Motherhood, Self Care

How to Stay Connected While Social Distancing

Things are starting to slowly reopen, but we’ve spent the last couple of months in our homes. Depending on where you are living, things may not be fully open yet and it’ll be a while before we can resume a life where we go out to dinner with friends, have birthday parties, play dates, book groups, fitness classes etc. A lot of us haven’t seen family members in months and our networks that were there before may be gone. This can make life extremely isolating for moms. Especially single moms who may have no one else to depend on.

Mother and daughter using Laptop

Being an introvert, I miss some people, but I’m okay with having a lot of alone time. However, some people thrive on being connected with others and this time has been especially difficult for them. Our children struggle with this as well. Rosebud misses her friends. She loves playing with other kids and having the structure that preschool provided. One of my goals for NMC Coaching is to connect like-minded moms. The isolation can be overwhelming in normal times, but the pandemic has created a whole new set of challenges surrounding isolation. This gave me an idea to create this list of ways to stay connected to loved ones and or to meet new people.

How to stay connected while social distancing

Virtual Play Dates

Many people are using Zoom or FaceTime for meetings now, but kids are getting on it as well to talk to each other. Depending on the ages of your children and their level of interest, meeting over FaceTime can be a good way for kids to stay connected. This works for you moms to stay connected with your friends too. Here are some ideas for virtual play dates.

  • Read stories,
  • Have the children play with similar toys,
  • Draw pictures to share with each other.

Family Game Night

Virtual Game Night.

This is perfect for families who are used to getting together to play games or have parties. People have gotten creative with game ideas for virtual get togethers. It can be a fun way to pass the time and feel connected with others.

For more ideas, check out this post, Hhow to plan a virtual game night.

Virtual Book Club

One way to connect with others is through common interests. If book club is your thing, there are many of them going on virtually now. Some meet over Zoom and others are just simple Facebook groups where you have online discussions. This can be a great way to meet new people.

How to stay connected with loved ones or meet new people

Online Courses

If you are interested in anything, there seems to be an online course for it. You can learn about blogging, creative writing, business, Crystal healing, nutrition and cooking to name a few. There are universities offering free college courses and many low cost short E-courses on websites like Udemy. There are different formats as well. Some are courses that you take on your own, but others involve Zoom meetings and or Facebook Groups which I’d recommend if you are taking a class to connect with others. There are offerings for children as well. I’ve seen story time, yoga classes and even preschool held over Zoom.

Find a Common Goal

Are you working towards weight loss? Are you starting a business? Are you working on home improvements? Maybe you’re just working on being your best self. Whatever your goal, there is a vertual group that you can get involved in.

I have several goals around blogging and my coaching business, so I’ve found groups where I can connect with others who are working on similar goals. We work together to share ideas and hold each other accountable. Make a list of five to ten goals and then pick one or two to focus on. Chances are, there are others who will be working along side you. I’ve been using an app called Active for my fitness goals. While I prefer to work on this alone, they have programs you can follow and ways within the app to connect with other people. Sometimes an accountability partner or a cheer leader is all you need to crush those goals!

Friends chatting over coffee

Search for Locals

Just because you can’t meet in person yet doesn’t mean you can’t connect now. There are apps that connect local people for friendship such as Bumble BFF. There are local communities/groups on Facebook that are based on interests in your local area. Some ideas for mom groups include

  • Moms from a specific city or town,
  • Baby wearing,
  • Moms of toddlers,
  • Breast-feeding moms,
  • Working moms,
  • Homeschooling moms,
  • Crunchy moms.

You get the idea. If you have passions outside of motherhood, that is great too!

Maybe you are interested in crafts, DIY or volunteering in your local community. Do a quick search to see what’s out there in your community. Who knows. You might find a new friend or your next amazing opportunity!

Support

If you are struggling with a specific challenge such as a chronic illness, mental health issues, death/grief etc, there are so many support groups out there. There are many on Facebook, but there are also specific websites made for this purpose. If you do a search for a support group related to your specific challenge, you will get results. You can narrow it down by location if you wish. It can be difficult when you are isolated while trying to deal with these additional challenges, but there are lots of people who want to be supportive and helpful. If you are struggling, please reach out to someone you are comfortable talking to. If you know someone who is struggling, please reach out to them as well. It can make all the difference for people to know that someone cares.

How to stay connected and feeel less isolatedAs you can see, there are many reasons and ways to connect with others online. While it’s not ideal for many of us, it has become our new normal for the time being. If we are able to focus on the positive, we can remind ourselves that we can stay in touch with our loved ones, we can meet people we would have never met otherwise, we can learn new things and most of all, this too shall pass. How are you staying connected with your loved ones? Have you done anything creative to bring people together virtually? Tell us in the comments.

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Activities For Kids

10 Calming Activities for Kids

Although things are starting to open up a bit depending on where you are located, most of our kids are still at home. Whether you have kids of different ages that you are trying to homeschool or if you are trying to work from home yourself, it can be a challenge to keep the younger kids occupied. It’s especially difficult to keep kids quiet or calm while being cooped up in the house and there’s only so much screen time you can handle. If you are at the end of your rope and just want some peace and quiet, keep reading for my list of the top quiet calming activities for toddlers and preschoolers.

10 Calming Activities for Kids

1. Puzzles

Puzzles are great because they are quiet, teach problem solving skills and depending on the ages of your children, they can be worked on independently. The other bonus is there are puzzles for all ages. You could have a 4 piece puzzle for your young toddler or a 500 piece puzzle that you work on over days as a family.

