Currently close-quarters cuz of Coronavirus!

Today is the 10th day that my family and I have been social distancing. So far, we are okay – healthy and trying to find our new temporary “normal.” I am working from home and trying to find my way with how to do this. My kids, ages 14 and 11, are managing… but frustrated, easily irritated and think we as parents are overreacting. None of us (heck, I would think most of us in the world) have not lived through a pandemic before, so this is new territory.

My thoughts: I am worried we will get sick and have complications. We are pretty healthy, so that’s unlikely, but you never know. I am worried for our family and friends, for the same reasons. I am concerned about my kids’ education – I am hoping for new information from the school board soon. I suspect the rest of the school year (from March to end of June) will be online. I am looking for connection with the teachers, direction and focus so that we can create a better routine at home.

Right now, the kids are sleeping in too late, too much screen time (video games make my son particularly angry and short tempered), we are eating at weird times and eating too much, we are going to bed too late….

In an effort to make life run more smoothly, I made up a schedule to start today (which would have been the first day back to school after the March Break). It looks like this:

9am to 10am – wake up, breakfast, check phones

10am to 11am – schoolwork, read a book

11am to 12pm – FREE TIME

12pm to 1pm – chores (dishes, vacuum, put laundry away)

1pm to 2pm – lunch

2pm to 4pm – FREE TIME

4pm to 5pm – schoolwork, read a book

5pm to 6pm – move yo’ body (any form of physical exercise)

6pm to 10pm – dinner, FREE TIME

**as we receive the online plans from the school board, this will need to be readjusted to reflect the amount of schoolwork the kids will have

Okay, so this is my first draft attempt, trying to be gentle with freedoms…. Solemnly nodded at by my daughter. Scoffed at by my son. Accepted by my husband as a good attempt.

I will let you know how it goes!

No doubt it will need to be updated and revised as more information comes out from the government and school board.

Please be safe everyone! Practice social distancing. Check on your loved ones. Wash your hands. And try to calm your anxious thoughts. We are in this together. Take good care of yourselves!