In Pursuit of "Sheltering-in-Place" Sanity

We've all seen the memes circulating about introverts' declaration that they've been preparing for self-quarantining their whole lives.  They're pretty funny and I would say most definitely true.  I am a self-proclaimed [outgoing] introvert whom upon hearing of a possible multi-week shut-in began dreaming of all the projects around the house that would be accomplished.  Being married to a very non-introverted outgoing extrovert, I quickly saw how being a homebody doesn't necessarily come as second nature to all.

So, I decided to put together a list of different daily and weekly events that one can look forward to during this quiet and sometimes lonely few weeks.

Learning New Music

With many hours in the day spent at home, this presents a great opportunity to learn that piece you've been putting off for a while.  I've also started looking into new artists that have much of their music available on Musescore, which offered a 30-day free trial.  Additionally, I've started picking up my guitar again (which my fingers do not appreciate) and it's comforting to have the house filled with music.

Photo by Pixabay from Pexels

Organizing

As I mentioned above, I dream of having extra hours to organize. Throughout the year, I like to go through cabinets, closets, drawers, etc. that have become overloaded and disorganized.  During our current stint at home, I've cleaned up the laundry room (and brought it back to its former glory shown here) and cleaned out all of our island drawers (containing flatware, cooking utensils, cooking tools, plastic containers, and the children's plastic dishes).  We also made a drop-off at Goodwill (which was surprisingly still opened) of donation items crowding our guest room and downstairs TV room.  Still left to complete include: 

1. My clothing drawers (I've accumulated about a million and a half t-shirts over the past few years of running in races)
2. The children's dresser drawers (because they're both in a growth spurt and definitely will not be fitting into their current school uniforms when school resumes in the fall)
3. The art cabinets (lesbihonest... I'll probably save this one for last)
4. The game/puzzle cabinet
5. The linen closet (I've done this fairly recently but feel it needs some tidying)

Two books that have really helped encourage me with organizing over the years are Emily's Ley's Simplified Life and Marie Kondo's Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.  

Le Tote

Two sisters turned me on to this service a few weeks before schools and such closed their doors.  It's a clothing rental service that offers different packages of clothing to borrow.  Once you're done with the clothes (either after a day or after a month), simply place in the large envelope (shipping's already included!) and stick it in the mailbox.  You do have the option of purchasing items you can't bear to send back.  This has been a little luxury that it's been fun to look forwards to every week or so.  New clothes (without having to leave the house) can definitely lift your spirits and keep you from falling into a "bla" mood.

Photo by Belle Co from Pexels

Zoom Happy Hours

You've received your first Le Tote shipment, which encouraged you to actually style your hair!  All dressed up with nowhere to go?  Nonsense.  Set up a free Zoom conference with a few friends and catch up over a glass of wine while safely remaining distanced.  I thought this was going to be super lame the first time around, but it was actually really fun to catch up with a group while each of us enjoyed the beautiful weather.  This will never take the place on live-action happy hours but is a great substitute while remaining socially responsible.

Photo by Pixabay from Pexels

Book Club

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, there seems to be so much more time to actually read for pleasure these days.  While reading in and of itself is entertaining, why not get a few friends together to read the same book then set a date to meet over video-conferencing to discuss it?  Most people would love the chance to join a book club but don't generally have the time to get the reading completed.  Use our extra time to set goals to complete books and make it extra fun by conversing with some pals upon the completion of each book.

Photo by Wendy van Zyl from Pexels

Bible Study

Another activity that I easily put off are Bible studies.  I'll very ambitiously purchase one while attending a conference but (full disclosure) most likely not complete it on my own.  When Chris and I were first married and many of my friends were having their first babies, I suggested a "book club" which focused on completing Bible studies and weekly meetings at each other's homes to discuss chapters over brunch.  It was such a fun time and a great way to stay involved with friends.  As we had more and more children, it became less and less simple to schedule times that worked for everyone.  I've recently started talking about getting together the old group to complete a study together over the next 6 weeks.  These studies will not only provide daily activities to complete but also added anticipation of weekly virtual gatherings.

