How to Be A Good Neighbor in a Pandemic

We are going through this odd time in our lives. We don't know what tomorrow will bring and how long this season is going to last. We've had to make adjustments to our daily routines, and parents are figuring out how to home school kids and balance working at home with family.

Which is why we all need to be there for one another. Supporting each other. Connecting with each other.

Social distancing is a careless word for what we are supposed to do to stay healthy during a pandemic. Physically, yes. We need to stay at least six feet apart. No physical contact, but in distancing that doesn't mean we are to avoid helping others.

Social media is all about connecting with others. So saying 'social distancing' is misleading.

We need to be socially connecting and physically distancing.

Some areas are worse than others.

I call my mom once a week. That hasn't changed.
I haven't seen my parents since Christmas. I thought I would see the farm for Easter. They don't video chat, but I pray when this ends I can go home to spend more time with them. In the meantime, I've been reaching out and helping others, and I want to encourage you to do the same.

You can be six feet or six states away from someone and still be there for them.

It's a hard time for everyone. Be kind.
We're all handling this in different ways. If your online in different groups and chats, be respectful of other people's feelings.

If your neighbors are in need, share with them. You can drop food off on the porch or mow the grass for the elderly and disabled.  You can share recipes and ideas for managing at home.

Make new traditions. Start game nights. Try new things.
It's okay to ask if you don't know who to do something. Really.
It'll be okay.

We're all in this together.

I've never been a fan of hugs.
but I'm happy to send as many virtual ones as you need.

Tips For Working At Home With Kids

Many of us have had to shift our daily lives to establish a new norm of getting work done at home while caring for our kids. This can be especially rough for the parents who have depended on daycares and other caregivers to care for their children while they have gone to work.

But how do you get any work done when daycare isn't an option or you have other children at home who aren't in school?

While in the past, you might have gone into your workplace to do your job. Now, you may have been given the opportunity to do what you can in your profession from home. The hardest part is trying to get any work done while ensuring the care of your family.

They are home. You are at home.

How do you get anything done?

I've been working from home off and on for almost two decades. Raising my kids was my first priority, and so I've stayed at home and only worked outside of the house during times of necessity. Not everyone has that luxury, and by doing so, our family has had to make some sacrifices--most of them the cost of convenience or choosing between wants and needs.

Depending on the work you do, these following tips might be helpful:

1.      Work when the kids are sleeping. They told me when I had my first child to sleep when my baby slept. And if you have a newborn that cries all night, they'd be right. However, when my second baby came, I learned to get things done ins shifts. The kind where the babies slept and mom went to business. Growing up on a farm gave me the advantage of being a morning person. I get up two hours before my kids, it's my time to prepare for the day, and get something things done. And at night, the same thing happens. Kids in bed, mom goes to work for a few hours. Afternoon nap times? Take a siesta, too. A small one, then get up and take care of a few things. If your job is flexible, this might help you make some progress.

2.      Establish a routine at home just as you would in your office at work. Know you have a certain task that needs to be done each day or by the end of the week? Assign days for a certain task, just like you might already for your housework or taking out the trash. Have set times during the day where you go back and forth between focusing on work-related tasks and kid-related activities. It will take a little time to establish this new routine, but the key is to be consistent in getting everyone in the house on board.

3.      Trade off with your partner. Being at home 24/7 and taking care of kids, along with other responsibilities, can get overwhelming. Now is the best time to have each other's back and work as a unit to care for the family you've created. Compromises will have to be made, and one partner may have to take on tasks they usually haven't done before to balance the load of adjusting to working from home. Make a schedule of trading off who will care for the kids while the other works. Who will make supper or take turns with house chores? It's okay to assign a few new age-appropriate duties to your kids. They are part of your family, assigning tasks helps establish that you all are in this together, working together, and strengthens your family.

4.      Acknowledge limitations.  Some jobs just can't be done at home; adjustments and modifications may need to be made. That's okay. You were trying to think of a better, more productive way to accomplish it anyway, weren't you? Focus on what you can do when you can do it. And how to achieve it another way that will meet others' needs in the time they need it. It's not easy, I know, but you can do it. Brainstorm, talk to your boss, your friends in similar situations and collaboration.  Which leads to…

5.      Don't try to do too much all at one time. There is this theory of threes. Pick the main three things you need to get done for the day, both work-wise and home-wise, and focus on those. Take each day one at a time. You can fill out what the next day needs but try not to go over three. You don't want your list to run rapid on you and drown you in the little things that pop in your head that aren't as important as fulfilling your work's expectations and caring for your kids.

6.      Have a designated workspace. I don't know about you, but I work best when I work in a controlled environment. When the kids were in school I could work at a desk in the corner of our family room. It was quiet. More so, it' was like switching shoes and going from mom mode to work mode. Now that the kids are home more often, I have moved into a separate, closed-off space in our home. I share it with husband, and we take turns using it as needed. Without this space, I get too distracted by what is going on inside my home with my kids than focusing on the project on hand. Some people can work anywhere and block out everything around them. I am not one of them. I have learned over the years I need a desk; I need a space, and I need to be away from the temptation of watching other people and having the chances of someone interrupting me. Multitasking isn't always best in specific jobs.  

You can see my old workspace here. 

I hope it will help inspire you when setting up your own space.

It is possible to work at home and get things done with the kids around you. I've been doing it for almost two decades. Everyone is different, and you just have to find what works best for you and your family.

I hope these tips have helped or at least brought you the encouragement you needed to keep up morale in your home.

You can do this!

I'd love to hear some ways you've been able to balance your day between work and kids. Please post them below in the comments.