How are you, friends?! HOW ARE YOU REALLY.

In the midst of fighting this global pandemic (COVID-19), I shared here and here some thoughts on Instagram, because that is where so many of us go to check in with each other. However, I wanted a chance to share more here on my blog - especially some of the resources I’ve found helpful as we navigate a new normal over here as a family.

We are living in a time like no other people group ever has. We are the first generation with so much technology, information and news at our fingertips. WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE.

Whether this “new normal” is for a few weeks or a few months has yet to be determined! I am grateful for the reminder that in times like these, choosing to be optimistic doesn’t mean having to feel or act happy all the time. It’s perfectly fine to have “meh” moments and feel sad, angry, confused and overwhelmed. I can still choose optimism while I am simultaneously feeling these other feelings, too.

We have actually been navigating a new normal over here for a while, as a family. After Rhys was born 4 months ago, I fought a staph infection for a few months, which kept me home bound (along with the whole “healing from a c-section and feeding a baby constantly” thing), so I have actually been adopting a hermit-ish culture of my own as of late. I have a lot more to share about that little capsule of time, but I’m going to wait until this whole pandemic is past us because we have enough health information overload right now.

However, in light of the past week where the entire world has changed, and everyone has been encouraged to practice social distancing and limit exposure to others - now we are all in the same situation. We are probably all having our moments of processing this new circumstance we facing - staying home while working and educating our children. I know that I am personally fine one moment and then NOT fine the next - it’s a process of unfoiling what I think and feel about all of this. Processing all the impact, all the losses. While trying to stay strong for my family and providing a good structure so that everyone feels safe and cared for. It’s a lot to think about! Thank goodness we have each other to bounce ideas off of! Never have I been more thankful for social media, the Internet, texting and FaceTime. Here are a few things I have been compiling over the past 10 days or so, specific to homeschooling and family life, and hopefully this will help as you navigate your situation as well…

our homeschool schedule.

We moved some things around and have turned our dining room into a homeschool space for the boys. The new set up and having a schedule helped me so much last week. We have been starting school a little later in the morning than we normally would than if we were actually going to school, which has helped me (and the boys!) sleep a little more. Great immune-boosting for us all! Here’s the rest:

8 - 9am - Get dressed, clean rooms, have breakfast
9 - 11 - School lessons
11-12 - Free play (we call them “centers” because for some reason that makes it feel official - usually megablocks, magnatiles, or STEM building toys)
12 -12:30 - Clean up, make & eat lunch
12:30 - 1 - Read a book OR Listen to a story (more about that below), free coloring
1 - 3ish - Nap time! Rest time for Everett (he chooses quiet activities he can do alone - reading and playing LEGOs)
3 - 4 - Outside time (depending on the weather) or special project (a craft or something from our activity jar)
4 - 5 - Watch a TV show while I prep dinner
5:30pm - Dinner
7:00/7:30 - Bath, books, bedtime

With the weather being so beautiful last week, we actually got up and took a walk immediately before breakfast, almost daily. That helped so much! We all need the movement and vitamin D! So when the weather is good, I will gladly throw this schedule out the window and then dive into the outdoors instead! ;)

RESOURCES FOR HOMESCHOOL LIFE.

In addition to the lessons and videos our wonderful school is sending, I am so grateful for all the free resources that are being offered around the web! Here are a few that we are aware of and trying out:

