Practical Ways to Care for Yourself + Your Family in Uncertain Times [Deep Breath, Mama – You’ve Got This]

Before we dive in, pause with me for just a moment, close your eyes and breathe in deep for four seconds, hold for three, and exhale all the air from your lungs for six.

Need more? That’s okay. Take a couple of minutes and repeat as many times as you need. I’ll be here.

Okay, ready? I know the world feels a little crazy and uncertain right now. Eerie is the word that came to my mind as I pushed my cart down the aisles at Costco. We live in interesting times.

So, I want to share some light, spread some peace, sprinkle a little grace into your current circumstances. I’m not sure where you are or what has changed for you over night, but I know that where we are in Washington State, schools have closed, gatherings of more than 250 have been suspended and social distancing is being encouraged. And, no, we don’t have any toilet paper here either. Ha.

I’m going to share with you some practical ways you can care for yourself + your family right now, today.

First up are some health + wellness tips and resources.

These are things I’m do on an on going basis and then ramp up as needed during winter or flu/novel corona-virus season:

  • Get plenty of sleep. Enforce early bedtimes, try not to skip any naps and, encourage a daily quiet time for everyone. Ours is usually from 1:30-3:30pm. My youngest naps, but my oldest two either play quietly or read books in separate places. I try my best to make this a time of rest for myself as well.
  • Reduce sugar + processed foods. Did you know that consuming sugar can reduce the effectiveness of our immune system up to 40% for up to 5 hours? Crazy, right? And processed foods don’t help either. They place an extra burden on our digestive systems and livers and can cause inflammation (which we don’t need if we’re trying to stay in the best health).
  • Focus on lots of fresh veggies and fruits. One of the things we do almost daily is make a green smoothie. If you need some fresh inspo, here are three of our favorite immune boosting recipes: Chocolate Cherry Green Smoothie, Beet-licious Smoothie and my Sunshine Smoothie.
  • Stay hydrated. This is so important! Staying hydrated supports every system in the body and can help flush out unwanted toxins. Mix it up with fresh squeezed lemon, frozen fruit, herbal teas, or other healthy + healing warm drinks.
  • Wash hands thoroughly. This goes without saying, but it’s so important. Encourage your kiddos to wash their hands as often as possible, keep their nails short and don’t forget to change out hand towels regularly. This is my favorite non-toxic all-purpose soap/cleaner/detergent/allthethings. I carry a small spray bottle in my purse and use it as a sanitizer, too.
  • Get outside + get fresh air and sunshine. Truly the best medicine! Let their little bodies soak up the vitamin D, clear their lungs and move their bodies. You, too, mama! Especially on the long days when cabin fever starts to set in, take advantage of the great out doors. Maybe try a local hike or walking path or even lay a picnic blanket down in your own backyard.
  • Get that lymph moving! Move daily (walk/yoga/HIIT) + practice dry brushing. Our lymphatic system plays a vital role in removing toxins from our bodies.
  • Use saline or Xlear to cleanse the nasal passages to prevent viruses from taking hold. I do this after any of us have been out and about.
  • Practice stress reduction. Deep breathing, yoga, meditation, journaling, detox baths, time alone, curling up with a favorite book or show for some down time. Stress wreaks havoc on our immune system, so do your best to reduce it as much as possible.

In addition to all of the above and a whole foods diet, here are some supplements I use to support our immune systems:

Colloidal Silver
Vitamin C
Echinacea/Goldenseal
My favorite Morning Multivitamin
Homemade Elderberry Syrup
The best kids’ Probiotic
Vitamin D3/K2
Propolis throat spray
Xlear

Here are a few more health + wellness resources I hope you find helpful + empowering:

A wonderfully comprehensive + informative blog post on this corona-virus and what measures we can be taking to protect our families. I believe Dr. Song is keeping that post updated with current statistics, travel precautions, etc.

This is an awesome thirteen minute video put out out by my friend and board certified holistic practitioner, Lindsay Amilian. It’s filled with great information and practical advice for preventive measures you can take to care for your family.

This next part is for the “accidental homeschooler”: my top tips + ideas for navigating this season with your kiddos at home.

I have a 7 year old and a 4 year old I am currently homeschooling; the 2 year old is just along for the ride at this point. But…aren’t we all? Ha.

First, mama, remember that children are born learners + they don’t need anything fancy from you. You don’t have to spend a ton of money on curriculum or supplies or kill yourself planning the perfect crafts or activities. In fact, it’s okay if they get bored! That’s a healthy + necessary precursor to learning and ingenuity and independence.

Second, repeat the deep breath sequence from the start of this blog post if you need to and give yourself lots of grace! Lots and lots of grace! We are all in this together, even us mamas who chose the homeschool path. There is no right or wrong way to go about this.

My top tip would be to set aside a few minutes, print out my Rhythms Guide, and figure out how you want your days and weeks to look in this season. Start there. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Just get a rough framework down on paper (the last page of the guide has a blank template for you to use!). This is going to help you so much by providing a general flow for you as well as some anchors that will keep you from drifting.

We have a few learning rhythms we incorporate into our days/weeks:

Daily

1.) My kiddos practice life skills by helping out with chores around the house. I encourage you to include your kiddos in the work that has to be done around the house. Things get messy when kids are always in the house (good messy, but still messy), so include them in the sweeping/dusting/vacuuming/mopping. Have them help fold and put away laundry, take out the trash, make their beds, empty the dishwasher, whatever tasks you deem age appropriate. Just remember: kiddos are eager to feel needed and apart of something bigger than themselves, as we all are. Also, they are so, so smart and capable. Don’t be afraid to push them outside their comfort zone a little bit.

