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How to survive a bad day.



When you’re a stay-at-home parent, the challenging days are inevitable and can feel all-consuming. Maybe you’re sick or your child is sick (or if you’re super unlucky, both of you are). Maybe you’re exhausted from too many sleepless nights in a row. Or maybe you’re just in a funk and are wishing you could be in Fiji (thanks, COVID-19), but instead you’re living Groundhog Day #5001 and it’s pouring with rain and if your toddler climbs on the table one more time, you’ll probably lock yourself in the laundry.

We all have those days where we need to rest. But that tends to be impossible when you have a small person to look after.

Today has been a meh day. The sun is shining so beautifully; a wonderful, clear winter day. However, I’m sick, pregnant, and feeling overall run-down. My toddler is climbing the walls with boredom. It’s really great.

So I thought I’d write up a handy survival guide of what helps us on these in-a-funk days when resting isn’t really an option. It’s quite a short list and it might turn disastrous and you may end up regretting it. But it happened to help us today! So I figured I’d ramble.

1) Water. Bring out the liquid. I don’t know about you, but my toddler adores anything and everything water related. Baths, showers, swimming, puddles, murky water in the gutter. You name it, she’s submerged in it. I’ve had to stop taking her to certain parks and reserves because if she can see a water source, there’s no stopping her. I’m talking full tantrums until she is thoroughly soaked. And trying to leave just gets me judgemental glares from members of the public, because let’s just say that she doesn’t leave voluntarily. Anyway, water kind of resets her, if that makes sense? She can be grizzly and grumpy and bored, but then be totally happy for hours with a bucket of soapy water on the balcony. That’s what we did today and she had a blast slowly emptying the entire container on herself (and a bit on me too). The key is to make the container heavy enough so that she can’t tip it over, otherwise the fun ends very abruptly. As we work on our garden that we can’t use yet, we are planning to build her a mud kitchen. Same idea. Messy liquid = happiness. Bonus points for this one too: I got to sit on the deck in the sun and try to convince myself I was actually asleep. Win!

2) Nudity. Another big favourite with Miss 15 months. She loves nothing more (well aside from water) than running around absolutely berserk with her clothes off. You know how a dog races around after you give it a bath? It’s kind of like that. If the weather is warm enough, try combining 1) and 2) for the ultimate Happy Toddler. While they’re having the time of their lives, you might get to sit down. A treat for all!

3) Being outside. This one is fairly predictable I think! Being outside is so good for us. Even if it’s raining or even better if it’s sunny. Just get out there and out of your own head. It’s also got the bonus of keeping the inside of your house clean and spared of the mini tornado for hopefully at least 15 minutes. You can paint, draw, play, eat, and explore outside. Right now, I’m sitting on the balcony soaking up the sun, while the toddler paints my feet green. It’s a good time. It actually is, because we would both be grumpy (though albeit less Shrek-green) if we stayed indoors.

I hope this list resonates with your funk of a day, whenever it may be. Bring on summer when we can combine all three things in those glorious afternoons (although I will be heavily pregnant, so I’ll probably be a tad grumpy then anyway (sorry in advance)).

Tips (so you can learn from my mistakes):
- for all three options, bring a towel. You’ll definitely need it to mop up at least two miscellaneous liquids.
- if you’re painting outside, choose a colour that you don’t mind the ground becoming. Our balcony is now green. Luckily, we were planning to paint it anyway. Or be super organised and bring a tarpaulin, if you can be bothered. Or just do it on the grass if you have a lawn.
- wear old clothes. No explanation needed.


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