Whether your idea of romance is a dozen roses, champagne, and chocolates, or your spouse emptying the dishwasher without being asked I think we can all agree that not having to cook an entire meal for the family, but instead being served a mouthwatering dish at a classy restaurant sans kids is totally romantic! When was the last time you put on something fancy? Not comfortable dining out? No worries, these awesome local restaurants offer curbside pickup/takeout. So what are you waiting for? Order up dinner for tonight, grab pizza for the kids and put on a movie for them in the other room, put on some Marvin Gaye and see where the night takes ya.
FYI- these also make great Valentine’s Day Date Night Destinations 😉
OMG! Anyone else feel like they’re playing some twisted version of The Game of LIFE this year? Like if someone reconfigured the entire game while on some crazy mind altering drug? You landed on the square, “Global Pandemic”, lockdown for 3 months. Collect stimulus checks each time you go around the board. Landed on, “Quarantine” (you were possibly in contact with an affected individual) can’t move for 2 weeks. You are now working from home and children are schooling from home, pay the bank $200 so everyone in the family has a desk. The hardest part for us parents is, while we’re playing this warped, twisted version of The Game LIFE, childhood can’t stop, we can’t say, “hey, kids, we’re just gonna put childhood onhold and we’ll pick it up after all this craziness is over”. Us parents still need to provide the best childhood we can for our children, even during a pandemic, quarantine, remote learning, etc. And that means us parents have had to step up in ways we’ve never imagined we’d have to….we’ve become teachers, home IT assistants, gym partners, lab partners, etc. and we’ve ultimately become solely responsible for their mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing.
Okay, so where was I going with this? Isn’t the title of this post Winter Survival Guide for Parents? I’m getting there….so where was I, yes, we’re playing this twisted version of The Game Life and we’ve just entered the most challenging part of the board, Winter in the Midwest!!! For this section of the game, you need to make certain your children’s health is meeting the CDC minimum recommendations…Children and adolescents ages 6 through 17 years should do 60 minutes (1 hour) or more of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity each day, including daily aerobic – and activities that strengthen bones (like running or jumping) – 3 days each week, and that build muscles (like climbing or doing push-ups) – 3 days each week. (CDC). Doesn’t sound too bad? Well, if you pair it with the fact that your children aren’t done with schooling until 4pm and the sun sets around 5pm, oh, and did I mention you’re tired from making all the other plates spin throughout the day? Yup, suddenly those 60 minutes a day really do become a struggle…(and I didn’t even add “Mom Guilt” to the mix…cause us mommas know that sitting is the new smoking, and by those standards our kids are virtually smoking packs a day as they sit in front of their chromebooks and laptops). So what’s a parent to do? We suck it up and get those smokers, I mean sitters, outside for some much needed fresh air and exercise!!
Here’s the Winter Weather Survival Guide for Parents:
This is not the time to bring sexy back…layer up those pants and shirts, sweatshirts, the bigger bulkier you look the warmer you are going to stay. And that extra padding is appreciated when you go sledding with the kids, or accidentally forget to remove your leg from the sled string and get dragged down the hill…yup, that’s definitely not what JT was singing about!
Playlist, you’re gonna need a playlist to get your bulky badass up that sled hill, and up it again, and again, or through those trails, or whatever else the kids wanna do…you’re gonna need your jams, trust me!
Earbuds. These are legit the best things ever invented! They serve so many purposes…you can look like you are listening to something while eavesdropping on other people’s conversations, they basically give you permission to ignore everyone (children optional), oh, and you can listen to audio books, music, videos, etc. privately. Not interested in having that political conversation with that other parent on top of a sledding hill? Just pop in the earsbuds. Did your child just do something WAY embarrassing? Just pop in those earbuds and look the other way. I’m telling you, they’re awesome.
4. Travel mug. If you’re gonna be out in the elements you might as well try to make it as enjoyable as you can…bring along that coffee, tea, hot cocoa, etc.
Though the sun seems to set way too soon, some days it forgets to even rise, and the wind-chill can legit sting, you can totally win The Game of LIFE’S Winter in the Midwest section of the board if you follow the survival guide, lol!
With Christmas now in the rear view mirror, there is no better time to start preparing for next Christmas. That sounds like a joke, and maybe it is to some extent, but anyone who found themselves shopping and changing plans with days to go in 2020 will know the truth: what seems like enough time rarely actually is. So if you want this year’s festivities to go better, there’s something to be said for at least laying money aside and sourcing some of the things you’ll need in December.
Just like most things in life, freelancing comes with a price and some balance. And well, it’s not necessary to work to someone else’s schedule; you do have to make sure that you are handling your finances well.
So businesses and freelancers rely solely on the owner or the person in the business to make sure that the finances are taken care of properly. Here are some quick tips to help you get your freelance finances under control.
The satisfaction of checking off a task on an ever evolving To-Do-List is like sinking your teeth into a candy bar after fasting for a week! Ahhh, that taste of sweet success and feeling of swimming in accomplishment, that is until you see all the tasks you have yet to fulfill and just like that it’s like someone peed in your pool of accomplishment. Why do we do that to ourselves? Why do we continue to allow yesterday’s or last month’s uncompleted tasks and goals to haunt us? Why do we only allow ourselves the tiniest taste of sweet success and then stew in a pee pool of disappointment and dissatisfaction over uncompleted tasks and goals? Are we gluttons for punishment or is the system flawed?
Is it lunchtime yet? Whether your kiddos are starting off the second half of this school year in-person, virtually, remotely, or being homeschooled there’s one question they’re all asking, is it lunchtime yet? And who can blame them, don’t we all kinda look forward to lunchtime, the meal that helps breakup the monotony of the day? While packing children’s lunchboxes (or should I say assisting children in packing their own lunchboxes ;)) isn’t exactly rocket science, it’s always nice to have some inspiration. So, here are a few outside the “typical lunchbox” ideas. Your time is valuable, so this post has been kept brief with just images and short explanation of each lunch. If you do have any questions please feel free to post in comments.
Teaching kids to walk is part of parenting 101. For many people, teaching kids to cycle and swim probably follows close behind. Skating is another really useful skill for kids to learn. What’s more, if you never had the chance to learn as a kid yourself, then you have a great chance to make up for what you missed.
There will be a time in your future where you will need the services of Locksmith Denver. It might be a time when your keys are sitting on the front seat of your car, or when your key breaks off in the lock on the front door of your home. A locksmith is someone that can take care of any issue that may come your way within the realm of locks. Here are some of the major benefits that you can expect when you use the services of a locksmith.
There is nothing that brightens your day like a dazzling smile. Such a smile can be contagious and memorable for many years to come. Now, imagine if it was you who had such a smile. You’ll be charismatic, popular, and successful. However, if you have bad teeth and are caught up in a midlife crisis, you’ll be amazed to know that the key to your success lies in a beautiful smile. Once you get it, everyone would start to look at you differently.
You’ve been trying to find a solution to different problems like spending more time with your family, keeping your kids active off the couch, and finding a way to relax and unwind yourself or even exercise. Worry no more; think of a new backyard pool that may solve these entire problems in one fell swoop. Not all of us can afford to install an in-group pool.
Stay calm as things heat up by enjoying a relaxing swim. Here are essential factors to consider when selecting an above ground swimming pool for a good experience for you and your family.
Mom on the go in Holy Toledo 