The Homesteady

8 Very Specific Things That Are Making Quarantine with a Toddler Easier

In addition to things like creating (and sticking to) a family routine, lots of FaceTiming with relatives and friends, and spending time outside every day, here are eight very specific things that are making quarantine with our 2 1/2-year-old easier. 

Mac Barnett reading books on Instagram. Mac has written some of our all-time favorite children's books, and Miles loves watching him read them on Instagram. (Silly hats required.) It feels a little like more forgivable screen time, and we'll usually watch Mac read one or two while Kristie is getting lunch ready. 

Sneaking chocolate. (For the moms, not Miles.) We've always kept a pretty robust stash of dark chocolate in a high cupboard in the kitchen, but in quarantine life it's grown substantially. We sneak with abandon. Those tiny treats (and tiny breaks) make me feel so good. 

Toy rotation. I love this a lot. Once or twice a week I'll do a quick sweep of the house while Miles is sleeping, and bring down to the basement whatever toys have fallen out of favor lately. I'll bring up one or two that he's forgotten about while I'm at it, and when he wakes up and rediscovers them, it's often like getting new toys! We did this recently with his wooden train tracks, and he's been rocking independent play with them since. 

Family Folk on Spotify. Having music on makes everything better (and helps us avoid turning on a screen when that's something we're aiming for) -- but there are only so many times I can listen to the Frozen II soundtrack. I recently found the Family Folk radio station on Spotify, and we love it. I don't even mind continuing to listen by myself once Miles has wandered with Kristie out to the backyard.

Involving Miles in chores. Does it take approximately thirty times longer to fold laundry, do dishes, or sweep the floor when a toddler is "helping"? Yep. But what else do we have to do? Miles likes helping, and we're teaching him how to take care of his own home someday. Plus I can get household things done (slowly) while hanging with him. 

Art walls. Starting in March when daycare closed, we began hanging up in our living room almost every piece of art Miles has created while home with us. Now we have two full walls (floor to ceiling) decorated with his artwork. It's not the decor I might have chosen during simpler times, but he's so proud to see his work, and really enjoys helping to hang up new paintings or drawings. 

Invitations to play. I get so much delicious satisfaction out of setting up "invitations to play" while M naps. Admittedly I did this more often when the weather was cooler; now that it's so lovely I feel less pressure to keep him engaged indoors. I turn to Pinterest and Instagram for inspiration for crafts, handwriting exercises, and sensory bin ideas. Again, I do this mostly because it fills my cup. Miles does like them, and sometimes will get really engaged and play for a good while, but more often than not he'll give the activity a few minutes and then move on. 

Throwing shit in water. This is our time-tested, tried-and-true, always-wins activity. Whatever the weather, whatever his mood, if we take Miles to a body of water (even a big puddle) and provide a little bundle of sticks or pile of rocks, he's happy. For a loooong time. 

Kid-Made Gift Idea: Watercolor Jewelry Dish

I've noticed something sweet: lately when it comes to sharing projects and tutorials, I'm simply snapping a few photographs of the things we're already making, rather than planning projects specifically for this blog. It feels so...easy. I like thinking about my content in terms of public journaling or keeping a record of the creative parts of our lives (as opposed to concerning myself with what will perform well analytically or to attract sponsors -- although that does deserve a little bit of time). 

Anyway, these lidded jewelry dishes were a family project, and resulted in Miles's Mother's Day gifts for his grandmas and aunt. 

You will need:

• Air dry clay [affiliate link]
• Rolling pin
• Watercolor paints [affiliate link]
• Round cookie cutter

I rolled out the clay and used a cookie cutter found in my grandma's cookie cutter box to carve scalloped circles for lids. (My mom told me after we gave it to her that this particular cookie cutter actually belonged to my great-grandma, so Miles's great-great-grandmother. That made this project feel so much more special!)

I enlisted Kristie to make pinch bowls that would match the lids in size -- she is so good with clay!

Once the lids were totally dry, Kristie set Miles up with some watercolors and foam brushes. I always love his watercolor creations and these were no exception. So pretty! 

DIY Photo Lacing Toy

This is another to add to Miles's growing collection of homemade lacing toys (this was a quick one, and I made another inspired by Fran's DIY to put in his Easter basket). 

I think adding photos of familiar faces to his toys and games helps him stay engaged a little longer – like the memory game I made last month. He adores my parents' dog Chance (though he was disappointed to learn recently that Chance doesn't know how to play basketball like Air Bud), so I used his cute mug for this project.

You'll need:

• Cardstock paper (the heavier weight, the longer it'll last)
• Printer
• Hole punch
• Yarn
• Masking tape
• Optional: Laminator [affiliate link]

Print your photo onto the cardstock paper. Cut out in desired shape – I picked a heart for Chance because we love him. Laminate now if you have one (not necessary – I didn't – but it'll really extend the toy's life). 

