Mom of All Trades:: Finding New Talents in the Midst of a Pandemic

Mom of All Trades:: Finding New Talents in the Midst of a Pandemic

So many of us that carry the title of MOM on our shoulders along with so many other titles. And we carry the MOM title well. You’ve always carried it well. And now, with the addition of COVID-19 into our lives, we can add several more titles, or talents, to our curriculum vitae.

Clipper Queen, AKA, Hair Cutter Extraordinaire

 I did it! I cut my boys’ hair. All three of them, and we didn’t lose any ears or fingers in the process. We almost lost a side burn but he never found out because the error of my ways was discreetly muffled under my voice, while my inside voice said, Oh sh…snap!  Bet you didn’t know you had it in you with the help of a little YouTube. Add that to your COVID resume, momma.

Mom of All Trades:: Finding New Talents in the Midst of a Pandemic

Chef du Jour, AKA, Snack and Food Director 

I don’t know about you but having these kids home all day has racked up a crazy grocery bill. I have seriously considered putting a lock on my pantry because I cannot keep up with the appetites of three growing boys, or man-children, because boy #1 is now my height. In the process though, said boys have learned to cook and bake which in turn translates to lessons in measuring, time keeping {because too much time = burnt cookies} and working together. Eating together, unrushed, has been a welcome change, that I hope we keep post-Covid.

Mom of All Trades:: Finding New Talents in the Midst of a Pandemic

IT Specialist, AKA, Figure Outer of all the new Logins and Passwords.

Three kids in elementary school and you can do the math on how many new logins and passwords we have learned in the past 6 weeks…maybe its 7 weeks. I don’t know. But momma, YOU are a champ!

Musician, AKA, Aspiring YouTube Piano Player

I have no amazing words of wisdom here. I have a piano that belonged to my mother. None of my boys want to learn to play so gosh darn it, I will learn to play now that I have a little extra time! It also helps to clear my mind from the news and all of the noise around us. Thank you YouTube for having great videos. I’ve learned to play “WayMaker”. Boom. New Talent. 

Teacher, AKA, Teacher

So listen this one I know strikes a nerve and makes may want to scream or pour a nice glass of Rosé at the end of the day. It might even be both. Hang with me because this is a long one. The truth is you’ve always been a teacher. A teacher of kindness, compassion, sharing, perseverance, prayer, get back up if you fall down {maybe that’s perseverance, but whatevs, I like how it sounds}. In this unprecedented era, you’ve added Online School Facilitator/Teacher to your resume and you are doing a splendid job! Did you hear that? A splendid job! We would even hire you again but no worries, us classroom teachers really want your kids back in our classrooms.

Why is this new gig so hard?

For some, homeschooling is a way of life and they do it SO well. There are curriculums in place, Co-Ops to help with teaching lessons, online/class hybrid situations and so much more. It’s a conscious, thought out choice for many families. 

What we are doing now is different. School districts, teachers and parents have had to come together to try to bring some sense of normalcy to our kiddos when every single person in our communities has been affected by Covid-19. It is hard. As adults, we usually know our limits and boundaries. We know that maybe it’s time to step out for a minute to compose ourselves. Maybe it’s time to go for a walk or a run in order to reset our mind. Kids don’t always know how to do that so where do they act up? In the place and with the people they are most comfortable with.

-It is hard to manage the million Zoom calls a week. {I mixed up the dates for my son’s Dyslexia call at least twice} but his wonderful teacher showed me GRACE. Show yourself GRACE too.

-One son has literally plopped his head down on the desk. Pouty lips, sad eyes, utter despair from an 8 year old. Pitiful. My initial reaction is to say HEY, what do you think you’re doing!? You have work to do! And then it hit me, this child, who is by far the most SOCIAL of the three, truly was missing his people, his structure and his third grade community. So I backed off and let him go do something else to clear his head. I gave him the gift of UNDERSTANDING. Show yourself some UNDERSTANDING.

Allow yourself mom to truly do the BEST you can with your talents and this new homeschool teacher gig. One day your kiddo might be rockin’ through those assignments and the next day it may seem like all HELL is breaking loose. I’m a mom and a classroom teacher. And it happens to me too! 

Celebrating Talents Along with Meeting Challenges

I hope and pray that we can soon leave the trials and tribulations of Covid-19 behind us. For some families, they’ve reclaimed time together. For other families, these have been challenging times with many facing job losses or the illness itself. I am in awe of so many families that are navigating being on the frontlines of this pandemic, whilst also figuring out their kids’ well being at home.

But we are making it through with new found talents and the resiliency of the many Houston communities. Strong MOMS with many talents live here!

 


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Maria G
Maria is a Cuban born, Miami raised, officially made-it-to-Texas mom of 3 who has called the Katy area home for the past 11 years. Growing up in Miami has played a central role in Maria's cultural identity and how she is raising her kiddos. While attending Florida International University {Go Panthers!}, she met a cute boy named Alex. He had the most amazing smile and a head full of hair and since getting married and adding Daniel {November 2007}, Nicolas {January 2010} and Matteo {June 2011} to the family, he now has no hair but still an amazing smile! Maria was lucky enough to travel to far away places during her time working for a large international firm but switched gears after having kids to focus on another passion – helping people through fitness. She believes we are always a work in progress and we shouldn’t be afraid to reinvent ourselves! When she’s not chasing her three boys, Maria enjoys date nights, distance running, binge watching HGTV and enjoying a little vino with her friends!

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