It’s funny how the big emotions come in waves. Generally, we are doing well and feel grateful, but in our house we’ve each had our tears and moments of frustration, all coming at different times (thankfully) and seemingly out of the blue. Emotions kind of just catch up with us eventually, don’t they? But as I discussed in the interview with Molly, all emotions are permissible…we just need to recognize them in order to keep going in a healthy manner.
I find my struggles are against the routine (I have never been great at doing the same things the same way at the same time each day), and the lack of freedom to experience new things and explore. (Enneagram 7 here.) But I also know that we’ve found some harmony and success in our home that I am working to preserve.
I hope you all are doing well, okay, or fine even. Remember to take what you need and leave the rest. Remember to filter out those articles, clips, news briefs, and Facebook friends that don’t fill you up, and take care of your mental health.
Here are some of our picks online this week that we’ve found inspirational and helpful…
Our favorite Instagram we’ve recently shared:
Note: There are some affiliate links below, and you can read our disclaimer here.
Our Family Friday Five picks this week include:
1- This article about how an extrovert can lean in and learn during this period of isolation.
2- I have been enjoying this Yoga with Adriene series.
3- This provocative essay on the retro attitude of women returning to homemakers:
The fact is that, as before the Covid days, women (working or otherwise) do more housework. With the closure of schools and nurseries, that’s been exacerbated to the point of a crisis in unpaid labour. This isn’t cute. It’s not pleasingly mid-century, it’s – for countless overworked women – a living nightmare.
4- When this Creative Lettering Journal went on sale, I grabbed a kit. I had been eyeing it for awhile, and this is a great way to flex some creativity muscles during this time of stay-at-home-ness.
5- I started this book. After hearing so much about it through the years, I considered it a must-read. Right now, with our library closed, we are having to purchase some books and digitally borrow others. This was one I thought worth adding to our home library collection.
From the archives:
And to end this edition of Friday Family Five, I am going to throw in one bonus essay, this one on The Atlantic.
Believing in one’s own abilities makes parenting during a crisis easier, which bolsters a sense of self-worth and strength—suddenly, your other problems feel lighter. If you’ve been a parent for any length of time, no doubt you’ve proved yourself able to change in ways you never thought possible before you had kids. You’ve lived with less sleep than ever before. You swore you’d never let your kid wear a princess dress or Spider-Man mask out of the house, and we all know how that ended. You’ve already sharpened this skill, and it is a crucial tool for this new season.
Parents: you are doing a great job on this very strange family trip.