SELF-LOVE: DATE NIGHT IN TAKE 3: DOUBLE DATE!
Text a friend this morning and set up a double date for when the kids are in bed (trust me they probably don’t have any plans!) Try virtual games like Cards for Humanity or this online version of Scattegories (where you have 2 mins to come up with as many things in a category that start with a given letter) called swellgarfo. https://swellgarfo.com/scattergories/
PARENTING TIP:REGRESSIONS: Sleep, potty training, tantrums, demanding (even more) attention. Try to remember that your child is under stress right now as well--their routines have massively changed over the past few weeks, and they are trying to cope with their stressed out parents! Stress and change usually mean regression. While it's tempting to start breaking all the rules, this will probably lead to more anxiety for your child as now all the rules are changing too and mommy ends up REALLY mad when she's finally had enough! Try giving lots of extra compassion and kindness while holding limits. For example, when your child is refusing to put on their shoes even though they used to do it all by themselves."Oh sweetie-do you need a hug first?" or " Do you need mommy to help you today? Let's do it together!"
INDOOR ACTIVITY: BOX TOWN! If you've got lot's of boxes coming in these days (and they've decontaminated for 24 hrs!), make a "box town." Have children draw or paint on their buildings, and cut doors and windows for them. Toddlers will enjoy going in and out and peeping through the windows at parents or older siblings. Add pillows inside so they feel like it's their little house. If you have enough boxes, you can pretend they are different houses or businesses that you used to frequent. This is a great tool for open ended play and even to help your child process and talk about some of the people and places they might be missing.
OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: NEW THINGS WALK! Take a walk around your neighborhood as a family and try to find 10 things you've never seen before. Point out the colors and every detail you might have missed in the hustle and bustle of life before shelter at home. Wave at people looking out of windows or ones you see from afar to give them a friendly face in their day and remind them that they are not alone. You never know what little rays of sunshine you are spreading with the smallest act. And research shows that both being in the present moment and acts of kindness increase our happiness in times of stress.