HOW WE’RE STAYING HOME THESE DAYS

No matter who you are or where you live, we are all dealing with some type of stay-at-home situation. I have a lot to share, so let’s get right to it!

HOME SCHOOL SCHEDULE

We survived our first full week of having our entire family home! Woo hoo! I’m feeling pretty amazing at this point lol! I have three of my own children home since school is closed for the rest of the year, my daycare kiddos, and of course Adam is home managing his 109 high school students from our home office.

We all sat down as a family to nail down a good schedule for the kids to follow and then set reminders to have our Alexa announce what they’re supposed to do. And it works SO GOOD. Read more about our schedule here!

SURVIVAL GUIDE PODCAST

My friend Lyndi has such a good podcast. I mean really, so good. They’re short and sweet and to the point. No fluff just really good words. And she has the most soothing voice lol. She relaxes me. She recently shared her survival guide for this time we’re living in and it’s so good. Go take a listen!

BAKE SOME COOKIES

I found a recipe on Pinterest for some cookies I’ve never made before and I had everything I needed already in my pantry! They were a huge hit!

EVERY PLATE

Meal delivery service is saving us so much right now. We decided to try it just a few weeks before COVID-19 started to become the focus on the news. We started at such a perfect time.

We have 3 meals delivered each week and they are, of course, so delicious. But knowing that I don’t have to go to the store to gather all the ingredients is huge. Not having to think and think of what to cook is huge. Having it all at my doorstep is huge.

After trying a couple meal delivery services we settled on Every Plate. There are great coupon codes when starting out making your first meals super cheap. We have are on the three meals/week plan and our meals are set for four people.

OUR WEEKLY FAMILY PLAN

This time is weird and crazy, especially the first couple weeks. We are starting to feel normalcy now and we are embracing it as a blessing to have so much family time. No extra curricular activities to run to. No rushing around. We all complain that we’re so busy, and here we are with a slower-paced life. We are choosing to make the best of it. Make it count!

But with this slower-paced life, we can slip into laziness. A little lazy is ok, but I sure don’t want to waste my time away. Here’s what we’re doing in our family to make the best use of our time as a family:

Monday: Family Night
(board game, family walk, etc)

Tuesday: Work Day
(catch up on schoolwork, projects, job work)

Wednesday: Video Game/Electronics Day
(kids get to play their video games/electronics, cause they aren’t allowed to play on other days. It works GREAT. Their behavior and school work affects if they get to have this day.)

Thursday: Movie Night
(make some popcorn, grab some snacks, and all the blankets)

Friday: Video Game/Electronics Day
(kids get to play their video games/electronics, cause they aren’t allowed to play on other days. It works GREAT. Their behavior and school work affects if they get to have this day.)

When the kids have video game day, Adam and I relax together! We are watching a LOT of The Office or simply scanning our Fire Stick for movies to watch. Alone time to watch a TV show or movie and just laugh together is feeding our marriage so much.

WHEN I START TO FEEL OVERWHELMED

No matter how prepared we are, sometimes we can just feel overwhelmed. For me, I start to feel an out-of-body feeling…like, I’m not myself. Everything feels chaotic, out of control, confusing. When things get crazy, I immediately go to the things that center me.

The things that ground me and drown out the chaos:

Cooking in the kitchen: This is when I whip up something I’m familiar with or trying out a new recipe.

Movie nights: We have movie nights a LOT and there’s a reason for it. It centers me back to what’s important; time with my family.

Brain dumping: This is when I get out a sheet of paper and brain dump all the things causing me anxiety that need to be done. Projects, things related to my job, anything that is hanging out there that needs attention will be written down. We hold onto so much in our brain and if I’m not writing it all down, anxiety creeps in. Brain dumping won’t magically solve the problem, but it sure does help relieve my brain of stress. Once I have brain dumped I’ll make a plan to get stuff done. Try tackling 1-2 things each day until it’s all done. Tip: keep a notebook for brain dumping! It’s solved my waves of anxiety.

QUIET TIME/ALONE TIME

Here are a few things I’m doing:

• journaling
• bible study
• Reading through the Psalms
• reading a book

YOGA AND PHYSICAL MOVEMENT

Since the gym is closed I am doing yoga at home and trying to follow my workout schedule. I found some yoga pages to follow on Instagram and I have been enjoying them. Here’s a favorite I’ve been using every day.

After I’m done with yoga, I follow along with this schedule for weights:

Monday: chest
Tuesday: arms
Wednesday: shoulders
Thursday: back
Friday: legs

If you have some dumbbells you are all set! If you don’t, a quick Google search can help you find items around the house to substitute for dumbbells.

Check Pinterest for easy dumbbell workouts for each day. Example: search “chest workout with dumbbells”, or search “chest workout for home”.

Don’t make it so hard you never follow through. Baby steps. This is about serving you for the day emotionally and physically. Get outside if you can for some natural vitamin d!

ESSENTIAL OILS

You hear me talk about essential oils a lot, and that’s because our family loves them! In all seriousness, in this time we’re living in I am using them a TON for my emotions. Essential oils stimulate our limbic system of the brain (the center of memory and emotions) just for one example.

Here’s an example of daily routine I follow:

• Valor on soles of my feet for balancing my energies.
• Frankincense on my wrists. Breathe in slowly for 30 seconds for emotional support.
• Thieves down my spine and on my feet for wellness support.
• I hold a Citrus Fresh bottle under my left nostril and take deep breathes. (I will usually plug my right nostril while I breath.) It effects my left side of my brain in 22 seconds! Great for managing my stress.
• Peace & Calming on my wrists. Breathe in slowly for 30 seconds for emotional support.
• Valor on the soles of my feet again.

If you don’t have essential oils yet, here’s a great place to start!

This is just a peek into what we’re doing, but I hope you are able to get some ideas on how to manage this season. I’m praying that you all are staying safe and well. Please let me know if I can pray for you. We’re in this together.

xo, Hattie