I won’t begin to call what we just experienced these last three months — homeschooling. My dream is to “homeschool” but it’s not to be quarantined in my home with three small children for months at a time. No, no — what we just went through was crisis-schooling. It was figuring out, on the fly, how to make a home — a home and a workplace (x2), a classroom (x2) and a daycare center. It was a 24-hour restaurant, an entertainment center, a playground, and a music studio. And it was difficult!

March was easy! April was full on shock mode. May was traumatic. And then finally, in June, the light at the end of the tunnel became visible. And now, here I am — without work and able to actually focus on, and enjoy my children. I have more time, more energy, and more patience. But I can’t help but think about the damage that was caused between April and June. So, here are my small goals to make our switch into summer break:

Unlearn negative behaviors:

For the kids this means limiting screen time. I bow down to every parent who didn’t allow themselves to rely on a screen while they worked. We couldn’t do it. The kids watched tv or their tablets all day — for school and for entertainment. Now they get a little in the morning, and Javi gets a little more after lunch. For me? I need to stop telling myself I deserve all those Reese’s — and cans of Coke!

Develop a positive rhythm:

Every child study you read tells you that children thrive on routine. We had a great rhythm that these past months took away from us. Here’s what it looks like:

6-9AM: wake up, eat, dress, house chores

9-12PM: any errands/outings, snack, outdoor time, free play

12-3PM: lunch, nap/quiet time, work time

3-6PM: snack, outdoor time, free play, dinner

6-7PM: bath, bed

Outdoors:

When all else fails, take them out! It’s literally my motto for parenting. But working from home made it impossible! We barely got outside for days and days. Now, we get outside every day — rain or shine. Between our backyard (swing set, sand box, kiddie pool, sprinkler), going for walks, bike riding, riding scooters, gardening, drawing with chalk, running, playing soccer and basketball — the list really goes on — outdoor time could fill up your whole day. Let it! Sometimes we take snacks and meals outside, too.

Play, Create, Read:

I recently changed up their playroom to include a ton of our favorite art supplies. I moved around the kitchen set and included some practical life activities. We have traditional Montessori materials, too. They use this space for EVERYTHING. They learn, read, play, sing, dance, create, spend time together and independently. They’re imaginative and engaged and spirited. It’s a mess half the time and I’m learning that’s okay! They can’t put away their “play” or take out “one thing at a time” as I request. They’re in the middle of exploring and it needs to happen. If you want to check out our playroom, look at my “playroom” highlight reel on instagram!

One on one time:

Ah. If there’s one thing that has suffered during crisis-schooling and quarantine is our ability to spend one on one time with each kid! Now, I’ve separated bath times — ensuring that each kid gets ME for at least 20 minutes during their bath and getting ready for bed. We have a strict “do not disturb” policy during bedtime. So, if Sean is putting Lola to bed — Javi may not go in her room and take away any attention and vice versa. When I do run errands for grocery pick-up, I usually invite Lola who’s very happy to join me. And I work with Javi for about 20 minutes each day for some type of “school work”. Oh, and Eva sleeps on top of me every night so that’s enough one on one time for her — 🙂

Summer treats:

And of course, we’re trying our best to normalize this summer as much as possible. We’ve done hiking, the zoo (it was outdoors and we had to reserve a time so that they could control how many people were on the grounds), we were thrilled when the ice cream truck rolled by, we went on a weekend getaway (swimming, fishing, kayaking) and we’re hoping to scoop up a projector from Amazon (affiliate link) and hold a “movie night” in our backyard. It’s not the summer break we thought it was going to be but I think going with the flow sets up a positive outlook for the kids. If you complain, they’ll agree there’s something to complain about! But if you can make the best out of a difficult situation then that sends a great message to our children.