How to Balance It All (and Survive) at Home

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Mom Crew caught up with Ashley Alvillar, life/career coach and founder of Monarch Results Coaching, who shared some tips for how to balance it all (or at least just survive) while stuck at home due to the Coronavirus pandemic, along with other helpful information and ideas for parents.

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Tips for Balancing it All

1. Get Help

Talk to your spouse/partner, parents, babysitter, friends, older siblings, etc. to see who is able to help – even virtually right now. A babysitter can do storytime or a grandparent can take on math with your child. Find a schedule that works with your partner.

2. Make a Schedule

Kids thrive off of a schedule (see sample below). Review it with them. Use earphones for kids’ classes, so everyone can focus on what they’re doing, and incentivize kids for completing them.

3. Find Time for You

Even with as busy as we all are right now, finding some “me time” is really important. Take a sanity run or walk for just 20 minutes. Try a free yoga class or meditation app. Some favorites are The Underbelly Yoga, Calm, Headspace, The Class, DanceBody, and 305 Fitness.

4. Build in Time for Fun

In between the home-schooling, house-cleaning, and dinner-cooking, build in some time for fun! Board games, scavenger hunts, hide and seek, cooking, arts and crafts, painting, legos, card games, sack races – the possibilities are endless, depending on what your family enjoys. You can get creative too – my kids made a train out of a box the other day. See more ideas below.

5. Set Boundaries at Work

Talk to your manager. Explain what your situation looks like and what you can realistically take on. You just can’t do it all right now.

6. Have Couples Time

We can’t go out for date nights right now, but we can make some special time at home! Try an adults-only dinner after the kids go to bed and a movie you’ve been wanting to watch on Netflix.

7. Remember This is Temporary

This too shall pass. Breathe. Plan for the future. Where focus goes, energy flows.  

8. Update Your Resume

Even if hiring has been put on hold at a lot of companies right now, it’s a great time to get everything in place if you’re planning to change jobs. Update your resume, cover letter and LinkedIn profile, so you’er ready to go once hiring picks back up. 

Sample Schedule

Before 9am
Wake up, make bed, and get dressed

9-10am
Excercise – yoga, walk, bike ride

10-11am
Academics, math with Grandpa

11am-12pm
Creative time – art, Legos, crafts, cooking, etc.

12-1pm
Clean and wash hands, lunch

1-2:30pm
Nap time or quiet time – read and ABC Mouse

2:30-4pm
Academics, reading with Grandma

4-5pm
Family walk and bath

5-6pm
Dinner and movie

7:45pm
Bedtime 

Ideas for Things to Do

  • Learning with a caregiver – set up time for the grandparents to talk, work with or engage with the kids. My dad does Math every day at a specific time with my 7-year-old, and my mom does reading.

  • Twister – fun for the whole family, and great for learning colors and right/left for young kids

  • Operation (the game) – great fine motor skill game for children 3.5/4 and up

  • Chutes & Ladders, Candy Land or Monopoly (for older kids) – good for counting spaces or money

  • Pictionary – fun game for everyone with kids 3 and up

  • ABC Mouse app – very interactive and educational

  • Caribu app – good for reading and writing

  • Kahoot app – quizzes and games for learning

  • Baby shows – Little Baby Bum and Sesame St are good options

  • Color rocks, shells or whatever you can find – write cute messages on them and leave them around the area

  • Clay and Play Dough – good for fine motor and creativity

  • Beads and string – good for fine motor and literacy if you include letter beads

  • Magna-Tiles – building and creativity. Both my kids (4 and 7) love them!

  • Arts & Crafts, easel drawing, painting – easel drawing helps promote proper grip, or if you don’t have one, you can hang paper up on a wall to achieve a similar effect

  • Chalk – outside with stencils, drawing and hopscotch

  • Legos – for younger and older kids starting at 3 years

  • Take a cardboard box and have your kids create a story or go on a trip. The box can be a car, train, etc. 

  • Containers – kids love to figure out what they can fit inside, pour things from one container to the next, shake it to make music, etc.

  • Costumes – my kids love dressing up and it keeps them busy for long periods of time

  • Sack races and scootering in the hallway or outside

  • Scavenger hunt – put post-it notes around the house with clues, with a prize at the end

  • Hide & Seek – self-explanatory but always fun

  • Cooking – cookies, cake, brownies, muffins, or any holiday goodies

  • GoNoodle on YouTube – great for dancing with the kids

Podcasts

  • Goal Digger – for women business owners and entrepreneurs

  • Doctor’s Farmacy with Mark Hyman – everything about your health and what to eat and feed your kids

  • Rise Podcast with Rachel Hollis – advice for working moms with kids

  • Rise Together – advice for couples

  • Tony Robbins – how to deal with the stress and anxiety of this change; great interviews

  • The Tim Ferriss Show – covers everything and anything you are looking for!

  • How I Built This – for anyone looking to start a business or growing one

Instagram Accounts

  • @Drbeckyathome – parenting advice

  • @beyondfamilymedicine – health tips for kids and family

 I hope this was helpful! If you could use more personalized help or advice, I’m offering a complimentary 30-minute session for members of the Mom Crew community. Just email me at ashley@monarchresultscoaching.com or call/text me at 914-419-2163 to set it up. No obligation or pressure to sign up for any sessions beyond that – it’s just my give-back during this difficult time.

Ashley Alvillar
CEO Monarch Results Coaching
Results Coach
www.monarchresultscoaching.com