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Busy Philipps Says Life in Quarantine Has Been an 'Overwhelming Time,' Tries to Find 'Silver Linings'

Carter's

Busy Philipps is reflecting on her time in quarantine with her daughters, 12-year-old Birdie Leigh and 7-year-old Cricket Pearl.

The actress, 41, tells PEOPLE that it has been "an overwhelming time," but being home with her two girls has offered one positive amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"I have found moments of really being so glad that I've gotten to be with my kids in this time," says the former Cougar Town star, who has partnered with baby clothing line, Carter's. "Because I have worked so much for most of their lives, I just haven't been able to be with them that much, not since Birdie was a baby."

"It's an overwhelming time, but I've just been trying to find silver linings," Philipps adds. "I'm really looking forward to 2021."

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Another silver lining was spending the last six weeks of summer in a "quarantine pod" with another family, "for the kids to just have other kids around." The pod worked especially well for Birdie and Cricket because of their five-year age gap.

"I've always really enjoyed the fact that they were five years apart because I feel like I've been able to enjoy both of them at whatever age they're in at the time, but I will say that during this quarantine stay-at-home time it was really tough because they didn't have playmates in each other," Phillips says.

"My 12 year old is not really interested in playing with dolls or playing pretend so it was nice for Cricket to be around little kids who she could connect with," she continues. "Birdie will hang out with adults — she's at that level where she can hold her own in a dinner party conversation about politics."

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Philipps has recently partnered with clothing brand Carter's Baby, a favorite of hers when her daughters were little, and says the partnership has allowed her to focus on "what babies bring with them — joy and a fresh start."

She's helping to give 10,000 parents Carter's Hello Baby announcement kits, a way for expecting parents to share their news with friends and family.

"It's been such a difficult time and I do feel like there's something really wonderful about being able to celebrate the great things that are happening in life," Philipps says. "People are having babies and expanding their families and sharing that with your friends and family, especially during this time, should still be special."