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How to Survive a Month at Home with Your Kids, Thanks to COVID-19

March 15, 2020

To say I was shocked when I read the announcement that Michigan was closing all schools until April 6 is an understatement.    To me, it was a wake up call that COVID-19 is not something to be taken lightly.  If scientists and doctors are recommending that we take this drastic of a measure to prevent the virus from spreading and overwhelming our medical system, I’m respecting that.  But, man, my heart sank and my stomach dropped, when I saw that school closing announcement.   WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH MY KIDS FOR 3 WEEKS AT HOME? (*I realize I’m lucky my kids are old enough to stay home alone and I work from home.  My heart goes out to everyone scrambling for childcare and wondering how they will feed their kids.)

For us, our spring break begins the day school can commence so really, my kids are missing 4 weeks of school. I immediately told them this would not be an extended vacation and we would be homeschooling.  The one problem?  I’m not a teacher and never have I had a desire to homeschool.  I have seen several suggestions on social media on how to navigate this crazy time.  I’m rounding up my favorites here, as well some things I plan to do with my children for the next month.  I have no idea how this will go down, just trying establish some type of routine.

Homeschool Schedule

Homeschool Schedule

credit: rageagainsttheminivan.com

I’ve seen many homeschool schedules going around on social media.   My kids are 10, 13, and 15 and this schedule from rageagainsttheminivan.com was my favorite.  Some of my children’s teachers (grades 4, 8, and 10) assigned homework and on-line work on their last day at school.  I plan to adjust this daily schedule to work in the “real” work that my kids have.  Really, my number one objective is to not let them turn into sloths. 🙂

On-line Educational Resources

On-line Educational Resources

Wild Free and Crafty blog is offering free on-line art classes for kids and adults. You can subscribe to her You Tube channel here.

My son’s 4th grade class always begins their day with a Podcast and I’m thinking I will do the same.  Loved this round-up of the 18 Best Podcasts for Kids in Elementary, Middle, and High School.

We already knew Alexa can help us out with pretty much everything, but did you know she can help homeschool your kids, too?  This is a great round-up of the skills and games Alexa can “teach” on math, English, science, history, current events, geography, and languages.  I think the kids, especially my 10 year old, will think this is cool.

Book Recommendations

Our local library is also closed, so thank goodness for Amazon!  Reading is soooo important and I think this will be the easiest part of homeschooling to manage. Here are a few books I ordered for my kids.

Later Elementary Books

Pax by Sara Pennypacker

The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan

The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall

Middle School and High School Books

The Guardian series by A.J. Messenger

In An Instant by Suzanne Redfearn

All the Little Lights by Jamie McGuire

Dear Edward: A Novel by Ann Napolitano

Lifeskills

Definitely going to use this downtime as an opportunity to teach my kids some lifeskills!  What a better time to learn basic cooking skills, laundry skills, and organization skills.    I’m not sure what we will cook and bake, I want the kids to help me decide.  Thinking cooking can count as a math and science lesson, too.  Double win!

Family Time

Family Games

The silver lining in all of this is we are going to have lots of Q.T. in our future!  The older my kids get, the more I appreciate when I have all my birdies in the nest!  These are some of our favorite family games: Exploding Kittens (order the Party Version for more than 4 players), Rumikub,  Mexican Train, Uno Flip and Five Crowns.  I just ordered Code Names after reading good things about it.  Debating if I should order Catan.

Games with a Basic Deck of Cards

Also, don’t forget how many games you can play with a basic deck of cards! We love Rummy because all 5 of us can play it.  Euchre is big in the Midwest and our girls know how to play so definitely taking this opportunity to teach our son.  My husband and I love to play Hearts and Spades so I want to teach the kids these games, too.

Puzzles

A puzzle table is another good way to encourage time together and time off electronics.  Take over your dining room table that you never use anyway (ha!) or set a card table up in your family room.   This puzzle and this one are so cute!

Give Yourself Grace

Let’s be honest…while I have the best intentions of sticking to a schedule and making sure my kids remain productive throughout this break, I have no idea if it’s going to work.  They are already fighting me on it with eye rolls and arguments.  They are definitely viewing this as an extended vacation and want to get together with friends.  I have no idea how to navigate this.  My friend sent this NY Times article about playdates and Coronavirus.  I’m hoping having somewhat of a plan in place will help us.

