Ideas to stay sane if we all lockdown again

[Tinijocaro]

So, I'm anticipating another lockdown or at least, self-imposed lockdown as the weather turns colder and people move to mostly indoors. I'll admit this is getting tiring but will do it to keep myself, my family and others safe.

Need ideas on things to do to help pass the time this winter. Hobbies, activities, anything that you have found joy in to help get through what will likely be a long winter. I'll list a few that we've done so far. Besides the obvious tv watching and internet surfing. I have two daughters home in remote undergrad and grad school plus dh and myself.

~DD#1 is very into plants and succulents-tending to them, learning about them, growing them.
~DD#2 did a lot of rock painting back in the spring.
~Puzzles
~DH bought a Virtual Reality headset and I do a lot of fitness games on their, Supernatural in particular is amazing, as is VR in general
~I'm thinking about snowshoeing this winter, as an outside activity
~Seriously getting my 1 year old puppy trained-in puppy school right now
~I've started cleaning my attic and will continue that
~I'd like to paint a couple rooms

What will you be doing this winter to keep busy?

 

[RamblingMad]

LEGOs. Nanowrimo starts next month.

 

[Praying Colonel]

Renewed lockdown or no, I'm going to focus on healthier mind/body/spirit habits. Generally, I've been doing too much drifting.

 

[Snowflakey]

Get the family involved in cooking! Lifelong lessons for your kids to take with them.
Puzzles
Weeding out crap - rearranging rooms to make it "feel" new
Keeping in touch with those who you can't visit right now

 

[Hikergirl]

I live in NY and pretty much lockdown for winter anyway.
I do have alot of puzzles and sewing projects to do.
And there's always winter recreation- you can still get out and do things outside.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Whelp I just picked up some Butterscotch Schnapps and Apple Vodka for Caramel Apple Martinis and some Baileys for the Butterscotch & Baileys Shots I love so that might help a smidge plus we have firewood

At the moment I am contemplating what color to paint my oak cabinets I can't stand. Never liked them but now that I see them 24/7 it's grating on me. I love the Advance product I used in the bathrooms but the kitchen is such a big job. I would love to replace but that requires strangers and I want to sell soon anyway so I just need to decide on a color and begin along with my DD who is itching to do it and will likely do most of the work. I'm thinking an off white like Sherwin Williams Creamy but have no idea what colors will be in although it seems flat without gloss is a thing, so this will occupy me for a while . If it goes well maybe I'll do the same as you and paint rooms.

 

[Starport Seven-Five]

Decluttering by selling stuff on facebook marketplace/ebay/craigslist.
Possibly redoing a bathroom or something like that. At a minimum, painting a few rooms.
Cleaning... it never ends.

 

[easyas123]

I've got some interior painting that needs to be done, will probably stock up on a bit of paint and possibly start on that. Luckily I live on a farm and have plenty of space to wander and be outside - it was great to have that outlet during the initial lockdown...plus we've always got firewood to stack!

I'm not the least bit into puzzles, or wasn't. But I'm starting to see the appeal and might get one "just in case".

 

[Hikergirl]

Whelp I just picked up some Butterscotch Schnapps and Apple Vodka for Caramel Apple Martinis and some Baileys for the Butterscotch & Baileys Shots I love so that might help a smidge plus we have firewood

At the moment I am contemplating what color to paint my oak cabinets I can't stand. Never liked them but now that I see them 24/7 it's grating on me. I love the Advance product I used in the bathrooms but the kitchen is such a big job. I would love to replace but that requires strangers and I want to sell soon anyway so I just need to decide on a color and begin along with my DD who is itching to do it and will likely do most of the work. I'm thinking an off white like Sherwin Williams Creamy but have no idea what colors will be in although it seems flat without gloss is a thing, so this will occupy me for a while . If it goes well maybe I'll do the same as you and paint rooms.

That all sounds delicious. I recently had a Butter Beer Martini, I have no idea what was in it but it was like butterscotch heaven in a glass!

It looks like a lot of us have painting projects planned.

 

[QueenIsabella]

We're a puzzle/game family, and we still have a backlog there.

My teens love to cook--mostly baking treats--and they have some requests. Specifically, they want to make homemade pasta, homemade pizzelles, and funnel cake. Over the weekend, DD17 and I attempted some of those hot cocoa bombs--it was more failure than success, but we'll likely try again. And the hot cocoa was delicious, the bombs just looked awful.

