While we were away on vacation we were horrified to learn that our friend JP (I JUST talked about him on here a few posts ago) was doing some work on a tall ladder on his house, was surprised by some bees flying out of a gutter and fell 23 feet or so to the ground below. He was airlifted to a local hospital and, though he suffered multiple injuries including broken ribs and vertebrea and a collapsed lung, it looks like he will make a full recovery. This is amazing news, but I fear that poor JP is going to be stuck in bed a while to give his bones and things a chance to heal.
I have a few ideas rattling around in my head, but I thought it would be fun to have a little contest to entertain JP while he's recovering. Leave a comment on this post telling me 3 or more things you can do to pass the time while stuck in bed. I know some of you mamas who have experienced bed rest during pregnancy are going to do me proud here. Good books, movies, tv shows, games, food...anything you can think of is fair game, just try to make it entertaining. JP is a super smarty pants, but he doesn't take himself too seriously. Hints for Meryl, who I'm assuming is going to be JP's beck and call girl during the recoup might be good, too.
I'll keep it open for a week, and next Tuesday noonish I'll choose my favorite entry. The winner will get a pair of Classic Crankys of their choice from the NEXT shipment (hopefully here by month's end). Feel free to enter as many times as you can come up with 3 good things. Making us giggle is always a plus.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
32 comments:
Im a gamer mama so I figured Id recommend some games. You say hes a braniac so games like tetris(GBA), brain age and big brain academy(DS)are great games.
Some good movies to watch are pretty much anything Kevin Smith does (Clerks, Mallrats, Jay and Silent Bob, Chasing Amy)
For Meyrl:
-A few bottles of good wine
-Earplugs.
-Gourmet chocolate for those really stressful days!
- Does the hospital have wi-fi? Does JP (or someone he knows) have a laptop he could use? He could start a daily blog about his recovery.
- Get him all 3 seasons of the Muppet Show that are out on DVD. (I was sick in bed a couple weeks ago...and my parents had gotten me all 3 seasons for my birthday the week before)
- Teach him to knit/crochet! Men who know their way around yarn are awesome (my husband crochets).
*Sudoku
*DVD seasons of The Office, that will pass the time and be entertaining. Heck, he could even crochet/knit while he was watching it...;0)
*Give him challenges like making $5 meals. Get him the Sunday paper and give him a challenge or any variation of it. Then Meryl can change up the variations and "grade" him or make them and have decide whether he made good choices.
~Get all three seasons of the tv show "Arrested Development" Unless it hurts too much to laugh.
~Computer games like "The Sims" and the "Mystery Case Files" series are always good time wasters
~Paintbrushes taped to long sticks...he can make his own Sistine Chapel like masterpiece on the ceiling
I'm good for this one! My husband had heart surgery two weeks ago today, so needless to say, we've been having lots and lots of downtime.
For JP
1. Find a DVD series he can watch all the way through. Netflix is great for this. DH has watched all the old Talespins cartoons and has started on Darkwing Duck. :)(He's a kid at heart.)
2. As soon as he feels able, invite friends and family to visit. People help pass the time much better than activities can.
3. Get dressed and bathed as soon as you feel able to. You'd be amazed at how much better you feel just by getting dressed in the morning. It makes you feel more "human".
Ok...lemme just list a couple of things I'm pretty sure *MY* husband would do...or at least want to. Sorry if they are tacky...my DH is one big kid.
1 - Watch a marathon of Family Guy. It's rude, it's crude...but he'd love every minute of it.
2 - Have a pair of Night Vision Goggles (soon to be sold in a Toy Store near you) under his pillow so that he could freak out the nurse that comes in to check at 2:30 in the a.m.
3 - Invite anyone who is willing in for a Rockin' round of Guitar Hero
Hope he gets to feelin' better soon!!!
Well I used to work in a children's hospital..... you get to the point where there are only so many video games/tv/movies you can handle, especially if you have a creative mind
sooooooo
1. get this little handheld game called 20Q (if not at the toystore then thinkgeek.com?), its a digital version of 20 questions and it will blow your mind.
