How are you? Being quarantined can he hard. Mentally, physically, and especially emotionally. In today’s post I’m going to share the precautions we having been taking to try and stay healthy and some fun things you can do at home during this pandemic.

PRECAUTIONS WE HAVE BEEN PRACTICING

First and foremost, the absolute most important thing we have done is STAY HOME. The kids and I haven’t left the house in weeks. I can count on one hand how many times we have left the house since Virginia schools announced their closure on March 13. As you’ll see in an upcoming post, we bought a house and completed the entire process during the pandemic. We only left our house to view homes that were for sale and when we met with our realtor and viewed a house, Jordan and I wore masks and gloves while the kids stayed in the car. I packed them snacks, juice boxes, electronics, coloring books, etc. and they were rockstars every single time. Once we finished viewing a house, Jordan and I disposed of our gloves, used Wet Ones on our hands, and immediately replaced our gloves. When we returned home, everyone washed their hands. I would spray our seatbelts with Lysol and wipe down the steering wheel.

Jordan goes to work Monday through Friday and I thank God each and every day that he still has a job to go to in order to provide for our family. However, that puts him at risk for being exposed to COVID-19 and that is very worrisome. I’m hopeful that he wears gloves and a mask all day while practicing social distancing, but some things that I can control are precautions we take once he comes home. He takes his boots off outside, immediately changes clothes, washes his hands, and I spray his phone with Lysol and let it air dry. I wash his laundry separately from mine and the kids and dry them on high heat for a short period of time. We are running low on Lysol and disinfecting wipes, but most days I wipe down his steering wheel, gear, and seat belt.

Rather than going to the grocery store, we have been ordering groceries online and we have them delivered. It has been worth every penny. Jordan and I put gloves on, carry the groceries inside, and wipe every item down with a disinfecting wipe before we put it away. If possible, we remove items from their original packaging/box such as granola bars, gummies, bottled waters, juice boxes, and small bags of chips that we buy in bulk. We always wash our produce items off as well.

We have been practicing proper handwashing like nobody’s business. I am constantly spraying doorknobs and light switches with Lysol. I’m committed to giving the kids their vitamins each day. I can’t even go to the mailbox without being overly cautious. I wear gloves to open the mailbox and to open our mail, then I spray the doorknob that I touch to get back inside and wash my hands with antibacterial soap afterwards. Not gonna lie, sometimes I even get a pump of hand sanitizer after I wash my hands.

Some experts say that the virus cannot be transmitted by food, that it is strictly spread from person to person. However, we went 6 weeks without eating any fast food or takeout. It was difficult, but in my opinion, it was necessary. Not only were we being cautious, but it was also great for our bank account. Unfortunately, we have been so busy with packing that we swapped frozen pizzas for contactless delivery. Friday nights are always pizza and family movie night with popcorn and candy. It’s been my favorite family tradition for more than 5 years!

I know some states are reopening and it is a very controversial topic, but our family will not be leaving our house unless it is absolutely necessary. Before you think I’m crazy, I think it’s important that you know I have always been a germaphobe and have always carried Wet Ones in my purse. What you may not know is that our healthy 12 year old son was hospitalized and placed in ICU in July. It all happened so fast. One day he was biking 10 miles and going to a trampoline park for a birthday party and a few days later he had a fever and couldn’t walk. He is still battling osteomyelitis and although we have seen a miraculous recovery so far, he still has infection in his leg and has been on big gun antibiotics since July. As his mother, I cannot imagine taking a risk that could potentially leave him hospitalized again. He is fully aware of COVID-19 and the precautions we have to take as a family to try and stay as healthy as possible. We have to go to his infectious disease doctor later this month and then to the hospital for him to have an xray done, which will determine if another MRI is necessary. I say all of that to say this- I am very happy with the leaders who have made the decision to take extreme measures to ensure the safety of their people. I will never understand the thought process that so many selfish people currently have. You know the ones. They’re those people that we’re seeing on the news who are gathered at the beach or the people who are gathered in groups of 30 or more protesting and rallying with no masks. Even people in our town who have ignored the stay at home order that was in place. They’re the ones who are putting our families, states, and countries at risk. If you’re reading this, I want you to know that our family is taking all the necessary measures to keep you and your loved ones safe because we care about you!

Next, I want to share some fun ideas for you to do with the kids while you’re stuck at home.

THINGS TO DO AS A FAMILY

• Make a time capsule
• Game night
• Family lip sync battle
• Draw portraits of each other
• Virtual field trips
• Camp out in the living room
• Have a Disney day
• Write and mail letters or cards
• Have a costume party
• Scavenger hunts
• Decades dance party
• Fancy tea party
• Pajama day
• Read together each day
• Family charades
• Kids yoga or Headspace for Kids
• Make mindfulness jars
• Bake cookies for your neighbor
• Record a family music video
• Nintendo family competition
• Have a pizza making contest
• Make sensory dough

THINGS I HAVE DONE THAT I HIGHLY RECOMMEND

• Look up professional development websites and do a training specific to your line of work. Add the certificate to your professional portfolio.
• Learn a new language. I work in a special education classroom so I have been learning sign language.
• Listen to a motivational podcast or TED Talk
• During quarantine I have kept a notebook of random questions I have and when I get an opportunity, I google those questions and learn all kinds of new things!
• Organize all of the things you have always wished you had the time to do. I finally tackled organizing our holiday decor. We bought totes and labels, and now they are neatly stacked in our basement.
• Declutter your inboxes.
• Go through the photos on your phone. Delete duplicates, save the ones you want to keep to an SD card, and create folders on your phone for more organization. I recently did this and it is so easy to locate pictures!
• Fix, or update, your resume. Again, add it to your professional portfolio.
• This is the perfect time to work on your children’s scrapbooks or baby books that you neglected years ago.
• This is also a great time to make photo albums. I just developed pictures from our vacation to Destin, Florida and put them in an album to display in our home.
• When going through your photos, if you find duplicates mail them to the people in the photo
• Mail letters to your loved ones. I have mailed my dearest friends several cards decorated with cute stickers.
• Start a new bible study
• Marie Kondo your home. I have her book and I have binge watched her Netflix show. That was all I needed for motivation.
• Journal. I am such a slacker with this one, but I love to create blog posts like this one to look back on one day.
• Try a new recipe or make something from scratch
• Browse your online library catalog and make a list of books you want to check out in the future
• Take up a hobby. Mine have been learning more about graphic design and vlogging.
• Learn how to code or read music. Both are on my bucket list!
• Tour a famous museum online
• Start an Etsy shop
• Map out your family tree or do a DNA kit. A 23 and Me kit is on my bucket list as well.
• Start or join a book club. It’s the perfect excuse to video call your girlfriends and have a virtual girls night.
• Make a list of your dream design for every room in your house. I have even included the particular items I want in my design and where I can buy them, along with the prices of each item.
• Learn about birding. We have a dear friend that has taught us so much about different species of birds. She even bought our oldest son a birding book and a pair of binoculars so he can birdwatch.
• If you’re a crime junkie like me, find a good crime podcast
• Paint your walls or distress those kitchen chairs you’ve been wanting to get ahold of for months

I hope you take away some ideas from this post! Share some of your ideas in the comments below.