Sandy Esprit

Hey there! Thank you so much for checking out my blog. Today I’m just highlighting some of the hobbies that we’ve implemented in our routine to help us all adjust to our new “normal”. Of course, this mean more family time and messy kitchens. In the long run, it’s all worth it.

When I first realized that the parks were closing, I knew that my three year old would be distraught and I was in trouble. My daughter loves to be outside and anytime she can run around is a good day. Unfortunately, running around in the house isn’t a solution I am keen to accept, because she is also prone to bumps and bruises. So I decided to do what any other mama would do. I went to Pinterest and got some ideas.

As a result here are some hobbies that we’ve been adopting to avoid being bored in the house.

Arts & Crafts

Arts & crafts have never been my “thing”. I was never good at drawing or making/constructing anything that looked. In fact, the only type of crafts I’ve been able to perfect since elementary school has been the stick figure. And even then, it may look like an ancient hieroglyphics instead of a person.

Unlike me, my husband is super talented and can draw a sketch of a person that looks like it belongs in animation. But he’ll swear it’s a doodle, nothing more. Go figure! He started making little doodles and I noticed that my daughter asking to draw or paint. Since we didn’t have anything else, I started visiting Pinterest and get some ideas.

We got messy. We painted, made playdough and coloured outside lines…no, seriously this girls can’t keep the colours inside the lines to save her life. But all in all, we had fun. We bonded and she taught me that perfecting arts & crafts is not the goal. Just being with one another, enjoying a moment of creating something was the fun part.

At Home Parties

Growing up, we always had music playing in the house. It wasn’t uncommon for us on a friday night to just start dancing. My mom would often show us the hottest dances from her day and we would show her, what was current in our day. It was so much fun.

So I decided to pass along this “tradition”. The fun doesn’t need to end just because we’re home. We got dressed, put on our dancing outfits and grooved to the music. Surprisingly, Baby Shark was not on the playlist.

Reading

Reading has become a staple and lifesaver when I need the girls to just settle down. When I say the girls, I mean the older one. She has tons of energy and normally doesn’t like to sit still but when it’s story time, she’ll sit. Some of the books she’s already memorized. Her favourites include I Like Myself by Karen Beaumont, Dream Big Little One by Vashti Harrison and Fresh Princess  by Denene Milner.

Baking

I don’t know what it is about being in quarantine but it seems like everyone has been bitten by the baking bug and I was not exempt. Lately I’ve been watching Nailed It! on Netflix and watching everyone run around the kitchen getting their pastries in the oven is highly, until I became that girl in the kitchen. I was second guessing myself and double checking recipes. Meanwhile my sidekick, little miss Mae, was right there with me, mixing and stirring. She is definitely a chef in the making. We honestly have the best time baking in the kitchen. Of course, the eating part is our favourite.

Going For Walks

 

For her birthday, my daughter got some rollerblades. She had been dying to try them and I was really anxious about going outside. But on a beautiful day we took a walk as a family. Within 30 minutes, my girl was skating like a pro (okay maybe more like an advanced amateur) I couldn’t be more proud.

The Verdict

All of these activities are cost effective and really the main ingredient is time. Some days I really have to struggle to find the energy to even get up in the morning. Most days, I just do what I can to make it to naptime and then I count down until bedtime.

You see parenthood is hard. We’re all doing the best that we can. One of these days, the parks will re-open, the community centres will re-open and this little girl will be able to run up the ladder and go down the slide. But until then, we will pick up a new hobby, as a family.

What new hobbies have you picked up?