2. This one may drive Meryl nuts... get a nerf dart gun or launcher set OR a disk gun (my DH found a nifty old skool one on ebay) and set up a target range with empty soda or water bottles, etc. note: not to be used in place of a call bell.
3. Learn a new language! Get a CD/DVD learning kit, then add something a book from Howard Tomb's Wicked Travel series and have some fun with the ...erm...finer points of the slang ;-)
Tips for Meryl:
Get enough sleep! even if you dont want to.
and a word from the nurse in me....dont just lay there! turn and reposition every other hour, cough (yes it hurts) and take deep breaths, and use that silly plastic breathing apparatus they give you :)
1. Come up with new ideas for bumper stickers, specifically ones that will allert the public to the dangers of bees.
2. Host a bubble blowing contest with the hospital staff. Pass out that nasty, yet somehow addicting, hard, pink bubble gum and see who can blow the biggest bubble. Or see who can get the most in their mouth and still chew, while not gagging.
3. Perfect your bird calls. Then see if you can get transfered to the the psych ward just for a day. Make sure to spread a trail of bird seed that leads to your room/bed. See what kind of life long, bird loving friends you can make :)
Give the mansome gorgeous yarn, and teach him to knit... The lovelier the yarn the more forgiving of poor/non-existent technique.
Got wi-fi? Show off vocabulary skillz AND feed the world.
http://www.freerice.com/index.php
I cannot overstate how addictive and frustrating this site can be...
And for the math side of the brain... Develop an equation to calculate the number of holes punched into the ceiling tiles... Then count 'em to check your equation building abilities.
Get better soon, JP.
A laptop, and World of Warcraft. You can get a free 10 day trial. I know it keeps my son busy for HOURS.
A laptop, and Second Life. Again. Hours.
All 10 seasons of Friends!
1. Needlepoint. Seriously, guys who craft are sexy :)
2. Rosetta Stone - they come in just about any language imaginable. If he has wi-fi, he can learn a language & find a pen pal fluent in it & practice.
3. Read the entire Harry Potter series. Then watch the movies to date. Then discuss the differences/similarities between the books and the movies. Then discuss the casting for the movies. Then discuss the possible undercurrents/love themes/orientation of the characters. Decide which character he would be if he were in the story. And the all important, what would his patronus look like. Repeat until Meryl wants to smother him with a pillow.
Hope he feels better soon!
My husband says:
stripper
beers
laptop
He wishes;)
I say:
sudoku and crossword puzzles
new dean koontz book
legos
A kite, if he has a window nearby... extra points if he can manage a super-duper trick kite!
A bell, to make his lovey run up and down the stairs with! (Actually, we found it really worked better than yelling)... OR walkie talkies (SOOO COOL!)
Those little water-filled toys where you have to push the buttons to make the rings go over the pegs and stuff. SOOO COOL!
Don't forget the super comfy fluffy down pillows... they can really make a difference.
ohhh...a former pregnancy bed rest survivor here! :-)
1. re-read all of the harry potter books (assuming they have already been read once).
2. make sure you join netflix. much cheaper than on-demand from cable or satellite. then get both seasons of "dead like me." although this could be bad if, like me, you fall in love with the show and become bitter that it ended way too soon.
3. keep a mini-fridge next to the bed, constantly stocked with some type of alcohol (no, I didn't do that while I was pregnant!!).
1)Read Rotary-Wing Aerodynamics (dover publications) or any of the books in the math or engineering section. Thirteen Books of Euclid's Elements 3 Volume Set will teach you math starting with a point!
2)Learn to knit and start knitting cranky pants for Amy or maybe a nice coffee cozy.
3)I can not believe the new Doctor Who has not been mentioned. We get the series from our library. Great shows.
I thought of more :)
1. Learn to play chess if he doesn't already. He can play online if he doesn't have a set. Play against kids - it's quite humbling to be beaten at chess by an elementary school child (which happens to me every time I play)
2. Read Stephen King's The Gunslinger/Dark Tower series. Great, great, great stories. "The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed." - a perfect opening line.
