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6 Ways We’re Keeping Sane During Lockdown

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Remember when I said I was going to be making the most of this lockdown? How adorable was I?! This is about SURVIVAL.

We’ve been in self-isolation for almost a month now. There have been the expected highs and lows, times when I’ve felt totally in control and times where I’ve felt completely out of control. We’ve hit abandoned trails in the nearby woods to break free and I’ve hit our dining room table in frustration and nearly broke my hand. All things being equal, we’re just trying to maintain sanity at this point. Here are the things keeping us sane with two high stress/demanding jobs (and an equally demanding 6 year old) during our shelter-in-place days.

Going for walks. Admittedly, we did this more in the first two weeks than the last two, but I can’t tell you how vital this has been for our mental health. Yes, sometimes we bring the iPad so wee man can use Pokemon Go around the neighborhood, but I can’t tell you what a relief it is to just move your legs and get some fresh air. Even on a conference call this week, I did laps back and forth in my driveway. My neighbors probably think I’m nuts, but I swear I could think more clearly when outside of the “war room” that used to be our dining room.

Exercising. This one is more my husband than myself, but he has found sanity in using the Peloton every morning where as I’m a once/twice a week kind of gal. I’ve been more dedicated to wee man’s phys ed lessons during this whole homeschooling process. When I can keep up, I get an Oreo. Win-win. Plus, see “Going for walks” above — totally counting that as exercise.

Turning everything into a lesson, because I suck at homeschooling. There is a reason I didn’t become a teacher…I HATE teaching. Just. Can’t. Do. It. Since he’s in Kindergarten, there is no virtual learning — it’s a hot mess of 14 worksheets a day with ME as a teacher while juggling 14 hours of work some days. So when we play with the Nerf guns in the backyard to see who can make it closer to the shed, and go looking for the darts, I turn that into an addition and subtraction lesson. Or some of the science experiment-related Kiwi Crates we’ve been hoarding (read: he’s had no interest and they were a gift), breaking those bad boys out like crazy — and he LOVES them. Or again, walking through the woods and talking about why the leaves fall, how the seasons change or how differently-sized bodies of water are called different things – or using an Aerogarden to talk about photosynthesis. Learning how to make change playing Monopoly or even reading the subtitles on Pokemon Shield! He’s engaged and he’s learning…period.

Everything is new again – revisiting old toys or ones never played with. Much like the Kiwi Crates, we are rediscovering all kinds of toys that haven’t been played with in a while or, in some cases, never. The Smart Pixelator? Suddenly obsessed, and supplementing the art component of school he misses so much. A noise maker that recreates sounds that only small boys (and probably grown up ones) would appreciate, which he sneaks into a room (usually while one of us is on a conference call) and sets off. Hard to be mad when his diabolical genius is shining so brightly there.

Facetime/Zoom/Social Media…for everyone. My parents. My in laws. My girlfriends from college. Wee man and his little girlfriend from school having a virtual lunch. A virtual happy hour with colleagues. While I loathe Facebook, it has been an amazing place for my son’s school’s parents to commiserate and joke about identifying odd objects that should either start or end with the letter m. We can still be social despite the social distance.

Making my home my sanctuary. Life was so busy before the pandemic, that my home was more of a place to drop my things and think about on the weekend (if I had the time). I bought a fire pit and a s’mores kit. Why did I not do these things earlier?! We broke out cornhole and set up a badminton/volleyball net. We’re going on treasure hunts around the yard, searching for clues that may lead us to gold (or Robux, which has a value higher than gold in this house). No closets have been cleaned or organized as a result of this pandemic, but we’re having a blast outside!

Honorable mentions? Alcohol and a sense of humor. I’m thankful for both, as was my hurt hand.

Great Wolf Lodge – First Family Vacation (Plus Tips & Tricks!)

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Okay, this admission is a bit embarrassing — we have never taken wee man on a solo vacation before. We are extremely fortunate in that my family has a beach house we use, and often we’ve been down there when my parents and/or brother’s family were also visiting — zone coverage and a “meh, let’s go home” get out of jail free card at our leisure. Thus, our recent trip to Great Wolf Lodge was our first foray into an actual vacation away from a home we knew, our first time in a hotel with wee man and one of the few times we have been away without reinforcements.

But away we went.

Family Vacation at Great Wolf Lodge Poconos

We arrived at Great Wolf Lodge Poconos around 1 pm. I had read online that even if your room isn’t ready upon check-in, you can still use the water park starting at that time — just keep your luggage in the car and enjoy all the fun!  We packed a separate bag with our swimsuits (just in case), and dressed wee man in his swim clothes. Luckily, our room — the Wolf Den Suite — was ready to go, so we dropped off our bags, did a quick change and headed straight for the pool. (Tip: Leave your towels in your room and at home — there plenty in the water park for use. Same with life jackets for little ones who can’t swim perfectly yet (like wee man).  ALSO, you have wristbands that act as a credit card and door key, so you will rarely need to bring your wallet with you.)

