We’ve all had to readjust to the “temporary normal” way of life these days during the global pandemic that has touched each one of us, and it’s been a challenge!
As moms, so many things are on our minds right now: the health of our spouse/partner and of our children … and of ourselves. How can I best protect my children from this health-threatening virus? What if I or my partner get sick … who will take care of our children? How long will I be out of work?
We’re blessed that my husband was able to transition to working completely from home, and it’s working out fine for him. I had to leave my job at the medical spa where I worked as a medical massage therapist as well as a nutrition/weight loss consultant, so my income completely stopped as so many of yours has. My musical group’s last performance was held on March 15th, to a pretty small audience because social distancing was just kicking in. The following week saw the big changes.
Our college kids pretty seamlessly transitioned from on-campus to all online classes, and my 5th and 6th graders are now attending school via virtual education. I don’t know how Microsoft Teams isn’t crashing more with all the overload its taken on.
All is working out, and so far, we’re all staying well. We’re complying to the appeal to stay home and stay safe. Although we’re all plugging along in this temporary way of life, there’s still an underlying element of stress and worry.
In the search of stress-managing and stay-at-home idea resources for our family, I came across some great info that I’d like to share with you, my readers.
The following article has been helpful to us, and I hope you find some helpful ideas for your family as well:
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/family-dynamics/communication-discipline/Pages/Positive-Parenting-and-COVID-19_10-Tips.aspx
Another interesting article:
https://parade.com/1009774/stephanieosmanski/things-to-do-with-kids-during-coronavirus-quarantine/
I especially love that you can visit the Cincinnati Zoo virtually each day via their facebook page at 3pm (CT)! Number 26 (Face-timing family) is sooooo important for everyone! We use ZOOM and it works really well!
Last Saturday, my husband took our 12-year-old boys out into our driveway to work on last year’s Webelo scout’s birdhouse/feeders they had made. Now the job was to complete them, hang them and fill them with bird seed to attract the gorgeous cardinals and other birds in our yard.
I love our newly-hanging birdhouses … now to see how long it takes the squirrels to know they’re here!
Parents, we’ll all get through this, I have no doubt. It’s really hard isolating from our friends, co-workers and extended family. It’s so hard not having our 2 older girls with us as they have been quarantining away from us. And while we focus on the care of our families, keep our homes clean and cook what feels like our 478th dinner this month, remember to take care of YOU, too! Some close friends of mine have arranged a get-together via ZOOM each Friday night where we sip some wine, laugh and catch up with each other. Talk about a STRESS RELEASER! Here’s a pic of our last group visit.
That’s me on the left with my phone taking our pic … I guess I could have screen-shot the session LOL!
Everyone stay home for now, stay safe, keep the faith and we will soon be back into life. For now, let’s take this unique opportunity to slow down, focus on our families, appreciate each other and our blessings, and stay healthy!