Caregiver Connections

Good morning, friends. Happy caregiver Thursday. Let's see. My Internet is acting a little wonky today, so I am going off my cellular data, so y'all let me know if it's not working. It's good to see you guys today. I hope you all are well or as well as you can be on this day. And cheers. Good morning, Shannon. Good morning, Colleen. I hope you guys have your hug and a mug this morning. Good morning, Kelly. Long time no see. Sorry, my voice is still waking up this morning here. It's why I've got my nice, warm cup of coffee this morning.

So. Hey, y'all. Hey, Jules. You guys, I hope you have your hug in a mug this morning. And I'm sure it's cold wherever you are, because it is so cold here. We are having a snow day, y'all. It does not snow in Savannah, like, ever. It's been seven years, and I don't think we've had this much snow since. Let's see. I wrote it down. 1960 something. 1968. And it's been so much fun. Yeah. You know, coffee's life, man. Coffee is life. Yeah. So it's snowing, and of course, us Savannians don't know how to drive in snow and ice, and we don't have salt trucks.

Like, our roads aren't meant for all that. So pretty much a lot of things are. Are shut down right now. So. Which is kind of nice because we've been out playing and just enjoying it. Oh, Kelly, thank you for sending me Snow youw Way. I mean, we are loving it. I don't know that I don't want to have it snow every single day. But you know what? It's good for us because we don't get to see this that often. My kids are really thriving and outside constantly and playing in the snow. So most of you. Most of you guys know me.

But for those of you who I have not met yet, I'm Steph Irwin. I am a mom of two neurodivergent children. My daughter has autism, and I'm a caregiver. Professionally, I work with children with cancer and their families, doing programming for them both inside the hospital and out in the community as well. And, you know, today I just wanted to talk to you guys about the importance of play and how important it is. It does feel like a Hallmark movie. Yeah. How cold is it there? Oh, my gosh. Kelly, negative seven.

Oh, man, that's. That's cold. That's really, really cold. I mean, I'm just enjoying it for the time being, and I'm sure it'll warm up sooner than later. Speak. Wonder. It's cold there, too. Yeah, you're in Lake Erie. Oh, my word. Oh, my word. Yeah, y'all, we. So we don't have sleds here, of course. What. Why would we have sled here? But, I mean, we should for the rare occasion that it snows. So my kids got boogie boards out that we normally take to the beach, and they're surfing the waves on. And so we boogie.

Boarded down the hills yesterday, all of us, and just had the best time. So, you know, we don't know what we're doing down here, but we just had the greatest, greatest time just out playing in the snow. The kids were building snowmen, so just. Just enjoying it, soaking it in. So, yeah, I wanted to talk to y'all about play. That just got me thinking about play and how important it is to incorporate that in our lives. And not just the lives of children, but the lives of ourselves from zero to over 100.

And sometimes we forget about doing that, especially us caregivers who get so busy taking care of the loved ones we care for, and we forget to play ourselves, and I fall guilty of that. So yesterday was felt good just to go out there and sled down on the boogie board. So I wanted to share with y'all some of my favorite quotes about play. This is my absolute favorite one. We don't stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stopped playing. And that's George Bernard Shaw. That has been my favorite quote for a very long time.

I have seen. Been working with children in the hospital for so long and just seen how incredible the importance of play is in their lives, in the lives of their. Their healing process. And, you know, so it's. It's really such a powerful thing, you know, not just for kids, but for adult as well. And let's see. Here's another one of my favorite quotes. Play is our brain's favorite way of learning, and that's by Diane Ackerman. Another one by Maya Angelou says you can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.

So you guys, fun way to improvise? Yeah. Oh, speak, Wonder zero, y'all. It's so much colder up there than it is here, but it is chillier. Well, I hope you guys enjoy today and you find some way to play. Incorporate that into your lives today. What are some ideas y'all share with me? What are some ideas that bring out your inner child? Because I know. I'm always trying to get my. My parents who are aging and they're not in the best help to do something that, you know, really sparks their inner child, whether it be something creative or to get outside and throw a football with their grandkids.

Just see their friends, visit with their friends and laugh. So if y'all have any suggestions, your favorite ways to bring out your inner child, please share. Please share with me any good suggestions. Oh, negative nine. Oh, my gosh, y'all, it's cold there. It's cold air. Well, you guys let me know. Let me know your favorite way to play. So I want you to give yourself permission to play today, whatever that may look like to you, and bring out your inner child a little bit. Sorting glitter and resin.

Oh, crafting. That's a great way to play. Artsy and craftsy. Yeah.