. . . Week One of schooling from home! I feel like I’m giving Lauren Tarshis, author of the I Survived Series of children’s books based upon historical events in the world, the title of her next book. Ha! No but in all seriousness, when I posted earlier in the week as our new adventure began, Friday and the end of the week seemed like a lifetime away. I’m happy to say that we made it, we survived.

I hosted a virtual happy hour for my Mama Crew last night and I asked each of the ladies three questions to help frame up our conversation and to make space for everyone to share their experience.

• What did you accomplish this week, what are you most proud of?
• Did you have a breaking point, if so, what was it?
• What are you looking forward to next week?

With adult beverages of choice in hand, we each opened up to one another and shared vulnerably and authentically. We all agreed that it was a really, really hard week and we all had breaking points, shed tears, had moments of total shut down and yelled a time or two. But we made it. And in the moments of sharing, of seeing all of their beautiful faces together on Zoom, I was reminded of the power of sisterhood, of community, of building, creating and nurturing meaningful relationships. We all loved the time so much that I’ve set them up twice weekly going forward, once mid-week to help each other get over the hump, and on Fridays to collectively celebrate and share another week in the books.

I compiled a few really important observations / takeaways from Week One. Here goes.

Kids Don’t Know What Working from Home Means . . . And They Shouldn’t

The shiny glow, newness, and wonder of the first day of schooling from home faded quickly when the kids all realized that they wouldn’t be grabbing a pickup game of basketball at recess or eating lunch with anyone other than each other and Joe and I. On Wednesday, my middle guy broke down in tears and said he missed his friends and my eldest asked if I’d set up some Zoom time for him and his buddies. The message to me was clear. . . I could plan the best schedule for the day, incorporate kid-sourced activities during free time, make amazing breakfasts, lunches and dinners but none of it would matter if they couldn’t see and talk to their friends. I sometimes forget that the work that I do in the corporate environment is really no different than on the schoolyard.

We all want to be seen, heard, empowered to be our best selves, and feel a sense of belonging

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This image captures one of the highlights of my week. Look at how happy they are to just see one another, to chat and eventually compete in a virtual slam dunk contest! That’s right, they each took their laptops out to their home hoops and put on a show for each other, it was pretty incredible to look out the window and watch it all unfold.

The other piece about home being the classroom now, is recognizing the difficulty the kids are having in distinguishing between the two. I mean come on! It would be hard for me to not want to sneak a few feet from my desk to lay down on the couch and wrap up in a blanket! Why wouldn’t I wear my pjs and my Comfy all day, I’m at home right Mom? This part is awful, but we made small steps as the week progressed, I’m trying to lead with grace and give us all time to process this dramatic change and something that is honestly, so foreign to all of us.

Kids need their community of belonging. They need their school. And more importantly, they need to be with one another, they need to be kids.

Outside Time is a Sanity Saver and a Place to Learn New Skills

On the days that it didn’t rain, it was easy to see and feel that the kids were much less squirrelly. Folding in recesses in the morning and afternoon along with daily P.E., is a recipe for combating refusal to do extra work. One day this week I adopted the mantra, “the family that works out together, stays together,” and included the whole family in my workout at a local park. It also helps that here in Santa Clara County, despite being sheltered in place, outside time is an essential function.

Some silver lining to all of this uncertainty is that our calendar is suddenly wide open. We now find that we have time to slow down, reflect, connect and focus on things we’ve been wanting to do but haven’t had the time. Less people on the road and folks spending time inside has lead to quieter neighborhood streets . . . the perfect environment to learn how to ride a bike! Happy to report that Tessa cruised down our driveway and had bike riding in hand within 150 yards – our hearts soared!

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Educators are Amazing, Tell Them!

I already know that teachers are incredible, I happen to come from a family of educators (and nurses) but I’ve never appreciated their craft, their care, their love for their students more than I have this week. Faced with a seemingly impossible and unbelievable set of circumstances, our kids’ teachers did not back down but rather, stepped up in a huge way. They pulled together thoughtful, high-quality distance learning plans that armed us parents with the tools we needed to quickly put on our teacher hats and educate our kids. They recorded morning welcome videos that brought us all to tears. Every day we want want to reach out and hug them and thank them for all the hard work they’re putting in. It’s so clear, even after a week that our kids miss them so much.

When you get a moment, thank a teacher for all that they do, not just in times of uncertainty, but each and every day. They put their hearts and minds into teaching our children not just their math facts and how to read, but also how to be compassionate, empathetic, inclusive humans.

It Takes a Village

Community. Community. Community. Joe and I couldn’t do this without each other. Without both of us being bold and naming what we need from our workplaces, connecting with our friends and family to share our struggles, hiccups and high points. Our community has come together to bestow acts of kindness upon one another, be it a surprise batch of the greatest cookies ever made, or a doorstep delivery of fresh baked banana bread muffins, a 12er of Truly Lemonade or texts containing quotes and pictures of encouragement. We really are so much stronger, so much more connected together and I am beyond grateful for our community, for our village.

Week One was hard. But it was new, and scary, and unchartered. We have the lessons of a week under our belts now and I know that with a bit more planning, flexibility and patience on my part, Week Two will be a bit smoother but present it’s own new challenges ready to be shared with all of you. We’ve got this y’all!

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