Even in the midst of the COVID-19 stress, there is good stuff and bright spots to each and every day.

These may be unprecedented times and we’ve all seen the worrying news reports, the statistics and the concerns for our future. We’ve also enjoyed (to some extent) the memes, the jokes and the efforts many have made to help us cope with our crazy new reality. I used to joke I wished there was a pause button that I could press on my busy days… and seemingly out of the blue, one has appeared. I wanted to focus a little on what I’ve enjoyed so far during our social distancing routine.

Sometimes it’s takes a little bad to make you focus on the good stuff

My days aren’t quite as relaxed as I might like. The reality is I have to fill the weekdays with tutoring, activities and food for my three boys (thankfully, my husband is a good and efficient chef). This is on top of trying to re-work some of my courses to go fully online, chat with students and keep up with the info coming in from news outlets and my college too. In fact, my college (although closed) is still deciding exactly how we will proceed to ensure all our students’ academic needs are met. I won’t say that I feel relaxed, but I sure am happy to take a break from the rush of getting to and from school, work, after school activities and all the other things we normally over-stuff our days with. So, what’s the good?

After our first week of school closure, there are some things I’m very grateful for

1. My boys’ school term was only two weeks away from Easter break so they aren’t missing out on too much, and their teachers have asked that we just keep them revising the work already covered and not actually try to teach them anything new (at least for now). For that, I am grateful!
2. I’ve always been super thankful for my children’s teachers. I tell each and every one of them how much I admire and appreciate what they do. There’s a reason I teach adults! God bless all of you pre-school, kindergarten and elementary school instructors. I appreciate you even more than I did before.
3. Time at home. I’ve always been a homebody. Now I don’t have to feel bad about it!
4. My alarm isn’t going off and waking me each morning. Every night, my phone sends me a notification to set my alarm for 6:00 a.m. I can ignore that pesky alert now! In fact, even my four-year-old has been sleeping until almost 8 o’clock. It’s glorious! I may not be restful but I do feel a bit more rested.
5. My kids are doing daily Spanish class! I’ve mentioned before that I try to teach my kids Spanish. I mean, Spanish teacher, hello, of course I’d be doing that, right?! Except it’s not that easy when you’re a non-native speaker trying to do it, more or less on your own. My husband loved his high school and college Spanish classes and remembers quite a lot. So, when we don’t want the boys to understand us, we speak in Spanish. That has probably been the biggest incentive for them to actually want to learn. So now, as we have the time, one of our new afternoon activities is Spanish class.
6. That brings me to another source of gratitude: the wonderful teachers on my mailing list. I’ve never had to source material for pre-school/ elementary age Spanish learners, and was feeling a bit overwhelmed trying to find the best resources in a very short space of time. I asked for assistance and they more than delivered. I’ve now got a list of awesome child-friendly videos and activity ideas.
7. No annoying meetings! See, we’ve been saying that many of these meetings could have just been an email…
8. My boys are reading! Yes, they do read, when they have to. They read their weekly library books and whatever they have to for school activities. However, the resistance to reading for fun was great. This last week, we’ve had a mandatory 30-minute silent reading period each day. And amazingly, they’ve embraced it and have been enjoying it. You have no idea how much this thrills my bookworm heart.
9. Just before their silent reading period, I’ve been reading to them. I’ve kept my reading list focused on Latin American culture as they do have an interest and I certainly want to introduce them to a region close to my heart. You can check out this post I did a while ago that includes links to some good books for children ages 5 – 9. Our favourite this week was Prietita and the Ghost Woman / Prietita y La Llorona.
10. My husband, my partner in navigating and surviving this crazy situation.

There are so many challenges we’re currently facing and may have to face still. The days spent in constant supervision of the little ones are long and often trying. The worries are anxiety inducing and the fake news is just about a scourge on global society. Yet, like the reappeared Italian dolphins, there are bright spots in each and every day, in each and every place.

What made you smile today?