They also had their crayon box and marker box with coloring books. Anything that needed to be supervised was kept near the couch and they used these items on the coffee table in front of me. This table also served as my breakfast, lunch, and dinner table. By staying on the couch, I could also supervise the answering of the front door and the telephone. My 4 year old took care of me and our 2 year old for those two and a half months by getting healthy fingerfoods left in the fridge by Dad, and by doing all of the leg-work for our supervised activities.
Children love to be helpful, and thrive on it.
Husbands and other helpers do best with lists. Heaven knows you will have time to write them. Make them as clear as possible and try hard not to sweat the small stuff. It goes a long way. I even help from bed with folding laundry that is brought to me, or things like doing the bills in bed.