We’re on day 40 of quarantine and despite the photo below…we’re all happy, healthy, and finally getting the hang of this social distancing thing. I took this photo recently during a moment of childhood boredom; which I’m sure some of your kids may be experiencing too. Our virtual learning started a few weeks ago, but my crew has been finishing their work by lunchtime - which leaves a lot of hours in the rest of the day! I’ve put together a list of easy household projects we’ve been working on during the quarantine. Keep in mind, this list is LIGHT. There are days when I accomplish nothing more than my required Mom tasks. Something about the current crisis dampens my motivations - and you know what? That’s normal. We all need to give ourselves loads of grace during this time. I think with so many life events being cancelled, it’s crushed the spirit of the planner types (me included) so we may be feeling a little gun-shy when it comes to planning any sort of project. So here’s a few things that we’ve been up to…and I hope it will inspire and not overwhelm you.

Paint

Thankfully we had purchased extra paint at a recent sale at Sherwin Williams a few months ago. Once our state lockdown took place we went shopping in our basement, found the wall color we needed and started painting our living room. We had previously used a flat white paint and after almost 9 years, the walls were looking rough! This is definitely a project that we get our kids to help with. Rolling paint can sometime be tricky for them - so one of the best ways to get the kids involved is to give them a smaller brush for their little hands and let them help with cutting in!

A note on choosing whites: Our walls take on a green cast since from all the trees surrounding our property so we had chosen a white with a drop of magenta - Sherwin Williams Arcade White in Eggshell (pictured above). In case you aren’t familiar with color correcting in photography - it is very helpful when choosing white paints for your home. Blue cancels out yellow (and vice versa) and magenta cancels out green (and vice versa). So if you live in a home with direct sun and your home gets a lot of warm light, you’ll want to choose a cooler white (with blue or gray tones) vs. a white with warm tones (yellows, reds). Don’t have extra paint in your basement? That’s ok - many boutique paint stores are offering curbside pickup - call your local paint sore and see what services they are offering during this time!

Plant a Garden

I know, this trend started weeks ago but we are finally jumping on the bandwagon. Last summer, we volunteered at a community garden and my kids had so much fun picking veggies and tending to the beds! It’s an outdoor activity that’s both beneficial and fun. Not to mention you can consider it science class! We love this raised bed from Etsy and you can easily purchase plants safely at your local garden center. Thankfully, garden shops across the country are considered essential - so you can get quality plants and support a small business at the same time! Many of these businesses are offering curbside or delivery - so no need to venture out to a crowded hardware store!

Play

Yep, I definitely put playing on your to-do list. You can thank me later. Hopefully the sun in shining in whatever town you are in. It’s shining here today. And it’s spring. I am so thankful that our quarantine didn’t take place in winter…it’s as if the earth is reminding us to enjoy it without any distractions. Even if your work schedule only allows a small amount of time to play, put in on your calendar. Don’t feel pressure to accomplish everything right now. Hang your hammock and have a reading party, take your bikes out for a spin, pull out those dusty board games. I’m about to put in to practice what I’m currently preaching: I’m shutting my laptop and going to a fly a kite with my kids.