SELF LOVE:
There are only four days in this work week, so try to think of one thing you can do each day that will help to sustain you. This question has become really important to me lately. What is one little thing I can do each day that will help me to feel more centered, more human, more able to handle the week? One thing that I can look forward to and know I am carving out some time just for me. Here is my list if you need a little inspiration TUESDAY: Make a schedule of the day not for my kids but for myself WEDNESDAY: Make some alone time happen. THURSDAY: Get into nature with the kids. FRIDAY: Talk to an old friend via video call. NOW, create your list!
PARENTING:
This weeks parenting tips will focus on strategies to stay calm when triggered. As stress, anxiety, unknowns, and grief about things big and small continues to mound, we as the parents holding all of these things are certainly being triggered more often. I have been working on identifying and responding differently when triggered a lot over the past several years and I want to share some of the things that have helped me the most. The first is actually that, identifying your triggers and how you tend to physically respond? Think about what situations tend to cause you to react instead of respond. Is it food related, mess related, time related? Write these ideas down. Next time you're in one of those triggering situations, try to tell yourself-oh this is one of the triggers I wrote down. I am responding by clenching my teeth, raising my voice, my heart rate is increasing, etc. This self-awareness helps immensely and is definitely the first step in reducing the reactions and moving to a response.
INDOOR ACTIVITY:
Colors of the world - Have you seen that Crayola came out with some new crayons to represent various skin tones around the world? Use this as a teaching moment when it comes to drawing people with your child and talking about the beautiful rainbow where we all belong. https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/22/us/crayola-skin-tone-crayons-trnd/index.html
OUTDOOR ACTIVITY:
Continue making messes... what kinds of different materials can you find to paint with? Foam rollers, potato stamps (cut a potato with a shape in it to make a stamp), mixing paints in fun containers. Try to make this a "yes" moment with no restrictions on what they can paint with/on within a certain area. It might look like a tornado went through, but oh what fun!