To blog or not to blog on my Circuit Breaker experience?
Why bother?
Because 10 to 20yrs down the road, I would like a walk down memory lane and remind my family and myself on the precious moments spent uniquely together as we #stayhomeforSG.
Before 8th April the start of Circuit breaker, my hubs posted this.
My hubby’s post! Sharing here so we can all prepare together and embrace the coming month more meaningfully!💪
一个月的时间，说长不长，说短不短。If you don’t plan to use it wisely, it’ll be gone in a flash…
- Store up on books! Not groceries
The first place we brought the kids to after school yesterday was the…. library! (Just as PM was declaring the lockdown oops 😬… circuit breaker)
Library was almost empty, supermarkets had Super Long queues.
Library will be closed, supermarkets won’t.
We need books just as much as we need food. - Support local!
Many of us will be cooking at home (judging from the rush for groceries) Many of us will also dabao. As much as we love the convenience of food delivery, please do support our uncles and aunties at the kopitiams and Hawker centres. They are remaining open for us. Let’s help them survive this too. - Go green
We were gaining some traction in our environmental efforts before Covid19 (eg using less plastic, more recycling bins, etc) Let is continue to keep up these efforts.
If you are ordering food delivery, choose to do without disposable utensils.
If you are going out for takeaways, bring your containers and reusable bags.
Let us not be so focused on the ‘gorilla in the room’ and lose focus on other important issues. - Have a daily schedule for yourself and your kids
Students get a holistic timetable in school with time spent on academic subjects, and non-academic subjects too. Think through what you can do with your kids in the following areas:
a. Cognitive (which should be well-covered by HBL)
b. Aesthetics (some art and music infusion)
c. Social & Moral (brainstorm with your kids on some ideas how they can still contribute to community. Eg write appreciation cards to Teachers, what are they going to do with their pocket money since they’re not going to school)
d. Physical (have some outdoor time at Parks, or do home gym exercises. There are many good videos online)
e. Spiritual (now is a good time to have your family devotion and prayer time. Get your kids to start praying for global issues)
Am actually excited about the multitude of things we can do together as a family as we are now all mandated to stay home as much as possible. It’s a circuit breaker, but it’s a wonderful time to RECONNECT with FAMILY, and to do those things at home that you have been putting away doing.
Have fun everybody!
Fast forward we are left with 1 week’s time to savour before phase 1 of CB commences.
Home-based Learning was a new level of IT intensive learning. Parents, teachers and students alike had to grapple with the ‘how tos’ of hbl in the midst of academic progress.
We had our share of IT woes but the very woes were the catalyst for real growth. It forced us out of our comfort zone and we emerged with a new set of skills and a more flexible mindset. I also did my first Zoom Art Workshop!
I found it amazing that the Student Learning Portal could support such a large network of students during this critical period of stayhome learning. As mentioned before, this hbl takes on a deeper meaning- home-based learning loving
And home-based loving learning.
This stay home period has left a deep impression on me.
School is just a building.
The students and teachers make up the schooling.
Education is not the school’s responsibility, it resides in the hearts of each child’s home.
Home Routine
With the intense three times a meal daily and constant rubbing of shoulders, sparks fly with tempers and impatient words jabbing at vulnerable spots.
We overcame all these with much prayers, reflections and lots of love.
Love spells- hugging every other moment when we pass each other along the living room, kissing each other whenever we take breaks, cooking and baking together our favourite food, sending each other small notes and random comical emails, playing games and having one to one hands-on activities with each child on different days.
Kids thank God that they get to eat every meal with both papa and mama.
During this important period where my eldest will sit for his PSLE, God continues to work in us.
Our CB routine- Kids take on chores despite having a domestic helper at home. They serve each other warm water upon waking, make their own beds, sweep their rooms and take turns to wash up the family’s dishes after each meal. It helps that there are three of them. Each one is in charge of a meal clean-up.
We have our own devotional time before breakfast. Then revision time for the morning. This week we started wearing masks to simulate and condition ourselves for start of school. Kids take 15mins break after each 40mins till lunchtime.
Thereafter, kids play games a while and I coach my eldest by going through mistakes and corrections for an hour.
It’s either free play or TV time or just plain leisure reading and exercise regime. Papa gave a tailored set of exercises for the boys and girl. Ranging from 50 to 100 burpees, push ups, skipping to weight strengthening moves. These sets are done throughout the free gaps of the day. On top of that, they either go for short jog around estate or climb stairs or do basketball moves outside the corridor.
With CB holidays, we baked and cooked much more with them. I also tried many new recipes that I’ve never imagined doing. I also managed to complete 1 coloured illustration for a project I have been working on. It took a few months of experimental work but I discarded it eventually.
It was disappointing but the Lord used an artist friend to encourage and guide me. I asked the Lord for a fresh idea. When a boy rammed into our chalkboard accidentally, that sparked the idea and it quickly took form. With 4days of work, God answered our prayers and it was completed before my work from home starts! You may not know, but I dislike doing art simply because it takes too much out of me. But I LOVE teaching art. For the sake of this project, I needed much help from God. Imagine my euphoria when I finally completed 1 part of this project! I will share about this when the time comes.
In the midst of all these, I finally got to fulfill this desire and have a solid time of bible studying with my growing ones. I also had more 1to1 times with each kid.
We planned what and how to give love offerings to friends or others in need and sent our care to the Foreign Workers via prayers cum simple cards of encouragement.
I thank God for a regained healthy body fit enough to jog more than walk and the longer moments of communion with Him.
This post is really more for my records than for anything… It’s not about how much we have accomplished but how much God has tilled our hearts’ ground and gave us this blessed opportunity to take time to reconnect and enjoy the simple home pleasures of life in our safe haven. More importantly, to remember the safest heaven as we ride through this pandemic together.
Reminds of this song
Through it all, I know that God is in control,
Like the sun, after the storm,
His love comes shining through.
Yes I know His love for us
Is greater than all of life’s trials
Like a child in His arms
He will carry us through it all.
Let’s press on Singapore as we embrace a new norm!
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[…] On hindsight, I am grateful for this period of time to connect deeper simply by doing lots of activities, working alongside together with my family and simply being present as i blogged here. […]