Work, life, study, homeschool juggle

"This is an unprecedented time" is the anthem of the beginning of this year.

This has been said at least once a day since March.

I beg to differ.

There are been wide spread health concerns before.

There have been business and school closures before.

There has been travel stoppages before.

There has been economic down turns before.

There have never been all at once before.

I am not going to discuss the pros and cons of the situtation as a whole but talk about what this means on a personal level.

I am blessed with a blended family where Mr Nurney and I have children who are now successful adults but also two young monkey's that are now homeschooling due to "The virus".

I am also homeschooling due to my own educational campuses being closed.

Working while studying a degree as a mature student with a family is a delicate balance in its own right, (a situtation that is not for the faint hearted or weak willed trust me.)Then throw a mum who is producing a graded unit piece in a small house with two children studying at different levels,with four different online services, when your phone socked and modem is under your kitchen unit and you see carnage on any day ending in "Y".😱

Tears and fears become floods and mountains by 9.30am and that's before Joe Wicks is done.😢

Thinking on your feet and the use of your tech support, aka eldest son aged 24 who is on furlough is a daily event.

So how do we cope in Nurney Woods?

Well snakes and ladders become maths class. Unicorn and carnivorous garden planting become science. Weeding and tidying the garden become environmental and citizenship studies. A letter to Blue Peter become literacy.

"Oh what the heck. Make it up as you go along", they say.

Well no that's not the case and not what's happening. For years we have been bashed about not allowing to much screen time and the internet but now our children's learning depends on the technology we are told not to use.🤔

Not in this house. Schooling is done by lunchtime because my learning hungry monkeys love to pace though it and the day is ours to take.

Here comes the balance. In turns we create and free play one day and free play the next.

Creating can be telescopes or painting paper daffodils. Though sometimes it's cutting crowns and tiaras on my cutting machine*.

The smallest monkey loves buttons and he enjoys making the machine whizz and whirl with joy, while his sister enjoys choosing colour and shape.

See schooling can be fun. CAN BE MAYBE.🤷‍♀️

This how ever leaves evenings and long nights for a tired mum to work on her work. 1am, I finished this website's creation and an hour of David Walliams and BBC bite size to get this far.

It's not easy and some days not worth it but we plow on.

Wish us all luck. 🍀

P.s A letter to Blue Peter gets them a chance of a badge. 😉

*machine un-named due to advertising rules.