The Water Park

The water park at Great Wolf Lodge is fantastic.  First, it’s WARM in there, and the water is not that cold in comparison. For the senses, it was a rather pleasant experience.  Wee man is tall for his age — 44″ without shoes — so he was able to go on all the slides except The Double Barrel Drop, Hydro Plunge and River Canyon Run. Next year!  He especially loved some of the tallest slides and the wave pool.

Our stay at Great Wolf Lodge began on Thursday and ended on Saturday, and we rented a cabana for the full day Friday. The cabana was great — fresh fruit and cookies, waiter service, television (not needed, but nice while eating), lots of beverages included and a nice way to spend down time. I really don’t think you need a cabana, as you could leave your belongings in the room, put them in a locker or place them at a table with little worry of disturbance, but we never get away and it was a nice treat. In fact, I wish we would have rented one on Saturday — the day we left — so we didn’t have to jam everything into a locker! (Tip: you can use the water park for the entire day of your departure — just toss your luggage in the car and change before you head home!)

Cabana at Great Wolf Lodge Poconos

The Food

I can’t believe I’m saying this about a water park.  THE FOOD WAS SO GOOD!  We ordered burgers, pasta, healthy sandwiches, dessert, etc. and it was all very good.  The only thing we pre-paid for was the breakfast buffet, as it was the only meal we knew wee man might actually eat (the struggle to get this child to eat is REAL).  Even that was fantastic. Can’t say enough about the food there. You can even order a full pizza and take it back to your room and just relax with your family.  And I mentioned dessert, right?!

Eating at Great Wolf Lodge Poconos

There is a space in the room with a refrigerator, so we brought lots of bottled water, apple juice and snacks (read: what he considers meals) for wee man.  We also brought some wine since we figured we would need it!  Some people brought entire coolers filled with food and drinks.  There are also a number of fast casual restaurants and diners just minutes away (driving) from the resort, which is probably a lot more affordable if you’re on a tight budget. On Friday night, we went to visit my 90 year old grandfather for dinner, who lives about 30 minutes away from the resort.

Other Resort Activities

We took advantage of a few other activities they have at the resort — bowling, mini golf, 4D movie rides and so many arcade games. We bowled once, played mini golf three times and saw all three 4D movie ride offerings (he was a little scared of the dinosaur film…whoops).

The bowling was blacklight, with bumpers, shorter lanes and modified bowling balls — since it was empty when we played, we were able to play multiple times. I can credit Great Wolf Lodge with my son’s new obsession with mini golf.  He loved it so much, I’m actually thinking about getting him some golf lessons (yes, I know he’s four).  We also spent hours in the arcade — the size of which was quite manageable and the offerings more interactive than a straight up screen. We walked away with some decent prizes after all our tickets, which wee man didn’t care about so I just picked them for him.

Arcade at Great Wolf Lodge Poconos

There were a number of free events, as well. Morning yoga, nature walks, nighttime shows and a bedtime story.  There was also a MagiQuest adventure you can go on, but wee man was still a bit too young for this.

The Vibe

I wanted to put this section in to talk about how wonderful the staff and fellow guests were at Great Wolf Lodge Poconos. I don’t think we met a single staff member who didn’t make you feel like this was the best day of their lives. Guests were in such an incredible mood from all the fun and/or sympathized with you when your child was having “a moment” in a public space. Maybe it was just on the days that we went, but dang…this was full on Disney vibes.

The Accommodations

I saved this one for last because honestly everything was WONDERFUL on our trip, except for the room itself. We were on the first floor (I loathe patios) and the room was so terribly outdated. The bathroom was so small you had to squeeze yourself into it before you closed the door, the televisions and offerings were antiquated, the decor was dated…and did I mention how small the bathroom was? And we had a suite! Maybe I’m being overly particular here, but it was my least favorite part of the trip.  Thankfully, we were not in the room all that much, and maybe that is the point, but the rooms are pretty expensive (granted, water park admission is included) and the offering was mediocre at best.

OVERALL…

We loved it.  Wee man loved it.  If I’m being honest, there were some breakdowns — like the no sleep we got on the first night because we told him he had to sleep on the bottom bunk and he kept waking up crying about it.  The water park is great.  The people are great.  The food is (still surprisingly!) great.  The experience was, overall, great.  If you’re on the fence like I was about Great Wolf Lodge, don’t hesitate.  Take advantage of one of their many specials to save on cost (I think we received 40% off by booking 60 days in advance) and go have fun with your kids.  You’ll love it, and so will they.

Until next time, play on.

Staying at Great Wolf Lodge Poconos

 

 

 

Workbooks, Pencils and Osmo :: Review

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Raising a child in the iPad, YouTube, streaming generation is tricky. We try to follow the guidelines on screen time as advised by our pediatrician, but let’s be honest — children are learning differently now than they ever have before. My son can tell me our solar system’s plants in order from closest to furthest from the sun thanks to a YouTube video (hugs to you, Pluto – you are missed!).  At least part of his curriculum at preschool is taught using an interactive touchscreen at the front of the classroom. Seriously, HE’S BARELY FOUR and he can navigate technology better than I can! Enter, Osmo.

