Our Social Distancing Daily Routine

Mar 23

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What a whirlwind this past week has been, right?!

Less than 2 weeks ago, I was taking my kids to the park + the zoo, not worried about this whole Coronavirus thing at all.

While I’m still not worried about actually getting the virus (I’m young + healthy and know I’d bounce back fairly quickly if I did get it), my husband + I decided that we wanted to do everything we could to not contribute to the spread of it.

What that means for us…

>> No unessential trips to public places (basically, we’re going to the grocery store at this point, that’s it)

>> No playdates or really any play time outside with friends for the kids (we are trying to get out as much as we can, but the endless amounts of rain right now is not helping)

>> Staying at home as much as we possibly can

Maybe that seems a bit drastic to some people, but again, I know the best thing that we can do for OTHERS right now is to avoid contact with them.

And so far, we’re surviving.

Life definitely looks a bit different for everyone right now. My kids are both out of school until at least April 3rd. Matt is out of work (which is also school for him as a teacher) until that time too. We are learning how to homeschool and stay busy so it’s not all day TV and all day snacking.

And so far, we’re surviving! 😝

A few weeks ago, I shared my daily routine. Well, you can basically throw that one out the window because EVERYTHING has changed since then. I hinted at how I would update you when summer came and then again when the school year started. What I didn’t anticipate was having to do an update BEFORE the end of the school year.

I know there are some of you who have seen scheduled floating around the internet (don’t try to Pinterest it… they’ve blocked ALL Coronavirus content on there), but I thought I’d share what we’ve adapted for our family and what seems to be working OK right now.

4:45AM - WAKE UP + WORKOUT

Obviously, my gym is closed until at least April 3rd (anyone else counting down the days?!), so I’ve set up my own little basement gym. I am SO thankful that I have equipment I can use in my house in order to still maintain my routine, even if it looks a bit different right now.

I’m doing strength training Monday // Wednesday // Friday using the Sweat App, followed by a 3-mile run outside. Thankfully, the app has an at-home version of the program I was already doing (y’all I was ONE WEEK away from finishing the entire program - what a bummer), so I was able to easily adapt that to home. I’m still trying to decide if I’ll keep my Peloton app right now since it’s easier to run outside than on my janky treadmill...

On Tuesdays + Thursdays, I go outside for a 5-mile run and listen to podcasts. Not gonna lie, I’ve been listening to ALL things related to Coronavirus. My favorites this past week have been Rachel McMichael’s Business with Impact podcast, where she has a special series going on for how to manage your business during this time (and you might hear a familiar voice on episode #82), and That Sounds Fun with Annie F. Downs, who has actually been in government mandated quarantine. Drastically different things to listen to, but so relevant right now and always give me things to think about - and be grateful for.

6:15AM - SHOWER + GET READY

We all know I’m not running low on shampoo anytime soon! 😝

7:30AM - WAKE UP TIME FOR THE REST OF THE FAMILY

We’ve been letting the kids sleep as late as they want right now (because we can), but it’s usually around 7:30 when they’re ready to get up + eat breakfast.

8AM - EMPTY THE DISHWASHER + TAKE OUT THE TRASH

8:30AM - BREAKFAST // DEVOTIONAL // DAILY WORK TASKS

These are the things I do DAILY for my businesses, and typically don’t take me long to do. Checking emails, responding to messages, checking in on my team, and writing down my list of things to get done.

I also get the kids dressed + teeth brushed before THEIR day gets started…

9AM - EXERCISE TIME

We’ve been trying to make this a time for them to MOVE and be active, but this has mostly been watching GoNoodle videos on YouTube. Hopefully, once the weather is nicer, we can go on walks in the morning or ride bikes. I’m hoping we’ll be able to use this time to teach Kenna how to ride her bike without training wheels too!

9:30AM - LEARNING TIME

We learned VERY quickly that we need to have some sort of plan in place. Luckily, we should be getting work from both of the kids’ teachers this week so we will have SOMETHING for them to do. We’re not teaching any new concepts - just making sure they’re doing some sort of educational activities. I might start breaking this up by day, like Mondays we do Reading + Writing, Tuesdays we do Math, Wednesdays we do Social Studies, and Thursdays we do Science. Might try it this week and see what happens.