I hope this list has provided you with additional means to stay entertained during this unprecedented time upon us.  While I realize most of these items listed are introverted in nature, I do hope some of them provide means to engage with others through the vast means of technology that is accessible!

FTC: This is not a sponsored post.  All opinions are my own.  Links may be affiliate.

In Pursuit of a Gracious Homelife

Excitement of blooms.

The colors all fall to earth.

Carpet of petals.

Our Spring 2020 was ushered in with unprecedented uniqueness.  The whole world, it seems, had slammed on the breaks.  Chris celebrated his second week of working from home.  The children had completed their first week of Long-Term School Closure homeschooling assignments.  Likewise, I had successfully completed a week of virtual piano lessons in my studio. 

This break-but-not-a-break came at us somewhat unexpected (I mean, at some point, we all knew closures were inevitable, but really- did anyone expect to become their child's schoolwork implementors from mid-March through the end of the year?).  When the call finally came, I knew we needed to set some ground rules to not only help us survive but to set us up for success in thriving during our extended time together at home.

Photo by Kaboompics .com from Pexels

As many type-A parents shared on social media, I, too, created a schedule to help us make sure we maintained structure during our two-week-turned-three-month intermission from regularly scheduled programming.  Over the week, we adjusted and fell into a very gentle routine.  I wanted to share bits of our routine with my readers in hopes of bringing inspiration for thriving during this quiet time.

Photo by Burst from Pexels

8:00-9:00 We all appreciate sleeping in and leaving our alarm clocks set to off allow us time to naturally wake each morning.  We allow the children to have a slow morning as Chris and I make our French press coffee and go through the day's work commitments.  I'll journal in my gratitudes and affirmations journal, check email, balance our budget, and print out the children's many pages of work for the day.  

10:00-1:00  These are the times I've been holding my virtual piano lessons.  I've fought the virtual lesson model for quite a while and still do not believe it to be the most pedagogically sound means of instruction, but it works for the time being.  The fact that it's new to my students does make it exciting and it is fun to see them in their homes and see them playing their own instruments!  

This is also the time Fiona and Eliot watch their instructional videos (sent by their amazing teachers each morning) and complete their homework sheets.  It's so funny what resources you find you need more of each day and one we quickly realized we need to make sure was on hand was plenty of printing paper and ink!

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood from Pexels

1:00-4:00 Afternoons allow free time for myself and the children.  This is generally when I'll walk out to get the newspaper and complete the daily sudoku.  If I leave it out, Chris will sometimes squeeze in the crossword puzzle.  Our chickens have recently decided there are so many more interesting places to lay eggs other than their nesting box, so daily Easter egg hunts provide fresh air and entertainment!

Photo by VisionPic .net from Pexels

5:00 If the weather has let up at all (which surprisingly it does, most days) we'll take a family walk.  We have many options in our neighborhood and surrounding sidewalks for short and long walks and it provides much-desired exercise and fresh air.

6:00 We've been attempting to have earlier (for us) dinners and have continued to enjoy the various meal box subscription services we rotate through each month.  Our favorites have been Everyplate, HelloFresh, HomeChef, and Marley Spoon.  While these meal kits are generally not cheaper than going to the store and purchasing all of the ingredients yourself, they do a fabulous job of providing a variety of recipes that we wouldn't normally think of creating.  Additionally, all of the ingredients are appropriately portioned so that you're not purchasing a large amount of an ingredient you rarely use only to throw out the unused portion a week later.  

7:30 Early dinners normally allow for a family movie night.  So far we've watched Pitch Perfect 1, 2, & 3, Starwars IV, and Mean Girls.  My daughter is now slightly obsessed with acapella versions of pop songs.  We finally started a trial of Disney + and look forward to exploring its programming over the next few weeks.

