Week Two Coronavirus Hiatus: Gratitude

Okay, here we are… rolling in to week two of this thing. It will be be a lot longer, we know that. That is OKAY. We are all OKAY.

I know I have spoken about gratitude a lot in the past 18 months. The shifts that happened in my life after I lost my brother… the changes in my perspective are incredibly helpful here. This is a scary time. We are scared about what the future holds for our communities, small businesses and our country as a whole. We have to remember just how lucky we are as a small little family. My family, my immediate family & extended family, are all healthy right now. We have a full fridge & pantry and a warm house to be in. We have school systems that cares to put time and effort into creating learning experiences for our children. We have jobs and continued income. We have a medical community around us willing to be “on the front lines” to combat this virus. We are incredibly fortunate, incredibly aware of our comfort and incredibly grateful. I know this whole thing is difficult, but try and remember just how good you may have it.

Please look into your local organizations to see who needs help and where and what you can donate. Our local grocery store was looking for volunteers to delivery groceries to the elderly and comprised. There are groups coming together raising money to order take-out from local restaurants (supporting them) and delivering it to the hospitals to feed the staff, nurses and doctors and also our first responders – our local one is Food For The Front Lines. An organization we donated to right off the bat is Filling In The Blanks which makes sure children that rely on school lunches will not go hungry during the school closures (they are normally focused on proper meals for the weekends). A donation of $5.25 can provide a bag of food for the weekend, $50 can buy 200 granola bars and $100 can buy 100 cans of soup.

Think about your local small businesses. I have an Instagram Story of local businesses that are for now still serving the community though curbside pick up and delivery.  Book stores, toy stores, restaurants… they all need support too. Gift cards for future use are a great idea too.

So many of our local gyms and workout spots are offering virtual training, recorded classes and one on one FaceTime workouts! My childrens’ karate studio is providing us with recorded lessons and a little one on one FaceTime to keep up with their practice and also provided a little stable continuity for these kids. It is MARVELOUS!

Just remember to be kind during this time, we are all in the same boat.

Now… because I am not completely obtuse to the challenges of  staying home with no end in sight…

I updated my Amazon store with a section for  to “Keep Them Busy“- 180 toys and activities for kids of all ages. I will keep adding to it but check it out!

Also, at the start of last week my AMH Bookshelf went live! It is in the browser bar of the website. All books we have read and we love. Fiction, non fiction, cookbooks, kids and lifestyle.

Those with younger ones at home, I found these two great websites for worksheets to help with letters, numbers, math and handwriting, coloring sheets and craft & activity ideas.  All Kids Network (thanks Liz!)  & Work Sheet Fun.

If you did not see the link for the Virtual Tours of Museums last week it is great! Culture with out leaving the couch!

An activity that was a huge hit our house last week was “Make Your Own Muffin Bar” using my SUPER SIMPLE Blender Banana Muffin recipe. Pour the batter into your muffin tins and set out some toppings… fruit, chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit- they will love it!

And because we are certainly not afraid of a little screen time over here… our picks for Family Movie Night (or Morning or Afternoon). Here are some of our favorites and ones in our queue!

• Who Framed Roger Rabbit
• Goonies
• Sandlot
• Twins
• Kindergarten Cop
• ET
• Groundhog Day
• Clue
• Freaky Friday
• Sister Act
• Honey I Shrunk The Kids
• Cheaper By The Dozen (1 &2)

Be well this week, get out there and walk… 6 feet apart of course,  practice social distancing, enjoy your families, connect with your loved ones and be grateful for the good you have!

xx,

Caroline