Adapting the best we can
Adapting to our 'new normal' by Bella Baby Buyer and Mum of 2 Aoife Carty.
Like so many other families we are attempting to adapt as best we can and have tried to become super resourceful whilst staying home, staying safe and staying sane. Our own set up is that both myself and my husband are working from home, while homeschooling and entertaining our 7 year old daughter Mila, 4 year old son Max and mini Yorkshire terrier Toto. It is chaotic 99% of the time but we are just getting through the days the very best we can!
During the weekdays we try (and often fail) to keep a loose schedule to give some structure to our days. After breakfast the kids do some schoolwork; somedays it’s 5 minutes, somedays it’s 2 hours, who’s counting!
Our dining table has become the activity hub, everything from schoolwork, to artwork, baking and creating. Both kids have had their Stokke Tripp Trapp chairs from birth and they perch themselves on their Tripp Trapps each time we gather around the table. They’ve also loved making ‘kitchen dens’ with their Tripp Trapps by lining them up and throwing some sheets and blankets over them, filling the space between with cosy cushions and playing away in their own little space.
Around lunchtime, we get out for some freshair and movement. The kids love using their street chalk on the patio and garden walls. They have drawn their silhouettes and coloured them in using the street chalk, or taken a bucket of water with paintbrushes and done some water painting on the walls of the house. We have drawn out a racing track with the street chalk which has provided lots of activity time too by doing laps on their scooters, and simple scribble mazes for them to follow.
We’ve had great fun by filling their old baby bath for a variety of sensory activities. Picking something different every few days to play with in the baby bath has been a huge hit as its portable and easy to clean. We’ve had sand, slime, soil, rice and flour. Pouring, scooping and generally causing a giant mess is great fun, and using the baby bath is an ideal way to contain the mess indoor or outdoor.
Not everyday is a great day with so many demands and so many restrictions, but we focus on the positive and remain grateful that we are healthy and safe. Simple pleasures like a good cup of coffee, and curling up together on the couch to watch a family movie are little moments that can bring comfort in a time when we need it most.
