Family Health & Wellness During COVID-19: Series Intro

Health and wellness are key components to building healthy families! When we make positive choices that promote the physical, emotional, mental, and relational health of our families, we can live happier, more well-balanced lives. This is especially true during the current challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Health and wellness may look a bit different with safety measures, such as social distancing in place. We may not be able to engage in the same activities as before, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t continue to prioritize our health and wellness.

Stay tuned as we share tips to help you and your family promote health and wellness during COVID-19!

Mother’s Day for Single Moms

Mother’s day as a single parent can be challenging, so we’ve developed a series of tips to help single moms feel celebrated and make the best of this holiday! Whether you are a single mom yourself or know someone who is a single mom, we encourage you to use these tips to celebrate and support all of the single moms out there!

Remind yourself that you deserve to be celebrated this Mother’s Day.

To all of the single moms who are reading this, know that you deserve to be honored and celebrated! This may look different for you than for other moms, but it doesn’t make it any less important or special. Give yourself permission to celebrate yourself and ask others for what you need this Mother’s Day! 

Set realistic expectations.

Take some time to reflect on your expectations for Mother’s Day and try your best to make them as realistic as possible. Know that things probably won’t go exactly as planned, and there will likely still be fighting, yelling, or other misbehavior just like any other day. But, there will also be many beautiful moments that build connection and create meaningful memories for you and your children. When you set realistic expectations and take in both the good and the bad, you can set yourself up for success and avoid the disappointment of unmet expectations. 

Be mindful of your social media usage on Mother’s Day.

Social media often promotes unrealistic expectations, generally showing only the very best moments and images in someone’s life. While, you don’t have to avoid social media, it may be a good idea to check in with yourself and potentially limit your exposure to social media if you notice yourself experiencing feelings of sadness, insecurity and jealousy while scrolling through others’ posts. It may also be beneficial to remind yourself that what you see on social media may not actually be reality, and though it often portrays images of perfection, everyone experiences challenges and hardships of some kind. No one is perfect, and that’s okay. 

Help your kids learn how to celebrate you! 

We encourage you to teach your kids how to celebrate you this Mother’s Day! Not only will this promote connection and gratitude, but it will also teach your kids the importance of celebrating their loved ones, which will help them build healthy relationships in the future. Take some time to talk to your children about the meaning of Mother’s Day and brainstorm ideas to help them celebrate you on this special day. Some examples include helping with chores, making home-made cards, creating a Mother’s Day craft, or helping to cook a special meal. 

Plan something that you would like to do on Mother’s Day!

Moms often put their needs to the side, so this Mother’s Day, we encourage you to choose something that you would like to do for the day. Because of COVID-19, this may look a little different this year, so try and get creative as you think of things to do while maintaining social distancing. Some ideas include going for a walk with your kids, gardening, cooking your favorite meal for dinner, doing a family movie night and getting to pick the movie, or baking a sweet treat with your kids. 

Today’s blog was adapted from our Mother’s Day Survival Guide blog post, written by HRI Director, Dr. Christine Murray. Click on the link above for more information!

Mother’s Day Appreciation Tips During COVID-19

With Mother’s Day approaching, we’re all trying to think of ways we can show the mothers in our lives love and appreciation, especially amidst the coronavirus pandemic. Mother’s Day celebrations may look a bit different this year, but there are still lots of great ways we can show our appreciation and celebrate this day while practicing social distancing and self-quarantine. We’ve come up with some simple, yet meaningful ideas to help you celebrate the mothers in your life this Mother’s Day! 

For partners – Interview your children about their mother. Ask your kids some questions about their mother, such as “What is your favorite memory with mom?” or “What do you love about mom?” Then, you can compile their answers, along with pictures into a digital memory book or scrapbook. This is a great way to show the whole family’s appreciation, and will show your partner how much you and your kids treasure her!

Gift a framed picture of you and your mom. Pictures are a timeless gift and can be a great way to capture meaningful experiences and memories with your mom. This is a simple and meaningful gift that can function as a reminder of the love that you and your mom share. Try accompanying it with a handwritten card that shares how much you love and appreciate your mom!

Make a Mother’s Day Appreciation Jar. This is a great gift idea for the whole family to get involved in! Get everyone to write down things that they love and appreciate about mom on small pieces of paper. Then, fold the papers and place them into a jar and give it a creative title, such as “Things We Love about Mommy!” This gift will show your mom how much she is appreciated, as she reads each paper over time. 

Cook your mom one of her favorite meals! A great way to show your mom how much you care, is to let her relax while you cook her a meal. Maybe it’s breakfast in bed with the help of the rest of the family, or a family dinner at the end of the day. Chances are that you mom often does a good bit of the cooking, so giving her a day off can be a great way to show her that you notice how much she does for you and the family!

Ask your mom what she would like to do! One of the best ways to make this day all about your mom is by asking her what she would like to do. Let her take the lead and help her make it happen. This is a great way to show you mom that you care and that she deserves to have the spotlight on her!