I'm a big crafter, so any money savings due to not driving, no travel, etc., has been spent on crafting supplies. I'll make a lot of stuff for Christmas, for sure, both on my own and with my kids. In addition, I've been making and sending my BFF a handmade card each day--her life is a lot harder than mine these days (5 kids, works in a nursing home, 89yo mother, etc.). So, if I can brighten her day a bit, it's worth the effort.

I probably should clean and organize, but 7 months in, my house doesn't look any better than it did when this thing started. So, I wouldn't bet the farm on my actually getting any of that done.

 

[justafigment27]

I stocked up on puzzles last week. I enjoy the 1000 piece Ravensburger Disney puzzles because I love Disney and the 1000 piece White Mountain themed category puzzles (like drink mixes, snacks, 80’s, etc) because they are relatively easy. I’m not a fan of landscapes or challenging puzzles (like a field of sunflowers or something similar would be a hard no).

I always said I wasn’t a puzzle person, but they have a way of keeping your mind occupied and distracted from real world events. We had one going in the dining room pretty much continuously in March & April ... the whole family would just kind of pop in and out and work on them when we needed distracting.

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

I do puzzles; I'm with @justafigment27 on the Ravensburger puzzles.

I've picked up diamond dot 'painting', lol. Easy, mind numbing, pick up a dot and stick it to a canvas, no thought really needed, time consuming busywork. but it's fun.

We play video games. I play WoW; Diablo (1,2,3....come on 4!!); Lego games; Animal Crossing; old games like Shining Force and Bubsy.... DH plays RDR2, Division 2. DS plays.....well, I don't want to know, lol.

DH is learning bass; DS is learning guitar. I play piano (well, once I get a new one or a keyboard, I'll be back to playing, lol)

Starting to cool down, we're hoping to get a couple quick camping trips in, in November; also, walks along the trail by our place, or other walks where we can.
by our place:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attract...ws-Black_Creek_Trail-Orange_Park_Florida.html
also like:
https://www.jacksonvillearboretum.org/

Cooking/baking skills. Trying new recipes, perfecting the ones I've used.

 

[easyas123]

I stocked up on puzzles last week. I enjoy the 1000 piece Ravensburger Disney puzzles because I love Disney and the 1000 piece White Mountain themed category puzzles (like drink mixes, snacks, 80’s, etc) because they are relatively easy. I’m not a fan of landscapes or challenging puzzles (like a field of sunflowers or something similar would be a hard no).

I always said I wasn’t a puzzle person, but they have a way of keeping your mind occupied and distracted from real world events. We had one going in the dining room pretty much continuously in March & April ... the whole family would just kind of pop in and out and work on them when we needed distracting.

I recently heard someone refer to them as meditative, and that really struck me. I think I may do exactly that, get one and start it on the dining room table where my husband and I can start to put it together and leave it be when we need to walk away.

 

[cvjw]

Whelp I just picked up some Butterscotch Schnapps and Apple Vodka for Caramel Apple Martinis and some Baileys for the Butterscotch & Baileys Shots I love so that might help a smidge plus we have firewood

At the moment I am contemplating what color to paint my oak cabinets I can't stand. Never liked them but now that I see them 24/7 it's grating on me. I love the Advance product I used in the bathrooms but the kitchen is such a big job. I would love to replace but that requires strangers and I want to sell soon anyway so I just need to decide on a color and begin along with my DD who is itching to do it and will likely do most of the work. I'm thinking an off white like Sherwin Williams Creamy but have no idea what colors will be in although it seems flat without gloss is a thing, so this will occupy me for a while . If it goes well maybe I'll do the same as you and paint rooms.

My interior designer went with sherwin Williams shiitake on my oak kitchen cabinets. The walls in the kitchen are 50% shiitake, 50% white custom mixed paint. It is a nice, calming color. Combined with light granite and black stainless appliances, it is visually appealing.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Laying a larger puzzle out to work on over time sounds like a great and fun idea I don't have the space to do this but definitely would if I did! I admit to not having too much (at one time) puzzle patience so prefer smaller puzzles. definitely agree they are fun. As an FYI, Dollar Tree usually has an assortment of puzzles by varying number of pieces.

