I don’t know about you all, but I feel fine about being quarantined! I pride myself on having an array of hobbies &, in a situation such as this, that has really paid off. I keep seeing people post memes about having to be home with their children when schools close or working from home with their spouses &, while they are funny, I absolutely feel the opposite! I LOVE being home with Jordan & Warner and just being cozy playing toys, wearing PJs, & watching movies together. I always feel like there is plenty to do at our house, so I thought I’d share a some of the things we have done or plan to do to stay occupied during this global health pandemic!
As you probably already know, I suffer with terrible anxiety and over the past couple of weeks, it has reached an all time high. I had a few personal things on my mind and with the added stress of trying to stock the house and worrying about family members that work in healthcare, my anxiety started to affect me physically. Staying busy helps my mind from going to a scary place AND I am able to accomplish things that needed to be done anyway.
I hope you all are staying safe & healthy & trying your best to protect those around you. Please feel free to comment and add to the list!

Ideas while self-quarantined at home:

  • Play yard games with family- I found ladder ball and corn hole type games for <$10 last week at Tuesday Morning! Right now the weather is a little cold & rainy, but later this week it is supposed to warm up and the sun will come out, which will benefit our minds & bodies, too.
  • Set your Apple Watch or phone tracker to indoor workout and speed clean for an hour; you’ll be surprised how many calories you burn & how much housework you can accomplish. I typically do this when the house is getting cluttered and needs to be vacuumed and can usually get about 300 calorie burned!
  • Clean your nasty ass house (like, deep clean; move beds and vacuum, shave couches, scrub nooks and crannies, etc.) This is the perfect time to knock out Spring Cleaning. We open all the windows on nice days and blast music while we check chores off the list!
  • Get garage sale ready for when this pandemic lets up a little. Designate an area to store unwanted items and get Marie Kondo that shit! Get rid of anything that isn’t used or doesn’t bring you joy!
  • Start a new hobby (knitting, painting, yoga, indoor garden)! I recently started Punch Needling and I LOVE it. It gives me something to do with my hands and is cathartic for my wandering mind. Find something that works for you and fits your lifestyle. (Here are some DIY candles I made a couple of years ago!)

  • Binge watch Harry Potter, PLEASE!
  • Organize and throw away all the trash in house. There are tons of storage and organization tips all over the internet and I always feel like our house could be a little more in order. This week, I organized the pantry and started working on our home office. I ordered some clear containers and shelving and have been getting rid of old bills and receipts and separating similar items.
  • YouTube workouts! I’ve done Zumba and yoga, but there is a channel for everything!
  • Go for a drive & explore outdoor areas around your house. We love looking at land for sale and driving through neighborhoods for fun. Warner loves to point out everything we see and this is an easy way to get out of the house without actually being around other people.
  • Read or listen to audio-books or podcasts. If you don’t have any books at home, download one on your phone! Time passes so fast for me when I get lost in a good book. Here are the books I read in 2019; order a few on Amazon and go wild! 
  • Cook or bake – try something new! Take advantage of this time at home to try a lengthy new recipe. (Link to my recipes!)
  • Play with your kids- do something new and fun! Teach them something new- introduce them to music, dance, paint, or build. Use all those hoarded toilet paper rolls and cardboard cereal boxes to build a castle. Jordan got Warner a police station LEGO set and we introduced him to “Bad Boys- COPS” and he’s learning the chorus and we dance around the house to it acting like bad boys a couple times a day. Instead of everyone being miserable, try to savor these days with your family while they are home & healthy!
  • Meditate- My friend RiRi recommenced the Headspace app and I’ve been doing it every night before bed. This has helped tremendously so my mind doesn’t race before falling asleep and I feel much more relaxed since starting it.
  • Beauty routines- face masks; paint your nails, etc. you probably don’t have any fancy Galas or dances planned, so you don’t need to get this stuff professionally done & risk spreading germs! Buy gift-cards from your usual salons or spa to use in the future and boost your local economy while everything is on lockdown.
  • Pull weeds and get your yard ready for spring – we did this last week and it was it’s amazing how much better the flower beds looked after I got rid of all the dead leaves, pulled weeds, & changed out the wreath and rugs.
  • Start a scrapbook, journal, or photo album! I love keeping notes in my phone of new things Warner does or says, funny comments Jordan makes, & family milestones. One day, CoronaVirus 2020 will hopefully just be a memory!
  • Clean your car out! With a toddler, mine is always covered in crumbs and water bottles and diapers and this is a perfect time to get all of that cleaned up.
  • Brainstorm for a side hustle or business that you’ve always dreamed about, but have never had the downtown to focus on it. This is your time to shine, y’all! Open that Etsy store, start a blog, write a book, etc!
  • Write letters! Who doesn’t love getting a handwritten letter?! Reach out to an old friend or family member & spread some joy.
  • Take an online course and learn something new! (Anything! Learn to do your taxes, crochet, propagate plants, braid your hair, etc.) YouTube and Pinterest have plenty of free options and tons of colleges offer courses on iTunes or audiobook.
  • Puzzles! I found a a bunch for $4.99 at Tuesday Morning.
  • GAMES!!!! Even if you don’t have scrabble or Catch Phrase, there are PLENTY of app options.
  • Pinterest. I can spend hours saving recipes, browsing art, dreaming up home designs, & reading books reviews.
  • Play with your pets! Give all those good boys & girls endless belly rubs & ear scratches.

Comment below with other ideas to beat boredom! Sending lots of love and laughter to you all. Stay safe & healthy!


xo,

Sarah