family
For many, having a holiday during this uncertain time is upsetting. Parents feel as though their kids are missing out on their last months of senior year, or their first year of Kindergarten, or many other milestones. To toss a holiday in the mix may mean missing out on spending quality time with extended family, losing a loved tradition, and more.
As a special needs mom, I’m so grateful for everyone staying home and I deeply support it, however, I fully see the opposite side of the coin and why others are so sad during this time. Our family is a pro at staying home for Addie’s safety (even for Easter), and we’ve even shared our tips on staying healthy. Still, I wanted to share with you some ways that you can make the best out of a social distancing Easter. Ways that still encourage good, fun family time!
FIND YOUR SUNDAY BEST FOR YOUR SOCIAL DISTANCING EASTER. One of the things I’ve had to do as a special needs mom is fake it til I make it. You will feel so much better about having a social distancing Easter if you’re dressed up for the occasion. Find an Easter dress from Target or cute pastel dress from Amazon to have shipped, or even an outfit from your closet! Once you are dressed the part, you’ll be ready to play the part!PARTICIPATE IN YOUR CHURCH’S LIVESTREAM. Church is really important to our family, and Easter is an especially important day. Our church has a livestream that you can find on the church website and Facebook page. A social distancing Easter doesn’t have to mean going without church! Our church has also announced they’ll be having the Lord’s Supper that day, and our family is making sure that our grocery list has the bread and grape juice to participate.DYE EASTER EGGS! This time-honored tradition is one of my favorites. I love buying the Easter dying kits because they’re inexpensive and there is so much variety these days! You can order a Classic set, Marbled set, Golden egg set, or even the Deggorating set (which has a combination of each of the individual sets.) DON’T SKIP THE TRADITIONAL EASTER BASKETS AND EGG HUNT! I really love Target because I can order everything I need and either have it shipped to me right now or I can pick it up curbside. Make your social distancing Easter traditional by ordering a cute Easter basket and fillers. I enjoy a classic wicker basket, but this chick basket and this bunny basket are too cute, too! I love the Easter basket fillers Target is offering, and don’t forget the Baby Yoda Easter Basket goodies I’ve shared too! Don’t forget the plastic eggs for the hunt, and I hope you’ll make sure to take pictures of your kids with your baskets.MAKE A SMALLER VERSION OF YOUR TYPICAL EASTER MEAL. If you usually have a big ham, tons of side dishes, and lots of desserts, I encourage you to still have your special Easter meal, but scale it down a little this year. Buy a smaller ham, make 1 or 2 smaller side dishes, and 1 dessert. You can even bring the kids in on the fun by having them help make Resurrection Rolls so they can learn about the story of Easter, get festive, and have fun knowing they helped with the meal.
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PLAN ON HAVING YOUR SOCIAL DISTANCING EASTER MEAL WITH YOUR FAMILY VIA FACETIME, ZOOM, OR SKYPE. Family is so important for many when it comes to having holidays. If you know you’ll be missing family, I highly recommend choosing a set time for everyone to eat, and then calling them through whatever social platform you all prefer. You’ll have a feeling of togetherness despite the miles apart, and it’ll make your holiday just that much better.MAKE EASTER COLORED DEVILED EGGS FOR AN EXTRA FESTIVE EASTER MEAL. Just boil your eggs, peel, slice in half, save your yolks, and put the whites aside. Then get some mugs out, fill about 2/3 with water and add 1 tsp of vinegar and however many drops of food coloring you like. Add your egg white halves in until you get the color you like, allow to dry on a paper towel, and then finish them with your favorite deviled egg recipe. If you like a naturally derived food coloring we like Watkins, but if you want vivid colors you’ll want McCormick Neon.HAVE A NEIGHBORHOOD EASTER EGG HUNT. Email a template of Easter eggs to your neighbors or post in your local neighborhood mom Facebook group. Have the kids decorate them and hide them in windows for other kids to search for when going on walks or social distancing drives.
Which of these social distancing Easter plans do you plan on doing?