I also try my best to keep in touch with elderly friends especially by phone and also cards. I love old fashioned happy snail mail! Good to see some of you on here, do, too I think now more than ever being connected and making an effort to remind folks they are in our prayers is more important than ever. Thank you all for doing that.

I also enjoy writing and along with friends am working on a book project.

I watch online church worship and in pray each day as well.

 

[loves to dive]

We actually never really "unlocked" so it won't be any different for us. It's just hubby and me (my son is grown and doesn't live at home). Hubby has worked from home for the at least the last 20 years so no different (he is actually sitting on the couch next to me right now working). I go into the office one day a week and that won't change. Hubby goes to the grocery store about once every 3 weeks or so and we have picked up fast food every once in awhile, that won't change. We live in Georgia so yard work is pretty much year round. We did take the RV out a lot this year because he was having to travel to a big client who has multiple locations to do huge upgrades so we probably won't take it out again until at least Feb. When he was off at the office the dog and I would take long walks around the RV parks and hike where it was available so that will change. We do have a decent sized neighborhood so we will be walking at home. Otherwise, it will be just like it has been, reading, watching Utube, working on Ancestry (me).

 

[Karin1984]

We are in lockdown again, and I had 'hoped' that I could spend these days quietly, but my thesis got rejected, I have some work to do to update it.
And I finally have regular work to do again! I have spend almost 6 months with a job, but no work. I have changed positions and can finally be useful again, which helps my state of mind immensely

Furthermore:
- I have restarted Chloe Ting's summer challenge & restarted my weight watchers program. I ate about 10 pounds in ice cream, chocolate and take out due to Covid/Thesis stress in the last few months. Those pounds need to go again.
- Yoga / Stretching in the morning and evening. I noticed that stretching in the morning just relaxes me and improves my mood.
- Notice the changing colors of the leaves on the trees outside / appreciate nature. It's autumn here and it's beautiful
- If I can, I will participate in Nanowrimo in November again (online writing challenge to reach 50.000 words in 1 month). I participated before, but only completed the challenge once. If my thesis allows it, I want to give it another try.
- Maybe video editing my previous Disney trips.

From the first lockdown, I would definitely advise to send cards. The first one I received was from my brother, at a very unexpected moment, and it was just so sweet

 

[belle032]

I'm in upstate NY, so I'm miserable during a normal winter. It's why we normally vacation during January/February. If we go into lockdown mode again, it's going to be tough. If we go back into working remotely AND lockdown, it's going to get real rough real quick in my household. It would be a lot easier to handle if I could lockdown at a beach somewhere.

Usually I would do house projects, but I'm pretty sure I exhausted all my indoor project options during our last lockdown. And outdoor during the winter is a no-go.

I'm stocked up on puzzles, so we're good there. I agree with other posters, they are something simple and almost therapeutic to do. I usually do them while watching TV, just to have something to focus on and do with my hands.

I play World of Warcraft, so that's always something. Fingers crossed the new expansion will be out by lockdown time!

I'll walk my dog as much as possible. He loves winter & snow, so as long as we can trudge through our wooded trails, we will.

Read a lot.

Keep up my workout routine. I highly recommend Beachbody on Demand for home workout programs.

Get even more into true crime podcasts than I already am. So many rabbit holes to go down!

Online Disney pin trading. I got pretty sucked in when I took a voluntary furlough from work. If anyone is into pin trading, it's a fun option.

We play video games. I play WoW; Diablo (1,2,3....come on 4!!); Lego games; Animal Crossing; old games like Shining Force and Bubsy.... DH plays RDR2, Division 2. DS plays.....well, I don't want to know, lol.

I'm a super casual WoW player, but maybe we need to look into a Disney guild!

 

[Wendy1985]

If the next lockdown is before 12/22 studying binge, if it is after reading bing

 

[unrequited23]

although it seems flat without gloss is a thing,

If you are painting something you need to wipe down or clean frequently, the glossier the finish the easier it is. I painted our cabinets (dark 70's walnut veneer) 4 yrs ago and it's held up pretty well. Our uppers are Greek Villa (I only remember because I tested 12 different shades of cream/off white to see which matched with the existing backsplash) and the lowers are a slate blue. Consider painting the underside of your upper cabinets if it would annoy you to see the old color while sitting in kitchen.