What To Do At Home

November is usually the month of sickness in our family, and this year is no different.  All three of us are currently at different stages of the cold or the flu.  What this means is that we've been spending lots of time at home--in bed, on the couch, and on Facebook.  And now that Cadence is in preschool, I'm pretty sure that this will be a recurring theme until all our immune systems have made the proper adjustments.

So what do you do to keep from going stir crazy when you're all homebound and feeling under the weather?  I suppose we could bake a pie, but our oven's broken.  Maybe I could just commission some of these carrot cupcakes.  I've definitely been filling up on hot tea.  I should probably get through one of the books I've started but never finished.  I suppose if we get really bored, we could always start jumping on the bed.  It's times like these I really wish I knew how to knit. 

Share with us your favorite things that make extended indoor time at home fun and cozy or just bearable--crafts, games, books, movies, comfort foods/drinks, you name it.  And if you have links to images of you and your families doing these things, that's even better.

Don't forget to leave a comment here today for a chance to win your own copy of America at Home with your very own custom cover. It’s the third post of our Sundays at Home series for November.

Comments

[Carrie]

Being home with the kids on a stormy day, playing a silly board game in front of the fireplace because the power went out . . . that is perfect.

[Chris]

We like to play card games. Uno, War, Crazy 8's...any really. We always end up laughing and laughing and also have the best conversations at the same time. I just love those moments.

[shelli]

We're learning how to draw.


http://web.me.com/pabis/Mama_of_Letters/Camera_Happy/Pages/Nikon_D60.html#45

[Di]

We have a large dog, so I snuggle with her on her bed with a blanket in front of the fireplace with a hot cup of tea close at hand. Dogs always know when you're feeling under the weather and give you lots of 'It'll be better soon' slurps on the face.

http://theblueridgegal.blogspot.com/

[ELK]

share the sun through windows with art pieces ...get that vitamin D!
http://www.redorgray.com/

[Jami Keyes]

Catch up on homework, cook dinner, watch Lord of the Rings.

[cindy k]

i like to sew
http://flickr.com/photos/71443419@N00/2845235713/
and make different things with my photos
http://flickr.com/photos/71443419@N00/3004931017/in/set-72157601198259676/

[margie]

i love my bed. first place i head when i am feeling under the weather.

http://3yrplan.typepad.com/photo_du_jour/

[Andie]

How I spent the last rainy weekend at home:
http://wifemotherpainter.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/11/rain.html
a.

[Jess]

I like to bake as the weather gets colder.
http://fifthlampdown.blogspot.com/2008/11/one-good-loaf.html

[Terri]

I spend the cold winter months baking breads, making huge pots full of tomato sauce , doing a lot of prep work for future meals and just relaxing by the fireplace with a good book and a cup of hot tea.

[karenika]

For my son and I, our favorite thing to do is to paint. we like to sit side by side and paint together. As a family, we also like to play the wIi. And then there's hot chocolate and curling up with a good movie. Who canbeat that?

[Secret Agent Mama / Mishelle Lane]

Cooking is always a good indoor pastime!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/secretagentmama/3032334905/

[Stephanie]

Since I find it very difficult to sit and do nothing, the last two weekend I've been going through my boys toys. Throwing out the broken ones, sending some to their grandmas' houses. Organizing the ones we are keeping.. For some reason this is like finding buried treasure with them. When I'm done my 3 year old will play quietly in his room with a toy he forgot he had.

[DonnaG]

It's the same in our house this weekend - the house of Mr. and Mrs. Puny. But the silver lining is that I'm getting caught up on all my magazines which have been woefully neglected. I think I will take a picture of the stack (or two ... or three) later tonite.

[Mama DB]

Living in Los Angeles, we are spoiled in that we can enjoy the outdoors most of the year. With all of the wildfires recently, however, we've had to keep the kids indoors for a couple of days now (the air is acrid with smoke and there is ash on everything). We've been rediscovering the classic kids board games! Trouble, Connect 4, Hi Ho Cherrio!, Chutes and Ladders, Candy Land. We've had a lot of fun and the kids haven't been too bored. And there's nothing like a good game of hide & go seek. Nothing beats it!

