Celebrate Everything
Since temperatures in New England started dropping and the days got shorter, I started thinking about ways to make winter not just something we survive and count down the days until it ends, but something we enjoy. Even if just in small ways, I’ve been trying to find things to look forward to and things to enjoy this season. One key habit that helps is getting outside (almost) every day, even if just for a short time. It’s always best for me and for my family if we get out of the house, stretch our legs, get out wiggles, and breathe fresh air.
But, the reality is that not every day is the right day to spend hours and hours outside, and I do actually get cold. Just standing outside in freezing weather is not my idea of a good time (and would probably result in hysterics from one or both of my kids). Pre-kids, I skied as much as possible in the winter. I’m hoping and looking forward to future winters when my kids are old enough to enjoy ski days and vacations together. Right now though, my kiddos are really little and we’re several winters away from being able to commit to a true ski trip, so for now, we dream.
Pre-pandemic, we always had things planned throughout the winter that we could look forward to. Not always big things, sometimes just fun activities with friends, dinners out, weekends away, all things that were such good ways to have something on the calendar to be excited about and that help winter progress. This is something I’ve really been struggling with the loss of as the result of the pandemic. Planning things is so hard not only because plans can fall apart with the slightest sniffle, but also because the list of things that we can safely and easily do (with unvaccinated kids, limited childcare, and a obligation to do everything we can to ensure we don’t put unnecessary strain on our healthcare system and workers) is pretty dang short.
All this background is to say that the list of things that make a pandemic winter with little kids hard is EXTREMELY long. So, it takes some effort to find ways to actually enjoy the day-to-day and not just wish everything by, but it’s something I’m prioritizing this winter. For me, it requires focusing on letting go of needing to feel productive all the time (this is really hard for me - I am always thinking about my to-do list or things around the house that I should be trying to get done), and really focusing on whatever it is that I’m doing in that moment. And, of course, really slowing down. Embracing a slower pace, enjoying the fact that we basically have no plans, and taking advantage of the ability to be cozy, rest, get extra sleep, do nothing. Some of the things we have been doing in our house include:
Having a list of TV shows or movies to watch and savor the shows we love. It’s nice to have something to look forward to in the evening or at the end of a long week. Also, I’m sure that most parents will relate to the fact that binging a show is pretty different once you have kids (ie: pretty hard to do), so we’ve been leaning into the fact that it will take us a long time to watch things! Some recent personal favorites include The Sex Lives of College Girls, Money Heist and Yellowstone.
Getting ready for bed immediately after putting my kids down. I will do a face mask, light a candle, get in bed early and enjoy a really good book (also, I’m only finishing books that I love and have stopped putting silly pressure on myself to finish books I’m not loving).
Baking and cooking with my kids — muffins are really simple and usually pretty kid-proof. Cookies are also delicious. My toddler can usually help with a lot of things (at a minimum he can measure chocolate chips into a bowl and do some taste testing along the way) and if I have the baby too, I’ll wear her in a sling or let her eat snacks or play on the floor of the kitchen while we’re cooking.
Doing something special with my toddler while the baby is taking her morning nap. Recently, my son has been showing signs of desperately needing some one-on-one time with me or his Dad. I think it’s because the baby is older and wants to play, asks for attention and wants to be doing everything he is doing. He’s having a hard time sharing the attention. So, when my daughter goes down for her morning nap, I do something just the two of us. Lately, we love coloring! I will pull out my adult coloring book and markers and he will pull out his craft tub and notebook and we’ll sit together at our dining room table and color. Sometimes, we get really wild and pull out paint or work on beading necklaces or bracelets.
Making a special drink at dinner time every night (but not always an alcoholic one!) I’ve cut way back on drinking because I am sleeping so much better and also because I found myself pouring a glass of wine almost every night and I wanted to move more towards having a drink because I actually want one, and not just out of some weird habit or crutch. But, I have been loving having a little mock-tail / non-alcoholic drink of some kind. Even Ellis likes having his “Special drink” and will help juice an orange and mix it with some seltzer for all of us to share.
Eating dinner as a family. This is truly a chaotic practice, and I am often stressed and frazzled during it, but we eat dinner as a family most nights and it’s really great. My son has grown to love it (he asks for it, which is the cutest thing ever). I think it will help him develop really good mealtime habits that will hopefully translate once we’re able to go out and eat at restaurants again and as he gets older. He helps to set the table (last week he did it himself and pulled his little toddler table to the middle of our dining room, pulled up the baby’s high chair and two big chairs for me and my husband and we all at together at his little table). It’s just a nice way to connect as a family at the end of even the craziest days. Plus, some nights there is nothing better than putting both kids to bed and coming downstairs to be truly done — no additional meal to make, you don’t even need time to eat, you can just totally veg out.
Picking new recipes to try over the weekend. During the week, our dinners are really simple and we have a pretty strong routine week-over-week so that dinner comes together really quickly and with as few dishes as possible. Every once in awhile it’s nice to cook something more elaborate and actually enjoy the act of cooking. This is something we’ve been loving on those nights that we don’t eat as a family and want to just have a meal as adults!
Watching movies as a family - My son is at the age where he actually wants to sit through a full movie, can follow along and doesn’t get scared by almost every plot line. The baby will watch with us for a little bit and then wants to play or be able to move around. Bonus if she goes to bed and Ellis gets to stay up a little extra to finish the movie with just mom & dad.
Finding or creating good playlists and listening to them all the time. Music can totally change the mood and make mundane things fun. Plus, seeing my kids dance never fails to crack me up. When my daughter was born, one of our best gifts was a series of Spotify playlists that my sister curated for us. They’re for all different types of days, moods, activities and are on repeat constantly!.
Nap time is for everyone. I used to rush around the house and get as many chores done as possible while my kids napped. It was our time to get whatever needed to get done, done. Now, it’s rest time for me and my husband. We’ll do just about anything possible to make sure we get to choose to do whatever we want during that time. Read, listen to a book, lie on the couch, take a nap, go for a walk alone,
Celebrating whatever chance we get! We’ll get cupcakes on Friday to celebrate making it through the work & school week. Sometimes we’ll go get fresh croissants for breakfast because it’s Wednesday and everyone is feeling a little cranky! We’ll make bacon on Saturday morning to celebrate the beginning of a family day! We got new books to read for Martin Luther King Jr. day, we’ve been talking about Lunar New Year and are planning a special meal for February 1st, we’re going to decorate our house for Valentines day this year and will spend time creating cards for friends and family. We have a calendar of birthdays for all the people we love and are going to take the time to make them cards and do something special to celebrate them. We will probably celebrate Ellis’s half birthday next week. We’ll celebrate the first day the sun sets after 5PM, and then when it’s after 5:30 and when it’s after 6PM.
The mentality of celebrating everything is something that I am hoping to hold on to throughout the year and beyond the pandemic (side note: please let there be life beyond the pandemic and please let it start soon). Right around the new year, I heard so many people share the idea of “use the good stuff.” In other words, stop saving up all the fancy or special things we have and just use them. It was such a good reminder to me (I have been using my fanciest and favorite champagne coups for just about anything) and I love the idea. We have a lot of things to celebrate, even just in our day-to-day. Tiny celebrations can help shake us free of the feeling that the day-to-day is getting mundane. Plus, life is just too damn shop. We’ll celebrate any wins I have at work, or any wins my husband has at work. When Addie takes her first steps (any day now!) we’re going to have a dance party!
So, since celebrations have been on my mind, just some fun ideas for things that can be used to have mini celebrations! Here’s to enjoying winter as best we can, getting better at not wishing the time by and for spring to come ASAP!
