When your Family Gets Displaced

I know for me, whenever I am away from home for a period of time with or without the littles, I can get over the fact that I am on “vacation” and I resort back to the fact that I really want my own bed and own daily routine. Don’t get me wrong, I love to vacation and feel there is a place for it in any family. I am always grateful for the time away from the everyday norm. But, when you are displaced from your home based on circumstances that are not of your control, that gratefulness can go out the window. You can feel stressed and wonder when “normalcy” will creep back in.

That is what has happened in our life as of right now. The electrical panel on our home was showing signs of wear and became very dangerous for us to take our chances and stay in our house. Our electrician made it very clear that our house is a fire hazard and could ignite at any moment. So, we turned the heat in the house way down, unplugged the appliances, turned off anything else and walked away from it all not knowing when it would be safe to return. Now, most of this wouldn’t be too difficult under normal circumstances, but this wasn’t a normal circumstance. Christmas was a few days away and the new year was quickly approaching as well. What we decided to do was roll with the punches and make the most of it all.

Keeping the kids busy and active was probably the hardest task to tackle. We went to work on keeping them busy and here are some of the activities we came up with. You could use these ideas to create your own unique experience if or when you find yourself in the same situation.

1. Books. We have read LOTS and LOTS of books.
2. Reusing Lego sets and recreating them to make a different masterpiece.
3. Make bathtime fun with shaving cream, bubbles and glow sticks.
4. Movie Madness. Make it a movie marathon night and watch your favorite family movies.
5. Puzzles galore. Small, medium and large puzzles are always fun.
6. Bake something together. I always like making cookies and then frosting them together.
7. Go to a park and hang out.
8. Head on over to the zoo.
9. Head over to the library and take advantage of their storytimes and children’s activities.
10. Clean. My kids love to help me clean and will work together to get the job done.

Now this list isn’t an “AHA” moment or anything but it is a good reminder that fun family things are always all around you, you just have to be aware and open your mind and heart to the different possibilities. In the comments below, tell me what things you like to do when you are “displaced” as a family.