Parenting Archives - Sandra Hudson

March 23, 2020 by Sandra

Quarantine Activities to Get You Through the Days with Your Kids

Quarantine Activities to Get You Through the Days

Quarantine Activities are much needed right now. While the world is social distancing, it’s important that this stressful situation doesn’t create distance in your own relationships with your children. I have put together a list of quarantine activities for kids to get you through your days.

The only thing that your children need right now is a safe haven in this storm and unconditional love that tells them everything will be okay. (If you’re looking for a way to create a fun date night with your spouse, check out these tips.)

I have been thinking about this a lot lately, and I really want to come up with a way that I can help other families and friends get through these hard days of quarantine ahead. I am no Pinterest mom whatsoever, but I do love sharing fun and easy entertainment ideas to pass the time away.

Luckily, as a blogger, I have met some other really amazing writers in the profession. I am going to share with you my top list of crafts, ideas, or entertainment that I think you can also utilize in a time like this.

Quarantine Crafts Ideas for Kids

Baby Yoda is so popular in our house right now. If you haven’t seen The Mandalorian on Disney+, check it out with your older kids. As far as this craft goes, it is super cute and fun to make your own. Thank you Simple Everyday Mom for sharing your idea with us.

2. Don’t leave those sweet little unicorn-lovers out of the crafts. I know my Stella is going to love to make these. Here is another craft from Simple Everyday Mom that uses your child’s handprint to make a unicorn. SOOOOOO CUTE!!!!

3. Thank you so much Mama Shark Blog for sharing this list of easy and cheap crafts and activities that you can do at home with your kids. As a mom who struggles with being creative and artistic, these ideas seem to be fun and doable in my household!!

4. Printable BINGO sounds like so much fun. Thanks to Natasha, she has crafter multiple theme sheets to use depending on what your child likes.

Advanced Craft Ideas for older Kids

5. This is a more advanced craft and would be great for the older kids at home. Thank you so much to Jamie at the Splendry Blog for sharing this idea on how to create a DIY Modern Silhouette.

6. Do you have a superhero fan at your home? These Marvel Avenger printable masks are sure to be a hit. Thank you so much, Kami from The Momma Diaries blog for sharing this idea with us.

7. Check out this craft on how to make coffee filter flowers from Kitchen Table Classroom Blog. These look super fun and colorful, and I can’t wait to make one myself.

8. I would have never thought of making a dollhouse out of a cardboard box, but this looks like so much fun. This is definitely a more intense craft that you could work on over several days. Thank you so much for sharing this idea Dad Life Lessons Blog.

9. If you have a child that loves woodworking, then you are going to love these ideas. Thank you so much A Hundred Affections Blog for sharing 7 awesomely fun woodworking crafts that you can do from home. I’m excited to try a few of these.

Quarantine Games & Activities

10. When I was a kid, I could play with playdough for hours. I got really excited when Simple Everyday Mom Blog shared her easy recipe for homemade playdough with us. I can’t wait to make a batch with my kids and try this one myself.

11. Host a tea party. I love this idea. It’s a chance to get all dressed up and have a fancy snack with your little one. They will feel loved and special, which is what it’s all about. Thank you for sharing this idea with us Two Kids and A Coupon Blog.

12. My kids love activity sheets! They are great for sick days, road trips, and currently……..quarantine at home! Thank you so much Where’d My Sanity Go Blog for sharing this amazing list of fun pages with us.

13. Do you have any nature loves in the house? A homemade bird feeder sounds like a fun idea. Plus, it’s like doing a good deed by feeding the birds all in one. Attachment Mummy Blog shared her easy bird feeder recipe with us, and I hope you check it out.

14. Our family LOVES board games. Seriously though, my husband is a board game designed and we have an entire room devoted in our house to our game library. I was so excited to find this really cute design of a game that is a printable from Tara at California Camplife Blog. This will be a lot of fun and your kids can play this over and over again.

15. I love writing in a gratitude journal myself, so this a perfect time to incorporate this daily activity into your homeschooling schedule with your kids. With so much bad going on, I find it really important to focus on the good and be thankful for it. Thank you so much to Natasha for sharing this Printable Gratitude Journal with us that we can use in our families.

16. The only thing that is getting us by right now is getting outside in nature and exploring. The fresh air, social distancing and blue skies have been a blessing. Thank you to Natasha for also sharing this amazing Nature Activity Pack that you can use on. your next adventure.

