Detroit's underwater again, I'm trapped inside & board so.... Why not make a like of 50 random things to do during a thunderstorm. After all, "Thunder is God bowling", if (you believe and there is a) God can have so much why can't we?!
1) Nap. Seriously, when's the last time you did that? And you can never have too much sleep. See Hayden's good at it:
2) Paint your dogs toe nails. Anyone else ever wanted to do that?
3) Don't have a dog? Go get one! They're pretty phenomenal. Loyal, obedient, loving, fuzzy & they'll let you paint their nails.
4) Watch a classic movie. There is plenty of time to watch movies but this time make a point to watch a classic like "Casablanca" or "Singing In The Rain".
5) Try a new recipe. If your pantry is stocked, try one of those fun foods you found on Pintrest.
6) Create a Frankenfood. If your pantry isn't stocked, create a contraption. Maybe you'll end up on a reality TV show!
7) Purge Your Closet. I feel like midsummer's light of day is best time to let those old duds go.
8) eBay those items. Your new fall wardrobe can be in your closet if you play your cards right.
9) Play a Board Game. When's the last time you played Candy Land or Shutes and Ladder? If you don't have those Cards Against Humanity is an amazing game!
10) Inventory Your Survival Gear. No, I'm not crazy. Or an extreme survivalist. Just a big fan of The Walking Dead. And fellow fans can attest, occasionally you look at your shelves and say, "I could eat that in a zombie apocalypse".
11) Finish That Project. If you're like me, there's a bin in your house of "sick day projects". Finish one cause you know it's WAY harder to do them when you're actually sick. Why do you even have projects for when you're sick anyway?
12) Clean Out Your Cabinet. Unfortunately there are probably a dozen cosmetics and medicines in your bathroom vanity that are expired. Rule of thumb: if you dip your fingers in to get it out (like a tub of moisturizer) than you have 6 months to use it. The bacteria from your hands grows on your products. Don't take any medication after the expiration date. The old wives take about it being viable 6 months or even a year after expiration is not safe or effective.
13) Clean Up Your DVR. I had 29 hours of Cup Cake Wars to work out. Oops.
14) Exercise. Just cause it's raining doesn't mean you can't do some yoga or start then squat challenge. Burn off calories and energy at the same time.
15) Clean Out Your Email. Maybe I'm the only person with 12,983 emails sitting there. Probably not. The way companies big and small send daily promotions in a fast, effective and cheap way, we probably all have a few to dump in the "trash".
16) Hone Some Photography Skills. You've got to have a camera laying around, at least in your cell phone. Learn the new settings, take pictures of your puppies or at the very least photography expensive items you may need to make an insurance claim on when your house floods. Just don't forget to save the camera! Lol
17) Learn Morse Code. I'm sure there's a full tutorial on google. Have you ever seen "Johnny Got His Gun"? Well, if you have you'll understand the importance if Morse Code.
18) Learn a New Song. There's got to be a song on whatever instrument you play that you've always wanted to learn. I've been trying to learn "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen for two years.... Seriously that's hard!
19) Back Up Your Cloud. Figure out wth that means and do it. That'll be first in my next rainy day.
20) Back Up Your Laptop. Seriously, no matter how many times I've been burned by this, I still don't do it regularly enough!
21) Take the Ab Challenge. There's about 100 fitness challenges out there, pick one, print it and hang it on your fridge. Highlight the days as you go along for visual motivation.
22) Pintrest. There's a whole world of motivation out there in a gloomy day. Skip Googling and head right to Pintrest for a photo over load of your preferred subject.
23) Print your photos. Speaking of photos, print them. Change out your living room frames, send some to grandma or just start an album.
24) Tackle a Wii Game. Weather is Guitar Hero or Mario Kart learning and beating a video game can be good for brain and your self esteem.
25) Visit The Musem. I'd be willing to bet there's a museum in your area that you haven't explored. Art, music, history, science choose your favorite and go for it. Beat the rainy day blues with education, creativity & motivation.
26) Try New Grub. While you're out, try some new local cuisine. There's two rules: it has to be a location new to you & you can't order your usual. Get off your keester, go out & explore!
27) Design Your Dream House. No seriously, a girl can dream right? Well, I have and I created my dream house while under the pale glow of lightening here: http://www.dreamhomesource.com.
28) Draw A Bubble Bath. Don't have the suds? No problem! While you fill the tub, grab about 1/2 cup of liquid bath soap and add 1 tablespoon of sugar, salt, oil or honey (actually a lot of things can go here) and 1 egg white. Accessories with a book or soothing music to relax or candels and you loved one for romance!
29) Make a List. There's probably 100 things you want to right down, so do it! Whether it's a Christmas or dream house wish list or a honey do home repair list, it's time to organize friend. Grab you yellow legal pad and go to town.
30) Compile a Cookbook. I've now done this 3 times. I took my husbands family recipe and made a bound collection for Christmas. My mother and I took recipe suggestions from multiple sides of our family and gave it away as a favor for my sister's bridal shower. Finally, gathered my husbands favorite recipes and mine and out them in a binder divided by "his", "hers" and "desserts" (the one thing we can agree on). They are great references and tokens!
