So, here we are, still keeping a safe distance from everyone and hoping life will return to normal one day in the not to distant future. I must say, once I got over the initial adjustment to having the kids home – always and then figuring out the stupid ‘video conference’ platform for the 200% increase in sales meetings that my office has opted to torture us with, I have now comfortably settled into this brave new world where I have the time now to appreciate the incredibly fascinating anthropological case study that is currently unfolding right before our eyes. Think about it, we all proclaim to be individuals and each of our experiences is unique and special and worthy yet apparently we are all:
– baking; bread, cookies, pie
– exercising indoors
– cutting our own hair
– doing our nails
– untangling puzzles
Because the paraphernalia required to enjoy or complete any of these projects has all been bought up and is in such short supply that I am equally curious about what solutions people will choose to trouble shoot the lack of say; hair clippers or stationary bikes – might I offer: palm sander with 120 grit paper and piano dead-lifts by way of completely outrageous suggestions.
So, we think quite alike after all.
Not that I am really that surprised. Let’s face it, ‘at home’ activities are probably limited especially if you are in an apartment or if the weather becomes very bad. In the interest of keeping family peace, it is probably wise to keep mandatory participation requirements to a minimum so solo pastimes are preferred and what can you do after your hour of on-line work (read: Zoom meeting) is finished aside from TV or home improvement which, let’s face it, can be as basic as the laundry? Many people I know, cleared the clutter, down-sized the aged-out toys/debris and Marie Kondo’d their personal spaces within the first week. After that, we had the baking binge followed, it would seem, with exercising the dang stuff off.
Kids went back to on-line school so we suffered another short burst of IT related irritation to kill time and now we are back to looking for stuff to do.
So I decided to help you come up with some super fun ideas!
Here for your good mental health, my specially curated list of Pandemic Pursuits:
– in-house scavenger hunt for missing socks and Tupperware lids
– sock hockey (good for sweeping the floors) try to keep the puck in the ‘boards’ for a real deep clean
– create nicknames and alter-egos for each family member and try to guess the details during dinner. Points awarded for costuming and originality
– unravel a sweater and re-knit
– learn Klingon
– sit in your front room window, have cards with numbers 0 to 10 and randomly hold them up when people walk by
– count pedestrians wearing masks – ditto single drivers in cars. Side note: what is up with that?
– stare into your neighbour’s living room, mentally re-arrange their furniture, draw up the new floor plan and stick it in their mailbox for their review. Bonus points for new colour scheme and feature wall suggestions
– draw the view from the spot you are most often sitting these days
– make a list of the top 5 things you will do when all current restrictions are lifted
– write, from memory, the entire script for Star Wars – A New Hope (did it)
– make a list of your kids in no particular order for no particular reason, leave list lying on the counter
Any of the above may be rewarded with screen time, extra dessert, standing outside on the stoop for 15 minutes, waving at the mailman (from a safe distance), folding laundry, banging on the ‘good’ pot at 7PM or whatever fun prize you can think of.
Possibilities – endless. You’re welcome!
PS, big shout out to all the Mom’s out there helping to keep their families entertained and sibling squabbles to a minimum during these house-bound times. Happy Mother’s Day to all of you!