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6 Ways We’re Keeping Sane During Lockdown

April 11, 2020 by playworkrepeat Leave a Comment

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.

Filed Under: Family, Lifestyle Tagged With: Activities for Kids, Backyard Activities, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Health, Kids, Perspective

F5 :: FIVE FOR FRIDAY {01.03.20}

January 3, 2020 by playworkrepeat Leave a Comment

Welcome to 2020, friends! Self-care comes in many forms. While there are many factors outside of my control, here are some of the ways I am setting myself up for a less stressful year.

::1:: Decluttering. The great purge is upon us, people! Toys, clothes, baby items — so much of it is being donated or trashed entirely. Why I thought it was a good idea to hold onto that sweater from college, or those baby clothes with stains on them, is beyond me. The madness stops now!

::2:: Time management, especially at work. It’s so easy to get distracted at the office, and I often find myself staying late as a result of all those unexpected interruptions. In order to maximize my time in the office, and *hopefully* turn off more at night, I’m going to try this Pomodoro Method – block out chunks of uninterrupted time on my calendar and avoid distractions at all cost.

::3:: Schedule more playdates. This is less of a de-stresser and more of a challenge. I’m an introvert, and notoriously the worst at scheduling playdates for my son. He’s an only child, so these interactions are important, but I find the anxiety of reaching out to moms to set up these playdates overwhelming at times. It’s time for me to step up for my kid and help him nurture and expand an already wonderful support system of great friends.

::4:: Take the time to learn new things. Podcasts, e-learning certificates, books…anything that I can realistically make time for in my schedule.

::5:: More exercising, less sugar/booze. I have veered far from the path to healthy living, and I’m FEELING every ounce of it. My clothes are tight, my energy is all but gone and it’s affecting my skin. My intention is to do something active — take a walk, use the Peloton currently collecting dust, run around the yard with wee man — at least 3-4 times a week. It doesn’t have to be a formal form of exercise, it just has to be SOMETHING…and I’m holding myself to that goal with my Apple Watch (I hate when it’s disappointed in me!).

And you know that Disney review I never finished here? It will be done by 2021!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: Career, Five for Friday, Health, Holidays, Productivity

F5 :: FIVE FOR FRIDAY {12.27.19}

December 27, 2019 by playworkrepeat Leave a Comment

Another week of holiday cheer is officially in the books!

::1:: I need more “things” like I need a hole in the head, but the sales are too insanely good right now to pass up. From Vineyard Vines to Nordstrom, Wayfair to Serena & Lily, the deals are making me want to buy in bulk and then put my credit cards away for the rest of the year.

::2:: After the heaviness of Christmas-themed meals, I’m craving lightened up Asian-inspired dishes, like these wraps and this turkey salad (despite their abundance of vegetables). Although let’s face it, I’ll be making these Korean Beef Sloppy Joes by week’s end.

::3:: I’m also craving some time with the Peloton, but can’t stop playing Luigi Mansion 3…which Santa brought for my six year old. If he excitedly watches me play, that counts as quality time, right?

::4:: I started a new skincare regimen last night that will carry me through the next couple of weeks. I’m loyal to the Biologique Recherche line, and received Cocktail d’Actifs Régénérants as a Christmas gift from my husband this year. Apparently, I was very good. Will report back.

::5:: My little family, plus my mom, will be embarking on a cruise vacation in 2020! I’ve been on a handful of cruises with my husband before, but never with the little guy and only our second time with Royal Caribbean. The pricing for everything seems astronomical to me, but the time and effort to research/wait/cancel/rebook excursions, packages, etc. seems like more work to me than vacation. Recommendations are so welcome here — splurge and enjoy the ride or keep researching so no regrets later?

Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: Biologique Recherche, Family Vacation, Five for Friday, Food, Health, Holiday Sales, Holidays, Nintendo Switch, Royal Caribbean, Shopping, Skincare

The Inbox Hostage Crisis

July 22, 2018 by playworkrepeat Leave a Comment

Email hostage

I have two quirks when it comes to email. The first is when someone emails me (without having called or stopped by my office) and asks me to call them. Yes, thank you for proving how important you are. The second, of which I have no one but myself to blame, is an incessant need to be caught up on unread email.

