1.       Get outside!  We do this every. Single. Day.  We load the littles up in the stroller, let the bigs ride their bikes, grab the dog and head out for a walk around the neighborhood or on the local trails.  If for some reason this doesn’t happen, I always kick the kiddos out in the backyard to explore and play.  Connecting with nature is so good for all of us, so I usually get out there and either play with them, or at least drag my chair into the sunshine and soak in some good ole’ Vitamin D.

2.       Quiet time.  I still have two nap-takers, so this easily fits into our days.  I would recommend quiet time even if you no longer have nappers.  I think it’s important that each kid has his own space.  We have kids that share a bedroom, as well as a bedroom that has temporarily become a home office, so we have gotten creative, but each child has a designated space for this time.  I also don’t allow screens during this time, and also don’t enforce schoolwork to be done.  This is a time my kids play Legos, color, draw, rest, or create.

3.       Support your own mental health.  It is so incredibly important for us mamas… and not mamas, for that matter…. to recognize actions that enhance our own mental wellbeing during this time of high stress and low personal connection.  As we act as household managers, instructors, daycare directors, chefs, screentime monitors, and all of the other roles we are playing we need to be at our personal best.  And we DO have significant influence over our own mental health.  This can look different for everyone.  For me, this looks like daily Pilates, increased water intake, drinking NO alcohol, and an early bedtime.  You read that correctly—NO alcohol.  Even for the virtual birthday party/GNO I attended—sparkling water was my drink of choice.  I have learned that this is better for my mental health.  I would encourage you to consider ways that you can take control of how you want to feel… and implement those feel-good things into your life!     

4.       Give kids household responsibilities.  I have recently implemented a “zone” system with my kids.  Have you heard of this?  Basically, I assigned my older two kids areas of the home (hallway and couches for one kid; bathroom and TV stand for other kid), along with them being responsible to pick up their own items in the common areas.  They check their zones twice a day—after breakfast and after dinner.  This has helped immensely with keeping us from being overwhelmed with clutter!

5.       Be creative in maintaining contact with friends and family.  Definitely calling and texting is great to continue right now.  However, I have found it is so nice to see people’s faces, so Zoom and Facetime have become regulars around here too.  A few other things we have done to comply with the social distancing guidelines is have a friend drive by, remain in her car and chat with her from the sidewalk—maintaining the 6 feet apart.  We have done some snail mail, written and received letters from friends.  We set chairs up outside, 6 feet from our neighbors, and visited.  My kids have Facetimed with the next-door neighbor, as well as talked over the fence.  How are you staying in touch with your loved ones?

6.       Extend grace.  Above all, extend grace to those around us.  This is such a strange time.  Especially the rapid nature of the disconnection from friends, this is hard on our kids.  Their entire world has been turned upside down.  We should definitely expect some behavioral implications, and as we continue to hold boundaries and uphold our expectations of them, I think we should also acknowledge that their behavior is their language.  It can be difficult to be together all the time—this includes with our spouse, as much as we love them.  (Any other introverts out there?)  So, let’s extend grace and remember that we are all learning how to navigate this strange new normal.

What’s saving your sanity these days?  I would love to know in the comments!