Pro-Tip #1  Take a walk or play outside first thing to start the day.
              The sunlight will help with circadian rhythms.

Pro-tip #2   Adults often watch children, but children learn through imitation. Instead, allow your children to watch you doing meaningful things around the house. If you are joyful in your work, they will learn that work can be joyful. They take their cues from those older than them. Children watching adults is healthy, which is why we say, they look up to you, it gives them something to imitate. 
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​Parent Survival Kit 
Resources, Links and Stuff to Support
Parent Survival 
"We Got This!" ​

Pro-Tip #1  Be sure to take some time each day (at least 5 full minutes) to do absolutely nothing. (Movies, phones,and computer screens do not count as doing nothing.)
 
Pro-tip #2   Create some time to draw or paint. Do not invite your child to join. Sitting down and beginning is the best invitation. Be ready, they will ask to join you. 

Pro-tip #3  Once you and your child are drawing together, they might ask you to draw a picture for them. Resist the invitation and say, "no, thank you, I am doing this drawing now." It's important to model the joy of creativity, while preserving that for your child. Often when adults draw for children, children tend to focus on the outcome of the drawing rather than the joy of freely creating and they might give up trying it on their own. ​

House plants need watering?
Pro-tip#1 Set them all together in a place tat can get wet.  Set out a large bowl, pot, or bucket with water. Put out a small measuring cup or other vessel for transferring water. Be sure to use a small pouring vessel or this will be over immediately. Invite your child to give the plants a big drink.

When a child asks a "big" question
Pro-tip #2   
Break it down and try to figure out what it is that is really being asked. Let them ask the next questions, rather than feeling the need to tell them everything you know about the subject.

Supporting Play
Pro-tip#1  Take a few minutes after the children are asleep.  Set up a simple playscape with a few items.  You can lay out a couple of cloth napkins, with a stuffed animal and an empty box, for example. 
Be Creative. 
Leave it to be found in the morning. 
You might find yourself enjoying the imaginative play as well.

Pro-tip #2 - Do you have a space inside or outside your home to set up some cushion to jump down onto?  Setting up a place for young children to jump can help organize their nervous system as the joints (especially the hip joints) need lots of feedback. 
Be creative. 
Where can your children jump off from and safely land? 

Set up the tent!
Pro-tip#1  Do you have a camping tent? If you set it up in the yard or the house, put a special toy inside(keep it simple) just legos, just drawing supplies, just beads and string....this will give your child a different environment to retreat
to while you get some work done.
If you don't have a tent, build a fabulous fort. Allow your child to feel that the tent is just for them. It's important not to combine this tent with parent boundaries, like time outs, clean up or napping. If they feel it's their special space just for them, they will enjoy it longer. 

Pro-tip#2  Give yourself permission to do what you can, which is not everything and then tell yourself..."I'm doing enough"And remember to laugh at yourself and tell jokes in unexpected times, especially to other adults. 

Just remember - you are never really completely useless, you can always serve as a bad example.  just kidding :) 

If you need any specific survival tips, feel free to email us,
we got your back! 

​ Parent Survival Kit 
Resources, Links and Stuff to Support
Parent Survival 
"We Got This!" 

​
Cherish Bedtime...
Pro-tip#1 It's been said that being at home with the young ones can make
days feel like years and years feel like days.
At bedtime, make an agreement with yourself to cherish what sometimes feels like a daunting chore...bedtime. Tell yourself, It's not forever, it's just for now.
If you are calm, instead of preparing for a power struggle, you might find peace in the process
(I know, easier said then done, but give it a try). 

Heather Boyd, OT is a wonderful resource for parenting and sleep.
Here's her link: https://www.heatherboyd.org/blog
Check her out on facebook as well.


Want to create ritual at bedtime?
Pro-tip #2 - Use "The Rose and the Thorn" practice of sharing what was the best part of your day and what was the hardest(not to be confused with the worst).
Light a little candle with your child, allow each person to share the rose and the thorn of the day, then have the child blow out the candle and crawl into bed. ZZZzzzz....

Pro-tip#3 Use the personal bedtime story written above ;)
or the Bedtime poem read out loud once young ones are tucked in. 


If you need any specific survival tips, feel free to email us,
we got your back! 

Now I Know My ABC's...
Pro-tip#1 Pause to remember your ABC's
Awareness ~ Breath ~ Connection

A is for Awareness - Become aware of what is here in this moment through all your senses. 
1) Outside your body - What do you see? Hear? Feel? Smell? Taste? 
2) Where your body and the outer world make contact -
Where is your body making contact with physical support?
(e.g. the ground beneath your feet, the chair you are sitting on). 
3) Inside your body - When you sense internally, what sensations do you notice? 

B is for Breath - Where is your breath moving your body? What are the sensations and qualities you sense in your breath in this moment? In what ways does your breath respond when you bring your awareness to stimuli from outside your body, points of contact between your body and the outer environment, and inside your body?

C is for Connection - Connect with feeling contact with what's supporting you. Connect with your breath. Connect the outer with the inner and notice how they affect one another. Connect with any other resources you have for feeling grounded, connected, supported. From this more resourced place, connect with the person you are with.       
~By Heather Young 

Want to improve your mental and physical health? 
Pro-tip #2 - Laugh At Yourself! The benefits of laughter are instantaneous. Research shows it greatly reduces stress and strengthens your immune system in the process.
Laughter reinforces social bonds and is essential for survival. 

In an article by John Haltiwanger published in Elite Daily, Haltiwanger states:
"Laughter sets the spirit free through even the most tragic circumstances. It helps us shake our heads clear, get our feet back under us and restores a sense of balance. Humor is integral to our peace of mind and our ability to go beyond survival. Laughter is vital to our sanity and longevity!"

Would you like to deepen healthy communication patterns with your family?
Pro-tip #1 Choose a time when your family is all together(dinner or bedtime) and create a ritual of sharing and listening to each family member tell about "the rose" and "the thorn" of their day. This can be as simple as sharing and asking for the "best" and the "hardest" part of the day. Note: the "hardest" part of the day is not the same as the "worst". Sometimes the best and the hardest are the same thing! 

On April Fool's Day:
Pro-tip #2 Play a simple joke on your child(ren) and say, April Fool's! Then enjoy letting them trick you and joke you for the rest of the day. Once we played this with a preschool class, and they all thought we said, "April Foods!" So everything they ate a lunch, they yelled out, "April Foods!" So fun...

Pro-tip#2 Give your child a spoon and tell them to sneak it into someone else's back pocket. 

If you need any specific survival tips, feel free to email us, we got your back! 

When you need some time to yourself: 
Pro-tip #1 Remember the audio story links we sent in Issue #1. 
Your children will love hearing the same few stories every day, or every other day for longer than you might imagine.  

When you need the best toys ever: 
Pro-tip #2 Give your children an old pot, pan, or bowl, and a spoon and let them play in the dirt with some water. Mud kitchen is likely to allow for great periods of creative, sustained play.

*Don’t have an outdoor space for this kind of play?
​Try filling the sink with a little bit of soapy water and pushing a sturdy chair or step stool up to the sink. Give them a few unbreakable dishes to play with in the sink.