Troubleshooting Family Challenges: Building Brotherhood

Becoming brothers has been a work in progress here. It began before the baby arrived with some strategic dialogue and activities with our soon-to-become-big-brother. We balanced the desire to plan/prepare our toddler with the important need to not overdo it and cause undue anxiety. As it got closer to the due date, we introduced some books from the library about becoming a big brother. We played about taking care of babies and talked about having a new baby brother or sister. We watched the "Daniel Tiger's Neighboorhood" episode about Daniel's new baby sister (over and over again!) and we talked with our toddler about his feelings. He expressed feeling nervous over the new baby crying and we made a list together about what to do when that happens. I laminated it and hung it in an accessible area.

I was fairly confident that this issue would self-resolve one way or another rather quickly, and it did! The first time my toddler heard his baby brother cry, they both simultaneously shoved their fingers nervously in their mouths. However, within a few weeks, my toddler was used to his brother's mode of communication and now he confidently says "check booba!" or walks over to his brother's bassinet and asks "are you OK?"

Big Brother LOVES reading to his little brother...

He also loves having his own turn on the activity mat once little brother is sleeping...it is fun to imagine life as a baby again and to relish all of those feelings of being nurtured and cared for. We make sure to address those needs in age-appropriate here-and-now ways as well...

Our pre-baby mommy & me date to the bookstore

As the days before our family would expand dwindled, I made time for a special Mommy & Me date to our local bookstore. We played and sat, snacked and read and even bought a selection of books on the topic at hand. Our family was about to change and in the face of change I love to plan. That said, not everything can be planned for. We did not plan on a cesarean birth and one of the greatest challenges I have felt in the aftermath is not being able to pick up my toddler. Thank G-d my husband was home a lot as he transitioned into a new job and we had babysitting help as well when he was away. We have also seen just how independent our older son is now--for better or for worse!

Playing about caring for babies helped prepare
Big Brother for some of the activities that we
would do with his new baby sibling. It is also
a playful way for him to feel a part of the role
of caring for his brother now.

Navigating this first month has felt kind of like a game of whack-a-mole. Once we seem to overcome one molehill, another one rises! We got through those emotional first few days and I returned home with the baby in tow. Then we got through preparations for and celebrations of a bris for the newest member of our tribe. Next we prepared for and made it through Pesach! Now, my husband is officially back at work and I am traversing the molehill (or mountain) of flying solo with the two little guys. Yes, it's a work in progress, but brotherhood is developing and along with it, a new sense of family-hood.

Some of our current favorite reads!

Some moments of some days are total triumphs. Big Brother loves to "read" to his little brother, gave him a sweet nickname ("boobaleh"), likes to show him his toys and give him his "sucker" (pacifier). He loves sharing the backseat of the car now and giving a play by play monologue of what his seatmate is up to. And some moments of some days are total flops. Like the afternoon I walked in on my toddler after his nap time to find he had torn several of his favorite picture books to shreds. It's a behavior that first crept up several months ago in an isolated incident that no-doubt got my attention. It was clear that this "repeated offense" was an attention seeking behavior in response to the quantity and sometimes quality of attention greatly shifting since our family has grown. I don't think he even understood the ramifications of tearing a book (that we can no longer read his favorite stories) or fully comprehended why he did it. Perhaps he was curious, bored, or tearing that paper felt good! I, of course, responded like a pro... Or maybe I cried and yelled and took all the books away and then calmed down and asked my sister for advice... Thank goodness for sisters who have A) been there, done that, and B) have degrees in early childhood development! She suggested providing alternative after-nap activities to be accessible in the toddler's room and perhaps some board books. She also suggested a sensory bin for tearing paper (without mentioning the books) and, overall, not to worry too much over it--this, too would pass. We've since purchased a bookshelf to put in a public family area (not the toddler's bedroom) to hold our children's books for everyone to use. Big Brother has found the scrap paper bin on his art shelf to be a perfect way to utilize the energy for tearing and cutting paper--which are skills so fundamental to fine motor development.

And I've also had a conversation at a less emotional moment with my darling toddler. He talked about "missing Mommy," and I talked about missing him as well! I suggested that we make a special time each day to do something together--just us. We have since initiated Mommy & Me dates again (albeit at home right now). Sometimes it is a "school" activity. Sometimes we play with a toy on the rug. Sometimes we read or draw or snuggle. Sometimes my toddler picks the activity--like doing Yoga or taking a walk! It's not always a "long" time, but it is quality time as much as possible--no phones, minimal distractions and interruptions. It was also becoming clear to me that our Big Brother was looking for ways to connect with his little brother. (I think Daniel Tiger may have given false expectations about how active and interactive newborn siblings are!) We've set out a basket of brothers' toys that both brothers can "play" with. This has been really helpful for joint play sessions and also a favorite space for Big Brother to play individually when little brother is sleeping.

