Software
Houzz Logo Print
gw_oakley

How do you entertain yourself when stuck inside?

4 years ago

Snow and wind is howling. I was wondering if you do anything fun that's different than the usual? I came up with a good idea but probably isn't for everyone.


Prank call your adult kid! I haven't done this since Jr. High and got the idea out of the blue. DS is working from home today, and he's a civil engineer who works with roadways and bridges. I think the song came in my head first and that's where I got the idea.

Our convo:


DS: Hello? (He knew it was me)

Me: I need to report that London Bridge is falling down.

DS: Where's it at?

Me: London Bridge is falling down!

DS: Is it by the creek?

Me: started LMAO

DS: finally gets it, "Mom, are you bored?"


I got him good! Then we started talking about how Arizona bought LB. lol


I dare any of you to prank someone.

Comments (43)

  • 4 years ago

    I never thought about prank calling my kids - I am going to remember that. My sons are 34 and 32 and I do love to say silly things to them just to bug them. It's payback time.

  • 4 years ago

    Ok but doesn’t every kid have a cell phone with caller ID?


    Stuck inside, whether due to weather or quarantining, I might read; crochet; do embroidery; ride exercise bike; do yoga; rearrange the carp on my shelves; paint a room; take a nap; dawdle on this board…

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    I email my DD random funny things every day. She and I share the same weird sense of humor. She, my dad, and I prank each other often. He’s the OG prankster and taught me well.

    We’ll be stuck inside today and tomorrow it looks like. I’ll read, herd cats (both NOCs are camped out here with our two), watch movies, maybe make some jewelry, start a needlepoint piece for DD, do a few hundred fake Wordls, clean … and I need to spend some quality time with the elliptical.

    ETA: Bumble, those muffins look amazing! That was so mean to post those! Oh, that icing … Mmmm …

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    How do I entertain myself? Let me count the ways as I go through this day.


    @Bumblebeez SC Zone 7 I LOVE those puzzles! (and your pouty furry friend - what a face <3)



    and this Wordle 229 3/6

    ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜

    🟩🟨🟨⬜🟩

    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

  • 4 years ago

    Sue, he knew it was me. When something "big" happens I'll message or call. He thought this was big. lol


    Beautiful puzzles. Because of cats I can't do jigsaws anymore, but I do them on my iPad. Not the same.


    I'm out of things to do, or just too lazy. It's frigid outside and I've been snuggling under the covers with a cat and book. And food. :)

  • 4 years ago

    If it's bad weather, which we are not often stuck inside with, we will sleep in, eat more/cook more than normal (and that usually includes baking something sweet). laze around, maybe start or work on a home project, etc. The Mr. might have a nap LOL and I will spend too much time online.


    During the pandemic, I got alot of things done around the house (closets, cabinets, etc.). Just in the last couple of weeks I have been cleaning out/organizing bathroom vanity drawers, large linen closet, bedroom drawers. I even went through all my shoes, purses, etc. and purged. Have a nice pile of items to be donated. I can only do lazy so long; plus it makes me want to eat, and that's not a good thing.

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    My husband and I built the Titanic out of LEGO.

    9090 pieces.



    eta This week we got new fat ebikes and have been going for rides on the snow covered trails.❄️

  • 4 years ago

    (LOL) Oakley! What do I do? Read. Bake my healthful scones, coffee cakes or bread. Or plan and make some really interesting new dinner for us. The latter is what I did yesterday. Today (we’re still snowed in) I’m going to bake a batch of my Maple-Walnut Scones and a batch of Lemon Scones. My birthday is tomorrow and I don’t think hubs is going to be able to get to a grocery store to buy what he needs to make my usual Eggs Benedict.

  • 4 years ago

    Happy Birthday tomorrow, Lynn! ❤️🎈🎁

  • 4 years ago

    Happy Birthday!! Be wild!!

  • 4 years ago

    Rox, that's beautiful! My DGS would love putting the Titanic together.

    The most exciting thing I've done today is take the mail down to the mailbox. It's 15 degrees, strong north wind with a wind chill of -5. Had to walk through drifts to get there but the snow is so dry I didn't even get wet!


    I've done all of my organizing and deep cleaning. Oh! I need to go see if my Dyson will work now that the filters are dry. :)

  • 4 years ago

    @User that is quite an accomplishment!


    @LynnNM I have found and tried so many new recipes since I retired! Most have been good ones too! Do you have a healthful coffee cake recipe you wouldn't mind sharing?

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Ok but doesn’t every kid have a cell phone with caller ID.

    Yes. Hence making obsolete the time-honored prank call repertoire. Sadly.

    I did get my DS a Rick Astley CD for Christmas.

