April 20, 2020

Eight Things That Are Getting Me Through Quarantine

With roughly over a month in quarantine, I've noticed a few favourites that have helped me enjoy my time at home away from work.

Change in routine is always hard but these things have helped make it much more pleasurable.

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Amazon Fire Stick

The Amazon Fire Stick has been great for plugging into the tv in any room we're in so we're able to access services like Netflix for when we want to put on Paw Patrol for the kids to work on a project with limited interruptions or Youtube to watch our church services online.

Steam Mop

With disinfectant shortages everywhere, this mop has helped give me some piece of mine in being able to properly sanitize the majority of surfaces in our home.

In addition to floors, countertops, and point of contact, you can actually steam clean your windows or steam the wrinkles out of the clothes hanging in your closet.

Exercise Equipment

One of the things I really miss is being able to go to the gym. For me, working out has been such a great way to relieve stress and I feel amazing after a workout.

Just because the gyms are closed, does not mean you can't get a good workout in.

I ordered a set of dumbells and resistance bands and combined with walks outside with the boys, I've found that I've been able to get really effective workouts right from home.

In all honesty, bodyweight exercises are probably just as effective but I find just having these two small pieces of equipment help me switch up my workouts and keep things interesting.

Bubble Machine

The hardest part of this whole quarantine is trying to keep the kids entertained. Normally we could play at parks, have playdates, preschool, etc. to fill our weeks and we are finding the kids are having a hard time not being able to see friends and family.

Finding new and fun activities to do indoors (when the Canadian weather isn't cooperating) has been a lifesaver and one of the best examples of this is our bubble machine. my toddlers have so much fun jumping and trying to chase and pop all the bubbles that the machine pops out.

This activity is also a relatively cleaner alternative to some of the messier sensory experiences.

Coffee Bar

Normally I'm pretty simple when it comes to coffee at home. I work part-time as a barista at a local cafe and so I feel like my creative coffee options are endless there. Since being in quarantine, I've felt like adding a little bit of extra joy to my day in the way of my morning coffee.

Using our Keurig and reusable filters, I've been able to get my local coffee shops beans delivered to my doorstep and have been enjoying adding different flavour syrups to change up the taste. It adds such a fun element to our coffee bar!

Online Hangouts

Technology is so great! I feel so lucky to live in a time that while we have to be physically away from each other, there are so many ways to connect!

Besides groups chats and social media apps, there are a few particular apps and sites we have been taking advantage of:

Zoom - This is the one that I think everyone and their mother knows about but just in case you don't already know about this, this app is great for online meetings. it's like Facetime but for multiple people at once.

It has been the main source that we've used to continue leading our youth group while away from each other. We've been able to teach lessons and play games on here with a large group with relative ease.

Houseparty - This one is so fun! While similar to Zoom, this one is better for smaller groups (I would say around 3-6 people is probably best). It has built-in games like trivia, drawing guessing games and a game called Chips and Guac (similar to Apples to Apples or Cards Against Humanity).

Netflix Party - This one is great for a chill moving/tv show watching hang out with friends. You can all watch a movie or show together and have a group chat going at the same time (so you're all at the same part of the show together).

I don't know about you guys, but I have a group of girls I regularly get together with to binge watch Love Island (trash tv is a guilty pleasure) and this is a great way we can still watch a show together.

Food Delivery

Different food delivery services have made it so much easier to avoid busy grocery stores and other high traffic areas (hopefully, limiting the spread of COVID-19).

Whether it's online grocery orders, takeout orders from local restaurants and coffee shops or meal delivery services like HelloFresh, we have been taking full advantage of using some of these services (as our food budget allows, of course). This morning I ordered coffees from the coffee shop I work at and pastries from the local bakery delivered to my door. The lazy girl in me is thriving.

Cozy Clothes

Would this be a quarantine favourites if I didn't mention loungewear? I have been living in joggers, hoodies and slippers (which isn't much different than usual as I mostly worked from home pre-quarantine.)