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"This is the day the Lord has made. We rejoice and be glad in it."
These are the words as they are written in the New Living Translation (NLT) of Psalm 118:24.
This is one of the bible verses I wrote down and keep reading to myself over the past week.
While we are currently in a “social distancing” situation, being quarantined to the confines of our home to minimize the spread of the Corona Virus, we can still rejoice and be glad in each new day.
We are only given today. So we must live for today and make the most of that day because once it is gone, we can’t get it back. What tomorrow brings is unknown.
The spread of the Corona Virus is causing much disruption to our normal routines and lives, but is it really? I honestly see this time as an opportunity to slow down, to enjoy extra time with our children and spouse.
Amidst the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, we rarely get the opportunity to slow down and actually enjoy each other and the gifts God brings us each day. God wants us to be still and spend time with him every day, but often we are too busy.
This unplanned circumstance is reigniting a fire within me that was starting to die down.
The days were long and my motivation was low for blogging projects, engaging in activities/crafts with my daughter and just playing with my son. I also started to lose my interest in cooking meals for my family. I was falling back on whatever was easiest and quickest to make (boxed macaroni & cheese, noodles & sauce, pizza, fast food).
However, now that I am mandated I need to be at home 24/7 with my children, I have a newfound motivation for planning activities for my daughter and find happiness playing on the floor with my son as he sifts through his basket of animal figures and pulls every book off the shelf. There is a feeling of peace knowing my children (and my husband) are happy, healthy and safe.
My husband is home 24/7 now, too, which is such a blessing and something I truly desired for weeks. He brings such joy to our home and I was missing him. He was working hard at his job as a computer programmer and swim coach so I can be the stay at home mom I’ve always desired to be, but I just missed him.
I know my daughter missed him, too! She looked forward to bedtime every night (and so did I) because my husband and her have a nice routine, just the two of them, for bedtime. While I feed and sit with my son, my husband spends those final moments of the day laying with our daughter, reading books and listening to music. It makes my heart happy listening to them talk about the particular magazine/book she chose. She lights up as soon as daddy comes home and that is something I just want to bottle up and remember forever. “Daddy!” she yells when he walks in the door.
So during these uncertain times, I am choosing to rejoice and be glad for each day. God is giving us this time with our families. It is a gift from Him and we must do all that we can to embrace it.
I want to share with you 10 ways to embrace each day and make it the best day ever! Enjoy your children. Laugh as a family. Create lasting memories.
10 Ways to Make the Most of Every Day
Read books together.
Employ a DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) time each day. Mom, dad and the kids sit and read books together.
Spend time reading books about a specific theme. Since spring arrived, we’ve been reading books about bees, bugs and flowers.
Use a simple chart to keep track of the books each family member reads. Set a goal to reach a certain total of books read.
Play board games, card games or interactive video games.
Games are a wonderful learning experiences for your children, especially while they are on an extended break from school.
Playing games is beneficial to their social development. They practice taking turns, being patient, following directions, and encouraging each other. Many games can improve concentration, focus and exercise the brain.
Playing games as a family brings about laughter and creates lasting memories for your children.
Put together a puzzle.
Puzzles are a fun way to hang out and spend time together as a family. There are so many puzzles to choose from that you are bound to find one that interests your family. Even the dollar store sells a wide variety of jigsaw puzzles!
Putting together puzzles brings me back to summers at my grandparents’ house. After playing outside all morning with the neighborhood kids, we came inside to cool off and there was always a puzzle in progress on the blue card table in the living room. It was a favorite thing of mine to do. I’d sit there and puzzle away while my grandmother watched her afternoon soap operas and my grandfather took a nap. I always felt a sense of accomplishment when I finished a section of the puzzle, too! I know your kids will feel this same thing once that puzzle is finished.
Take a nature walk.
Go for a walk after dinner as a family and see what you can find. Engage in conversation about the animals you see and the changes you see happening in nature. You can even give your kids a scavenger hunt to keep them engaged outside. They can look for specific things (a stick, a rock, a leaf, a flower, etc.) or specific colors. As they find something, just cross it off their paper.
The scavenger hunt gets them focused on nature and their surroundings. Plus, it can encourage teamwork if working together or add in an element of healthy competition if the kids are each doing it.
Have a movie night with popcorn/snacks.
Between Disney+, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, there is a wide variety of movies available at your family’s fingertips. Choose a movie, put the phones away in another room, pop some popcorn and kick back. We love watching movies in our home and we ALWAYS need popcorn when watching a movie.
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Cook a meal together.
Why not have your kids help you cook dinner? All activities are cancelled right now, so now is an excellent time to involve them in the kitchen. There’s more time to prepare and cook a meal. Plus, there are so many things your child can learn while being in the kitchen with you.
Bake something and share it with a neighbor.
This is similar to cooking a meal together. I love baking, but what I love most about baking is being able to share the goodness with others. Why not involve your kids in baking cookies, brownies, cupcakes or muffins? Rice Krispie Treats are fun, too 🙂 Then, deliver a plate of them to your elderly neighbors as a random act of kindness.
Write notes/letters/cards to friends or family.
Grab some construction paper, notebook paper, white paper, or boxes of cards (whatever you have on hand) and write messages to friends who you haven’t seen since being quarantined. Write about what you’ve been doing each day. For the younger kids, have them dictate a message to you and decorate the cards with a picture or stickers. Then mail them!
Do an arts and crafts project together.
Remember that bin of craft supplies you stashed in the basement closet or garage? Now is a great time to bring it out and let your kids create something. You can find a ton of ideas for spring-themed crafts to do with your children on Pinterest, but there is something fun about letting the imagination guide the process. Just have fun, laugh and create lasting memories!
Clean & organize a closet or room.
This is not the most fun, but maybe now is a good time to have your children help you go through old toys or clothes. Start a box of items they no longer need and want to donate.
While you might not be happy about all that is happening surrounding the Corona Virus, we need to take it as it is and make the most of this situation. “This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” Let this be your first thought every morning. Thank God for the new day. Think on this verse throughout the day and let it be your last thought as you drift off to sleep at night.