Midstory Does Quarantine

Quarantine has turned most of our worlds upside down. It is easy to let our minds sink into a negative place because we resolve to being stuck inside and excuse just turning on the tv or scrolling on our phones once our work is done. Whether you are single and in your 30’s or married with kids, we all need to keep exercising our brains and imaginations. If you feel yourself hitting a low spot, either because your kids are driving you absolutely crazy or because you are on lockdown alone and you keep finding yourself going to dark places, stop yourself and try one of these things on this blog! Otherwise, call someone. Let those moments of anger or sadness trigger yourself to stop immediately before you go to a place you will regret, and do something uplifting. FaceTime someone, call someone, or go do a fun activity, even if it feels childish!

If you are like me, you may not can relate to all the quarantine craft ideas. I have never been a very crafty person. I do them every now and then for Gabriel, but even he isn’t super into them. So, we haven’t gleaned much from the IG videos and posts about crafts or activities to do with your kids that I keep seeing. We also don’t have craft stuff lying around the house, besides a few pipe cleaners and crayons. For those of you that ARE crafty, I hope you have seen these jackpot posts that I am referring to! If you are looking for more ideas of things you can do with things you already have around the house that may just need some dusting off, read along! I also like to find activities that all of us can enjoy (Mom, 29; Gabriel, 4; Emory, 18mo), regardless of our age.

Here are a few things we have been doing together. If you do enjoy crafts, maybe you could add a few of these things to shake it up a little! You can do these things whether you are a parent, live with roommates or live alone! Most of these things can be done both outdoors or indoors if you don’t have a yard. Things like busting out our tent hit me and I’m like, “why have I not thought of this?” or a neighbor will make a suggestion and I feel silly for not having done it with the boys or for myself yet. I just thought you guys may need a little reminding to try these things while you are stuck inside or around your house.

// “Camping”

You don’t have to load the car down and head to the woods to go camping (although if you can, go for it). You can do it right in your backyard, or even just your living room! If you do have a yard, definitely pop up a tent outside, but if not, we do indoor “campouts”, too. You can make it as simple or as elaborate if you want! If you don’t have a tent, don’t fret! I bet you have a big sheet or blanket and chairs, right? Make a fort! Be a kid again! Here are some ideas to consider for your camput:
- make camp food (over a fire or on the stove or microwave!) - hot dogs, s’mores, kebabs, granola… if you have a JetBoil you could make some coffee or tea on it just for fun!
- if you are stuck indoors, turn on something like Planet Earth or a wild documentary!
- load up the tent with a flashlight, books, campfire stories, a sleeping bag
- if you have kids, you could make a map for a treasure hunt or do a fun scavenger hunt inside or outdoors. let them load up a backpack with any gear they want!

// Plant Something!

Little Bluestem Farm sent us some Zinnia seeds and it was just the motivation I have been needing to plant something! You can make a new flower bed to plant them in outside or you can start growing something in an egg crate by your kitchen sink! From herbs to flowers to veggies, just try something! Or maybe you have been needing to, but avoiding, transplanting something from one pot to another or from pot to ground, do it! We dug up a spot in our backyard and planted to zinnia seeds. Gabriel and I dug up the grass, churned up the dirt, added some potting soil, poked our little holes and planted the seeds. We covered the holes and then Emory joined us for the light watering after his nap. I would especially encourage you to buy a plant or plant something easy and quick if you are stuck in an apartment! It is sure to lift your spirits. They have lots of plant delivery services or buy some seeds online! You could contact a local flower farm, too, and I bet they would send you some seeds! I also have some extras, so holler if you want me to send you some!

// Pool Time

This is where you should splurge if you don’t have one. If you have a balcony (our tiny one in Austin could fit one), buy a kid pool. If you have kids, obviously they will love it. If you don’t have kids, do a little workout, put on your bathing suit, fix you a cocktail and squeeze yoself into that pool (obviously you can buy as big of one as you want, I’m just thinking one of those $10 ones). If you do have kids and you want to really splurge, we bought a little bouncy house from Walmart online for about $50 (it actually looks like the price went up a little just from when I bought it a couple of weeks ago!) and it was the best money I ever spent (other than our Nugget). We put it in the playroom, but then we took it outside and it took it to another level. You can fill it up with water or add a little soap for slippery fun. Option 2, which never fails and costs nothing, but a blip on your water bill is letting them turn on the water hose and then letting them embrace the mud.

// Veggie Washing Station

This is definitely geared more toward younger ones because if you are older, you have to do this all the time, so it’s not quite as fun. I let Gabriel wash potatoes last week and he really enjoyed it, so this week when we get our farm box, I am going to wash out their sand box and fill it with water and let them scrub all the veggies for me. If you have older kids, they can just use the sink, but that’s not an option for Emory.. and really not for Gabriel, unless I want to wipe out water that he sprays around when he sneaks the spray hose. This is a great way to teach them about the vegetables, let them help and to have a good time, while supporting a local farm! We are getting ours from Two Dog Farms. They are pulling together lots of fruits and veggies from other local farms and do pickups at multiple locations. I am sure you can find something similar in your area.

