Board Game

6 Things to Do When Bad Weather Keeps You Home!

Winter is known for many things, especially keeping us stuck in our homes due to bad weather!  It can be frustrating when rain, ice, or snow forces us indoors.  But it shouldn’t be!  There’s plenty to do to keep you and your family members occupied—you can even have some fun!  Here are some suggestions:

Board Games

Do something the whole family can join in on: board games.   Sure, they may be old-fashioned and don’t come with as many bells and whistles as that Wii or Blue Ray player. So what? These games have been around for decades. There must be something good to them.
Monopoly isn’t only fun because it lets you buy real estate, collect rent, and build hotels—all while you try not to go broke—it also teaches some good lessons in risk, investing, and managing money. For something a bit less challenging, try Candy Land, which has been the first game many children have played for more than 50 years. Colorful characters and whimsical places take children through a journey of magic and fantasy. What better activity for a bad day? Some of our other favorites include Bobble, LIFE, Jenga, checkers, chess, Clue, and Apples to Apples.

Winter Cleaning

All right, enough fun. Now it’s time to get down to some work. Do you have a closet you’ve been meaning to clean out, but never find the time to tackle? There might be a perfect day this winter to clear out clothes you haven’t worn for more than a year—or from two waist sizes ago. But don’t throw away your unwanted clothing—make a pile and when the snow clears, donate them to a local charity. Hey—for most people the donation is a tax deduction. After you’ve organized your closet, get to the basement or garage. Look, we know it’s not going to be fun, but would you rather do it today or on a bright, sunny spring day?

RELATED READ: Tips to Breathe Easy in your Home this Winter

Movie, TV Marathon

You deserve some vegging out on the couch watching that show or movie you’ve been dying to see. If you have always wanted to watch Lost or Mad Men but have missed too many episodes to keep track of what’s going on—this is your chance. Make a snack or two, shut off the phone, pop the DVD into your player and start at the first season’s first episode.
Maybe today is the day to watch a movie you’ve been meaning to see. Sure, your cable company might have plenty of films on-demand, but check out the American Film Institute, which lists the top 100 movies. When you’re done with those Netflix wrappers, make some origami. Yes, that’s right, origami. There is a website that shows you how—it’s aptly named Netflix Origami.

Read, Read & Read Some More

You know that stack of books on your nightstand that you say you’ll get to one of these days? Well, today is that day. You don’t need any great supplies or exertion of personal energy to read. You can even do it in bed.
Maybe it’s finally time to tackle that self-help book or romance novel. Why not read more about Wall Street and the recession, or maybe some fiction about the secret meanings of all the buildings in Washington, D.C.?   It might be freezing out, but with a good book you can easily pretend to be on a warm, tropical beach. And, of course, if you have run out of some good books to read, don’t worry—there are plenty of good stories online to digest.

RELATED READ: 3 Steps to Winterizing your Home

Cook, Bake & Experiment

You might not be able to make it out to the grocery store to pick up vanilla or chili powder—but don’t let that stop you. Take out a cookbook and start experimenting: chocolate-chip cookies for the kids or a new soufflé? How about turning that old standby meatloaf recipe into something with a kick?
Cooking can either be a great solitary escape or a fun family activity. Nothing is quite as comforting as a good home-cooked meal on a gloomy day. Just dust off one of your cookbooks and—depending on how long you are stuck at home—go through it page by page.

Do Your Taxes

Yeah, we don’t want to do them either. But before you know it, April 15 will be here. Plus, if you are getting a refund, why not get that cash now? Maybe you can use the extra money to buy a really nice Valentine’s Day gift—or, perhaps, a new, more powerful snowblower. Just as with cleaning out the garage or your closet, would you rather do it now—or in April?

We care about how you’re handling winter, rest assured you can count on Home Comfort Experts to put you on the right track. Give us a call at (574) 255-4600 or click to find out how we can help you today!