Hello all, from a social distancing house. Can you believe what’s going on in the world right now? Did you ever think someone would tell you shouldn’t leave your home? It’s really a tough situation, but we are stronger together. Please give yourself the grace to feel whatever it is you need to feel, but don’t let it overwhelm you. Some days you might be super motivated to get stuff done, and other days you might want to sit around in your pajamas. 

It’s a time in life when we aren’t in control of the things happening around us, but you can control how you react and what steps you take to make it through this crisis.

I’ve found myself out of work with a lot of extra toddler time on my hands. It’s difficult not working, mainly due to owning a small business, and it’s even harder trying to keep a rambunctious 3 year old occupied and on track for learning.

This situation sucks, but there is always something to be learned during crappy times, and I thought I would share with you some things I’ve learned during this time.

1.  Sleep and drinking water are essential. Not having a set schedule of having to get out of the house by a specific time has really messed me up. My sleep schedule has been thrown off, but I’m not getting good uninterrupted sleep. The BAD sleep is wrecking my day, where I feel low energy and don’t really want to accomplish much. On the days I’ve had a successful great sleep, my days have been more productive. Plus, drinking water is always a plus. Now that I’m at home more, I have to remember to fill my cup up and bring it with me every time I move. That really helps keeps the food intake in check.
2. This is a time to cherish with your family. I don’t know about you, but I was always hollering about how there wasn’t enough time in the day to spend doing things. It’s been nice to slow down and really spend time with family and have conversations. I’ve found myself doing things I never would have done before. Tiring of television and reading has led me to do more activities outside the house and just spend time talking to Tiny Tot. I’ve learned so much about her in the past two weeks. It’s been really nice just to spend time with her and see her open up to me. Think of this time as a bonding experience with your family and something to be enjoyed during this stressful time. Now we all have time to sit together for meals and have family game nights and all those other fun activities. It’s truly a blessing that we’ve been forced to slow down and really engage during this time.
3. It’s essential to keep your mind sharp during times of idle. I’m not one of those people who gets to work from home; I’m just purely not working. But I still need something to engage my mind besides Netflix and video games. In my “free” time, I try to dig back into my passions and hobbies to keep my mind on point. We need to stop to “sharpen the saw.” This is the perfect opportunity to explore something new or something that we just didn’t have time for in the past. Pick up those books that you haven’t had time to read, learn something new, or pick up an old hobby. This will help pass the time during the stressful days and give your life a little more direction in a time of uncertainty.

I know this is a hard time, but we have to be vigilant. We need to practice our social distancing to get past a severe hump and return to “normal.” I hope you found this post to be a favorable spot in all of this mess.

Are you at home trying to keep your toddler occupied?  I’m in the same boat, but I’ve learned a few things along the way.  I hope the video will give you some insights into social distancing and keeping your toddler moving on a forward path.

But really, how are you feeling and dealing with all of this uncertainty? What are your silver-linings out of this crisis?