3. Find an online forum he can enjoy. There is a forum for EVERYTHING. My husband frequents a cruise forum (because we are planning a cruise this year) and a coffee forum...yes, an entire forum devoted to coffee. Single serve coffee makers, to be specific. Yes, he is a bit of a geek. But he's my geek :)
Oh no!
1. Pandora's box cd for a laptop. It has levels of puzzles and is a lot of fun
2. Make a movie! Who knows maybe a documentary that wins at the next film festival, lol.
3. Figure out the next winning powerball numbers and email them to me ;)
As a mommy that's been on bedrest a couple of times I have some experience with this. Taking a clue from JP's past and interests I had a few thoughts...
1. Buy him a nose flute and have him start practicing for a duet w/ Henry and his slide whistle. Perhaps a rousing rendition of "Send in the Clowns?" :)
2. Put together a circus movie night extravaganza for him w/ some of the best circus movies of all time (The Marx Brothers at the Circus, Trapeze, The Great Wallendas, The Greatest Show on Earth and Circus World). Don't forget the peanuts, popcorn, soda and of course CIRCUS peanuts!
3. Perhaps JP can use this time to come up w/ a new circus act that can be performed from bed??? Finger unicycling?? Maybe a magic trick or two? This is where his creativity and smarty-pantsness comes in handy as I have no idea what this would be. :) On a more serious note bring him a journal - this could be a time of reflection. No doubt he could turn this into a valuable lesson to be shared w/ the kids he connects with. I know I had some important think time and re-prioritizing on my bedrest. OR, how about a polaroid? Are those still around? A photo/day. Tell his story through pictures? I like this idea.
He can only take 1 photo/day so he has to be strategic about it.
Bonus idea for Meryl: Have her contact a bunch of the groups of kids and other friends/family and organize a mass mailing of cards, letters, art to be delivered to him all at once or a few/day throughout his recovery. Sure to be an encouragement as he moves through his recovery.
Hope you like the ideas - get well soon JP!!!
Mae
elliebee3@gmail.com
How about soap carving :) Maybe if he's good at it a soap making WAHM will donate some bars for him to carve and then sell all his bed rest soap carvings in her shop to raise money so that he can get himself a nice consolation prize for being in bed so long :)
Hope you feel better soon JP. Whatever you do. Don't push that button that makes the bed fold up :) ROFL!
1) Since you said he's a SmartyPants... there is a game for the Wii (if he has one) called smartypants, its a really fun trivia game for all ages!
2) You could teach him to knit your crankypants and see if he cam come up with some new boyish designs for them! If he comes up with a new monster you can call it the JP monster!
3) Give him a balloon, some tape, a tube of toothpaste, some M&M's and a rollerskate. Than lock the bedroom door and see what ha can come up with using those items to get himself out. I'm sure that could entertain him for some time!
1.Give him a tube of henna paste. With all those hours and a blank "canvas", he's sure to make a masterpiece.
2. Learn origami and fold 1,000 cranes. They are supposed to bring good fortune.
3. Netflix and chocolate!
Give him a recorder and as many kids book as you can find. He can read and tape the books to be used by young children.
Along those same line you can contact the center for the blind and make books on tape from all kinds of books.
Join an online forum for whatever his interest is. Just reading all the back posts can take months!
Get a beginner magic kit and book and learn magic tricks.
1 - Watch movies with featured falling people. Pollyanna, Vertigo, Cliffhanger, etc.
2 - Food fun. Make sculptures with toothpicks and gumdrops. Have a jello-cube stacking contest. Or challenge the nurses to find out who can hold the most jumbo marshmallows in their mouth at once.
3 - Two words. Penis puppetry. (He's a man, he'll appreciate it!)
For Meryl - I was the primary caregiver for my grandmother when she was bedridden prior to her death last month. Treat yourself to chocolate, pedicures, and long hot baths. Being a caregiver for someone who is bedridden can be exhausting...make sure you take care of YOU too!