2.) We have quiet time from 1:30-3:30pm. My youngest naps, but my oldest two either play quietly or read books. I usually separate them and put my oldest at the dining room table playing legos and my middle one in her bed with quiet toys and books.

We have practiced this rhythm for a long time and it hasn’t always been easy. In fact, we still have our rough days. But it’s one of the few lines I’ve drawn in the sand because I firmly believe that we all need that break. They need down time for their little bodies and brains, I need down time for my sanity + #soulmindbodyselfcare, and we all need space from each other or we start to go a little crazy. So, don’t give up if it doesn’t work out seamlessly the first day or even the 30th day. Truly. It’s worth it.

Here are a few tips for a successful quiet time:

1.) Ease into it, starting with 30 minutes and working your way up to the full two hours over the course of a week or so.

2.) Remove yourself, mama. Send yourself back to your room, close the door and rest. Take a bath. Crawl into bed. Read a book. Do some yoga. But don’t stay out in the common area where you can hear every little sound or where they can easily access you. I tell my kids they can’t come into my room unless someone is bleeding or dying. Ha.

3) Stand your ground. Be firm. Explain the reason for quiet time and enforce consequences. Don’t give up. Eventually they will get it, even if it doesn’t look perfect.

Weekly

Monday: morning basket. I curate a basket filled with books to read, a game to play, these cards from Kids Read Truth, art supplies, and our day board that reviews the weather/seasons/months/days of the week and telling time.

Tuesday: tea time + Bible study. I usually do this with just the big kids while my youngest is finishing up his nap. I brew some tea, make a little treat and we work through our Kids Read Truth Hebrews study together. Sometimes I read a book afterwards or we just talk.

Wednesday: adventure. Which I know is kind of limited right now. I’m not really taking the kiddos out anywhere, save for a very selective park date. This would be a great day for a local hike or an extended walk in the neighborhood.

Thursday: art time + read aloud. Just what it sounds like. I set them up with paints/markers/playdough and let them create while I read.

Friday: free. I like to keep one day open. Usually I do a bigger cleaning push on this day and they spend more time outside in free play. You could also do morning basket again or repeat another one of the rhythms that especially resonates with you.

Here are a few other ideas:

  • Get outside as much as possible. Fresh air and sunshine and free play are the best medicine! My kids spend 4-5 hours outside each day. When the weather is extra beautiful, it goes up to 6-7 hours and we eat our meals outside, too. If your kiddos aren’t used to extended time outside, work up slowly. It will take time. And, depending on their age, you might need to let them in for lots of potty breaks and feed them snacks periodically. Ha. Other ideas: blow bubbles (my kids love this wand), take them on a local hike or go for a long walk/bike ride in the neighborhood.
  • Plant a garden together. Grow some good-for-you veggies and spend some quality time together. Plus digging in the dirt is a proven way to boost your immune system and relieve stress.
  • Cook or bake something together. This is an awesome way to work towards a common goal, sneak in a little math and enjoy a tasty creation in the end.
  • Now may be a great time to invest in a subscription like Kiwi Crate. They have a box for each age group that provides hours of hands on, STEM related learning.
  • If you stock up on anything, make it art supplies. Lots of drawing paper, good quality markers, paints, crayons, etc and then utilize Art Hub on YouTube. It’s free and so much fun, my kids draw for hours when I turn it on.
  • How about a good, old-fashioned read aloud? I like to curate a stack of books based on my kids’ current interests or the current season, but you don’t even have to get that crazy. Just grab a stack of books, sit down on the couch and start reading. I guarantee they will be gathered around you (and on top of you) in no time.
  • Now is the time to pull out all the puzzles, board games, card games, whatever you have. My kids love any puzzles by Ravensburger and Melissa & Doug has some great floor puzzles for younger ages. They love playing Memory, Trouble, Eye Found It Busytown Edition, Candyland, Tic Tac Toe and Battleship.
  • Also, don’t fear the screens. There is a time and a place to turn on the TV or the iPad. There are so many educational programs on YouTube, Netflix has the original Magic Schoolbus, Amazon has Word World. This might also be a good time to revisit all the old Disney movies and my kids love watching HGTV home shows with me as well as Beat Bobby Flay or any of the kids baking contests on Food Network.

A few other resources:

My good friend Jessica has a blog post titled “What To Do When Your Family is Stuck at Home” and she’s offering a free printable with ideas to keep the kiddos busy.

This blog post is full of great information + tips on what to do if you find yourself unexpectedly homeschooling.

One last section here, last but not least. I’m going to link up a bunch of resources for you to read on your own time full of ways you can care for yourself, mama.

Because if we’re not taking care of ourselves through all of this, we’re not going to be able to take care of our people. It starts with us.

Here are some of my top resources for self-care in this crazy season:

Have any questions for me? Leave them in the comments and I’ll be happy to answer! You’ve got this, mama. Never fear! One breath, one step, one day at a time.

For more self-care goodness, come join me on Instagram. And if you haven’t joined my email list yet, that’s a great place to find more of the same. Also, check out the side bar (or scroll all the way down if you’re on mobile) to view all the freebies I’ve created just with you in mind. I hope you find something helpful.

Let’s care for ourselves,

Hannah