17. Another fun activity to do with your kids is to have a scavenger hunt. You can come up with all kinds of themes, and even make it a competition. What a great idea Moms & Munchkins Blog.

18. Create a sidewalk chalk obstacle course. This is a fun way to get outside, exercise and change it up. Thanks for sharing this idea Toots Mom is Tired Blog.

Quarantine Kitchen Activities

19. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cookies are my favorite. Chocolate + peanut butter is a perfect combination. Check out this recipe from the Attachment Mummp Bl0g on how you can make these at home with your kids in the kitchen.

20. Hot fudge sundae cake sounds like a winner, right? I can’t wait to try this recipe with my kids. You can get really creative with the toppings and my little helpers love to bake in the kitchen with me. Thanks for sharing this recipe The Sum of All Sweets Blog.

21. Lastly, don’t forget about the fun you can have with dyeing Easter eggs. The different colors and patterns are so much fun. Check out these helpful tips from Attachment Mummy Blog. I love the cool, fun spin she adds on to this activity.

Closing Thoughts

You can’t measure your love for your children in hand-lettered bucket lists and carefully curated nature field trips. Comparing how well you’re doing at quarantine fun to what your neighbors are posting on Facebook isn’t a valid measure of what your child is feeling from you.

Measure your daily success in minutes snuggled at bedtime, tears shared over ice cream, the laughter that comes from discovering potty jokes, and the relief that comes when they’re finally fast asleep.

This is a great time to officially end the Mommy Wars. My COVID-19 proclamation is that I declare the Parenting Competition over. I forfeit. We’re trying to keep each other alive. That’s the only goal.

We can’t go under it, or over it. You and I HAVE to go through it, but you don’t have to do it alone. You and I do not have to perform it for our friends.

We don’t have to add to our fear by judging each other, competing with each other, or calling each other out. Just show up, and try our best. There isn’t a schedule in the world that can teach our children that. But we can.

Love hard and listen to your big feelings, parents. You’ve got this!!!

I would love to know what activities and things you are doing to make it through the quarantine right now. Please share it below!

March 6, 2020 by Sandra

A Letter to my Son

“A Letter to my Son (while he is a preteen)

This blog post will be a little different than the norm. This is a letter to my son while he is currently a preteen.

Once upon a time 11 years ago, I became a mom. At this time in my life, I had no idea that I even wanted children……..but then he happened. My life has been upside down ever since, and I would not trade it for anything in the world. As we prepare to celebrate your 11th birthday, this mama is having a hard time. I am not ready for independence, even though, as parents this is what we are preparing you for. I am not ready for the broken hearts, because I always want to see you happy and loved. Lastly, I am not ready for you to grow into becoming an adult because frankly, it means I won’t be needed as much.

Growing up is inevitable though. So as you are transitioning from that spunky little boy to a handsome young man, I wanted to write you a letter full of life lessons that you can keep and cherish forever.

A Letter to My Son and What I want Him to Know

Always Be true to yourself. There is no one else like you in the entire world, so allow your uniqueness to shine through. You never need to change who you are for someone else. You are amazing exactly as you are.

Live your own dreams. Try lots of things, and figure out what makes you happy. Then, pursue it. Follow a path of your own choosing – not mine, not your dad’s or anyone else’s. Your fulfillment is what I want, and it will come from following your dreams and living a life that has meaning and purpose for YOU.

Don’t take life too seriously. Have fun. Laugh at yourself when you make mistakes. Don’t worry about things you cannot control. Don’t sweat the small stuff. You are only given one life, so make the best of it, and enjoy it to the fullest.

Love and accept yourself unconditionally. You will always have yourself even when friends come and go, so make it your best relationship. The way you treat yourself will show others how to treat you, so treat yourself like you would your own best friend. Be kind, respectful, and loving to yourself no matter what. Your words matter, especially the words you say to yourself.

Don’t be afraid to take risks. Take big, bold risks! You can accomplish great things by taking risks. Living life too cautiously, and always keeping the status quo will leave you with regrets. Get outside of your comfort zone and watch as that comfort zone expands. The more risks you take, the easier it becomes.

(read more about children and failure here.)