I also like puzzles because they can be a great way to introduce different concepts or reinforce things you are already learning about. Rosebud has become interested in maps and space lately, so I bought her two puzzles. One is of a map of the U.S. and the other is this wonderful puzzle of our solar system. She enjoys seeing the pictures of the planets close up.


Glitter sensory bottle

2. Sensory Bottles

I’ve seen different names for these bottles. Some people call them sensory bottles, discovery bottles or calm down jars. Basically, you fill a bottle with water or another base material and then add interesting things to it. You glue the top shut and let your child look at the bottle. There are literally a million different ideas out there. Here are some ideas for your bottles.

  • Color mixing: Add drops of food coloring with the water in the bottles and see how different colors mix.
  • Alphabet: Add water and beads with the letters in a bottle and then see if your child can find the letters.
  • Princess: Add water, glitter, jewels and let your child choose a color. See if your child can find all the jewels.
  • Shapes: Add water, a color and different shaped items. See if your child can name the shapes.
  • Beach: Add sand, water, shells and or rocks. Play beach sounds for a nice relaxing activity.

Marshmallow House Sculpture

3. Marshmallow Sculptures

All you do is set out a tray with marshmallows and tooth picks and then let your child create a master piece. This is a wonderful activity to help with those fine motor skills that is perfect for preschoolers. Toddlers can do this as well, but need more supervision. This activity lets kids use their imagination and it is quiet. If you don’t want to use the regular marshmallows, there are these foam marshmallows that would work.

4. Jewelry Making

Here’s another activity that is great for strengthening those fine motor skills. Depending on the age of your child, this activity will look different. If you have a young toddler, you may want to use yarn and pasta with close supervision. They have bead stringing sets that you can reuse. These sets are great because they are sturdy and perfect for a toddler’s little hands.

If your child is a little older, you can use string or gimp with pony beads and make something that resembles jewelry. In my experience, boys and girls alike enjoy making bracelets or necklaces for themselves or family members. If your child is s school age, you can get an actual jewelry making kit and see what they come up with.

Little Girl Listening to Headphones

5. Audio Books

I love audio books because they are a great way to keep a child occupied for a few minutes while you need to get something done. You can find audio books on Amazon on CD or digital download. Right now Audible has stories that you can listen to for free while the children are out of school. There are many people who are reading stories on Youtube as well. This is still screen time, but it’s a form of reading time that can capture your child’s attention.

6. Felt Story Boards

To go with books, felt story boards are a wonderful way to make reading time interactive. The wonderful thing about felt boards are they are super quiet. You have lots of options here too. There’s everything from The Very Hungry Caterpillar to the felt alphabet to dress up. You can either buy kits to cut out at home or ready made kits.


Sensory bin with scoops and cups

7. Sensory Bins

Similar to the sensory bottles, there are a million ideas out there, but I’ll focus on the quieter options. Sensory bins can help your child practice fine motor skills, math, science, imaginative play and they can be very calming depending on what you put in them. Here are some ideas.

  • Cotton balls and or pompoms for scooping/pouring, sorting by color, shape and or size, add tongs to help your child practice fine motor skills.
  • Water, scoops, cups, shells, plastic fish. This works well for an ocean theme or as a calm down activity. Water. Has been proven to have a calming effect.
  • Small world: Fill a basket with mini dolls, doll furniture, little animals etc. Let your child’s imagination come alive.

8. Matching Games

Here’s another activity your child can do independently. There are matching games out there to fit any theme or interest. You can make your own or buy them. Matching games help children learn to sort and classify items. Rosebud loves this cupcake shape matching game and this cookie alphabet puzzle where you match the letters. To help her with her counting, I got her this popcorn game that has cups with the numbers on them and you have to count out the pieces of popcorn to match the cups.


Blocks in the shape of a heart

9. Blocks

You’re probably thinking, how can blocks be quiet and or calming, but these foam blocks are wonderful for toddlers. They are light weight, quiet and have several shapes to build with. Blocks are great for helping kids with spacial awareness, learning shapes and sizes, creativity and allowing them to experiment. If you add little animals or people, they can get even more involved in their play.

Little Girl reading to teddy bear

10. The Quiet Basket

This is the ultimate basket for you mamas who need to work a bit longer or desperately need to escape the noise. One way to use this basket is to have a quiet time as apart of your child’s routine every day. Here are some ideas of what you can put into the basket.

  • Books,
  • Dry erase board or book with small pack of markers,
  • Sensory bottle with an I Spy card,
  • Mini felt board with story set,
  • Etch a Sketch,
  • Water game,
  • Lacing cards,
  • Small bag of legos,
  • Mini puzzle,
  • Sheet of bubblewrap with the small bubbles.

10 Calming Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

I hope you are able to find some peace and quiet at your home. How are you keeping your children occupied while you work from home? Tell us in the comments.

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Motherhood, Personal Development

31 Journal Prompts for Mother’s Day

I want to wish everyone a happy Mother’s Day! I know Mother’s Day looks different this year, but hopefully you’ve found creative ways to celebrate the moms in your life. I’ve created this list of 31 journal prompts to help you do that. You can use these for self reflection, preserving memories or maybe you want to use some of these questions to get to know your own mom better. These prompts can be used for grandmothers, aunts or any mother figures in your life. You can either use these prompts in order over the next month or just use the prompts that resonate with you. They are meant to be a starting point. Enjoy these Mother’s Day journal prompts.

31 Journal Prompts for Mother’s Day

Lessons Learned

Use these prompts to reflect on lessons learned and to become clear on the lessons you want to teach your children.