The "Brothers' Basket"

We are adjusting to including a new member of the family into daily family routines, like davening (praying)...

Big Brother decided his little brother needed a Torah, too!

We are totally winging it. We are utilizing resources for support and revisiting things that work and things that need tweaking. Developing that "new normal" may feel like a game of whack-a-mole, but there's no need to make a mountain out of a molehill. The best gift we can give our children is a model of how to try and try again. We are building brotherhood here and it is a beautiful work in progress!

After reading a couple of books where older siblings drew family portraits of their growing families, my own little guy wanted to make a picture of his newly expanded family. I created and printed a family portrait template and picked up an inexpensive picture frame to display his work. This was one of our Mommy & Me Time activities and he loved it!

A Peek OUTSIDE, Our Play Garden!

Spring is in the air! Outdoor play and exploration is so vital for children and adults alike. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of hours spent outside in our backyard digging up worms, making mud pies and leaf salads and playing pretend. My mother had a vegetable garden and designated a small plot just for me and my sister. Gone are the days of being tossed out back only to come home for supper (and I often came inside reeking of the bundles of freshly grown chives I'd picked to eat!) but our children can still learn and gain so much from less supervised outdoor play. This does not mean that we allow our children to be in any way unsafe outdoors, but rather that we minimize our adult-dialogue and input and allow for child-led exploration and discovery. One way to encourage this is to strategically set up an outdoor space to be child-accessible and play-friendly.

Zip ties and plastic shower curtain rings are a great and inexpensive way to affix shovels, hula hoops, baskets, bubbles, even a broom for sweeping to the rails of a stairway or deck...

We love our little water table for water/sensory play. We've also used plastic bins with snap-on lids in the past for sand and water play outdoors--even messy artwork! Plastic baskets are great for storage and drip-dry access. Just like our indoor area, I swap in and rotate what's inside. We're set up for play-gardening right now, but perhaps we will fill them with plastic dishes and kitchen utensils for a mud-kitchen down the line. Or maybe some toy animals for a pretend jungle. Or cars and shovels for a construction site! Anything that can withstand getting wet/dirty indoors can be brought outdoors for play as well. You needn't buy all new toys/materials. Even household items like colanders, containers, cups and scoops can be used for water and garden play. And if they get a little dirty? Washing them is half the fun! 

We live in an apartment complex, so our outdoor space is somewhat public and rather small. We do have a great plot for a small play-garden and the ability to creatively work with the small amount of space we have.

Bubbles are always a huge hit here. I zip-tied a couple of store-bought tubes to our railing, but you can even make your own bubble solution at home. Imagine filling a basin or watertable with bubble solution and exploring different household utensils for blowing all kinds of bubbles!

Ok, focus on the happy bubble-blowing kid and not the piles of post-Pesach trash in the background! We also love using plastic baskets ziptied to our railing for storing/drying toys between play. The only caveat is that when your entry/exit way is playfully inviting, you may have a harder time getting in and out without your little ones wanting to stop and play! 

With a little bit of creativity and imagination, I was able to set up our little yard on a low budget (think Dollar Tree, Walmart and items found around the house) using inspiration from some of our favorite outdoor spots around town. We have a lot of fabulous public parks nearby and a great botanical gardens. I have big dreams of a yard where we can have a permanent sand/sensory box, a mud kitchen, a music wall, a wood-working center, an edible garden and places and spaces to discover, store and explore nature's many treasures. That said, I am quite content with our little play garden and treat it much in the same way I treat our play space inside: we rotate toys/materials and keep things easily accessible and easy to store between play sessions. Our small water table is a great place for waterplay and pretend gardening right now. Down the line, it may become a mud kitchen or a sand table. We might add some shaving cream and toy cars for a car wash. We might add in some ice on a hot summer day. My son loves rocks, so perhaps we will collect and use it for rock observation, decorating or washing... The options outdoors are as endless as the imagination itself. Sometimes I will supply a prompt in the form of an object, a picture or a verbal idea. Other times, the experiences in this space will be entirely child-led.

