Okinawa Hai fallback

CONTRIBUTED BY LAN

Well, we’re all housebound or bound to the bases, so I’m sure the last thing you all want to look at is another house, so I’ll save that post for next week.

With our first weekend almost behind us being practically bound to our off-base home, I found myself doing things that we usually do on rainy days b/c we couldn’t go to the parks near our home, go out to the local eateries, or even take a walk along the seawall that’s less than 100 meters from our front door.  What to do? The kiddos and I made a yummy carrot cake and I made some extra cupcakes and a layer cake for them to decorate all their own.  All this was not good for my waistline, but at least it saved my sanity!  That led me to think what kinds of rainy day (aka “Time of Reflection”) activities do y’all like to do w/your families?  Stay in jammies all day and watch movies?  Have a baking frenzy like my household?  Engage in a boardgame marathon?  Please do tell because as we all know here in Okinawa, even if we’re not in lockdown mode, there’s bound to be a rainy day or week comin’ soon.

13 COMMENTS

  1. Our friend arrived for a visit last Friday… needless to say, the weather has been great for golf, the driving range, and more golf. I did notice some tots and kiddos on the putting green and driving range, so if there are any future tiger/tigress woods out there, go for it! Someone already mentioned the mini-golf behind Schilling on Kadena. We might be dropping our friend off at sushi-go-round to eat alone (sad!) before he leaves if/when we get desperate for sushi!
    If you’re feeling crafty, come join us for Knit Night on Tuesday, 2/27 from 7 to 9 pm at the OSC Community Room, Kadena Building 9918 close to Gate 1. Happy Knitting!

  2. It’s hard being stuck on base with toddlers!
    Thanks for all the great ideas. One of mine is to take uncooked macaroni noodles, paint them different colors and let the little ones string them like beads or glue them to construction paper. Cheap, and takes up 30 minutes or more. Helping to wash the car is also good and let’s not forget the bowling alley if we get desperate!

  3. Wow! Love all the comments. Good to know that my family’s not the only ones getting a little stir-crazy in our homes. Thanks for the ideas – love the homemade playdough recipe (I think I’ll add some scents to make it even more fun) and the grass sledding idea! Thanks again and be well!

  4. Oh John, I so miss taking pictures! So much I’m doing a series on the telephone pole outside my apartment. I’ve also been organizing my photos on my hard drive.

    We’ve been playing the electronica (Wii, PS3), watching movies, baking & cooking, and crafting. My daughter is 6 so we’ve played with play doh – don’t have any?

    2 cups flour
    2 cups warm water
    1 cup salt
    2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
    1 Tablespoon cream of tartar (optional for improved elasticity)
    food coloring

    We have also had some fun with our digital camera making movies. Kids love seeing themselves on TV!

  5. I took my favorite cousin and her soon-to-be in-laws to the Foster PX and the Spot for some “All American” pizza. I always gain a new appreciation for on base facilities when I am with someone who experiences it with fresh eyes. On Sunday, I did some early spring cleaning of the kitchen and later painted with the kids. Did you know that washable tempera paint DOES actually come out of carpet? Yay!

  6. This weekend we drove to Foster from Kadena. Got a little Captain D’s (I have never seen it so busy!) and went shopping at the BX (or PX there). We also stopped by Typhoon Motors since my husband needed something for his car. We also cleaned…….a lot. My house has never been this clean before!

  7. We’re big fans of making tents with blankets, having really loud dance-a-thons (fortunately no neighbors to bother right now), baking, crafts that I always seem to have on hand from Oriental trading, and sidewalk chalk- (my kids even love to do this inside on the big rolls of paper you buy at the BX to mail packages.) Their favorite is to have me trace them on the paper and then they decorate themselves. If you get stir-crazy in the house you could bring some cardboard on base, there are some decent hills for “sledding”, too.

  8. Well, my husband and son went to the little park by my home on Camp Mct. My son also rode his new razor scooter….ok I rode it too lol. Then we went shopping and to Chili’s. Then today we just vegged and watched movies and played board games. I do miss football season.

  9. Since I am on my own (minus the cat) I tend to take care of things that I have put off lately….worked on a couple of projects that have been sitting around and will probably take care of some computer issues that I have been putting off for a while.

  10. I forgot to add in my post a few things to do on-base that may come in handy on rainy days. There’s a small kid-sized movie room at the USO that I believe comes free with drinks and popcorn. The only thing is that it needs to be reserved for your group ahead of time (we went to a birthday party there). Also, the bowling alleys are a good option as well as the indoor playrooms like at Camp Foster’s Burger King and Popeye’s. Ok, love to hear more rainy day ideas! Thanks so much!