  • What is the most important lesson you learned from your mom?
  • What did your mom teach you about love?
  • What did your mom teach you about work?
  • What lessons have you learned from your mom about parenting?
  • What are some important lessons you want your children to learn?

Love and Gratitude

Use these prompts to express your love and gratitude for the people and things you appreciate in life.

  • What do you love about your mom?
  • What do you love about being a mom?
  • What do you love most about your children?
  • What does your ideal Mother’s Day look like?
  • Who are your female role models?

Mother and Daughter dressed up

Making Memories

Use these prompts to remember the good times.

  • What’s your favorite memory of your mom?
  • What are your favorite memories so far with your children?
  • What did you do on your first Mother’s Day after becoming a mom?
  • What do you still want to do with your mother or children?
  • What’s your favorite childhood memory?

Family Traditions

Use these prompts to think about past and future family traditions.

  • What’s your favorite tradition from childhood?
  • What’s your favorite family recipe?
  • What traditions have you started with your own children?
  • What does Mother’s Day mean to you?
  • What is your family story?

Mother writing in her journal with breakfast in bedGrowth and Change

Use these prompts for personal development and self discovery.

  • How have you changed since becoming a parent?
  • How has your relationship changed with your mother over the years?
  • What do you wish your mom would have done differently?
  • How has your mom influenced your life choices?
  • What are your parenting goals?

Getting to know each other

These questions are for mothers and daughters to use to learn new things about each other.

  • What are your big dreams?
  • What do you wish you had done, but haven’t yet?
  • What are your goals for the next decade?
  • What’s one story you’d like to pass down to younger generations?
  • What’s the best gift you’ve ever received?
  • What is the best thing about having a daughter or being a daughter?

31 Journal prompts for Mother’s DayI hope you find these prompts useful either for your personal journaling practice or to share with your mom. Have a wonderful Mother’s Day where ever you are in your parenting journey. Stay healthy and stay safe. How are you celebrating this Mother’s Day? Tell me in the comments.

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Gift Giving, Motherhood, Parenting

What Mothers Really Want for Mother’s Day

Things may look a little different for Mother’s Day this year. Mom’s favorite restaurant may not be open, her gift may not arrive on time or you may not be able to see her in person due to social distancing. With all that in mind, I asked a group of mothers what they really want this year. Luckily for you, most of them don’t want fancy dinners out or an expensive gift. If you want to know the secret, keep reading to learn what the mothers in your life really want for Mother’s Day. Don’t forget to click on their links as well to show these awesome mom bloggers some appreciation.

What Moms are really asking for this Mother’s Day

Quality Time Alone and with the Family

The responses I got included a mix of things from being pampered to quality time with family.

Jessica “What mothers really want for Mother’s Day is to sleep in and wake up to a freshly cleaned house! We also don’t want to hear any complaining the entire day.”

Amy “Time alone from my child 😂 In all seriousness I love to spend Mother’s Day partly by myself getting a pedicure and then having dinner with my family from my favorite takeout restaurant.”

Kate “I would love a massage from my husband without having to remind him or have to negotiate the length of the massage.”

Tiffany “I want a night or two at hotel by myself. Order room service, watch a TV show, book a massage and pedicure, and get a full night of uninterrupted sleep.”

Mother and baby smiling outdoors

Allison “What I really want for Mother’s Day is to spend a fun day out with my family, but not have to plan any of it. I’d love to just show up, be the fun mom, and make awesome memories with my kids.”

Tamara “I want this pandemic to end soon so that we can be back to normal. I’d love to go to the beach with my son, socialize with friends and relatives, have a normal delivery (I am pregnant). I’m due in June so these are my last days to have some family fun before the baby arrives – being stuck at home wasn’t exactly what I was wishing for.”

Crystal “I would love to have a day to myself. I have 4 young kids so our house is never quiet. To have a day of quiet to relax, sew, and watch tv by myself would be amazing. :)”

Ina “I would love a clean house, Netflix my choice, and visit garden center for plants shopping.”

Dana “I would really love a day to do nothing (although we’ve had a lot of that over the past few weekends) to read my books, magazines, and lay on my hammock.”Woman relaxing in bubble bath.

Taryn “All I want for Mother’s Day is a full night of uninterrupted sleep.”

Sarah “I want for everyone to be healthy and happy first and formost! Though it would be nice to enjoy some quality time outdoors together with family, followed by my husband taking care of supper and the kids, while I get some quite book reading/me time. It would also be nice if my husband did a few things off my “hubby-to-do-list” as well.”

Ana “For Mother’s Day, I would love to start the day feeling refreshed with a little time to care for myself, followed by special time later in the day with family — whether it’s an outing, game or dinner celebration, but peaceful quality time together.”

Samantha “For mothers day I just want to be with my kids and for no money to be spent. A homemade card with my little kids hand prints in it and a cuddle is all i ever want. Most mothers days we have a nice family meal or if its warm enough head to the beach.”

Mother and daughter in fancy dressesKristen “For Mother’s Day I’d love to be able sleep in, have breakfast made for me, and take an uninterrupted shower.”

Cassie “I would absolutely love to get the final decision that we could adopt our foster son that’s been in our care for almost two years.💕”

Maggy “A cup of tea in bed and a handmade card :)”

Girl in pink dress with Mother’s Day card.

Personalized Gifts

If you do pick out a gift. These moms have wonderful ideas for meaningful gifts.

Christina “What I would love for Mother’s Day is a mother’s necklace with my kids initials on it.”

Mellissa “I would love a photobook of all of my kids from birth to now. It would be so nice to have all of their photos in one place that I could look at whenever I wanted to!”

