1. I will start Spring cleaning. I can declutter and get rid of things. I will keep what is useful and beautiful and let the rest go. I will spend some 20 minutes a day cleaning out clutter.
2. I will walk in the Winter. I will grab my camera and my dog and take some pictures. I will get fresh air and enjoy nature. Fresh air makes everything better.
3. I will find a good book and some snacks and treat myself to some reading in front of our fireplace. That one is going on the calendar.
4. I will make a fort with some kids. We will have some snacks, read some books and play a board game inside.
5. I will make breakfast for dinner. I love breakfast for dinner. It’s fun making pancakes in the evening. Kids love it too. And if I really don’t want to cook, a bowl of cereal is a tasty and easy way to end the day. 
6. I will, while spring cleaning, find some creative projects and pull them out when I have some time.

Okay. This list will get me through a couple of weeks – hopefully all the way to spring break. Of course, we sometimes get snow in May….

Neither of my kids wanted to learn to cook. It was work. Food was something that just should appear at the table. It was the job of the adults of the family to make the food. 

I didn’t have that point of view. As members of the family, they needed to contribute. Also, cooking is a life skill everyone needs to learn. And I wanted them to be able to make themselves a meal when they left our home – or when my husband and I went out. 

So, they started to learn. We started with easy breakfast foods like scrambled eggs and French toast. Then we moved on to some of their favorites like Ham Sliders and Meatball Sandwiches. This made them more confident in the kitchen and proud of their skills. That led to them finding recipes and trying things on their own. And now they teach their friends to cook.

We had fun together. My kids learned some skills. And I taught my kids how to take care of themselves – which, as their mother, is my job.

Living in a foreign country forces you to try new things – especially food! I grew up in a house where global food was Tex-Mex. The only exception was the lutefisk and lefse my Swedish grandfather would bring over. So eating raw fish was a bit outside my comfort zone.

But once I got there I learned that raw fish is sashimi, not sushi, and that it’s quite delicious. Sushi is the combination of rice, seaweed and a filling, which may or may not be raw fish. But Japanese cuisine is much more than raw fish. 

I love yakitori. It’s chicken on a stick with green onion and a kind of teriyaki sauce. Kobe beef is amazing! And every Christmas Eve our family celebrates with a meal of Shabu Shabu – beef, vegetable and noodles we cook at the table. Or try yakiniku. We bought a table top grill and cut some steak. We also cut some veggies and bought some sauces. And then we had a romantic meal at home while we cooked dinner at the table. And it was much cheaper than eating out.

Recipes are all over the internet. They are the easiest way to practice creativity. And it’s practical. You have to eat! Read the recipe, buy the ingredients and give it a try.

I’m finding that play needs to be planned as much as work. We are very good at planning our work. We have goals (either goals we choose or are given by our employer.) We begin with the end goal we want to accomplish and plan backwards. We decide what steps to take to make those goals happen. 

If I want my play time to be more than eating take out and watching Netflix, I need to be intentional – I need to make my play time goals.

I decided I want to be a person who reads and set a goal of reading 4 books a month. (Yeah, I like to read.) That led to a Saturday morning relaxing in bed reading some fiction. For me, that was excellent play time.

I want to be a person who embraces winter. This is a struggle. But we are getting a break in the below zero temps so I made some plans with friends to go snowshoeing. And I have a dog walking schedule. It forces me to go out. I also took the time to get our fireplace fixed. I have a place I like to be when it’s cold.

I want to be a person who goes new places and tries new things. So, I look at magazines and websites that list festivals and community events. I try to be aware of new restaurants and look at recipes that would be fun to try with friends. When I’m paying attention, the ideas appear.

It’s a start. 

And it’s true. Using your imagination is something we get as kids and using your imagination is a practice thing. Use it or lose it. And now we have a multitude of ways to use our time. Our imagination gets lost. 

Many a time I have picked up my phone to do a bit of research about something I’m writing and got distracted by social media or emails. By the time I have checked out all of my notifications I’m out of time or, worse, I have forgotten what I was going to write about. Sometimes it comes back to me and sometimes the idea is gone.

For example, in the middle of writing this post, I found it necessary to look at the pictures I took the other day. Then I found pictures on my phone I thought I had lost. And then I remembered I was using my imagination to do some writing and thought about how easily I can get distracted.

I could be annoyed with myself. But I’m choosing not to beat myself up over this. Instead, I choose to laugh at myself and hope that there are people up there who have experienced this and will laugh and relate. I choose to be happy I spent some time getting my thoughts down on paper and that I will continue to do so through all the distractions and busy-ness. I will be happy I go to a church where using our imaginations to create a better world is part of the sermon. And, even though I was distracted, I still created something I wanted to share. 

I made this Oreo Dirt Pie for a family dinner. It can be a little risky trying a new dessert for a family event. But this was just my husband and kids. The event was meet my son’s new girlfriend dinner. I decided to go for the new recipe – if it was awful I would learn if she was kind enough to say it was good anyway.

The pie is actually a box cake with a lot of chocolate deliciousness added to it. I changed the chocolate fudge for chocolate syrup. That is what my family prefers on ice cream so I thought they would prefer it in the cake and because it was already in my fridge. And I made sure not to eat too many Oreos while I was making the cake so I would have enough for the dessert. I kept my husband out of the kitchen for the same reason.

