So, my kids have been sick almost this whole month. Now, it depends on how sick your kids are (because there really isn’t anything fun about a stomach bug), but there can be some positives to being stuck home day after day after day. Most of the time, my kids were behaving close to normal, but we had to stay home because they were contagious until the fevers broke. So, I tried to embrace the bright side.
- Time to do regular house work during the time you are usually out. If nothing else, it has made the weekends easier to have the laundry done during the week.
- Wear pjs all day. Or clothes with stains and tears you can no longer wear out. Stretchy jeans with the knees torn out, I’ve missed you!
- Play with the kids more. Usually, it takes the whole morning to get everyone properly fed and cleaned before we can leave the house, so the kids play independently. Not going anywhere allows me to be more involved with them.
- Wear shorts without worrying about shaving. Although, I don’t really enjoy my daughter petting the stubble on my shins.
- Conserve hair products and make up. Seriously, who am I impressing? The Pre-K bus driver?
- Think up more creative games or crafts. Since we are here days in a row, I’ve been challenged to come up with more detailed activities than suggesting a toy for independent play. Its times like these we break out the laundry basket train.
- Snuggles. Snuggle in our big bed. Snuggle under blankets on the couch. Snuggle in the middle of the night. Snuggle reading books. Snuggle watching TV. For my son and me, it was also snuggling in the ER. The snuggles are the only real positive of a sick kid.
- Sit back and enjoy watching your kids play, either alone or together.
- Enjoy some quality kids entertainment. Like sharing a favorite childhood movie or noticing new jokes in Legos Star Wars even after 100 viewings. I’m not kidding. I think I’ve actually seen The Empire Strikes Out 100 times since we average at least five a day.
- Read more books together. Or maybe I should say read the same books more.
- Don’t use any gas because you don’t drive any where.
- Slow down more frequently to hear what your kids are saying.
- Find time to do small odd jobs around the house. Not sure if it really was the increase in time or me starting to climb the walls, but I found many things to do. Like vacuuming the dead bugs out of the window in the bathroom.
- Spy on the neighborhood. Or maybe this is a little too like Rear Window? I never used binoculars, I swear … but that could be because we don’t have any in the house.
- Relax as they veg watching TV. I’ve had lots of time to play Words with Friends, pin on Pinterest, read fanfiction, and contribute to fights on FB. I might have read a real book, too.
- Realize the value of your regular routine and social life!
