Home is more than four walls and roof. Home is a door opening to you, your family, your pets, your lifestyle, your neighborhood, your community, your city. It’s all encompassing on so many levels.
Quarantine Chronicles: Class is in Session
Class will soon be in session. Are you and your child prepared for a semester of learning experiences?
Alright parents, you’ve got about a month to prepare for the colossal upheaval of your child’s schooling. After talking with some parents who are going through the horror of working from home and also home schooling, it was apparent to me that there should be some guidelines for those needing some guidance when it comes to virtual learning and setting up your home learning centers.
Make sure there are no distractions. Young learners need consistency and structure. Make sure the space you put them in is free from distractions like TVs, iPads, Video Games, etc.
Create a space for them. Include things like a good table/desk to do their activities at. Organize all their school materials using shelves or cubbies so they can find them easily. Make sure they know to put things back where they found them so it stays nice and neat and teaches them to take responsibility for their own materials.
Schedule. Make sure they have a consistent schedule every day so they know when to work and when to take a break. Get them a special clock or set up an alarm to ensure they are moving through the day with full activities.
Download materials for them. There are some wonderful websites where you can download and print material to further their curriculums.
Do not interact with them while they are in “school”. Don’t disrupt the schedule. Keep them focused on their work so you can do yours.
Eat lunch with them. This will help you stay connected and create a nice little family break with them, you can ask them about their day and what they are learning so they feel like there is some separation from home and school.
Make sure they go outside. Give them a recess time for them to play outside, it’s important for them to get some energy out so they can concentrate when they come back to learning.
Make sure your teens are staying on track instead of social media’ing their way through the semester. Take away cell phones while class is in session, and although, they don’t require a specific work station, you might want to check up on them from time to time to make sure they are actually working. They will soon understand what your life has been like!
Some of you might not have the space or money to create a learning center in your home. Here are some easy fixes to ensure your student is getting the space, quiet and materials they need.
Check Facebook/Craigslist/Next Door for desks , chairs, tables, and rugs.
Make sure it is separate from you.
Decorate the space with Maps, Science Facts, People in History, etc.
Make sure there’s enough space for them to do arts and crafts.
Be prepared for this space to get a bit messy!
Make sure you find some sort of storage unit for their materials.
Check out your county websites for more resources and information regarding distance learning. Check out my Pinterest page for other ideas!
Mortgage Loans in the Time of Corona
Trying to pay rent right now can be tough and for those landlords who hold mortgages, you may not know if you can defer payments…
I listened to this podcast today and thought it was relevant to the times. Some of you may not know how the whole mortgage system works and what is the responsibility of the Federal government regarding the payments. We are all feeling the slow grip of unemployment and how we are going to pay our rents and mortgages. I thought this podcast from Planet Money would provide some insight.
Working from Home: PJs Aside, Some Helpful Tips
Now that a number of you are working from home, there will be challenges if you aren’t used to this environment.
“Vivamus pellentesque vitae neque at vestibulum. Donec efficitur mollis dui vel pharetra.”
Nothin's gonna break my stride, nothing's gonna slow me down...
Working from home is not for the weak. I have to do it on a daily basis and it takes structure and discipline to manage your time effectively. I know some of you are thrilled to be working at home during this time but are you prepared to be distracted? To sit for long periods of time? To eat everything in the house?? Start with a plan. Here is an example of some helpful tips.
SPACE. Whether it’s your home office or on the patio, find an area with the least amount of distractions and by NO MEANS do it where there is a television present. You will get sucked into a “Love is Blind” abyss. I tend to do a one hour show during my lunch break, right now being a rotation of This is Us, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Good Girls, and Outlander (don’t judge).
GET UP. This is the hardest challenge I have daily. Once I get in the zone, I will unwittingly sit for hours on end. So I decided to implement a new routine. Every hour, I get up, and do a ten to fifteen minute workout or I get more coffee or I do a chore.
GET DRESSED. I know it sounds dumb since you finally get to test out the durability of your pajama pants, but getting dressed puts you in the mindset that you are going to get something accomplished today, at least put pants on!
FRIENDS DON’T LET FRIENDS get off track. I do this. I like to text on my computer, which in all fairness is part of my job, but when the MEMES begin, the work ends. Isn’t it nice to finally get to catch up with friends without having to be on the clock. I get it, I miss them too, but keep it to a minimum and no matter if they have golf clubs or Prosecco on hand, just say, “Let’s see where I’m at in a few hours.”
SCHEDULE APPROPRIATELY. We always have to be aware that during this time, things will come up and we can’t always stay on task. Allow yourself a reasonable schedule for all the things you have to get done during the work day. I have a tendency to say, “Ok, from 10-noon I’ll be working on this.” What usually happens is I’m working on it for six hours. Keep track of your time.
CHECK IN. Even though I’m an independent contractor, I really enjoy checking in with my co-workers, just to talk about what everyone is up to and to keep morale going. It keeps your head in the game. Take this time to connect with your clients. You have time to see how they are doing or to touch base to see if they need anything. This is a grand use of this time.
GO OUTSIDE. Take yourself outside for a few minutes. Fresh air refreshes you and so does direct sunlight. You’ll tend to get cabin fever if your only solo time is in a room with four walls.
CHILDREN. I don’t have this issue, but a lot of you do especially right now with everything being shut down. Make sure you have that conversation with your kids. A neat trick I learned was to make a door hanger for when and when they shouldn’t disturb you. Here’s a better idea — get THEM to make it for you! Crafts, check. No Molestar, check. Do make time for them though. How wonderful that family time isn’t cramped into just at the end of the day.
SNACK. I will say, working from home, makes you eat more. Be smart and healthy about your snacking during the day. Pre-make some little snack packs and get the fam create their own “delivery service”.
GO SOMEWHERE. Go on a walk, go to the store, go to the bank, doesn’t matter. It’ll give you a chance to let your mind rest and a short time of decompressing before getting back to it.
LADY J’S HOME OFFICE WORKOUT PLAN
So here’s some added bonus I wanted to share with you. I do two things to help pass along my day of working from home. Sometimes, I set an alarm to every hour, to make me get up and do:
100 Jumping Jacks
15 Pushups (I’m getting there people)
25 Crunches
It’s a great simple thing you can do to get your heart pumping and out of your chair. The second thing I’m going to start implementing is 52 Card Work Out.
Get a deck of Cards. Divide them into five piles with one pile obviously will have 12 cards instead. Add the jokers for additional fun. Every hour take one pile and begin by flipping the first one. Whatever that card is, is a set of exercise. For instance, 2 of Hearts I will dedicate to push ups (cause I hate doing them!), the next card is 7 of Spades, I’ll now do 7 burpees. I’m sure this is on the internet as well. You can also divide up your exercises by suit as well, ie. Spades = squats. Remember Jacks, Queens, Kings, and Aces = 10. Good luck and have fun! When the CV is gone, you’ll be thanking the gym membership fee I just saved you, oh and you’re welcome for the toned abs.