Thank you to the Frugal Navy Wife for this fabulous dessert. Give it a try. It’s sure to get your creative juices flowing!

1. Eat a Different Breakfast – I usually find a breakfast I like and stick with it. I just don’t want to think before heading off to work so I find something that tastes good and gives me a good start for the day. But when I need to mix it up, I start trying new things. I trade out my usual egg for oatmeal with blueberries and peanut butter. A healthy smoothie is another option or I try a new recipe.
2. Do a Different Workout – My usual workout is a combination of DVDs. But I have had mix it up due to our new puppy. She really needs to get out and about. Thank goodness the weather is warmer. When I’m not trying to convince the dog to behave and stop barking at the other dogs my mind is free to think about what I might want to write about, what I want to eat, or what I want to do.
3. Read a Different Kind of Book or Watch a Different Kind of Show – When I feel stuck in a rut, I look at what I have been reading or watching on TV. I often find I have been reading only non-fiction or watching the same kind of TV shows. So, it’s time to find a new movie or read some new fiction.
4. Try Different Foods – Trying some new foods can mix it up for me. I go to a new restaurant or look for some recipes on Pinterest. Sometimes it works out great and sometimes I get something I don’t like. But it’s always a good story.
5. Make time and stop by that place you have always wondered about. – You know what I’m talking about. There is that store/restaurant/park that you have always driven by and wondered “I wonder what that place is all about.” Well stop driving by and go inside. Order something or buy something or just look around.

None of these are earth shattering ideas. But big change can happen with small steps. Try something new today and break out of your rut.

I decided to turn this into a learning opportunity. I gave him a budget for his birthday. I told him we could spend $150 on his birthday – and that amount included his present. He could choose what he wanted to do and what he wanted for a gift. But his budget was $150.

We started talking about the options and how much they cost. If we went to a roller skating rink it would cost $90. A cake from the bakery would be $20. Party favors would cost another $20. That would leave $20 for a gift. I told him that would be fine. It was totally up to him.

But this got him thinking. Maybe a party at home wouldn’t be bad and then there would be more money left for his gift. We talked about some games we could play, and we also decided to go sledding. We talked about the different ingredients we could add to a box cake to make it even more delicious, and he decided that would also be good. We started looking at what we could serve for lunch – did we want to order pizza, or did we want to serve hot dogs and french fries? We priced it out and he decided hot dogs were the way to go.

The day of the party arrived. It snowed enough to make sledding a lot of fun. The kids liked the hot dogs and fries, and the cake was good too. A couple of parents said they thought it was a good idea.

I have used this strategy as a parent many times. When it was time to go back to school shopping, I gave my kids a budget. They could decide if they want to buy the more expensive jeans and less money on shirts. It may not have been my choice and I had to live with their decision. But we went shopping together without fighting about how the money should be spent. We both had to live with their decisions. My most recent use of this strategy was for my daughter’s high school graduation party. Because of COVID we didn’t have a party. This strategy has made my life much easier as a parent. I was able to enjoy planning different events and avoid a lot of arguments.

Are you convinced yet? Here are the reasons why I love spray paint.

1. Cheap – Spray paint is an inexpensive way to change the look of furniture. Find something around your house or go to a used store and find a wooden shelf or cabinet. Head off to the paint store and you will see a huge variety of colors and textures to choose from. You can get shiny, matte, chalky, even mirrored.  And if you don’t like how it looks – it’s inexpensive enough to try something different.
2. Easy – If you can push a spray can, you can use spray paint. Do multiple light coats to avoid dripping paint. To avoid fumes, wear one of the masks you now own. This is something that is best done outside or in the garage. If you are a person who likes to do research, there is a lot of how-to on the internet.
3. Fun – It’s so quick and easy that it’s super fun. A quick search will give you ideas on what to do. Ask “what should I spray paint” and you will get all sorts of ideas. I have painted planting pots to match my house, a shelf for my office, and the top to a tool storage cabinet to match my kitchen. I tripled my storage space by spending $3.00 on spray paint and cleaned out my garage at the same time. My desk chair was a gift from my mother-in-law. It was old and brown, and the seat cushion was ripping. I used some paint I already had and spent $3.00 on a fabric remnant for the cushion. I get so many compliments on this chair.

This is an easy, inexpensive way to take that first step toward trying something new. I dare you to look around your garage or basement and find something you can transform with spray paint. It may be the start of something new from something old.

1. Limit Screen Time – There are a number of studies that say screen time kills the creative process. Google this, check with Siri or Alexa – you will find the information. If they aren’t watching TV they will find something else to do. 

2. Give your child a budget and go to a hobby store – This activity is a two-fer. You can learn about budgeting and get some creative supplies. Give your child a budget and go to the store. Do not add money to their budget if they want something more. They will not learn about limits. But let your kids use their imaginations and make a choice. 

3. Display their work – Oooh and Aaaah about your child’s work. Give them positive reinforcement for turning off their screens and trying new things. If they are frustrated by being a beginner, remind them that everyone is beginner when they start something new – even you. 

4. Ask for Creative Options for Gifts – Ask Grandparents or Aunts or Uncles to give gifts that encourage creativity. Markers, paints, clay – whatever your child expresses interest in.  

5. Do it with them – Try the activity your child has chosen. Do an activity you have chosen that gets your creative juices flowing. When your kids see you doing and enjoying an activity, they will try it themselves.