This post was not planned--I started writing a post on instagram about ten minutes ago when my husband took the kids out and I had a spare minute. Should I have got caught up on some much needed sleep, since two of my children wanted to start the day at 4:30am? Probably. But I needed to write about my thoughts, so I chose to write a post on instagram. But as I started writing I realized I had a lot more to talk about than I thought. As a mom and as human in general we need outlets! Mine are running, reading, this blog and work (believe it or not). They are things that I can call my own, they give me a sense of self and self worth.
Anyways that's not what I wanted to talk about--can you tell I haven't had much human interaction? I can't shut up. What I started posting about was being home with my kids during these past 6 weeks--has it been 6? I'm not sure to be honest I've lost count. You know the saying the days are long but the years are short; This statement holds true now more than ever. But I started reflecting on these past weeks and being the optimist I am--I started thinking, my kids are doing okay, in fact they are doing more than okay-- I think they'll come out of this quarantine better than before.
To be honest I haven't posted much about it because the word quarantine has taking on a whole new meaning. It's almost like people start to get political about it. Picking sides, whose right, whose wrong. What people should be doing or what they aren't doing. I'm a nurse so it goes without saying that I think staying home is of the utmost importance, its real and yes people are dying, and they're dying alone. But for now, I'm going to stick to the bright side.
Brooklyn and I have been able to have REAL conversations, sit and talk. Talk about life, watch movies. She's learned to tie her shoes, she's learned to ride her bike without training wheels, she's been getting up and making me coffee in the morning. She's been doing the laundry.
Bridget has been reading and riding her bike more than ever. She's actually been able to have somewhat of a routine.
Bryan has been able to nap in his crib because he's not getting thrown around from one activity to the next. I'm getting to sit and teach him because I have all day to do so.
I've taken my kids on drives--long drives, showed them where I went to school, where me and their dad met, where their grandparents grew up.
Are there days that they are BORED? YES. But being bored is a good thing. It's how they become innovative and creative. I tell them I don't need to play with them at all times of the day, and that's okay. And you know what they've learned? To come up with ideas on their own. Somedays way too much TV is watched and somedays no TV is watched. Boredom has forced them to play musical chairs, paint, play charades, make mud pies, water the plants, have PATIENCE (somewhat). They fight and they are forced to come up with their own solutions.
We've created a reading time, so at 6pm, everyone is in their beds reading a story. It's the one thing we try to stick to because I'll be honest our days don't have routine. We do things when we get to them-the beauty of having a one and three year old who want to do what they want when they want.
If you know us, you know we are a very busy family and we have our kids in a lot of activities. On top of missing school, they are missing out on a ton of activities. As much as I love all the activities--this is temporary. They will be okay with missing them for now. I think our kids are going to come out on top. They will be wiser, more creative and they will have a profound appreciation for social activities.
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