I had the best intentions for my first year of virtual schooling. I imagined us waking up early, enjoying a healthy gourmet breakfast, praying the rosary together, reflecting on the daily readings, singing a few songs, and then peacefully starting our school day. As their “learning coach”, which is how our school refers to parents, I would engage them in a variety of hands-on STEM projects, creative crafts, and beloved stories for hours on end.
On a good day, maybe one of those things is happening. Actual virtual schooling is not quite what my daydreams had made it out to be. Scheduled Zoom calls, online testing, and project due dates are getting in the way of my goals.
Some days are absolutely amazing. I love having my children home and cherish this extra time with them. Other days have us all in tears and feeling overwhelmed. What do we do to reclaim peace on those challenging days?
3 Ways To Recover When A Day With Kids Is Chaos
1. Put Your Pencils Down And Go Outside
Fresh air and a change of scenery work wonders for my children! A quick walk or bike ride, jumping rope, or a game of basketball can turn a day around quickly.
2. Dance Party Break
It’s difficult to have a frown on your face for long when listening to Happy or Toby Mac and watching your mom make a fool of herself! Give it a few minutes and everyone will be dancing, laughing, and joining in the fun.
3. Hallow App
More often than not it’s me that needs the destressing. There are times when I can’t even handle organizing a dance party or an enjoyable walk outside. The Hallow App has been a lifesaver. We’re learning how to pray and meditate as we bring God to the center of our day. Hallow gives me just a few moments to myself because I don’t have to organize anything or give directions. I just pull up the app and let the incredibly soothing voices of Abby or Francis calmly guide us back to peace. My kids have grown to love Hallow too and even ask to turn it on when they need to refocus and begin again. (Bonus- Hallow is also wonderful at night if your kids have bad dreams!)
Tomorrow Is A New Day
If you try all these things and it’s still a day that you can’t reclaim, just stop what you’re doing and try again tomorrow. A day or two off of school is not going to permanently damage your children. It’s so much more important to put the needs of your family first.
Remember the words of Scripture and believe they are true for you!
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” – Lamentations 3:22-23
Hallow Giveaway!
Everyone at Catholic-Link loves the Hallow App so much that we’ve partnered with them to give away TWO free year-long subscriptions – one for you and one for a friend – to the paid version of the app.
(Note: The free version is AMAZING. Hallow Plus offers many great additional features!).
You can enter to win by commenting as many times as you like on any article of ours that mentions Hallow or by filling out the form below.
Photo by Thomas Park on Unsplash