    I just left a dozen jigsaw puzzles at Goodwill (along with a rice cooker, some card games, men's bathing suits DS has outgrown and other miscellanea). I put all of the puzzle pieces in ziploc bags and left a note saying no pieces are missing. I am hoping they will be adopted sooner that way. I did manage to get a neighbor to take one, and I also sent one to a friend of my DD"s friend away at college who has a thing for them (she picked hers from photos of them). I love Eeboo 1000 piece puzzles. Colorful and not too hard or too easy. I just got one last Friday, assemble during the snowstorm and gave it away yesterday.

    I used to hang onto them but DH says they are like movies ---rarely do you want to do one twice.

    Just did this one...


    The neighbor I gave one of my puzzles to, is lending me a Liberty wooden puzzle.

    Aren't these lovely? https://www.libertypuzzles.com/wooden-jigsaw-puzzles/a-winter-s-day


    ETA - Galison is a great source for puzzles, too. https://www.galison.com/collections/1000-piece-jigsaw-puzzles

  • 4 years ago

    Prank calls are fine when the recipient knows who you are, it all depends on what you tell them. Like telling an engineer that London Bridge is falling down and he falls for it hook, line, and sinker. I'm not going to let him live this down like I keep reminding him when he was learning how to tell time and he said, "It's 45 minutes after 11." lol

    Trees and snow puzzles are the hardest!


    My Dyson worked! I am shocked! The filters didn't seem all that dirty either, but I guess they were since the suction is better.


    Here's something for me to do. Off to the side of this page there is a topic called, "How do you separate your clothes when you do laundry?" It has 149 replies. ONE HUNDRED FORTY NINE REPLIES.

  • 4 years ago

    The only time I was stuck inside was during a hurricane in Houston back around 1970. I don't remember what we did, but hurricanes are pretty exciting just by themselves, and so we probably sat around and told stories.

    If I decide to stay inside these days, we generally watch a movie on DVD and make popcorn.

    After an earthquake, we are not stuck inside, and I went for walks after the Northridge quake to look at what had happened. Although it was January 17, the temperature in Culver City (where I lived at the time) was 84°, and so I wore shorts. My brother was in Albany NY at the time watching the news from L.A., and he was impressed that people here were wearing shorts while people in Albany were experiencing a blizzard at the same time that killed more people than the quake did. He lives with me now and does not miss the blizzards.

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    I have to say, I can watch a favorite movie a hundred times! And do.

  • 4 years ago

    I have a few I'd watch again and again, as does DH, but not many!

  • 4 years ago

    I could happily stay home for days on end. My DH is the opposite. The minute that he thinks we can't or shouldn't go out - he wants to go somewhere. I love to read, cook, bake, watch movies (some more than once.) It's also a good time for good old fashioned phone calls.

  • 4 years ago

    If I know I'll be stuck inside, I plan ahead and get ingredients to cook. I live in Chicago and we have the wherewithal to get ourselves out from under winter weather. But still, my thinking is, "Oh, there's a blizzard coming. I'll cook so I have food for a few weeks." In reality, I've never been homebound due to weather for more than a day... if that.

    Stuck inside with sick kids, quarantine, etc., I'll be either hyper-productive and come out of it better than ever. Or, I'll use it as an excuse to do nothing but watch TV, surf the internet, and be absolutely lazy. If the former, I do like to organize, and one of my favorite things to do is call friends and catch up.

  • 4 years ago

    Tomorrow is going to be an icy mess here. Schools are already cancelled. I’m thinking it will be a Pajama Day for me.

  • 4 years ago

    Did I ever tell you the story about sending my kid to school on pajama day in 2nd grade?


    It was, uhh, not Pajama Day.

  • 4 years ago

    LOL, Mtn! Sue, tomorrow will be day 3 that schools are closed. I live in jammies during this weather but I'm ready to spend time outside.


    I'm pretty sure I told you all I have ADHD which wasn't diagnosed until 2014. It really was the best news I ever heard which explains...ME. :) Tonight I happened to look up if adults with ADHD get easily bored. We sure do. One example is when we can't find anything to stimulate us we can bug our family. Like my prank call yesterday.



  • 4 years ago

    Like Feathers, its rare for us to be stuck inside. Plus we have 4 wheel drive. But yes, snow, etc. makes me want to cook, which is not always a good thing!

    We were 60ish today! Those of you in the way of ice and snow stay safe!

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    No school here for three days, but all the kids are out and about and never home and always out on hills etc on sleds! Gotta have snow days though! We don't get that many here.


    Oakley, nothing wrong with prank calls at all-nice you have a sense of humor!

  • 4 years ago

    Nothing wrong with a prank call (though I haven't made one since i was 15 or so)-- but i would be VERY frustrated if my mom prank called me during the work day. What might be fun or funny on a Sunday morning would not be fun or funny on a Thurs morning.


