How Things Have changed (And What I've been Buying!) : Isolation and Working From Home With Kids

With the schools closed, working from home and parenting and teaching a 4 and 5 year old, things are a lot different now than they were at the start of the year! If you're coming to my blog just for an escape I apologise for how much this post discusses the impacts of the coronavirus! I am trying to keep it outfit focused and make this my regular break into fashion and frivolity, but the truth is the virus has impacted life so much.

I'm sharing two outfits I wore back when I was working from home while the schools were open, so I did the school run. It was a crazy week with a lot of unknowns in Australia about if and how school would continue, so I wanted to be comfortable and wear things to try cheer me up a little as I worked from home and counted down the hours until I could pick my boys up!

Also thought I'd share with you what I've been buying lately. Definitely no fashion spending - aside from the two things I mentioned in this post - but a lot of things to prepare for home isolation with kids. We are in a new world where I have to ensure my kids are learning at home every day as well as working from home myself 3 days a week. I'm blessed to still have my job, but the juggle is hard!

What I wore:

Tee: Life Church Online "Come change the world with me at Church Online" tee
Skirt: thrifted Billabong 'Don't Think Of It' bikini red printed maxi skirt
Shoes: slim navy and pink Havaianas
Bag: Balenciaga first bag in 2006 Blue India

Why I wore it:

For over 9 years now I've been volunteering at Life Church Online. We have a great group in Brisbane that meets up to stream the service together, and every Sunday night I hop online to help at another one of those services. With the news about churches needing to close, and understandably no more Brisbane catch ups, I wanted to wear my Church Online tee. Faith over fear I guess! And a reminder to myself that no matter what is happening in the world, some things like God's love and my regular Sunday online services, stay the same!

Wore my red maxi skirt with this as it was a bit of a cooler day and this felt more comfortable than jeans for working at home during the day. It, along with the turquoise Balenciaga first bag, were easy ways to add more colour to the black and white tee too.


Last worn: red maxi skirt, Balenciaga first bag, Havaianas. First time I've worn the church online tee on the blog.

Other ways to wear: red maxi skirt and scarf, Balenciaga first bag and pencil skirt.

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What I've Been Buying For Home Isolation:

I've been buying a lot lately. I'm an emotional shopper and while I'm not splurging on fashion items or stockpiling food, I'm thinking about what could be 6 months at home and how we will amuse and teach the kids in these times. We don't often do screen time, just a weekly family movie night and maybe a Daniel Tiger or Bluey episode once during the week, so I have been looking for things other than apps. As a bonus, most of the items I'm sharing are from local Aussie mum owned businesses, so your purchase helps their family as it entertains your own!

Little Birdie Books

Fun book boxes with activity and game ideas (and all the materials you need!) based on the books in the box. You can buy one off book boxes or subscribe to get a steady stream of books and activities. Started by two Aussie mums and speech pathologists, the books and activities are aimed at helping your kids develop essential skills. You can see what I got in a previous box in my YouTube review. I learnt about this company after friending one of the founders on Instagram.

Keeping Kids Busy

This company had been on my radar for a while - a local Aussie mum takes all the guesswork out of travel (or isolation!) by packing a bag filled with activities to keep any age kid entertained. Low mess but high fun bags. My boys got these as bumper "party bags" from my parents after we had to cancel my son's birthday party when the government social distancing restrictions came into place. The things in the bags are still being played with now, just today even. Found this company through a Facebook group, and you can get 15% off this weekend with code EASTER15!

Kids Craft Box

Another Aussie mum owned business, based in WA, who ships a box of crafting materials and activities across the nation, with different themed boxes available. She has special discounts on her Instagram page often, and has a sibling box option to reduce costs which is what I bought for the boys. I "met" this lovely lady through YouTube a couple of years ago.

Messy Play Kits

My kids have been going to these messy play sessions since they were tiny, and now you can order a box of messy play activities to entertain the kids at home! Janelle is a local Aussie mum who is diversifying her business and offering do it yourself packs instead of hosting the big parties she usually does. I'm so glad to have connected with her through playgroup, we have tried a few of her activities we've seen at the sessions at home too over the years!

Activity Books

From anywhere I can find them in stock! Think sticker books, Easter themes, puzzle books and educational workbooks or wipe-clean books. Kmart had a good range but I know stock is really low at the moment.

Printables

There are a few educational sites around with freebies at the moment due to the virus, where you just print the activity pages you think would be helpful for your kids. Some are even created by teachers, for teachers. You could also ask your child's teacher for some ideas if they haven't already provided some. Queensland Education department has a good list of sites too.



There are no affiliate links in these product suggestions and this post was not sponsored in any way. I'm just trying to be supportive and share a list that's useful for a parent if they find that like me, all my time is filled with working, playing with the kids, or worrying about what activities to do with the kids next. I've been visiting fashion blogs less as a result of trying to come up with a learn at home plan for the kids but I'm trying to continue my two posts a week goal here.



Also, if you're an Australian parent, Triple P Parenting (Positive Parenting Program) is now free and has a helpful module, guide and tips for parenting during COVID-19.

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What I wore:

Tee: Life Church Online "Go online reach the world" graphic tee
Skirt: Jeanswest Luxe jersey maxi skirt
Shoes: slim navy and pink Havaianas
Bag: Balenciaga first bag in 2006 Blue India

Why I wore it:

A very similar outfit to the one above, another Church Online tee with a maxi skirt. I like the "go online, reach the world" message on this one as it's so true! And I'm so glad for the internet at a time like this, and technology to keep in touch with all my family despite the travel restrictions.

Stuck with the same bright Balenciaga first bag as I thought the grey tee and black maxi skirt needed a little extra colour, even with the yellow print on the tee. It was clear this would be my kids last day at school and kindy for a while, so that was bittersweet when I picked them up at the end of my work from home day.

Last worn: black drawstring maxi skirt, Havaianas (above), Balenciaga first bag (above).

Other ways to wear: black drawstring maxi skirt worn two ways, Balenciaga first bag and shorts.

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How You can Wear It:

A graphic tee is a simple outfit choice with a maxi skirt - and so incredibly comfortable for working from home, while being presentable enough for any video calls!

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It will be a very different Easter break but no matter what you are wearing: stay safe, wash your hands and stay home as much as you can as you watch your church Easter service online.


Linking up with Mutton Style, On Mondays We Link Up, Runway Monday.

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