Sentence 1: A couple of weeks ago I got sick. 
 Sentence 3: The dishes just piled up and piled up 
 Sentence 4:  Now I'm feeling better and his hours are fewer 
 Sentence 5:  But the kitchen is so scary we don't have the will to catch up 
 Option 1: At the same time, my husband lost his job. 
 Option 2: At the same time my husband started working 6-day weeks.