Are you working from home, facilitating virtual school for your kids, and practicing social distancing? Yes. Of course the answer is yes…or it should be!

Me celebrating St. Patrick’s Day
and showing off our co-working space.

We all are in the same boat, so we might as well share resources and support one another as we get through this.

We have four laptops setup on two tables in our dining room. I feel grateful to have so much space and readily available extra furniture to make this possible.

I’m trying to read articles that are from reputable sources that include practical advice, like this one from NPR: Coronavirus and Parenting: What you Need to Know Now. And this one: Q&A with UW-Madison epidemiologist.

Another good one: How School Closures Can Strengthen Your Family.

I am trying to appreciate the ability to slow down, relax, and simply enjoy time with my family. We’ve played games, watched tv, baked, and tackled a bit of spring cleaning so far.

Resources for Adults

First and foremost, we have to take care of ourselves in order to best take care of others. Let’s face it – this is a crazy time. None of us are equipped to be in pandemic-response mode. So chill out. Don’t be too hard on yourself.

If you are feeling a bit stressed, checkout these websites related to self care or mindfulness:

Fitness Ideas

Personally, I am loving Yoga on YouTube. My personal favorite is Yoga with Adriene. She’s down to earth and funny and has a ton of videos, many of which feature her dog, Benji. https://www.youtube.com/user/yogawithadriene

Getting outside, taking a walk, and shooting hoops in the driveway with my kids has been a lot of fun too! Some neighbors are putting shamrocks in their windows as a search & find activity we can easily do as we walk around the neighborhood.

YMCA 360: Your Virtual YMCA also has classes on YouTube. Boot Camp and Yoga might be ones I check out. There are more Les Mills classes available on demand too.

Resources for Kids

My kids are getting assignments from their teachers, but I know we need to have other ideas to keep them busy. We are brainstorming a list of ideas, and my son wrote down, “Watch tv for 24 hours.” I doubt that he’ll get to try that, but I’m not ruling it out entirely.

Here are some links we’ll try:

Virtual Tours of Museums

202 Jokes for Kids from Red Tricycle

Listen Wise Podcast lessons

Typing Club

So many resources linked from our schools and public library too! Download books on the Libby app or check out Scholastic’s site.

Look at their baby pictures. My kids love looking at their scrapbooks. (This reminds me to scrapbook during cocooning too.)

Ask your friends on social media. So many local moms are sharing great information that we can use! Many of these links were from those virtual conversations. Thank you, fellow moms! You are amazing!

Drawing / Art

I really like these YouTube videos from Art for Kids Hub. The parent draws along with his kids, so you can see different examples. It’s very accessible and fun with many, many videos.

For Younger Kids

If you have toddlers, I wrote a round-up of ideas for things to do during the Polar Vortex. My kids looked so little then!! I think they still will destroy the couch and pretend to be kitties.

Hang in there!

We are definitely in this together, and it may be a long haul. Take care of yourself, your loved ones, and find ways to be a helper.

Did I miss any super amazing ideas? Please contact me and let me know!

** I may continue adding to this post, so check back for updates!