Another idea I have is to have them write a 3-5 page research paper on COVID-3.  Oh my gosh, even as I type that I can hear their groans.   But, I’m hoping it will help them understand why school and sports were cancelled.  They aren’t going to take my word for it that our everyday life needs to change in order to “flatten the curve”, so maybe researching it will curb their arguments with me.  Maybe they can teach me a few things like what the heck social distancing is.  Just saying it sounds depressing!  But, I can also  totally relate to this…

We Are In This Together

Let’s support each other and share ideas throughout this crazy time.  Never in our lifetime have we experienced anything like this.  Let’s take it day by day and try to remember what we CAN control.  I know I’m looking for all the ideas I can to help survive the next few weeks.  I plan to be active on Insta-stories with any good tips I come across.  If you find anything worth sharing, please don’t hesitate to reach out!  You can message us on Instagram or Facebook.

 

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Are you having a hard time remembering what day it Are you having a hard time remembering what day it is or is it just me?  Also, I’m surprised at how quickly the day goes by. The virtual happy hour calls help! We can pass 2 hours talking to friends just like that!  Everybody has time so we have had fun catching up with old friends we rarely see. I haven’t been shopping much, but finally broke down today. Nordstrom continues to roll out amazing sales everyday and I got sucked in! 
Click on the link on our profile and click “new on the blog” for a big ole round up of top picks!  Or shop the links directly by downloading the Like to Know It app and following The Barely B’s. 
#liketkit #liketoknowit #salealert #ltksalealert #onlineshopping #nordstrom #nordstromsale
In honor of our son’s 11th birthday, we dressed In honor of our son’s 11th birthday, we dressed up for the first time in weeks!  It felt good!  I bought this new @amazon dress for spring break (😭), but I can tell it’s going to be a staple this summer. It’s available in several colors and is a perfect casual sundress. ☀️
Find the links by 
1️⃣downloading the Like to Know It app and take a screenshot of this pic. The links will be emailed directly to you!
2️⃣Click on the link in our profile and click Shop Our Insta. 
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http://liketk.it/2Mjua #liketkit @liketoknow.it #LTKunder50 #LTKshoecrush #amazonfashion #amazonfinds #ltkfashion
The stay at home order is starting to remind me of The stay at home order is starting to remind me of when I was grounded as a kid.  I have actually found comfort in that.  Seems like the world operated at a much slower pace back then.  Remember how cool MTV was, especially during spring break?! This MTV shirt reminds me of my youth, and I’m just going to appreciate the slower pace for the next few weeks while we fight this nasty 🦠. Stay safe and stay healthy out there.  A huge THANK YOU to all the essential businesses and workers, YOU ARE appreciated!  http://liketk.it/2MbbR #liketkit @liketoknow.it  #LTKunder50 #LTKstyletip
When you’re on a road trip (see stories) and for When you’re on a road trip (see stories) and forced to use the public restroom. Just got this graphic tee in the mail and loved it immediately!  Thanks to @Nordstrom for their 25% off sale, it’s now on sale. 
Find links at:
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#nocoronavirus😷 #morehandsanitizerplease #roadtripusa #makelemonadeoutoflemons
We interrupt this fashion blog to bring you a new We interrupt this fashion blog to bring you a new blog post - How to Survive a Month at Home with Your Kids. (besides the obvi - stocking up on wine🍷🤪) It may involve some color coded charts, but a girl can dream, right???
Click the link in our bio (then click New on the Blog) for tips on things to do with your kids, book recommendations, and our favorite family games. 
#homeschoolnewbie #sendhelp #coronavirus #socialdistancing #momshelpingmoms
In light of all the craziness, this tee is perfect In light of all the craziness, this tee is perfect! “Only good vibes “ for all of us the next few weeks as we strive to keep everyone healthy! @target 
Linked in our bio here ~> @thebarelybs 
Linked on our website here ~> thebarelybs.com/shop 
As always you can easily shop our look there ~> http://liketk.it/2LwMJ #liketkit @liketoknow.it #LTKunder50 #LTKspring #LTKunder100 Download the LIKEtoKNOW.it shopping app to shop this pic via screenshot 
#targetstyle #target #stayhealthy #goodvibes #onlygoodvibes #flatlayfridiy #flatlayfriday
Please tell me I’m not the only one with a drawe Please tell me I’m not the only one with a drawer full of jeans!  @nordstromrack is having an event sale on my favorite denim brand, AG. Tons of styles available at over 50% off. These jeans are a splurge so this sale is awesome!🙌🏼 beware, sizes are going quickly. 
Shop my favorite picks:
1️⃣. click the link in our profile and click Shop Our Insta
2️⃣. download the Like to Know it app and screenshot this picture.  http://liketk.it/2Lsxd #liketkit @liketoknow.it #LTKunder100 #LTKsalealert #nordstromrack
I love putting photos of myself in a bikini on soc I love putting photos of myself in a bikini on social media...said no one EVER! 🙈🤣 But this cute suit from @hm is worth sharing. Size up on the top and bottom. 
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#beachvibes #vacationmode #over40andfabulous #selflove
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