Most of you in Singapore would be stuck at home (some with kids!) for the next 3 weeks. No more travelling or dining out!
Fret not, we have lined up 10 stay at home activities for you to pass time and keep everyone domesticated. So you don’t turn into a monster that your spouse or kids don’t recognise, or become zombies who have nothing much to do around the house.
Some of these are actually on my retirement to-do list too! Except now I don’t have to wait for retirement to do it.
Contents
1. Clean Up.
Take this chance to follow Marie Kundo and make your living space “spark joy”! Who says Spring Cleaning is only for the new year? Redecorate your home and get rid of your unwanted junk. Better still, make some money and sell them on Carousell or donate to the Salvation Army. After all, one’s man junk is another man’s treasure, right? Take this opportunity to teach the kids how to use the washing machine , rice cooker or dish washer. These are important life skills that will help them in future!
2. Shape Up.
Now is the best time to lose that belly fat! Instead of gaining weight from too much sitting or working from home, let’s shape up! There are plenty of online exercise tutorials that we can do in the comfort of our own home. Prefer fresh air? Walk, jog or cycle in the neighbourhood park. But remember to keep your social distance!
3. Read Up.
Time to take out those books you’ve been wanting to curl up and read! No books to read because the library and book stores are closed? Try e-books or audio books. Parents, Audible is offering free audio books for kids, so go ahead and turn your kiddos into little audio bookworms! SPH is also giving free access to some of their e-magazines for 3 months, so read away!
4. Learn Online.
Upgrade yourself, and take up a new hobby. Or use your SkillsFuture credits and take up a training course. Be it cooking, coding or even learning a new language. I’m gonna start learning basic conversational Malay with my daughter. This is also a good time to try out new recipes at home, and prepare some healthy home-cooked meals for the family too! Don’t need to rush to the supermarket ya, there will be enough food to go around.
5. Binge Watch.
Life is about balance. So while we encourage you to shape up and exercise, it’s also okay to reward yourself and be a coach potato once in a while. So take out your ice cream and snacks, cuddle up with your favourite cushion (we love these Pusheen ones!) and binge watch on Netflix or Prime Video! You deserve it. Comfort food is very important during these depressing times. One of my favourite binge watching snacks are these spicy Ma La peanuts!
6. Plan Your Finances.
The next 3 weeks is a good time to do some financial planning. Especially if you’ve lost your job, got a pay cut, or had to shut down your business. These are tough times going, but the tough will get going! And planning for your personal P&L to avoid being in the red can’t get any more important right now. Don’t forget to find out and include in your planning the various government assistance that you can receive from the Solidarity Budget!
7. Family Time.
Spend some quality time with your family. Play a board game, watch a show or read a book together. Or just have a talk and catch up with your parents, your spouse and your kids.
We love playing family friendly games (like Mario Kart!) on our good old Nintendo Wii game console. But if screen time is an issue, try some fun boards games! My family’s all time favourite is World of Disney’s Eye Found It. We have both the board and card versions!
8. Me Time.
When the whole family is stuck at home together, it might be harder to carve out some “me” time or couple time (especially if you have kids!). Drawing up a work plan or daily schedule would help, in terms of letting kids and other family members who are living together know where (in the house) you would be working at, and when you would need some peace and quiet. Especially if your work from home requires some video conferencing and phone calls. Work aside, “me” time also means pampering yourself! Now that you don’t have to “rush” or spend time dressing up to go to work everyday, take the extra time to sleep in a little later, or take a longer bath. Taking care of yourself physically will also improve your mental health.
Since we head out lesser now during the weekends, I have been indulging in all kinds of bath products to prolong my weekend baths. Bubble bath soap and bath bombs are the most fun. My kids love these colorful bath bombs from Crayola.
9. Dear Diary.
I wrote in diaries a lot when I was in school. And I now let my 10 year old read these diary entries, so she can catch a glimpse of how school was like for her mother. At least now I have some credibility when I share my stories and experiences and show her that I’ve BEEN there and done that!
During this 3 weeks, let’s take a break from the increasingly digitised world we live in, and start using a pen and write in an actual book or diary! Before we forget how our handwriting looks like.
Harry Potter fans, check out these cool notebooks for you to start your wizarding journey of journalling!
10. Shop Online. Support Local.
There is never a better time to do some online shopping now that we are stuck at home and can’t visit our favourite shopping malls. So log into your Shopee, Lazada accounts and engage in some retail therapy. Need a break from all the home cooked meals? Order your next meal online with Grab Food, Food Panda and Why Q. You will be spoiled for choice.
And while you are shopping online, do remember to support your local small and medium businesses who might be struggling during these tough times!
Diaper Cakes Singapore will continue to accept orders and deliver your gifts to your loved ones during this circuit breaker period.
So whether it’s a baby gift, a get-well gift or a birthday gift, we will continue to spread the joy and cheer on your behalf while you shop in the comfort of your own home.
Stay safe everyone!
Click here to add your own text