I spent a good chunk of time and energy scrubbing our watertable clean after a winter season left outside. In about five minutes, my very satisfied little gardener had filled it with dirt and mud! All part of the play process and I didn't want to hinder that. Good thing he also loves cleaning and scrubbing--that may be another activity in and of itself if all of the rain we are having right now doesn't take care of the issue first!

Some materials are best not left outdoors--like chalk! We keep a bucket or two packed and ready to grab-n-go for when we head outside. 

Play is a huge part of our outdoor time. Learning happens as well. Gardening together is a great way to incorporate science, math, language development and more into your family routine. Even bringing "indoor" learning activities outdoors can be a novel way to spice up a homeschool or homework experience. Art and messy play activities brought outdoors can eliminate some of the stress of cleaning up indoors! Spring has sprung and we are eager to get out there and smell (even plant!) the flowers. We have big plans for observing the life cycle of a butterfly, creating our own "wormery" and planting some delectable vegetables. For now, we are busy digging, discovering and, as always, happily playing!

Exploring water...and gravity!

Mad Science Monday: It's Raining, It's Pouring...

Got rain? We do! I just finished setting up our front yard and play garden (and you can check out tomorrow's post for more about that!) in time for four days of a rainy forecast and cooler temperatures. No problem! We can dress in a few extra layers and some waterproof gear for some mud pies, puddle jumping, worm hunting and, of course, science and art. Science and art, you ask? Why, yes! Rain Art is, in fact, one of my favorite science activities to demonstrate and perform with children and is a wonderfully easy-to-set-up-and-execute rainy day fix. So grab your rain gear, some paper and a selection of washable markers; it may be raining out, but it's still Mad Science Monday!

Rain Art Science Experiment

For the sake of this experiment, I will include instructions for both a basic set-up and an advanced version with extension activities. Materials for the advanced version will be in italics.

You Will Need:

• white paper (watercolor paper or construction paper are thicker and may be a better candidate for this soggy activity!) you can also use blank canvas or experiment with different types of paper
• washable markers
• Mr. Sketch markers or non-washable magic markers
• permanent markers
• rubbing alcohol, a spray bottle, pipettes
• rain!

Instructions:

Have your child(ren) color a picture on their paper. While they are working, explain that you will be seeing what happens when a piece of artwork colored in washable markers is left in the rain. Ask them to make predictions? What does washable mean? How do we clean marker off of our hands or work surface? If your artist is particularly attached to his/her work, you will want to prepare him/her for the fact that the picture will change in the rain! Your young artist may wish to make a second picture that will not be left in the rain. When you are done drawing and doodling, it's time to set your work out in the rain. You can rest it directly on pavement or set it on a plastic tray or mat. Perhaps this a good time to take a duck waddle around the block or a little puddle jump. You will not want to leave your artwork too long or you will return to very clean canvas/paper if there is a lot of rain! Observe the results together. What happened and why?

To extend this experiment into the advanced version, you may wish to test a variety of different types of markers. Remember--to conduct a proper science experiment, you will want to change only one element each time. Choose one type of paper and a few types of markers, coloring with one type on each paper. Perhaps you will try washable, Mr. Sketch/magic markers and permanent markers. (If you are concerned about young children with permanent marker you might want to eliminate this one or provide careful supervision). Place your test subjects in the rain and see which markers change in water and which do not. Why is this so? If you used permanent marker, you can talk about what the word "permanent" means. Alternatively you can test the same type of marker on different types of paper or background mediums. How does washable marker left in the rain differ between printer paper, construction paper, watercolor paper, fabric, canvas...?

As a further extension activity with permanent marker artwork, you can talk about what does get permanent marker off! (This is a good add-on activity if you used permanent marker and now have colorful hands upon you!) You will need rubbing alcohol and a spray bottle and/or pipettes for this part. Experiment with spraying and dropping rubbing alcohol onto your permanent marker artwork and observe what happens to the colors. What do you think might work to get permanent marker off other surfaces where it is unwanted?

Hope the rain hasn't got you down this Monday and that you'll join us next time for a peek OUTSIDE in our play garden. Until then...happy experimenting!

Washable markers...

Mr. Sketch markers...

You can journal about your scientific process as well if you'd like!

A Peek Inside Our Playroom: Counting the Omer & Numbers/Counting Theme

We counted nine toy cars for the ninth day!

