With all of the uncertainty right now and so many of us stuck at home, you may be looking for some constructive things to do that will keep you and your family busy.  The typical “Spring Cleaning” that we all try to do each year may actually get done this year.

Having so much down time can be hard to deal with for an extended period of time.  Sticking to a light but regular schedule at home will help you get your work done and help your children get their school work completed. However, there will likely still be some hours in the day that feel like they are just being wasted. Doing small but constructive projects can help everyone get through the day while feeling a sense of accomplishment, and more importantly, staying healthy. It is so important to refrain from sleeping too much, watching too much TV, or binge eating and drinking. Here are a few ideas that hopefully will help you and your family keep busy during this time.

If you have a yard you can get the family outside to do some gardening or cleaning up.  Maybe do some planting for the Spring and Summer season.  Clean out that shed or garage and maybe organize those power tools and yard equipment. Take advantage of the kids being home and put them to work too.  It’s a great way to get everyone involved and get a lot accomplished while being outside in our beautiful spring weather.

There is always plenty to do inside of the house as well.  Have everyone clean out their closets.  This is a typical “Spring Cleaning” project, but no one ever seems to want to do it. We’ve all heard the excuses. “I can’t throw that away, it might come back in style” or “I might need that when I lose 20 pounds”. Creating more space is always a huge benefit, not to mention you probably have the time now to bag those clothes up and drop off a donation.  The need is always great for used clothing and you can feel good that you are doing your part to help people in need.
Is there a room that you have been wanting to freshen up with a coat of paint?  Maybe one of your kids wants to change the color of their room? Now may be a great time to get some painting done while changing that indoor scenery that we are seeing way too much of these days.

If you have a teenager that has a learners permit now is a great time to get them out for some driving practice.  Most schools don’t offer drivers education anymore so it’s up to the parents to get them time behind the wheel.  Instead of paying for driving lessons find some empty mall parking lot to practice in and when they are ready the roads aren’t very busy right now.  Your kids will be happy and it’s a fun way to get out of the house and spend time together.

This last suggestion is something that most of us never seem to have the time to do.  Clean out your email inbox!  I always have thousands of emails and never enough time to go through them all.  Maybe create some filters to separate your priority emails from others.  Sure, it’s time consuming but think about how much better you’ll feel when things return to normal.

However you and your family are keeping busy let’s remember that this will pass, life will go on and we will all be stronger and better for it.  I hope some of these ideas will work for you.  Be safe and stay healthy!