These are strange waters that we are navigating, and my daily routines have been ripped away. I am still figuring out what does and does not work in this new school-less world. After a few days of experimentation, this is what worked today:

• I woke up around 6:30 a.m. and did a meditation with the Calm App in bed. Then I practiced French on the Duolingo App. A little before 7 a.m., I emerged from my bedroom.
• I weighed myself. I have been doing the weight loss program with Noom and I am supposed to weigh myself every morning when I wake up. I like that I am keeping in touch with the way I eat and exercise because shit, I already gained enough weight last year when Julian’s preschool was closed from asbestos contamination.
• I did a half hour of journaling while Pippa watched Netflix. Usually, the kids are not allowed to watch t.v. in the morning. Well, we left “usually” on Friday when Pasadena announced school closures. So now we are doing what works, and I have discovered that I am a much better human if I can start my day with journaling. If that means the kids start their day with t.v., so be it.
• I got dressed and had a smoothie for breakfast.
• I took a walk! Since Nathan is working from home (his office is closed during all this craziness), I can still take my walk.
• Then I went to the grocery store. This is not my daily routine, but I wanted to get produce today.
• After the grocery store, at about 11 a.m., I went into Mom Mode. This included: reading books, writing letters, play dough, a Google Hangout with Pippa’s first grade class, doing preschool worksheets with Julian, and various other amusements. (Pippa did math with Nathan. That’s his job, and he is very good at it.)
• When the kids were busy playing, I did an episode of Classical Stretch.
• I stayed in Mom Mode until about 5:30 when Nathan emerged from the master bedroom which has become his makeshift office. (We actually have a desk but the internet is weak in that room, alas. He is making do with the pink glider I used to rock our babies to sleep, but maybe we will relocate the desk if this insanity continues much longer…)
• And now I am in the master bedroom, writing this blog post.
• Next I’ll work on my fantasy novel for about 45 minutes.
• Then we’ll have dinner.
• Put the kids to bed.
• Watch Survivor.
• And I’ll read in bed… fall asleep … wake up with the book on my face … put said book on the nightstand… and go back to sleep, properly this time.

This schedule might work tomorrow.

Then again, who the hell knows? I have been working at becoming more flexible, and it looks like the new “safer at home” policy in Pasadena is going to accelerate my work in that arena.