Kate's Monthly Take - May 2020

We’re nearing our 75th day in quarantine in Chicago except for those two days we skipped town for some fresh air…we’ve been here the whole time. I’d be lying if I said we don’t have quarantine fatigue because we absolutely do. Remote learning, two jobs, no childcare and three kids equals a lot of emotions stuck in one condo in the city. I know that we are lucky in so many ways but there have been a lot more meltdowns lately and we’re all reaching a breaking point.

Sometimes I find myself wondering what folks without kids are doing in quarantine…or perhaps folks with just one kid and I might be a bit jealous. Time to reflect, read, enjoy a walk or sit in quiet…basically any kind of “me” time is nonexistent for myself and my husband and it’s hard to be everything for the kids without a solid foundation. However, reminding myself that I wanted this life…I wanted the three kids and all the family chaos that goes along with it…helps.

This is the only life we get. This is our adventure. So even if it involves 75 more days in quarantine, working from home for the remainder of the year and a fall semester of remote learning I’m going to make it memorable and am grateful to be here for it!

Enjoy my Monthly Take!

Kate's Monthly Take - May 2020

Mood

  • Maybe she’s losing it. Maybe it’s quarantine.

    • As the days go on the number of virtual meetings the kids have been late for, birthdays I have forgotten, thank you notes to write, emails to respond to and laundry piles to fold all grow higher. I’m afraid the ever changing schedule of the day just gets jumbled in my head.

Currently Coveting

  • Staying home is the new normal and will be for a while so I figure we should make life at home as comfortable as possible and that includes our postage stamp sized backyard! I think it’s finally time we upgrade to some outdoor chairs for the grown ups.

Currently Coveting Kids Edition

  • These days I’m constantly trying to think of new ideas to keep the kids engaged. I know it’s important for them to learn how to be bored and that certainly happens in our house but as the temps get warmer I’m a little bit concerned about what our summer will look like. Most likely, we will remain in at least a partial quarantine so I’ve been eyeing this sand and water table for our younger kids. They love sensory play and I’d imagine the kids would fill it with water beads or use it to wash their die cast cars or Schleich animals. It just might keep them occupied for twenty minutes.

Favorite Product

  • I have a couple of favorites this month. My oldest daughter has been writing letters to friends and family almost every weekday morning for the last two months. Thankfully, for a while we were stocked with stationary and notecards but when we ran out we were able to quickly stock up on these notecards and pen pal sets from one of my favorite Etsy shops. The pen pal set comes with stickers and a brightly colored pen - the perfect enticement for a second grader to keep up with her writing.

  • As for me I’ve been loving this nylon belt bag. It’s the perfect size for a little bit of cash, bank card, face mask, chapstick, hand sanitizer, phone, keys and wipes - I carry it with me on all of our walks either around the hood or in a nature preserve. I prefer to use this over any of my bigger bags if I go to a grocery store as well…I don’t have to put in a cart as I wear it around my waist and it’s less bulky than wearing a purse making social distancing a little bit easier to comply with.

Design Pick

  • I found my dream home. Or at least a dream home that I could rent. I love the interior of this house especially the kitchen. The blue cabinets and mosaic tile, the island and the basket pendants. Seriously, I love this house known as The Spindrift House. The exterior isn’t necessarily my favorite - I generally go for a less assuming color scheme but overall it’s so lovely and is giving me some major inspiration for that someday home.

What I'm Reading

What I’m Listening To

What We're Reading the Kids

  • The kids are reading a lot of books these days as I’m sure yours are too! I just signed George and Lucy up for a subscription book service through Literati. I’m excited to give it a try and I hope they can get lost in some adventurous books this summer!

    • My 8 year old is revisiting her collection of Ivy & Bean books staying up until all hours of the night reading until her eyelids can stay open no more.

    • My 5 year old has started to get really into the kids series Arthur on PBS so we’ve started to read the books as well. Arthur’s New Puppy is a favorite.

    • For her 3rd birthday Maggie received a few books one of them being Gaston. She loves the dogs in this book and frequently asks us to repeat the names of them…Fi Fi, Foo Foo, Oh La La and Gaston. She may never tire of it!

  • Additionally, in light of recent horrific events wanted to share these books with an underlying message of inclusion. It’s my belief that the earlier we start talking to kids about inclusion the better off this world will be.

What I’m Watching

  • Unfortunately, bedtime is taking a lot longer than it used to so I haven’t been watching much unless you count the Michael Jordan documentary, The Last Dance which for Chicagoans is a must! However, I may just start a free trial on Hulu so I can watch Normal People, I’ve heard so many good things and I could use a new distraction.

Instagram Handle

  • If you’re trying to speak with and educate your kids about recent events or perhaps just better equip them to be positive influences in society than check out theconsciouskid. This nonprofit organization shares some powerful research on race and how early we as parents should start talking about it.

Guilty Pleasure

  • These days it’s buying fresh flowers at every opportunity.

I Need A Vacation

  • I miss traveling. Seeing new places, trying new things and having new memorable experiences is one of my favorite things but for now I’m amused my funny things I find on the inter webs like “I hope the weather is good tomorrow for my trip to Puerto Backyarda. I’m getting tired of Los Livingroom.” This is best said with a margarita or a paloma in hand!

