Tips to keep your sanity during quarantine...

Hey Nerds,
So, we're one-month into the COVID-19 quarantine, and I figured I would share some of my wisdom of how to get thru this extraordinary time we're all trying to figure out.  Here it goes:

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I got NOTHING! No proven advice.  No schedule.  I am just floating thru the hours of the day trying to get it all done: work full time from home, help my kids with distance learning, prepare meals, keep up with housework, take care of my health, and try to make the best of the situation ... and, maybe, just maybe I might have become a closet

#momsOfTikTok.

Working from home and attire...

For about a month now, I have had the privilege (and yes, I do consider it to be a privilege) to be able to do my job from home (I'm a programmer).  I like not having to rush out from the house to office, and back, etc.  But I do miss my co-workers and our daily shenanigans.  We have kept things "lively" on MS Teams sharing stories, help, and my personal favorites "gifs".  Working from home is a nice convenience, but I'm looking forward to going back to the office, hopefully in the near future.

Speaking of the office... what have you all been wearing at home?  I'm not sure "normal" pants fit me anymore and I'm scared to try them on.  I have been wearing 3-4 pairs of tights day-in, day-out every week.  The other day, mid-April, we had snow, and it was a chilly day.  I had to take an OOTD photo:

Diet and Fitness...

Have your health goals taken a hit?  I know for many of us, mindless and/or emotional eating has kicked in.  I'm eating more foods that I wouldn't normally eat because I have such easy access to them all day, like chips, cookies, and chocolate.  Since it seems we'll be in this situation for a while longer, I've started to be more mindful of my eating habits.  I've stayed committed to continue exercising; I still do daily workouts on YouTube, and I go for daily walks, either around the neighborhood, or to quiet nature trails.  If I'm really ambitious I'll even do a quick 10 minute around my neighborhood before I "go" to work.

The kids are home and learning....

Now... the really tough one... homeschooling!  I'm not technically "homeschooling" because the teachers are sending work via Google classrooms, but my husband and I are going through the worksheets and lessons to help the boys. there was a bit of time where I felt we were falling behind all the assignments being sent home.  I think we're now caught up so they could stay on top of the day to day assignments.  However, it's still been a struggle... if you're working full time, AND, trying to home-school... take a deep breath!  We can only do what we can do.

My kids are playing a lot of X-Box; their game of choice is Roblox.  Yes, i should feel "bad" about all the screen time, but, remember that part I said that I'm working full time?  My husband is a teacher, so also working.  The kids miss their friends and they "meet up" with their friends in the game; it's kind of like a play date, LOL

The positives...

My family gets to experience something special.  There has never been a time, other than being on Mat Leave, that I have been home with the kids all day long.  I don't get to spend a ton "fun" time with them because I have to work full time, but we eat lunch together everyday, and then when I'm done work, I'm immediately "there" for the kids (as opposed to being at Latch Key and seeing me when we all get back home).

I think I'm saving money because I'm only buying "essentials"...  I would normally go to the store during my lunch time 2-3 per week, plus grocery shopping on the weekend.  Now, I just go to the grocery store once a week and try to get everything we need for that week.  I'm not out browsing around and buying things I can do without.  I haven't been to Walmart for over a month!  That's been tough.

There's more time to be more creative with cooking.  This one doesn't really apply to me because I'm still working... .  But, as an example, I forgot to buy hamburger buns the other week, and I decided to make buns from scratch.

Maybe you are getting to enjoy a hobby, or catching up with Netflix.

Bonus Round...

As a bonus... I told you I became a closet #momsOfTikTok... I've recorded videos, but not publicly posted them.  But here's a funny one for you explaining what it's like to work from home during quarantine: