A Entrepreneur's and Mom's Guide to Stay Home
Welcome! So glad you’re here! How are you? No, really, how are YOU doing? Like me, are you struggling with social distancing and staying at home? Does your life feel amiss and your routine feel out of sorts? Well you’ve come to the right place because we’re in this together!
Just a little background on me...Hello, I’m the small business owner of Puff Apothecary (learn more here). I made the tough decision to close for the safety of our clients and staff, then the state ordered ALL salons to close soon after. Personally, I’ve decided to do my small part of staying home to help prevent further spread of the virus so rapidly. I’m in a fortunate position to do so and I’m thankful for all the hard work of our healthcare professionals. I’m still trying to work and I was already in the middle of a rebrand and redoing this website (what do you think??). I knew I wanted to keep engaging so will be creating content for this blog. I’m also a mom and now I have to take on a homeschool role. So between the pressure of being a small business owner worrying about the future, the emotional tax of social distancing, I also have to figure out a new healthy routine quickly for the sake of my kids and husband.
And isn’t that most of us? We are all just trying to figure this “stay at home” thing out. So in an effort to throw some support out into the universe and try to engage with others, I wanted to share my collection of things that are currently working. This list will be ongoing and growing. I’ve also gone into more detail on some of the more heavier topics so be sure to click the links to learn more. I plan to update and repost with edits as life goes on and changes. (Note: this isn’t an all or nothing list, some things I do well, some things I really don’t. I hope you can find at one thing that is helpful to you and your lifestyle. If you do please let me know in comments!)
I hope you find this list useful and if you have questions, have tips and insight, please share. Let’s have a conversation in the comments!
Health (check with your doctor!)
Track your calories and macronutrients. I use Chronometer which has a free version.
Take vitamins and supplements. Store trips are fewer and far between and you may be staying away from the fresher foods that are exposed to people. So if you are consuming mostly packaged and processed food you may want to consider supplements and vitamins (check out my go to here!).
Stay hydrated. Drink a lot of water! Tip: Get a water bottle and commit to drinking 2-3 refills.
Fresh Air every day. Try at least twice a day for at least 20 minutes. Sitting, walking, running, whatever. Just try to get that sunshine.
Self
Find time to be fully alone. Crucial if you are living with family.
Find something non productive you like to do.
Go to bed earlier. (I’m still working on this!).
Make a new calendar. I think mentally knowing this calendar will be turned off is powerful.
Start journaling. Could be short stories, poems or just journaling about how you feel. My favorite notebook is Leuchtturm 1917 with dots!
Work with your hands. Channel some of the energy we dedicate to being social to doing something artistic. Clay, Polymer Clay, Play Dough, Gardening, Knitting, Drawing...anything that gets your hands moving.
Be productive when working, not just busy. There is a lot of pressure in our world to be busy. This is a good time to slow down and be intentional with your energy. When it doubt if something isn’t important, just chill at home.
Find ways to feel dressed. Wear some jewelry, a head wrap, catch a glimpse of yourself looking cute in the mirror.
Work on your skin care and shower oasis. Create the perfect skin routine for you and use your time to shower as a way to pamper yourself. We do carry plant based skin care products and you can support us now by getting a gift card and visiting when we open again!
Have a mini fashion refresh. Try Theze Dealz which is a thrifty boutique that offers a personal shopping experience online. It’s also a great way to support a small business and support sustainable and ethical fashion. Or Amazon has Prime Wardrobe.
Talk to other moms. Dr. Amber Thornton (a Dayton native!) had a zoom call of mamas just to check in to see how they are doing and it was validating and nice to talk to moms I never met around the country. Not sure if she will do it again but check out her site Balanced Working Mamas and you may find something for you.
Stay at Home with Kids
Develop a new routine influenced by old routine.
Ask your school/daycare for their schedule. Try to follow the general structure but decide what is feasible for you and your family.
Create a new digital calendar (I call mine “New Normal”), place your daily recurring schedule. Can include eating times, nap times, play times, video chat times, work time.
Recognize your kids are more capable than you think. This is the time for them to develop skills they never knew they had because they always relied on you. Consider having them:
Make their own snack (toddler can do this as an activity if you set it up for them, read more here)
Fold their own clothes.
Do their own laundry.
Make their own bed.
Make hair products!
Find ways to allow your kids to move, fall, be silly in the house that work for you.
Have your kids reset the play area/clean up before nap and before bed.
Create a clear, open space in which toys are easy to find. They can't play with what they can't see.
Switch up toys to keep interest and exploring.
Wear your baby on the back and do work.
Workout with your kids. Try following a yoga or dance workout on Amazon prime. They do have some kid friendly versions.
Be portable so you can work in transition times; eating snack, feeding baby.
Use a timer to set expectations on time.
Remember your child is adjusting and developing and they may have setbacks. Try to breathe and walk away before losing your cool. It’s okay if you don’t nail this every time.
Pick one big topic and project for the week and intersperse mini lessons into routines (I’ll write more of what I do and use soon!).
Get useful reference books for being a better parent to help you learn and grow.
Get workbooks for your kids.
AND I’m still learning!...I’ll be updating and editing along the way. Let me know what you’re doing in the comments. Have you tried any of the above and it worked? Did it not work? Why? Let’s figure this out together?