Holly from PinkFortitude sells gratitude journals which would make a wonderful personalized gift for mom.

Do you know what your mom’s love language is? Heather from Our Green Life says, “I think a lot of moms don’t want stuff, they want someone to do all the chores/errands/mom stuff that often fall to mom. A day without obligation would be the best.”

She has written this wonderful post about gifts of service for moms.

Jen from Journalls to Freedom Printables suggests, “this year, give the special mom in your life the priceless gift of time spent together.” She sells this amazing Printable Mother’s Day Binder.These are a great way to really get to know your mom and spend quality time with her. It’s a great gift for creating long-lasting memories together.

To wrap up this roundup of fantastic Mother’s Day ideas, Jane and Sonja from Sustain My Craft Habit have written this beautiful post about what mothers want for Mother’s Day from a kid’s perspective.

What Mothers Really Want for Mother’s Day 2020

As for me, I’d love to get a little extra sleep, spend the day with Rosebud and then have some time to relax after she goes to bed. Above all this year, I want everyone to be healthy and safe. Check out last year’s Mother’s Day roundup for even more gift ideas. What are you doing for the moms in your life this Mother’s Day? Tell me in the comments.

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Personal Development, Self Care

How To Show Self Compassion

How are you doing? Where are you in this strange world we are living in? Maybe you are one of those people who is maximizing your time by taking courses, organizing your home or being productive with your work. Maybe you are on the other end of the spectrum and it’s all you can do to get out of bed and get dressed. Chances are, you are probably somewhere in the middle. Especially if you are a mom trying to hold down a job, homeschool kids and take care of the house. Where ever you are at this moment, I want to remind you to show some self compassion.

How To Show Self Compassion

I’m writing about self compassion today because it is a struggle I am having. Chances are, I’m not alone in this. When the stay at home orders first started, I was thankful that I had some extra time to put towards my coaching and this blog. I was excited to have extra time with my daughter. I always wanted to stay at home with her, so I was looking atthis as an opportunity. For the first couple of weeks, things were going great. I had lots of motivation and my daughter was loving having me at home.

Lonely little girl with teddy bear.

As time passes, I have lost the motivation to write which leaves me discouraged. I’ve also noticed behavioral changes in my daughter. She’s angry that she can’t go back to school and she misses her friends. She always tells me that she’s scared, but when I ask her what is scaring her she tells me, “monsters.” I’m wondering if it’s really monsters she’s scared of or is it something else. Is she scared that we may get sick? Is she scared of something she can’t put into words? She’s only four, so much of this is beyond her comprehension, but she is piecing things together and trying to make sense of it all. I’m trying to help her stay motivated with her learning, but she can’t focus. Quite frankly, neither can I.

Sad baby girl holding toy

Is it time to get back to the drawing board? Probably. We need to take a new approach. I’ve started with toy and book rotation, more snuggle time and a lot more going with the flow. As a coach, it’s my job to help others stay motivated and working towards achieving their goals, but I am only human and I am definitely feeling overwhelmed, sad and frusterated.

Your Challenges

What are your struggles?

  • Is it a lack of motivation?
  • Is it work/life balance?
  • Are your kids having trouble adjusting to the changes?
  • Are you unemployed and or in a career transition?
  • Is it cabin fever?

Whatever your challenges are, let’s start by being kind and compassionate with ourselves. We are in extraordinary circumstances.

Mother and daughter with a speech bubble that reads, kindness.

What is self compassion?

The definition of self compassion is is the extension of kindness, care, warmth, and understanding (instead of beratement and criticism) toward oneself when faced with shortcomings, inadequacies, or failures.

When I think of self compassion, I picture this situation. When your friend is going through a tough time, what do you tell them? If your friend tells you she let the kids eat junk food because she didn’t feel like cooking or that they sat in front of the tv for too long, what would you tell her? You would probably tell her to be kind to herself. You’d tell her to try again tomorrow and not to worry so much. You wouldn’t tell her that she’s a terrible mother for not feeding organic or putting the kids in front of the tv so that she can get a moment of peace. If we are kind and compassionate with our friends, why do we criticize ourselves for the same actions?

Mother holding child while working on laptop which reads, self compassion.

Tips for Self Compassion

1. Say kind things to yourself.

If those negative statements pop into your head when you lose motivation, snap at your children or forget to take care of yourself, try using a positive statement instead.

  • I will use calm words with my children.
  • I may be overwhelmed, but I am a good mother.
  • I will start fresh tomorrow.
  • I have achieved these goals and will achieve my goals in the future.

Whatever your negative self-talk is, think of positive statements to challenge these beliefs. Write them down if you have to.

2. Stop and practice gratitude.

Whether it is in your head, on paper or in your phone, stop and write a few things you are grateful for. It may bring you joy and help you feel centered again.

3. Practice self-care.

If you are able to take just a short break to something for your self, it can make all the difference. Here are some ideas.

  • Journaling,
  • Meditation,
  • Taking a walk,
  • Take a bubble bath,
  • Have your favorite drink or comfort food,
  • Read a book or maybe just one chapter.

4. Connect With Others

If you can’t seem to give your self any compassion, reach out to someone who will lift you up. Call a friend, a family member or others in your network. Sometimes, it helps to talk things out. You may come away with a new perspective or will feel better in knowing that someone else understands and has your back.

