I feel the need to create something slow-moving and thoughtful to work against the fast-paced media bombardment we’re experiencing at the minute. I’ve been trying to find the right balance between staying informed and staying sane, and because I’m empathic, I find it important to have times of rest where I fill myself with inspiration rather than negative news.
I spent the day indoors with the girls and explained everything that’s happening to them in child’s terms. They listened (for a minute) and then asked if we could do salt painting again, so we did that, and I did a picture of my own 🙂 I find doing physical things that employ your hands settles my mind down when it’s getting overactive and realised the importance of not just being an instructor or observer, but of joining in with the fun when my kids do crafts 🙂 I’d recommend salt painting for adults too – just sitting dabbing paint on the page and watching it move along the little channels of glue and salt soothes your mind.
After the wild weather collapsed my little pop-up grow house (!) I got a window box for the plants I’m trying to grow (special emphasis on the “trying.”) My tomatoes and coriander have actually sprouted and watching them get taller each day fills me with happiness. I think I might need to thin out my chives as they’re looking a bit straggly, but it’s all part of the learning curve 🙂 and with gardening, I never make my way out of the curve and onto the straight line 🙂
I’ve been thinking of ways to use up the food we have and to make things last longer so we don’t have to make needless trips to the shops. I stretched out leftover sausages by slicing them up and making a variation on hot dogs 🙂 It was the bribery I used to get the girls to eat my homemade soup. I had made a carrot and ginger one and a plain lentil one for my fussier eater. She announced she’d “changed her mind” about liking it midway through her bowl though 
This new way of life that we have all had to adopt is already making me slow down and think of ways to use leftovers/keep meal plans interesting 🙂 I love these little sort of challenges 🙂
The girls wanted to dance, so I put on some records and it ended up being a work-out for me too 🙂 Their favourite game at the minute is making me slide them on the floor between my legs 😀 It’s exhausting and results in lots of squealing, which I’m sure my neighbours aren’t thanking me for 🙂
We had some milk and cookies (coffee for me) and played Guess Who. My younger daughter is very pro-women at the minute and sighs loudly if she is presented with a card that has a “boy” on it. It’s a bit of a giveaway as to what she has, but at least she’s showing interest is doing something that involves sitting down for once 🙂
We played hairdressers and I had to sit on a kid’s chair while my daughter put fifty-seven bows in my hair and put some strain on my scalp 🙂 But the resulting hairdressing photos made it worth it 🙂 I’ve almost become so desperate for a massage that having my hair pulled out almost feels like a day in the spa 🙂
This enforced social distancing has already made me slow down, keep in touch more with friends and see what is truly important. An opportunity to over-listen to music and find new bands is always a treat for me too 🙂 I even got around to fixing one of my favourite necklaces I got in Camden Market with my jewellery wirework tools. (It took two minutes to fix and I had put it off for months :)) It turns out there are some benefits to being stuck in the house if you just take the time to look around and find them.
