Let me start this post by saying that I forgot that my oldest son had two weeks of Spring Break instead of one AND it was supposed to start on Monday. I don’t know how I missed it, but on Wednesday, I was scrambling to find him a Spring Break camp for the first week. I was fine for the second week because that was the week I was prepared for. I found a camp, signed him up and was making the test run to the camp to see what would be a good route when I got the notice that the other two boys would now be on Spring Break as well – starting on Monday.
My eldest’s school sent home a slew of work in case school did not reopen after Spring Break, but the other two’s schools did not. And after the break was not my problem, it was what were we going to do next week.
I am not a homeschooling type of mom.
I am NOT a mom who wants to homeschool. It is just not my thing. Hats off to all my parents and moms that do it, but I barely get through homework in the evenings. With the COVID 19 pandemic, all parents are going to have to step up and be homeschooling parents. I wasn’t prepared for it, but I am getting there!
I pivoted. Pivoting is pretty normal in parenting, right? Actually, it is necessary in parenting.
Since camps and daycares were no longer an option, I decided to create a plan for the next two weeks. It resulted in a schedule for the boys. This chart will allow the boys to see how their days would basically flow. The biggest advantage is that it will allow me to get some work done, spend quality time with my family, and most importantly ensure that they were still learning during this time of influx.
As pretty as it looks, this schedule is not set in stone, but it will keep us on the same time schedule that we are use to and allow us to make sure we have the appropriate breaks needed in our days. We still have wellness appointments to add into our days and other miscellaneous events. But this serves as our guideline.
I also signed up for several trials for the academic time for the boys to keep things interesting. There is enough content there to keep all ages busy. Check it out:
- ABCya!
- Dreambox,
- Reading Eggs,
- And classes on Outschool
Parents remember this – be flexible in this time.
Pivoting is the key.
This pandemic will take some time to straighten out. Your kids might be home for two weeks or two months – we don’t know. But we have to be able to change on a dime and while making life seamless for our families.
With that said, this may put stress on you which is why Me-time and self-care is so IMPORTANT. Make sure that you incorporate and stick to end of the day hard stops. Unplug and unwind at those times. Drink a glass of wine, read a book, do some yoga or just stare at the stars. Do something for you.
Pace yourself for the next two weeks. In a way, this is a blessing and not a curse, because it is making you put a bigger focus on your family and yourself. Embrace this time and feel free to connect if you need assistance with scheduling or to chat.
