Read this on galpod.com.
Schools are closing afternoon on Friday, which means we're homeschooling from next week. It feels like the end of the world out there, but I'm bored talking about panic buying and how anxious I am. And besides, Chuck Wendig, as always, had written it so much better than I ever could. Here's what I plan to do starting Monday.
Homeschool
I've actually always wanted to try out homeschooling but didn't want to be the weirdo mom who takes the kids out of school. This way, I get to experiment with it for a little bit. Maybe the whole pandemic is the universe telling me to try out homeschooling. Sorry, everyone.
Writing
I'll have to adapt to the schedule we'll have at home. What I know for sure is that I'll have a lot less time for writing. I'll try to keep updating the blog but beware it would probably be a lot about homeschooling. I might post some stories if I manage to work on any. I think we all need a bit of a distraction. Also, I'm planning to still be working on my MS and sending it out if it's appropriate, but that would have to be super flexible.
Reading
Hopefully, whatever free time I have in which I'm not writing or doing chores etc., I'll be reading. I'm looking forward to making a sizeable dent in my to-read list which stands at over 500 books at the moment. I won't get it down to zero (probably ever), but I would like to read some books.
Exercise
Running or biking with the kids, walking the dog, yoga (possibly online), inside workouts with the "move" section of HeadSpace. Outside when possible, inside when not. Coming back from a run today I feel so much better than I did the last couple of days in which I didn't run, so as much as I can, I'll try to keep that. We're super lucky we live close to a big park, so I can run there.
Meditating
Speaking of Headspace, they have a free section called "weathering the storm" which is open to everyone. I think they're fantastic for doing that. Personally, I find the app helpful, even crucial, to my mental health.
Helping Out
A local mutual aid group had organised the entire neighbourhood into small groups that would help each other. People volunteered to take dogs for walks and get groceries. I'm coordinating our small group and hoping to help out as much as I can. I love how people just jumped on the opportunity to volunteer and help out. It makes me believe we'll come out the other side, as a society. Which is saying something.
Stay healthy, and feel free to keep in touch - online! :)