Keepin’ It Real…Simple

We will always remember the virus that stopped the world from spinning. Well, not literally, but everything came to a screeching halt like no one has ever seen. We are living in a very strange time, but somehow life has become so simple. Now, don’t go confusing ‘simple’ for ‘easy’, because, girlfriend, this quarantine shit is far from easy. I know it, you know it, Stephanie with the four kids down the street knows it. Come to think of it, someone should check on her…

My point is this — since schools, restaurants, shopping malls, beaches and all the things have closed, families are forced to stay home and somehow teach and entertain their kids within their own four walls. Say WHAT?! It kind of seemed like a little vacation at first: no early alarm clock to rush out in the morning, no making lunches and no carline. As the days roll into weeks we have to figure out how to balance e-learning, working, cooking, cleaning, screen time (gasp!), play time, nap time, you name it. A cluster to say the least.

Even though I feel like I have a million things to do every day, and surely I’m not getting all of them done (that table can stay dusty for now), I have to say, the simple stuff is what makes my kiddos the happiest. So I’ve come up with a list of a few things that we’ve been doing regularly during this time at home:

1. Play on the swing-set. Unless it’s raining, we are outside swinging at least twice a day. We got our Rainbow play set when O was two and it has grown with him with years to spare. Now I can put Luca in the bucket swing and Oliver will pump his little legs until he (and his moppy hair) is floating above the his seat. They can sway on the hammock. O can climb the rock wall, play up in the clubhouse, spin on the tire swing. Literally hours of fun.

2. Go on a bike ride. Lucky for us, the Florida weather has been kind to us during this time, so bike rides are always a go-to. Luca is big enough to sit in the WeeRide seat on my bike while O leads the way on two wheels. Even if it’s just a quick ride around the neighborhood, we all get some fresh air and exercise when we need a break from school.

3. Swimming and water table play. Having a pool in our backyard has been CLUTCH. O is a little fish and can swim for hours. Our Step Two water table is great to keep Luca entertained without me having to carry him around in the pool. (He’s too on-the-go for the baby floats). We typically save pool time for after lunch once all school work is complete so the boys can get out a bunch of energy, have a snack and I can start prepping dinner once we get back inside.

4. Board and card games. These have definitely made a comeback in our house lately! Some of our favorites are Minecraft UNO, Race to the Treasure, Eye Found It, and lots of Disney puzzles.

5. Imaginative building. Trains are a favorite around here and our Brio train tracks have been out on the daily. The best thing is every time you bring them out, it’s a brand new experience. O has loved these since he was three and I imagine Luca will follow in his footsteps…once he learns there’s more to them than just tearing them apart. (Sorry, O).

Another great learning/building activity are Kiwi Crates. We’ve had a subscription to these forever and up until now, they’ve been piling up in a closet because Kindergarten has kept us busy! So our stash has been a fabulous option to pull out when we need to fill up some time. (Perfect for rainy days!) Kiwi Crates are STEM based and give kiddos fun, hands-on experience in learning.

Also, if you haven’t built a fort in your family room during quarantine, are you even a mom?

6. Technology. I’d like to give a round of applause for the creators of iPads, AppleTV and Disney+. These have been saviors when I need to get in a workout, make phone calls, pay bills or even do the stupid scroll on social media to give myself some time out. I’m not going to lie, screen time happens a lot over here. Sometimes it’s more than I’d like, but I do my best to keep it from being mindless. Here are a few of our faves:

• Minecraft – O plays in creative mode on his iPad so he’s not interacting with who-knows-who on the internet, but it’s an awesome way for him to use his imagination and build anything he can fathom.

• Osmo – This learning tool is incredible. It creates an environment where kiddos use both their tablet and tangible items to play educational games in math, science, reading or drawing. There are different kits to choose from for each age group. We have the Genius kit (plus some other add-on games) and it really is…genius.

• AppleTV – We own zero DVDs. Zero. Every movie we have is digital so the boys can go back and watch their favorites any time, on any device. Being Disney people to the core, we love being able to watch any Disney movie we can dream of on Disney+. Honestly, who doesn’t love a good family sing-a-long to Aladdin?

7. Baking together. Chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cake and vanilla cupcakes just to name a few. Baked goods from a store are never an option for us with all of the allergies between both boys, so we typically have to make our own sweets anyway. However, Oliver has been happy to mix up a batch of dessert with me and it absolutely kills a good chunk of time during the day. Calories don’t count during quarantine, right?

I think we will remember this time at home with mixed emotions. I know I’ve run the gamut of them in the past two months: not only fear, frustration and sadness, but also comfort, reflection and joy. It hasn’t been easy for anyone, but I think we will all come out of this season of uncertainty with more compassion and gratitude than we’ve ever had. As the world begins to open up again, remember to still make time for the simple stuff. It is the glue that holds us together when we need it most.