Find your soulmate. You will meet someone one day with whom you fall head over heels in love and want to spend the rest of your life. Their gender, race, religion, and culture are irrelevant to me. As long as you are loved, respected, and treated well, I will always be happy with your choice.

And, last but certainly not least,

Know that I love you and I will always be there for you. No matter what life throws at you, I will always have your back. You are my son and you always will be. I adore you, and there is nothing you could possibly do to change that. There may be many times when we don’t agree, but those moments will never devalue the love that I have for you.

This letter to my son is written with love and admiration. I am so very thankful to be your mother.

“You is smart. You is kind. You is important.” Mommy, and Daddy, and Stella love you very, very much.

Adapted from the movie, “The Help.”

Family Trip to Big Bear Lake

In Closing

Parker, you are amazing in so many ways. I think you are capable of doing something amazing with your life and as sad as it is for me, I can not wait to watch it unfold. You are that special.

Love Always,

Mom

April 18, 2019 by Sandra

Why I Want My Children to Fail

Every parent wants what is best for their children. We work hard to provide necessities and the extras. We want them to have fun at that dance class, participate in travel ball tournaments, or even go on that mission trip. We plan, we save, we hover, we stress, and we protect our kids at all costs. We want to see our kids succeed and thrive. We do not want to see them struggle, hurt or suffer at even the smallest things. I have a confession to make about my parenting style and you may not agree with me here, but……..

I want my children to fail.

Trust me, I want what is best for my kids, but the best is not a free ticket to success. The one life lesson that they will take with them into adulthood is figuring out how to work hard in the process and how to be humble and grateful when you reach success.

Children and Failure

I get it…… letting your kids fail can sound harsh, and it’s scary. But failure teaches valuable life skills in real-life situations. Unfortunately, an unintended side effect of this is that we have raised a generation of children who don’t know what it feels like to truly fail, but they are never given the chance to learn the valuable lessons that come with failing — like brushing themselves off from defeat, then having the perseverance and drive to rise back up again. We start and continue to keep our kids from failing with the best of intentions, but WE don’t want to see them unhappy, WE are afraid of how others will view us as parents if our kids fail, and WE think by rushing in to save the day that we are actually saving the day. We are on their side of disappointment, reassuring them defeat is rarely (if ever) their fault, and that any sort of failure is shameful and disgraceful. This is not what I want to instill in my children.

We, as parents, have perpetuated the notion that failure, in any form, is unacceptable and intolerable. Have you ever wondered why there are so many young adults who are suffering from anxiety, depression, and a complete lack of “how to cope” with real-life when it comes at them? It sounds harsh, but the hardest thing we can do is let them experience real, actual, EPIC failure.

I have been struggling with these thoughts for a while now. In fact, James and I discussed this very topic on our latest podcast episode this week. Check it out here and let me know what you think.

How can we help our children grow through failure?

1. Share Your Failures with Your Children

While your children may constantly rebel against you, they still put you on a pedestal and think more highly about their parents than anyone else. Tell them about how you have failed in your own life. Share with them your struggles at work — and even better, ask them how you should handle the situation. Encourage them to exercise their problem-solving abilities by developing potential solutions to your roadblocks.

2. Allow Opportunities for Failure

Obviously, I don’t mean deliberately imposing catastrophic failures on your children. I simply mean giving them the space to fail. Encourage them to tackle complex problems, try new things, and push their boundaries. Just like introducing germs to a baby can stimulate the immune system and prevent against future infections. Letting your children fail can help them build the resilience they will need as adults. Isn’t that the goal? To grow little people into capable adults?

3. Turn Failure into a Learning Moment

When your children fail, approach their failure — not with disappointment or angst — but with curiosity. Isn’t it interesting how sometimes things work and other times they don’t? Let’s figure out what happened here.

4. Treat Success and Failure the Same

We assume success and failure are binary outcomes, but they are not. The line between the two can be thin, and we sometimes ignore it. Learning moments for children should follow both success and failure. We tend to attribute our children’s success to their genius abilities or good genes, and we simply ignore the fact that luck and privilege play in the process. So, regardless of the outcome, ask, “What went right here? What went wrong? What can you learn from this?”

The sooner we teach our children that true success can only come after being knocked down and getting back up over and over again, the better chance they will have at succeeding when life throws curve balls at them.

From my heart to yours,

Sandra

By the way, this post is pure gold. You should follow these strategies in your own life, as much as you do with your children. Never stop learning!