31) Christmas Shop. Speaking of Christmas, let's tackle the list! I know it's terrible to shop so early in the year and it's like giving up on summer. But think about all the pros: you'll be organized and can enjoy the holidays, you'll save money, you'll actually have money at the end of the year bc you spent ahead, you can get thoughtful thought out gifts for your loved ones. I have a tote in my office closet that I throw gifts in to all year. As of 8/15 I have shopped for all my nieces and nephew completely.
32) Catch Up On Laundry. There's never enough time for that, especially in the middle of summer when you can go outside. Well you can't today so why not start a load. Maybe you can even sort it out first?!
33) Match the Socks. In my house there is a "no sock left behind" policy. That means all the unmatched knitties left behind in the load gets placed in a box for a rainy day. Time to organize, sort and cut the lost boys down to wash rags.
34) Deep condition your hair. There's a lot of at home remedies for deep condition your locks. For repair try running a 1/2 cup of mayonnaise from your fridge and brush it into your hair. For shine whip one-two egg yokes and brush into hair. For overall deep conditioning paint coconut oil into your locks. For all of these treatments wait up to 15 minutes, rinse, wash and condition if necessary.
35) Host A Tea Party. Cause girls are never too grown up to sip tea pinkies up! Call your girlfriends, brew some tea, make some finger sandwiches and gossip with your pearls on. A favorite finger sandwhich is cucumbers and cream cheese infused with lemon and dill on a white roll, delicious!
36) Drink Sampling Party. Call your friends, go buy some clear 6-8 oz cups, print some score cards and have at it! Now there's two ways to go about this. First, the G Rated version is the good ole Coke vs. Pepsi blind taste test. You can even add in a store brand cola for fun. Second, for the 21 and over crowd host a Six Pack Sampler Party where guests bring a 6 pack of their choice and throw it in the fridge. When you go for a drink, pick your poison from any inside. Or my personal favorite is Wine Around The World party where you give each guest attending a country and they bring a bottle from their land. Everyone who buys, tries! The score cards are cool because you can compare notes or maybe the buyers with the most votes wins. Just remember to drink responsibly, call a cab or throw a slumber party!
37) Visit the Library. Local or drive in to the city, it doesn't matter, go check out a book. It can be special interest, DIY, fiction, whatever you want. Escape the drizzle by curling up with a good book.
38) Outdoor Sports Inside. Sometimes it's just as fun to take the outdoors inside. You can rock climb, play racquet ball or swim at many local gyms and rec centers. They often offer day passes for $10-$20 and most offer child care during your visit.
39) Write Your Autobiograohy. Even if you don't end up rich and famous your kids and grand kids will want to know about your life. Maybe you'll find fulfillment or maybe you'll add a few things to your bucket list. At the very least it's an excercise in self evaluation and writing.
40) Bucket List. I know in my head I have about 100 items on my bucket list but there's nothing white like actually writing it down and crossing the tasks off one-by-one.
41) Binge Watch A New TV Series. There's MANY ways you can go with this! You can pick a classic like "I Love Lucy", go for something dramatic like "Law & Order", current like "Orange Is The Nee Black" or sci-if/fantasy like "Game Of Thrones" or "The Walking a Dead". So good!
42) Call Your Mother. Grandmother, long lost best friend from collage, etc. Take this time to catch up!
43) Teach Your Old Dog A New Trick. Prove that you cant is a myth. Don't have a dog or you haven't gotten it yet? Yeah your cat, bird or child. Knowledge is power!
44) Swap A Joint Massage. It is an awesome technique designed especially for your joints to relax and release. From your hips to your finger tips, slowly moving your joints back and forth and in circles clockwise and counterclockwise can release toxins and loosen up surrounding muscles. It's an extremely easy and relaxing technique to share with a loved one.
45) Give Away Back Massages. Not to your partner, to you peds and children. I bet that is something you don't do often. Briscoe and Mardi love their back massages. Hayden just giggles through his but I can't blame him, he is one ticklish baby!
46) Go Rollerskating. Anybody want to go relive middle school and blow off some energy? Call me!
47) Staycation. Go grab a last minute cheap hotel room for the night. Preferably nearby with an awesome pool, jacuzzi suite or fantasy room. Pretend your on a vacation when you're really at home. You can even stay at a local casino get two trips in one!
48) Go Fishing For Freebies. Its a time consuming job for someone who has nothing but time and isn't that exactly what a rain day is? Google freebie sites for samples, coupons, mail in offers, sweepstakes. I've gotten some great stuff for my son and about 1,500 return address labels.
49) Get Charitable. Read up on organizations that support causes you believe in. Find volunteer opportunities, facts to help share awareness on social media or make a donation. In the past week of rainy days I made a product donation to "Project Night Night", did some research on ALS, did the Ice Bucket Challenge with a donation and in honor of National a Dog Day today I spread the facts on dog abuse and where to find help. There's tons of worthy causes, find something to love and share with loved ones.
50) Meditate. Is there anything more soothing than listening to the sound of rain? Layback, close your eyes and listen. Let the sounds carry you away to a peaceful place. Breathe in your strength and breathe out your negativity. With each exhale let go of your stress, challenges and negative thoughts. When you're done you'll feel refreshed. Namaste bitches.
