• How to teach with toy cars
• How to really watch a movie
• Unique ways to use FaceTime
• How to simply make someone’s day
• That my life style is slower than I realized

Teaching with toy cars

When there was talk of schools closing I knew it would be a difficult change for my kids and I knew I would enjoy parts of teaching them myself. I know I’m one of the few that was lucky to feel a little excited about the daunting task of being in charge of my children’s schooling. I understand working parents and stay at home parents both have reasons to be frustrated by this big change. It is hard, it’s all frustrating and difficult. No one likes having change thrust on them with little to no say in the matter. But being the one teaching Mr. L has been interesting staying outside the box of thinking while trying to maintain a basic routine of learning. And I have to say my favorite successful method has been teaching with toy cars, literally the cars did the talking. His toy cars told him it was time to do his school work, and taught him his lessons.

How to really watch a movie

Ok I’m going to be honest, it has been such a long time since I picked a movie, watched it for my enjoyment, and finished it. I have sat long enough to watch a tv show here and there, but usually I’m nursing, folding laundry, sneaking in lunch, or some combination of those things. But thanks to Harry Potter I have started looking forward to watching a movie after the kids have gone to bed that my family didn’t pick out, and I’m not blogging, Facebooking, or texting through it. So you could say I have taken the time to re-learn how to really watch a movie again. And I’m actually letting a movie take me away from my daily to-do list, running mind. I’m just say’n that having a regular date night with the husband is something I could get used to.

Unique ways to use FaceTime

This whole social distancing thing has got our creative ideas moving in the use of FaceTime. We’ve had to miss celebrating a few adult relatives’s birthday parties, so we’ve been singing and eating birthday cake on FaceTime. My kids have FaceTimed grandparents and their Aunt so they could practice reading to them, play dress up, play hide and seek, watch tv together, do puzzles, show and learn school work, play with action figures, sing songs and listen to their grandpa sing to them, and Mr. L even placed my phone in one of his toy trains so he could take his grandpa on a train ride on the tracks he put together- including underpasses and a tunnel.

How to simply make someone’s day

I’ve been thinking about how I can help others while still taking care of my family and I’ve been able to text more to see how friend and family are doing. I’ve added a few older relatives to my “Call at least once a week” list to just chat and keep in touch. I’ve also been able to offer things to the neighbors like eggs and toilet paper. Honestly though, doing all these things helps me too. I’m a goer, a doer, a list finisher, and a small goals constantly working on kind of person. I need a balance of self care and a knowing I helped others or else I start to stress.

That my life style is slower than I realized

For years I’ve felt like my life has been running a million miles an hour and that I’ve been pulled in too many directions. Actually it’s just the kids 😅 It’s just the school schedules, the therapy schedules and fitting in a grocery store run here and there. Because even though everything outside our home has slowed down, nothing inside my home has slowed down at all! I’m doing all the same stuff I was doing before, and the only difference is that my kids don’t leave during the day, and my husband is now home helping with the dishes, laundry, and Mr. C’s schooling. I know this sounds contradictory to the heading, but my “outside the home” stuff isn’t a lot, what keeping me feeling exhausted by the end of the day is my own personal circus 🎪

By all means I don’t want to say life is better, I know it’s not. I recognize that life has been turned upside down and that many people are living through nightmares, and many people will not make it through this devastating Covid-19. But I guess I’m just saying that I’m going to choose to keep looking for the positive in all this pandemic, and will try to recognize all the blessings that have been waiting for me to appreciate.

So what positive things have you learned the past few weeks? Tell us about it in the comments below 💝🧩✌️