I never realized how much we went outside until we were told we needed to socially distance ourselves and stay home as much as possible. We work really hard to stay healthy, and even though I didn’t think we went many places, I have felt much stress over not being able to get out like before. As an extrovert, staying put is hard for me, and I can’t even imagine how Lawson feels not being able to get all his energy out while we are socially distancing and having at-home staycations. I have begun pulling indoor toys out from the garage that were Addie’s for therapy so Lawson could use them, and I realized so many of them are amazing energy burning indoor toys from Amazon! If you are looking for indoor toys for your kids to use while you socially distance, look no further. Not only have we used most of these, but I’ve researched, talked to occupational and physical therapists, and as a former teacher, I totally approve of every single one of these indoor toys!
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1| Mini Trampoline– This trampoline is a perfect energy burning indoor toy. The bar helps kids hold on for stability and it easily folds down to put under a bed or in a closet. Addie and Lawson have both enjoyed this one and it has lasted us several years and will for many more.2| Ball Pit and Extra Balls– We got one of these ball pits as a gift for Lawson and he loves it. Don’t forget the extra balls because you’ll want it to be full.3| Crawl Tunnel– These little crawl tunnels are so fun for kids! Such a fun indoor toy to play with and easy to store away! Play hide n go seek, army, or grab a blanket and lay inside. Endless possibilities.4| Basketball Hoop– What kid doesn’t love a basketball hoop? Practice hand/eye coordination (and of course some slam dunks) with this mini basketball hoop.
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5| Cozy Coupe– This is the best indoor toy we’ve bought. This Cozy Coupe gets used daily in our house. Perfect for little ones and you can use it indoors or outdoors if you like!6| Fly Bike– If you need an indoor toy that doesn’t take up a lot of room but burns lots of energy, this Fly Bike is perfect. Teaches kids the beginning skills of bike riding!7| Gymnic Rody– Need energy burning? your child can hop up and down and all around on this indoor toy pony. This is one of Addie’s favorites on the list and is wonderful for core work!8| Teeter Popper– Kids can get creative with this Teeter Popper. Great for learning how to balance!
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9| Inflatable Bounce House– This bounce house takes up a fair amount of room. Move the couches and coffee table and let the kids have a blast! 10| Gonge Top– This indoor toy is a massive spinning top! Get in, or just spin it, or balance on top! Kids can get really creative with this fun toy.11| Stepping Stones– This is great for kids of all ages. Little ones can touch the textures, toddlers and littles can hop from stone to stone, and big kids can play “The Floor is Lava” on these! Stepping Stones are a great indoor toy because they stack to put away!12| Crocodile Hop Floor Game– Get your kids hopping with this interactive indoor game. Easy set up, easy to put away, and kids get to do lots of hopping to burn off their energy.
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13| Pikler Triangle– This is one of Lawson’s favorite indoor toys! He’s gotten really good at climbing thanks to the Pikler Triangle!14| Wooden Balance Board– Similar to the plastic one above but definitely allows for more creativity thanks to the simple, wooden design. The wooden balance board can be flipped to make a bridge or tunnel for toys!15| Sit N Spin– Let your kids spin til they can’t spin any more! This Sit N Spin is a child’s dream indoor toy and will have them giggling over and over.16| Bilibo– Creativity can soar with the Bilibo when kids can sit in it, spin in it, stand on it, wear it as a hat, and more. Definitely an indoor toy that kids will get a kick out of.
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17| Swedish Wall Playground– If you have the space for this one, definitely grab it. This is a homeschool parent’s dream, but also every kid’s dream! The Swedish Wall Playground is the perfect indoor toy and is super versatile. Great for burning energy and learning lots of skills.18| Sunny Patch Tootle the Turtle Target Toss– This fun game from Melissa and Doug is great for all ages. Start a family competition to see who can throw it the furthest.19| Plasma Car– Low profile so kids can put their feet up, this Plasma Car lets kids get around the house just by moving side to side! So much fun and uses lots of good energy burning!20| Rocking Chair Seesaw– Need your child to stay in one place but burn off their energy? This chair seesaw is perfect for that! It’s bright colors and thin design make this cute and functional and fun!
Do you have any of the indoor toys on this list? Which one will you be grabbing?
If you don’t follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you may not have known that our family has been suffering through job loss for nearly a year now. In that time Mathew and I have rarely eaten out, haven’t made purchases that weren’t necessary, and haven’t done any traveling other than Addie’s Make A Wish trip to Disney. It has been a very hard road, but thankfully God has provided a job for Mathew and we are so excited for his new endeavor. We’ve had to be very creative this past year since we haven’t done any traveling, and we’ve come up with some really fun at-home staycation ideas that won’t break the bank! At-home staycations are such a great idea when you’re on a budget, and they make great memories for every family!
