Quarantine Quality Time | Issue 7 | April 27, 2020
Staying Connected and Staying Sane with This Side Up Family
Hello again! Seven weeks in and we are still surviving and sometimes thriving. We hope you are too! It looks like things might be slowly opening again but we’re still far from “normal.” This week was a little tough around here. We were missing the friends and family that don’t live in our house.
Something to Do:
We’ve face-timed and zoomed a lot lately, but this week we really enjoyed sending some good old fashioned snail mail. We sent some custom artwork by our toddler artist in residence to grandparents and friends and it really brightened our day when we got some mail in return. Bonus: we got to support the US Postal Service!
We’ve been taking advantage of the weather before it gets too hot and going on lots of walks. We like these ideas from Hands On As We Grow for activities to try while walking with kids. We’ve tried naming all the colors we see and counting rocks and flowers but there are ideas that will interest older kids in the list above too.
Something to Make:
If you’re feeling brave, you can bust out the WASHABLE paint if the kids are tired of markers and crayons. Bonus, you can send it to those aforementioned grandparents in the mail.
We really like this rainbow hand-print art courtesy of the Cambridge Family Instagram. We are sadly not a part of the royal family so don’t have a staff to help us with this, but maybe one day when we’re feeling wildly optimistic we will try it out. Let us know if you try it too.
Something to Discuss:
Now might be a good time to focus on the positive and have a good old fashioned compliment session! Next time you’re sitting down to dinner, go around the table and take turns sharing what you appreciate most about each family member. Choose one personality trait and one specific action.
Example: “I love that you are always trying to make people laugh. Thank you for taking out the trash without being asked last night. It was really helpful.”
It’s easy at the best of times to get bogged down with negativity. Right now with all the stress and uncertainty, we could all benefit from a little encouragement.
Something to Give:
Mother’s Day is in two weeks! If you are looking for a way to recognize an amazing mom and support a local non-profit at the same time, we’ve got something for you! Sarah Morris, local realtor and founder of This Side UP Family is donating all of the proceeds from these reversible signs to TSUF. They are $15 and include free delivery within 10 miles of Plano or porch pick-up in a few local areas. Visit this link for more information and to order!
We hope our suggestions are helpful and as always, reach out with any ideas, suggestions, or questions! We are here to help!
If you try any of our ideas, tag us on Instagram @ThisSideUpFamilyTx or Facebook @ThisSideUpFamily. Don’t forget to use #TSUFConnectionChallenge. We love seeing all the ways you’re staying connected with your families during this time!