With the kids being back at school, our family is adjusting to a new routine. Slow and quiet mornings have been traded in for fast paced breakfasts, brushing teeth (and Grace’s hair which is always a treat), and brisk walks to school. We try and walk together as a family and let Will see the sights, poor kid never goes anywhere #covidbaby.
The other day when I was walking the kids to school, I noticed myself taking note of the smell of the air. I never want to forget that smell. It’s the smell of this point in our lives—our new home in our dream neighborhood, the kids at these sweet little ages, William still in the stroller, the saltiness of the ocean nearby. Just everything.
When I think about those little moments that make you feel like you have your feet planted firmly on the ground, yet you could float away on a cloud, most, if not all of these moments, are with my kids. Lately, when the kids get home from school, I’ve been physically closing the office door or shutting my laptop as a sign to myself that it’s kids time. Whenever I get busy it’s a nice little reminder for myself that I can truly step away and be present.
We have lunch together and then start the distance learning portion of our day. Brian and Grace have additional lessons from their homeroom teacher via google meet, and then they have their specials, i.e. art, PE, library. They are pretty good about sitting through their lessons now, they’ve gotten used to it and I must admit it’s nice having them home for lunch and just being a part of their days more.
After school it’s ALL PLAY so I wanted to round up the toys, games and books they are loving these days.
Brian
Brian is currently obsessed with fidgets (I didn’t know what those were either). His friend bought him a couple, and then we ordered this set. He trades them with his friends and always has one in hand, they are great for sensory. He’s also super into Diary of a Wimpy Kid and flies through those books. I love reading those with him at night before bed. We got him this watch because our neighborhood kids are always running from house to house. I love that I can track where he is (it has a built in GPS feature) and call him, he can also call me. You can load up to ten contacts on the phone and it’s also super fun for the grandparents! He also loves his hoverboard, his skate board, making rainbow loom bracelets and having sales in the neighborhood, LEGO creator sets, and playing games like UNO Emoji, twister, and Jenja!
Grace
Grace has been heavy into dolls lately. Loves her barbies, baby doll, and playing in her ice cream store. My parents got her this tent and she is obsessed. It’s in her room and she actually sleeps in it most nights 🤣 Now that we’re back to school and the kids can have a snack, Grace upgraded her backpack situation to include this.
William
William has a few toys that he loves. He currently LOVES this truck, this Baby Einstein activity table, and this stacking toy that lights up. I don’t buy much for William because he has a lot of his brother and sister’s toys to play with!
Art Cart
Our art cart got a major Glow Up from Ana! It’s so great to be able to wheel art supplies around the house and have everything organized!! The actual cart is here, and the inserts for the cart are here.
Ana also organized our toy closet (more on that soon) but I love her genius idea of putting the games into these bags and labeling them! It saves SOOO much space! We placed the bags into these bins from target.
Pajamas Find!
We’re definitely in the thick of winter here so my kids need warm pajamas. The holiday pajamas were still circulating in our home well into January so I got a few pairs of these new PJ’s from Amazon. They are the Amazon line for Hanna Anderson and are such great quality!
Things We’re Having Fun with as a Family
We are loving being outside together, walking the beach and collecting shells is our JAM. We ride our bikes, Brian rides his dirt bike, Grace rides around in her Barbie car, and William loves being in his new carrier! For inside, we are big into puzzles. It’s such a nice thing to have going in your house. I can sit with one of the kids and have alone time with them, or we can work on it together as a family. We also love lounging in these bean bag chairs around the TV, a MUST for families!
Phew! That was a lot, I hope you found some new fun things to add to your family’s FUN rotation!
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