The Pros and Cons of Schooling and Working from Home

We are currently in the first week of our three-week home-spension.  It's going well...and not so well.  Let's discuss.

PROS

1) We get to start our day later!  Instead of rushing out the door at 6:45 am, we don't need to report to work and school until 8:00.  In addition, we don't need to dress up or wear uniforms.

2) The school day is shorter.  The highschool kids (and their teacher Dad) are done at 1 each day.  The middleschoolers and elementary kids do their work by lunch time. 

3) Each afternoon, we are able to get outside (except if it's rainy) and exercise.  On the rainy days, the kids have done workout videos or boxed.  Declan, age 5 is surprisingly good at P90X!  I'm very thankful for the nice weather this winter!

4) My favorite YMCA group instructor is doing live classes on Zoom, so we can work out from our home.  It's not as good as going to the gym, but it definitely scratches the fitness itch for Maggie and I.  If you want to join tonight at 6pm, here's the link! 

5) We weren't sure of the grocery store situation, so Phil inventoried our freezers, and I meal-planned for two weeks.  We had said at the beginning of Lent that we would like to try and eat down our freezer foods, and the coronavirus gave us the kick in the pants we needed to do so.  

6) The little kids are LOVING the extra time with everyone home.  We are encouraging reading time, puzzles, and games to keep us all off screens when not required to be on them, and I was amazed at how eager the teenagers were to attempt the puzzles.  We didn't have any big puzzles, but I bought these two from Amazon, and they are enjoying the challenge.

7)  Because I am afraid to go to stores, I have been giving myself more of a free reign to shop online....and if you know me, I already shop almost all online anyway.  But I upped my game to try Stitch Fix again, and I was pleasantly surprised with my choices.  I liked them all, but only kept two tops so as not to get divorced ;)

CONS

1) The amount of food we eat on any regular day is unreal. But the amount we eat when we are all stuck at home is beyond unreal.  The Preschool-8th grade kids normally get breakfast and lunch at school, so we are going through more cereal, oatmeal, and eggs than I can buy.  I've been baking something each day to keep them full, and I will need to start baking bread each morning, as the stores don't seem to have any.  Still??

2)  Our WiFi seems not to like us when we are all trying to work at the same time.  This has been annoying, as Phil and the oldest two boys have to be online taking classes from 8-1.  I've been using my phone's data to stay off the WiFi when possible, and working offline and then uploading in the afternoon.  Plus it's been challenging to find quiet places to work for everyone.

3) Because Phil is teaching via video chat, he gets to squirrel away in a locked room, and I'm left to work AND take care of the little kids.  A mother's life y'all.  Eamon and Maggie have been very helpful in helping school the younger ones, working on packets that we had picked up.  Brendan's preschool teacher has been sending videos for him to watch each day, and it's like she's an adorable Catholic female version of Blippi.  The first day he watched a video, Brendan turned away from the computer, thinking she could see him!  He got so shy!  I explained it was just like watching tv, and then he happily sat and watched the rest.

4)  Even though my parents live downstairs, my medical siblings imposed a ban on us visiting them.  We miss going down and chatting with them!

5)  The introvert in me is loving the lack of events, but the introvert in me is also finding it hard to get some quiet time in this house.  I've tried reading more (including Danielle Bean's newest book) and was happy to have checked out some Agatha Christie books from the library on the day before it closed down.  I'm listening to Reese Witherspoon's book on Audible, which is meh.  Jessica Simpson's book was much more entertaining, although inappropriate at times.  Let me know if there's anything good you're reading!

Well, I guess that's it.  I honestly thought there were more downsides than upsides to this homeboundedness, but the optimist in me is seeing the glass half full.  Ask me at the end of the three weeks, when the pessimist might be making an appearance ;)