Rainy Days

Everyday can be exciting and wonderful. It depends on how we spend them. Rainy days give us a chance to catch up on things that get pushed to the side when we are doing outside activities at other times. Cleaning out closets can become a search for treasure for the whole family or just one. We may remember that we had bought an extra bottle of glass cleaner, but just can' t seem to find where it was placed a few months ago. I always end up finding more than I was looking for; so I now carry a little bucket, or cleaning supply tray, with a handle on it each time I go looking for items such as this.

As I clean out items no longer needed, or find those I was searching for, I try to put items on the closet shelves back in some semblance of order again. All of the floor cleaning products should be together, and all of the boxes of tissue should be stacked in by types and sizes. If you have saved some worn out wash cloths or T-shirts for dust rags, place them in a gallon jug that has had a hole cut out of it near the top. You can use the gallon jugs for the same purpose with those countless plastic bags our groceries and other products come in from the store. One of the gallon jugs will hold about 60 of the plastic bags, and they will pop out as they went in, if you poke them in one at a time. The gallon jugs can be a good recycling project by using them in ways such as these.

A rainy day can become a time for entertainment when you get the family together to watch a favorite movie. Make a big deal out of it if you have younger children. Have them make up show tickets, popcorn and soft drinks ahead of time. Have each family member pick up their movie pass at a ticket window, and then have them get their concessions from the kitchen. A ticket master will take up the passes as each person files into the living room theater. Mom and Dad could sit on the couch while the children could have kitchen chairs across the front of them in front of the theater screen (leave a space in between two chairs so Mom and Dad can see too). A day of moping, griping and complaining, can be transformed into a day of family activity that could be one of your youngster's favorite remembrances from childhood.