Podcast 2:9 – Adjusting to Everyone at Home (Covid-19 – Week 1)

In this episode find out how Darren & Paige handle the first week of having everyone home in a “Shelter in Place” order by the state of California due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Are we going to grow closer together or drive each other crazy?

Adjusting to the New Normal

  • Darren is home all of the time now. He used to travel 2 days a week.
  • Paige got used to Darren being home all day for a couple weeks. Intel forced work from home.
  • Kids’ school is canceled and now at home all day long.
  • Paige’s schedule is completely interrupted because she is focused on keeping the kids on a schedule.
  • Uncertainty with the school starting an online school or not. When will school start again?
  • External activities are canceled (Swim, Track).
  • Dealing with the emotional strain of world uncertainty (Work, Health)
  • Darren helping with kids’ online stuff adds more stress.

Setting a Schedule

  • After a weekend of uncertainty and laying around trying to figure things. Waiting for the school to figure things out. 
  • Monday and Tuesday we had a partial schedule for Sam.
  • Worked on a more set schedule for the kids when Madeline and David came on Wednesday 
  • Stuck to the same 2-2-5-5 schedule.
  • Because the school still did not have something planned we looked online.
  • We found Khan academy had a schedule and classes for each grade level.
  • PE – Sam is leading us in the street in front of our house. The neighbors love it.
  • Math – Khan academy
  • History – Khan Academy
  • Grammar and Writing – Prompts available from several sources.
  • Lunch – Lunch lady with the hair net changes between Darren and Paige. 
  • Science – Biology on Khan Academy and Science experiments in the back yard
  • Enrichment learning – Language learning with duo lingo (Japanese and German) sign language for Madeline. and practice the piano.

Tips and Tricks

  • Find some time to be alone or talk with a friend
  • Zoom is your friend. (Socially connect with your friends even if you cannot be with them)
  • Set a schedule and stick to it. The kids do much better with a schedule.
  • Get outside and walk or exercise (PE and a couple of outside activities per day)
  • Shower and get dressed every day. 
  • Stop reading the news all day long. Find something uplifting to read. Nothing is really going to change in 3 hours.
  • Find someone you can help. Get out of your own self/bubble and help someone. 

Links

  • Khan academy

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