Use your hole punch to create holes around the edge of your shape.

Cut a long-ish length of yarn, and wrap each end tightly with masking tape.

Stitch away!

My Mother's Day Wish List

This year, my Mother's Day wish list is about comfort and crafting (two of my favorite things!). 

Untamed by Glennon Doyle [affiliate] / A sweatshirt from my alma mater
A new candle for my home office [affiliate] / A home laminator [affiliate]
An incredibly comfy bra [affiliate] / A necklace with my favorite job title [affiliate]
Shiny new stitch markers / Craftfulness: Mend Yourself by Making Things book [affiliate]

*Lots of small bookstores have made arrangements for delivery. Please check with your local bookseller before using the links in this post. 

My Home Workspace

Home sweet home office!

I've shared a lot of kid-themed content here lately (because my life has been pretty kid-themed lately) and wanted to give you a look into the space I'm using to work from home during social distancing/quarantine.

I'm breathlessly grateful to still be working full-time, especially while Kristie's freelance projects have (understandably) dried up for the time being. I will typically get in a few solid hours of work in the morning while Kristie and Miles keep each other entertained. We eat lunch together and take turns putting him down for a nap (a process that has recently gotten really long). I get more work done while he's napping. In the afternoons I try to get outside with him for awhile – hopefully giving Kristie a little break. After he goes to bed at night, I'm back online for another hour or two catching up. It's not a perfect system but it's a routine that is working. There hasn't been a day that's ended with me feeling like I've fully shown up at work, with Miles, with Kristie, and with myself, but that's not necessarily new to our current situation :) I read in a great book [affiliate link] before going back to work after maternity leave that "work-life balance" is a myth. It's more like a pendulum – either you're (physically/emotionally/mentally) home too much, or at work too much. I found so much freedom in the permission to just embrace that swing back and forth, to let myself off the hook from having to do it all, all the time. It's much easier and much kinder to just remind myself that the pendulum will swing back again. I'll catch up on the thing that's not getting attention right now. 

Gosh, this got long. ANYWAY.

Once my job switched to remote, we cleaned up the craft room a bit and I set up my workspace there. 

I got a few things like fake succulents, a nice candle, and market lights just to make it a little more enjoyable.

It was also a good opportunity to go through big plastic bins of videography equipment and old craft supplies, and reorganize what I could. We even ended up with a space just big enough for a dressup area for Miles. I like that he and Kristie can come in and play while I'm working. It really feels like a room all of us can use. 

How to Send a Long-Distance High Five

Now seems like a good time to cultivate a penpal or two for your child, don't you think? April (for the few days that are left) is National Card & Letter Writing Month, and the postal service needs our help besides.

A few weeks ago Miles and I whipped out the construction paper and kid-safe paint to make some "long-distance high fives" to send to friends and family members. I explained what we were going to do, and then painted his palm and fingers before helping him make a firm print on construction paper. We made dozens like this (he enjoyed washing his hand off between colors) and then once he'd gone to bed that night and the handprints had dried, I cut them down and wrote a little message on each. Into envelopes they went, and off to our loved ones' homes. 

And, happily, they had the desired effect. Miles received his own letters and gifts in the mail in return, and lots of texts too. While he doesn't grasp the concept of a penpal quite yet, this activity helped us all feel a little more connected. 

Eating What We're Reading

Starting during the winter I turned to Miles's books for inspiration on what we could make, bake, and eat together. He's been engaged in cooking and baking lately, and is especially excited to eat the finished product when he can recognize a snack from one of his favorite books (and read it while we eat). 

Here's a little bit of what we've been reading and making:

Annie & The Wild Animals / Corn cake muffins from this cookbook
Emily Writes: Emily Dickinson & Her Poetic Beginnings / Gluten-free vanilla donuts
If You Give a Moose a Muffin / Lemon poppyseed muffins (very good with gluten-free flour)
Blueberries for Sal / Easy one: We just added frozen blueberries to our smoothies
Curious George & the Pizza Party / Gluten-free pizza crust mix

The Amazon links are affiliate links, meaning they'll pay me a tiny percentage if you make a purchase through the link, but I highly encourage you to explore whether your small local bookshops are doing online ordering and check with them first. Let me know if you're cooking your way through your child's library, too! 

DIY "Find the Bunny" Rice Sensory Bottle

This was a nice, quick win project, and I'm especially happy to report it even derailed a tantrum the other day!

Miles rolls and shakes the bottle, looking carefully for the little bunny who's hidden among white rice and Easter-themed sprinkles. (Insert your own Elmer Fudd joke here.) He's proud when he finds it, and just as excited to cover it back up again in preparation for the next search. If you make one too, you can manage its difficulty by adding less or more rice/sprinkle mix.

