#1 - Headphones
The one lesson learned I had during the first round of virtual learning was that my kids needed to be wearing headphones so they weren't easily distracted...especially Little Mini who just started kindergarten. I got these gaming ones after a recommendation from a friend and they have been working perfectly for both kids. And I like that there's a microphone built in so I know the teacher will hear them. Highly recommend.
Another lesson I learned from last time was making sure we kept everything "contained" because their school stuff over took my kitchen. I wanted them each to have a dedicated space but then on the weekends we could put it away. Using a rolling cart has been great. It holds all their books and activities and then we roll it into the closet Friday night and bring it out again Monday morning.
In the picture in #2, you can see the desk organizer that I put on the table. They have everything they need at their finger tips and don't have to interrupt their Zoom or independent work to get something. I have pencils, glue, scissors, extra erasers, post-it notes, ruler and note cards. It's definitely help avoid distractions.
Now that the girls are older we all can be involved in getting things done. In my opinion one of the best ways to be successful each day is to prepare the night before so I've created a nightly to-do list to help get us. Maybe it's my OCD but I love coming down to a clean first floor so a lot of the to-do items are around that. The list includes things like - lay out clothes, pack lunches, pack bags for after-school program, make sure we know what we are having for dinner the next day, wipe counters, vacuum kitchen floors, etc. Each chore has a couple of names associated with it and they are responsible for getting it done and initialing when it's complete. We are two days in and so far so go. I just used a Word doc template but you can get a fun printable from Etsy.
#5 - Something for the Moms
Virtual learning wouldn't be successful if it wasn't for the moms (and dads) out there helping guide their kids along. It's so stressful and such a harder job than any other position I've held. So at the end of the day, I take out these glasses and pour myself a glass of wine while I prep myself for the next day. These glasses stay in the freezer when I'm not using them and they help my wine stay cold because I don't have the luxury these days of just sitting and drinking a glass. These are also unbreakable so I use them outside too. They are the perfect glass, at least right now while it's warm outside and I'm drinking white wine.
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