Well, our first week of our proverbial “lockdown,” or quarantine, is in the books. Honestly, I’m of two vastly different schools of thought here. On the one hand, as I shared on my instagram, I’m so incredibly grateful for this forced time to slow down together as a family. I think that just about every military family can attest to the fact that having this much time together beyond leave is pretty much unheard of. The last time we spent this much uninterrupted time together was in South Africa this past December, and we were constantly on the go there. This is different. We’re home. We’re alone. We’re uncomfortable. Any yet, we’re grateful. We’ve been doing our best to take advantage of our time together, so we developed our family quarantine bucket list – our very own list of must-dos while locked down together.
Today, I wanted to take the time to share our list with you. I think we’ve found a good mix of big and small, each of which gives us a little something to keep us sane, individually, while embracing our own personal versions of “fun,” as well. Here we go…
Our Family Quarantine Bucket List
- Have a Family Trunk Date – If you follow me on instagram, you might have seen this in our stories last week! We went to Chic-fil-A drive-thru (a favorite place of ours), and ate our food in the trunk. It’s totally out of the norm for us, but the kids loved it, and we had a lot of fun!
- Do a Family Yoga Session – Ryan’s been doing DDP Yoga for over a year now, and they actually have a kids’ yoga program, too. We made a goal to keep the kids moving and active through this, even though our normal hikes have been curtailed for the time being.
- Start the Kids’ Chores – We’ve been thinking of the right time to start the kids on chores of their own, and this seemed like the perfect time. So far, Spencer is emptying the little bathroom trash cans, and Porter is replacing the toilet paper in the bathrooms. They also help clean the table now. It’s a start.
- Spread Some Neighborhood Cheer – The boys and I tackled this last week! We went exploring in the woods behind our home – not off limits for us – and found a field of wild daffodils. We picked a few and took them to our neighbors’ houses and left them on the porch to brighten their days.
- Bake Something Together – Mieke’s first birthday is tomorrow (yes, I’m teary), and we’ll likely be working to bake her cake together! I also want to get Spencer in the kitchen to help me bake some cookies!
- Enjoy Daily Music Time – Ryan’s been great about this. We’ve been needing to balance our two work schedules while parenting three children and maintaining a household. Usually, while I work the first hour and a half each morning, Ryan’s been doing daily music time, and it’s a hit.
- Have a Family Theme Night – I’m working on this one right now, but I think we’re going to do something….cheesy.
- Clean Out Our Closets…Literally – I think this is a good time to get the kids, Spencer specifically, involved in decluttering our home. He’s at an age where he can decide what he does and doesn’t like to wear. We’ve got a lot of excess. My hope is to whittle down that excess and donate the rest when we’re done.
- Do a Scavenger Hunt – I’m in the midst of planning this, but the weather has been downright gross lately. Nevertheless, I think the boys and I, at least, will be doing a nature scavenger hunt in the fields and trails behind our neighborhood. I’ll be sure to share it when we’re done.
- Write Letters/Make Pen-Pals – We’ve been working on some handwriting and schoolwork while the kids are home. No, we’re not homeschoolers, but we do want to keep up the work they’ve been doing at preschool. We have a family/sibling chat, and Uncle Josh proposed the idea; if the boys write him letters, he’ll send one back…with stickers. So, if anyone else wants a letter, message me! We’d love more pen-pals!
- Have a Movie Theater Night – I’m looking forward to planning this one! I’m thinking drive-in for the kids (mentioned that here), and lots of pillows and cushions on the ground. It’ll be fun to ignore bedtime with the boys, specifically, one night!
- Make Breakfast for Dinner – I’m thinking all the fixings and having an elaborate breakfast for dinner smorgasbord. Totally self-serving, but it also sounds delightful!
- Complete at Least 8 Arts & Crafts – We’ve been doing art time for the kids, but I’ve been working on this, too! I made my first blanket in a long time this past weekend, and I have a goal to make a dress, as well as a few other things during this time. For the boys, stickers and play-doh are a huge hit!
I’ve loved following the “Stay Home” tag on instagram and seeing what everyone is doing/how people are taking advantage of this time you have together. It’s helped me create our family quarantine bucket list. Tell me, have you made a bucket list? What’s made your list, and what have you accomplished together thus far?
