Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m doing the minimum for work. Just handling calls for which I’m the lead, and any absolute emergencies. Otherwise I’m prioritizing my family and taking leave and LWOP. It’s a few weeks. Not 6 months. The work will still be there when we get back.

Honestly, it will have to be more than a few weeks. I don't know when the majority of the country will reach this realization -- I imagine it won't be until 2-3 weeks from now when the hospitalizations begin to overwhelm health systems and we realize we have not containment strategy.

at the very least we dont' know how long this is going to be. i find it strange that people assume just because schools are cancelled for 2 weeks (say) this will be the end of it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let them sleep in.

Breakfast then cartoons and toys for a couple hours.

Let them play outside while you monitor from inside.

Lunch and cartoons.

Online school work followed by reading or coloring.

Snack

Playtime outside

Cartoons

Dinner

Husband should go into office super early to get home earlier than usual and give you time to work.

I think you missed some of what OP said. Her kids are 4 and 7. They can't play outside by themselves and can't do school work independently online.

They need to learn to play by themselves in back yard. Any parennt with even a pea size brain would have had fenced when they knew a child was in the way!

I’m (gratefully) allowed to work from home. My plan is to get up at 4AM and get three hours in before the kids get up. Then just do what I can during the day and when my toddler is napping. My older child, 6, is going to FaceTime with his former nanny while Toddler is napping (so I can work) and practice reading with his old nanny. My parents are have agreed to read him chapter books on FaceTime too. DH is “essential” and has to go into work but he’s going to take over completely in the evenings so I can get paperwork done.

We have friends in a similar place and have decided to work together. In both families one spouse has to physically be at work and the other can work from home flexibly. Kids are similar ages.

So e.g., Martin Smith goes to an office, Mary Smith teleworks for now, George Jones in the office and Gina Jones teleworks

Monday and Tuesday: Martin Smith drops the Smith kids at the Jones house on his way to work and picks them up on the way home (8:30-5:30). Mary Smith tries to get as much work done as possible. Gina Jones watches 4 kids for the day. George Jones works in the office.

Wednesday and Thursday: George Jones drops the Jones kids at the Smith’s house and picks up (8:30-5:30). Mary Smith watches 4 kids. Gina Jones works from home, Martin Smith goes in to work.

Fridays Martin and George alternate taking sick or vacation days and watching all 4 kids, Mary and Gina put in as many hours as they can.

Saturdays Martin and George deal with kids the whole day so Mary and Gina can catch up.

Sundays the kids become tv zombies and the parents all collapse from exhaustion and stress.

Not perfect but we hope it will work for a while before anyone gets sick.

Watch a movie, then write a review and draw a picture.

Watch two episodes of a cartoon, then write about which episode was better.

YouTube cooking videos and cooking.

Research online and plan a big trip with a budget and detailed itinerary.

Anonymous wrote:I’m doing the minimum for work. Just handling calls for which I’m the lead, and any absolute emergencies. Otherwise I’m prioritizing my family and taking leave and LWOP. It’s a few weeks. Not 6 months. The work will still be there when we get back.

Honestly, it will have to be more than a few weeks. I don't know when the majority of the country will reach this realization -- I imagine it won't be until 2-3 weeks from now when the hospitalizations begin to overwhelm health systems and we realize we have not containment strategy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PBS kids
Set up an art area
Go for walks with them

If you can - start your work day much earlier in the morning and finish it after bedtime. This is what I told my boss was my new reality for the next 4 weeks.

This. You are NOt the only parent in this situation. I have to imagine that your colleagues will be as understanding as mine!
Amazon prime video has a ton of educational stuff - i just bookmarked a bunch of videos ling enough for me to have a phone call
Super early wakeupa, a movie in the afternoon, and back online in the evening. That is what i am doing. But i am lucky, my boss is SUPER understanding and i can successfully telework for the duration

This.

Do not use babysitters. (Although if you usually have a caregiver, continue to pay them.) The way we buy time in this crisis is via containment.

