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I hope that all of you are doing well and that your family is healthy and safe. For those of you that cannot stay home and that continue to serve your community, thank you for your dedication and service! We are so grateful. During the past couple of weeks of social distancing, the Sanabria & Co. team has been sharing ideas with each other to keep ourselves sane(ish) and our kids busy. As we dive deeper into isolation / working from home / home schooling in the coming weeks, we thought that you might be interested in hearing what we’ve been up to because I know that I am running out of ideas and energy. And wine. To that end, each member of the S&Co team put together some of the activities and goodies that have helped keep our heads up during this strange time. What are you guys up to? What tips and tricks are getting you through? We would love for you to share with us in the comments!
MELISSA'S LIST
If your kids love checklists, like mine, nature scavenger hunts are a great activity. This list has tons of free printables to keep them busy. Bea has also been loving Mo Willems Doodle Lunch and Cosmic Kids Yoga - both on YouTube.
It's sounds so simple, but painting rocks is another fun activity that you can do with your littles that can stretch over several days (woohoo!). We go on a hunt around the neighborhood for different sizes of rocks (large, medium, and small). We bring them home, wash them with the hose, paint them and put them out in our front garden. It's a whole thing. Neighbors pop over to say hello and admire our handy work (from 6' away, of course:).
And because distance learning isn't only for the kids, I have had my eye on a few Masterclasses. There are so many different options to flex some new muscles. Specifically, I am eyeing Bobbi Brown's class on makeup and beauty (because at 42 I thought I should finally learn how to apply makeup), Kelly Werstler on interior design (because I am always learning), and Paul Krugman teaches economics and society (to return to my roots!), just to name a few.
I’ve also been taking some extra time on my beauty routine and slipped in a daily serum and twice weekly mask. I may or may not actually apply it twice weekly.
We’ve also spent more time in our living room as a family, reading, playing games, and watching movies together. We always have a Sydney Hale Candle going to up the hygge factor. To make things even more special and cozy, I’ve been eying up a few new items: a new rug (this one or this one?) and a new sofa. It’s been a long time since we updated our fireplace almost 3 years ago and our furnishings are over 10 years old, so you know that I am getting desperate to renovate something and switch things up. Stay tuned to see what I pull the trigger on.
1 Black Tea Perfecting Mask | 2 Vitamin Nectar Serum | 3 Reese Curved Sofa 4 Sequence for Kids | 5 Outdoor Paints | 6 Paint Brushes | 7 Heirloom Rug 011 8 Alterno Rug | 9 Sydney Hale Candle
SARA'S LIST
My husband and I fell in love with the Hill and bought our home here eight years ago. Since then, our two sweet girls joined us and we’ve continued upgrading our space (recently the back patio and front garden!), purging when we can (minimalists, are you with me?), and creating a retreat that welcomes us after a generally stressful day. Like many minimalists, we are careful with what we bring into our home, yet have become quiet collectors of heirloom and quality objects with an emphasis on rugs.
Helping me stay connected through the quarantine is my most recent purchase, a new iPhone. It’s the perfect time for your old phone to die, right? The new one came by FedEx in two days and thank goodness -- my phone is my most-used device; we stay connected through Instagram and sync to our Sonos speakers strategically placed throughout our home. We’ve been indulging in our favorite podcasts. My kids love Brains On! and I love all the True Crime options.
I jumped on the CBD train a while ago and haven’t looked back. Years of perfectionism and pain in the form of competitive gymnastics can wear on you! Add novel coronavirus to the mix and anxiety tends to peak. The Brilliance Box by Equilibria is great to keep me level-headed. I take a softgel each morning and use the cream to calm daily aches and monthly cycle pains. If I’m struggling for a good night’s sleep I use 5mL of the daily drops. Of course, always consult your doctor first to see if this is something that might work well for you.
Cozying up on this new quilt in our master bedroom and reading the illustrated versions of Harry Potter Books 1-3 has been an awesome way to bond (or pass time). My kids stay interested… It’s not the up and down or disinterest that some other series bring, so it is great for the whole family.
My mother is a saint and ordered these beautiful straw bags as soon as we began our self-quarantine. An immediate favorite for so many reasons! A bike basket, a scooter basket, a backpack, a treasure bag, a little handbag - this little woven basket bag is functional, adorable, and perfect for the little multi-taskers and adventurers alike. My girls are currently doing this scavenger hunt and storing items in their mini chari bags.
My kids have been biking in our alley non-stop as a way to get some fresh air during the day. They have hand-me-down bikes, but if we were looking for new ones, I might splurge on this stylish option for as much as we use them!
