I’m beginning to feel a sense of normalcy, as we’ve attended several long overdue family get-togethers recently. I can’t remember the last time I interacted with people since this quarantine! What’s most heartening is watching my daughter play with her little cousins, laughing and running around like a kid again. While I love spending time with her at home, I can’t deny feeling a bit of mom guilt because she hasn’t been at daycare and has been stuck at home for the past 3 months. Well, as COVID cases are becoming more stagnant, I am becoming more hopeful. There is light at the end of the tunnel!!
Since my last post on what we’ve been doing to keep my toddler occupied, which was shockingly close to 2 months ago, we’ve thrown in additional activities and some new toys 🤦♀️. We’ve been trying to refrain from buying new toys, but made a couple of good choices that keep her entertained while we work from home. We’re desperately in need of more ideas!
ACTIVITIES:
We went strawberry picking today (notice the mask) and had so much fun, also making it back to our car in time before the heavy downpour! What’s better than letting your little one search for and pick out her favorite fruit 🍓? Amazingly, this girl got down and dirty and straight to work, handing me mostly rotten strawberries, but a handful of bright red ones 😁. She devoured about 15 of them when we returned home!
We made a last-minute, spontaneous trip to the beach. Believe it or not, this is the first time my LO has stepped foot on sand. Although a bit unstable walking at first, she learned to love it and started a search for rocks and seashells, which we ended up bringing home to paint!
*Note: Mask was worn here as well 😃
Alarmed by my daughter’s growing love for sand, we made her a sand sensory bin, which she absolutely LOVES, LOVES, LOVES! The downside is she brings sand into the house, but nothing our vacuum cleaner can’t fix!
My daughter’s all too familiar with dough, specifically Play-doh. However, I introduced her to MY TYPE of dough and had her assist me with rolling and flattening my pizza dough prior to baking, or should I say, I was making her work for her own food 😈?!
Note: Hands were washed for 20 seconds prior to handling dough.
If you think having my LO help prepare my pizza dough is over-exerting, daddy needed a helping hand with washing his car 😒! Initially, I thought it was a bad idea, but seeing how much she enjoyed it (and the outcome of the car) proved me wrong 😅. Anyone need a car wash?
We went outdoors hunting for varieties of leaves so that she can paint around them and recognize their differing colors, shapes, sizes and beauty! Check out the masterpiece!
TOY PICKS:
Nickelodeon Slime Blendz
I was a bit hesitant about this purchase, worried that it’ll contribute to laundry accumulation. However, I throw a smock on my LO and monitor while she is playing and it hasn’t been an issue. Most importantly, it has kept my daughter occupied for several days straight!! I mean, check out the pillow and blanket we made Peppa!
Kinetic Sand
We bought this for her BEFORE the visit to the beach and subsequent sensory bin creation. It allows for sand playing INDOORS and has kept her occupied for a few days straight as well 😁.
