It is almost always true that difficult situations present opportunities. The pandemic has definitely presented one of the most difficult situations of our lifetimes. As working parents with a pre-schooler home from school all day every day and an infant at home we have faced our share of challenges. However, somewhere into about week 4 of lockdown, our family decided to make the most of it, develop new routines, and lean into the new normal. 16 weeks later I am happy to share some of the positive energy we have developed and channeled through this period:
- My 5 year-old can read and ride a bike:
At the beginning of the lockdown, what started as an attempt to keep some semblance of school and learning alive for my 5-year old has now evolved into a fairly regular “workbook” time every day. Before jumping on to her favorite learning apps like epic and khan academy kids, Indie spends about 30 min a day practicing reading and writing. The result is that my 5-year-old is now able to read most kindergarten and 1st grade level books pretty well. She still needs help with some bigger or complicated words like “frightened” or names like “Luis” when they pop up but for the most part am going to mark this one as mission accomplished! To come out of lockdown having earned the gift of reading is so awesome!
Our growing concerns of a relatively sedentary life spent in front of screens all day without the usual breaks for coffee, lunch and playtime in school for Indie meant we implemented daily family walk time in the evening where all of us (and I mean all of us- mom, dad, kids and grandparents) would step out for a walk. Since it was easier to motivate Indie by mixing things up, we got out her bike. 4 days later she was riding like a pro without training wheels! That feeling.
2. We settled into an exercise routine
Our second child was 3 months old when the pandemic and lock down started. Having an infant is usually a good enough reason for folks to drop their workout. We are no exception. After 5 weeks in lockdown we really felt the need for a regular exercise routine and what started as a reluctant commitment is now a habit. Sharath and I both workout 3-4 times a week for 45 minutes. Yay for that!
3. I am back to early mornings
I have always been a morning person. However, my sleep schedule went for a toss when the discipline to drop off my preschooler disappeared and as I was juggling sleep training an infant. Pandemic and the need for efficiency as working parents gave me the boost I needed to jump back on the 5 am alarm train. This has been a huge blessing and I am super thrilled for all this additional time I have at my disposal 3 hours before the kids wake up. I get meal prepped for the day, blast out remainder emails from the previous day and get an hour of solid work in before the meetings and slack notifications begin. Woo-hoo!
4. Husband makes killer pizza
My husband Sharath has always been the kind of guy who picks one or two things of interest and really works on excelling in it. Lucky for us this time it was pizza making! Over 16 weeks thanks to countless you-tube videos, blogs and Sharath’s relentless pursuit of perfection we have amazing home-made pizza every Friday night. Another tradition born out of the pandemic and the girls and I are ever grateful for it!
5. Practice perspective and gratitude
Last and certainly not least is how much this pandemic has taught us about perspective. Even the very fact that I am writing about “silver linings” to this event is a reminder of how fortunate we are and that everything we feel now is nothing but an inconvenience. Taking time to pause and be grateful for family, friends, technology to connect with them and our health has helped us be deliberate about perspective and also teach Indie the importance of the same.
Ultimately I like to think this year will make us all stronger, more resilient and better prepared for future difficulties. Lets stay positive as we work our way through it!
