It seems that this terrible pandemic has put a majority of the world’s population under quarantine in an extended amount of time than initially expected. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, school districts had extended the closures of schools up until the beginning of May, putting students at home and taking classes online. Some cities are even enforcing curfews for their citizens. Life for millions of us has changed in this trying time. I sure hope this will not be our new ‘normal’ moving forward.

Since we are staying at home during this horrible pandemic, we now are tasked to keep ourselves and our families occupied while under self-isolation. While under self-isolation, I found myself and my family doing things we’ve never thought yet it made us quite productive and perhaps even creative in some ways. We have all seen videos of people working out at home and with their neighbors at balconies. We have seen celebrity chefs doing impromptu cooking class at their home. But there are other things the rest of us can do. Here are some suggestions on what to do at home during this time.

Organize your things – I mean all items  you have kept in cupboards, closets, drawers and pantries. This is a very good time to sort out your personal belongings, purging the one’s you no longer use or fit you, discarding things that are out-of-date, obsolete, and items from the pantry that had expired. Donate old clothes and shoes to charities and shelters especially now that they need it the most.

Use what you have in your pantry – Now that you know what you have in the pantry and storage, its time to use them. Pantry items such canned goods and pasta can be an ideal home-cooked meal. Since we are only permitted to leave home for essentials and other errands, why not use what you’ve got first before buying more provisions. This also allows one to be creative and perhaps spend time with family in the kitchen and mealtime.

Clean your home – Okay, I admit, cleaning is my least favorite chore but during this pandemic, we need to do it more often than before. I’m sure most of us already have the cleaning supplies piling up in the broom closet and under the sink so let use those first before getting more. Most retailers now would limit customers a certain amount of cleaning products for purchase, so if you have some already at home, use them.

Take care of yourself – This is also a very good time to exercise self-care. It you have spa products and other personal hygiene product already, use them. It’s one way of cleaning out whatever you already at home. It is also a good idea to take extra precautions such as the hand washing and other good hygienic practices.

Do some home improvements – Check off the things you have on your ‘honey do’ list now. Perhaps you have been meaning to put a picture up or install a shelf or something for the kids. If you have the materials already to do so, this would be a good opportunity to get your DIY projects done.

Spend quality time with friends and family – somehow this pandemic has created a surge of communications via the internet and social media for many people. They are not just calling people by phone but using channels like Zoom or Skype. It seems that we are also keeping in touch with people we have not seen in  long time. Why is it that we wait for things like the coronavirus to happen to do this?

Please do not forget to thank the people who are helping us fight this deathly virus. Don’t forget to thank the doctors, nurses, paramedics other healthcare workers plus the police and fire departments. If it was not for them, we would not have survived today.

Let us also pray for the lives this pandemic had taken from us. The number of deaths are rising so for the sake of others, let’s keep ourselves at home. This is a global pandemic and let work on keeping our families safe and healthy for their sake.