Did you ever think there would be a shortage of toilet paper? Or we would attempt to cut/color our own hair, OD’ing on hand sanitizer, or that wearing masks would become the norm?
Matter of fact, we have a Rockton Parody all about it.
Being in this COVD life since March sure has been challenging. It has created anxiety and uncertainty and put a lot of stress on us and our families. But, in the midst of all the chaos, we are also getting more creative, learning new things, and making the most of it.
What has the team at Rockton been up to? Many of us have been cleaning, decluttering, learning new things, and staying active. We thought it would be fun to share some of the ways we’ve been keeping busy in hopes to help give you ideas as we head into the winter months.
Lisa Oberg
- Golf – it’s one of the only sports right now that makes you feel good, allows you to get some fresh air & exercise, spending time with friends while social distancing, and lets you forget about COVID for a few hours.
- Family Game Night – Our go-to game right now is Catan. It involves the whole family, promotes problem-solving mixed with a little strategy and is something different than Monopoly.
- Using “Microsoft Teams” for Virtual Happy Hours – I’ve been connecting with my college sorority sisters and it’s been a great opportunity to catch up, talk about our kids and their challenges with being in High School, distance learning, sports etc. and our other children that are facing similar challenges with college.
Jim Peliksza
We have used this extended lockdown to finally declutter our house. We made a list of everything that needs addressing in every room and have been knocking down that list, little by little, pretty much every weekend since this began. I don’t know if I would call it “fun” per se, but the results are endlessly satisfying.
Mark Rockwell
I’ve done more TV watching in the past few months that I have in the same number of years. Netflix exclusively.
Mike Watt
I tried to cut my own hair… but I don’t think it would be considered fun… the end result certainly isn’t.
Oh, one thing I have done that’s fun is Legos! Built an awesome VW Van.
Paul Pollock
My family has slowed down and we have planned more “togetherness” moments. We went camping almost every weekend for 2.5 months starting around May when the campgrounds opened up. We spent many nights by the fire sharing stories, fishing early in the morning and fishing at night, going to the beach, swimming for hours, renting kayaks and standup boards, playing card games in the camper, and going for hikes more than we ever did in previous years. In all of these weekend trips, there were so many fun memories or things we did together and that is what got us through a lot.
COVID has affected so many lives & families (and continues to do so). Families have lost loved ones and I can’t imagine their grief. For our family though, COVID has helped bring us together and form a stronger family bond. It forced us to listen more and talk less. It also gave (forced) us to show our kids how you handle bad situations like a pandemic. Like making personal hygiene something we can all get better at. We try to be the examples for them, even though we are just as nervous as they are.
This summer we spent many hours outside landscaping and adding value to our home. We added new flower beds, transplanted hostas to add more life, built garden boxes for my kids so they could plant strawberries, grew tomatoes in several planters, and I tried growing jalapenos for the first time. I put up bird and squirrel feeders as well.
Shawn Strayer
- Got a new bow for my Birthday so I have been going to the archery range and shooting more!
- Driving through the mountains to enjoy the fall colors.
- Quick camping trip using our rooftop tent on the Jeep.
- Spending time with our dog who is getting up there in age
Kris Berger
- We’ve done a virtual couple’s cooking classes. The classes we have taken go from making a Charcuterie meat & cheese board to Chicago deep-dish pizza and Thai Curry.
- We’ve done a virtual escape room with a group
- Using the Houseparty app, we’ve connected with friends and family to play the trivia and games that are part of the app
- We’ve found a lot of new walking trails in our area
- We’ve had patio happy hour with friends
- Spa nights at home – facials, manicures, and pedicures
- Met family at parks to do socially distant walks
- Attended online church on Sunday mornings. It’s become one of our favorite times to be together get organized for the week and have breakfast
- Firepit and movies outside
Sue Roe
- Planted a garden
- Multiple home repair and improvement projects
- Started a weekly Zoom book club with my siblings, nieces and nephews
- Stream yoga classes
- Moved kids back and forth to college two extra times
- Played backyard beer pong with same kids
- De-cluttered house, Marie Kondo style
- Helped my daughter sew her first quilt
- Rediscovered cards and board games and got some new ones (recommend Wizard)
Alicia Weigel
Well, what have I done so far? It’s quite a list.
- Put our Christmas lights up on the house
- Organized nearly every corner and closet in the house
- Baked more than I have in my life
- Taught my boys how to bake without burning the house down
- Countless puzzles with the family
- Teaching my boys how to play chess
- Started designing my holiday cards
- Sent quarantine gifts for friends stuck at home
- Finally programmed my Alexa to do what I say
I am not done yet, here is what I have left or want to do:
- Plan to learn calligraphy
- Start a succulent garden for the winter months so I have something green growing inside for winter
- Redecorate both of my son’s rooms
Amiee Keenan
It feels like so long ago when you could just get on a plane and go anywhere. I was going to FL a few times a year to visit family (my parents, daughter, and granddaughter) well since that’s not happening we are Facetiming a lot more.
We also have the Facebook Portal which makes it easier and you don’t have to worry about your phone dying so quickly.
I have been doing a lot of organizing and decluttering but still have a ton to go. I just received a Cricut Joy for my birthday. I plan to use that a lot in the coming months as it gets colder here in RI. Maybe I will become a DIY crafter.
Angie Hinickle
During the lockdown, I have had 2 distractions that have helped keep me from pulling my hair out (which I suppose would be the closest thing I have had to a haircut!)
Knitting is a longtime hobby of mine, but this year my knitting has become pandemic focused. I knit a rainbow stuffie to hang in my window to show love and solidarity with my community. I used the leftover rainbow yarn to knit a baby blanket for a friend’s pandemic born baby.
Animal Crossing – Imagine if you could escape our current 2020 reality to a faraway desert island with only those you love and some surreal and adorable animal neighbors….all from the comfort of your quarantine couch. That pretty much sums up the Nintendo Switch game Animal Crossing. My 7-year-old daughter and I have fully immersed ourselves in this fun and creative game. And it has the added bonus of visiting our friends’ and family’s islands who live in other states. It has helped us all stay connected in a unique setting.
What you have been doing during this time in quarantine, feel free to share them with us?
