Cabin Fever!

Ideas from a house in quarantine

+an update from the day after publishing

About an hour after I published this, I was hit with a wave of: this post kind of sucks. Or maybe the post itself is fine—it’s what I didn’t say. I feel like I am just perpetuating a lot of staid mommyblogger BS. I mean, no shade to mommy bloggers personally, but shade to any culture that says that when you feel like shit, you still have to dazzle your household and can’t cut any corners.

As a family, we have had one of those Murphy’s Law kind of weeks. It has included our AC going out, a respiratory infection that we all had to get antibiotics for, my husband’s car having catastrophic engine failure (outside of warranty, far from paid off), our daughter getting hand, foot, and mouth disease, me throwing out my back, and then me getting HFMD. I am behind on every deadline, and have really struggled to get any meaningful work done. Our house is a mess, but we have managed to get a few resets in, and seem to be able to get the dishes done just outside of a gross amount of time in the sink.

But the real thing that has made this week manageable has been letting our daughter watch so much TV. Ms. Rachel is Mother now. And I feel like shit about it. At the same time, I don’t really see stopping until conditions change. We really need the assist right now. I imagine that we will need to have some kind of reset after this, and there may be some detox, but…what other options are there?

This is one of those moments when I am reminded that we are not meant to parent in isolation. There are meant to be extended family, chosen family, friends, and neighbors that kids move in between throughout their days. Not great for containing infections, but pretty stellar for mental health and practical support.

Going back to the original post, while I haven’t done all of them (yet), my suggestions/ideas were honest. So far, we have done/used drawing, Sarah’s Silks/open-ended play, the Pikler set, the chairs and table, DIY trash instruments, the splash pad, the swing, and the soccer ball. We’ve also read books and gone on some walks—but still, with hours of TV all throughout and in between.

the hero skirt of this week’s quarantine

I feel so naked sharing that, because I can already feel the judgment. But also, I don’t really care—or, at least, I am trying not to. I used to live from the fawn reflex 24/7, feeling that I needed to placate or dazzle everyone around me in order to survive. That’s the same reflex that makes me feel ashamed for not being able to entertain my daughter and fill these hours with the most developmentally beneficial activities available to her while I feel like absolute garbage. This might be the moment I have been training for in therapy (lol?). When push comes to shove, I’m not letting that fear—that need to be beyond reproach—dictate who I admit to being going forward. Mostly because I really don’t want to do that to you.

So here is to some honest mommyblogging going forward. Love y’all, and appreciate you being here.

yard flowers and peonies from H-E-B

++original post below++

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Hi from the Milky-verse, where I am currently sat in bed because of a back spasm that struck late this morning, whilst our 17‑month‑old is quarantined at home due to the appearance of the dreaded hand, foot, and mouth disease. It feels like a fitting way to have closed out June (I began this post a few days ago), which served more than its share of bugs and assorted infections. For the sake of my sanity, I am crossing fingers and toes for a healthier July.

Don’t let the smiles fool you, we are feral

I had a different post planned for today on microdosing pleasure, but that just got bumped so I can address my current reality: entertaining a wildly wiggly and energetic toddler who is showing no signs of letting HFMD slow her down. It’s hot outside (I live in Austin, Texas), we cannot see friends or go out, and I am mentally already at my wit’s end. While I plug some headphones in and listen to a rotation of audiobooks, this is what I am doing with my daughter to keep her occupied.

I am pushing to get this one out to you now, holiday weekend be damned, because there are so many 4th of July sales going at the moment—#dealsdealsdeals and as a reminder, I may earn commission on the items listed here at no cost to you.

If you have any go‑to suggestions for dealing with cabin fever, please leave them for the community in the comments below :)

xxMB

• A Water Drawing Pad: I was originally going to suggest colored pencils and recycled paper because I (naively) thought that pencils would not be as messy as marker or paints but…they are. It took my toddler about 10 minutes before our leather sofa was drawn on, as well as her highchair, and who knows what else…So I love that this is infinitely reusable, and the only mess you will be dealing with is from water. There are also little sketch pads where water reveals a drawing when it comes into contact with the paper.

• This cutie easel can convert from chalkboard to whiteboard, has storage, and a pull-down paper roll. Sidebar: I am quite obsessed with this Eva Chen for West Elm collection in general—particularly this reading nook, which has me swooning hard.

• Open-ended play with these Waldorf-inspired silks by Sarah’s Silks. I don’t know what magic these are imbued with, but my daughter loves her giant silk, and it keeps her occupied far more than I could have imagined.

• A Toddler Tower with really functional/useful accessories, like this cutting tool and this storage hook. This is a great way to bring your little one in on your daily tasks, which, according to Hunt, Gather, Parent, is the key to raising helpful kiddos who are real team members, integrated into the daily to‑dos of the household. Toddler towers can usually be found on FB Marketplace and other resale sites; just be prepared for them to come with a fair amount of grime/wear and tear.

• These ecoBirdy sets (the Azure is my fav), created from recycled plastic toys, are pricey—so apologies in advance—but after months of consideration, we finally ordered this set, and the joy it has brought to our kiddo, just having her own little corner of the room, has been immeasurable. That said, this set is not the only way to accomplish that. You could definitely begin on resale sites for alternative scenarios, with the key idea being: little ones love things at their scale. She loves sitting at her table with puzzles, drawing, or playing with other toys on the tabletop.

• Pikler climbing sets can be set up inside or outside and fold down to some degree. It can take some time for little ones to figure out navigating them, so keep playing with your configuration if that is the case for you. I would also recommend getting the optional cushion for the arch. These are super durable and are widely available on FB Marketplace and other resale sites, so check there first.

• Making instruments from trash and pantry items—an old plastic bottle and some rice, an aluminum bottle with dried beans; just avoid glass :) But beware: if you are already at your wit’s end, this acoustic exploration may push you over the edge.

• Sensory tables: here is a super simple one that is cheap and cheerful, a foldable version for smaller spaces, and a Montessori-style sensory table. This one is a splurge, but the extra/doing-too-much in me is already dreaming of all of the little world-building that I could do with the added arch. This one has interchangeable panels you can play with as well. The beauty of any of these tables is that you can really fill these tubs with anything you wish, keeping them a fresh source of amusement. The contents of each tub can also shift as your child’s age does.

• A Splash Pad really does the most when it’s hot out. That said, our little one also enjoys a simple hose sprayin’ with our adjustable nozzle. I also think that this flower sprinkler tower is wildly cute.

• This is a little advanced for our daughter’s age, but I love this STEM-style water/sensory table from KiwiCo; you can use water, beans, whatever you please. The manufacturer recommends ages 3+ (particularly relevant if using beans/smaller items). For younger babes, you could try a pie pan or pot filled with an inch of water and various measuring spoons; just be sure to stay close by.

• We got this Flybar Swurfer Coconut Toddler Swing when our daughter was 6 months old, and she continues to just absolutely love it. She will stay in it as long as we keep pushing her, and the way it makes her giggle is the sweetest.

• A mini soccer ball: when my husband and I kick this around with her, our daughter is endlessly amused; it’s pretty cute and so simple.

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