And get a reusable cup with a long (preferably bendy) straw. At one point, I actually used plastic tubing from the pet store. No spilled cups!!
1 - Get creative with readily available materials by making crafts such as...STRAW SCULPTURES!
http://www.georgehart.com/virtual-polyhedra/straw-tensegrity.html
http://www.nthykyldss.edu.hk/subject/art/Drinking_Straw.htm
You can "green" this up by simply collecting used straws for your sculpture. As an extra advantage, your friends will get to expand their social circle as they room-hop in the hospital, gathering used straws from patients, visitors, and hospital employees alike!
2 - Learn to recite the 50 states in alphabetical order. This I learned in 1st grade (it was a song in a play) and you'd be surprised how often it's come in handy. Plus, fun party trick! Amuse your friends! REALLY. Mrs. Jones can teach you how:
http://www.mrsjonesroom.com/songs/50states.html
3 - Once you've amused your friends with your amazing alphabetizing prowess, annoy them from the convenience of your bed by speaking only "Jack Handey".
http://www.quoteworld.org/authors/jack_handey__deep_thoughts_
For example, you might muse, "How come the dove gets to be the peace symbol? How about the pillow? It has more feathers than the dove, and it doesn't have that dangerous beak."
If you're the sneaky, suspicious sort, you'll enjoy the added benefit that this will bring. You'll be able to find out what all of your friends REALLY think of you, as all the crazy talk will lead them to the mistaken conclusion that your morphine drip is too high, and that you won't remember what they're saying anyways.
4 - Okay, scratch my ideas. I'm with Courtney on the Penis Puppetry. ;)
1 Help another hyena stalk a much needed (wanted) item or two.
2. Make a "to do list" crush it up and throw it away, then make another one and crush it up and throw it away, Hey look your playing trash basketball.
3. Try to drive everyone around you completely crazy so they stay away from you. That way you might get some much needed rest.
1. Amuse yourself watching the end of the world and imitate all the accents. http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/end
2. Play connect the dots using a sharpie and the freckles or moles on your body. If you can get someone else to do it for you - all the better!
3. Create a sculpture only from things found in your hospital room and take pictures of your creations. Extra points for using a bedpan in your sculpture.
Feel better!
1. link JP to Hyenacart's forum, that should keep him entertained for a while.
2. give him your paypal and link him to your favorite HC stores.
3. beeswax sculpting is fun
4. pick up weaving
5. spinning with a drop spindle
6. put a bucket at the end of the bed and give him a a bag of cherries and see what he comes up with, lol.
7. writing actual letters to relatives and friends.
8. Getting a head start on Christmas mail
9. Planning a vacation for when he is all better.
10. Making a "food wish list" for the following week.
I think that is it for now, that should hold him over, but I will give it some more thought. I hope he will be better soon.
1. Tv can get boring after awhile, why don't you get him a notebook and pen- give it a go at maybe a journal. Both of them can write one- The recovering and Taking care of the recovering. They can try making it a comedy!
2. Perfect time to try something new. Knitting, crocheting,drawing, painting, even scrap booking. I am sure they have pictures that have not been touched in a while. Always a fun together project.
3. I don't know about children in their life but it would be fun for the children/neices and nephews to put on a little skit for him. Either do it in front of him or tape it so he can re-watch it when he wants.
I am sure many people have come up with the same kinda ideas, but just a thought.
You could even put him to work while he is laying there. Find things you need done and leave them for him!!!!
I got three more, lol. So that makes it lucky 13!
1. Study for/take the SAT's just for the fun of it.
2. Apply to 3 Major Colleges.
3.Get a paintball gun and paint the hospital room.
1. study industrial design and invent a safer ladder.
2. take a piece of rope and learn to tie a monkey fist.
3.study meditation.
4. become a guru and give advise to hospital staff.
I just thought of 3 more things to do, lol. I wish I had all of these great ideas when I was on bed rest in my 3rd pregnancy.
1. kareoke machine
2. write a script for a new reality show "Voted out of the hospital ward"
3. create a treasure hunt for the meds (for patients in neighboring rooms)
Post a Comment