Konichiwa! From Japan, in case you hadn't guessed. I'm pleased to make it to the pages of this blog, as a way to share Mama stories and adventures in crafting, food, and the little things that string together to make up our life.
Right now, my husband and 3 year old daughter and I live in a small city in north eastern Japan. He coaches hockey, which takes him on the road for long stretches of time. I do my best to remain positive and upbeat, but you'll get an honest glimpse into what life is like as a 'single mom' in a very foreign place. We are on day 9 of a 16 day separation, and here's how i've planned to keep my girl and myself engaged.
* A friend of mine shared an idea called 'strewing' which involves casually setting up an activity for your child to notice and work with on their own. No instructions given. Some examples are a tray with clay and small tools (pipe cleaners, child scissors, tooth picks), stickers and paper, sensory bin, etc. I've been doing this before I go to bed at night, so that when we come downstairs in the morning, instead of asking me to play with her right away she finds an activity for solo time. It has been working quite well, some activities more than others. It gives me about 15-20 minutes of quiet time to make tea and prepare breakfast. It's a smooth start to our day.
* I've organised a shelf with bins and envelopes of prepared activities. Some of these things are origami paper, markers and a journal, felt story books that we made, letters for tracing, doll dresses, small animal toys, stamps and stamp pad. In this way, she can direct herself to an activity if she wants to (although it doesn't happen that often), or ideas are at the ready for me to suggest we do. It really prevents the 'what do we do now?' and 'can I watch a show?' when we both get tired and bored.
* A whole area in her room dedicated to dress up play. She loves it so much, so I thought it deserved it's own space, away from the already over crowded and small living room. She even goes up on her own to change outfits, which shows me that she's slowly getting ready for more independent play if I set it up right.
* At night, I make sure I set aside at least 45 minutes before bed to decompress, meditate (even if it's just 5 minutes!) and journal 3 pages, including thoughts on how our day went and what tomorrow could look like. This is SO helpful as an outlet. It also makes the days run smoother, as i've set an intention.
* I commit to one out-of-the-house activity per day. It can be as small as a walk around the block, to a morning at a nearby museum. We do it before lunch, and reserve the afternoon for crafting and dinner making.
* I have small goals for myself, that include knitting projects, beginner sewing activities, and new ones, like embroidery. Having something at the fingertips during the day helps to unwind and feel like i've accomplished something tangible.
Now if I can get it together enough to find the charger to my camera and document some of our projects, I'll be sure to share through photos as well as words.
Right now, my husband and 3 year old daughter and I live in a small city in north eastern Japan. He coaches hockey, which takes him on the road for long stretches of time. I do my best to remain positive and upbeat, but you'll get an honest glimpse into what life is like as a 'single mom' in a very foreign place. We are on day 9 of a 16 day separation, and here's how i've planned to keep my girl and myself engaged.
* A friend of mine shared an idea called 'strewing' which involves casually setting up an activity for your child to notice and work with on their own. No instructions given. Some examples are a tray with clay and small tools (pipe cleaners, child scissors, tooth picks), stickers and paper, sensory bin, etc. I've been doing this before I go to bed at night, so that when we come downstairs in the morning, instead of asking me to play with her right away she finds an activity for solo time. It has been working quite well, some activities more than others. It gives me about 15-20 minutes of quiet time to make tea and prepare breakfast. It's a smooth start to our day.
* I've organised a shelf with bins and envelopes of prepared activities. Some of these things are origami paper, markers and a journal, felt story books that we made, letters for tracing, doll dresses, small animal toys, stamps and stamp pad. In this way, she can direct herself to an activity if she wants to (although it doesn't happen that often), or ideas are at the ready for me to suggest we do. It really prevents the 'what do we do now?' and 'can I watch a show?' when we both get tired and bored.
* A whole area in her room dedicated to dress up play. She loves it so much, so I thought it deserved it's own space, away from the already over crowded and small living room. She even goes up on her own to change outfits, which shows me that she's slowly getting ready for more independent play if I set it up right.
* At night, I make sure I set aside at least 45 minutes before bed to decompress, meditate (even if it's just 5 minutes!) and journal 3 pages, including thoughts on how our day went and what tomorrow could look like. This is SO helpful as an outlet. It also makes the days run smoother, as i've set an intention.
* I commit to one out-of-the-house activity per day. It can be as small as a walk around the block, to a morning at a nearby museum. We do it before lunch, and reserve the afternoon for crafting and dinner making.
* I have small goals for myself, that include knitting projects, beginner sewing activities, and new ones, like embroidery. Having something at the fingertips during the day helps to unwind and feel like i've accomplished something tangible.
Now if I can get it together enough to find the charger to my camera and document some of our projects, I'll be sure to share through photos as well as words.
No comments:
Post a Comment