1 Lil Dutchi 16" Bike, Matte Gold | 2 Harry Potter Books 1-3 | 3 Brilliance Box by Equilibria | 4 iPhone | 5 Sonos Speakers | 6 Cloud Cotton Quilt | 7 Minichari Bag, Straw
BRITTNEY'S LIST
Life these past few months has been wild (all in good ways) for our family! We bought a house, had a baby, moved out of a house, bounced around from one Airbnb to another for a few weeks (with our 3 kids + dog) all while renovating our new house. We gratefully moved in and finished construction right before COVID-19 hit. All that to say, we are embracing this slower pace of life at home with the kids. It feels like we’re getting back to the basics and doing things I’ve been wanting to do for a while now.
On Amazon Prime Day (MONTHS AGO!) I was really excited to have purchased an Instant Pot. Well, I finally broke it out! I’m still learning how it functions, so any and all tips are welcome! Here’s a quick and easy go-to recipe that we’ve enjoyed so far. Any favorites – send them my way! I’m also eyeing up these books for cooking for a crowd and baking with kids in our new kitchen.
It seems that I never stop raving about Gathre mats. Easy to wipe clean, they’ve continued to be useful (and beautiful!) these past couple weeks at home. We have the Midi size in this color and use them every season – picnics at parks, sunbathing at the beach, backyard play time, indoor art time, pandemics, you name it… And we love these little canvas pom pom bins to corral all the kids things around our house.
Another item that continues to be a hit are the kids’ Micro Mini scooters. These scooters have made daily scoots around the block fun for all. The kids have been creating obstacles in the alley and trying out new tricks each day.
1 Nothing Fancy by Alison Roman | 2 The Complete Baking Book For New Chefs 3 Pehr Pom Pom Bin | 4 Micro Mini Scooters | 5 Gathre Midi Mat | 6 Instant Pot
ANTONIA'S LIST
I moved to the area a few months ago and am still in the process of making my place feel like home. Slowly but surely, it's getting there! I love scouring local estate sales and vintage markets for unique furniture and décor, which makes furnishing a place take a bit longer but makes finding a really special piece that much more exciting. Staying in these days has helped me slow down, enjoy the little things at home, and find some new creative outlets.
I have been getting A LOT of use out of my trusty (and pretty!) pour over coffee mug lately. I love Illy's classic roast, which works well with the pour over method. While I miss my favorite local coffee shops, taking the extra time to make my coffee in the morning has made me appreciate it that much more.
I have also been having fun experimenting with different DIY body scrub recipes. They are super easy to make and leave your skin feeling amazing! The best part is you likely have everything you need right at home. I use 1/2 cup coconut oil, 1 cup granulated sugar, 4 tbsp sweet almond oil (optional), and 5 drops lavender essential oil (optional). You can try out different ratios and essential oils to see what consistency and scent you like best. You can't mess it up! And in case you’re short on time, this Osea body polish is just as good.
I also have a few empty walls that have been begging for new art for a while now. I love simple abstract pieces like this and this, so I have been planning to take a stab at making something similar myself and finally have some extra time to do it. All you need are some large canvases (or any sturdy paper), basic paint colors, and brushes to get started. Water colors are super easy to work with and clean up, so this is a great project for all ages! And remember, it’s abstract, so it can be as simple or as complex as you would like :-)
1 Le Creuset Pour Over Mug, White | 2 Motion Lines 3 Wall Art | 3 Camlo Blush Wall Art | 4 Osea Body Polish | 5 365 Cane Sugar | 6 Coconut Oil | 7 Essential Oil 8 Sweet Almond Oil | 9 Paint Brushes | 10 Canvases | 11 Watercolor Essentials 12 Illy Classic Roast
COMMUNITY SUPPORT OPPORTUNITIES
In the event that you can and want to do more, we also wanted to include a few ways to contribute and support our community during this time.
Donations go to raise money for food, health, and human services in Washington, DC, and surrounding areas. The funds received will be quickly and efficiently disbursed by Nationals Philanthropies to well-positioned and established community partners and transparently disclosed on the fund website.
The NATS4GOOD Community Response Fund disperses charitable grants to community partners delivering essential food access, health, and human services in response to the COVID19 pandemic. Nationals Philanthropies has seeded the fund with $100,000 to be issued on a rolling basis to support local non-profit organizations with a well-defined need and implementation plan for delivering direct support to the community as a result of widespread closures and limited access to critical services.
KFFL works with First Book and the public school systems to get as many books to students as possible during this closure. The books will be distributed with free breakfast and lunch in DC, Maryland, and Virginia during social distancing.
Wishing you peace, health, and comfort during this tumultuous time!