I live alone in a northern state and escape the winter snow and ice by going to live with my son and his family in Florida for January to mid-March. What you wrote about being welcome, as long as you follow the rules, really resonated with me 🤣🤣
I have found two tasks I can physically do, which are very helpful to them and bring lots of good vibes- I do all the family laundry- I drag it downstairs, to the w/d, in bunches in a tall kitchen trash bag, so it’s not too much or too heavy for me. I sit on a chair near the w/d to sort, load, change to the dryer, take out to a wash basket. I put a plastic grocery bag through the basket handle and pull it to the dining room table, then sit to fold and sort. I stack the clothes back in the basket and pull it over to the stairs for someone to take up. This saves the parents hours!! I just started saying, “This is good exercise for me”, “I really like to do the wash”. It helps pass the time and you feel like you are contributing to the household and it IS good exercise! I never go in the parents’ room to get or bring back laundry, I just say, “Whenever you want to bring down your stuff, I’m ready!” Reluctance didn’t last long once I started in on the kids.
The other thing I do is to clean the kitchen after meals. I can hold onto the counters if I need to, the dishwasher and trash can are right there, everyone clears the table. This gives the parents extra time to be with the kids and takes an extra job off their plates. Again, I just started saying, “This is good exercise for me.”, and it is! My daughter-in-law says, “It’s like the elves were here!”
Doing these tasks helps give structure to my day and week, is a safe way to get exercise and activity, and saves the parents hours of housework, which they can spend with the kids or relaxing or taking a walk together (you’re helping support the marriage too).