Keeping Life “Normal” During COVID-19

I think we can all agree that life was turned upside down when COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic. Everything closed and we became isolated hermits because of the fear of the unknown. And it’s totally understandable. I don’t know where you’re from, but here in California things haven’t really opened up much. So here’s how I’ve been keeping life “normal” during COVID-19.

Keeping a Routine

Whether we like it or not, humans tend to be creatures of habit. We like to wake up around the same time, eat our meals around the same time and even shower around the same time every day. It makes our busy lives easier to manage if at least a few things stay consistent.

At the beginning most people were off of work and their schedules became all over the place. Wake up time moved later and so did bedtime. Some people stayed in pajamas all day and forgot all about time. And that’s ok. Sometimes we need a break. I have three kids which meant that I had to keep things “normal” because the lockdown happened while school was still in session.

I made the decision to keep up with a daily routine. We woke up, everyone got ready for school, including myself, we had breakfast and were ready to start the day by 9am. Although activities varied from day to day, lunch, play time and dinner time didn’t.

We still have a routine even though it has changed slightly since beginning homeschool. But…wake-up, breakfast, school, lunch, play time and dinner are all around the same time every day. We all know what to expect and our lives aren’t thrown into disarray whenever something changes.

Having Fun

I feel fortunate that my children are all very little still. My oldest was in TK at public school and had just begun to make new friends. It was hard for her at first, but she came to understand why we couldn’t see anyone. With her still being so young I was able to fill our days with crafts, outdoor explorations, science experiments (like Oobleck) and games.

4th of July Tie-dye

Seed Germination Experiment

We started to make small things fun. Like going for a walk. Instead of just going for a walk I would make them a bird watching or butterfly book and we would see how many different kinds of birds or butterflies we could find. We would write down their colors and defining features and whether they were big or small. They had a blast and suddenly things didn’t seem so bad.

Another thing we have done a lot of since the end of March are dance parties. Because who doesn’t love music? We’ll put our favorite music on and dance our hearts out. Sometimes we’ll dance together and sometimes we’ll dance to the beat of our own drums. It’s fun and gets the energy out of my three active kids.

Incorporate “normal” things

By normal I mean things that you have to leave your house to do. For example, going to the movies, eating out at a restaurant, going to a park.

My oldest daughter and my mother-in-law had been talking about how much they missed going to the movies. The smell of the popcorn, the concession stand, the dark theatre and the big screen. I decided to bring the movies home to my family.

I’m pretty crafty so I decided to make some signage. I named it “Mama B’s Theatre”. I also made a concession stand and a ticket booth. Of course we had to have money and tickets so I made those as well.

I enlisted my husband and dad for help setting everything up and distracting the kiddos. They went out for a walk and when they came in there was the theatre, all set up with candy, popcorn and drinks to choose from.

It wasn’t anything extravagant. Most of the candy I had was left over from holidays or grandparents giving it to the kids (we don’t eat much sugar). All I did was make signs and money and buy some popcorn to share. But let me tell you, the looks on their little faces were priceless…my mother-in-law included. I was so happy that I could bring them something “normal” to offset the chaos going on outside our home.

Another way of keeping life “normal” during COVID-19 is to get dinner out. Not the way we used to, but to pick it up from our favorite restaurant and either a) eat it in the car all hanging out and having fun together or b) bringing it to the field area of the park and having an evening picnic. The kids have enjoyed this and it makes things seem less restrictive. Instead of having to constantly tell them “I’m sorry we can’t go out to eat”, I’ve found ways to bring the fun to them…and sometimes it’s even better than sitting in a restaurant.

Be Present

If this pandemic has taught me anything, it’s that we need to enjoy the little things in life. Too often we are caught up in the stresses of life and we forget to take time out just to simply be present with our children. We focus on social media, main stream media, popularity, looks and so much more. But if we take a step back, we start to realize that to our children, we are the world. All they want is to be with us. Whether that be cuddling up with a good book, playing a game with them, or even just watching them do something that makes them proud of themselves.

We have to remember to take time to enjoy them while they are young, because they won’t be that way forever. We will never get those moments back. I challenge each and every one of us to take a step away from what distracts us and focus more energy into our children because they are our future. We are their light, love and inspiration and we need to remember this each and every day. Try my tips on keeping life “normal” during COVID-19 and remember to enjoy the little things.