Feel better,
Danielle

[gonzomama]

i've started henry on his own needlework, so we've been sitting side by side some days. it's a great project because it's mess free and he can set it down and come back to it when the mood strikes him. we also do a lot of watercolor paintings (so easy to clean up).
and in the evening nothing beats a fire, popcorn and a movie.

http://flickr.com/photos/59735955@N00/3008543520/
http://flickr.com/photos/59735955@N00/3008513622/
http://flickr.com/photos/59735955@N00/2918162761/in/set-72157603845082673/
http://flickr.com/photos/59735955@N00/3034451395/

[Kacey]

I shoot photos out my home office window...which sometimes provides great surprises:
http://www.wineonthekeyboard.com/2008/11/16/why-arent-they-afraid/

or I find an object inside my house, photograph it and then mess with it in photoshop:
http://www.wineonthekeyboard.com/2008/04/22/whee-lo/

[Martha]

If I had a serious chunk of indoor time, I'd clear off the kitchen table and get busy making a quilt!
http://flickr.com/photos/14756941@N08/2469070271/in/set-72157604524614387/

[Jennifer]

My boys recently discovered comics. On cold rainy days there is a lot of comic reading in my house. :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/veridianblue/3033964526/

[sara]

if i've got a day to myself at home, i'm usually either taking advantage of it and cleaning everything i can or curled up on the couch, knitting and watching dvds. and there is always npr on my radio on those precious weekend days at home.

lately, though...i've been obsessed with finishing my latest knitting project (see link below) and catching up on two seasons of 30 rock, so there hasn't been much cleaning going on here.

http://flickr.com/photos/scorpiosphynx/3001324238/in/set-72157594361686064/

[Just Jinny]

Colder weather makes me think of fleece blankets, hot cocoa, and soup.

http://realworldgirl.blogspot.com/2008/11/weekly-winners-photo-hunt-shutter.html

[Shane Shine]

Have a fort building contest! :)

Get out all the extra blankets, pillows and the couch cushions and build a cozy fort to take a nap in or read a story.

[Kate Baumert]

http://happyinthehamptons.blogspot.com/2008/11/yesterday-i-went-into-smiling-jacks.html

This is one of my favorite cold day places to visit.

[gardenymph]

This is what we did last weekend. It was a three day weekend and I needed a rescue plan. I didn't mind giving up the kitchen table for a few days if it meant that the kids would be occupied in creative play.

http://gardenymph.com/?p=324

We are also dealing with school bugs. Hope you and your family get well soon.

[Shawna]

There's a sunbeam coming in through our window and we're making pie today. It doesn't get much better than this. :O)

[Jodyangel]

I find on a down day it's a good thing to try and get the laundry done. Ok well try!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jodyangel/3034962739/

[Rachel Parton]

This weekend has been an "indoor" weekend for me - thankfully I'm not under the weather. It's been snowing & cold. Yesterday I cleaned the house & today I made my mom's potato soup.

http://partonponderings.blogspot.com/2008/11/sunday-afternoon.html

[Colleen Catania]

Start a 1,000 piece puzzle....

[Colleen Catania]

Start a 1,000 piece puzzle.....

www.drywatermedia.com

[mary]

We actually read a lot:

http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/2008/09/tea-in-library.html


And I love playing with my photos on Big Huge Labs:

http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/2008/11/playing-with-pictures.html

[june]

I love flipping through my stacks of old magazines or curl up under the blankets and read a book.

[CarrieJ]

right now, my daughters favorite indoor game is "Monkey in the Middle" with her one year old brother as the monkey. We have to remind her to let him get the ball every few times, but overall it is good fun for everyone.

