Things to do during Stay at Home orders

This is a blog I never would have dreamed of writing. I always have a hard time with blog ideas, I can readily admit I am a very bad blogger, I try to keep up with posting regularly and keeping my ranks within the vast Google 😉 but this idea is still something I never thought I would have to come up with.

I hope all of you have been safe and healthy during this time. Whether you are the most organized, Pinterest worthy mom with a schedule for your kids, or the mom just trying to get by so allowing your child unlimited screen time so you can finish your work. Or maybe you are single, and self isolating alone, and just craving the outside world so you are working out and Zoom/Facetiming with friends and family all day. Or maybe you and your partner are isolated together and are enjoying every bit of this togetherness. No matter where you are at in this, YOU ARE DOING OK. You are doing what is best for you. Do not compare yourself to others, you need that organized chart? ROCK IT! You need your kids to have screen time so you can get stuff done? ALLOW IT! You need to garden or take daily walks for your mental health? DO IT!!! We are all in this together, do what is best for you!

I wanted to at least share a list of some top things we are doing in quarantine. A short little background on my family; We are in The Woodlands, TX and have been under Stay at Home orders for a few weeks now and my family personally has been under self quarantine since 3/13, so we are in week 4. Its been a trying time to say the least. We are very fortunate that my husbands job moved them all to work from home, however my job, photographer, is non-essential so I had to close my doors, so no revenue in March or April for this girl 🙁 Small business owners feel me on this. My daughter is 9 and we have started distance learning, which has been a whole new world for us! I would lie if I would say its been easy. She has not wanted to focus on learning as much as playing or chatting with friends. We are trying to find a balance to allow her the freedoms she craves along with the structure of school. We do limit schooling to 2hrs a day as per the Conroe ISD guidelines. My husband seems ok with it all, he holes himself up in his office to do work and comes out as needed for lunch or to take a walk with us. He is the prime example of a homebody, so this has not been difficult for him. As for me, its been hard. I am used to being home alone from 745-3 every day, I get to work and focus on my business fully during that time, have some me time during the day, as well as go to the gym in the mornings, grab coffee or lunch with friends, make Target or Homegoods runs, etc, so this hard on me. I am an on the go person, so stopping to be at home all day with people around me all day has been very challenging. Don’t get me wrong I LOVE my family to pieces, but I do miss the quiet of the house during the day. d

Well that was more of a novel of us than a quick background ha!! So I will get started on some of my recommendations for you!

1. Paint with Diamonds – Ok this is cool. I just found out about them so this could be a new to me thing, but its great for kids or adults! You basically have this little pen that helps you put these jewels onto artwork. It helps keep your mind occupied and your creativity flowing. To me it rivals with a puzzle! So fun! They have kid ones that are easier, along with more complex for adults. Highly recommend!
2. Family game nights – Ok this isn’t new, but something we are doing regularly. Recently Target had half off board games as well. Perfect to add to your next curbside pickup order! Our faves right now are Life, Battleship, Go Fish, Uno and Monopoly! I’ll lump puzzles into this as well. A 750 piece puzzle kept myself and my daughter occupied for a few days (on and off)
3. Sidewalk Chalk! – So I jut linked a google image search for you, but sidewalk chalking has given us hours of fun. We have been writing messages to neighbors or just in general having fun with drawing. My daughter is a little artist and can make the neatest stuff. I will add a cell phone pic to this post so you can see our latest creation. Brighter Days Are Coming!
4. Fun in the Sun! – This one is easy. Just playing in the back yard. Taking a walk down the street (staying 10 feet away from anyone!) Jumping on the trampoline, getting in your pool, maybe using your blow up waterslide. Anything to get out side and get some Vitamin D in the sun! We have been using the sprinkler with our trampoline to get her energy out since the playgrounds are a no go right now (please stay off the playgrounds!). As for adults, get out for a walk, or bike ride, or run or just do your workout outdoors in your back yard if you can. Getting any kind of sun will tremendously help your mood.
5. Bake or Cook! If you are in an area that has mostly available groceries, spend this time learning new recipes! Pickup a curbside order and experiment. Or get creative with foods in your pantry and fridge already. This is especially good bonding time for spouses or parents and children!
6. Online workouts – There are so many places offering online workouts for its members and even those who are not. Some local ones to us is Woodlands Yoga Studio on their FB page, Orange Theory the Woodlands has been posting Youtube workouts, StrongHer is a place I discovered during this stay at home order and they are amazing! HIIT and Core workouts posted daily. All of these places are local to the Woodlands and small business.
7. Support your local small business in general! Restaurants, personal trainers, retail stores that offer online or curbside, anything helps to keep these businesses afloat. If you are still getting a steady pay check and would normally shop there or eat there, please continue to do so! Even buying gift cards from your local hair salons, spas, photographers etc helps TREMENDOUSLY. Special shout out to Third Gen Coffee, Walking Tots and Herb and Beet, some of my local faves !
8. Pre-plan your photo sessions! Your local photographers are tireless planning our futures. With everything being pushed out to May/June for sessions, pre-plan those sessions! A lot of us are offering, Mommy and Me, or Spring and Summer sessions. Get on the books and help support us! For those of you local to me, I am booking Flower Swing/Carousel Horse Sessions first weekend of May, Creek Minis mid-May, Beach sessions in June/July and Petite sessions anytime! You can book directly www.lacileighphotography.as.me
9. Geocaching or Leaving Painted Rocks behind – Geocaching is fun and in our area we have a lot of hot spots you can find the surprises. Or even painting rocks and leaving them behind for people to find is a fun activity for the kids. A lot of neighborhoods are doing rainbows or teddy bears in windows as well for you to find as you do your daily walks.
10. Zoom or Facetime – Call your family and friends! Remember we are in stay at home orders/physical distancing, not SOCIALLY isolating! Keep in touch with your friends or parents. Have facetime coffee dates or wine dates! This will help your mental health so much!

Want to book a session? Lets chat!