To see a bold number in parentheses next to “Inbox” is like someone chewing Doritos with their mouth wide open within smacking distance from you. It drives me bonkers. At my last company, a senior executive used to send me an email and time my response for fun. I believe 2 minutes 20 seconds was his longest wait time. Yes, I have a problem.

FOMO? Maybe. A constant concern that I’m needed urgently? Likely in my own head. A detriment to whatever I am working on at the time? DEFINITELY! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been distracted during the day due to an incoming email. It inevitably leads to doing a whole lot of little things, with my to-do list for the day still outstanding. Not exactly helping me check off that productivity box each day.

What’s worse? As I eluded to in the story above about the little joke this co-worker liked to play on me, I’ve set a precedent. 3 am email replies? Check. Working through the night before a holiday on a perceived media concern? Whelp, 2017 Thanksgiving is a blur. It’s unhealthy, not motivating, unappreciated…and, now, expected.

One of the hats I wear as a marketing executive is to handle the communications for my company, which includes media relations. The turnaround time is usually immediate, so there is part of me that will always need to be connected. But I’m a mom, wife, daughter and friend…FIRST. I need to make sure those roles have their uninterrupted time and place as well. And everyone has my cell phone number — if it’s an emergency, work will call.

In the end, I recognized I had a problem and did some digging as to how I could curb my little obsession. If you’re like me and looking for a resolution, you may find some inspiration in this Daily Muse article. One of their tips is to turn off push notifications on your phone, which I will admit recently worked for me while I was on vacation. I would only check email a few times a day, which was easier to manage when they weren’t popping up on my lock screen or being pushed to my iWatch. Out of sight, out of mind. The trick is to applying it to daily life whenever possible…not just special occasions.

There are other tools I’ve been using to help increase productivity and avoid distraction — like the Panda Planner I discovered this year — but I’m taking this new mindset one day at a time. Hopefully, one day soon, I will no longer be held hostage to the unread emails in my inbox. Until then, I’ll see you on email.

Filed Under: Career Tagged With: Health, Mom Guilt, Productivity

On the Subject of Being Sick…

April 10, 2018 by playworkrepeat Leave a Comment

There’s just no right time to be sick.  If there isn’t a deadline, there is a family party.  If there isn’t anything formally calendared, then there are a million errands, chores, loads of laundry just waiting to be done.  Just sitting, relaxing and healing your body is not something I’m particularly good at.  In fact, it sent me to the hospital Thanksgiving weekend 2014. Let’s save that story for another time…

When your time is divided by so many different things, it’s hard to remember to take care of yourself.  Take today, for example…I am technically home sick.  I have a fever, I’m exhausted…and by lunch I had played with my son (heavily sanitized) for two hours, taken him to preschool (again, heavily sanitized, but no other option to get him there), started my work day early, took two conference calls and spent my “lunch time” putting clothes away, cleaning up toys left over from this morning and writing this post.  Oddly, I forgot to eat lunch.

I tried sitting.  I tried catching up on DVRed shows I otherwise fall asleep to at night.  I can’t quit the crazy, and that’s okay, because I can forgive myself.  So even if you can’t take care of yourself as well as you take care of others — and you really, really should if you can — it’s okay.  Beating yourself up over not being perfect can be just as bad.

Besides, I’ll pass out eventually.  Now back to work…

Filed Under: Career Tagged With: Health

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About Me

Welcome to Play. Work. Repeat., a lifestyle blog focused on family, career and self-care. Read More…

Recent Posts

  • TUESDAY TIDBITS {02.16.21}
  • Tuesday Tidbits {02.02.21}
  • TUESDAY TIDBITS {05.12.20}
  • 6 Ways We’re Keeping Sane During Lockdown
  • But Wait, There’s More!

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