It’s nearly February and the four walls are starting to get closer. I feel it in the air and within my family. We are feeling bored and not-so-patiently awaiting the spring blossoms to start popping out of the ground. Despite a limited number of trips outside of the house – to the grocery store and the occasion toboggan ride down the hill in the back yard, we are starting to feel the anxiety of cabin fever.

I was thinking of some ways to slow down the progress of cabin fever over the next two months and here is what I have come up with:

Tackle The Boring Household Chores
If you are bored enough being stuck in the house, now may be the ideal time to do some spring cleaning and accomplish some of the tasks you ordinarily consider boring. Wash down the walls, vacuum the cobwebs in the corner, get down on your hands and knees to clean the kitchen floor. This physical activity can pick up your spirits. Throw on your favorite tunes and get the whole family cleaning and dancing on a boring, stormy weekend then celebrate your hard work with popcorn and a family-friendly movie you haven’t seen in a while. Turn out the lights and get cozy warm together.

Get Ready For A Spring Sale
As soon as the weather turns for the better, everyone and their mama will want to be outside. It is the perfect time to host a yard/garage sale and there is no better time to prepare than now. After the holidays, kids may be more likely to part with the old to make room for all the new. Give everyone an empty box and have them gather their goods. Let kids who are able to help, get in the act of sorting and pricing the goods for sale. Once you have organized and priced everything on the floor, pack up your stuff and it is ready to go when the weather turns warm again. With a few well-placed advertising fliers, you can rack up a nice chunk of change in one afternoon. Plus, you are getting a jump on the spring cleaning and you have a whole day to look forward to of lounging around outside, helping customers take away your stuff.

Get Organized
If you are not up for moving around or get bored in the evening hours, settle in with a calendar and a notebook and start getting mentally organized. No one wants to sit home on the nice days making plans, so get a jump on things in the dead of winter. Coordinate your kids calendars, family budgets, necessary paperwork, and all the other things that tend to get out of control when you have no time. You can also divide up the things you want to get done in the upcoming weeks before spring hit the air. Divide lists into simple projects that take only a a few minutes to accomplish to the larger tasks that can take a whole weekend. The next time boredom strikes you can reference your list and find something constructive to do. Make sure you create age-appropriate categories for the rest of the family to help you out with instead of lounging all day in front of the television.

Find Your Inner Kid
Nothing can break up boredom faster than an impromptu pillow fight. It can be so easy to get grumpy and stressed out being snowed in your home with the kids. Break down your stress levels and jump down on the floor for some good old fashion play with your kids. Host a day of anti-bored games that involve as much physical activity as you can manage safely at home then play some actual board games to wind down later in the evening. The kids will love the playfulness and probably be much less stressful to you if you are all releasing the pent-up energy together.

Get In the Kitchen
Bring the family together for a day of baking or cooking for the freezer. The heat from the oven will help conserve your oil bills and everyone will reap the rewards of great foods for dinner and desert. Research kid-friendly recipes on the internet and let the little ones do a safe project on their own to keep them busy while the older kids get to cooking. Nothing like a great smelling kitchen to beat the winter blues. Comfort food is also a great solution for feeling out of sorts.



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