I typically am not doing a lot of work during this time, but will open my computer, check emails, and do some things that DON’T involve a lot of thought.

10:30AM - VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP OR DOODLING

We’ve been doing Doodles with Mo Willems (which has been super fun since his books are MY personal favorite) and watching the live videos from the Cincinnati Zoo for a virtual field trip. It’s been super fun to do as a family!

11AM - INDEPENDENT TIME

This is the kids doing something on their own, whether it’s doing some crafts, sensory activities like PlayDoh, reading (MacKenna’s personal choice lately), LEGOS, blocks, etc. Something they can do on their own so that I can work and Matt can have time to do whatever he needs to do (they were on Spring Break last week, so eLearning starts for his students this week).

12PM - LUNCH

12:30PM - CHORES

OK, this might be a bit ambitious here, but I’ve been TRYING to do chores during this time, but it typically ends up as a time for the kids to just zone for a bit. We turn on the TV and let them just hang out and not think for awhile. I might pickup around the house, or on a busy work day, I’ll go work a bit more.

1PM - QUIET TIME // INDEPENDENT TIME

I really don’t feel like these 2 things look any different, so a lot of times, they’re still doing things independently. I find they’re MORE independent during this hour than they are in the morning, so I tend to get the bulk of my work done in the afternoon.

2PM - E-LEARNING TIME

That sounds like they’re learning online, which I guess is technically true, but this is them playing educational games on the computer. We like ABCYa.com but we’ll probably grab a few more of those online educational resources that are free right now to keep them occupied. Again, I work + Matt gets stuff done during this time.

**As a work at home mom, I HAVE to make sure I have time to work, so the more my kids can do independently the better. And I’m certainly learning what I can have them do on their own while I work so they’re not just sitting in front of the TV all day.**

3PM - FREE TIME

This is completely up to them. I finish up working (I try to be done by 3-3:30 everyday) and the kids play. We might go for a walk outside (weather permitting), Kenna will text her friends via Messenger Kids, Matt + I watch Jeopardy at 4:30, etc. We are done learning for the day and just let them learn through play at this point.

5PM - BATH TIME

Matt gets dinner ready and I give the kids baths (separately now, because they CANNOT get along in a small space anymore…). I typically fold the laundry or get a post up on social at this time too.

6PM - DINNER

This hasn’t changed in 12 years. Dinner is ALWAYS as a family and ALWAYS at 6PM, unless we have something else going on or Matt is running late.

6:30PM - FAMILY TIME

We might play games during this time, watch TV together, or just pick up from the mess of the kids playing.

7PM - DOWNTIME // IPAD TIME

The kids get to play whatever they want or watch videos on the iPads while Matt and I unwind, pickup, do whatever. We all just need a break by this point!

7:30PM - KIDS BEDTIME ROUTINE

PJs, brush teeth, read books, say prayers, sing, and the kids are in bed by 8PM.

8PM - MOM + DAD TIME

We’re finally alone, so what do we do?! We sit on separate couches and scroll Facebook! Just kidding… sorta! We’ll watch some shows, I’ll read, we might play some games on the iPads or phones, or catch up on work (if we need to). Again, something that hasn’t changed in 12 years… this is how it’s always been.

10PM - BEDTIME ROUTINE

Wash my face, brush my teeth, and BED. Because even though we’re at home all day long, I’m EXHAUSTED.

And that’s it. That’s what life looks like right now. It’s not anything crazy or earth shattering - it’s simply just what’s working for us. We make sure the kids are learning something, creating something, and PLAYING as much as possible.

One thing I’ve noticed is that we’ve been keeping them busy enough that they aren’t asking for snacks, and the TV isn’t on all day!

I’d say that’s a parenting win for sure!

How are YOU doing? I’d love to hear what your schedule looks like right now - and I’m sure some other readers would too!

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