Whoa, today was one of those days. It started early, too early, which is probably the source of a lot of it. The combo of a late night for me, a sick-ish kid, three super early-risers and general cabin fever was not a good one. Emma didn’t get to go to school, the kids were bickering and annoying each other like crazy (to the point of actual violence), and even though I was trying to keep on top of things there was a lot of drama and emotion going on. I managed to keep my cool, most of the time, surprisingly enough (this is not always the case, let me tell you!). But it was exhausting!
While I feel like I am absolutely still in progress with all of this, here are a few things that sometimes (sometimes!) help us get through the rough patches. Some are more for the kids, some more for me, but since I am the weather these things often benefit us all. Some take only a few minutes, but really help my mindset. Sometimes, nothing works all that well, but at least we tried!
- Let go of expectations (mainly, what I plan to get done & how I intend this day will go)
- Get out of the house, go to the park, the store, anywhere!
- Find something to all do together
- Or quiet time apart!
- Connect with one kid while the others watch TV
- Let them all watch TV for a little bit. We all need a break!
- Nurse the nurslings
- Read stories & cuddle
- Play outside
- Be silly! Laugh.
- Get the kids into the bath
- Go downstairs/upstairs/change locations
- Get out a new toy or activity (not necessarily new, but something that hasn’t been out lately)
- Feed the kids a snack, or make snack the main meal
- Turn on feel-good music
- Early naps or bedtime! Sometimes we just need this!
- Eat a healthy snack or meal if I have not lately.
- Make bread (in the bread machine, not by hand, though I am sure that’s great too!). This is just a quick thing makes me feel really productive, so I feel better!
- Quickly (quickly!) clear the main rooms of toy clutter and dishes, wipe down the counters, whatever. Again with the productiveness. And making our home calm, I guess.
- Then sit down with tea, chocolate, wine, or all three!
Water play saves the day, even in January!
What do you do when the going gets rough?
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These are all great suggestions. I have employed many of them! Today I was remembering how, when the girls were much smaller, I would load them both in the car, drive to the nearest Starbucks drive-thru (which wasn’t that close when we were living in Ballard) and then just drive around.