Where ever you are at this point, it is okay. If you are on fire with ambition, that’s awesome! If you are feeling down, be kind to yourself. If you and your kids are driving each other crazy, take a break if you can and find something you can enjoy. That’s what I’ve been doing this week. I’m taking care of myself so that when I come back, I will have more positive energy and a renewed sense of purpose. Most importantly, I am showing some self compassion and I hope these tips help you do the same.

How To Show Self Compassion

How are you and your children coping with all of this? Tell me in the comments.

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Personal Development, Self Care

10 Self-care Tips for the Busy Mom

As moms, we are always jumping from one task to the next and taking care of ourselves is an after thought. What do you picture when you hear the term self-care? Maybe you picture days at the spa or a weekend at home in your pj’s with your favorite comfort foods. What if I told you that self-care can take 10 minutes or less? Here are my 10 self-care tips for busy moms that can be done in under 10 minutes.

10 Self-care tips for busy moms

You may be thinking 10 minutes is too short to make a difference. You might be dying to have a whole weekend to yourself, but let’s be realistic. A refresher is better than nothing and during this pandemic, most of us aren’t leaving the house anyway. If you regularly schedule these five to ten minute breaks in your routine, they will become a habit and it will start to add up and make a huge difference in your outlook, health and wellbeing. Okay, I know your busy, so let’s get to those self-care tips now.

Journaling

Journaling is one of my favorite self-care routines. I don’t journal as much as I’d like to, but journaling has so many benefits. Personally, it has helped me work through feelings, visualize my future, keep track of goals and ideas, remember my dreams and preserve memories. With all these ways that journaling can help you, why wouldn’t you want to try it? The great thing about journaling is that there is no right or wrong way to journal. You just write from the heart. If you are not much of a writer, you can make lists or even sketch instead. The best part for us busy moms is that you can journal in less than ten minutes. You can include it in your routine first thing in the morning or before you go to bed or maybe you find it more beneficial to jot down notes throughout the day. Here are some ideas to get you started.

  • A gratitude journal; make lists of what you are grateful for.
  • Write using journal prompts.
  • Write down your dreams when you wake up.
  • Write down your goals and big dreams each day.
  • Write about your day.
  • Make a journal using photos.

Morning meditation on the beach

Meditation

Many people use meditation as their form of self-care. There are numerous benefits of meditation. There are so many forms of meditation out there, so try several and figure out which meditations work best for you. Even if meditation is hard for you, just try to find a time to be in calm and stillness. We are always juggling and rarely get to stop to sit with our thoughts. There are many meditations that can be done in ten minutes or less like these.

Stretch Routines

If you are working at home now like I am, you may be sitting for hours at a time. It’s really important to get up and move around. A quick five to ten minute stretch routine is the perfect way to do that.


10 Self-care tips for busy moms

Workouts

If you have the energy and motivation, why not schedule a ten minute workout? If you are low on energy, doing even a short exercise routine is a great way to beat fatigue! If you have an exercise machine at home, do that, but if you don’t have any exercise equipment, I’ve got you covered. There are many strength based workouts that you can do from the comfort of your home that only use your body weight and can burn just as many calories.


Favorite Snack

What are your favorite snacks? This will look different for everyone and that’s okay. For some people self-care is grabbing their favorite comfort food and for other people self-care includes eating something healthy for their body. Whatever the case may be for you, prepare some of these snacks for you and your kids so you can have them throughout the week.75 Healthy Snack Ideas

No Bake Blueberry Protein Balls

Strawberry Granola Yogurt Bark

Looking Good to Feel Good

Maybe you don’t have time for a spa treatment or to do your regular makeup routine, but it’s so important to feel good about how you look. Since we are staying at home, many of us are not even bothering to get dressed or do our makeup. I don’t know about you, but when I’m not dressed and ready for the day, I don’t feel very motivated. Here are some ideas to help you look and feel good that take only a few minutes.

  • Put on your makeup.
  • Wear jewelry.
  • Do your nails.
  • Do a facial.
  • Style your hair in a different way.

Woman relaxing reading a book

Reading

Reading is one of my favorite activities because I learn new things or I can escape into the book depending on what I’m reading. Those are just a couple of benefits of picking up a book or listening on Audible. Reading doesn’t have to take up a lot of time. You can just read a few pages at a time, but if you totally get absorbed, that’s okay too.

Outside Time

How about taking that book outside and enjoying the peace that comes from being in nature? These days it can be harder to get out with our social distancing practices and stay at home orders, but as long as you keep these things in mind, you can still safely enjoy the outdoors. If you have a dog, take him for a walk. The dog needs to get out, so why not take this time for yourself as well? If you have a baby, it can be nice to just put them in the stroller and go enjoy the fresh air. Maybe you’re working and you can take your laptop outside. Being outside for a few minutes can bring some calm not only to yourself, but to your kids as well.

Creating a Peaceful Environment

This may be an aspect of self-care that you haven’t thought of. If you are working at home, think about the environment that you are working in. Is it uninviting? Is it complete chaos? One way to make your day more peaceful and or motivating is to change your environment in subtle ways. Here are some ideas.

  • Put pictures on your desk.
  • Add motivational quotes or affirmations where you see them.
  • Use crystals.
  • Add fresh flowers.
  • Use peaceful sounds like these.

https://youtu.be/UJZxtO9XNno

You deserve a break “Relax, restore, renew”

Social Connection

During this time of isolation, it’s so important to reach out to others. What’s better than a good chat with a friend? Maybe you want to reconnect with someone you haven’t talked to in a while or maybe you want to make some new connections. Whatever the case may be, reach out. It could make your day or someone else’s. It can also help us to slow down and listen and or be heard.

Self-care is so important, especially during these uncertain times. What are you doing to take care of yourself? Tell us in the comments.

