During this time of stay-at-home mandates, I've found myself becoming somewhat lethargic and at times melancholy. There's nothing "wrong" and I'm not complaining since I have my health, a wonderful family, and good friends with beautiful souls. We love our Best Brains Learning Center of Bloomfield Hills family, too! But I was missing something; as someone who is predominantly active and upbeat, I've tried for weeks to put my finger on what I'm missing. Finally, last week I got some clarity.

I was catching up with a friend sharing tidbits from our lives, when she asked me if I had any plans for the summer, and I realized that not only did I have no plans for the summer, but I didn't have any plans for the coming months – nothing. I listened as she told me all of her plans, and I watched as her eyes lit up with anticipation as she talked about them. I didn't fully process any of this until I was driving back home. It was then when I realized that I'm not looking forward to anything, and that I'm missing that spark of anticipation that invigorates us!

To create this spark again, I've started to plan little things to look forward to and I've found myself becoming reenergized. Our children need this too! If you've found your child to be lethargic or resistant to learning in any way, design activities that he or she can look forward to. Here are my suggestions, but really the ideas are limitless:

• Go to the zoo – yes, they're open year-round!
• Go for a family hike
• Set up a cooking lesson or competition – have your child help choose the menu
• Have girls? Makeover day!
• Plan a movie night – make it an event with popcorn, treats, etc.
• Have a Yahtzee! Tournament
• Support a local hotel and stay there for an overnight

Whatever you decide, the key is planning it at least one week in advance. Planning it creates anticipation and builds up those endorphins that keep us energized in our daily routine as we look forward to our fun time! Be sure to take pictures or video and create a physical or digital scrapbook since remembering the activity can rejuvenate those positive feelings. Keep the endorphins going by always having a plan for a different activity.