(Photo by my friend Jessica Green Photography)

Hi friends! I hope you are doing well. Thank you for stopping by today’s blog. I want to get right to the point and share with you about surviving the coronavirus at home with kids. As you may know, I am a photographer, a middle and high school teacher as well as a college instructor. I am also a mom to our 1 year old and 4.5 year old little girls. I am a step-mom to my almost 15 year old step-daughter. There are many hats that my husband and I wear while working from home. Here is how we do it. Let me give you 5 things we do to survive this time as working parents with young children:

1. We have set a schedule so that each one of us can work without interruption while the other one watches the kids.

If we are going to get any work done, we have to work together to show up for our jobs and focus on our work. There are times when we have to make exceptions, but for the most part, my husband and I take turns taking the kids so the other can work. We also take full advantage of nap time and quiet time. This is very important to surviving coronavirus.

2. We take time to play with the kids one at a time and together.

Our kids, especially our 4.5 year old, craves time with us. Humans are social creatures and they crave each other’s company. Our kids are used to being surrounded by friends and teachers at school all day long. However, since they are home, they are alone and surrounded by us: two busy parents. We are not hanging out with family and friends. We are taking this quarantine very seriously. Therefore, we have to create time to play with them so that they feel fulfilled and their needs met.

3. We take the kids outside.

One of the gifts we are thankful for is access a front and a back yard. We also have access to a park where were can practice safe social distancing rules and hang out with the kids (to play,, ride bikes, wallk, throw the ball around, etc.). Being outside is absolultely important! If there is anything you can do to get yourself and your little ones outside, do it!!!

4. We allow the other to take a nap.

There are times when the girls don’t have a good night. They wake up frequently during the night. It’s hard to get a good night’s sleep when that happens. Also, sometimes we have  a tough time sleeping because STRESS!!! So much is pulling on us as adults, and I don’t have to tell YOU that! Sometimes is hard to get a good night’s rest which requires you to take a short nap during the day. We help each other take short naps by taking turns and watching the kids.

5. We take turns turns doing chores around the house

Okay. This is a big one. Before this quarantine, each of us had our particular jobs. Now that we are home all the time, we share everything. We take turns doing laundry, clearning, vaccuming, doing dishes, making dinner, etc. There are exceptions, of course, to this rule, but we are willing to lend the other a helping hand when needed. We HAVE to in order for surviving coronavirus to be possible! One person’s mental health affects the other as well as the entire household. We try our best to stay balanced (we fall off that wagon at times, but that’s just the human in us!) and be there for each other.

Share with me. Which one of these suggestions resonats with you? I’d love to know!

XO,

Nilo

P.S. Contact me via email for questions or help of any kind during these trying times. I am here for ya!