Twenty twenty has been an absolute roller coaster, right? Its been nearly 2 months of Lockdown in South Africa and its unbelievable to think we’ve been confined to our homes for such a long stretch of time and we’re still surviving!

Working from home with the kids has been an experience. Alyssa is officially in week 8 of term 2 and she is still on track with the curriculum thanks to her schools support. Aidan has daily classes with his teachers too which I’m really grateful for.

Kurt and I are both working from home and has been interesting juggling it all.

Some days are complete chaos, but for the most part we are doing it! I keep reminding myself that this is not “normal” and of course things will not be easy. We are in crisis mode, so we just have to do what we can do to the best of our abilities – and that applies to the kids too.

On that note, I thought I’d share a few things that have helped us cope with everyone’s workload.

Tips For Working From Home With Kids During The Coronavirus Pandemic

Get An Early Start

 Waking up before the kids do gives me the best head start! It allows me to do my morning ritual and enjoy that first cup of coffee with no disturbances. I can also make my to-do list for the day and prioritise what needs to be done first.

Aidan is an early riser and sometimes forms part of this morning routine, but he’s quite happy once he has breakfast and watches a few cartoons before his day begins.

Manage The Schedule

 Now this can get tricky sometimes. Some days I have back to back meetings and so does Kurt. Alyssa has online learning classes and so does Aidan. We have to have a family briefing every morning and explain what the day will look like.

At this point, the kids know that when someone else is in a meeting, everyone else needs to keep their voices down so that that person can concentrate.

Make Time To Chat To Your Colleagues

 As the popular COVID-19 saying goes – We’re in this together. It really is so true. I’m not the only Mom juggling my workload with everything else at the moment. My colleagues are also finding their way. It really helps to check in with my colleagues to see how they are managing their new normal, not just about work all the time.

 

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Stick to a routine

 Sticking to a basic routine throughout each day goes a long way. It also gives the kids a bit of structure throughout the day. I find that on days when I am not very clear as to what their day looks like, they are more restless and find it hard to listen to me.

Lunch times together are also a good break and gives us a chance to unwind.

 Also – keeping the work week Monday to Friday is more important than ever now. Switching off that laptop on a Friday evening feels good!

Let Kids Be Independent

 Alyssa and Aidan are quite independent, thanks to their Montessori pre-schooling. They may need some reminding every now and again but they take pride in making up their own beds, helping themselves to a glass of water in the fridge and getting dressed by themselves.

Lockdown is actually the perfect time to get the kids involved in housework!

Even if your child is very young, get them to pick up their toys and pack them away. Let them spray and wash your glass doors or let them help you fold up washing. It will help you in the long run.

I need all the help I can get at this point ha ha!

Schedule down time for yourself

It’s hard to catch a break when you’re all confined in the same space. But where there’s a will, there’s a way!

Hour long baths with a bath bomb while watching the latest episode of the Bachelor has been my thing! Reading has also been a source of escapism during these days.

Working out has also been such a therapeutic thing for me. Sometimes I have to really push myself to get up and put on my workout clothes but I really feel so good when I’m done.

Are you working from home with the kids? Let me know how it’s going?

xxx

Hayley