Have a Cozy Weekend.

A couple of ideas to do something positive during this time –
please leave yelp reviews for the small businesses/cafes and restaurants you love in your neighborhood. Its a small act of kindness that can help them tide through this time….

Hi! a little late to post here, but wanted to share a neat website I thought other Cup of Jo folks might be interested in, The Social Distancing Festival, https://www.socialdistancingfestival.com/, where they’re collecting rehearsals and other snippets of art & dance performances that have been cancelled or postponed due to COVID-19 so they’re at least available to stream and share with the world in some fashion (and there’s a ballet rehearsal from the ODC Theatre in SF, for fellow ballet lovers)

Yoga with Adriene changed my life a when I tried it almost 2 years ago! I’m so glad you are sharing her <3 I have endometriosis and had read some studies ( I'm a Nurse) with compelling evidence that yoga practice lessens symptoms. I decided to do it for 30 days from the comfort of my home with Adriene and see what happened because no medicine seemed to touch it for 15+ years so why not. She is real, funny, and accessible (and her dog Benji joins her on the mat). Anyway…about 20 days in, I got my period and didn't know it for the first time in my life, no pain!! When I am unable to do my daily practice my endo pain comes back, it's hard to stick with it and get back into it once my pain has returned. It has also helped manage unbelievable levels of anxiety in the past. It's a good time to try it :)

At first I rolled my eyes at people not knowing what to do with their kids all day. But that wasn’t fair. I’m a stay at home mom with preschoolers. I do this everyday and my kids are also used to being home. So, instead I thought I’d share some ideas that I’ve had recently:
– Make a puppet theater out of cardboard from the recycle bin and let the kids paint it. Then, have the kids go through the unmatched sock basket and use the lonely socks to make puppets by hot gluing on googly eyes and pompoms. Then, have a puppet show.
– Have the kids build habitats for their stuffed animals out of blankets, pillows and furniture. Then, feed them with play food or food made out of construction paper. Label each habitat with its inhabitants’ names and facts about them (for older kids).
– Make a giant rainbow on the biggest piece of cardboard you can find. Then, use found objects, magazine cutouts or bits of recycling of each color To fill the blanks by flying into the cardboard.
– Also, just let them play. Sometimes they need inspiration and sometimes they just need time and space to be creative.

We bought a new game over the weekend (7 wonders 2 player edition) and when we had finished an hour of getting our head round the rules and playing the first game, I suddenly realised I hadn’t thought about Coronovirus ONCE , and felt like myself again after a week of constant anxious thoughts (really unlike me). The difference was crazy and like a cloud lifting. Highly recommend playing games as a fun way to spend time with people NOT talking about worries.

Yoga with Adrienne is great, as well as Five Parks Yoga with Erin Sampson! Erin films most of her videos in Costa Rica so you can imagine that you’re on a tropical vacation while doing yoga.

I hope you love Yoga with Adriene as much as I do! I’ve cried while doing her videos, she’s so good!

I LOVE Yoga with Adriene! I would love to see a week of outfits or beauty routine post on this blog about Adriene :)

Came back to say if you’re still in need of a good show while hanging out, try This Is Football on Amazon. My husband is the soccer fan & I enjoy stories about people around the world, so win-win!

Haha I expected the ‘how to structure the day at home with kids’ link to give advice for people working from home with kids around… Starting tomorrow with a 4 and a 7 years old, and frankly all I can imagine is keeping them busy just like in the weekend and catching up work during the night???

Love Yoga with Adrienne. Her Sunday email this week was so positive and reassuring. Much appreciated right now. I also love the Mad Fit youtube videos — https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpQ34afVgk8cRQBjSJ1xuJQ — I flopped around like a jellyfish on my mat for the first couple weeks trying to keep up with her ab routines, but it gets easier if you stick with it.

Love Yoga with Adrienne! Her “Rainbow Yoga” episode is a fave with my kids! Plus, there’s Benjie!

I enjoyed the tour of the 370 sq. ft. studio apartment. It looked so big to me, yet was cozy. I’m not panicking about the Corona virus. As I recall, I think H1N1 was worse, and more people have died from the flu than the Corona virus. I went to Lidl yesterday to get some things I needed anyway, and the fresh potatoes, onions, and garlic were gone. Canned soups and stews were gone too. I didn’t check out the paper products because I didn’t need any. We have some shallots, so we’ll substitute those for garlic. As for closing schools, it’s a wonder I didn’t catch something when I taught (I’m retired), because the high schools where I taught were not kept clean by my standards. I routinely saw the custodian just run the dust mop around the floor, empty the trash, and move on to the next classroom. No dusting, no wiping down of desks, nothing. We were provided with hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes.

Thank you SO MUCH for the laughs and for the day-structuring blog post you shared. I have four kids- this helps.
Good luck Joanna!
I feel like you have a kind heart.

It is a nice thought to pay for a missed hair appointment. But the economic reckoning has begun and will continue to spiral. People are already tightening their purse strings, and will not be buying unnecessary items, they will stretch out hair appointments, cancel facials and massages, not buy that new purse. I wish this was covered as much as the social distancing (word of the year, along with with self-isolate).

Thank you.
I love the idea of a Cup of Jo book club or home activity we could all do together.
Additional ideas for being home with our children during this time would be so appreciated.

I would love a post in the future about what to do with kids while we’re social distancing. I have a 2.5 year old and I work part time. She’s used to going to story times, indoor playgrounds, outdoor playgrounds. I think I’ll be able to get through this first week with baking, drawing, painting, heading to parks and enjoying nature. But I feel like I need more ideas!

Ahhh…the “Calm Place” is much needed. Thank you!

Also, I hope you enjoy your yoga with Adrienne. I’m from Austin and Adrienne is a big time celebrity around here!

We are mainly staying in, too. I ordered a lot of non-perishable ingredients for meals and put together a loose schedule for our days together: https://feedingthesoil.com/2020/03/13/preparing-for-coronavirus-what-are-you-doing/

We are on Spring Break this week and next. If school gets canceled after that, we’ll switch to a schedule with academic activities, as well.

So grateful for this little corner of the internet! #communitywithoutgerms

I’m from out of the country and for some reason I can’t get the Amazon link to work for the game you’ve recommended – we are always on the hunt for a good game and now is the perfect time for a new one. Thank you!!

Yoga with Adrienne is fabulous – and Cosmic Kids Yoga for the boys if they need something that is more playful!

The podcast was amazing! OMG! I exclaimed out loud “no way” and started laughing when they talk to Evan. Perfect social distancing activity.

You had a post earlier about updating wills for date night. We finally did it! First talked about it when we were expecting (baby is turning 2 in May)! You’re absolutely right it feels great to know your loved ones are cared for. #preparenotpanic

Yes! I played Spyfall recently for hours with some of my oldest friends. It’s so fun, especially with people who you know well enough to guess their “tells.”

Yoga with Adriene is a complete and total blessing! She’s the perfect balance of silly and serious, and she really does make yoga accessible for everyone. If anyone is looking for a practice that includes a little more mind-work, her 30 day Yoga Camp would be my first choice!

We’re doing the same. Hang in there, everyone! A lot of people are complaining about having kids home for days, but I like that my family is doing more stuff together. Sure, we’re bound to get on each other’s nerves, but for now, it’s nice. Also, my introvert self is loving it!