📰 The Topic
We can all admit it. This week for many of us was nothing short of absolute chaos. Trying to reorient workdays to WFH, having kids underfoot (frustrated themselves with being cooped up and without their usual weekly bustle), and doing way more of the weekly chores at home (when’s the last time we all ate 3 meals at home?!)
And that’s as most of us head into the weekend with even less help than we might have had during the week.
It’s been a lot. And the thought of this stretching endlessly into the horizon has many of us ready to call mutiny.
So this weekend, we’re going to do a hard reset in 3 steps:
🧘🏾♀️Divide and conquer - each partner gets 2-4 hours of time on each Saturday and Sunday while the other partner takes the kids. These hours must be spent on entirely non-productive activities (eg anything but work or HH chores - workout, garden, hell, stare at a wall, just time spent without purpose). It might sound selfish, decadent or impossible. But just try it this weekend.
🌮Reconnect - if you’re like my husband and I, you’ve likely not said words to your partner that aren’t related to logistics, news or worries. Find even 30 minutes - maybe while the kids are watching a Saturday morning cartoon - to grab coffee and talk about something, anything funny or light or fun. This is your person in the bunker and you’re going to need to rely on each other over this long haul. Another idea is to make Sunday dinner a real family affair - research fun recipes and get everyone into it. Divide into team or divvy up jobs - kids as young as 2 can get into the fun especially with something like make your own pizzas, pasta or tacos.
📝Reset - set aside a 20 minute block on Sunday right now to plan out the week. On Sunday we’ll be sharing more based on what we’ve seen work over the past couple of weeks, but in general, you’ll be a) setting the kids’ schedule b) making HH duty assignments and c) figuring out your work shifts and work locations (eg. who gets the super profesh looking office vs. the playroom). The point is, we’re all tackling this next week with a vengeance and a plan.
🧰 The Tools.
Recipes resources we love (for Sunday dinner fun or the week’s meals):
Delish
Serious Eats Quick Dinners
Making pasta with the kidsPick up old hobbies (or take up new ones!)
Duolingo
Learn to knit
Write that bookWeekend family fun:
Heads Up! Kids
SmashBoomBest
Zingo
🧐 Worth Reading
Hallmark is bringing back Christmas movie marathon to help with cabin fever
A Guide For Working (From Home) Parents - some more suggestions we shared for parents trying to survive 3 jobs right now