    I don't really struggle with keeping myself occupied or entertained-- since I don't drive I am frequently at home for long periods of time. The days of running out to a friend's house, the coffee shop or B&N are long gone for me-- pandemic or not.


    Most of what i do has been mentioned above-- but knowing a little bit about your interests, Oakley, you might want to check out Acorn.tv. You can stream it right to your computer or ipad and there are a wide variety of options.

  • 4 years ago

    First stop is here, then I try to tackle one or more of my many projects I have inside. I know Oakley, not exciting or fun but I do enjoy the accomplishment of finishing a project.


  • 4 years ago

    Today is a good day to get out, no wind, no below zero wind chills. Nothing like yesterday.

    Ollie, I was sent a picture of DGS eating snow ice cream outside yesterday, I don't think he lasted very long. lol

    Funky, I can't stream anything because the optic cables aren't completed. We're in the country and that's a lot to do. Maybe before I die?

    With DS working from home on these snow days, I pranked him when I knew he'd be eating lunch. It was the only time I ever did it and he enjoyed the laugh. Even at his expense. :)


    Arapaho, I'm project'd-out. There are a few projects I could do but I'm not motivated.

  • 4 years ago

    Tina, I highly doubt you'd have gotten out in yesterday's weather. North wind 20 plus mph, snowing, windchill -0, with a high around 7.

  • 4 years ago

    I hear you, Oakley - glad you can now get outside. Enjoy all that it offers :)

  • 4 years ago

    I read, sew, talk with hubby, and cook, just as I always have, until spring, when I can play a.little in the gardens. I have big mental plans for the gardens all winter, but it seems I rarely get the work done to accomplish them. What I SHOULD do is go through the ap-cray collection in the basement.

  • 4 years ago

    Oakley, I'm not sure why you are calling me out??? I said we are rarely stuck inside - I wasn't the only one that said that. I didn't say anything about getting out in YOUR weather. It would be very unusual for us to get those kind of temps. Snow does not deter us. My husband, typical man that he is, has no problems driving in it. Ice is another story, but again, that's a rarity.


    Sheesh - I hear you! I am always planning something for outside. Last year I came up with a new bed that never did come about, although I started many plants to go in it. This spring!

  • 4 years ago

    PS Oakley - didn't you say you have cable? If so you should be able to stream. Or do you have DSL internet? You should be able to stream with that also.

  • 4 years ago

    Stuck inside??? No such thing, here.

  • 4 years ago

    @Springroz I am thinking you are somewhat in my general area. I can't remember!

  • 4 years ago

    For me it is more about how I keep productive when stuck inside (vs entertained--that's what Netflix is for.) Lately I've been spending HOURS editing the StoryWorth books I gave my parents for Christmas in 2020. Between the two of them, they have answered over 90 story prompts. My job is to edit, add photos and circle back to clarify some answers. I will be so glad to have the books, as will my siblings, but OMG, it is so much work! Each book is 6" x 9" and about 220 pages long.

    Done complaining.


  • 4 years ago

    Oakley - we don't have fiber optic in our neighborhood and there are no plans to install it.

    Do you have cable TV? That's how I watch Amazon Prime, Disney, Netflix, Acorn, Apple TV and there are many more offered - Britbox, Hulu, etc. Or I can watch them on my computer.

  • 4 years ago

    @Tina Marie I am in central KY

  • 4 years ago

    @Springroz I had that wrong! We are in TN. We have visited some nice state parks in KY!

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Springoz, I had no idea you were in KY. Lucky you, It is so beautiful there and I am in love with the horse farms there. Do you happen to work with Thoroughbreds? We have family in Lexington. I think I know more about KY than I do OK. LOL . We go to Natural Bridge almost everytime we are there-except if it's during Christmas.

  • 4 years ago

    Oakley, have you ever considered English Paper Piecing? It's a quilting method that is done entirely by hand. I always piece my quilts on the machine, but I'm making a king-size hexie quilt, so it's all being pieced by hand using EPP. It may take me years, but one of the things I enjoy about it is that I can do it while watching tv. Like you, I'm happiest when I'm busy.

  • 4 years ago

    * I purchased 6 yards of Sunbrella fabric, to recover the patio seat cushions.

    #2) I take updated photos of my houses rooms, containing finished projects.

    * Workout room with TV/movies.


    #2 Has a story. A little 10 year old boy used to live in my house and for ALL 10 years of his life his father worked on finishing the house. I lived here two weeks and he rang the bell....wanting to see the house and what we'd DONE to it. All we'd done was moved in...and hung curtains.


    I promised him I'd post photos on Zillow to let him know of our progress. Haven't seen him since.

  • 4 years ago

    My ice storm project, made with tiny crochet hook and a test of patience and my aging eyes. Cocoa or black coffee?