30 Things to Do in April (Quarantine Edition)
Happy April loves! March felt like I was in a movie written by a child, where everything goes wrong and no one has the answers to anything – and April is following suit. Like many other states, Michigan is under a stay at home order and school has been canceled for the remainder of the year. Trust me, I know it is tough. Staying home is the worst, I know first hand because I am a social butterfly that can\’t sit still ever. However, I have been doing my part and have been staying inside to keep myself and others safe – hopefully, you can say that you have been doing the same.
My plan was to just skip doing 30 things to do in April, but as someone struggling with the isolation of social distancing, I figured I would share some things that are currently helping me. During the time of this pandemic, it is more important than ever to take time for ourselves, be creative and just stay positive. I hope this list brings a little bit of light and happiness to your life and you find a couple things that you want to do.
1. Paint rainbows or something bright and cheery in your windows. #RainbowsOverMichigan is making waves here in the mitten state, and it\’s nice to see doors decorated with cheer.
2. Build boards on Pinterest of meals you want to make, therefore you can have planned before you go to the grocery store and can get in and out as quickly as possible.
3. Watch Onward on Disney+ today!
4. Work on a puzzle.
5. Take spring cleaning to the next level and
6. It is the perfect chance to try that takes-all-day recipe you\’ve been wanting to try. I am going to giving French macarons a try and will post about my results when I finish.
7. Spend a day taking time to prepare various meals and freeze them, to make things easier on days you\’re not in the mood for cooking. I actually made a ton of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and egg breakfast sandwiches and froze them to make my days a little easier.
8. Today I am sharing some springtime cookies perfect for Easter on the blog.
9. Take a break from your phone and grab an adult coloring book or print out some coloring pages that companies have posted. I absolutely love Michigan Awesome\’s coloring pages as well as Lilly Pulitzer\’s coloring pages.
10. Why not do sudoku, word search or crossword puzzle? Even if you do not have a book there are some great resources online.
11. Curl up in a blanket and enjoy a new book.
12. Hoppy Easter! Celebrate the best you can this year and be thankful for your family and friends.
13. Give your friends a call on zoom, FaceTime and more to spend time hanging out.
14. Support local small businesses.
15. Take a class online. I am currently doing the Nikon online photography school.
16. Start a new hobby or restart an old one. I really want to give embroidery a try.
17. Binge-watch a show. I was talked into watching Parks and Rec.
18. Have a Zoom game night.
19. Get up and get moving, there are plenty of gyms offering free classes.
20. Take Yale\’s the Science of Well-Being class online.
21. Set aside at least 30 minutes a day of no screentime.
22. Start to meditate and clear your mind.
23. Create a vision board of what you want to accomplish once we are all released back into the wild.
24. Make sure you are staying hydrated and drinking plenty of water to help keep your immune system up.
25. Everyone likes receiving gifts, and during this hard time who wouldn\’t like to receive something special in the mail. Order a basket from your favorite local company.
26. Play Words with Friends.
27. Watch Netflix at the same time as your friends so you can talk about the show or movie.
28. Learn how to bake bread.
29. Take a trip through a virtual museum or zoo.
30. Share a favorite recipe with a friend.
Five Things
This is quarantine week two, and day 10 of working from home, for me. On Monday, the governor of Michigan has issued a mandatory “shelter-in-play” which means we technically are not allowed to leave our houses except for work, food (groceries/takeout), or gas for the most part. You can still get outside and walk, but people have not been practicing the 6 foot of social distancing rule, which makes me nervous to get outside. As you probably know by now, I am not one to sit still, however, I don’t want to get sick or be responsible for someone else getting sick so I am hunkering down.
What have I been up to this week?
Over the weekend I decorated macarons from Le Detroit Macaron Kit that my aunt got me, and then ate my body weight in them. Seriously they are so good!
My parents made steak and potatoes and invited me over to come pick it up.
I was feeling pretty down and a friend drew me this butterfly to cheer me up.
It looks like we will be hunkering at home for longer than we thought, so I decided to start doing workouts at home. I am loving the fact that there are so many workouts available for free online right now.
Le Detroit Macaron – Macron Decorating Kit
Social distancing is the buzzword of 2020. Restaurants in Michigan are only allowed to offer carryout or curbside delivery. The new normal is far from the normal that I want to be living. However, we have to learn to adapt to this newfound life. Staying indoors so other lives can be saved, is critical. Restaurants and bakeries are doing what they can to stay afloat during these times. Seeing small businesses struggle is breaking my heart. Recently while scrolling Instagram, I saw that my favorite bakery (they only sell macarons, which are my favorite – hence my favorite bakery) Le Detroit Macaron was selling Macaron Decorating Kits to give families something to do at home.
I showed my aunt, and she ended up heading there to get me a kit for my birthday, and herself a kit to prevent boredom. I absolutely loved that Le Detroit Macaron came out with these kits. The macaron decorating kit was everything that I could have hoped for during self-isolation. I ended up saving my kit for something to do this weekend. Everything in the kit was extremely fresh and you could tell that it was not laying around, which I definitely appreciated. Le Detroit Macaron is my favorite macaron place in Michigan, if you have not tried Le Detroit Macaron yet, I HIGHLY recommend giving them a call, placing an order and picking it up curbside during these times. They\’re an amazing bakery, all the employees are the sweetest.
My favorite macarons from Le Detroit Macaron Signature Collection are: Almond
Fruity Pebbles
Lemon Zest
Le Detroit Macaron always has speciality flavors, so you\’re sure to get a variety of different flavors each time you visit. Thank you Le Detroit Macaron for making these kits and making this Detroiter\’s life a little sweeter during this unknown time.
What small businesses are you supporting in your state?
How To Watch Broadway Shows From Home During Coronavirus Self Isolation
CANCELED: Broadway In Detroit Spring Shows
In accordance with Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s Executive Order 2020-9 to temporarily close theatres and other public venues in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, Broadway In Detroit has canceled The Last Ship (April 22–26 at the Detroit Opera House) and The Color Purple (April 21-26 at Music Hall).
Five Things
I’m not going to lie, it’s been an interesting week. Friday I went to the Alibi and picked up a pizza and salad, things were weird, and Purell was being used like crazy. Monday I started working from home to self-quarantine. My birthday was this week, and I celebrated it from the inside of my house. It’s a weird time, and we’ve been asked to socially distance ourselves from people. My aunt Deede did come in clutch and get me a Le Detroit Macaron Decorating Kit which gave me some fun to do while being stuck inside and make my birthday a little less miserable. As someone who typically has jampacked weeks, staying home like this is proving to be more difficult than I thought it would be. However, I am loving to work from home life. Here are some pictures from my first week of self-isolation/quarantine.
Fashion meets Food 