Photo by Elizaveta Dushechkina from Pexels

9:00 We've attempted to keep bedtime relatively early and because of that I still have time for my nightly bathtime ritual which helps in keeping a sense of normal to my days.  I've been reading a whole lot at night and recently finished Death at Chateau Bremont and just started Where the Crawdads Sing which I'm absolutely loving.  I've noticed that many of the books I read take a few chapters (sometimes up to half-way through) to really catch my attention and keep me wanting to read.  Delia Owen's best seller immediately captured my interest and I've been reading multiple chapters a day.

While this peculiar time is still somewhat of a novelty, my hope is that we can graciously continue in this slow, steady rhythm, and are able to look back to this time fondly.

FTC: This is not a sponsored post.  All opinions are my own.  Links may be affiliate.

In Pursuit of Success: Putting People First.

The start of a new year is always a great time to reflect on the past and look forward to the future.  Seeing as we're nearly in the seventh week of 2020, I've had quite a few weeks to reflect and decided to record some of my contemplations here.  

I began teaching piano lessons at the age of 15.  It was somewhat of an accident: my friend (who was my neighbor*) wanted to learn to play "Moonlight Sonata" and I could teach her.  From there, my love of teaching grew and I soon found myself in a full-time teaching position at a local** music store.  The store, which primarily sold guitars and did rentals for middle school and high school band students, had about half a dozen studios in the back, one of which became my place of residence from 3:00-6:00 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and 10:00-6:00 on Saturdays.  

Colleen, my friend and first piano student, and I.

My love of teaching prompted my choice of study in college: I was accepted into a music school with an amazing piano teacher and fabulous piano pedagogy*** teacher.  They taught me about playing techniques, the history of the music and its composers, and nearly every theoretical concept of music.  One lesson I found particularly interesting was the business of teaching piano.  I was taught how to schedule students, how to keep track of expenses, and the somewhat foreign concept of auditioning students.

We were taught to hold auditions for any potential students to make sure we were the right fit for them.  We were taught about learning styles and personality types and the very basic human concept that not every teacher is suited for every student.

Around this same time, the music store where I taught was bought out by a different family.  The family purchasing it were very successful business owners and soon after the purchase, all of the teachers and staff were brought together for a pep-talk.  We discussed questions, exchanged ideas, and heard some instructions from the new owner that blew.me.away.  Mind you, this was over 15 years ago, so I will not state direct quotes, but here's the gist of it:

You don't get along with the student?  So what!  You have a problem with them or their parents?  Who cares?  We're going to fill your schedules and give you as many students as possible!  You know why?  Because their parents write the checks.  So the next time you have an issue with the student, just smile and accept the check.

I.was.shocked.  Wasn't I being taught by successful college professors that this was exactly what we DIDN'T do?  That was a turning point in my teaching career: I decided right there what type of teacher I wanted to be: the type of teacher who did what was best for her students, not what was best for her pocketbook. 

Miss Naylor, my friend and college piano professor, and I.

Over the years, I've had opportunities to put this into action. From referring top, award-winning students to teachers with greater teaching ability to telling children who wanted to take with me that I didn't feel I was the best fit for them.  They're never easy discussions to have, but I have never regretted one of them.  In the end, I knew in my heart that I was doing what was my absolute best for the student.

Fast forward 20 years:  I am still teaching piano lessons and, as many of you know, have recently earned my Georgia Real Estate license.  I signed on with Harry Norman Realtors in June 2019 and have loved every single bit of it.  It has been a very slow learning process but along the way I've kept the same matra: put people first.  Do what is in THEIR best interest.  Do the best you can for them.  I know this will look different in different situations, but I am confident that this is how I want to build my business.

Cyan, my friend and first client, and her daughter at their new home!

Happy New Year and may 2020 bring you and your family peace, love, health, happiness, and prosperity.

Thank you ever so much to CottonBro for the use of their gorgeous stock photos.

*The term neighbor is used very lightly here:  growing up in the country, "neighbors" were anyone within a 10-minute drive.  My friend fit that bill.

**This "local" music store was approximately 35-minutes away from my home.

***Piano Pedagogy is teaching private piano lessons as opposed to general music education.