Even in times of Corona there are a lot of things I am loving lately. So I thought I put together a super positive post about all that I think is great at the moment. I hope it sends out some positive vibes 🙂

1) The little one (obviously :-))

Being a mom gives me so much joy every day, more than I ever imagined. Are there very exhausting days and nights? Oh yes, especially nights at the moment. But that is forgotten in an instant when she smiles at me, crawls towards me or when we play hide and seek and she screams in joy when she finds me!

I think in this situation with the lockdown and all we are lucky that our little girl is in an age where she doesn’t need much more than mom and dad. We don’t have to explain to her why she can’t meet friends, can’t go to kita, kindergarden, school… and – thank god – we don’t have to homeschool her! All of you parents of older kids: You have my highest respect!

2) This super cute baby turban

On our way back home from Australia we sat next to a lovely family from Estonia and I startet to chat with the mom. Her little girl was wearing the cutest little hat I have seen so far on a toddler and I asked her where she got it from. It turned out she had just started her own little business: Nikiki Baby Girl Turban and she manufactures those lovely hats herself.  I was impressed and said I will definitely order one once we are home but she was quicker and send me one as a present. And what can I say? I LOVE this hat! I even want one for myself (imagine, twinning with your baby girl?!) and told her so and as I was not the only mom who approached her with this idea she might start a new line for grown-ups now. So if you are looking for an unusual, very pretty and comfy baby hat, check out her website www.nikiki.co

3) My online conversation groups

When we came back home from our 2-month Elternzeit into the Corona lockdown I was super sad. Not only because I couldn’t see friends and family after such a long time. Also because I was SO looking forward to starting my German Conversation Groups again. They are so much fun. I love meeting you guys and supporting you on your way to mastering the German language. But as we meet in cafés, restaurants, bars and such it was obvious that I can’t offer the groups for a while anymore.

But I didn’t want to give up so I did some research about what online tools would work best – and started offering online groups. It became clear quickly that the groups need to be smaller than my usual groups because speaking and listening gets very exhausting when too many people take part in a meeting. So I reduced the number to 4 participants and started my first two groups in March. And they were SO MUCH FUN as well! I am so happy that I have found a way to offer the groups even during the corona crisis. The next round will start today, on May 11, so if you want to improve your spoken German and virtually meet some new people (and me :-D), book your place in one of my groups! The Monday group is already booked out but there are free spots in the Thursday group.

4) Being active at home

I totally miss going to my mom-fitness classes. It is so hard for me to find time at home and to motivate myself to become active all alone at home. But now I’ve found a way how I can integrate some exercises in my daily routine. Whenever I play with the little one on the floor I do some planks and hold them for as long as I can. It’s that easy! I don’t need to make extra time for that because I am laying around on the floor anyway. And I don’t need to change in workout clothes or such, I just do them in my regular clothes. And when I’m at it I often include some push-ups and such as well. The little one thinks that’s very funny by the way 🙂

5) Home gardening

With regards to the super full Obis, Bauhauses and such I think we are not the only ones who are gardening at home at the moment. We have started to grow our own veggies and so far our dining room windowsill looks like a little plantation for zucchini, cucumbers and tomatoes. And they are growing quickly, that much I can tell you already. We also have a little plastic greenhouse outside as well. Soon we will find out where the seedlings develop better. And some seedlings are already outside in big pots next to our patio (a few years ago we wanted to buy a raised garden bed but man are they expensive… So we just bought some big pots. They are doing the job as well and are much cheeper :-))

6) Fun baby related shows on netflix

As the little one falls asleep around 7 pm we have time in the evenings to watch some shows at the moment. And we came across two super fun shows for (expecting) parents: “The Letdown” and “Babies”. The Letdown is an Australian tv show that follows new mom Audrey through the first year of motherhood. So good! So funny! And SO true!!!

Babies is a documentary that reveals the emotional and astounding development of babies in their first year of life. I find it very interesting to see what the little one is going through from a scientific point of view.

7) Face masks

Ok, no, I don’t have developed a fetish for face masks now. But I think it is a good thing that it is mandatory to wear them now in stores and on public transport. Why? Because I have to admit I felt a bit strange and silly when I started wearing them before they became mandatory. I can’t explain it, it just felt very very weird to me. But I knew that they help a bit to spread the virus so obviously it makes sense to wear them. But the strange feeling didn’t go away just because I knew I was doing the right thing. Maybe you understand what I mean and even experienced the same??

Now that they are mandatory and everybody wears them I am totally fine with them. And it gives me a feeling of solidarity when I see all these people with their masks. And some of them even warm my heart. The other day at the supermarket there was an elderly gentleman with a handmade mask – and he had even drawn a snout on it. It was too cute 🙂

Ok, now it’s your turn to spread some positive vibes! 😀 What are you loving lately?