Author: JodiLea

I don't pretend to be who/what I'm not. I will be honest here unless I publish under the category "This could be news," which is 99% fiction and a wee bit sarcastic. ;-) I want readers who come here to have as much fun as I do. Not all subjects can be fun, but most can be funny if I do my job right ;-) My inner child is reflected in my logo and will change at a moment's notice.

Out of Ideas?

~ JodiLea

Here are some, courtesy of the Digital Credit Union (DCU).  I especially like the last idea! 

Fun Family Activities While Staying Indoors

School closures, social distancing, and adjusted work arrangements are changing everyday life for families.  Staying indoors can be extra challenging during rainy spring days.  Looking for a break from watching movies and television?  Here are some different ideas to help kids (and their parents!) look on the bright side while they’re cooped up indoors.

Break out the board games.  Now’s the perfect time to dust off some old favorites.    

Work on a jigsaw puzzle.  Jigsaw puzzles can be a fun way to keep everyone’s minds engaged. Set one up on an extra table and take turns piecing it together, or work on different sections at the same time. 

Build an indoor fort.  If an extra table isn’t being used for a game or puzzle, consider using it to help build a fort complete with blankets, pillows, and flashlights. It could become a playhouse or a quiet space to read.

Bake and decorate.  Baking together can be fun and creative, especially if you make cookies or cupcakes that can be frosted and decorated.

Learn a dance routine.  Kids might already be aware of modern dance moves with apps like TikTok, so they may be willing to learn some classics like the Macarena or the Electric Slide. Dancing can help you laugh and exercise as a family and work off the decorated baked goods.

String holiday lights.  Add some cheer to your home with lights you may have on hand. It can be a nice backdrop for dancing, too!

Try a new or silly hairstyle.  Have some hot rollers? Curious if you can achieve a beehive ‘do? Staying in is a good opportunity to experiment with a “home hair salon.”

Bring the outdoors in through art.  Have the kids create drawings or other crafts of things like the sun, rainbows, birds, flowers, and more. Then, hang them around your home! Consider making some to mail to friends and family members, such as grandparents who would love a boost of happiness!

Make a fun family memories BINGO or charades game.  Have some family memories that you could use to create your own games?  You may even be able to print your own BINGO cards and call sheet to save for holidays and future family gatherings.

Go for a drive in your PJs.  If you need a break from home and are able to hop in the car to see some new sights, make it fun by wearing PJs. Consider picking up a take-out order. You’ll be helping to support your local restaurants and treating your family to a special dinner after a fun-filled day of indoor activities!   

Do you have some family favorites you would like to share with everyone also on house arrest?  Oh, Please!  Share them in the comments so we may all enjoy them too  

♥  TTFN  ♥

My Wishful List

~ JodiLea

Paperwork Mountian

I do not have a Bucket List.  My days are filled with too many lists as it is.  Well, it’s more like one list and too many things listed upon it.  I often overestimate my level of energy and underestimate how much time I have to accomplish everything on the stupid list.

I instead have a “Wishful List”.  This list would not be like your routine bucket list, you know, things you want to do before you die. (i.e. you now have a deadline!)  A Wishful List is where you write down the things you want to happen – to you or other people.

This list is for my imagination and amusement only.  Occasionally, I may share items from my list with my wonderful readers, but some of my items will be private.  I know y’all will understand.

  1.  Write a post worthy of being Freshly Pressed.  It could happen.  I have no idea what gets you Freshly Pressed because NONE of my 958 posts have qualified. Yet.
  2.  Go on a date to interview Channing Tatum.  He would need a chaperone – just sayin’.
  3.  Get a small part in the 4th Thor movie. I’m pretty sure there will be another. No, wait!  Co-write the screenplay – that would be so fun.
  4. Swoon Reads falls in love with my manuscript and fixes the link to read it, OR, asks me to resubmit it.  I already sent them 2 emails, so I will not send another. Sigh.  It’s the waiting that kills your soul!
  5. I wake up missing 30 pounds and every outfit in my closet fits me.  Some are too big.
  6. If I have to break off another tooth – let it be the sweet-tooth this time.
  7. I’m successful in training my dog to dance with me
  8. Something, not brain damage or anything, makes my hubby want to spoil and romance me like never before.

Some are more likely than others.  The point is to entertain me.  Try it sometime and see for yourself.  I would love you to share them with me!

♥  TTFN  ♥

 

 

STOP! What’s Your Last Word?

~ JodiLea

When I was a kid, pre-high school, one of the most memorable summers ever experienced was when my cousin flew to visit our grandma & pa who lived in California. My cuz, Mags, and I had been pen-pals for a few years and I could not wait to meet her in person.  It was BFF’s at first sight.

We had so many things in common it was eerie. One of our ‘things’ was writing.  Both of us had spiral notebooks full of poems, short stories, episodes of our favorite TV shows.  I was working on a new episode for “Emergency!” and I think Mags was working on one for Alias Smith & Jones.  It was a Western romance – that I remember. 

We were busy scribbling and all of a sudden, Mags yells “STOP!”

“What?!  What’s wrong?”

“What’s your last word?”

I looked at my notebook and the last word written before her scream is “thready”

“Hmm.”  she contemplates.

“What is yours?”  two can play at this game.

“muscles,” she said.

“Ohh,” I say.  “You win.”

We must have laughed for 20 minutes.  Then we refilled our sodas, grabbed a snack, and went back to work.  When I noticed Mags hitting a roll with her focused scribbling, I hollered out, “What’s your last sentence?”  Only one word at a time was not giving me any clue about where her story was going.  Yes, even back then, I was impatient.

I wished that I could remember that episode!  I knew it had to be juvenile and corny – it was corny back then.  Curious, I dug into my file drawer that had research, old drafts, and false starts.  And there it was. My old blue THEMEBOOK 100.   Five short stories were listed on the second-page table of contents.  (Table of Contents!?)   I laughed when I found “Code I LUV U”.  That had to be the infamous Emergency! episode.  42 pages (front and back) of pure corn.  Beyond corny, corn.  Copywrite 1972.  The summer between junior high and high school.   I was 14. 

The last sentence?  My character was singing, “Everything’s all right, yes, everything’s fine.”

I’m still smiling about that.  

I hope that Mags can find hers.

 

♥  TTFN  ♥

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