It was mid-March when our world really changed. COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic, Dr. Henry became a household name in British Columbia, and a lot of people moved from their places of work to home based offices. If you’re in a similar position to me, you probably at first you thought, “This is a great idea.” You can work in your sweatpants, be within walking distance of a fully stocked fridge and pantry, and save money as you’re not stopping for coffee on the morning commute.
However, I quickly realized I am not set up to work at home effectively. I procrastinated on setting up my home office after I painted it last summer, wo I’ve been working at the kitchen table each day (sorry again to my wife Carli). The other reason is a household full of kids. If you have read my previous blogs, you know that I have three young boys. Ryan is seven, Ian is two and Finnegan is almost eight months old. They are all at different stages of being able to understand the pandemic and what is happening in the world around them. The one thing they had a hard time understanding at first was why am I home, but not able to play with them. We are all settling into the new reality. This has been made easier by some local initiatives that helped keep the kids entertained without leaving our house.
Regular live streams and activities for the kids
We have some really great organizations that are providing activities for kids on a regular basis. Huble Homestead is posting colouring and activity sheets on their website. The YMCA and the Prince George Public Library are hosting storytime and activities via Facebook and one of the coolest things is hosted daily by The Exploration Place. Each morning at 10 am, they go live to show their animal ambassadors and look at museum exhibits or cool items from their archives.
Treats by delivery
Sometimes you need to treat yourself. We want to use this time to create positive memories for the boys. We have done a few treat days. One included an ice cream order from our friends at Frozen Paddle. Everyone picked their favourite pint and we ate ice cream and visited. Another night we built a blanket fort in the basement, watched Monsters Inc., and ordered popcorn and candy through Skip the Dishes from our local Cineplex. It was a great night!
Hearts of PG Scavenger Hunt
I am sure you have heard of Bailey’s incredible #HeartsofPG movement. This one fun idea spread throughout our committee, our country, and our world. The idea is for you to make and put hearts in your window during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Then when kids are out walking the neighbourhood with their families, they can count the hearts in everyone’s windows. We have taken multiple routes around our neighbourhood when out walking our dog Bentley. The boys love spotting and counting the hearts and, more importantly, it shows that our community really does have heart.
These are just a few ideas. If you have others I would love to hear them. Stay healthy, be safe.
