Teru-teru Bozu
As I write, the kids (and my husband) are glued to the TV, watching the weather, trying to determine when and where Typhoon #17 will make landfall, carefully calculating whether or not they will have to go to school (and work).
I’ve spent the morning doing laundry while I can (having no dryer puts the laundry at the mercy of the heavens), doing the grocery shopping while I can, and bringing inside anything that might be blown away or blown into a window. Been there, done that, paid 5000 yen.
The winds have picked up a bit, and the air has turned heavy and humid. The children have to periodically brush away the curtains that keep being blown into their faces as they play by the open window on the floor.
They will go to bed tonight, excited and anxious, like American kids waiting for a snow day. Except of course there will be no playing outside in a typhoon! They’re looking forward to staying home, watching daytime TV, building a metropolis out of legos, and (I’ll be honest) fighting with each other.
There’s a Japanese custom of making a ghost like figure from white cloth and dangling him from a tree branch to chase away rain. Kids do this the night before Sports Day or a long -awaited field trip.
My son is wondering if hanging the “Teru-teru Bozu” upside down will encourage the rain to come instead. I have no idea! If he does that, though, I may have to sneak out and fix it. I know it’s only me and I’m hopelessly outnumbered, but I would much rather everyone go to work and school then be stuck indoors all day!
What do you do when your kids are stuck at home all day due to the weather? I seriously need some ideas!
This is an Original World Moms Blog post by Melanie Oda, You also can find Melanie writing on her personal blog, Hamakkomommy.
Firstly I pray for everyone’s safety and that the Typhoon doesn’t do too much damage!
I used to love to read books to my kids when they were small. It was so lovely to cuddle up together with a story book, warm & snug while the storm raged outside. 🙂
My kids also really liked it when I took the time to actually play with them instead of doing chores. Whether it was a “make-believe” game or a board game, they had more fun when an adult was playing too. 😛
Best of luck!
I wrote this post a while ago, and the typhoon has come and gone with minimum damage. But the timing is good in another way. I’m stuck home all week with my daughter who has the flu! She’s starting to feel better, and we are both starting to get a little stir crazy. I could use some ideas, help!
What you say about play is so true. Yesterday, we spent a good part of the afternoon setting out her stuffed animals and playing school. She was the teacher, Ms. Rose, and I was the assistant, Ms. Daisy. It was fun until my son came home from school, and then it all kind of fell apart.
I have nice memories of the occasional storm as a kid. The electricity would go out, so Dad would build a fire in the fireplace. Mom would get the gas burner we used for camping and we’d have soup and hot chocolate, then doze off in the living room warming our tootsies by the hearth. Sometimes I’d wake up when my parents carried me to bed later, but it was so snug and cozy that I always pretended to still be asleep.
Melanie — I love this post — especially the Japanese custom about the ghost to keep the rain away!
My 1 year old is home sick today, too. We’re getting out some toys that she hasn’t played with in a while. How old is your daughter? Baking is always fun and makes the time go by, too!
Jen 🙂
My older son is home sick today for the 2nd day in a row, so I am going to get out the puzzles and board games we haven’t played in awhile. I’m also going to see if we can get a jump on making some homemade holiday cards for the upcoming months.
Good luck keeping your kids occupied 🙂
Scavenger hunts. Small ones even confined to the living room if you, like I, have loads of piles of stuff around. Write out on a piece of paper (or draw for your kids who can’t read) items they have to find. Thats always a good one. Another one is have them make up a story then when they are done it’s your turn. Charades are always great as well. And if all else fails TV is a God sent! Hope the sick ones get better, the ones on holiday start school soon and the weather clears up. I knew I was truly a parent when the news of school being out the next day sent chills down my spine lol.