Staying at Home, Social Distancing, and a To-Do List

happyfameventually
Mar 28, 2020
3 min read

In our last post I mentioned that this was going to become more of a lifestyle blog for anyone who wants to follow along. So as promised, here is our first lifestyle post.

The global pandemic, COVID-19, is reaking havoc on the world as we speak, or I guess as I write, and we have been social distancing for two weeks now. I will be the first to tell you that these two weeks have been LONG...like REALLY LONG! But it is so important to help slow this virus, and I am praying this is over sooner rather than later. But in the meantime, we have been doing our best to keep busy, stay healthy, and to not to go completely stir-crazy.

As you know, Vince and I are both teachers, so now our new normal for the foreseeable future is to teach remotely from home. We are trying to keep in touch with all of our students, post assignments, offer help to those kids who are overwhelmed, answer parent questions, and grade. I will say it is much easier to teach while in the classroom, but we all are making the adjustments needed to make this transition and end of the school year a successful one.

When we are not busy teaching, here is a list of things we have already done, plan to do again and again, or have on our to-do list. So if you are feeling the blues or are going a little crazy sitting at home, maybe some of these will spark your creative side or interest.

1. Play outside with fur kids and/or human kids

2. Go on long walks or bike rides

3. Go on hikes (as long as you are not on a busy trail...that defeats the purpose)

4. Jog/run/long walks by yourself to decompress (I recommend country roads)

5. Deep clean and purge your closets and rooms

6. Take up a new hobby (I am currently trying to learn how to sew)

7. Binge-watch movies and series on your favorite platform

8. Read (work your way through that list of books on your want-to-read list)

9. Learn new recipes (I am working on new, healthy recipes and smoothies)

10. Craft time with the kiddos, or by yourself for that matter

11. Work on those home renovations you've been meaning to get to for five years

12. Try new desserts (made at home or from take-out) every night

13. Turn up the music and have an impromptu dance party

14. Work on your photography skills (as long as you are using nature or immediate family members as your subjects)

15. Start working on that one goal you have always wanted to achieve (mine is to get my memoir published and a few other things I am working on)

16. Work on puzzles

17. Catch up (on the phone or virtual chat/video/whatever) with friends and family

18. Plant a vegetable garden

19. Listen to a podcast

20. Go on a "bear hunt" (place cut-outs or stuffed bears around your house or property and have the kids search for them...or get your whole community involved and drive around looking for them...there are a few in our little town organizing this now and I love it!)

21. Finally get 7-8 hours of sleep a night

22. Sew and donate masks

23. Plant flowers, clean your porch, work in your yard, etc

24. Family dinner all together at the dinner table

25. Take a deep breath and enjoy slowing down...maybe learn how and take up meditation

There are a hundred more ways to stay sane, but there are twenty-five to get you started. Stay home, stay safe, and stay healthy. Let's all hope and pray that COVID-19 will be on its way out soon. We CAN do hard things, so let's stay strong, work on improving ourselves and enjoying this time of slowing down. We are all in this together, my friends.

Family Hike...