1. Scholastic Learn at Home Lessons (FREE)
I love how simple and straightforward these are. Everett keeps asking to do more of them!
2. Radish Kids Cooking Kit (FREE)
We snagged this before they sold out, but if you add your name to the wait list they will let you know when they restock these free kits!
3. Audible Stories (FREE)
I actually started using audible a few months ago for myself and immediately got obsessed (been working my way through all the Jane Austens!) But even for those who don’t have an account and don’t want a monthly membership, Audible is offering a selection of family and kid-friendly books for absolutely free. I am thrilled about this. We’ve been listening to a few every day and its a great calm-down activity before naptime.
4. KiwiCo At Home Activities (FREE)
We don’t have a subscription to this (although I’m thinking about it - would love to hear if you have enjoyed a subscription here!) but they are providing a ton of free resources to parents and kids with activities, DIYs and more ;)
5. Lovevery
This baby/toddler subscription kit contains Montessori-style learning toys that I am looking into for Rhys specifically. He is getting to the age where he needs more interaction and its coming at a time where I have to divide my focus between the 3 boys all throughout the day. I think this will help all of us interact with him but I haven’t pulled the trigger on it yet - would love input if you’re currently using this!
6. ABC Mouse (FREE)
I haven’t used ABC Mouse before, but if your school requests access here, there is a free code available to use this subscription service for 2-8 year olds. If you don’t want to wait for access, there is a free 30-day trial available as well.

TIPS FOR HOMESCHOOL LIFE.

I am so grateful that so many of you sent great ideas in to share! Especially you veteran OG homeschool mamas, you are the real heroes. A few ideas and reminders I was sent:

1. PLAY is the best way for young kiddos to learn. 1-2 hours of school per day for elementary age children.
2. Cook something together + read something together. These are major building blocks for learning (math + English).
3. Idea Jar - Fill a jar with 20+ activity ideas that are tailored to your kid’s ages. A few examples: letter writing, dance party, plant some seeds, play a board game, FaceTime a friend, choose someone to say a prayer for, put together a puzzle, play with LEGOs, listen to an audiobook, scavenger hunt, bake something, read a Bible story, build a fort, play in the yard, etc.
4. FaceTime read to friends! Let your kids pick a book and then record yourself reading it to them. Then send it to cousins, best friends, whoever has kids and would love a special video message book for their kids! One mama told me it helped her kiddos not get so bored with their own books.
5. Don’t stress. Little kids might not remember the impact of this virus (the way we adults will), but they WILL remember what it felt like to be at home with their parents - they will remember the time spent together, the meals shared, the board games played, the prayers spoken. Lets keep that in the very top of our minds as we respond to situations that occur at home.

TIPS FOR NOT GOING INSANE.

Exercise! Exercise outside (for and hour or more, ideally) has been especially KEY for all of us.
Get creative! I downloaded Jenny Highsmith’s FREE hand lettered coloring pages for myself! The kids have more than enough resources at their fingertips, and my sitting with them and coloring alongside has been really helpful and therapeutic for me personally.
Incorporate chores throughout the day. This way, you aren’t stuck with a mess at the end of the day! Stevie and I are keeping the kitchen spotless right now, because we both feel stress triggers if the kitchen is a mess while we are all occupying the same spaces.
Cry. It’s okay to cry. There’s a lot happening. I also have taken little breathing breaks on the porch. Just 5 deep cleansing breaths makes SUCH a difference to me. Especially when I pair it with a rollerball swipe of my favorite essential oil (Balance or Elevation are incredible).
When in doubt, POPCORN AND MOVIE. It’s the ultimate save.

My prayers are with us all. Stay safe and healthy, friends!

Entering Stage 1.

The past 6-8 weeks have been SO MUCH FUN. My son has started munching on solids, and by solids, I totally mean pureed, smoothie-ish textured foods :) This new part of our routine has led to a much better sleep schedule for us all. Of course, as I type this, I am completely sleep-deprived, because he has been teething this week which just throws everything off again, again. But he has worked so hard for these two little bottom teeth that sprouted up this week (all the moms feel my whole-hearted HOORAY!) In spite of this little teething blip, I must say that overall, things have been really smooth sailing in the baby department lately. Which is saying a lot, because it has been a whirlwind ride since this little boy made his appearance 7 months ago. So, yaay for teeth and fun foods and SLEEP.

"Knowing" He Was Ready.