Flowers he delivered to doorsteps from Little Bluestem Farm.

// Brighten a Neighbors’ Day (Safely)

This can be done in so many different ways. Here are a few ideas:
- send happy mail
- drop off flowers
- mow someone’s yard
- FaceTime your grandparents or older neighbors that may be feeling lonely
- offer to buy groceries for at risk neighbors (sanitize before, during and after shopping)
- send someone some surprise Venmo money
- plant something in someone’s yard (with permission)
- drop off wine to a mom ;)
- order/pay for someone to go pick up a curbside meal from their favorite restaurant

// Buy Printable Coloring Pages

Again, I’m not crafty. I need someone to do the hard work for me. I got a Thimblepress Meditation and Memorization Coloring Book and it is BEAUTIFUL. The passages she chose are so uplifting and truths that are so rich and needed for this hard time in which we have found ourselves. Whether you are 1 or 100, you can enjoy this. I can’t wait to color them all with crayons and watercolor and whatever medium we are feeling each day and hang them everywhere! You may know an artist that is doing something similar. Whether it is Kristen’s or someone else, I encourage you to buy one! It is so good for your mind and soul and it is a great way to support an artist.

// Get to Know the Plants and Animals around You

There are so many more activities you can do, but I will end with this one. We are pretty good about enjoying the plants and animals in our yard, but I never stop to look them up and tell the boys (or myself) about them. It has been interesting to look up the things we see around our house. I have started writing down the names and interesting facts about the trees in our yard and I plan to do the same with all of the birds, such as:
- name of the plant/animal
- is it native or if not, from where did it originate?
- what is it known for?
- what does it eat?
- when does it bloom?

I think it would be a good exercise to try and draw the trees or animals. I think whether you are 30 and on your own or you have kids, everyone should try this. It uses a different part of our brains that is so important to tap into! Those of us who aren’t artistic often don’t touch this now that we are older. Bust that pencil and paper or markers out! If you have older kids, you could make a whole activity out of this with learning facts, doing sketches, etc. You could challenge your friends and compare your artwork. Kids love it when their parents join them for things they are doing. Don’t just make them do it. Do it yourself!

We also just got a precious little picnic table for squirrels that my brother-in-law made for Gabriel’s birthday, so we can’t wait to watch the squirrels dig in! Check out their blog, From Our Heart and Home, or find them on Instagram >> @ourheartandhome .

I am going to just bullet some other ideas because I always need reminders, even of the most simple things:
- Dance Party >> I do this at least once a day with the boys to fun, clean music, but I also close all my drapes and GET DOOOOOWN by myself to some explicit rap music after I have put the boys to bed for some cardio and spiritual goodness.
- Fashion Show >> This is something that would be so fun, in my opinion, with or without kids. You could even do it with your spouse, roommates, kids, friends on a Zoom call or FaceTime. It may be a good way to help you clean out your closet, too! Get friends to remind you that you never wear that dress, or maybe that you never should again... Put on your best ball gown (old prom dress, wedding dress if you’ve got one, etc), your bathing suits, an 80’s throwback outfit.
- Photoshoot >> As a photographer, I couldn’t not suggest this. Make some wild props, do a make-up tutorial or play dress-up and take some fun photos!
- Yoga >> Again, whther you are 1 or 100, this is good for all and there are so many free resources online right now that studios are graciously offering. It is so good for your body and soul!
- At-home Mani/Pedi >> don’t think I need to elaborate?
- Simple crafts/science experiments >> vinegar + baking soda, tape two toilet paper rolls together to make binoculars, fun with food coloring, sensory bins with old rice, lentils or noodles, paper airplanes, cut up a pool noodle to make boats..
- Play pirates >> make a treasure map and hide a treasure box filled with fun stuff! If you don’t have kids, but have a roomate, you could fill a box with notes of fun memories, snacks your roommate loves, a good movie and some other fun things! You could even leave a box in a friend’s yard or apartment complex and make them go find it.
- Picnic >> throw a quilt out on your living room floor or in your backyard and eat lunch on it. Simple as that!
- LEGO’s, Megablocks, Nintendo, boards games, Go Fish, Phase 10… dust off all those old games and building sets.

That’s all I’ve got for you folks! Don’t resolve to this quarantine just being a big fat bummer. We are all in this together. You aren’t the only one going through it. You aren’t the only one that is lonely and bored and down. You aren’t the only one fearing losing your job, down about having to postpone work, bummed that your senior year totally got dumped on.. There’s a big world out there and everyone is going through exactly what your are, just in their own way. Hang in there, use that brain and keep your head up! Lounge, play, exercise, read, be wild.

Xoxo,
Midstory Photography