family has all gone through both highs and lows. 

“I feel like I’ve found a song on the radio and I can kind of hear, but I keep adjusting the knob back and forth and just can’t quite get it tuned in,” she explains. 

Angie’s initial response to COVID-19 looked a lot like Mr. Clean took over her house. 

“I was over sanitizing everything, reading anything I could, just trying to make everyone feel ultra-comfortable,” she admits.   

Angie’s 6-year-old son, Townes, was surprisingly less concerned about cleanliness. He had his own way of showing stress. 

“Our son’s emotions were kind of all over the place,” Angie recalls. “I think he was just having a hard time expressing that he missed being with other kids.”

Focusing on schoolwork was a solution both mom and son could rely on to give the days structure. But lesson planning a full day of school gave Angie a quick reality check.

“I put so much pressure on filling a day, making sure I was giving my son a quality education because I felt so privileged that I was able to do this,” says Angie, as she reflects on her ability to provide at-home education. “I can’t imagine what it would be like to have a few kids and a full-time job while also trying to [homeschool].”

But as much as Angie loves teaching her son, she says she’s more grateful for educators than ever before, suggesting “we should all be rallying for teachers to be paid more in the future.” 

When asked about the biggest takeaway to her newfound role, Angie’s words of wisdom should give many parents consolation.

“I think that our kids are very adaptable… they are way more adaptable than we give them credit for, probably more than we are as adults because we get pretty set in our ways,” she admits.  

In an attempt to match his son’s resilient nature, Angie’s husband, Andrew, has been diligently attempting to “outwork the virus” and keep up with the evolving COVID realities. 

Andrew is the co-founder of Rabble Mill, a nonprofit that provides alternative youth programming through skateboarding, music, digital arts, and storytelling. As both a business owner and employer, Andrew is constantly strategizing how to keep up with his career goals in the midst of shifting policies and office closures. The good news? The Norman family is no stranger to blending work and home life. Andrew and Angie co-founded Hear Nebraska in 2010, which eventually merged with The Bay and Skate for Change in Lincoln, Nebraska, to become Rabble Mill in 2018. 

“My husband and I have always been running a nonprofit in our marriage for 10 years, so it’s very normal for us to just talk about partnerships, ideas and solutions at home,” Angie says. 

That doesn’t mean there hasn’t still been some adjustments. The Norman’s have had their share of video call mishaps, but their primary focus is to enjoy each other’s company.  

“[My husband and I] have coffee, occasionally mimosas, together in the morning,” she says. As a family, “we’re walking our dog more, having baseball games over lunch and we put up a slackline in our backyard.” 

Between pretend cooking shows, an at-home restaurant on the firepit and moon gazing, Angie has truly reconnected with her inner child. 

“I’ve never played kids games so much in my life,” she laughs. 

Angie has also gotten creative in her alone time.

“I’ve been planting flowers, cleaning and reorganizing,” she says. “I try to fit in something new because it just makes me feel good. I started dyeing fabric with natural dyes and listening to more podcasts.”

Angie quickly realized that being fluid is one of her strengths. More importantly, she’s learned to throw away old uncertainties. 

“My insecurities about not cooking a good enough meal or hosting well enough should be thrown out the window once this is over because I just miss people,” she confesses. “I feel like I missed a lot of opportunities and connections, and the people that I would want to come over and be at my home wouldn’t care about all that stuff that I was insecure about. They would be coming for the company.”

Her advice on how to stay sane?  

“I just get up and get ready, even if I don’t feel like it.”

Angie allows herself the patience and room to feel a wide range of emotions. “I think it’s okay to be all over the place and to feel sorry for yourself and to feel sorry for other people,” she observes. 

In uncertain times, shared family moments, a good laugh and even pretending to be a Transformer are all important. In the end, COVID-19 threats will lessen and social distancing will end, but along with it comes an end to the unique time we have with ourselves and our families. 

“In about an hour or two I’m sure I’ll read or hear a news story that will punch me in the gut and my son will have some emotions he can’t express in a small way and my husband will need to do some work for yet another pivot in this weird time, but right now I’m so good. I feel really happy and productive. I’m holding onto this little beam of sunshine tightly.”

Contributor

Writer:
Rachel Cain is writer, editor, and PR Strategist at Bailey Lauerman and is based in Omaha, NE.