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Activities For Kids, Motherhood

How To Help Children Work Through Feelings

This week on the blog, I’ve talked about how to sit with our feelings at this uncertain time. If you missed the post, I shared several strategies to help us work through our feelings. As adults, we understand what Is going on the world around us and of course, we are feeling many strong emotions. We may be feeling fear, sadness, anxiety and or grief.

How to help children work through their feelings

Our kids are having these feelings too and the hard part is they may not even know how to describe what they are feeling. Young children are just learning how to regulate their emotions and express themselves. They may start acting out, become withdrawn or become extra clingy during this time. They hear our conversations and see the news if they have it on. They are hearing things they don’t understand and are picking up on whatever their family members may be feeling. Their worlds have also been turned upside down. Their routines may be totally different with the school closures and parents now working from home or not working at all. Even though all this extra time at home with our families can be wonderful, it’s a huge change.

However, there are things we can do to help our toddlers and preschoolers understand and work through their feelings. We can help our youngest toddlers label their feelings and we can help our older preschoolers work through their feelings by playing and creating. I have compiled a list of activities that parents can use to help their toddlers and preschoolers recognize, label and work through their feelings.

Toddler crying feeling strong emotions

Art Feelings Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

The Feelings Collage

What you do:

Look through magazines or print off pictures from the internet that express different feelings. Then glue them on paper.

Paper Bag Puppet

What you do:

Take a brown paper bag and draw or create a face using materials from around the house.

Materials may include googly eyes, felt, tissue paper, foil, paper scraps cut into different shapes etc. Be creative!

Dry Erase Faces

What you do:

Print off blank pictures of faces like these coloring pages from Dabbles & Babbles. Then have your children color them, expressing whatever they are feeling. Then erase and start over.

Open Ended Drawing or Painting

Have your children draw or paint whatever comes to mind. Then talk about the picture. They may open up about their thoughts and feelings.

Play-dough

This is usually classified as a sensory activity, but it is creative as well. Make silly faces out of play-dough or let your children use their imaginations to create whatever comes to mind. They can also add items to the faces like beads, pompoms, googly eyes, rocks, shells etc. You could do this with modeling clay as well. It makes a perfect mixed media art activity.

Story Writing for Preschoolers

Have your child dictate a story to you and write it down. My daughter loves to do this. It’s a great window into your child’s thoughts. You can either make the story into a homemade book letting the child draw the pictures or keep it as is.

Happy toddler

Family Feelings Activities

The Happy List

Have the child make a list of things that make him or her happy. They can draw pictures to go with it and you could turn it into a happy book. This could be done with other feelings as well. You could also make it a family happiness list and write down things that make each family member happy.

Feel Good Jar

Talk with the child about how to make others feel good. Each morning, they can either draw a name from the jar or an action depending on how you want to set this up. You could either put in the names of your family members or you could write down actions instead and the child can pick who they want to do something nice for that day. Here are some action examples.

  • Give a complement,
  • Give a hug,
  • Share a snack,
  • Take a walk together,
  • Call a friend,
  • Help a family member with a chore,
  • Tell someone you love them,
  • Make a homemade card,
  • Share a toy.

The bruised apple feeling different emotions

The Bruised Apple

This is a good activity to do in a classroom setting, but you could do it at home as well. It’s a good activity for teaching how our words or actions can hurt other people without us knowing it. All you do is have the child hit the apple on a table or the floor. Then cut it open to see the bruising inside.

Young girls feeling afraid

Conversations About Feelings With Kids

Sometimes the best way to teach something is to slip it into everyday conversations or activities.

One way is using the daily calendar. We have a calendar that has a space for feelings. Ask the child how they are feeling and have them put the face on the calendar.

Since we are all stuck at home, there may be more screen time than usual, so talk about the shows your child is watching. Many shows have feelings, friendship or specific fears as themes for specific episodes. My daughter watches Bubble Guppies, If You Give A Mouse A Cookie and Pete The Cat. Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood is another show that talks about emotions often. There are many episodes of kids shows that talk about being sick and or going to the doctors. With all this talk of sickness due to covid19, that may be worth exploring with your kids as well. They may have new fears about sickness and going to the doctors. My daughter has mentioned being afraid of the doctor several times since the pandemic started. I know she’s not alone.

Feelings Snacks for Kids

You can tie the feelings theme into meal times by having kids make faces on their food while preparing it. This works best with foods with toppings.

  • Mini pizzas,
  • Pancakes,
  • Rice cakes with peanut butter.
  • English muffins with peanut butter.

Feelings Activities Resources

I’ll leave you with a few extra resources that you can explore. If you want books, games and even more activities, check out these informative web pages.

If you are looking for games, songs and even pretend play activities with a feelings theme, check out this list of feelings activities for preschoolers.

Here is another great resource for art, math and even science feelings activities.

Check out this list of 10 books to help kids understand their feelings.

Feelings activities for toddlers and preschoolersWhat are you doing to help your kids work through difficult emotions during this strange time? Tell me in the comments.

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Personal Development, Self Care

How To Sit With Your Feelings

In my last post, I talked about how we can use the time in quarantine for personal development. Coincidentally, an article came across my newsfeed about how there is this push to make ourselves a project during this time. While I agree that there has been a push to use this time to improve ourselves, I don’t see it as a bad thing. I see it as one way we can put positivity back into our lives. Also, I think if you see yourself as a project, it diminishes your worth. If you see yourself as a complete being that is constantly evolving, doesn’t that sound better?

