This week is a family week! I was so curious how are my friends with family especially with kids doing during this quarantine time. I wanted to know :)
Me:
How are you guys doing in Grand Rapids?
Guin:
We’re doing okay! We are both professors, and teaching online is very tricky, especially with a little guy underfoot. But we’re making it work! Grand Rapids is on lockdown, so everything but essentials is shut down. It’s surreal. We’ve been thinking about our New York pals a lot, I really hope it’s going okay for you!
Me:
Thank you! Yes I am staying inside :) It's surreal here, too. This week is a family week for my interviews. What is your essential food/item that made it on top of your quarantine list?
Guin:
We are trying to only go to the store once every 10 days or so. Ollie just turned 2 and is so picky right now, so there’s a limited amount of stuff he’ll actually eat. Milk, bananas, oranges, yogurt, and string cheese are all super important staples. I’ve been making a lot of green smoothies with spinach and kale to get some veggies into him, and us, too. I panic-bought a ton of butter so we can bake, so we’ve been baking quite a bit. There are these veggie and chicken nuggets that he really likes, and I bought 5 boxes of them when I found them at the grocery on my last big shop - they’re processed but at least they’re sort of nutritious? And booze. There was a lot of wine and beer in my cart. (I found two more boxes at the store, score!!)
Me:
I really like the balance of healthy and comfy food!
That must be hard when your kid is going through "I'm only eating this!" stage.
With a little kid and teaching full time online plus being an illustrator full time, what is your day like?
Guin:
Durwin and I teach on opposite days, so we tag-team it. I get up with Ollie in the morning and we eat some breakfast, then read books, play with toys, or color. If it’s my day to teach, I’ll go upstairs in the studio around 11:30 and do my lectures, demo, whatever for that day. If it’s not, I’ll stay down with Ollie and we’ll hang out, have lunch, a dance party (he loves Yo Gabba Gabba and watching drumming videos), and then while he naps I try to get something done around the house. We try and get outside every day but it hasn’t been too nice here lately, hopefully that changes now that it’s almost May! If not he has a toddler trampoline, stacking blocks, anything to get that energy out. We eat dinner, he goes to bed and Durwin and I either get more work done or we zone out in front of Netflix until I pass out. Toddlers are super exhausting!
Me:
OMG. Sounds like full days!
Yo Gabba Gabba! Haha Ollie and I have a same taste, I love the character design on Yo Gabba Gabba. Is there any fun activities you recommend to do with small kids at home?
Guin:
2 year olds are hard because their attention span isn’t super long! So I try for things that will hold his attention but don’t worry when he moves on after a minute. He’s really into stacking, sorting, and putting things into things. I made him a sensory bin with dried beans, some small measuring scoops and plastic cups, and buried some smaller bath toys in the beans. He really likes picking them up one at a time, or dumping them from one cup to another. He also likes to paint, so I put tape on the front glass door in a pattern and we’re going to paint it (with super washable paint) so it looks like stained glass. The Instagram Busy Toddler has one million ideas for small dudes!
Me:
Wow Ollie is so lucky to have such creative artists parents! I want to paint the glass door with him :)
I will put the instagram link you suggested here for my friends with toddlers ;) —> https://www.instagram.com/busytoddler/?hl=en
Thank you so much Guin!!! I know you are so busy. I appreciate you took some time for me my friend!
And I wanted to share what Guin and Durwin built this year at their university with their senior students!
Here is the website to see all works from the senior 2020 illustration major at Grand Vally State University (Grand Rapids, MI)
http://www.gvsuillustratorsforhire.com/
And here is their virtual show case!!!
https://playcanv.as/p/496b1349/
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Project Note:
The idea of “ My friend’s quarantine shopping list” started when I was peeking at people’s shopping baskets during the COVID-19. What are their essentials? Is there a one thing they can’t live without? I was curious about my friend’s. Everyone’s list was unique and I enjoy making the items and talking about them with my friends. I hope this brighten your day and maybe those items will make it to your next shopping list :) Have a nice staying home day!