The dust is beginning to settle after the excitement of welcoming home our newest family member and then Pesach. The period between Pesach and Shavuos is a special time as well. Sefiras Ha'Omer, or counting the omer is a way we mark the seven weeks between the two holidays each year. We say special prayers each day as we count and take on certain practices to mark this period of time that will culminate on the 50th day with the sweet holiday of Shavuos--the commemoration of our receiving the Torah. To be quite honest, I had no idea this period of time even existed as a child nor did I even know anything about counting the omer until I was an adult! The deeper meaning behind this time is that we are meant to work on self-refinement as we prepare to renew our special relationship with G-d and His Torah. For young children, it is a great time to introduce both this deeper meaning (at an age appropriate level) while also incorporating the mathematical concepts of counting, one-to-one-correspondence, grouping (seven weeks of seven days) and numbers in general. For very young children, like my toddler, multi-sensory exposure through play is by and far the best way to introduce these developmental concepts. We have set up our play area to incorporate materials that introduce numbers and rudimentary counting activities. We also practice the main bracha (blessing) over the omer each day and introduce a manipulative/small toy in that quantity so he can get a concept through play of what that means.

Our shelf is stocked with some number and counting themed materials, puzzles and games. My toddler especially loves the puzzles (actually a find from our local Dollar Tree). 

A variety of magnetic, foam and felt number manipulatives are great for hands-on exploration, whether it's in a sensory bin, on a magnetic board, in the tub or on our felt wall. 

We found these snap blocks at Target in the fall. Older children can use them to solve simple equations while younger ones can enjoy snapping, building and stacking.

We brought out this learning activity from our previous Community Helpers theme when we learned about teachers. Combining materials like number flashcards (these felt ones are from Target) and mini erasers (these were from Dollar Tree) is a great way to introduce one to one correspondence.

I like to strategically place materials related to our theme all over the place for my little learner to find. He happened to lift up his easel from its tabletop position one afternoon only to discover these little number magnets I'd found at the Dollar Tree.

Eight blocks for the 8th day!

We have incorporated the bracha and counting into our daily davening/circle time routine. My toddler gets quite excited by the element of surprise when I take out this drawstring bag filled with our number of the day and a toy/manipulative. We always enjoy a little time playing with it together and I welcome his desire to add more toys into the mix or work with the material in whatever way interests him. In other words, he need not leave his building limited to 8 woodblocks because it is the eighth day! We do have a couple of other creative ways of tracking our counting on display that you can view below. In addition to counting toys or other small objects, you could also have your child(ren) choose an action to do a number of times to correspond to the number of the day. This allows children to feel that number through whole body learning. Ten jumps on the tenth day is a great way to get on (and off) your feet and just wait until you start creeping up through the thirties--you'll really get your heart rate up then!

At home we use this makeshift abacus to count our seven weeks of seven days. I did this project with my preschoolers last year using cardstock (I couldn't resist the idea of incorporating my fellow number lover, The Count from Sesame Street), yarn and pony beads. The students were able to mostly independently string the beads on of their choice, count their groups of seven and, with assistance, tie off the ends for use at home.

Here is a larger scale abacus using construction paper rings on yarn stapled to a bulletin board. You could create counters in a number of ways, charting one by one with die cuts or paper squares or sticky notes, with a paper chain, on a chart or calendar...

...or with this little DIY tracker using wooden cubes labeled with numbers and the word days. I used 4 cubes and labeled 0-4 on one half and 5-9 on the other. On each cube I wrote the word "days" on the sixth side. You could paint and otherwise decorate them as well. We store and display them on a recycled tin (yes, that's Yoda from Star Wars), though you could also use a match box or simply set them up on any flat surface for display.

Whether you're counting to omer or just looking for ways to incorporate more counting practice into your day, hope you have some fun and inspiration from these simple ideas and activities. We will be back soon with some more fun and learning. Until then...happy playing!

Pesach Theme: Fun Filler Activities to get You [Playfully] Through These Last Days of Preparations!