Harry Potter Camping Marathon is something Mathew and I like to have as often as we can. It’s been a tradition since we were newly married and it’s just downright fun! We pitch our camping tent in the living room, pull out the blow up mattress, and add lots of cozy blankets and pillows. We start from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and take several days to get all the way to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2. Addie loves laying in the tent and we eat Fizzing Whizzbees and Chocolate Frogs during the marathon. If you’re brave, grab some Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans– they mean every flavor! You’ll feel like you’re really there!Bringing the vacation to us is another thing our family enjoys. We pull out inflatables for the kids to swim in outside, grill some fish for fish tacos, and tell Alexa to play some Spanish music (psst- can’t go wrong with Gypsy Kings.) I also like to go through our fun fiesta decorations from my 30th birthday party and pull them out for extra fun. Don’t forget the mini drink umbrellas!
Staying in bed all day is definitely one at-home staycation I miss. When Mathew and I were newlyweds we would throw on some relaxing music and we would just hang out in bed all day. We would bring Scrabble (This is the actual version I have. We are legit like that!) or Monopoly Deal into bed and play games for hours, would cook comfort food and eat in bed, and we would keep all the lights off- letting the sun shining through the windows be all of our light. If your kids are gone for the day with grandparents, definitely take advantage of this relaxing staycation.Playing Chopped is another fun at-home staycation we have often. If you’ve never seen the a Food a Network show, Chopped, the premise is that chefs get a basket of mystery ingredients and have to make a meal from those ingredients. They come up with some great and not-so-great ideas, and we love recreating that idea. Mathew will go through the pantry and fridge, grab random food, and then I work my magic to try to come up with a delicious meal. It’s hilarious, fun, and is a great way to rid of things in your pantry that you haven’t used. I like to turn the tables on him sometimes and have him come up with a dessert with ingredients I’ve chosen. Definitely makes for a fun night! Grab some chef hats and put the timer for an hour to make it feel like you’re on the show.
S’mores night at home is a creative at-home staycation idea. Order a newly released movie or hop onto Disney + or Netflix, and get to s’mores making! Buying different types of candy bars or even flavored or gourmet marshmallows can make s’mores night interesting. Pro tip- turn your stove burner on, skewer your marshmallow with a fork, and roast it over the burner. It tastes a million times better than microwaved marshmallows. Let every person in your family come up with their own creation, then do a taste test! To make things extra special, google and print out a cheesy certificate for the winner so celebrate their s’mores masterpiece.Setting up yard games is another great at-home staycation. If you’ve got horseshoes, giant yard Jenga, cornhole, massive Connect Four, or a ladder toss set, take them outside and compete with family or friends. Tell those you invite that it’s a pot luck so you don’t have to worry about cooking for lots of guests. We love inviting friends over and definitely don’t do it enough. Life is always better with friends!
Dance parties are a great at-home staycation idea that we do really often. They help break up stress, induce giggles, and just give everyone a chance to let loose. We love our Amazon Echo for dance parties! I like to use Spotify to find a playlist but if you have older kids you could create a custom playlist and tell Alexa to play it! It’s a great way to kick off a staycation or end one with a bang. Here’s Lawson enjoying one of our regular dance parties to Moana above.Crafting weekends are another at-home staycation idea I have always enjoyed. When I was on bed rest during my pregnancy with Addie, I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere or do anything other than sit or lay down. So I made a wreath for her room and other fun things! It was so fun! Go through your craft supplies, find something fun to recreate on Pinterest, and enjoy yourself!
I hope you’ve enjoyed my favorite at-home staycation ideas. Let me know which one you’re looking forward to doing most! If your budget allows for you to get out of the house and do things around town, check out these incredible ideas from my readers here on Facebook and here on Instagram. They have so many amazing and creative ideas! Definitely leave your ideas at either one, too!
This post on ABLEnow®: Planning For Your Child’s Future is sponsored through ABLEnow®, however all thoughts and opinions are my own.
I’m so excited to share photos from our maternity photoshoot! I never had the opportunity to have maternity pictures taken when I was pregnant with Addie due to delivering her the weekend that I was supposed to...