Shit My Kids Will Eat

  • Kid Tested & Approved - Since quarantine started we’ve been cooking up all of our favorite recipes for breakfast, dinner and in between and have tried a few new ones. One of recent favorites and perfect for the summer is Gaby Dalkin’s, Greek Chicken Trough. Ok so maybe the name leaves a little bit to be desired but the recipe is easy, the meal tastes fresh and we love to eat it with a side of hummus and pita. It’s also one of the recipes in the new cookbook I talked about earlier!

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*To read previous Monthly Take posts, please check out the Archives section of the website.

Parenting during the Pandemic

Never has being a mother to three young children been more challenging than it is now. There is no balance between supporting the kids and my husband while continuing to work. There never really was a balance but it’s a tightrope these days. Most things take 10x longer than they used to and there is no additional support. There are bright spots but each day is different, each child is different and there is never enough time to tend to their needs. Most of the time I don’t beat myself up about the failings of the day and take comfort in the fact that staying positive doesn’t mean you have to be happy all the time. It means that even on hard days you know that better ones are coming. I do believe this…even if those better days may be months away. 59 days in quarantine at home has taught me (and my husband) a few things about our kids. Maybe you can relate.

  • Kids are resilient yet often emotional roller coasters. Perhaps more attune to their emotions than we are as adults. They give into them much more freely than we do…this is both a blessing and a curse and it makes for some incredibly exhausting days.

  • They have a strong connection to nature and being outdoors. It’s so important to them to thrive and it’s hard being in the city to foster that in a safe way. We have made some of our best memories during family walks in nature preserves.

  • Just like being outside our kids really need to engage with sensory materials. Things like play doh, kinetic sand, water beads, rice engage and calm all of them. I truly despise the mess but setting up an invitation to play puts them all in a much frame of mind.

  • It’s been a blessing to have more time to observe their school work. We better understand where they are struggling and excelling and when time allows are able to better accommodate their educational needs.

  • They struggle with not being able to look forward to something (and perhaps we all do) so setting their expectations is important as are planning little things. Small events like sleeping in a tent in the backyard or having a virtual ice cream social are impactful and will help them to create positive memories of this time.

  • Just like myself some of them struggle with life feeling out of control. Of course, most of it has never been in our control but these are terribly uncertain times and finding opportunities to take control has been helpful. For example, by involving them in organizing their toys, or making dinner or planning a movie night they can regain control of some situations.

  • I’ve never cut anyone’s hair before but I’ve become an at-home stylist and they will let me do whatever I want as long as I reward them with a lollipop and sticker at the end of it!

  • Time and time again I think about how despite their almost constant fighting that they are so lucky to have each other. They’ve never needed built-in playmates more than they do now.

  • They would eat 100 snacks a day if they could…even after the three servings of breakfast we just fed them!

  • Before our world was turned upside down I thought managing the logistics of three kids with three different schedules was hard. Without a doubt, those logistics are harder now. I appreciate that there are virtual ways for my children to engage and learn but managing their ever changing schedules on top of navigating the balance between two work schedules is overwhelming. Playing hooky once in a while is a much needed respite.

It is a privilege to be their mother, their parent and their fierce advocate but on this Mother’s Day, I would just like a few hours to myself. Sure, I may start scrolling through pictures of them after a mere 30 minutes but I know than I am a better mother to them if I can put myself first sometimes. Wishing you all a Happy Mother’s Day!

Easter Baskets in Quarantine

There have been a lot of times are a lot of times during this pandemic when I would have preferred to deal with things by curling up with a blanket on the couch and hiding for a while. I kind of just want life to stand still so that when things start to normalize we will be starting back where we left off. I so wish we could do this but we can’t so while we are doing our best to stay home; birthdays, anniversaries and holidays are coming to pass. It will be strange and sad not to celebrate with family as so many of have planned but Easter has always been a big deal in our house so I’m trying to motivate myself to make it memorable and fun for the kids.

So since Easter isn’t going to be cancelled and it’s in less than 10 days, we’re going to keep our traditions pretty simple this year…dying eggs, matching pajamas, dressy Easter attire (even if it’s cold and we don’t have anywhere to go) an egg hunt and Easter baskets. Regardless, of our reality I still love building Easter baskets for my kids - it’s a form of escapism for me. This year I had some items pre shelter in place orders, ordered a couple of items online and then tried to shop from some local shops in Chicago that are offering delivery or curbside pick up. Read on for this year’s TAKE on Easter baskets.

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If you’re still looking for some Easter basket ideas this is the majority of what I collected so far mostly before the Illinois shelter in place order. Since then I have been able to shop a bit from a neighborhood toy and book store and have ordered some Easter candy from a local spot. It may not be much but it feels helpful to assist in supporting small and local business right now.

This year as activities to keep my kids engaged are even more valuable than ever I’ve bought into the hype and ordered the EggMazing Easter Egg Decorating Kit. I hope our eggs turn out half as well as advertised! This Easter will be a bit heavier than usual for most everyone around the world so no matter how you celebrate this year stay safe, stay healthy and try to make some new memories.

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