Connector Tips – Volume 7

Keeping You Engaged & Informed

Happy Mother’s Day! We all have different ways we are celebrating Mother’s Day and we know it is a great time for many and a very hard day for others. There are those who have biological children, adopted children, are Aunts, Teachers, people who have longed to be a mother yet never had the opportunity, those who have lost children, those whose mothers have passed etc. You have all affected the lives of others in a “motherly” way one way or another throughout your life and you deserve to be celebrated! We know this year’s celebration will be different for us all, but we hope you are able to find joy in the day, pamper yourself, be kind to yourself, let those who love and support you do it in whatever way they are able during this social distancing time. We honor you! Thank you for the “Mothering” role you have each played in the lives of the staff here at Charlestown. We love you, and are grateful for your influence on the world and our individual lives. Scroll down to the bottom of this page for some ideas for celebrating Mother’s Day during these unprecedented times.
Stay tuned for our up and coming announcement regarding our Memorial Day Celebration.
Poetry Contest entry due date has passed and the winners will be announced soon on 972! So many of your poems are touching so we have decided to read them all on 972 in the coming weeks.

To participate in activities, call Stephanie at x601-8133 (Tues-Sat) or Mary at x601-8558 (Sun & Mon)

Computer-Related Activities

Pod Casts: Check out new podcasts. You can learn about specific topics, listen to stories, or even documentaries. You can find podcasts on a wide variety of apps such as: NPR, Pocket Casts, Podbean, Stitchery Stories, Laughable, IHeartRADIO, Spotify.
Reconnect: Use Facebook or other internet searches to find people from your past that you would like to either reconnect with or just learn about what is new in their lives.
People in History: Pick a person from history you would like to focus your research on and dive into their lives via the internet. Biography ONLINE will give you some ideas of people to research.
Exercise/Health Apps: DownloadTo transfer a file from another system to your own computer system. Less precisely, it may also refer to a direct transfer from a server to your local terminal over a local area network or an FTP transfer from a remote system to your system. See Upload. READ MORE apps that can help you track your health and give exercise tips. My Fitness Pal and Fooducate are two great app options.
All About Me: Take the 21 Day experiment. You will receive daily ideas of ways to document your life.
Family Tree: Discover your family tree for free by using apps such as Genealogy.com or FamilySearch
Get to know the animals: In addition to the zoo cams we have previously mentioned, learn specifics of each animal at the National Zoo.
Learning Lab: Check out the Smithsonian Learning lab for a deeper understanding of art, cultures and the sciences.

Non-Computer Related Activities

Writing/journaling topic for the week: What are 30 things that make you smile and why?
Pen Pal: Open up your resident directory and either look up a someone you know or a random neighbor and try to start up a pen pal situation with them via the inner community mail.
Newsletter: Start a weekly newsletter with your loved ones. Share updates about your lives, ideas of what people have been doing etc. This will also be a good record to look back on to record this unique time in history.
Outfit of the day: Challenge yourself to get out of your pj’s every day then take a picture to document your outfits over the quarantine. This will help your emotional health as well as your physical.
Gratitude jar: Write things you are grateful for on slips of paper. Place the papers in a jar or container. When you need a pick me up pull a random one out and remind yourself of positive things in your life.

Mother’s Day, Social Distancing Style

Technology: Use apps such as Zoom, Facebook, Skype, Google Duo etc. to be face-to-face with your loved ones. Have dinner “together”, read a story with your children/grandchildren, or play a game such as 20 questions. The options are limitless. Maybe even throw in a virtual happy hour!
Giving Credit: Honor those women in your life who have been a positive influence. Simply calling to tell them or writing them a note, even if it arrives after Mother’s Day, will make them feel special. Add a special touch by letting them know how they have affected your life.
Those who have passed: If your loved one has passed, taking a few minutes to write them a letter, “talk” to them, look through pictures/notes, remember (and even write about) a time they did something that meant a lot to you. This will bring some peace as you celebrate this holiday without them physically by your side.
Watch Broadway Cares: Mother’s Day matinee show featuring cast members and songs from famous Broadway Plays at m. on Sunday, May 10. Available online until 3 PM, Thursday May 14, 2020.
Picnic: Make yourself a picnic lunch, open your windows/or sit near them and enjoy some time with nature. Invite “guest” by placing pictures of them on the table as you enjoy your meal.
Spa: Treat yourself with a manicure, pedicure, a soak in the tub, take a little extra time to do your hair, even spray on that favorite perfume of yours.