Hi mummies wonder how's everyone doing during movement control order (MCO) with their kids? It's been more than a month since we've been quarantined at home and I'm glad to see the numbers of infections are coming doing, so proud of the front liners in Malaysia, kudos to them.

Well, to be honest, it wasn't exactly a fun start for me, being a working mum, working from home with 2 young kids isn't easy, just imagine my name being called so many times in a day, we can't really expect them to listen to us the way we want it, after all, they are only 5 & 2 years old and I know they are starting to feel restless. 

One day I took Miya on a short stroll in the car, she hasn't been out for 2 weeks, we passed by her kindy and playground, she begged me to let her in, but I explained the situation and how we should #stayathome to keep ourselves and others safe and as a understand child she is, she accepted the fact and made me promise to bring her out once the quarantine is over. 

If you are stuck at home like us with young kids, here are some of the #stayathome activities we did at home during MCO :)

#1 Sensory play

This homemade playdough kit is awesome, there's no need to ever buy store-bought playdough anymore after trying out their recipe. Playdough is fun and great for early developmental play, my hubs don't trust the store-bought ones so these homemade ones are made with the ingredient you can easily find in the kitchen.

The kit also came with sensory material that we can add into play, I find it a great way for the kids to explore their senses in different ways. If you like to get a kit too, check out Invitation2play at their Lazada store here

#2 Swimming

Having fun at the pool has no age limit, I'm lucky to be living in a landed property, besides having fun, it's also a great way for the kids to beat the heat. Do this a few times a week drain that restless energy. 

#3 Picnic 

This is my favorite activity, we do it every weekend either indoors or outdoors, just whip up a few dishes, add in some fruits and since Miya requested for cupcakes, I got them from grab food to support the local cafes, and since we have a teepee, the girls had loads of fun playing imagination with their stuff toys.

#4 Worksheet & crafting

Miya is in kindy now but not being able to go to school doesn't mean we can't do worksheets at home, I've made time to spend with her every day to work on worksheets or crafting, here are some of my favorite sites to get free downloadable worksheet is from https://www.learningprintable.com/ http://cleverlearner.com/ or you can download the copies of Motor Skill & Handwriting Practice I bought here shorturl.at/opAMO for free ;) 

#5 Reading 

This is something we do even without the MCO but we are doing it more often now since we are home, so there is no excuse to skip storytelling sessions anymore, I also got Me Book Plus Apps that help me to the work when I'm too tired to act, yeah mums deserve a break too.

Btw speaking of this we've got 5 free 3 months subscription for Me Book Plus Apps, if you'll like one do leave me a comment :)  

#6 Cooking

I believe this is a life skill every parent should teach their children, this is great timing for me to start training the girls, baby steps goes a long way, started out with simple steps like after they are done with their meal, they'll place their dishes in the sink and learn how to wash, recently thanks to Whisk Meal for sending us a pizza Miya learned how to make a pizza which was fun for the both of us.

#7 Exercise

Since I practice yoga daily, my kids work out with me too, simple poses like cat & cow poses or downward dog have become a norm for them now. You can easily find videos on youtube for free, a few of my favorite sites are Alo Yoga & YogiApproved

#8 Movie time 

We can't expect our kids to be robots, one or two movies a day is pretty acceptable ever since my DVD player died on me I'm streaming through Netflix, our current favorites is Rainbow Ruby or Pororo it's short and there's a message in we can teach them in every episode. Movies like Bolt, Madagascar are also something the kids love, it funny and exciting and even as an adult I enjoy it too.

I hope these tips will help you out during MCO,  don't get me wrong, not a perfect mum here, I’m remorseful for what I did, like raising my voice at my kids and the battle of the guilt of trying to work in peace and yet giving them the attention they deserve isn't easy but here’s the thing – I know I’m not alone, I know there are other mummies out there who are feeling the same way, so stay strong mummies, we are in this together!