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By Katie Bianco, Jess Feldman, Holly Gambrell, Michele Kettner and Jennifer Zeleski
Keeping smiles in our lives
As the days and weeks (and now month!) of staying at home go by, my boyfriend and I have purposefully kept our spirits up. Admittedly, he’s better at it than I am, but I’m grateful that he’s here to remind me that even during a global crisis, we still need to find ways to be positive. Here’s how we’ve been adding happiness into our new normal: painting wooden signs, courtesy of AR Workshop’s take-home DIY kits, seen in the photo above (mine is now hanging in my laundry room; his shows off his home-state pride); almost-daily virtual happy hours with friends and family (we’re getting pretty good at making cocktails); and playing tennis in a huge, abandoned parking lot close to my apartment (all the courts at local parks are closed). How are you bringing positivity into your home right now? Let us know on social media with the hashtag #NoVAatHome and by emailing us at [email protected]. You might even be included in our upcoming print issue. -Holly Gambrell, Digital Editor
A stocked pantry and stacked book shelf
I’m proud to be a home cook. Most nights you can find me whipping up just about anything, from crispy tofu with maple-soy glaze to Vietnamese iced coffee Cake. Cooking is my favorite pastime, and being stuck at home has made me love being creative in the kitchen even more. I have a sourdough starter (keep your fingers crossed for me!) like other millennials, and I’ve been flipping through my cookbooks too. If you’re new to this, here’s my advice: check out these for the best guidance and tastiest meals. The Joy of Cooking is a classic go-to, Weeknight Baking is authored by the baking blogger behind the aforementioned cake and Indian-ish and The Food of Sichuan will satisfy your restaurant cravings (and give you the confidence to cook with spice and added pizzazz). You’ll be roasting artichokes like Alison Roman or toasting cacio e pepe like Rachael Ray in no time. -Jennifer Zeleski, Editorial Assistant
It’s all about the little things
As a result of the pandemic, I’ve settled back into the home I grew up in and am officially in week four of isolation with my older brother and parents. This is the first time we’ve all lived under one roof in about seven years … and it’s crazy. While we are very close and I am grateful, it’s been essential that we all find our own self-care regimens and pockets of alone time to not bite each other’s heads off. For me, meditation (which I’ve never been able to really stick to until now) has provided a bit of solace during this uneasy time. To get started, I embraced suggestions from Gina Rollo White of Alexandria-based Mindful Junkie. And now, after a few weeks of practicing mindfulness, I’ve been straying away from my trusty Headspace app and diving into virtual meditation sessions from local studios, as well as those across the country, finding it really does boost my mood for the day to come. So whether it’s going for a long drive in the afternoon (as my dad does) or reading a good book in a quiet corner, be sure to take some time for yourself right now. Your family, roommates or even your dog will thank you for it later. -Jess Feldman, Editorial Assistant
A breath of fresh air
Fellow parents know that keeping your kids entertained all day during this stressful time is so, so hard. It’s so tempting to throw your hands up and just let them watch TV all day (and, I’ll be honest, there have been plenty of those days). But, one thing my family has going for it: We have a backyard. We moved from a townhouse about a year ago and I’ve been thanking my lucky stars my kids can get some wiggles out without having to worry about social distancing. Even so, while my husband and I are working, there are still a lot of TV requests. This week, we discovered the Disneynature series and my daughter is loving the documentary about pandas. This, of course, led me to introduce her to the National Zoo’s panda cam. I’m also going to use some resources from Smithsonian’s Learning Lab to foster this newfound interest in nature. Then, cross my fingers, as the spring showers slow down and the weather warms up, we can devote more hours in our day to backyard time. Want more tips on how to manage your family time? Children’s National Hospital shared some great tips with us here. -Katie Bianco, Editor
Quarantine book club
Being sheltered inside for the last four weeks has given me plenty of time to catch up on my reading. I’m the type of person who buys books and lets them sit in a pile for a few months before getting around to reading them and now I have nothing but time. During this past month, the time I wouldn’t have been stuck in traffic was spent finishing Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, Me by Elton John and Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. As much as I love getting to know these different characters and experience these unique worlds each week, I’m missing the social aspect that can come with reading. In order to fill that void, I will be joining Lake Anne Brew House’s Books & Brews virtual book club for a discussion of Ng’s first book Everything I Never Told You. I’m excited to cozy up with a book, snacks and a take-home craft beer from the brew house in the comfort of my home as I have a conversation that has nothing to do with coronavirus. – Michele Kettner, Editorial Assistant
