Allison Fillmore

Atlanta Parent talked to Allison Fillmore, Executive Director of the TOUR Championship, who is the mom to Taylor, 11, and Alexa, 8.

What’s your go-to craft or activity?

We do a lot of painting and sidewalk chalk. We have the luxury of living right across the street from East Lake Golf Club, and there are a lot of tree stumps outside of the course, so we’ve been painting inspirational messages on stumps to try and bring a smile to people’s faces.

What’s your go-to meal?

Quesadillas. The great thing about them is you can throw anything into them and make an awesome meal. For Easter, we got takeout from a place in Buckhead, and we had so many leftovers the next night we made ham, cheese and potato quesadillas. I enjoy spending time with the girls making dinners and teaching them how to cook.

What do you do when your kids say, “I’m bored?” 

Get outside and experience what it was like before electronics and TV. We’ll do scavenger hunts, which Pinterest has been great for. We’ll go for a bike ride or a walk, and we take along our two dogs. They were playing softball and practicing gymnastics, so they’ll go outside and pitch, or hold competitions to see who can hold their handstand the longest. We’ve also done TikToks, or they’ll read a book.

Is there an educational app or activity they enjoy?

Google Classroom is awesome, because I can see exactly what they’ve done. They’re also using Study Island, Redbird and IXL for their schoolwork. Sometimes, I’ll give them assignments throughout the day, like research a recipe with these ingredients for us to make for dinner tonight.

How are you connecting to other relatives and friends during this time? 

Zoom. I hosted a virtual happy hour with my sorority sisters from college. With older relatives, my parents and my sister, we do a lot of FaceTime. We’re getting to spend quality time together. Before there was so much rush, rush, rush, but now there’s no excuse for it, so we have the opportunity to connect with the ones we love.

What other advice do you have for Moms at this time?

I’m a Type A personality, so I like to be focused on a strict schedule, but let the schedule go. We are never going to get time like this with our families again. Create something that does work for you and your family. Try to take this one day at a time. I am so happy to be able to have this time with my kids, because I’ll never be able to get it back.