A Few Things…

Hi friends and happy Monday! It’s such weird scary time that we find ourselves in. There is so much uncertainty and so much that we just don’t know right now. If you struggle at all with anxiety, I am sure you have moments where you feel like the news and headlines and opinions are all so suffocating. I know I have felt that way a few times over the past few days. My goal here at Fancy Ashley is to continue with positive and happy content, even as we all find our new normal of having the kids home from school, learning to homeschool (this is is a huge feat), working from home, etc. There is a lot going on and my goal is to keep this place as your daily escape. When I created this 9 years ago, it was my goal then and it will always be a place where you can grab a cup of coffee (or mimosa, I’m not judging…I might join you soon) or a glass of wine and escape for a few. Today, I just wanted to share a few things that we created for you and your kiddos as you start to navigate this new normal of spending a lot of time at home. We’ve put together ideas, lists of educational websites, our favorite games and even ways to remember to practice gratitude each day! Take a peek below!

*Our homeschool setup

A few things…

Life Skills

One of the things that I chatted about on Instagram stories yesterday was that when I couldn’t sleep the other night, I was trying to think of positive ways to spin us being home together for possibly weeks on end. One of the things I came up with was -life skills. It’s a great time to teach your kids life skills. I polled my followers and created this list! One of the most popular responses was laundry. Such a key thing! I taught Teddy to start his own laundry last year and now he always starts it himself! Great life skill! Another big response was to teach kids to make their beds. Mine have been doing this for years and while their beds aren’t made like I’d make them, they are made! It’s such an important thing for them to learn! Take a peek at this list for other suggestions! There are lots of great ideas! Let me know in the comments if you have other ideas!

Fancy Ashley-Life Skills – Click to Print

Daily Gratitude

This is huge in our household and something I try to do daily. I list three things that I am grateful for, when I wake up. In the midst of the chaos going around us, it’s been easy to drop this habit and just check the news first thing in the mornings. That just doesn’t start my day off on a positive note. That being said, I am determined to do this each morning and I plan to have my kids do it, too. I try to have them tell my three things they are grateful for, at breakfast or dinner, but I think writing it out, makes it even more impactful, so we created a printable for you! Print these out for you, your kids, etc and practice daily gratitude. I honestly know from experience that when I focus on what I am grateful for, it’s hard to be anxious or negative. Try it and let me know how it goes! I’ll report back on having my kids do this, too! I think in uncertain and stressful times, it’s easy to list all the bad things, but let’s try to list the GOOD and see where that leaves our mindsets! I propose it will leave us in a much better headspace!

Fancy Ashley- Daily Gratitude -Click to Print

Educational Websites/Apps

Because a lot of us are going to be navigating homeschooling, working from home, juggling even more by having kids home 24/7 and having to play teacher, too, I wanted to share a few of our favorite and recommended websites/apps!

Fancy Ashley-Educational Websites – Click to Print

Nature Scavenger Hunt

Get outside and move your body is all I keep thinking about! Today, I had my kids go on a scavenger hunt in the backyard. You could totally do this inside too. We will create one of those for you, soon and update this post! But, for now, this nature scavenger hunt is a great way to get the kids outside and get them exploring! Print this out as many times as you’d like!

FancyAshley-Nature ScavengerHunt – Click to Print

Favorite Family Activities

Here are some our favorite games and things I’ve ordered to help keep us all busy and engaged the next few weeks! Board games, card games, pull them all out and enjoy this unexpected family time!

NINJA WARRIOR SET // TREE CLIMBING HOLDS // MARKERS

KIDS AGAINST MATURITY // PUZZLE // CLUE // APPLES TO APPLES

GUESS WHO // LIFE // WHAT DO YOU MEME FAMILY

I hope these resources are helpful! Just a few things I came up with today as we are trying to navigate the new normal here! If you have any other suggestions, please leave them in the comments! I’ll be back to more fashion content later this week and have super fun outfits coming!! Take care, friends! Love you all! XO!