Frowning woman Acknowledge feelings

Pay Attention to Your Feelings

That being said, the author brought up a really good point that I want to focus on. When there is a huge push to go, go, go, it is distracting. When we are constantly in motion, we don’t have time to sift through our feelings. While I think it is a great idea to do some personal development during this time, I encourage you to  incorporate working through these difficult feelings as a part of your routine.

Sitting With Our Feelings How to Deal with Difficult Feelings

This is a tragedy like no other in our lifetime. It is effecting everyone in different ways. People are losing their lives. Families are losing loved ones. To make things worse, family members can’t be with their loved ones who have to die alone. It’s heartbreaking even if you aren’t going through it. On the flip side, there are people getting sick, but they are fully recovering. The scary thing is you never know who will be the lucky ones. As this goes on, you might be feeling grief, sadness, worry and fear.

Then there is all the other stuff. You might be unemployed and not sure when you will get your next check. You might be worried about getting enough food or personal products. You can’t go see family members or friends. Schools are closed and you might be trying to homeschool your children. Children are missing their friends and normal routines. Students can’t have proms or graduation ceremonies. Vacations and weddings have been canceled. Then there are all the pregnant women who have their own set of challenges. It’s a scary and strange time and we all will have to deal with our feelings at some point.

Strategies for dealing with difficult feelings

Strategies to Cope With Strong Feelings

Simply acknowledge the feelings.

Recognize them, name them in your head and allow yourself to feel them.

Journal

Write everything down. Give yourself that safe space to let go of everything.

Release the feelings

For some people, it helps to wrip up or burn the paper after they’ve written about a negative event or negative feelings. It’s a way of releasing that negative energy from your mind and your physical space.

Other people just need to have a good cry or can release the feelings by doing something physical. You can either go for a walk, do a workout at home or take a bike ride.

Create

Some people work through feelings by creating something. You can use any kind of art, music or writing to express yourself.

Reach Out

Even though we are apart, we are all in this together. Don’t be afraid to reach out to a friend or family member. Sometimes just asking someone how they are doing can make all the difference. Mental health is so important and if you know someone who is struggling, please reach out to them. If you are struggling and need to talk to a therapist, don’t be afraid to reach out. It really can help to talk to someone.

Woman on the phone. Strategies for dealing with difficult feelings

If we all take this time now to work through how we are feeling, we will come out of this that much stronger. If you are one of those people who is constantly in motion distracting yourself, take a few minutes to stop and breathe. Let yourself feel even if it is hard. We will get through this eventually. Things will never quite be the same, but we will find our way down this new path together.

How are you? Coffee cups on table

How are you holding up during these tough times? Tell me in the comments.

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Goals and Dreams, Personal Development

How To Use Time in Quarantine for Personal Development

When this  quarantine period started in mid-March, I was lost. This was the first time in nine years that I was unemployed. It was also the first time I was home with my daughter full-time. With no preschool for her and no work for me, it was totally different. I had been wanting a change, but not under these circumstances. I was afraid of getting sick. I didn’t know how I’d end up paying my bills. I was worried about our food situation. I had so many worries and questions floating around in my head.

Coffee with notebook. “Change Your Mindset”

Shift Your Mindset

Meanwhile, I was about half way through my coaching course with World Coach Institute. On one of those calls, I talked to a classmate about how I was feeling overwhelmed and lost. He told me that this time was a gift so that I could focus on my business. When I started thinking of it like that, I felt much more positive about our situation. After my mindset changed, things started to fall into place.

I think of this time as a gift. How can you reframe this time of being alone to something positive you can identify with? Maybe you think of this time as a change, a rebirth or a chance to rethink your priorities. Maybe this time can be a reconnection. A reconnection to yourself as well as your connection to those around you. Even though we can’t be in the same room, there are plenty of ways to reach out to each other.

How To Use the Time in quarantine for personal developmentHow To Choose Your Focus

If you are as overwhelmed and lost as I was, choosing something to focus on can seem like a daunting task. The obvious choice for me is my coaching business since it’s one of my big dreams for this decade and I was already taking the course. Have there been changes you wanted to make? Is there something you’ve always wanted to learn about? Is your home in need of cleaning and or organization? Have you wanted to start a new hobby?

Write everything down. Your dreams, goals, changes you want to make, things you’ve always wanted to try and then prioritize them. Then ask yourself, which of these things can I do from home?

Possibilities

  • Work on your business,
  • Spring clean,
  • Reorganize your home,
  • Do activities with your kids,
  • Start a new exercise routine,
  • Find a new hobby,
  • Take a course,
  • Read books,
  • Start a journaling or meditation practice,
  • If you’ve been running non stop, take a break.

How to crush your goals during quarantine

What other ideas can you come up with? How are you improving your life during this period of uncertainty? Scroll down and tell me in the comments!

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Books, Parenting, Preschool

10 Valentine’s Books for Preschoolers

I love sharing book recommendations and seeing all these blog posts with lists of books for different themes. Since Valentine’s Day is less than a week away, I thought I’d share our list of 10 Valentine Books for preschoolers. Here is what we’ve been reading and some new books we will read this week.

10 Valentine’s Books for Preschoolers

1. Love From the Crayons
by Drew Daywalt

Rosebud loves the book, “The Day the Crayons Quit”, so she’d probably love this one too. I haven’t seen this one before, but this will be one of our must reads for Valentine’s Day.

Description

Ring in Valentine’s Day–and love–with the New York Times Best-Selling Crayons! This charming new title featuring everyone’s favorite coloring crew is the perfect gift for that special someone on Valentine’s Day–or any day of the year.

