TEN THINGS TO DO DURING A PANDEMIC (or whenever)

Are you stuck in the house bored and discouraged, thinking this thing will never go away? Well if your like any other American, or human being, around the world, there's only so much t.v to be watched before you feel like your going to go absolute stir crazy.. So I came up with a list of ideas that has helped me get along, just a little bit better.. I hope they may help you too..

#1. READ- books can take you anywhere you want to be. Just let your mind drift off, onto some unchartered land on a cruise ship, to a deserted island, as you go wondering through the majestic tropical flowers, to a hidden treasure. Or ride in a bateau along the Seine River, on a warm summer day in Paris. Or if you're looking for a good romance, you can even fall in love with a ranch hand on a small farm in Texas. There's so many different genres to choose from to peak your interest. Biography's about your favorite actor, or musician. Or poetry books by Shel Silverstein, to name a few, that you can loose yourself in humor and prose. Books are a wonderful way to escape and help you relax and destress. Leaving all your cares behind, one page at a time.

#2. LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE- there are many apps or u tube videos available to download, help achieve this. Or you can even get movies in foreign languages to help you understand it better. Learning another language can be beneficial, not only for self gratification, but looks good on a resume'. And not just speaking another language, but utilizing it, to read and write fluently in it, is a bonus. Social media helps in this was as well, people like to meet pen friends that can help you master your goal to make it achievable and fun.

#3. SCRAPBOOKING- a forgotten past-time that can be done alone,

or with others. We all know there's shoe boxes up in the closet or under the bed waiting for the rainy day.. "I'll get to it later".. well let's make this time be the day. It's really easy to get started, you just gather all the photos and sort them by event, year, holiday, which kid it's about.. etc.. give it a theme, get creative, add some stickers or poems whatever you want to make it special. Here's a list of materials to get you started:

* a three ring notebook binder

* page protectors (from Doller Tree)

* three hole punch

* colored construction paper( for background, or matting paper)

* double sided tape(for adhering)

* glue & material (if you want a cloth cover) it disguises the binder and makes it more professional.

Scrapbooks make great birthday or anytime, presents or Christmas gifts.

#4. PAINT- A picture or anything you want. Painting is another good way to express yourself, and be creative. It can also be good therapy. Canvass can be bought most anywhere and very inexpensive. There are numerous media to choose from, some include, watercolor, oil paint, or acrylic, you can experiment with them to see what you like the best. If you have small children, the old fashioned pudding recipe makes great finger paint. If you don't have any canvass you can make your own DYI with paper plates, or paper. If you want to hang up the paper plate paintings, you can put a hole in the top and string fishing line through the hole. Another even simpler way, is to go take a walk and collect rocks, these are alot of fun to paint and when your finished you can take them to the park, and "plant" them for others to enjoy.

#5. SEW- Sewing is usually passed down from generation to generation, like it was for me, but if it wasn't and you want to learn, there are classes in your community you can take (non covid times), or u tube videos. Sewing is lot's of fun and another way to create something. It's also a way to make a little extra money, buy selling your product on line or at craft shows. People seem to be generating towards hand crafted items more so then ever before. The only expense in this is the cost of your sewing machine, material, and thread. If you don't have material you can cut up old clothes you were planning to throw away, you can make bean bag animals, tote bags, toss pillows, and just about anything that you'd normally buy at the store. I used to make my kids Halloween costumes, and my gramma would make our Barbie clothes to match the clothes she made for us. You can also make face masks, that's the new trend, and would sell really well.

Sewing is good for all ages, men, women, and children(under supervision).

#6. BOARD GAMES- brings people together. It's good to put the screens down and bond with each other. Promoting laughter and fun, and sense of security. It builds self-confidence, and helps reduce stress, which in turn, lowers the blood pressure. It's problem solving and team work, which ae great skills to learn for the adult world. These can be very inexpensive and thousands to choose from. Some of the most popular ones for smaller children include, Candy Land, Hi Ho Cheerio, or Chutes and Ladders. For the older kids Clue or Life. Triominos is a good one for improving math skills, while Boggle or Scrabble helps with spelling. And for the geniuses in the family, trivia games are always fun.

So whatever your age or interest, there's a game for you.

#7. COOKING- I know everyone has at least ONE cookbook in their cabinet, that's never been opened. If you're like my mom, she had a cook book for every appliance she owned, and yes, I have since inherited them.. Do I ever use them, NOPE, but since we're amidst a pandemic, I have broke some out to experiment. I started trying new things, and now wonder why I hadn't done it sooner. This can be a family event as well, getting everyone involved in preparing the meal. Each person could get one part of the meal, like the entree', the vegetable, a desert, a special drink to compliment the meal, and dinner rolls or fresh bread. Learning to read recipes also helps develop good math skills, by measuring out the items. And the biggie, following directions to achieve the desired results is very important part of our daily lives.

#8. WRITING- Keeping a journal during these times, or anytime, help sort out or validate our thoughts and feelings, bringing them to prospective. It may help ward off any negative energy that could be created by the environment, or depression. It's a great way to express yourself and can be therapeutic also. You can write poetry or silly jingles, maybe even a short children's story with illustrations. Writing goes along with reading, and can take you anywhere your mind wants to travel. Just close your eyes for a few minutes, and think of where you'd like to be. Then open them, and let the words spill out across the paper.

#9. BUILD A PUZZLE- This is another great one for the whole family ( or individual), to gather 'round the puzzle table. Each person gets a certain section of the puzzle to work on. Puzzles come in all shapes, sizes, color, and can have anything on them of interest. There's even 3D, and glow in the dark ones. You can take your time on them to get it done, as schedules permit. My dad used to glue our puzzles together, and frame them, after we finished them, to put up on our bedroom walls. Some libraries offer a puzzle exchange program where you can give one or take one. So if you have a bunch laying around the house, you're bored with, you can take to the library to donate, for other's to enjoy.

#10. PERSONAL CARE- This is a must for every man, women, and child. Setting aside time to take care of ourselves. We get so caught up in the hustle and bustle, of daily events, do this, do that.. go go go.. that we feel guilty if we even start to think about taking time out to be pampered. This is the most important one for our well being. Not only during a pandemic but for always. We should incorporate it in our daily lives. It can be something as simple as drinking a cup of warm tea in the morning, while reading a few chapters in a good book, or soaking in a hot bubble bath, listening to some music, undistracted. Anything that you enjoy doing by yourself for yourself, for at least one hour a day. Set aside, "me" time, and once you establish that and set your boundary, others will respect it and choose their own "me" time. It can be contagious once they see how well it works.

Well folks, that's the end of my list, but there are a kazillion other ideas of things to do, during a pandemic.(or anytime), I hope you enjoyed it and can try some of the things I've suggested, and carry it on over to the New Year!

Happy Holiday's to All!!

Peace Out!