Let me start off by saying that this is not a paid endorsement, and Osmo has never reached out to me about writing a review. This is entirely of my own doing because I believe in the product. My introduction to Osmo was unconventional — my son watched a YouTube channel called Ryan ToysReview, which featured Osmo’s Hot Wheels MindRacers game. It looked like fun, and we already had an iPad, so I looked into it for Christmas. Once I realized all of the amazing other educational games you can play on the platform, I knew it was a sure winner. It did not disappoint.

Hot Wheels MindRacers ::  Since it’s the reason I researched the product in the first place, I’ll start here. This game allows to you to virtually play with your cars, racing against another user.  But it’s more than just racing — it’s strategy. You’re encouraged to wait for those “super” times to boost or attack, then spin in order to counterattack. It’s more difficult than it seems at first for your wee one, but when they FINALLY catch on to the strategy component — the cause and effect — the game is more entertaining for them. If you have an iPad and a kid that loves cars, it’s a no-brainer.

      

Tangram :: My son LOOOOOVES puzzles. Like “doing puzzles for three year olds with ease at age one” loves puzzles. This software encourages you to take the shapes you already understand and manipulate them into various pictures. The pictures get more sophisticated as you progress, but there is always a helpful hand to assist if the program recognizes a hesitancy. It’s the perfect next step in his pursuit of all things puzzles.

                       

Numbers :: My son is engrossed in basic arithmetic at preschool, so this was extremely helpful in reinforcing what he was learning throughout the day. He’s also a terribly sensitive little boy, especially as it pertains to animals and their well-being, so he is ecstatic when all the fish are safe in their healthy home!

Words :: Little man is also just about done with his phonics curriculum in preschool, so this was also terrifically helpful in reinforcing what he had already learned.  I’m pushing this program the hardest, as I’m eager for him to begin reading in earnest over the next few months. With the Summer ahead, and my data account connected to my iPad, you can be sure I’ll be bringing this to any vacation destinations.

THINGS TO NOTE :: You will need an iPad or iPhone to use this system, and you will need to purchase a base/reflector in order to use any of the software.  I purchased the Genius Kit, which comes with the base/reflector, Tangram, Numbers and Words, then I separately purchased Hot Wheels MindRacers.

FINAL THOUGHTS :: Seriously, I love this for my son. I can’t believe what a difference it has made, and the confidence it has given him in his studies. We were playing Numbers just prior to his arithmetic lessons in school, and his teacher remarked as to how quickly he caught on. While I may be a lot of things, a teacher I am not. Osmo has really helped me do better for him at home in that regard. I can’t wait until he is a little older so I can order him one of the coding games, but am thinking of getting him the Creative Set in the meantime.

If you’re debating as to whether to purchase an Osmo set or game for your child, DO IT! It’s amazing. Just like workbooks and pencils, technology can be used as an effective tool in education thanks to companies like Osmo.

Post-Holiday Mom Guilt

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Typically I take the week preceding Christmas off from work each year to prepare for the holiday.  Unless I’ve gone full blown online retail hopping, it’s hard to finish up shopping and the million other to-dos on the list.

It’s also a chance for MC, my four year old wee man, to take life at a slower pace.  I didn’t have to drag him out of bed in the morning to go to preschool. I didn’t have to force feed him breakfast so that I knew he wouldn’t be hungry if he decided to be especially picky about lunch that day.  I dropped him off late and I picked him up early, but I did send him in to school each day…for a reason.

You see, MC is a highly sensitive little soul — and he thrives on routine.  We consulted professionals on how best to help him adapt to school — keeping in mind he has been on the daycare side of the same preschool since he was three months old — and five full days was the overwhelming recommendation. That being said, when my hubs and I went back to work the day after Christmas, I had never really given it a second thought to keep him home.  Many companies are closed (ours are not) and schools are out, so I’m not sure why I was surprised when he was one of three children in attendance out of 20 on December 26th.  Three, including him.

As we received updates from the school throughout the day on their app (OMG, I love that thing!), I noticed he was mostly alone or always at a different table instead of his assigned seat.  I know that he received more direct attention from teachers than he would have in a full room, but I couldn’t help but feel like I put my job and preparing for the holiday before my child.  And I felt like a monster.

He loves school.  He loves his teachers.  He loves me.  In the end, he was fine.  The experience was definitely a game-changer for me, though.  Next year, I will strive to do more early for the holidays instead of making every effort to please others with weekend commitments and holiday parties.  Next year, I will bookend the Christmas holiday with vacation days, or alternate days off with my husband or our parents so he gets more time off.  Next year, I’ll worry less about THINGS I should do and focus more on the PEOPLE that matter.  After all, that’s what the holidays are all about.

Now, on to figuring out what to do with all these new toys…..