What is keeping you and DC going during lockdown?

[Teacher12345]

It's getting harder and harder to keep from going insane now. I get up at 7 and by 8am I am already bored senseless! And I am still working 4 days a week from home.
To keep everyone's spirits up I keep coming up with things like camping in the living room, carnival game sun the garden, face painting, baking.
I am running out of ideas though and we have very little to look forward to so have bought a hot tub
What is keeping you going and preventing you going out or going insane.

Very little tbh. The thought that things will get back to usual at some point.

Holidays and date nights, although those are very far away for us.

Childcare reopening...when I don't know but I'm looking forward to it!

We live in Scotland and children no longer need to social distance here so them being able to see friends has made a big difference.

In all honesty nothing. I'm working full time I start at 7.30 and finish at 5.30 childminder, and I'm bored shitless. Can't do half of the usual activities with the children. Add to that I am currently pregnant with my third (completely unplanned and really struggling with it) I'm suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum again. On 2 different types of medication for it which make me so tired I can barely function. No option of giving up work because I need to save as much as possible. Even worse, I keep seeing people predicting a second wave just before I'm due. I was really hoping things would nearly back to normal by then because I've suffered terribly with depression and pnd before, and I need to be able to get out. I'm really struggling to keep going, and can't see anything good to come. I've been in bed all day today, and last weekend I spent the whole weekend in bed.

We take advantage of the free online stuff - theatre productions (the ALW/shows must go on is taking a break now though), DD did a set of free music sessions with the Benedetti Foundation and with the BBC, I've watched some plays and done some online exercise.

Decluttering is good if you can persuade them, they can play with old toys/read old books and magazines before they throw them. Board games, some of my friends have been doing jigsaws.

I am liking the hot tub idea! It is a pain not being able to go out as a group apart from walking, that is the worst bit for me. The only group activities I've found are outdoor ones like crazy golf or pick-your-own fruit. Hoping to get some ideas from others as well.

Sorry to hear it sucks for everyone else too. We saw our parents for the first time since feb last weekend and mil took the kids for us today so we had some peace for the first time in lockdown. Our house is tiny and it feels so suffocating sometimes.

Where are you that you're still in lockdown?

Art...too much Fortnite...huge amounts of baking...Disney plus...cats.

That's it.

A rotation of TV, playing outside at the garden, playing indoors, eating and loads and loads of cuddles and tickling sessions. And work and homeschooling on top of this.

I’m also wondering where you are that you’re still in lockdown? It’s been pretty much over for about 6 to 8 weeks in England. Our high street shops and restaurants are all busy, the only thing which isn’t at least an approximation of normal as that most kids aren’t back at school.

I'm in Leicester so we're still in total lockdown!!
My dc are teens, they get up late, do school/uni work in the afternoon. There's s lot of faffing around on their phones but we sit and eat together every evening and most nights we either watch a film or work our way through various box sets.
Ds has become a real night owl since lockdown and I've had to totally relax, as I appreciate that going on his PS4 is his social life with his friends at the moment!

Basically life is very monotonous but we're ok and coping. Lockdown has made me realise what a pair of gems my dc are!

I am working from home with 2 kids- not normal. Until last week you couldn’t go into peoples houses so couldn’t see people as kids are only little and would have been upset. I’m not about to go shopping Either the kids and everything else for kids their age is closed. Nothing normal about our lives for us.

Not much.
I let them sit on phones in pyjamas for 12hrs today. I kept crying and couldn't bear wasting my energy asking them to do stuff. I just got on with it in peace.

I figure if we get through to next spring it'll be ok.

I'm not trying to be difficult but I think you should take advantage of what is available now.

Other than soft play everything else you would have done is open (except pools which open soon).

What would you normally do with them?

The levels of virus are exceedingly low now, the ONS randomly tested 25,000 people last week and only 8 were positive.

A list of things you can do:

• Picnic
• Parks
• Beach
• Walks in the countryside
• 30 days wild has some awesome things to do with kids outside
• Visit friends and relatives now that you can
• Camping
• Go away for a few days to a hotel or Air BnB for a change of scenery
• Eat out

Now really is the time to make the most of the relative freedom while the virus levels are very low both for your own MH and your DC's.

Places like Legoland are now open, also petting farms and similar are open, the zoo, etc all open.

"It is a pain not being able to go out as a group apart from walking, that is the worst bit for me."

@ChicCroissant Why can't you go out in a group?

The fact there's sod all we can do about this time.. So we're just sucking it up and getting on with it.

Even though we are not still in lockdown in England, PHE are advising to limit the number of people that you see, and are still saying no more than 6 outdoors and 2 households indoors, all with distancing. But you should definitely take advantage of getting out and about now, while you can, if your house feels suffocating.

We are making the most of seeing grandparents over the summer as once DS1 starts school in September it'll be riskier.
We go to grandmas house/go to the playground/beach/countryside/get takeaway and eat it at the beach.
Still avoiding eating in cafes/restaurants for a while though.

Work.I am dreading the summer holidays as I won't see another adult for six weeks.

Family film nights

We just had one @35andThriving!

Great mind think alike!

Cooking, baking, gardening- planting flowers and vegetables, spending days with everyone outdoors, tent in the garden, rock painting, decorating the house. Little one is only 3 so learning through play thankfully!

Making cakes and biscuits.
Eating cakes and biscuits.
Screen time.
Yelling at kids for having screen time.
Chivving kids on with school work (4.5 days left!)
Chivving kids on to do exercise.
Clearing up.
Cleaning.

I had envisaged more family exercise tbh.