Hey Friends! We made it through the first week of working from home and home schooling all at the same time. Insert shocked face here. Now let’s tackle on the weeks to come! I will admit, I was one of the few who was not taking COVID19 too seriously, until I went to the grocery store 2 Friday’s ago for my normal weekly run. I saw the chaos and panic along with anxiety came full force over me.

Earlier that Friday, I had also received the news about school cancelling and my heart dropped. My first thought was how am I going to do this from home with a toddler? I happen to work in corporate healthcare if that makes sense… specifically in the payroll department for travel and per diem nurses. Now more than ever our nurses need us, so my job literally cannot stop. And apparently neither does my very hyper-active toddler. 😳

Last week was my first week working completely remote and… it didn’t go the way I imagined it lol. I took lots of mental notes on what did and didn’t plan on doing this week, based on how our first week went. So here is that handy dandy list of my observations in case you’re also working from home and need a hand:

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• Still wake up early and do your regular routine. Failed completely on this last week because I literally rolled out of bed every day. It made me feel sluggish and rushed. It also didn’t help with my mood, I felt as if i was unprepared or as if I had missed a step (or 10) so I think putting a little make up or maybe even doing your hair will help.
• Open your blinds/window. Sunlight is everything! Luckily I have two windows near by, one I the kitchen and a big one in my living room. It definitely helps my mood. I noticed that on Wednesday I didn’t open the blinds because I was so busy and it was super dark and gloomy. It definitely made me feel like I should of been asleep instead of working.
• Move your body girl! I literally was glued to the couch for hours! No bueno! Get up and get that blood flow going.
• Remove the distractions- yes that means your phone. At work I have a very limited time I get to browse my phone. That’s mainly because i can’t have it out so when I’m at home I noticed it was easier to just browse through songs more often or even have the news on which is distracting. Two solutions, put it away from your work area or make a playlist you know you love that you won’t find the need change the song. I opted for the second one because I need my tunes to get me through the day.
• Keep an agenda- to do lists have always worked wonders for me and I feel like working from home distracted me from that. I love bullet points and checking things off and I deviated from that for some reason. Stay on top of your to do list!
• Do a video check in with a team member. I can totally see how working from home can be lonely and depressing. Even though Byron and Leya are here, they don’t really know what I’m doing or can relate. Venting is so important for your sanity, so phone a colleague and check in.
• Clock out when it’s time to clock out. This one was hard all week. I found myself working till’ 8 pm! I kept saying to myself, I’m home so I can. Nope! When it’s time to go, leave or you will just sink in the whole.

While I thought working from home would be a dream, there’s some things I didn’t think I would find myself having a hard time adjusting to until I actually lived them. It’s definitely an adjustment.

As far as the kids go… My fellow parents, I feel you. This one was the hardest and most trial and error one. To get them to sit still and not be incredibly loud for no reason is literally like pulling teeth. I was in a work meeting last Tuesday and my daughter flinged her room door open and sang/ screamed ” the movie is overrrrrrr.” Yep, she just screamed it out lol. So I thought, we need to prep for this like we would with anything else.

I’ve addressed with my daughter that she can’t just come out screaming because I might be on the phone. However, she’s 5 and just like anything that is newly introduced to toddlers, it takes time and repetition. So we have established hand motions instead of words. If she needs anything, she will need to do a gentle wave, if I wave back that means I’m not on the phone. If I don’t wave back she needs to wait and go back in her room. I also packed snacks and have them ready to go for those hundred times a day she says she’s hungry so she can just go to the counter and grab a ziplock bag. This also applies for breakfast- have it all just ready to go the night before.

Disney+ has been a great way of entertainment. But also coloring books and small projects keeps them entertained until actual schooling starts when I get off work so I can help Byron with it. Lots of trial and error, frustration, and madness I’ll admit, but we made it and got through it – yes you too! So high five! Every night before bed, we will recap the do’s and don’ts so come the morning hopefully everything goes according to plan. *Fingers crossed*

I’d love to hear how you’re adjusting to everything… any tips, suggestions? Let me know!

Till’ the next post!

Xo, Guadalupe ♡