Limit your exposure. While not true of all, many younger people are continuing to engage in social meetups, etc. and those multiple points of contact make them incredibly vulnerable to spreading the virus.

Mine are 3 & 6. I am expecting this to last months. I am just going to lay back on work, going on shifts with my husband. No one was expecting a pandemic this year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let them sleep in.

Breakfast then cartoons and toys for a couple hours.

Let them play outside while you monitor from inside.

Lunch and cartoons.

Online school work followed by reading or coloring.

Snack

Playtime outside

Cartoons

Dinner

Husband should go into office super early to get home earlier than usual and give you time to work.

I think you missed some of what OP said. Her kids are 4 and 7. They can't play outside by themselves and can't do school work independently online.

DP. If you have a backyaard, they CAN play outside by themselves as long as they are within your view. My kids are 4 and 7,m and they play in the backyard all the time. I watch from the window while doing other things.

Or you can take your laptop outside and work outside while they play.

Unless your backyard is unfenced and you don't trust your kids to stay put, especially with other kids in the neighborhood running around. Every is in different situations. Point is, OP said she's not comfortable and is looking for other advice.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let them sleep in.

Breakfast then cartoons and toys for a couple hours.

Let them play outside while you monitor from inside.

Lunch and cartoons.

Online school work followed by reading or coloring.

Snack

Playtime outside

Cartoons

Dinner

Husband should go into office super early to get home earlier than usual and give you time to work.

I think you missed some of what OP said. Her kids are 4 and 7. They can't play outside by themselves and can't do school work independently online.

DP. If you have a backyaard, they CAN play outside by themselves as long as they are within your view. My kids are 4 and 7,m and they play in the backyard all the time. I watch from the window while doing other things.

Or you can take your laptop outside and work outside while they play.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let them sleep in.

Breakfast then cartoons and toys for a couple hours.

Let them play outside while you monitor from inside.

Lunch and cartoons.

Online school work followed by reading or coloring.

Snack

Playtime outside

Cartoons

Dinner

Husband should go into office super early to get home earlier than usual and give you time to work.

I think you missed some of what OP said. Her kids are 4 and 7. They can't play outside by themselves and can't do school work independently online.

Um, of course a 7 and 4 year old can play outside in the yard unsupervised. Leave a door open and monitor periodically from inside (or not). Where do you live that you are afraid to play outside?

Only the 7 year old has online school work. The 4 year old can just play, color, etc.

Signed,

Working mom of 4 who has led conference calls/zoom calls on snow days
#NBD

Lots of college kids and high schoolers looking for work , hire them duh

Anonymous wrote:I’m doing the minimum for work. Just handling calls for which I’m the lead, and any absolute emergencies. Otherwise I’m prioritizing my family and taking leave and LWOP. It’s a few weeks. Not 6 months. The work will still be there when we get back.

+1. Whether my work is finished doesn’t have a life or death impact on someone else. I’m ok with being unproductive for the next few weeks. I feel for those medical workers and people handling essentials like groceries who have to keep working to keep the system going.

I’m doing the minimum for work. Just handling calls for which I’m the lead, and any absolute emergencies. Otherwise I’m prioritizing my family and taking leave and LWOP. It’s a few weeks. Not 6 months. The work will still be there when we get back.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let them sleep in.

Breakfast then cartoons and toys for a couple hours.

Let them play outside while you monitor from inside.

Lunch and cartoons.

Online school work followed by reading or coloring.

Snack

Playtime outside

Cartoons

Dinner

Husband should go into office super early to get home earlier than usual and give you time to work.

This is my general plan as well. Not much I can do about it. Conference calls/WebEx where I actually lead are going to be challenging.

I’ve done calls from home before with the kids. I tell them they need to be silent while I’m on the phone. They watch tv or play video games downstairs, and I work upstairs. It’s not a big deal.

Unfortunately my youngest is 2, and not good at playing the silent game. Or he will yell “I NEED TO GO POOP!!” in the middle of my call. People will just have to deal I guess.