Coronavirus Mom Hacks

Life is different right now with the coronavirus COVID-19 quarantine. Moms have now become teachers, nurses, tech support, librarian, password keeper, PE coach, lunch lady and part therapist if you have teenagers (ha!) all the while still doing our mom duties too. And if you're a working mom, then you're also trying to take calls, knockout your task list, filter through 500 emails and zoom throughout the day hoping your kiddo has pants on when he walks behind you during your zoom call. All you mothers need a real Mother's Day off, a spa day, a warm bath and some time to relax and recharge. 

To help all you moms out there, here are 4 things we are doing right now to keep our sanity through this new coronavirus quarantine homeschool life.

1. Set your alarm and get up early. It sounds crazy because we no longer have a commute into the office, but we promise early mornings are the blissful hours, especially for working moms. Now that we are all under shelter in place, quarantine has our virtual inbox filling up faster than we thought possible! Wake up early so you can filter through your emails and knock out a few tasks before the kids wake up. If you don't have the energy to shower, use one of our new body cleansing wipes to freshen up. You just need one body wipe to cleanse head to toe. Then grab yourself a cup of coffee and enjoy the few minutes of peace and quiet. This is like your very own, perfect Mother's Day spa or "me time". You can also take a warm bath - without any distractions! Use our bath soaks with epsom salt or bath salts as they will help you start your morning off right. 

2. Take breaks. Lots of them. Even if it's just 5 minutes, get up and walk around. The kids need breaks too. My younger one is taking a break every 20 minutes and it's working great most days! There are lots of 10 minute activities for kids - sidewalk chalk, walk around the block, a quick bike ride, or time for a snack. If you need to freshen up after you've been active, grab a showerless body wipe to freshen up. We even use them on our kids when they are a little bit stinky from playing outside. :-) For all you working moms, make sure you are sitting in the right chair at your table so you aren't hunched over and in pain the next day. If you're feeling aches from your new office setup, soak in our bath soaks that are epsom salt based. These bath salts will help with stiffness and aches. The lavender bath soaks are great before bed time and the mint bath soaks are great if you need energy!

3. Plan your meals as much as you can, but be flexible as each day is a new adventure. Below are some of our founder, Kelly's, favorite healthy snacks and kid friendly meals:

Breakfast

• Enjoy Life Breakfast Ovals
• Fresh Fruit - strawberries and blueberries because they are low in sugar
• Chobani Greek Yogurt - add granola or berries on top of the yogurt

 Lunch

• A healthy salad option: Spinach salad, diced carrots, sliced strawberries or blueberries, dried cranberries, almonds and a balsamic vinaigrette dressing 
• Chipotle! My hubby and I are only doing contactless pickup and we've only picked up Chipotle twice as we are limiting the amount of trips out of the house. I like the bowls (I'm gluten free). I get chicken, brown rice, black beans, corn, salsa, green salsa, and peppers. I don't get cheese because it doesn't add much to the flavor, it only adds unnecessary calories. 
• Baked Chicken, roasted brussel sprouts and carrots. This is a family favorite recipe and it's EASY to make. We use the sous vide to make the chicken and then we cut the brussel sprouts and carrots, put them on a sheet pan, coat them olive oil, salt, pepper and then roast them at 390 degrees for 25-40 minutes (cook time depends on how crispy you like your veggies). 
• If I have back to back calls and I'm attempting to homeschool at the same time, then I'll have a Whenever Bar. They are delicious and I think they should rename them to mom bars! I can eat them on the go and they are relatively low in sugar. I buy mine at Whole Foods, Market Street or Sprouts. 

4. Try to exercise. Whether it's in the morning or in the evening, getting your heart rate up and sweating a little will help you stay healthy and cope with the coronavirus blues. It's hard not to see people every day, and we find moving and exercising really helps! We have been doing the Orange Theory home workouts. They are intense enough that we are sweating and our heart is pumping, but it's gentle on our knees and we don't feel like we are going to die while exercising. Let's be honest, we just want to stay healthy and not pull a muscle. These are free workouts, so you should definitely try them! We stream ours from our phones to our apple tvs. Once you're finished with your workout, wipe your body down with our awesome, new showerless body cleansing wipes. These are great for anytime you want to freshen up or skip the shower. We have these strategically placed all over the house as well as in our car just in case!

We hope this has helped all you mothers and working moms during the coronavirus pandemic! This quarantine, COVD-19 lifestyle has certainly been trying for all of us moms and we'd love to hear from you! Please leave a comment with any mom tips and homeschooling tips you might have for us and for all of our readers. It takes a village and we all need to rise up and help each other, "because we are broken down and tired of living life on a merry go 'round". Take a warm bath, throw in some of our amazing bath salts and bath soaks, and recharge your body and soul. This quarantine WILL pass and eventually we will go back to our old lives. Until then, let's connect, lift each other up and know that we are in this together.

XO,
~kelly