When we were first asked to stay home due to a global pandemic, I wondered what should I send you? What do you need?
Except, I quickly realized that you and I were being inundated with way too much. I literally shut down, it was the perfect excuse for an introvert to hunker down and enjoy the slowness of it all.
My son came home, my husband started working from home and I have to admit we were extremely fortunate that our kitchen remodel that had been dragging on since the first of the year, was finalized (well almost, a few little details that can wait) with all the appliances hooked up just in time. I’d been cooking on a camping stove in the garage for the past two months, so extremely thankful that it worked out.
‘This too shall pass’ was my new motto, never realizing that 8 weeks later we would still be asked to restrain physical contact from each other. We’ve missed travel plans, birthdays, graduations, yearly family gatherings, and now Mother’s day 2020 will be another day spent away from our loved ones in the quiet of our homes.
Mothers, yes you mama, are essential workers of this pandemic, I commend you for your resilience, your courage, and your strength to keep it all together (or at least try) during a time no one has ever experienced. You’ve been asked to take on even more, on top of everything you already do. I see you and I commend you. You’re amazing. Please, just remember that, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, especially you.
As I write this I also know that not everyone is able to take this situation in stride, there is immense suffering, pain, and grief that so many are experiencing, my heart aches.
Marie Forleo, a woman I’ve admire for many years showed the way right from the start by reminding us that “In times of crisis, the antidote to hopelessness is often helpfulness.”
Which is why I wanted to send you this care package, it’s a mixture of things I offer or that I’ve found to be helpful, inspiring, and uplifting. I’ll be updating often, let me know if you’ve got something I should add to it.
FROM ME TO YOU
I’ve opened up my calendar for you…
I want to support you in your parenting and especially today when our parenting is being tested. Book either my one-on-one mentoring session or a personalized home audit at a reduced rate. Click the link below to book your discovery call and learn how I can best support you and your family now.
MY ONE-ON-ONE MENTORING SESSION – Whether you’re expecting or in the trenches with little ones (0 to 6) I’ll guide you to a calmer and practical approach to any parenting challenge. I’ve been mentoring parents all over the world this past decade and want to be there for you too. Let me know how I can support you. Click the link below to book a call with me.
MY PERSONALIZED HOME AUDIT – if you are feeling a bit overwhelmed with the chaos of living with children, let me guide and show you how simple changes to your home, routine, and language can have a huge impact on your child’s behavior and ability to focus. I blend mindfulness, minimalism and Montessori with a lot of positive discipline to help you regain a calm and peaceful home with ease. You owe it to yourself.
The Art of Parenting podcast
I’ve been keeping up with my weekly podcast for you and I’ve selected a few you’ll find helpful. Check them out below and make sure to subscribe to your favorite podcast platform. Now available on iTunes, Spotify, GooglePlay, and Sticher.
- 35: Learning at Home. With Julie Bogart
- 3: Follow your child, not the curriculum. With Pilar Bewley
- 12: Tantrums are precious opportunities. With Karen Young
- 11: Setting Limits and Building Cooperation. With Patty Wipfler
- 8: World peace begins a home. With Lorena Seidel
FOR YOUR CHILD
Simple activities your child can do at home.
Choose from over 60 short videos filmed from your child’s vantage point giving you a sense of how you can easily introduce new activities and nurture your child’s curiosity. The links below are to the individual blog post to learn more about each presentation or you can check out my playlist here.
- Grab that Garlic and Peel Away!
- Choosing Kitchen Utensils for Children
- Using a Lock and Key as an Educational Toy
- Spreading Cream Cheese: If you only do one Montessori activity at home, do this one.
- Help Your Child Refine Language and Sounds
CURATED FOR YOU
What I’ve found to be helpful plus tools I’ve used in the past.
- Finding hope in uncertain times a 21 Day meditation experience lead by Deepak Chopra and Oprah Winfrey.
- Yoga with Adrienne is a wonderful way to experience you in the comfort of your home, many options to choose from.
- Self Care Saturday with Marie Forleo on Instagram is a lot of fun, I’ve mostly watched the replays and I particularly loved Lantham’s sound mediation.
- Self-Hypnosis is an app I use and can be very powerful when used at the same time every day for at least a full week. Try it you will be surprised.
- Peaceful Beach Trip is another free self-hypnosis and a lovely way to escape to help you find a sense of inner peace and patience, allowing you to return with positivity and power.
Let me know what has been helping you stay healthy: body, mind, and spirit.
- OTHER RESOURCES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED
- Parenting resources from Zero to three.
- Keeping a healthy relationship with your partner during our stay at home orders.
- Pregnancy and postpartum support during a global pandemic.
- Bedtime & Mental Health 19 Apps to support Parents
CURATED FOR YOUR CHILD
Opportunities for collaboration and learning at home…
- Language cards from AMI and how to use them.
- For older children Earth School.
- Storytime with Rachel Cargle on IG is a lovely way to take a pause in the day, check them out on her IGTV.
Remember there’s a lot of opportunities to learn new skills around the house each and every day. I invite you to not only focus on the academic side of things but also on the practical aspects as well. For example:
- Laundry: it can be as simple as helping put things in the washer and dryer to being in charge of folding, ironing, and distributing everyone’s belongings. Start small and build on new skills.
- Cooking: I’ve shared a few ideas in the videos above. Start by letting them help you, to being in charge of planning and cooking entire meals. Here’s a recent interview I did with Katie Kimball from Kids Cook Real Food.
- Car maintenance: this can be as easy as giving language to the different parts, to actually showing an older child how to change a tire or seeing if the car needs oil.
- Gardening: start small with learning about seeds, then planting and maintaining a full garden or taking care of the plants around the house.
I hope these resources are helpful, let me know which ones you end up using and what else you would like me to add.
I believe you, myself, our children, our global community will be changed forever, and I also know that this is an important moment in time where we get to create and choose the next chapter. There’s no going back. IMHO.
For me staying healthy: body, mind, and spirit has been about walking or running in the neighborhood at least 3 times a week, sleeping a lot more (haven’t set my alarm for the past 8 weeks). The one thing I’ve been relishing in is the new Sunday tradition of “Zooming” with my family, my father, stepmother, and all 5 siblings with their respective families in France, Ireland, and both US coasts. It’s been, my anchor.
I’ve also been ‘distancing myself’ from my phone, it’s been kept in our new charging drawer in the kitchen, this one has been a game-changer in helping me limit the amount of anxiety-producing information and combating being easily distracted (so my apologies if I don’t pick up right away).
I’ve also been enjoying cooking with my son, not going shopping so often has us planning and being creative with what is left in the pantry. So many new habits I hope to keep for as long as I can.
Tell me, how have you been managing these days? And how can I be of support? Remember I’m here for you and you can always book a discovery call if you need more support.