Ah, these last days before Pesach comes are always hectic! It doesn't matter when you begin to prepare, there is always more to be done and getting through that to-do list can be a delicate dance of timing. This is made even more challenging when there are little ones around to help/hinder! I feel like the food and snack situation before Pesach begins is sometimes more of a challenge than the massive dietary change of eating foods only kosher for Pesach as we creatively try to use up as much of our non-kosher l'Pesach foods and run out of some of our toddler's favorite snacks in the process. Of course there is a lot to do around here and throw in the new baby plus c-section recovery to the mix; we are busy! Making time for one play/learning activity each day has really done a lot to help both me and my toddler feel more grounded in the madness. And I make use of the fact that he loves to help. Taking a hand in preparation helps the holiday to be more meaningful for him and helps him learn about Pesach in the process. We, of course, aim to keep the stress level as low as possible and not impose a feeling of anxiety associated with getting ready for Pesach. We want our children to pick up on the importance of this holiday as well as the importance of preparing for it b'simcha. That said, we could all use a play break every now and then! If you're looking for some simple (and even helpful) play activities to get you through these last days of preparations, here are some of our favorites from this past week:

A great way to teach/learn about what foods we do and do not eat for Pesach is to set up a sorting activity. We used play foods from our kitchen set and sorted through those we can eat over Pesach and those that we eat during the rest of the year. As my son is only 2.5, I did not go deeply into the difference between chametz and kitnios (which we do not eat) or the fact that many non-kosher l'pesach foods now have kosher l'pesach equivalents available in stores! Rather, I set aside some obvious examples for our "not for Pesach" bag--like challah, bread, crackers, cookies...and helped him sort the rest. Notice the photo-bomb of the cute sleeping little brother in the background!

We do not go crazy cleaning toys, but rather did a toy wash of ones that he would still play with over Pesach and were likely to need a good cleaning. Other (more difficult to wash) toys we stored away and swapped in some new ones we've had put away from a very generous Chanukah gift this past year. My toddler LOVES to wash things, so our toy wash station was a big hit with him. It even led to this next activity...

He decided to clean his own kitchen for Pesach!

Waterplay and housekeeping tasks are two of my toddler's favorite activities. He was so thrilled to be allowed to have water in his kitchen set and it was very helpful to have an extra set of hands involved in cleaning. Plus, he got to learn about cleaning/preparing a kitchen for use over Pesach as he played! I've seen other families even include covering the kitchen sets with foil and tape just like in the real kitchen! We may add this activity in later this weekend when we get to turning over our own kitchen for the holiday!

Stickers are like toddler currency here. He was so proud of his hard work and felt very excited to stick on these handmade "cleaned for Pesach" stickers in his kitchen area.

Sure, he can't read yet--but print rich environments are always a bonus even with pre-readers.

Mitzvah Notes are another great way to include written language for pre-readers in your home--plus they are a powerful positive reinforcement tool! He was so proud to get one himself and requested to write one as well for his younger brother!

We took a quick family outing to our local craft store and picked up a few of these foam door-hangers. I prepared each one with the words "This room is clean for Pesach" and he had a great time sticking on foam flower stickers. Then he got to choose one for his bedroom door handle, one for our's and one to remain for our kitchen door.

My toddler is definitely excited for Pesach! When asked what he is most looking forward to, he responded "matzah and maror!" He does know what to expect with the matzah--even had a little sneak preview taste the other day--but I'm not so sure he realizes what he's getting into with maror! I wish all who are celebrating a chag kasher v'sameach--and happy playing before and during!

Troubleshooting Family Challenges: Making Moments versus Finding Time

His hair is uncombed but he found a perfect dandelion!

At his 2.5 year well check, we asked our pediatrician how to best help our toddler adjust once we welcomed home our new baby. He gave us some candid advice. "Give yourself 100 days. Mark it on the calendar. You're not going to parent the way you'd like for those first 100 days and that's OK. If after that date, you're still not parenting the way you would like to, let's talk some more." I kind of stored this tidbit on the back burner, and just as we round the corner of 2 weeks postpartum, I can tell you it is some of the best advice I've received to date.
How would I describe our household right now? Beauty through imperfection. We did a lot to prepare and plan and as with any birth, there is much you cannot prepare and plan for. Recovering from major surgery was not part of the postpartum plan I had envisioned and one of the most challenging aspects of that is not being as independent in these first several weeks as I would like to. I can't drive yet. I can't pick up my toddler yet. I feel better and better each day, thank G-d, and seem to have a case of postpartum nesting--so a lot of organizing and cleaning are happening here! I may be looking for things I can do to compensate for those I must wait to do. A few days into being home, I started to call my darling husband "The Prison Warden." We have found ways to laugh and trudge through the challenges of him playing many roles--father, husband, nurse, breadwinner to name just a few. We are simultaneously juggling the transition of becoming a family of 4, preparing for Pesach, and some major career changes for my husband. Sometimes, we feel rushed and harried and we're not sure whether we're coming or going, and then Shabbat comes or a couple of hours when both kids are asleep or we take a walk together around the block and we remember: it's not about finding time, it's about making moments.