You will need:

• A clean, dry water bottle (I like using the small Voss water bottles for projects like these)
• White rice
• Colorful sprinkles
• A small animal figurine
• Superglue
• A funnel (optional but helpful!)

I put the bunny into the bottle first. It needed a little, ahem, encouragement to fit through the mouth of the bottle, but it made it through unscathed. Next, I used the funnel to add rice and sprinkles, stopping a few times to screw the cap back on and check the toy's "difficulty" until I thought it was the right level of challenge (without being frustrating) for my two-and-a-half-year-old. Then I put superglue around the mouth of the bottle, and screwed the cap back on tightly to seal it permanently.

(Hint: The easiest way for us to find the bunny is to slowly roll the bottle on its side.)

It's a fun little toy and I think would be good for car rides, too – or when Mom is doing a Zoom meeting. And I can't remember when or how this little bunny came into our lives, but doesn't it look like Marlon Bundo? [affiliate link]

DIY Photo Memory Game

Kristie was teasing me because I kept forgetting what this game is called (duh – memory). It's a simple matching game, and I think it's made a little easier for the two-year-old set by having fewer pieces and very recognizable faces: mine, Kristie's, and Miles's, of course.

I put this little game together for Miles's Easter basket this year. I grabbed a six-pack of 1.5" wooden rounds at Joann Fabrics the day before we started quaranting/socially isolating. Originally I'd planned to transfer photos to the wooden discs using this method, but it requires a laser printer and ours at home is inkjet. Normally I just go to the copy shop, but they're closed of course. So...time for a change of plans!

You will need:

• 1.5" wooden discs (they were out of stock on the Joann Fabrics website, but they're available here too)
• Family photos printed on basic computer paper (sized so that the faces fit within a 1.5" circle) – 2 of each person!!
• Mod Podge [affiliate link] 
• Pencil, paintbrush, scissors

Place the wooden disc on top of someone's face, trace, and cut out. 

Paint a layer of Mod Podge onto a wooden disc.

Adhere a photo top side facing up to the disc. 

Add another layer of Mod Podge and let dry completely.

 

What I should have said

Experienced and written before the advent of social distancing.

 

I should have said: you're doing this right.

I should have said: you should be proud.

I should have said: thank you.

 

There aren't many children over the age of five who are willing to entertain the company of a two-year-old, much less to play with him, and much, much less to do so with a two-year-old who can be perceived as quiet and reserved at first. To put in the work to engage with him. To ask him questions and invite him into their fort. 

This kid did.

I had carted Miles to an indoor playground for an afternoon of energy expulsion, following a skipped nap and shortened tempers for us both. (I wrote a bit more about that here.) I tried my best to sit back while he ventured toward groups of other children. It's been a challenge: letting him explore without me hovering, though I hope he knows I'm always ready to have his back. Forever. It's an exercise in self restraint to cede control to him. 

Kids were building with Imagination Playground blocks, building and rebuilding an amazing edifice and then choosing whom to allow in, and from whom the construction must be defended. The creativity and imagination at work was beautiful. Miles and I perched ourselves nearby and watched. He crept ever closer to the action, and I leaned in and said to the kids gathered, "This is Miles," then beat a hasty retreat (while remaining in earshot – he's two and a half, after all). 

Their ringleader was a boy of about 12 (assuming on both counts). "Hi Miles," he said, and then held out a hand to help my son crawl into the fort. 

Without hesitation, without thought, my child was included. 

From what I gathered, their building was a castle, under enthusiastic fictional attack from the 12-year-old's sister. Other children, new to the play, suggested excluding others. "No," the older boy corrected them time and again, "everyone can come in." 

This pre-teen paid attention to my son, making sure Miles wasn't being trampled by larger peers. He and my quiet, thoughtful son passed bean bags back and forth between each other, the older child encouraging mine in play. When he was ready, Miles climbed back out of the castle and toward my lap, having had his fill of the at-times raucous play with the group of children who were, as a whole, older than him. Instead we pursued other activities, like running in circles together and sharing a smoothie.

I saw the older kid's parents – the grown-ups I assume were his parents – as we were layering to leave. I should tell them, I thought to myself. I should tell them what a good person they're raising. I should tell them he is a good boy, who showed such tenderness and openness to my son. I should tell them I hope Miles grows up to be the same kind of person.

I didn't say anything; though the trip to the park had been healing, it had been a tough day (see aforementioned skipped nap), and we were ready to go home. But it's stuck with me, obviously. Their child's kindness struck me dumb. It was the outcome I always hope for as a mother, when my child toddles toward a social group, attempts connection and play. 

I'm so glad there are young people like this kid out there. Goodness and kindness are growing, and I'm grateful for it.