My pediatrician kept telling me that I would know when my son was ready for solids. I didn't really know what she meant by that. But all the sudden, at 5 months old he started reaching for everything I was eating. He almost drooled into my coffee cup as I poured the happy morning beverage. How does he know to drool over coffee? That's my boy. I guess this was the "I'M FRIGGIN READY, MOM"-indicator. I wasn't ready for him to be ready, but he was! So at 5 and a half months, I tearfully strapped him into his little high chair and slowly armed his clothing with his rubber bib (see a few pics HERE.) I sat down in front of him with my first batch of homemade apple sauce, and after weeping a tiny bit (me, not him), I began spoon feeding him. That little smile. Smeared across his face in mashed-apple joy. He LOVED it. He was in apple Heaven, and started banging on his tray, as if to say, "I want more, cmon woman!" Every day since then, we have given him apple sauce or banana for "breakfast" and fed him different fruits and veggies at dinner time. Of course, this is all in addition to his many nursing sessions each day :)

Resources & Recipes.

I'm not into reinventing the wheel. So when it comes to making my own baby food, I have reached out for lots of help and guidance. I have pulled on the resourceful brains of my big sis Kara and my dear friend Liz, along with the Momtastic Wholesome Baby Food website and book. I started with recipes for making singular pureed baby foods, including Bananas, Sweet Potato, Apple Sauce, Pear Sauce, Mangoes, Avocados, Carrots, Peas and Zucchini. I have started combining some of the foods, creating blends of Apples & Carrots, Pears & Peas, Zucchini & Pears and Banana & Avocado. This isn't proprietary information, since pretty much every blogger under the sun has published the same baby food recipes over and over again. But I really needed step by step instructions spelled out for me, and in case you're a little bit like me, I wanted to share the method I've most enjoyed.

Stage 1 Baby Food Prep:

Cooking.

1) Peel, (when appropriate, core) and chop your fruit/veggie.

2. Place in a steamer basket within a stockpot of water on the stove. Make sure the water is high enough to just barely cover the fruit/veggies.

3) Steam/boil the fruit/veggies until soft enough to easily stick a fork through. The timing will totally depend on the type of fruit/veggie and how much you're steaming. Give yourself anywhere between 7-20ish minutes for this stage.

4) Remove chunks from heat and strain the fruit/veggies out. Reserve that water! It's nutrified.

5) Place chunks into blender (I use a Vitamix), and add a cup or two of the reserved water.

6) Blend mixture until a smooth puree is achieved.

Storing.

7) Pour mixture into ice cube trays. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight. In the morning. place cubes in a large zip-top bag. Label the bag with the food type and date. Keeps in the freezer for 3-6 months.

8) Voila! You've made your baby food! You deserve chocolate.

Serving.

9) Remove a day's worth of baby food from the freezer at the beginning of the day. This could be 1-2 cubes for "breakfast", and 2-3 cubes for "dinner". I haven't really opted in to start serving him solids around lunchtime, but you could!

10) Place cubes in individual baby food containers. Allow to thaw. If you would like to serve the food warmed, you can place this container or this container in a cup of hot/boiling water to quickly heat. My favorite method to thaw/heat baby food is by water submersion, but there are tons of different options.

11) Make sure to stir the mixture well and taste-test each new serving (just to make sure there aren't heat pockets that could burn a baby's mouth.)

// I had a pretty cute audience for this food prep. //

Our Kitchen Tools:

- Tommee Tippee Easi Roll Bibs (These were a genius baby gift, thank you Jordan!)

- Munchkin Soft-tip Spoons

- Keekaroo High Chair (Another gift, thank you Merritt family! We love our pretty high chair!)

- Vitamix Blender

- OXO Freezer Storage Containers (for storing/heating baby food)

- Ball 4-oz. Jars (for storing/heating baby food)

A Few Last Thoughts:

Making baby food is no joke. It feels like a very domestic, wonderfully mommy-ish thing to do, but it is hard work. There is NO SHAME in serving your child store-bought baby food. On our first road trip I gave Everett some of these and these pouches of Stage 1 baby foods and he loved them. So there you go. Kids really don't know the difference.

A helpful note about how much to serve your baby.

A good reminder to always nurse or bottle feed your baby before serving solids.

After preparing all this food, I was ready to go on a baby food diet myself. Seems so healthy.

I hope this helps! Do you have any tips for feeding your baby solids or recipes/methods that have been super successful in your own family? Do share!