Decorating a Big Brother poster that now hangs at his level outside our bathroom door. He was so thrilled to spend a short time together, just the two of us, doodling, drawing, dotting and peeling stickers!

When we were engaged, my husband and I were both encouraged to read The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. In my early teacher days, I read the children's version of the book as well, The Five Love Languages of Children co-authored by Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell. I am most certainly a person whose primary "love language" is quality time. I do not need to spend all day with the ones I love, but give me five minutes of your undivided attention, and my cup is full! Although the authors suggest that parents cannot identify their child's primary love language before the age of 5, I am fairly confident my older son shares a strong response as well to quality time, whether or not that is his "primary love language." The dynamic in our house right now has surely changed and the phrase "embrace the chaos" might be appropriate at times to describe it. We have had plenty of less than perfect parenting moments when fatigue, recovery and hormones (for me) and juggling a whole lot has taken the front seat to our usually more mindful and attentive style. One pro is seeing how independent my toddler can be and he is proud of this as well. One con is that we sometimes (many times) miss those little signals that his emotional tank is beginning to deplete and before we know it he (and sometimes we, too) are all in meltdown mode. One thing that has really helped is shifting the focus from finding time to making moments.

Baking a cake for Shabbos together in the kitchen, which led to...

...baking a cake in his own kitchen!

It's so easy when you are busy preparing for a holiday or a family event to want to just plow through the tasks at hand and tend to less immediate needs later. I can recall a friend of mine telling me she makes a point when she's preparing for Shabbos to take her kids to the playground before she begins. She explained that she knows she has a lot to do, but if she invests that time before she begins, her kids are satisfied throughout the afternoon rush so she can accomplish the chores and cooking. I began to do this as well, not just before Shabbos, but in general when I had a lot of household tasks to tend to. I invested some time in an activity with my toddler without distractions or interruptions (as much as possible) and then moved on to my to-do list. Almost 100% of the time, this allowed me to get through the list with minimal kvetching and clinging from the little one! It's a brilliant investment plan and one that is carrying us through our current chaos with a lot of success.


It is unrealistic to plan for the same structure of homeschooling and play activities that we were doing even a month ago. That said, it is not unrealistic to plan for one small activity that allows my toddler and I undivided and uninterrupted time together each day. One of the things I had "planned" for prior to giving birth was that I would take my toddler out on a special mommy and me date the week we got home and leave the baby with my husband. What's happened instead is that we have gladly and graciously utilized the help of a great babysitter to take him on special outings and my husband and I have taken turns shifting things around at home so that we have time as a whole family, time with each one of the children and occasionally even time with each other. Big Brother definitely feels a sense of quality time when we do "school tivities [activities]" together, so sometimes our quality time is doing a quick project to learn about Pesach, an art project, or reading books. Sometimes he will pick an old project (like his 12 Pesukim book) to work on together and sometimes I reach into my personal stash of go-to favorites--like blowing bubbles, a short walk in the neighborhood, making bird treats or baking dessert for Shabbos. Having one activity planned for each day helps me to feel that we are still maintaining some semblance of routine and structure and also fills my son's emotional tank with the quality time he needs.

Continuing in some of the routines we incorporated daily before helps us all feel more grounded. Here are both brothers singing our morning davening together. Big Brother LOVES teaching his baby brother!

Some activities on the repertoire for this week include:

• "Cleaning" his room for Pesach (he loves NOTHING more than sweeping, mopping and washing things!)
• Sorting chametz and kosher l'Pesach foods in his toy kitchen and washing toys we will keep out in his toy kitchen for Pesach
• Decorating Big Brother and Little Brother t-shirts
• Making and decorating an aron kodesh (holy ark) from a recycled cardboard box to hold our play Torahs

Making moments is about creating quality time even when there is no time. It's also about finding the moments of beauty in the imperfection. In my most challenging times of teaching in a classroom, I would shift my mindset to see a moment of the day that went particularly well rather than struggling to see the success in a day full of significant struggles. The same tactic works well in our home. It would be easy to get hung up on the moment I lost my temper with my toddler or snapped at my husband or to get frustrated by the things I cannot do right now. Rather, I must shift my perspective to embrace the gift of having to slow down (even when I don't want to) and trust that as with all transitions, we will reach a new normal. Until then, we will embrace the chaos, make moments for each other and continue happily playing!

Playing about Pesach