It’s hard to believe that just earlier this month, we posted about how to get out of the house with kiddos and now we are being told to not leave the house unless absolutely necessary. How quickly things changed in the course of a week. We were off to Washington DC and in a moment’s notice decided to cancel our trip. It is still hard to believe how much the Coronavirus outbreak is changing everything. It is overwhelming but there are small things that can be done to help your kiddos manage better, still be productive, and even take care of yourself. From homeschooling your preschoolers to working from home, and getting used to a new normal for shopping and daily life, some thoughts, and tips.
Tips for Managing with Kids at Home
One of the most significant changes for my family and most likely yours is that the kids are now at home and in my care all day. Previously, my 3-year-old went to a preschool program 4-days a week and my 1-year-old went to a program at the YMCA twice a week. This gave me the flexibility to work and take care of my needs such as doctors’ appointments (weekly allergy injections) and errands, shopping and chores. Now I will have the boys with me at home all day. In addition, hubby is working from home which is not a common thing. The challenge for use will be managing the kids at home and enabling dad to work a full day. I am also a mompreneur so at some point, I need some time to work as well 😀 oh boy!
The level of shelter at home or self-quarantine is different in all different areas. In our area we have schools closed until at least April 4th and many stores and children activities closed. With school being canceled and my big boy heading into Pre-K next year, I feel like it is important for him to still get a little bit of academics. My little guy is going to start at the same early education program next year, so I decided I could do a little homeschooling for both of them.
I spent the weekend redoing the playroom and getting materials ready to go along with their curriculum. My plan is to play, learn, and spend lots of time together! Since we are a techy family and hey tablets help the time go by faster some times. Amazon FreeTime Unlimited is also offering a great deal for .99 for the 3-month family subscription on their service. I love this service and it is especially amazing if you have a Kindle tablet or Alexa in the house. I have also been researching some great games and learning activities on the iPad. I have found a number of apps for helping with routine and morning drama which might now be useful for keeping the day moving. Stay tuned for another post about Learning Apps and managing time with them in the best way.
Educational Resources
- Iowa Homeschool Mom
- Visual Schedule by Speech Peeps
- Do A Dot Printables
- Confessions of a Homeschooler Do A Dot Numbers
- Create Printables Tracing Sheets
- Free Educational Resources & More Amid the Coronavirus Crisis
Keeping Kids Busy Resources
- Easy, Cheap Craft and Activity Ideas for Kids – Mama Shark
- Energy-Burning Indoor Activities for Kids – Mama Shark
- The Ultimate Schedule of Available Online Classes and Activities – Mama Shark
- Quiet Bins – Techie Mamma
Productivity Tips For Working From Home
The next challenge during the Coronavirus is staying productive. We are in an unprecedented situation where so many are working from home suddenly without warning. Others have lost their jobs and many owners of small businesses are suffering. Staying productive while at home with two small boys is going to be a major challenge. Luckily, hubby works for a company that is still going strong during this time so he will be working from home for the foreseeable future. Thankful that our breadwinner can still work but overwhelmed with our new normal of all five of us being at home all the time.
As a mompreneur that serves mompreneurs, I hope to bring many posts about more productivity tools and apps that will help us all. There are so many apps in my daily arsenal. The best ones for facing working from home suddenly would include a way to communicate better with others Zoom, a task manager ClickUp, business invoices and keeping track of money Quickbooks, automating as much as I can. All businesses have different needs if you are on the search for the perfect app to solve a specific struggle, check out my list of must-have apps for small businesses. Start with one app at a time to solve a specific problem and then explore the next app. Don’t forget that if you want a quick chat about apps or want some help with something specific to schedule a free 30-minute help session. Especially at this time, I want to help you succeed. We are in this together.
Many are suggesting to start something new in this time of crisis. Learn a new skill or start a business. If you have always wanted to start a blog or a business with a website, now may be a good time to set aside some time to concentrate on that. Some think there is too much stress but I can speak for many that blogging is going to be a nice distraction during this time for me. I enjoy doing this with all my heart and enjoy helping mompreneurs with all my being so more opportunities to do this may just be what helps me survive. If you have no clue where to start or started and hit major roadblocks, my course DIY WordPress is a great way to get started. I small investment, it will get you from nothing to a fully working website. Included in the course fee is 2 hours of one on one coaching when you use the promo code WECANDOTHIS. Whether a blog or taking your brick and mortar online during this time or starting something new this will get you there.
Working From Home With Kids
Shopping in the New Age of Coronavirus
Going into stores is a thing of the past it seems in this new age of pandemic. Many many more stores are offering drive-up services or delivery. As someone who was super excited about drive-up services when it first started taking off at some stores, I am applauding the early efforts because those stores already have a system in place. I reviewed many of the options in a previous post to show how easy it is and what fees come with what services. Since the outbreak, more and more options are popping up. I will be updating this list as time goes by and more options come about. Depending on your location you may have access to some or all of these.
- Amazon Fresh offers delivery of Amazon products and groceries
- Amazon Prime Now offers two-hour delivery of groceries and Amazon products
- Whole Foods Delivery
- Target Drive Up
- HEB Pick Up or Delivery
- Walmart Grocery
- Best Buy Drive Up
- IKEA Drive Up
Do you know of any others? I know HEB is a local chain in Texas. Are your grocery stores offering delivery or pick up?
In addition to drive-ups and deliveries from the stores themselves, there are a number of services that will pick up from multiple stores and delivery to your doorstep. The two most popular are Instacart and Shipt. They both offer deliveries but you have to check what stores are associated with what service. In my area, Shipt will deliver HEB, Target, and Walgreens. Both offer good services but you just have to check which one you want to use for which stores.
BY TECHIE MAMMA