corona virus

Listen to a book

Listen to a book

How are you doing in these very strange times? In our house, the people count and animal count have doubled. From our dining room, our daughters work and learn and Zoom. Leo, the dog, and Rex, our grand-cat, have figured out which one gets the chair and which one gets the sofa.

Our son remains in Oregon finishing his senior thesis and his (now) online classes.

For the past thirty years or so, I have listened to audiobooks - from tapes to CDs to the internet. If you, your students, children, or grandchildren love to hear stories or books, here are two possibilities for you:

1. Audible is making FREE hundreds of children's books in many different languages for kids - from preschool to high school. You can access these audio books by going to stories.audible.com. Take a look at the list - maybe one of your kids' assigned books is on there. Classics that adults may enjoy are on there, as well.

2. I love to read to children and I do love a conversation! I'm available (via Zoom or Facetime) to have conversations and read with folks from children and families to educators and other professionals figuring out this new normal. If you know of someone or a small group who would like this, please share this link, which will allow scheduling on my calendar: https://calendly.com/kathryn-coach/45-minute-phone-zoom-meeting.

As you navigate these days, here are a couple of posts you might find useful:

Do 3 Things & Play Bingo

20 Things I'm Doing In Light of the Virus


We are all doing the best we can these days. If you work with or care for children in person or online, thank you. They are our future, and indeed, our present. If I can be of any help, please let me know. Please feel free to share this post. Hang in there. This too shall pass.

Do 3 Things & Play Bingo

Do 3 Things & Play Bingo

Are you staying home these days? Practicing social distancing? Husband, law school daughter, and I are staying home together - mostly. We work from our computers and phones. We take walks with Leo, the dog, photograph signs of spring, and cook.

We watch the news.

Yesterday, we drove to Narrangansett Beach where we picnicked in our coats and then walked along the beach — keeping our distance from other people. How refreshing to see the waves and surfers in dry suits, feel the sunshine and breeze, and hear the gulls’ cries.

When we returned from the beach, I poured a glass of wine, reflected on our first full day of social distancing, and thought about what the week (month? two months?) had in store. I thought about those of you who have kids at home from elementary school or college or law school like me. I thought about my friend whose son is in Eastern Europe on a Fulbright and hasn’t found a way back to the USA yet. I thought about my daughter’s friend who cut her Kazakhstan trip short a day before the borders closed. I thought about my dad who is undergoing chemo. I thought about my sister, a doctor. I thought about my HIV-positive friend.

Overwhelm.

So, I simplified my list of things to do -

Take care of your physical health.

Take care of your mental health.

Help others.

My day had been filled with the first two, so in my pursuit of helping others (and in turn making me feel good about offering up some help) I came up with a “Stay At Home Bingo” to share.

CLICK HERE FOR STAY AT HOME BINGO

While I take this virus and the recommendations incredibly seriously, I needed something slightly lighthearted. Check it out and see if you think it might help you and yours. You can also create your own with myfreebingocards.com if you want to customize it for your particular situation.

At the end of the day (or week or month or 2 months) the main Bingo squares are -

Take care of your physical health.

Take care of your mental health.

Help others.

AND REMEMBER…THIS TOO SHALL PASS

Several of the women in my family wear “THIS TOO SHALL PASS” bracelets every single day to remind us to appreciate the good times, to stay in the moment, and to know that the difficult times will pass.

CLICK HERE TO SCHEDULE A "THIS TOO SHALL PASS" CONVERSATION COVERING THE RESILIENCE, MINDSET, AND HABITS THAT WILL HELP GET US THROUGH THIS

20 things I am doing in light of the virus

20 things I am doing in light of the virus

I’m not a doctor or a scientist, but I am a person of reasonable intelligence. I hesitate to give recommendations (with the exception of #20) in this time when everyone has become an expert, but I will share the twenty things I am doing.

  1. Washing my hands like crazy.

  2. Using a hand towel only a couple of times for drying OR using a paper towel.

  3. Stocking the house with tissues because if we get it, we’re most likely to have cold symptoms.

  4. Making sure we keep the basic foods on hand because if workplaces or educational institutions close, we may have more mouths to feed and more meals at home.

  5. Making sure the special young people in our lives who are in schools close by know that they can hole up here as long as we are all symptom free. I have asked them to bring whatever groceries they have on hand, though!

  6. Keeping sheets and towels washed and ready for guests.

  7. Using the sanitize cycle on the dishwasher.

  8. Wiping knobs, rails, and other surfaces more frequently.

  9. Opening the windows during the warmest part of the day.

  10. Keeping a crockpot of water on high all the time to help moisten the air.

  11. Organizing the bathroom cabinet with labels so that anyone staying with us can find OTC medicine, tissues, extra toothbrushes, etc.

  12. Mailing cards of hello to friends and family (This is a good time to cheer someone up!) and using a glue stick for sealing the envelope. No saliva!

  13. Texting family members pictures, jokes, and family updates to give them something besides the virus to think about.

  14. Getting more sleep than usual since my immune system and mood are directly linked to my sleep.

  15. Walking 2-3 times a day and not going to the gym or yoga classes.

  16. Avoiding crowds and gatherings.

  17. Preparing meals that are nutritious - lots of green veggies.

  18. Making sure we have a few non-essential happies at home - cake mix, brownie mix, and a special bone for Leo, the dog.

  19. Keeping up with the science and trying very hard to avoid the political news about it.

  20. Recommending you get your flu shot if you haven’t already.

“A lot of people resist transition and therefore never allow themselves to enjoy who they are. Embrace the change, no matter what it is; once you do, you can learn about the new world you’re in and take advantage of it.
— Nikki Giovanni”