Everything is going to be ok… I feel like all of us need to hear this on repeat right now. Everything is going to be ok. We are in this together, and we will get through it together. I have taken about a week, a week of sitting around shell shocked and reeling at the speed at which everything is changing. A week of feeling panicked, of trying to adjust to this new normal. A week of supporting my kids and helping THEM adjust to this new way of living – apart from their friends, on a completely different schedule and at a new pace. I’m hoping that all of you gave yourself that time as well and I’m also hoping that like me you are starting to spring back to life, to plan and strategize how you can best get through this.

I am pushing pause on what I had originally planned for the next couple of episodes because with everything that is happening in the world right now there are a couple of things I want to get out there to help people weather this.

Today’s episode being – how to work at home because with businesses shutting down (businesses… the world), everyone being sent home to work, kids off school and everything else that is happening there are a LOT of people who are suddenly finding themselves trying to figure out how to accomplish much of anything while working at home with their partner, their kids, their pets, the temptation to multitask and do laundry at the same time – all of it.

So for a lot of people, this working from home things is pretty new. Potentially they have never done it before and honestly while it sounds simple there are a lot of things that can throw a wrench in your productivity. Way more distractions, way more flexibility and way less accountability. I am a work from home pro. I have been doing it for years and years – both with kids and daycare, and without. In the first years of my son’s life, when it was just he and I there was a LOT of time spent simultaneously working and taking care of a baby – its not easy but it can be done. In more recent years there have been times when the kids are home sick and I need to juggle work and taking care of them – again not easy, but I will say its definitely easier as the kids get older. If you have babies or toddlers home right now and are trying to work – my heart goes out to you because I get just how challenging that is – but don’t give up, you can do this!

First tip – create structure for yourself and for the kids. We all do better when we have some form of structure. Stick to getting up and going to bed at the same times each day. Hold onto your morning routine of getting ready for the day (if you have one, I personally tend to live in pajamas but its been YEARS since I worked a regular 9-5 type job, so that IS my normal). Schedule meals, at least loosely. Schedule breaks as well as your start and finish times. Make sure as well that if you do have kids at home and you are juggling being a Mom and working at the same time that you are scheduling things for the kids. Left to their own devices they WILL drive you crazy and interrupt every single task that you try to complete for the day. It’s not an if, it’s a matter of when. So give them something to do because the 5 – 10 minutes you spend setting them up on an activity is going to buy you a lot of time and save you a lot of headache and frustration through out the day.

If at all possible – preplan the activities for the day. The internet is absolutely FULL of great activities for kids of all ages right now. Jump on Pinterest, ask friends for ideas, google “what to do with my kids in quarantine” and I promise you are going to get hundreds of ideas. Get yourself set up the night before and then when the kids wake up give them a general outline of what to expect. Knowing what their day will look like gives them a sense of security and reduces their anxiety as well. Tell them what activities are planned, what meals will look like and when you plan to serve snacks. Start to create a new routine th