[lora]

we have been STIR crazy! it's so cold and gloomy out. we have been doing bedroom makeovers and adding indoor fun spots in areas to give the winter months a little promise and appeal. =)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28987938@N00/3033066164/

[Traci]

watching a good movie! :)

[Cindy]

WE like to get cozy in front of our woodstove and play with all the toys and games in the middle of the lvingroom! I hope I win!

[Angie]

We read. http://www.flickr.com/photos/anewsome/2233408534/ when we aren't cozying up to boxes of tissues and warmed-up soup.

[Michelle]

Sorry you're under the weather. Books, movies, cards and computers occupy us when we're trapped indoors.

[Lindy]

With it raining so much here in Manchester we often have to find indoor activities to keep us busy (and mama sane!). One of my favorite things to do with my daughter is bake. She may only be 2.5 but the kid has some mad baking skillz!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/designcrane/2886076242/in/set-72157605991187157/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/designcrane/2886058540/in/set-72157605991187157/

And as far as licking spoons well she's an expert at that too!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/designcrane/2531119517/in/set-72157605991187157/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/designcrane/2223825187/in/set-72157605991187157/

[Julie Alvarez]

I sew
http://flickr.com/photos/juliealvarez/3026717085/
Zoe paints
http://flickr.com/photos/juliealvarez/3020237985/
We arrange the nature shelf and talk a bit about season's changing
http://flickr.com/photos/juliealvarez/3010017149/
We try to find other innumerable entertainments
http://flickr.com/photos/juliealvarez/3006133041/
We all cook something good for the soul
http://flickr.com/photos/juliealvarez/2988869701/
I take pictures of everything around me
http://flickr.com/photos/juliealvarez/2989260414/
Dad and her baby read
http://flickr.com/photos/juliealvarez/2967720968/
We talk with our imaginary friends
http://flickr.com/photos/juliealvarez/2965121114/
We hang in bed a little...
http://flickr.com/photos/juliealvarez/2959246402/
...with a good book
http://flickr.com/photos/juliealvarez/2959225376/
And of course I knit
http://flickr.com/photos/juliealvarez/2585235035/
(Sorry, this was like a book...)

[Suzanne]

We bake brownies, which is somewhat of a high-wire act with two-year olds. We clean up. I think that they actually enjoy the cleaning up more than the baking. And then, we all cuddle on the couch and color as the smell of brownies baking fills the house.

[leigh]

I always turn to cooking when I'm stuck inside.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3232/3035997639_1d531f9d75_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3289/3036832154_bdfc87f26c_o.jpg

[~ kristina ~]

I scrapbook while my husband reads news online!

http://meadowlarkdays.blogspot.com/2008/11/admission.html

http://meadowlarkdays.blogspot.com/2008/11/easy-scrapbook.html

[Jenny Rebecca]

November is when we come outside to play in Florida! We did camp out in the living room and watch lots of DVDs though a few years ago when we had that year of 3 hurricanes each 2 weeks apart.

[melody is slurping life]

Fighting the yuckies for weeks now at our house. We've almost exhausted most means of entertainment...except eating and wrestling. Love this image!

[Leah G]

Feeling under the weather is definitely the worst. (Especially when it's that kind that keeps you from going out, but not severe enough to sleep the days away.) Our best remedy is movies and lots of reality television (Bravo and the Style network helps lots in this area). Other than that, I restlessly move from books to staging and taking photos to the Internet, and back again.

[Jamie]

Sunday's at home are simply the best: http://umbrellablog.com/uncategorized/sundays-at-home/

[Mandy]

I hardly ever link stuff here, but enjoy the site immensely. But, my recent post fits perfectly into your question of what we've been up to this week. Also, a lot of time at home, but oh so many things we've done....and here are just a few.
http://2nd2theright.blogspot.com/2008/11/eat-play-love.html

[NatureMama]

I felt the same as you on the knitting front, so I learned how! Some friends who were also learning and I started up a knitting group, and it is very rewarding and relaxing. I had to photograph my first piece when I had finished it, although I never went back and took a photo of it sewn together...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/naturemama/2970928686/

[Ellen Patton]

Baking!