Biography:
I'm based in Secaucus, New Jersey and available for freelance photo and video work in NJ and NY. I was born and raised in South Korea and moved to the U.S. in my early twenties to live a life doing what I'm passionate about – telling...
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Juliet, 5, left, and Anya, 7, hang out by themselves while their mom, Tracey, works in her bedroom. The close age gap has been helpful especially during the pandemic, Tracey said. "We're all just becoming closer because we're getting to spend even more time together,Ó Tracey said. "which I think is one of the benefits of this too. Just getting to slow down and enjoy them."
Corie Tracey gives lunch to her daughters before returning to her computer desk. Tracey has been working from home since March along with her kids who learned online. "It's just been a lot of change in a short period of time," Tracey said. "Being realistic with how much you can do in a day is really important right now. To stay mindful about that."
"Do you guys need anything?" Tracey asks her daughters who were watching TV during her break from work. 'Are they getting enough attention?' Tracey said that's a question she often asked herself during the pandemic.
Juliet, left, and Anya watch TV while Tracey works. Although Tracey isnÕt a fan of her daughters watching TV, it is inevitable at some point during the day, she said. Making sure that the girls are engaged is one of the biggest challenges, Tracey said.
Tracey has an online meeting for work while her daughters run around the house. At first, Tracey made tight distance learning schedules for the girls. Seeing herself and her girls stressed out, Tracey soon realized that it wasn't going to work. For her family's mental health, she lowered the expectation for herself, Tracey said.
Corie TraceyÕs mother, Cindy Tracey, plays hide-and-seek with Anya and Juliet on Aug. 3, 2020. In the first three months of the pandemic, Corie and her daughters limited their outings, even to her parents' house.
Corie Tracey assembles desks so that her daughters have a dedicated place to study when they do distance learning in the fall semester. Assembling wasnÕt as easy as Tracey expected with a drill that she borrowed and wasn't familiar with using. She ended up videocalling her dad and cousin. ÒOne of the great things about kids is that they're super adaptable. They go along with change really well,Ó Tracey said. ÒItÕs more the parents who are like, ÔOh my god, what are we doing?ÕÓ
Juliet, 5, spells out a word that her sister Anya read out. Making sure that her daughters continue to learn at home was Tracey's main concern, especially because Juliet was going to enter kindergarten later in 2020.
From left, Anya Thompson, 7, Juliet Thompson, 5, and Corie Tracey walk around the flower farm to pick flowers at a farm in South Windsor. Her family replaced their summer vacation with small outdoor activities that they can enjoy while social distancing.
After staying home most of the summer, finding ladybugs and smelling flowers at the farm excited the girls so much. "It's the challenge of making sure that they're not bored all day," Tracey said.
The desks that Tracey assembled after trials and errors are set up in the living room for her daughters. ÔMrs. Parent KindergartenÕ is written on Juliet's whiteboard.
Lying in the bed the night before her first in-person class at kindergarten, Juliet told Tracey that sheÕs scared of going to kindergarten. Tracey listened and nodded. "You were out of school for a long time," she said. The family of three had stayed home for nearly six months.
Anya, left, and Juliet watch their mom pull out her car on the first day of in-person classes in the fall semester. Tracey decided to drop them off, instead of using a school bus, worried about possible exposure to COVID-19. Tracey bought new lunch boxes, bigger water bottles and many masks to ensure her daughtersÕ safety.