Love is yellow and orange. Because love is sunny and warm.
Love is purple. Because it’s okay to love outside the lines.

This special gift book, featuring all the The Crayons from The Day the Crayons Quit, explores the bright colors and subtle shades of love. This is a must-have for fans of The Crayons, and the perfect gift for that special someone.

Happy Valentine’s Day Mouse

2. Happy Valentine’s Day Mouse
by Laura Numeroff

Rosebud loves the “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” series, so I had to buy her this book last year. It’s a bit shorter than her other books, but it’s a simple introduction to Valentine’s Day.

Description

This board book with sturdy pages is perfect for preschoolers, who will enjoy the simple introduction to the fun of Valentine’s Day.

“This title follows Mouse as he makes valentines for all of his friends,” said School Library Journal. “Each valentine is made to represent what he loves most about each of his friends, such as Pig ‘because she’s a good dancer’ and Bunny ‘because she’s the best at hide-and-seek.'”

Budding artists and crafters will love this book, perfect for pairing with Valentine’s Day activities. A surprise at the end adds to the read-aloud fun!

3. Love from The Very Hungry Caterpillar
by Eric Carle

Who doesn’t love “The Very Hungry Caterpillar?” It’s a Valentine’s twist on the classic book.

Description

with #1 New York Times Best-Selling Title!
“You are the cherry on my cake; you make the sun shine brighter; you make my heart flutter.” Using a range of images from the World of Eric Carle, and featuring the Very Hungry Caterpillar, this special gift book gives all the reasons why someone special makes the world a better and brighter place. Perfect for that someone special any day of the year!

Mother and daughter reading

4. The Biggest Valentine Ever
by Steven Kroll

A great story with an important message about what we can do when we work together.

Description

When Mrs. Mousely asks her class to make valentines, Clayton and Desmond decide to make one together and give it to their teacher as a surprise. But things don’t go as planned. First Clayton puts too much glitter on the card. Then Desmond puts on too many hearts. Soon the friends are arguing and they rip the card in half. “I’m going to make my own valentine!” they both say and go home in a huff.
But then Desmond and Clayton realize that by working together they can make the biggest, best valentine ever!
Kids can use the colorful foil stickers to make their own valentines!

There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rose

5. There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rose
by Lucille Colandro

Rosebud loves these books and now there seems to be one for every occasion.

Description

Our favorite lady is back and hungry for Valentine’s Day treats!

That lovely old lady has returned just in time for Valentine’s Day. Now she’s swallowing items to make a very special gift for her valentine!

With rhyming text and hilarious illustrations, this wacky version of the classic song will appeal to young readers as they follow the Old Lady on a wild Valentine’s Day adventure.

6. I Love You to the Moon and Back
by Amelia Hepworth

I’ve never read this before now, but it fits in with our theme of Valentines and love. It’s perfect for toddlers and younger preschoolers.

Description

The sun rises, and a bear and cub begin their day together. They splash in the water, climb mountains, and watch the shimmering sky. They show their love by touching noses, playing chase, and of course, hugging. A sweet, gentle rhyme, perfect for sharing with a special little one!

Mother and son reading

7. Love, Splat (Splat the Cat)
by Rob Scotton

We found this one on Youtube the other day and it was a cute story.

Description

It’s Valentine’s Day and Splat has a special valentine for a certain someone in his class. Her name is Kitten, and Splat likes her even more than fish sticks and ice cream. But Kitten doesn’t seem to like him at all. And then there’s Splat’s rival, Spike, who also likes Kitten. Will Splat’s heartfelt valentine win Kitten’s paw in the end?

8. Roses Are Pink Your Feet Really Stink
by Diane DeGroat

Of course, Rosebud wanted to read this because of the title, but it’s one of those books with a good message.

Description

Gilbert is all set to write fifteen friendly valentine cards to his classmates. But how can he write a nice poem for the boy who tweaked his nose, or the girl who made fun of his glasses? Instead, Gilbert writes two not-so-nice valentines…and signs the wrong name on both!

When his classmates read his poems, their feelings are hurt, and Gilbert’s prank quickly turns into pandemonium. But with the help of a friend and an honest apology, there’s always time for a change of heart on Valentine’s Day.

The Valentine Bears

The Valentine Bears
by Eve Bunting

Here’s a sweet classic book about two bears who celebrate Valentine’s Day together for the first time.

Description

Mr. and Mrs. Bear have never celebrated St. Valentine’s Day because they hibernate during the winter.

10. This is Not a Valentine
by Carter Higgens

This book is about showing people you love them every day, not just on a holiday. The message might be above preschoolers heads, but it’s definitely worth checking out.

Description

This book is not a valentine. It doesn’t have lacey edges or sugary hearts. But it is full of lucky rocks, secret hiding spots, and gumball machine treasures. This is a book about waiting in line and wishing for cinnamon buns. About recognizing that if you care so much about someone not thinking you care, maybe you really do. But wait—isn’t that exactly what love is about? Maybe this book is sort of a valentine after all. A testament to handmade, wacky, bashful, honest love—sure to win over the hearts of all readers—this offering from debut picture book author Carter Higgins and children’s book veteran Lucy Ruth Cummins is the perfect gift to celebrate every relationship, from parent to child, sibling to sibling, partner to partner, crush to crush.

Valentine’s Books for PreschoolersThat wraps up our list of 10 Valentine’s books for preschoolers. There are so many books out there, so maybe you have found one you haven’t seen before from this list. What are you reading with your children this Valentine’s Day? Tell me in the comments. Happy reading!

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