PlatinumSitters

Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching! We know this Valentine’s Day will look different–that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun! If you’re looking for some Covid-safe ways to celebrate with your kids, it’s likely they will involve food. Here are some fun ways to add a little “heart” to your Valentine’s Day meal.

Pizza

Yeah, yeah its less pizza this way. But, its more fun! This is one way to ensure a stress free meal and support local restaurants who need the business!

Fruit

Easy to cut, and sometimes naturally heart shaped (we see you, strawberries!), these are fun twist on a typical kid snack. The skewers make them easy to hold!

Cookies

There’s still time to Amazon prime a heart shaped cookie cutter! What kid doesn’t love baking cookies? Plus, the holiday is all about something sweet!

Cinnamon Rolls

Just pop a can, pinch into shape and bake to make Valentine’s Day breakfast a breeze! If you’re feeling especially adventurous, you can follow this homemade version from Poppies at Play.

Peek-A-Boo Pound Cake

Love an element of surprise? This hidden heart pound cake is a really cool dessert to serve on Valentine’s Day!

Heart-Shaped Egg in a Hole

Want to start breakfast off on a loving, but protein-filled, note this Valentine’s Day? Use that cookie cutter to create a heart-shaped vessel for everyone’s eggs. Bonus points if you shape the bacon into a heart too!

Back in March, the idea of virtual learning was such an anomaly with its newfangled platforms and vocabulary–Zoom, Canvas, DyKnow–and we all thanked our lucky stars it was just a temporary….

….wait. we. are. still. here. 

And now, we are all kind of pros, right? Settled in after nine long months of zooming and chatting and hitting submit. Let’s take a look at a day in the life of a virtual learner, shall we?

8:00 am— Rise and shine. Mama is here and there is no reason I shouldn’t get a full service meal despite the fact that I have lived on cafeteria cereal and milk for the past five years. Bring on the pancakes!

8:30 am— Time to log into Zoom. Mrs. Brown is wearing an elaborate holiday theme complete with a snowy virtual background.

8:35 am— Boooooored. Maybe I can fasten a zipline for the elf out of notebook paper and paper clips. 

9:00 am — Busted by mom for being off task while hanging upside down in my chair. 

9:30 am –Break time! After complaining all morning about not wanting to stare at the computer screen, I beg to stare at the iPad screen. Denied. Off to play Legos. 

10:15 am— Back at it. I sneak snacks during Zoom with the camera off and get peanut butter on the keys. 

10:30 am— Time for math homework. Mom says to practice fractions with baking. So I throw flour everywhere and forget to submit my assignment while she’s on a work call. 

12:00 pm— Lunch time. I may have pushed mom “over the edge”, as dad says because she says we need to “go for a drive”. Works for me–Chick-fil-A!

12:30 pm — Small group time on Zoom. I tell my teacher all about how my moms underwear goes up her butt and I don’t know how that’s comfy. Mom looks mad. 

1:00 pm — Read aloud time! This is my favorite part of the day. I sit captivated by the story for 26 seconds. Then I have to pee. Then I am thirsty. Then I need a snack. 

1:30 pm— Schools over. “Outside unless you’re bleeding!”, mom says. 

Man, virtual learning is so fun! It’s amazing I ever sat at my desk all day long at school before now!

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone! But know that we can help, too. Check out http://www.platinumsitters.com for information on finding someone to help with virtual learning, date nights, and more!

We talk a lot about self-care and taking time for ourselves but putting that into practice is kind of a science. In the past, I have worked to carve out time for myself only to self-sabatoge and end up cleaning, doing laundry or paying bills during my time “off”. Earlier this week, I decided I needed a true mental health day and I made it happen! Here is what works:

1. Get out of the house

I know this is particularly hard right now but I find that if I stay home, even if I am alone, I end up worrying about my house or other chores and I don’t truly unwind. This time, I scheduled a massage for right after I dropped my girls off at school. This meant no time to go home and gave me something to look forward to. 

2. Set a budget

I tend to shy away from spending money on myself and so when I do have time alone, I don’t do anything because I feel guilty! That is ridiculous–and this time around, I told myself I was going to spend X dollars throughout the day. That meant freedom to get coffee, hit HomeGoods and buy lunch–without feeling bad. 

3. Don’t check in

I tend to be a hoverer when it comes to letting others care for my kids. I call or text frequently and this snaps me out of relaxation mode. For my mental health day, I told myself I was going to stay off my phone and that if someone needed me, they’d call. It made a HUGE difference in my day. 

4. Set your evening up for success, too

Nothing unwinds a good mental health day like coming home to dinner to cook and a house to clean. I planned on doing takeout and picked it up on my way in. I made a mental note to overlook any messes and gave myself permission to set aside house work until the next day. Just mentally prepping myself for what I might walk into–and warding off some of it with takeout–really helped keep the peaceful feeling I worked so hard to earn. 

Right now, things are hard and you’re more strapped than even. Taking a mental health day really did change the trajectory of my week and being intentional about the planning and execution made it truly effective. Make the time to to do it! –and if you need a sitter? #wegotya

Everything about 2020 has been an actual dumpster fire but I think we can redeem ourselves next month. Here’s why:

1. Halloween is on a Saturday. 

This is a big deal. No rushing home after school and work to try to get kids to eat a decent meal and get their faces painted before 9 pm. You can say yes to one more house, let them eat some extra candy, and have a drink on your stroll. Sunday is the perfect Halloween hangover day. 

2. Masks are like, a thing, now. 

If there was every a time to encourage your kid to cover their face, its 2020! 

3. We get to see one another, safely. 

I don’t know about you but I am super excited to just see some friendly faces outside of my own home, even if it means someone is chucking a reese’s at me from 6 feet away. Doing something that feels normal and gives a sense of community but that is also deemed a safe social practice is the holy grail of 2020 events. 

4. We finally get to say yes.

Easter Egg Hunts–cancelled. Fireworks–cancelled. Birthday parties–cancelled. But Halloween?!? Yes. We are doing it, kids. Pick your most outrageous costume fantasy–yes. Have 45 pieces of candy–yes. Carve Blippi into the pumpkin–yes. YES!

5. We cannot be scared. 

Bring on the tricks, ya’ll. We have seen it all in 2020 and no zombie apocalypse is going to phase us now. The ghouls and ghosts, goblins and witches are all just quaint little cherries on the 2020 sundae. Spooky season, we are here for you!

Hopefully this season of celebration will revive us as we head into the big holidays of 2020. It can renew our sense of community and excitement about the mundane. I, for one, have never been more excited to wrangle a toddler into a costume.