On Friday, March 13th, 2020 at 6 am, I awoke to the news that my daughter’s school district was shutting down through April 13th as a precautionary measure to the coronavirus outbreak. My younger daughter’s preschool soon followed with similar news.

“Um, now what?” was my first thought. My second, “I have SO much work to do; how am I going to pull this off for an ENTIRE MONTH?!”

Fortunately, I primarily work from home for Reink Media Group, an awesome company with great leadership and a flexible schedule. But when I say I work, I WORK: on conference calls, collaborating with teammates via video chats, writing and creating. So, what was I going to do with two little girls at home with me during my regular workday?

The Dollar Tree.

The idea of purchasing workbooks and supplies came to me at 8:50 am that morning; the Dollar Tree opened at 9 am. I hurried to get the kids ready, and during the 15-minute drive to the Dollar Tree, we talked about the schedule we were going to have now that they were off of school for a month (and we hadn’t yet received direction from the district).

By 10:30 am, we were home and had “Mama’s School” set up with age- and grade-appropriate workbooks and an agreed-upon daily schedule. To some, this may seem crazy, but in my own work, I block schedule; I am not a multi-tasker. For example, if I’m working on brand strategy, I may block off an hour for research and then an hour for strategy planning. If I’m working on a website, I’m usually focused for five or more hours straight. It’s not only how my brain works, but how I’ve learned to be efficient in my processes over the years (thanks, Lean Six Sigma training).

So, it was really important for me to at least attempt a daily schedule for the kids. I mean, they’re used to it at their schools–my oldest came up with our morning routine based on what she does in the third grade–and they’ve been home during enough snow or vacation days to know that when I’m working from home, they can’t interrupt my phone calls or video conferences. They’re actually really great about trying to figure things out on their own. Maybe it’s because I’m too honest with my girls: they know that it’s a privilege for me to be able to work from home, as not all mommies or daddies get to do that, and in order for me to continue being a remote worker, I have to, well, work and do it to the best of my ability.

I also understand that we’re very lucky to be able to purchase school supplies, as not everyone can do that. But, in addition to checking out your local dollar store for one or two workbooks, you can head to the library and pick out some books for the kids to read during quiet time. And, be sure to take a look at some of these awesome (mostly) free resources:

• Giant List of Ideas For Being Home With The Kids by Princess Awesome and Boy Wonder
• 12 Famous Museums That Offer Virtual Tours You Can Take on Your Couch
• Education Companies Offering Free Subscriptions Due to School Closings
• Scholastic’s Learn at Home Website (free access)
• Raddish Kids Free Swedish Eats Cooking Kit (currently sold up but sign up for the waitlist) 
• “Outdoor Adventure Time” (give the kids a cup and tell them they’ve got an hour to catch as many bugs outside as possible)
• “Arts and Crafts Time” (supply some paper, crayons or markers, tape and whatever else you’re comfortable with and let them go to town)
• Legos (enough said)

And, if having the kids attempt to do school-related things while you’re working from home isn’t your jam, no worries (and, no mom guilt, okay?). Due to my hubby having the flu over Christmas and our work schedules, the girls sat around and watched TV in their PJs for the majority of every break this year (and probably will at some point during the next month). I had no issue with it because everyone needs a little downtime, right? This go-around, the girls were actually sad about being out of school because they’ve started new lessons and were excited to learn more; so, I figured I’d go with it.

I’d love to hear your suggestions, so please share them with us at info@littleguidedetroit.com. For tips on how to actually get some work done while at home with the kids, check out my co-worker, Molly Rossow’s article here. 

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