Working from Home: Disaster
With the coronavirus outbreak in full swing it’s time to bunker down and be responsible about not passing this to other people. It’s time to start the dreaded WORKING FROM HOME. My kids are germ magnets and can’t going five feet without licking a communal surface. We went out for 1 HOUR on Saturday and Sunday to pick up lunch and I literally saw one of them LICKING A TABLE, not ONCE but TWICE. We need to stay home for the sake of the safety of all those around us.
So, anyone with young kids can attest to the fact that WORKING FROM HOME IS GOING TO BE A DISASTER. The schools are closing any day now, and that moment of peace and quiet that I achieved from 9-5PM will now no longer exist. So how on earth am I going to do this?!!!!! I know this isn’t a mom blog, but in this case, I really need to get together a MOM BOSS plan in order to not only keep my sanity, but be able to actually do some work.
1) ULTIMATE DISTRACTION.
Starting at 8 AM I am going to theme the day somehow with 1 big distraction.
Day 1 - Fort: We are going to build some sort of ridiculously soft yet unstable fort-like structure in the basement to occupy their time.
Day 2 - Costumes: I am having a costume set from Amazon delivered to me.
Day 3 - Box Fun: The big box that the Amazon costumes came in. Whip out some markers, stickers and tape!!
Day 4 - Arts and Crafts or Kiwi Crate: I have a stack of Kiwi Crates that we never used. Time to bust those bad boys out.
Day 5 - Legos: I have a ton of sets sitting in the closet from his birthday. Time to whip those out.
After the end of day, those things have to be put away so they can be brought out the following week. If you leave them out all week they will easily become jaded to it’s existence and your new distraction is now just another useless thing you bought.
TIME ESTIMATED: 2 Hours
2) EXTENDED SHOWERS AND BATHS
I will let these kids soak in the shower and bath until their fingers are prunier than they ever have been. I’ll just prop open my computer in the room and we are SET.
TIME ESTIMATED: 1 Hour
3) DISNEY +
Time to introduce them to all sorts of movies they haven’t seen before. Also, Frozen 2 is out! Time to binge it!! I’ll be breaking it up into two - 1.5 hour sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
TIME ESTIMATED: 3 Hours
4) DANCE PARTY
We use our Amazon Echo to have a dance party every few weeks. Time to break it out EVERY DAY. Kidz Bop Radio is a good one for riling them up and burning out some of that pent up energy. I’ll have to make sure there are no conference calls so the music won’t be a distraction to everyone else on the line.
TIME ESTIMATED: 1 Hour
MEGA TIP 1: Alternate TV and Play
If you let them watch TV all day, THEY WILL BE PSYCHOS BY 5PM. I am extremely guilty of doing this ALL THE TIME. And by 5PM they turn into little TV watching addicts. The minute you turn it off to make them eat dinner the hysterics start and we are in a cycle of yelling and crying for the next 2 hours. DON’T DO IT PEOPLE.
MEGA TIP 2: They Need Alone Time
My kids start to fight and bicker when they’ve spent too much time together. I will either allow them to watch Disney + in different rooms, or try to somehow split up there time together so they don’t start beating each other mercilessly.
MEGA TIP 3: Banish All Toys to the basement
Normally I allow the kids to have toys on the first floor. Considering it is going to be impossible for me to work AND clean up after them, all of the toys have been gathered and put into the basement. The minute one shows up, I AM THROWING IT DOWN THE STAIRS!! It’s going to be crazy enough juggling work and kids. The last thing I want to do is clean up a massive mess at the end of the day.
MEGA TIP 4: Wireless Earbuds
They keep me hands free and I can charge them during lunch. The Samsung earbuds allow me to wirelessly answer the phone, get the kids anything they need without putting down a phone, and carry on with business as usual without getting trapped in wires. These things will be a life saver!!!